Alfred de Tavares, 70, a long-time journalist in Stockholm, has died, shocking colleagues and friends who knew the kind and jovial journalist who was also a powerful networker.
Tavares had been keeping unwell for some time. He is survived by his wife, three daughters, and a son He traced his roots to Goa and was one of its large diaspora population. He kept close contact with his home state.
Tavares passed away on Aug 31, according to information reaching here. What was probably his last column was published in the Goa English-language daily Herald on the very day he passed away. Tavares also reported for IANS and had communicated with the news agency even on Aug 29 about a story he could do.
For decades he has been acting as India's unofficial ambassador to Sweden and actively kept news flowing between the two distant regions. Besides being published in magazines like The Week, among others, he wrote for publications in Goa and in cyberspace.
In times when India had only sketchy news-gathering services internationally, Tavares reported on issues of relevance back home, ranging from the Bofors controversy to the killing of Swedish premier Olof Palme.
Journalist Eugene Correia, who has been based in Canada and the Middle East, commented: "He was a vital mine of information, particularly on pre-1961 Goa. His writings will be sorely missed. His piece in today's Herald called for the Dabolim Airport to be named after (prominent Goan statesman of the yesteryears) Dr. Jack Sequeira. RIP, Alfred for providing us with nuggets of information."
