Libia Lobo Sardesai

Libia Lobo Sardesai (née Lobo; born 25 May 1924) is an Indian independence activist and lawyer. Along with Vaman Sardesai, whom she later married, she ran an underground radio station, Voice of Freedom, that transmitted across Portuguese Goa from 1955 to 1961, advocating the cause of the Goan independence movement. Following the Indian annexation of Goa, she was the first Director of Tourism of Goa, Daman and Diu. In January 2025, Libia Lobo Sardesai was honored with the Padma Shri, India's fourth-highest civilian award, by the Government of India.

Life and career Early life (1924–1954)

Libia Lobo, known by the nickname of "Libby", was born on 25 May 1924 to a Catholic family in Porvorim, Portuguese Goa. Her family moved to Bombay some time in her childhood. She was friends with painter F. N. Souza in her childhood and they both grew up near Crawford Market. As a student, she was part of T. B. Cunha's Goan Youth League.

She began her career as a translator and a "censor", working on deciphering cryptic letters written by Italian prisoners of war during World War II. She simultaneously completed a degree at Siddharth College of Arts, Science and Commerce, which was established by B. R. Ambedkar. Ambedkar himself expressed his pleasure during her admission process. It was in her college days that Lobo began contributing to the Goan independence movement. She was greatly influenced by M. N. Roy, who had been introduced to her by Nissim Ezekiel and other professors of hers.

Voice of Freedom (1955–1961)

In 1954–55, the Portuguese attacked and killed several Satyagrahis who had peacefully entered the Goan borders, demanding the end of colonial rule in Goa. Following this, India closed its borders with Goa, imposing an economic blockade, thus reducing free movement and trade. Lobo, Vaman Sardesai and Nicolau Menezes, a Goan independence activist who had been living in hiding in Bombay, came together to form a team. Using two wireless radio sets, which were confiscated the Portuguese, were converted into a radio transmitter. This became the Voice of Freedom radio station, through which Lobo, Sardesai and Menezes would transmit news and important information to Goans.

They initially lived in the jungles of Amboli Ghat, from Goa, transmitting an hour-long programme. After Menezes and his wife left, Lobo and Sardesai shifted to Castle Rock, Karnataka ( from Goa).

She was awarded the Padma Shri in 2025.