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Friday, January 17, 2025

गोव्यातील ख्रिश्चनांची संख्या गेल्या काही वर्षां\त झपाट्याने कमी असून याबाबत गोव्याचे राज्यपाल श्रीधरन पिलाई यांनी केरळमध्ये एका कार्यक्रमात बोलताना चिंता व्यक्त केली आहे.

याच वाक्याच्या उत्तरार्धांत महनीय राज्यपालांनी जे म्हटले तो खरा तर या देशात अनेकांच्या दृष्टीने खरा चिंतेचा विषय असू शकतो.

मात्र त्यांच्या वाक्याचा उत्तरार्ध हा माझ्या अभ्यासाचा विषय नाही, त्यामुळे तिकडे न वळता गोव्यातील ख्रिश्चनांची संख्या गेली काही वर्षे सातत्याने कमी का होत आहे हे पाहता येईल.

गोव्यातील ख्रिश्चन लोक या राज्यात कॅथोलिक म्हणूनच ओळखले जातात. सोळाव्या शतकाच्या सुरुवातीस पोर्तुगीजांनी या छोट्या प्रदेशात सत्ता मिळवली तेव्हापासून पुढील काही काळ येथे मोठ्या प्रमाणावर धर्मांतर घडून आले.

पोर्तुगीज आणि स्पॅनिश हे दोन्ही देश कॅथोलिकांचे बालेकिल्ले. या दोन देशातले साहसी दर्यावर्दी नवे जग शोधायला आपल्या नौका समुद्रात सोडल्या तेव्हा वसाहती मिळवण्याबाबत आणि तेथे ख्रिस्ती धर्मप्रसार करण्याबाबत या दोन राष्ट्रांत स्पर्धा होऊ नये म्हणून पोप महोदयांनी संपूर्ण जगाची या दोन राष्ट्रांमध्ये चक्क वाटणीच करून टाकली होती.

पाद्रुआदू आणि प्रोपोगांडा या नावाने जगाची स्पेन आणि पोर्तुगाल राष्ट्रांत विभागणी झाली होती.

पोर्तुगालच्या दर्यावर्दी वॉस्को दा गामा गोव्यात १४९८ साली पोहोचला आणि तेव्हापासून तिथे ख्रिस्ती धर्माचा म्हणजेच रोमन कॅथोलिक पंथाचा प्रसार झाला.

इंग्लंडच्या राजाने मूळ कॅथोलिक पंथापासून फारकत घेत स्वतःचे अँग्लिकन चर्च स्थापन केले होते. आजही इंग्लंडचा राजा अथवा राणी अँग्लिकन चर्चची प्रमुख असते नि या चर्चच्या सर्वोच्च धर्मगुरुची - आर्चबिशप ऑफ कँटरबरीची राजा किंवा राणीच करत असते.

इंग्लंडने स्वतःच्या वसाहती निर्माण केल्या, मात्र ख्रिस्ती धर्मप्रसार हे ईस्ट इंडिया कंपनीचे उद्दिष्ट्य कधीच नव्हते. त्यामुळे पोर्तुगीजांच्या अंमलाखालील भारतात गोवा, वसई, दमण, सिल्व्हासा येथे मोठ्या प्रमाणावर लोक कॅथोलिक झाले तसे ब्रिटिश इंडियात झाले नाही.

प्रोटेस्टंटपंथीय असलेल्या ब्रिटिशांनी ना प्रोटेस्टंट मिशनरींना ना कॅथोलिक मिशनरींना धर्मांतरासाठी प्रोत्साहन दिले. धर्मप्रसाराऐवजी त्यांनी व्यापारालाच प्राधान्य दिले.

दक्षिण गोव्यात कॅथोलिकांची संख्या लक्षणीय आहे, दोन अपवाद वगळता इथल्या मतदारांनी आतापर्यंत नेहेमीच कॅथोलिक उमेदवाराची लोकसभा खासदार म्हणून निवड केलेली आहे. मागच्या निवडणुकीत फ्रान्सिको सार्दिन्हा खासदार म्हणून निवडून आले होते. यावेळी २०२४ च्या निवडणुकीत कॅप्टन विरिएतो फर्नांडिस दक्षिण गोव्यातून लोकसभेला निवडून आले आहेत.

याच्या अगदी उलट स्थिती उत्तर गोव्याची आहे, तिथे हिंदू बहुसंख्य आहेत आणि गोवा, दमण आणि दीव या केंद्रशासित प्रदेशाच्या (१९६१ - १९८६) आणि गोवा राज्यात इतिहासात इथून नेहेमीच हिंदू उमेदवार लोकसभेवर निवडला गेला आहे.

गोव्याची सध्याची डेमोग्राफिक म्हणजे लोकसंख्याबाबत स्थिती अशी आहे.

अगदी मध्ययुगीन काळापासून गोव्यातले लोक गोवा सोडून हिरव्या कुराणाच्या शोधार्थ इतरत्र जात होते. यात मात्र तेव्हापासून एक मूलभूत फरक होता आणि आजच्या काळातही हा फरक प्रकर्षाने दिसून येतो.

गोव्यातील एक ज्येष्ठ वकील क्लिओपात अल्मेडा कुटिनो यांनी पणजीतल्या `द नवहिंद टाइम्स ' या इंग्रजी दैनिकात गोवा राज्यपालांच्या विधानाच्या अनुषंगाने या विषयावर एक विस्तृत लेख लिहिला आहे. या लेखात त्यांनी विविध बाबींवर प्रकाश टाकला आहे.

गोव्यातील उच्च जातींतील म्हणजे सारस्वत रोमन कॅथोलिक सोळाव्या शतकापासूनच पोर्तुगाल आणि तेथून पोर्तुगालच्या इतर वसाहती देशांत किंवा युरोपातील इतर देशांत जात असत.

आधुनिक संमोहनशास्त्राचा जनक असलेल्या अँबे (फादर) फरिया यांनी रोम आणि फ्रान्समध्ये मोठे नाव कमावले, त्यांचा संमोहन करण्याच्या क्रियेतील पूर्णाकृती पुतळा पणजी येथे आदिलशाही पॅलेसजवळच आहे.

हे अबे फरिया आणि गोव्यातील इतर कॅथोलिक लोकांनी लिस्बन आणि पोर्तुगालमध्ये कार्य केले ते सर्व सारस्वत या वरच्या आणि उच्चभ्रु जातीतले.

फरिया हे मूळचे शेणवी किंवा शिनॉय, म्हणजे सारस्वत .

पोर्तुगालचे माजी पंतप्रधान अंतोनिओ कोस्टा यांचे घराणे मूळचे गोव्यातील मडगाव येथले. त्याच्या आजोबांनी गोव्यातून स्थलांतर केले होते.

गोव्यातल्या, तसेच दमण आणि दीव, दादरा, नगर हवेली इथल्या `काही' नागरिकांना, - सर्वांना नव्हे - पोर्तुगालचे नागरिकत्व आणि पासपोर्ट आजसुद्धा मिळू शकतो. मी वर नमूद केलेले प्रदेश एकेकाळी पोर्तुगालच्या वसाहती होत्या, पोर्तुगाल इंडियाचे भाग होते.

१९६१ पूर्वी या पोर्तुगीज इंडियात जन्मलेल्या लोकांना आणि त्यांच्या पुढच्या तीन पिढींतील लोकांना आजही पोर्तुगीज नागरिकत्व आणि पासपोर्ट मिळू शकते, पोर्तुगालच्या कायद्यानुसार तो त्यांचा एक हक्क आहे.

