Panaji: Yertward Mazamanian alias Eddie, a Hippie who discovered Anjuna beach in Goa for the rest of the world, died in the coastal state last week, his friends revealed.
The 85-year-old Eddie, known as Eight Finger Eddie, was an American Expat of Armenian ancestry, who discovered Anjuna beach for rest of the world in 1965 and stayed here till he breathed last on October 18.
Tony Almeida, whose father Joe was the first person to meet Edie at Anjuna, said that he had actually come to Colva beach in South Goa. "He moved northwards after hearing from the locals about this stretch of shore, Almeida said.
He is also called as father of Hippie tribe in Goa. In the 1960s, few beatniks and hippies travelled from Western Europe towards South Asia. Eddie was the first amongst them.
"Eddie and his companion came to Anjuna after walking through dense forest in 1965. It was a place at the foothill overlooking Arabian Sea," said Tony
Eddie also coined the idea of Anjuna's flea market in 1975 which initially began as a place to barter goods. The flea market still exists at Anjuna although it has been turned into a cluster of shops.
Eddie continued hogging limelight even after his death. The page devoted to this first hippie on facebook has been receiving comments from all across the globe. His fans also had live streaming of his funeral on a website on October 18.
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