Who is Dingo? May his soul rest in peace. I generally avoid this phrase, but for Dingo, I'll make an exception.

Our family, the Pereiras, can only trace our lineage to my father, grandfather, and great-grandfather. Our family tree appears rather linear before us - six brothers and four sisters. Regrettably, sisters cannot continue the Pereira name due to historical convention.

Our father, Luis Antonio Pereira, was eager to learn about his ancestors. His grandfather had to abandon his birthplace because of some issues, I am told. Luis frequently visited his ancestral land, seeking connections to the Pereira family tree with no success.

During a Bombay trip, he encountered a man named Dingo Pereira over drinks. Noticing their shared surname and location, Luis thought he had found a family link. He told this tale to his sister Isabel Cristalin D'Sa (Pereira by birth), who was delighted by the discovery. She confidently shared it with us whenever possible. Isabel survived our father by twenty-three years, even though she was ten years older.

She always maintained her maiden surname as Pereira in all conversations. She wanted her coffin's name plaque to mention it, and I ensured it did. Her loyalty to that name was strong, so her excitement over finding a link to her ancestor was understandable. Although we suspected our father merely comforted her, we didn't contest her claim.

Twenty-seven years after Isabel's death and fifty years after my father's demise, while paying homage on his golden death anniversary, we were examining old family portraits when an inquiry surfaced about Dingo's identity. It was then that I silently wished: whoever he may be, may his soul rest in peace.