वंश प्रस्थापित करण्यासाठी पोर्तुगीज नागरिक म्हणून आवश्यक प्रमाणपत्रांसह पोर्तुगालमध्ये जन्माची नोंदणी केल्यास लिस्बनमध्ये एक दोन दिवसातच पोर्तुगीज पासपोर्ट कसा ऊपलब्ध होऊ शकतो

गोव्यातील कॅथोलिक अगदी सोळाव्या शतकापासून गोव्यातून स्थलांतरित होत असले तरी हे प्रमाण नगण्य होते. गेल्या दिडशे वर्षांत स्थलांतरितांची संख्या वाढून येथील लोकसंख्येत कॅथोलिकांचे प्रमाण कमी होत गेले आहे. याचा परिणाम साहजिकच या राज्यातील निवडणूक निकालांवर पडत गेला आहे.

पंतप्रधान पंडित जवाहरलाल नेहरू यांनी भारतीय जनमताच्या रेट्याला प्रतिसाद देत अखेरीस १९ डिसेंबर १९६१ रोजी भारतीय लष्कराकरवी कारवाई करून गोवा, दमण आणि दीव हा प्रदेश हा पोर्तुगीज सत्तेतून मुक्त करुन भारतीय संघराज्यात सामील केला.

त्यानंतर या केंद्रशासित प्रदेशाचे भवितव्य ठरवण्यासाठी पंतप्रधान इंदिरा गांधी यांनी १९६७ च्या जानेवारीत या प्रदेशात सार्वमत घेतले. भारतीय संघराज्याच्या इतिहासातील हे पहिलेच आणि आतापर्यंतचे एकमेव सार्वमत.

या सार्वमताद्वारे गोवा, दमण आणि दीव या जनतेने या प्रदेशाचे स्वतंत्र अस्तित्व असावे आणि गोवा महाराष्ट्रात आणि दमण आणि दीव गुजरातेत विलीन करू नये असा निर्णय दिला.

विशेष म्हणजे या चिमुकल्या प्रदेशाचे शेजारच्या राज्यांत विलीनीकरण टळले ते सार्वमताच्या अगदी काही थोडक्या मतांच्या टक्क्याने आणि या सार्वमतात कॅथोलिक लोकांनीं विलीनीकरणाच्या विरोधी जवळजवळ एकगठ्ठा मतदान करून गोव्याचे स्वतंत्र अस्तित्व राखले.

गोव्याचे महाराष्ट्रात विलीनीकरण व्हावे याबाबत ४५ टक्क्यांहून अधिक लोकांनी मतदान केले होते यावर आज कुणाचा विश्वास बसणार नाही.

गोव्याचे महाराष्ट्रात विलिनी व्हावे यासाठी गोवा, दमण आणि दीवचे मुख्यमंत्री दयानंद बांदोडकर, महाराष्ट्राचे मुख्यमंत्री वसंतराव नाईक आणि केंद्रीय मंत्रि यशवंतराव चव्हाण यांनीं जोरदार प्रचार केला होता.

गोव्यातील कॅथोलिक पोर्तुगाल किंवा पोर्तुगालच्या इतर वसाहतींत स्थलांतर होणे तसे साहजिकच होते अगदी त्याच प्रमाणे गोव्यातील अनेक हिंदू लोकांनी महाराष्ट्रात मुंबई, पुण्यात आणि इतरत्र स्थलांतर केले होते.

महाराष्ट्राच्या विविध क्षेत्रांतील नामवंत व्यक्तींची यादी पाहिली कि त्यामध्ये अनेक गोमंतकीय आहेत हे लक्षात येते.

गोवा, दमण आणि दीव पोर्तुगालच्या साडे चारशे वर्षांच्या सत्तेतून १९६१ साली मुक्त केल्यानंतर या प्रदेशातल्या पोर्तुगीज पासपोर्ट असणाऱ्या लोकांना भारतात राहण्याचा किंवा पोर्तुगालला जाण्याचा निर्णय घेण्याची सोय होती.

अनेकांनी मग साहजिकच पोर्तुगालची आणि त्यामार्गे इतर पाश्चिमात्य देशांची वाट धरली.

गोव्यातील कॅथोलिक लोकसंख्या गोवामुक्तीनंतरच्या काळात ३६ टक्क्यांवरून २५ टक्क्यांवर आली आहे असे आकडेवारीवरून दिसते. नजिकच्या काळात हे प्रमाण असेच घसरत जाण्याची शक्यता दिसत आहे.

रोमन कॅथोलीक पंथात संतती नियमनाची कृत्रिम साधने आणि गर्भपात यावर कागदोपत्री बंदी आहे. पण चर्च या नियमांकडे कानाडोळा करत असते आणि कॅथोलिक लोक सरळसरळ दुर्लक्ष करत असतात हे वास्तव आहे. ख्रिस्ती लोकांची गोव्यात आणि इतरत्र सुद्धा लोकसंख्या कमी होण्याचे हे एक प्रमुख कारण आहे.

इंडियन एक्सप्रेसने अलीकडेच म्हणजे २७ जून २०२३ ला पान एकवर अँकरची बातमी या विषयाला धरुन छापली होती. बातमीचा मथळा होता :

Of 70,000 surrendered passports in India in a decade, 40% were in Goa

गोव्यातील कॅथोलिक लोकांनी पोर्तुगालकडे आणि नंतर युरोपियन देशांत इतक्या मोठया संख्येनें स्थलांतर का केले याची अनेक कारणे आहेत.

एक म्हणजे रोजगार. पोर्तुगीज इंडियात उद्योगाची आणि रोजगाराची वानवाच होती. पोर्तुगीजमुळे इतर युरोपियन भाषा शिकणे अधिक सहजसाध्य, पाश्चात्य पेहेराव, खाद्य संस्कृती, ख्रिस्ती धर्म वगैरे अनेक बाबींमुळे लिस्बनकडे जाणाऱ्या जहाजाची वाट धरणे अधिक आकर्षक ठरले.

गोव्यातील हिंदूंच्या तुलनेत कॅथोलिक्स अधिक वेस्टर्नाइज्ड होते, अनेक कॅथोलिक कुटुंबांत पोर्तुगीजमध्ये संभाषण होई, त्यामुलें इंग्रजी शिकणे त्यांना तुलनेत सोपे जाई, त्यांची खाद्य, पेहेराव आणि धार्मिक संस्कृती पाश्चात्य धर्तीची होती.

पोर्तुगालच्या गोव्यातल्या जुन्या मुलखातील कॅथॉलिकांचे प्रमाण १७६४ साली तब्बल ८६ टक्के होते. या ओल्ड काँक्वेस्टमध्ये गोव्यातील बार्देझ, सालसेट किंवा साष्टी, इलिहास (पणजीजवळचा भाग) आणि मार्मुगावचा समावेश होता.

पोर्तुगीजांनी नंतर उत्तर गोव्यावर कब्जा मिळवला आणि तेव्हाच्या नव्या आणि जुन्या मुलखांतील पोर्तुगीज गोव्यातील कॅथॉलिकांचे प्रमाण १८५१ साली ६३.८ टक्के इतके कमी झाले.

