Portugal Prime Minister Antonio Costa is heading home to Goa in January. Prime Minister Costa who is of Indian origin—he is still known by his Konkani pet name Babush—will be on a week-long state visit to India and will spend his last days in his ancestral village savouring the past.
Prime Minister Costa will also be the chief guest at the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas that is being held in Bengaluru. He will meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi on January 7. “During the visit PM Costa is also expected to call on the President and the Vice President. Several MoUs are expected to be signed during the visit that would set the agenda for India-Portugal relations going forward. PM Costa is likely to be accompanied by several Ministers,’’ a press release issued by the ministry of external affairs stated.
Travelling across the country, PM Costa will also attend the Vibrant Gujarat Summit to be held on January 10. His last few days, however, will be spent going back to where his family traces their roots. His father, Orlando Antonio Fernandes Costa, was a novelist, and was part of the anti-colonial movement. He even went to jail. His most famous work 'O Signo da Ira' is set in Margao where he grew up. The house where Orlando lived on—Rua Abade Faria—still exists. During his visit, PM Costa will also meet the Governor and the chief minister of Goa.