A Pocketful Of Sunshine

Chapter 1

November 1961

In the early hours of the morning, Selena Marianne Gomes arrived at Coonoor railway station, exhausted after a long and tiring journey from Goa. Selena couldn't wait to finally sit down and relax as the porter stowed away her large leather traveling trunk.

Inside the train compartment, Selena noticed that a few passengers had bundled themselves in thick woolens to keep warm in the chilly winter weather. The early morning mist had spread its thick veil, reducing visibility to just a few meters. Selena settled into her window seat, wiping the fog off the glass with her woolen gloves. She saw tea vendors bustling about through the window, trying to sell their wares. In the distance, she could hear the sound of the train whistle as a couple of tardy passengers boarded, eager to start their journey.

As the train started moving, Selena took a moment to reflect on the past few weeks of her life. The fight for independence in Goa against the Portuguese occupiers had reached a critical point. Despite the Portuguese government's attempts to petition the International Court of Justice, the Indian army continued to seize their colonies one by one since 1954. Many families had lost loved ones in the struggle due to the ego trip of a few power-hungry Portuguese aristocrats like Dr. Salazar, who refused to relinquish their control over their Indian colonies. However, Selena couldn't help but feel hopeful that Goa would soon achieve its independence.

Selena's father, Colonel Rafael Gomes, was consumed with worry over his daughter's safety as tensions continued to escalate in Goa. Following her mother's untimely and mysterious passing, Selena was left without anyone to look after her, prompting her father to send her to a convent run by nuns. There, she continued her studies, but violent freedom fighters began targeting Portuguese-owned establishments as the independence movement gained momentum.

Concerned for his daughter's safety, Rafael brought Selena back home after eight long years in the convent. However, he was plagued with fear that his local house servants may turn against him and harm his only child. Ultimately, Rafael decided to send Selena away to her maternal grandparents' house in Ooty, a decision that weighed heavily on him as she was only sixteen years old.

Despite his concerns, Rafael hoped Selena could celebrate Christmas with her grandparents, as in previous years, she rarely had the opportunity to spend time with them. With the holiday season fast approaching, it seemed like the perfect time to send her away from the increasingly dangerous situation in Goa.

As per the plan, Rafael decided to stay behind on Anjediva Island to fulfill his duties for the Portuguese Navy while ensuring Selena's safe travel to Ooty. He entrusted this responsibility to his friend Krishna Kamat, who was coincidentally traveling to Coonoor to visit his family.

To commence Selena's journey, a fishing boat was arranged to transport her and Mr. Kamat to Mangalore, from where they took a bus and then a train to Coimbatore. Finally, they reached Coonoor, where Selena bid farewell to Mr. Kamat and continued her journey alone on the train towards Lovedale, the destination where her grandparents eagerly awaited her arrival.

Selena's maternal grandparents, the Alexanders, resided on a sprawling farm in the tranquil village of Lovedale, nestled in the picturesque Nilgiri Hills of Tamil Nadu. Selena's mother, 'Superstar' Malini, had been a renowned actress in the Indian film industry during the late 1930s and early 1940s, but fate had other plans for her. Her flourishing career was cut short when she met the dashing Colonel Rafael Gomes at a charity event in Goa. Their whirlwind romance quickly made headlines, followed by their engagement and hasty marriage, leaving countless heartbroken fans and irate filmmakers in their wake. In those days, a popular notion in the film industry was that an actress's career was over once she tied the knot. As the news of Marianne's marriage spread like wildfire, the studios and producers who had invested heavily in her were left fuming and struggling to cope with the financial losses.