याचे कारण उत्तर गोव्यात दक्षिण गोव्याच्या तुलनेत फारच नगण्य स्वरूपाचे ख्रिस्ती धर्मांतर झाले होते. दुसरे कारण म्हणजे दक्षिण गोव्यात दाट लोकसंख्या होती तर उत्तर गोव्यात लोकसंख्या तुलनेने विरळ होती.

गोव्यातील कॅथॉलिकांनी केवळ पोर्तुगालला स्थलांतर केले असे नाही, अनेक कॅथोलिक कुटुंबांनी मुंबईत आणि त्याकाळी भारतातच असलेल्या कराची येथे कायमचे स्थायिक होणे पत्करले.

स्थलांतर करताना यापैकी अनेकांनी आपल्या वडिलोपार्जित मालमत्ता कायमच्या विकून टाकल्या होत्या.

देशातले आणि मुंबईचे पहिले भारतीय बिशप म्हणून आणि त्यानंतर पहिले भारतीय कार्डिनल होण्याचा सन्मान मिळणारे व्हॅलेरियन ग्रेशियस यांचा जन्म कराची येथला. कार्डिनल ग्रेशियस यांचे कुटुंब मूळचे गोव्यातील मडगावजवळ असलेल्या नावेली गावाचे होते.

पोर्तुगालमध्ये घटनात्मक राजेशाही १८२० साली प्रस्थापित झाल्यानंतर गोव्यात उदारमतवाही प्रवाह सुरु झाला आणि ब्रिटिश इंडियाच्या सीमावर्ती भागांतील अनेक मराठी बोलणारे लोक उत्तर गोव्यात स्थायिक झाले.

ख्रिस्ती धर्मांतर आणि इतर कारणांमुळे गोव्यातून पलायन केलेल्या लोकांपैकी अनेक जण पुन्हा गोव्यात स्थायिक झाले. दरम्यान गोव्यातून कॅथॉलिक लोकांचे पोर्तुगालला आणि इतर ठिकाणी स्थलांतर चालूच राहिले.

गोव्यातील पोर्तुगीजांची सत्ता १९६१ साली संपली तेव्हा कॅथॉलिकांचे १८५१ साली असलेले ६३.८ टक्के प्रमाण थेट ३८. ०७ इतके म्हणजे ११० वर्षांच्या काळात २५. टक्क्यांनी खाली घसरले होते.

मी गोव्यात शिक्षणासाठी १९७०च्या दशकात पोहोचलो, तेव्हा माझ्या मित्रांचे आईवडील, इतर ज्येष्ठ मंडळी आपापसांत पोर्तुगीज भाषेत बोलत. त्यांच्यामुळे मीही या भाषेत थोडेफार बोलायला शिकलो. गोव्यातून पोर्तुगीज भाषा आता हद्दपार झाली आहे.

गोव्यात कॉलेजला शिकताना माझ्या बरोबर जेसुईट प्री- नॉव्हिशिएटमध्ये (पूर्व-सेमिनिरीत) राहणाऱ्या बेनी (बेनेडिक्ट) फरीयाने सज्ञान होण्याआधी पोर्तुगालला जाण्याचा निर्णय घेतला.

बेनीचा आणि लेस्टर फर्नांडिसचा पासपोर्ट पोर्तुगीज होते. मात्र वयाची एकवीस वर्षे पूर्ण होईपर्यंत पासपोर्ट न बदलता ते आणि त्यांची भावंडे भारतात राहू शकत होते. सज्ञान झाल्यानंतर मात्र त्यांना भारतीय पासपोर्ट घेणे भाग होते. त्याआधीच बेनी फरीयाची आणि लेस्टर फर्नांडिसची सर्व भावंडं पोर्तुगालला गेली.

लेस्टर फर्नांडिसने मात्र पोर्तुगालऐवजी गोव्यातच राहण्याचा निर्णय घेतला होता. त्यासाठी त्याने आपला पोर्तुगालचा पासपोर्ट परत करून भारतीय पासपोर्ट आणि नागरीकत्व स्वीकारला होता.

गोव्यातुन परदेशांत झालेल्या स्थलांतराविषयी २००८ साली फातिमा दा सिल्वा यांनी केलेल्या एका संशोधनातून स्थलांतरीत लोकांमध्ये ७४ टक्के कॅथोलिक होते ते दिसून आले होते.

ही सगळी आकडेवारी क्लिओपात अल्मेडा कुटिनो यांनी आपल्या लेखात दिली आहे.

इंग्लंडच्या तुलनेत पोर्तुगालने भारताच्या आणि आपल्या इतर वसाहतींतील लोकांना पोर्तुगालमध्ये आणि त्यानंतर इतर युरोपियन देशांत स्थायिक होण्यास मोठया प्रमाणात हातभार लावला आहे.

भारतात गोवा, दमन आणि दीव १९६१ साली सामील झाला, आजही १९६१ सालापूर्वी या पोर्तुगीज वसाहतीत जन्मलेल्या आणि त्यांच्या पुढील तीन पिढ्यांना पोर्तुगालचा पासपोर्ट आणि पर्यायाने पोर्तुगालचे नागरिकत्व सहज मिळू शकते.

विशेष म्हणजे गोव्याच्या मुक्तीनंतरही गोव्यातील अनेक लोकांकडे पोर्तुगालचेही पासपोर्ट म्हणजेच नागरिकत्वही होते. हा प्रकार अनेक वर्षे चालू राहिला होता.

मागील काही शतकांत गोव्यातील अनेक स्थलांतरित लोक जहाजांवर विविध नोकऱ्या करत असत, सणावाराला किंवा इतर कामांसाठी ते आपल्या मायभूमीकडे परतत असत.

पोर्तुगालचे पंतप्रधान असताना अंतोनिओ कोस्टा हे सुद्धा दोनदा गोव्याच्या भेटीवर आले होते.

गोव्यात मी जातो तेव्हा आल्डोना, वागातोर वगैरे अनेक ठिकाणी मोठमोठे कौलारीं बंगले आणि घरे झाकून ठेवलेली दिसतात.

परदेशांत स्थायिक झालेल्या आपल्या मालकांच्या किंवा त्यांच्या वंशजांच्या परतण्याची ही छोटीमोठी घरे वाट पाहत असतात. अनेकदा हे बंगले, घरे लँड माफियांच्या कारस्थानाला बळी पडतात.

तर अशा गोंयकारांच्या अनेक प्रॉपर्टीज गोव्यात असल्या तरी ते कायमचे परतण्याच्या शक्यता धूसर झाल्या आहेत.

अगदी अशीच परिस्थिती `इस्तादो दा पोर्तुगालचा' म्हणजे पोर्तुगीज इंडियाचा भाग असलेल्या गुजरातजवळील दमण येथे, दादरा नगर हवेली आणि सिल्व्हासा येथे आहे हे मी नेहेमी पाहत असतो.

गोव्याप्रमाणेच एकेकाळी पोर्तुगालच्या वसाहती असलेल्या पालघर जिल्ह्यातील वसई तालुक्यात आणि तेथून जवळच असलेल्या गुजरातच्या सीमेनजिकच्या दमण आणि सिल्व्हासा येथेसुद्धा स्थानिक कॅथोलिक लोकांचे मोठ्या प्रमाणात पाश्चात्य राष्ट्रांत स्थलांतर होत आहे.

