In Abbe's memory
If Ramchandra Kamat's stunning piece of sculpture of Abbe Faria had not
been installed sixty years ago during the Portuguese regime in the public
square next to the old Secretariat, chances are that Jose Custodio de Faria
may not have lived in the people's memory as much as he does now. Or if the
statue of the great Goan hypnotist, revolutionary and priest had been
consigned to some other remotely placed garden, he may have remained
shrouded there. But captured in that bewitching pose with his extended
hands over a reclining woman on the Mandovi riverfront, Abbe Faria
continues to draw instant attention and whets the curiosity of passers-by.
And as long as he remains frozen on that pedestal in the heart of the city,
he will continue to live forever ... even if Goans and the government
forget significant landmarks, including the one on May 31 - Abbe's 250th
birth anniversary.
A European nation - name not disclosed for reasons of protocol - will
commemorate Abbe Faria by releasing a post card on his birth anniversary.
But with barely a week left for the grand occasion, there are no signs that
the Goa government has woken up in spite of GT reports in this connection.
And the man immortalised by Alexandre Dumas in his epic novel, Count of
Monte Cristo may have to be content with a modest programme to be organised
by a local theatre group.
This is a sad turn of events for the 'genial creator of scientific
hypnotism' and inventor of 100-square draughts, who participated in the
French Revolution in the 18th century. Born in Candolim on May 31, 1756 to
Caetano Vitorino de Faria of Colvale and Rosa Maria de Souza, his parents'
separation may have paved the way for Abbe's migration to Europe and
worldwide fame. Caetano Faria had lived then in his wife's house at
Candolim, which the government has converted into an orphanage but his
ancestral house at Gavant/Tuar, Colvale has been vandalised and came down
in the late eighties.
The proposition for the release of a commemorative stamp on Abbe's birth
anniversary was the initiative of a US-based Goan artist, Dom Martin.
Though it fell short of the target, as the petition reached late the two
European countries and India for granting the requisite approval, one of
the three countries will release a postcard on May 31. Perhaps, the state
government, which has been snoozing all this while, could make amends by
pressing the Indian postal authorities for the release of a commemorative
stamp during the 250th birth anniversary year. It would be a far greater
tribute to him if the government also converted his ancestral house in
Candolim into a seat of culture rather than continue it as an orphanage.
Similarly, the government could examine the status of Abbe Faria's
ancestral properties at Colvale.
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