गोव्याप्रमाणेच वसईतसुद्धा अनेक ठिकाणी घरटी निदान एकतरी व्यक्ती किंवा जवळचा नातेवाईक युरोपात, अमेरिकेत, कॅनडात किंवा ऑस्ट्रेलियात असतो असे मी स्वतः अनुभवले आहे.

गोवा मुक्तीनंतरच्या काळात भारताच्या विविध राज्यांतून हिंदू, मुस्लीम आणि इतर धर्मियांनी या छोट्याशा राज्यात स्थलांतर केले आहे आणि यामुळे कॅथोलिक लोकांची संख्या एकूण लोकसंख्येच्या प्रमाणात सतत कमी होते गेली आहे.

गोंयकारांचे प्रमाण कमी होण्याचे एक महत्वाचे कारण प्रचंड संख्येने बाहेरील राज्यातून इथे आलेले लोक. हल्ली रोजगारासाठी आणि मजुरीकरता बिहार, झारखंड, कर्नाटक आणि इतर राज्यांतून मोठ्या संख्येने लोक गोव्यात आलेले आहेत.

सिटी बसमध्ये प्रवास करताना हे सहज जाणवते.

गोव्यातील मूळ गोवन - गोमंतकीय असलेल्या - लोकांची संख्याही त्यामुळे घटत चालली आहे. निज गोंयकार आणि भायले अशा संज्ञा त्यासाठी वापरल्या जातात.

असेच चालू राहिले तर काही काळात गोव्यात कॅथोलीक लोकांचे प्रमाण दखल न घेण्याइतके नगण्य होऊ शकते.

यासंदर्भात माजी केंद्रीय मंत्री सुरेश प्रभू यांनी विनोद म्हणून सांगितलेला एक किस्सा सद्याच्या परिस्थितीवर झोत टाकतो.

उत्तर भारतातील अनेक लोक, विशेषतः दिल्लीतील अनेक व्यक्ती हल्ली गोव्यात कायमचे स्थायिक होत आहेत असे त्यांनी पणजी येथे झालेल्या एका कार्यक्रमात म्हटले आहे.

``हल्ली गोव्यात पूर्वीपेक्षा कितीतरी अधिक संख्येने लोक राहत आहेत. दिल्लीतलय एखाद्या व्यक्तीला तुम्ही जर `दिल्लीतल्या कुठल्या भागात राहता?'' असे विचारले तर ती व्यक्ती म्हणते: '' मी अजूनमधून दिल्लीत येत असतो, कायमस्वरुपी मी गोव्यात राहतो!' ''

'' उत्तर भारतातील प्रत्येकाला गोव्यात राहायचे आहे. निवृत्त होणाऱ्या प्रत्येक सरकारी अधिकाऱ्याला गोव्यात स्थायिक व्हायचे असते.," असे त्यांनी म्हटले आहे.

गोवा भारताचा भाग असल्याने यात वावगे काहीच नाही, मात्र इतक्या मोठ्या संख्येने गोव्यात स्थायिक होणाऱ्या लोकांना सामावून घेणे गोव्याला शक्य आहे काय असा प्रश्न त्यांनी विचारला होता.

फोटो ओळी : अंतोनियो कोस्टा पोर्तुगालचे पंतप्रधान असताना आपल्या मायभूमीच्या भेटीवर गोव्यात २०१७ साली आले तेव्हाचा फोटो

Camil Parkhe,

Sunday, May 27, 2018

Church consistent in secular, pro-Constitution poll stance

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Church consistent in secular, pro-Constitution poll stance

Church consistent in secular, pro-Constitution poll stance

Camil Parkhe

Saturday, 26 May 2018 goo.gl/GgS2fm

The Catholic Bishops Conference of India (CBCI), the apex body of the Catholic Church in the country, issues nationwide appeal to the faithful before the general polls to vote for those who will uphold the fundamental rights of the citizens, ensure social, communal harmony and well-being of all citizens, protect democratic rights and secular principles as enshrined in the Constitution. The Election Commission of India has never found contents of these appeals as objectionable or partisan to any particular political parties.

A few days back, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis called on Vasai Archbishop Felix Machado at the Bishop’s House, ahead of the Lok Sabha by-poll in Palghar constituency. This parliamentary seat has a sizeable population of Christians. The Christians can decide the poll outcome in this Lok Sabha seat and two assembly constituencies. CM Fadnavis had therefore called on the Archbishop to woo the votes of the Christians.

CM Fadnavis cannot be blamed for calling on the Archbishop to seek the minority votes for the BJP. It is an open secret that the Church does play an important role in shaping the views of its faithful in any poll. When there are attacks on the Christians or when their rights on food consumption, freedom of worshiping and preaching are threatened, the Church has always been very vocal in voicing its concerns. The period of elections therefore serves as an occasion for the Church to caution the faithful to vote wisely to ensure protection of these rights. The recent appeal of Delhi’s Archbishop Anil Couto therefore should be seen as in consistence with the Church’s practice to periodically ask Christians - and also others - to vote for those who will uphold all the democratic rights enshrined in the nation’s Constitution and protect the secular fabric of the nation. A look at Archbishop Couto’s pastoral letter will reveal that he has not said anything objectionable.

In the recent years, the country has seen an alarming rise in the atrocities against the dalits, Muslims and Christians in connection with the issues of consumption of beef, cow slaughter, cow vigilantism, conversion and Ghar Wapsi. The members of the Christian community, a majority of whom are erstwhile dalits and tribals, are directly affected by these sensitive issues and the Church has on a regular basis voiced its concerns to safeguard the rights of its flock. The period before any elections therefore is used by the Church all over the country to appeal to the devotees and others to vote only for those who will preserve the nation’s social harmony and secular fabric.

Unfortunately, some political parties and organisations perceive these appeals as directed against them. The words such as secular, nationalist and nationalism, patriotism, freedom of expression and dissent have obtained altogether different connotations in the recent years. Those espousing the cause of secularism, freedom of expression, freedom of religion and democratic principles are therefore perceived to be the critics of the powers that be. Delhi’s Archbishop Anil Couto’s well-intentioned appeal is a victim of this perverse perception.

Full text of Archbishop Couto’s letter

“We are witnessing a turbulent political atmosphere, which poses a threat to the democratic principles enshrined in our Constitution and the secular fabric of our nation.

It is our hallowed practice to pray for our country and its political leaders all the time but all the more so when we approach the General Elections.

As we look forward towards 2019 when we will have [a] new Government, let us begin a Prayer Campaign for our country from May 13, 2018 which marks the Anniversary of the Apparition of the Blessed Mother at Fatima, consecrating ourselves and our nation to the Immaculate Heart.

I request that we observe a Day of Fast every Friday of the week by foregoing at least one meal and offering our penance and all our sacrifices for our spiritual renewal and that of our nation.

Moreover, I earnestly request that we organise an hour of Eucharistic Adoration every Friday at a convenient time in all our parishes, religious houses and institutions, specifically praying for our nation.”

Friday, May 25, 2018

Camil Parkhe old articles recompiled

11/19/14--04:41: कामिल पारखे यांना फादर स्टाफनर पुरस्कार

कामिल पारखे यांना फादर स्टाफनर पुरस्कार

सकाळ वृत्तसेवा

Monday, November 21, 2011 AT 02:32 PM (IST)

Tags: camil parkhe, sakaal times, father staffner award, pune, fr hans staffner

पुणे - प्राच्यविद्यापंडित, पुण्यातील डी नोबिली कॉलेज आणि ज्ञानदीप विद्यापीठातील शिक्षक फादर हान्स स्टाफनर यांच्या स्मरणार्थ दिल्या जाणाऱ्या द्विवार्षिक पुरस्कारासाठी "सकाळ टाइम्स'चे वरिष्ठ उपसंपादक, लेखक कामिल पारखे यांची निवड झाली आहे. नगर जिल्ह्यातील श्रीरामपूर येथील फादर हान्स स्टाफनर प्रतिष्ठानतर्फे हा पुरस्कार दिला जातो.

याआधी हा पुरस्कार प्राप्त झालेल्या व्यक्तींमध्ये फादर फ्रान्सिस दिब्रिटो यांचा समावेश होता. ऑस्ट्रियात 1909 मध्ये जन्म झालेले फादर स्टाफनर येशूसंघीय धर्मगुरू म्हणून 1934 मध्ये भारतात आले. तीन वर्षांतच त्यांनी भारतीय नागरिकत्व स्वीकारले. फादर स्टाफनर यांनी हिंदू धर्मावर, ख्रिस्ती ईशज्ञानावर आणि धार्मिक सुसंवादावर अनेक पुस्तके लिहिली आहेत. यापैकी काही पुस्तकांचे मराठीत भाषांतर झाले आहे. थॉमस स्टीफन्स या ब्रिटिश धर्मगुरूंनी सतराव्या शतकात गोव्यात मराठी भाषेत लिहिलेल्या ख्रिस्त पुराणाची पहिली देवनागरी आवृत्ती प्रकाशित करण्यासाठी स्टाफनर यांनी प्रयत्न केले. पारखे यांनी मीडिया डिक्‍शनरी, महाराष्ट्र चरित्रकोश, ख्रिस्ती मिशनऱ्यांचे योगदान वगैरे 12 पुस्तके मराठी आणि इंग्रजी भाषांत लिहिली आहेत. स्नेहसदन येथे 27 नोव्हेंबर रोजी होणाऱ्या कार्यक्रमात पुण्याचे बिशप थॉमस डाबरे यांच्या हस्ते हा पुरस्कार पारखे यांना देण्यात येईल. येशूसंघीय पुणे प्रांताचे प्रमुख फादर भाऊसाहेब संसारे कार्यक्रमाच्या अध्यक्षस्थानी असतील.

फोटो गॅलरी

संबंधित बातम्या

प्रतिक्रिया

On 21/11/2011 09:17 PM जनार्दन माळी, mangirish.mali@gmail.com said:

पुस्तकाद्वारे स्वतःचे एखाद्या धर्माबद्द्ल विचार अक्षर रुपाने व्यक्त होतात. ते विचार कालातीत आहेत की कालाधिन आहेत हे काळच ठरवितो. कोणताही धर्म वाईट नाही.धर्माचे प्रतिकात्मक व आचरणात्मक हे दोन भाग असतात.आचरणात्मक धर्माला सार्वभौमिक मान्यता असते पण लोक तो विसरले आहेत.हल्ली प्रतिकात्मक धर्माला जास्त महत्व दिले जाते.जसे तीर्थयात्रा करणे,मुर्ति पूजा करणे ,बाबा-बुवांच्या समाधिंना भेटी देणे.

On 21-11-2011 05:15 PM Nana Parkhe said:

अभिनंदन"

On 21/11/2011 04:38 PM shrikant said:

फादर हान्स स्टाफनर यांच्याऐवजी कमिल पारखे यांची माहिती द्या . त्यांना कोणत्या कार्यासाठी पुरस्कार मिळाला.

On 21/11/2011 04:08 PM Sandeep Tamhankar said:

अभिनंदन कमिल, बातमी वाचून अतिशय आनंद झाला. कार्यक्रमाला येण्याचा जरूर प्रतन करतो. संदीप ताम्हनकर.

On 21/11/2011 04:06 PM Milton said:

Congratulation and best wishes from Konkani kristha sabha pune

11/23/14--03:08: Goa CM's post : BJP bungles up in social engineering

Goa CM: BJP bungles up in social engineering

Sakal Times Reporters Name | CAMIL PARKHE | Wednesday, 19 November 2014 AT 03:58 PM IST

Camil Parkhe, blog, Goa CM, Laxmikant PArsekar, Roman Catholics, Francis D'Souza, Manohar Parrikar

I had just arrived in Goa for a holiday when the newly elected Goa chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar inducted two more Roman Catholics into his cabinet. (Christians in Goa always refer themselves as Catholics; Goans professing the Protestant sect of Christianity are almost non-existent in this tiny state). The induction of Independent legislator Avertano Furtado and Goa Vikas Party legislator Francisco alias Micky Pacheco was a part of the BJP's move to placate the Catholics who were apparently annoyed when deputy chief minister Francis D'Souza's 'natural' claim to the chief minister's post was rejected by the ruling party's high command.

Deputy Chief Minister Francis D'Souza had cut short his abroad tour when the BJP declared its plans to shift Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar to the Union Cabinet for the coveted defence minister's post. D'Souza staked his claim to the vacant chief minister's post and also threatened to raise a banner of revolt if his claim was rejected. But Parsekar who was health minister in the Parrikar government was later unanimously elected leader of the Goa BJP legislative party.

Francis D'Souza had created a stir during the recent Lok Sabha poll campaign when he declared that he was a 'Hindu Christian.' During the parliamentary polls, he had also toured extensively in Christian-dominated pockets like Mumbai, Vasai in Thane districts and other parts of the country to tell the minority voters not to be wary of the BJP which stood only for 'development, efficient governance' and was not 'anti-minorities'.

Incidentally in the previous state assembly elections, D'Souza was elected with the highest margin of votes in Goa. The BJP had in 2012 elections won 21 of the total 40 assembly seats and most important, seven of these legislators were Catholics, elected from the predominantly Christian South Goa assembly constituencies. This was because Parrikar who could not win the simple majority in previous two state elections had later successfully implemented social engineering in Goa and succeeded in winning the faith of the Catholics who form nearly one third population in the state. Parrikar had then rewarded D'Souza with the number two position and also inducted other Catholics into his cabinet.

After winning the power with impressive vote percentage and also the number of seats in 2012 state elections, Parrikar and his party was expected to carry on the social engineering in the longer interest of the party and also the state. But in 2014 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP had forsaken social engineering and instead nominated Hindu nominees both in North Goa and South Goa Lok Sabha seats.

This was in contrast to the long popular mood in the state. Since Goa's Liberation from the Portuguese regime in 1962, the state's representation in the Lok Sabha has been even distributed equally among the two dominant communities in the North and South districts – Hindus and the Christians, irrespective of the political parties in the arena. The BJP this time had a golden opportunity to win both the seats while respecting the strength of both the communities in the two districts. The ruling BJP which had seven Catholics MLAs in its camp could have easily nominated one of them to contest the south Goa Lok Sabha seat and also win it easily. But it did just the opposite and also succeeded in winning both the seats- albeit with a very narrow margin in South Goa. The BJP which has been very vocal about pseudo-secularism and exploitation of the minority votes by the Congress and other so-called secular parties had a good opportunity to prove that 'development' was indeed its main plank and it represented all sections of the society.

Not a single member of the Muslim or other minority community was among the BJP's 282 Lok Sabha members elected in 2014 polls and the party had to induct Najma Heptullah and Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi into the Union ministry although they have not been elected to the Lok Sabha. Their induction into the ministry as Muslim faces of the party was badly needed to prove that the party represented all sections of society. By rejecting Deputy Chief Minister D'Souza's natural claim to the number one position, the BJP failed miserably to cash in on the popular support received from the major minority community and thus change its image as a 'sectarian' party.

Commenting on D'Souza's rejection of claim to the chief minister's seat, a political commentator in Goa wrote that D'Souza may have believed that he was a 'Hindu Christian' but the BJP did not believe so. The BJP will get many opportunities in future to prove that it stands for true development and all-inclusiveness and should not once again bungle up such chances.

Comments

James Selvaraj - Thursday, 20 November 2014 AT 06:32 PM IST

Its interesting !

02/27/15--23:36: Mother Teresa : Conversion

Mother Teresa

Sakal Times
CAMIL PARKHE | Thursday, 26 February 2015 AT 07:37 PM IST

Mother Teresa Home in Goa is located at an important junction in Panaji, connecting the 18th June Road and the road leading to St Inez. And yet, the existence of this typical Goan tiled house is hardly noticed just as the silent works of the nuns of Missionaries of Charity who reside there. St Don Bosco School located nearby is an ideal landmark to help a visitor to find the Home for the Aged and Destitute run by the Missionaries of Charity sisters. Many years back I was a frequent visitor to this institution when along with my college friends, I offered my services to the poor, disabled and senior citizens inmates there.

On Sunday mornings, our group of three to four college youths used to arrive at the Mother Teresa Home equipped with aprons, pairs of scissors and razors, our mission being giving a new or somewhat civilised look to the male inmates who most often looked barbarian with their long dishevelled hair and unkempt beards.

The sisters there, a majority of whom were Keralites or Bengalis, would entrust us with the inmates and get themselves busy catering to the large number of destitute women, children and elders living there.
The next two to three hours, we would give the inmates haircut, shave their beards and also cut nails of their fingers and toes. One by one, the inmates would step into the chairs placed before us and by the time we finished our job, they would have a complete new look as they would get haircut and shaving done only once in three months. At that time, as a teenager I had not even started shaving myself on a regular basis and so as a precautionary measure I offered my services only for giving haircuts.

During these visits, I saw how the Missionaries of Charity nuns tirelessly worked for the poor, destitute, abandoned elders and persons with chronic diseases. And yet, they always managed to retain smiles on their faces. After our visits back home, we used to cleanse ourselves thoroughly with soaps and disinfectants, lest we contact any diseases after spending time with the inmates of home for the aged and destitute. However, like those nuns, none of us ever wanted to know about the religion or the caste of those whom we were helping.

The last time I visited the Mother Teresa Home in Panaji was in mid-1980s when Mother Teresa arrived in Goa for the first time after she was conferred the Nobel award. At that time, I had gone there as a reporter of a local English daily. I shook hands with the Nobel laureate, spoke to her a few sentences and lingered around her for some time, hoping to get a good copy for my newspaper. But I was disappointed. The Living Saint spoke very little almost in a whispering voice, about loving everyone, especially those in need. Next two days, I covered Mother Teresa's visits to Mapusa and other places in Goa and experienced the same. The short, old frail woman was most humble, always wore a smile on her face and often held hands of those who greeted her.

The question now raised is whether this woman was serving the poor and the destitute with a motive to convert them to Christianity. The Mother spoke very little and let her actions and deeds speak for her. Her thoughts and actions for the destitute attracted the most powerful political leaders and personalities like Princes Diana towards her. The fresh controversy about her motive for social work has indeed revived memories of Mother Teresa and once again underlined her work for the poor and destitute.

Disclaimer: The opinion expressed within this blog is personal opinion of the author. The information, facts or opinions appearing in the blog do not reflect the views of Sakal and Sakal does not assume any responsibility or liability for the same.The author can be contacted at @camilpark on Twitter.

Comments

Malcolm Sequeira - Friday, 27 February 2015 AT 09:48 AM IST

True and real picture of the Missionaries of the Charity. People should first experience the kind of work done by Mother Teresa and her Sisters and then talk. The shallow and wrong talks are coming out of mere prejudice and nothing more.

Diago Almeida - Friday, 27 February 2015 AT 09:35 AM IST

Your writing should open the eyes of the people who pretend to sleep. God bless you for your yomen service to the Christian and also to the people at large

Ani Chakra - Thursday, 26 February 2015 AT 11:07 PM IST

Respected Sir, Thanks for writing this. It is indeed a service to the great soul. Of Course, whether one writes good or bad, speaks well or ill of any great soul, ultimately he/she exposes his/her true self. In words of the Mother I would like to quote: “People are unrealistic, illogical, and self-centered. Love them anyway.” ― Mother Teresa On Abortion: “I feel the greatest destroyer of peace today is 'Abortion', because it is a war against the child... A direct killing of the innocent child, 'Murder' by the mother herself... And if we can accept that a mother can kill even her own child, how can we tell other people not to kill one another? How do we persuade a woman not to have an abortion? As always, we must persuade her with love... And we remind ourselves that love means to be willing to give until it hurts...” ― Mother Teresa Thank you Ani Chakra

Kuruvilla SJ - Thursday, 26 February 2015 AT 09:40 PM IST

Truly great writeup. Mother was truly an inspiration for me

05/10/15--23:02: New Syro-Malankara Exarchate at Khadki

New Syro-Malankara Exarchate at Khadki

http://www.sakaaltimes.com/NewsDetails.aspx?NewsId=4682687039612375931&SectionId=5171561142064258099&SectionName=Pune&NewsTitle=New%20Syro-Malankara%20Exarchate%20at%20Khadki

Reporters Name | CAMIL PARKHE | Friday, 27 March 2015 AT 11:17 PM IST

Syro-Malankara Catholics, St Mary’s Malankara Catholic Church

Khadki: In a major decision, Pope Francis on Thursday has established a new Kirkee-Pune exarchate (vicariate) for Malayalam-speaking Syro-Malankara Catholics in south India having its cathedral at St Mary’s Malankara Catholic Church in Khadki.

Thomas Mar Anthonios Valiyavilayil will be the first bishop of the new exarchate.

With this Holy See announcement, Pune will now have two Roman Catholic bishops, the other being Latin Catholic rite Bishop Thomas Dabre.

Roman Catholic Church recognises 21 rites worldwide and three of them are in India, namely Latin rite, Syro-Malabar rite and Syro-Malankara rite.

Bishop Thomas Mar Anthonios is at present in Australia to lead the Holy Week celebrations of the Syro-Malarkara community there.

Bishop Thomas Mar Anthonios, belonging to the Order of the Imitation of Christ (OIC), was born in 1955 at Adoor. He was ordained a priest in 1980 and elected bishop of the curia in 2010. Apart from English and Malayalam, he speaks Italian, German, Hindi, Syriac and reads Greek and Latin.

The new Kirkee-Pune exarchate will be spread over six states in south India except Kerala. The states include Maharashtra, Goa, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, and some parts of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. The new exarchate will have 27 parishes. There are 21 priests dedicated to pastoral care, 13 convents of nuns and a dozen schools, including a college of higher education.
Fr Mathew Varikkattu, vicar of St Mary’s Malankara Church in Khadki, has expressed joy over the creation of the new exarchate. The church has 80 families as parishioners.

On Thursday, Pope Francis also erected a new eparchy (diocese) of St John Chrysostom of Gurgaon with Jacob Mar Barnabas Aerath as the first eparchial bishop.

With this, the Vatican has granted the Syro-Malankara Church ecclesiastical authority for the whole territory in India.

Speaking to Sakal Times, Bishop Thomas Dabre welcomed establishment of the new exarchate in the city. “It is good news for the Catholics, especially the Syro-Malankara community in Maharashtra and other parts of south India,” he said.

Investiture ceremony

Thomas Mar Anthonios will be consecrated the first bishop of the new Kirkee-Pune exarchate at a ceremony to be held at the new cathedral in Khadki on Saturday, May 30. The ceremony will be attended by the Vatican ambassador in India Archbishop Salvatore Pennacchio, Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India president Cardinal Baselios Cardinal Cleemis Catholicos and Pune Bishop Thomas Dabre.

Comments

शशिकांत बोर्डे - Friday, 3 April 2015 AT 06:37 PM IST

कमिलजी मराठी भाषेला थोडतरी महत्व द्या कारण आपण मराठी मातीतूनच शिकलो सावरलो बागडलो तेव्हा मराठीला विसरू नका /

05/12/15--23:17: Pimpri’s Catholic church unifies

Pimpri’s Catholic church unifies

Reporters Name | CAMIL PARKHE | Sunday, 19 April 2015 AT 12:05 PM IST

Our Lady Consoler, Afflicted Church, Pimpri, Pune, Catholic church, church’s parish priest, Fr Roland Bendoamar, Know Your Church’ series, Sakal Times

http://www.sakaaltimes.com/NewsDetails.aspx?NewsId=4629052079416050627&SectionId=5171561142064258099&SectionName=Pune&NewsTitle=Pimpri%E2%80%99s%20Catholic%20church%20unifies

Pimpri: Our Lady Consoler of the Afflicted Church in Pimpri caters to a variety of devotees belonging to diverse linguistic and regional groups. All the members of this Catholic church enthusiastically participate in the various religious and other activities organised throughout the year, says the Catholic church’s parish priest, Fr Roland Bendoamar.

Our Lady Consoler of the Afflicted Church, located on Pimpri Station Road, has spacious premises to host weekly masses and other religious activities. It also has a hall for holding meetings. The church was established in 1976, bifurcating from Chinchwad’s St Francis Xavier’s Church, and the present church building was built subsequently.

Since 1978, the church has been administered by the Capuchin Fathers of the Holy Trinity. Presently, parish priest Fr Bendoamar is assisted by Fr Issac D’Souza.

There is also a church sub-centre at Bhosari where mass is celebrated every Thursday.

Fr Roland Bendoamar,
Parish priest

Our parish has a vast jurisdiction area as compared to other parishes. The parishioners run various associations like Vincent de Paul, youth group to provide various services to church members.

Minin Mascarenhas,
IT professional and vice-president of Parish Council

Our Church has 50 pc Marathi-speaking devotees, the rest are Goans, Tamils, Malayalees and others. Besides religious activities, we have many social and cultural activities and all parishioners enthusiastically participate in them.

ST Reader Service:

Our Lady Consoler of the Afflicted Church, Pimpri
-Location: Pimpri Station Road
-Sunday mass in English at 8 am, Marathi mass at 9.30 am. Anticipatory mass on Saturday at 6.30 pm
-Areas: Pimpri, Morwadi, Vallabhnagar, Kasarwadi, Bhosari, Moshi, Indrayaninagar, Thergaon, Kalewadi, Rahatani
-Parishioners: 900 families (Around 6,000 people)

Beginning this Sunday, Sakal Times is launching ‘Know Your Church’ series, featuring various prominent churches in Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad. Each week, one church will be profiled, highlighting its history, jurisdiction areas, prayer timings and religious-social activities conducted by the congregation.

05/12/15--23:38: The Goan Pao

Reminiscences of the Goan Pao

Reporters Name | CAMIL PARKHE | Monday, 11 May 2015 AT 05:56 PM IST

Goa, Bread, Pao, Camil Parkhe, blog, India,
http://www.sakaaltimes.com/NewsDetails.aspx?NewsId=4818806334451718027&SectionId=4861338933482912746&SectionName=Blog&NewsTitle=Reminiscences%20of%20the%20Goan%20Pao

In Goa, one wakes up early morning with the chirping of the birds and with the peculiar `pooi pooi’ horn blowing by the paowalla. Presently on a holiday at my sister’s home in Anjuna-Vagator, the sound of the peculiar horn made me jump from the bed to catch a glimpse of the bread vendor who sped fast on his cycle from the gate when there was no immediate response. I knew he would be back within a few minutes after delivering the bread quota in the immediate neighbourhood. I was not wrong. The young vendor pedalled his cycle, climbing up the slope with little effort as I tried to click his photo.

Every morning, much before the sunrise, the bread vendors arrives on cycle at the Goan homes to give them their daily quota of various types of bread, the pao, or loaves of bread, poee, undo and so on. Each of these varieties has been popular at the Goan families for many decades. Bread is an essential constituent of the Christian Goan kitchen just as much as milk, eggs and butter. So much so that when I was working as a staff reporter with a Goan newspaper , our editor M M Mudaliar always insisted that any news related to the shortage or hike in the prices of bread (and also of milk) must appear on the front page!

Incidentally, the word ‘pao’ in Konkani and Marathi has been borrowed from Portuguese. A variety of bread was our stable food when I was a higher secondary and college student at Miramar’s Dhempe College of Arts and Science in mid-1970s. The paowalla would be at our gate early morning and since he had no patience to wait for our arrival, he would drop our daily quota of loaves of bread in the cotton bag kept hanging at the gate. We needed to be at the gate on his arrival in case there were was some change in the daily quota of loaves. He would be back in the evening to deliver the Undo, the crisp round variety of loaves of bread, which we preferred to eat for the supper. I remember every morning and evening, there would a few loaves of poee (a kind of flat and soft loaf of bread) especially ordered for one of the students who had contacted diabetes at a younger age.

It was only during the lunch that bread was missing at our dining table. For lunch, we daily ate rice mixed with various kinds of beef or fish curry and dal once a week. During those nearly one and half decades that I spent in Goa as a student and later as a journalist, I never ate wheat or rice chapatti in any of the meals. Therefore I did not miss much or felt homesick when I went to Russia and later Sofia in Bulgaria to complete my diploma in journalism. I even tasted a larger variety of bread when recently along with my wife and daughter I toured Europe. Even in Paris and Rome when I smelt the typical kind of aroma of bread while passing by the eateries, I was reminded of the aroma of the freshly baked bread in the basket of the Goan paowalla.

Recently I was on a visit to Goa along with some of my Pune journalist colleagues. For breakfast, I took them walking from our Santa Inez residence to a café near the old secretariat to eat the typical Goan pao bhaji. At all small eateries and snack joints in Goa, pao bhaji is a must menu, the potato, the patal (beans liquid curry) or the mixed bhaji should to be enjoyed with pao , undo or other varieties of bread. In my college days at Miramar, pao bhaji used to be the most favourite delicacies among the students. Pao bhaji is equivalent to wada pao in Maharashtra, comparatively cheaper to the south Indian dishes, and also equally delicious. Normally I avoid any kinds of bakery products in my meals. But when in Goa, pao and undo, with generous use of butter, are part of my breakfast. With daily swimming at the nearby beach, I can afford to pamper my palate during these holidays.

05/27/15--00:00: Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church

Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church attracts all

Reporters Name | CAMIL PARKHE | Monday, 11 May 2015 AT 01:33 PM IST

Know Your Church series, Camil Parkhe, Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church

Pune: Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church located on Tadiwala Road enjoys a unique significance. It is one of the recently constructed churches in the city and attracts people from all over the city due to various socio-religious activities conducted on its premises.

Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church was built by then parish priest Fr Salvator Pinto and inaugurated by then Pune Bishop Valerian D’Souza in 1990. The church is built in modern architectural style and therefore, the passersby rarely realise that the structure is a religious place.

Adjoining the church is the Nav Sadhana Diocesan Pastoral Centre where the Pune Catholic Diocese conducts marriage preparation courses for youths, seminars and other activities. People from various parishes in the city attend these functions. The congregation has a mixed population of Marathi-speaking, Konkani-speaking and Malayalam speaking p
arishioners.

06/02/15--07:13: मल्याळम्‌ भाषक ख्रिस्ती बांधवांना मिळाली सुखद भेट new Syro-Malankara bishop

मल्याळम्‌ भाषक ख्रिस्ती बांधवांना मिळाली सुखद भेट
- कमिल पारखे मंगळवार, 2 जून 2015 - 12:30 AM IST
Tags: malayalam language, pune

मलांकारा सिरियन कॅथोलिक चर्चच्या नव्या "सेंट एफ्रेम खडकी-पुण‘े धर्मप्रांताचे शनिवार मे 30 रोजी उद्‌घाटन होत आहे. त्यानिमित्त...
मलांकारा सिरियन कॅथोलिक चर्चच्या नव्या "सेंट एफ्रेम खडकी-पुण‘े धर्मप्रांताचे शनिवार मे 30 रोजी उद्‌घाटन होत आहे. थॉमस अन्थोनिओस यांची या धर्मप्रांताचे पहिले बिशप म्हणून या दिवशी दीक्षा होणार आहे. सिरो-मलांकारा कॅथोलिक चर्चच्या इतिहासात ही एक महत्त्वाची घटना आहे. या नव्या धर्मप्रांताची स्थापना करण्याची घोषणा पोप फ्रान्सिस यांनी व्हॅटिकन सिटीमध्ये 26 मार्च रोजी केली होती. मल्याळम मातृभाषा असणाऱ्या मलांकारा सिरियन कॅथोलिक चर्चच्या भाविकांच्या दृष्टीने ही एक आनंदाची घटना आहे.

कॅथोलिक पंथात वेगळ्या प्रकारचे एकूण 21 राइट्‌स (उपासना विधी) आहेत आणि त्यापैकी भारतात लॅटीन राईट, सिरो-मलांकारा आणि सिरो-मलाबार असे तीन उपासनाप्रकार आहेत. पुण्यात लॅटिन राईटचे बिशप थॉमस डाबरे आहेत, नवीन धर्मप्रांताच्या स्थापनेने आता पुण्यात कॅथोलिक पंथीयांचे दोन बिशप असणार आहेत. संत थॉमसचे भारताच्या किनारपट्टीवर सन 52 मध्ये आगमन झाले होते, तेव्हापासून केरळमध्ये ख्रिस्ती धर्माची परंपरा आहे, असे केरळमधील कॅथोलिक आणि प्रोटेस्टंटपंथीयही मानतात. जगातील पहिले कॅथोलिकपंथीय असणारे केरळमधील ख्रिस्तीजन मुख्य कॅथोलिक प्रवाहातून अलग पडले आणि या मुख्य प्रवाहात 1930मध्ये पुन्हा सामील झाले. मलांकारा सिरियन कॅथोलिक चर्चचे सभासद सर्व जगभर आहेत आणि त्यांच्या चर्चमध्ये केरळच्या परंपरेनुसार आणि मल्याळम भाषेतच उपासना केली जाते, हे विशेष. या चर्चतर्फे जगभर शाळा-कॉलेजेस, दवाखाने आणि समाजसेवी संस्था चालविल्या जातात.

खडकी-पुणे धर्मप्रांताची स्थापना करतानाच पोप फ्रान्सिस यांनी गुडगाव-दिल्ली येथेही या चर्चच्या उत्तर भारतासाठी नव्या धर्मप्रांताची घोषणा केली आहे. मलांकारा सिरियन कॅथोलिक चर्चला यामुळे केरळ राज्याबाहेर पहिल्यांदाच आपले स्वत:चे धर्मक्षेत्र मिळाले आहे. अशाप्रकारे या चर्चला अखिल भारतीय स्वरूप प्राप्त झाले आहे.

नवे बिशप थॉमस अंथोनिओस यांनी पुण्यातील नगररोडवरील ज्ञानदीप विद्यापीठात धर्मगुरुपदाचे प्रशिक्षण घेतले आणि त्यानंतर पुण्यातील बेथानी आश्रमात अनेक वर्षे कार्य केले आहे. त्यांच्या नियुक्तीने आणि नव्या धर्मप्रांताच्या स्थापनेने दक्षिण भारतातील कॅथोलिक मल्याळी समाजाला एक सुखद भेट मिळाली आहे.

07/01/15--03:18: Article 0

St Anne’s: A church with unique architecture

Reporters Name | CAMIL PARKHE | Saturday, 27 June 2015 AT 11:49 PM IST

St Anne’s Church, Solapur Bazaar, Gopuram

Solapur Bazaar: St Anne’s Church, located in Solapur Bazaar, is unique among the churches in the city. The facade of the church building has a Gopuram in the architectural style of temples in south India. The centre of the facade also has a lotus. Besides, a majority of the church’s parishioners are Tamil-speaking.
St Anne’s Church was established in the early 19th century as a small chapel to serve Goan officers in the Peshwa’s army. The present church was constructed in 1963. Veteran Jesuit Fr JB Hass looked after St Anne’s Church for many years when it was still part of the St Xavier’s Church in Pune Camp. An independent St Anne’s Parish was established only in 1983.
In early 20th century, the then British government had given a piece of land in Mule Lines to St Anne’s Chapel. The land was used for building St Vincent’s Poor Home and a school. In 1979, the Tamil medium school turned into English medium St Anthony’s Middle School. Parish priest Fr Simon Almeida is assisted by Fr S Dhiruviyam.

Mass timings
Weekdays: 6.30 am and 6.30 pm
Sunday: 7.30am (Tamil) 9 am and 6.30 pm (English)
Jurisdiction
Solapur Bazaar, Salisbury Park, Bhavani Peth, Nalini Apartments upto Gultekdi

09/01/15--07:48: Quota politics

Quota politics
CAMIL PARKHE | Friday, 28 August 2015
Patel, Gujarat, riots, reservation, BJP, caste, Politics, Camil Parkhe, India, blog
The Patels from Gujarat are the latest community in the country to come on the streets to seek reservations for them. The massive agitation in the stronghold of the BJP has naturally unnerved the party, forcing Prime Minister Narendra Modi to make a fervent appeal to the community to maintain calm. The apex court in the country has already put restrictions on the percentage of quota that can be reserved for various castes and other communities. But that has not prevented politicians from playing to the gallery during the poll campaigns to assure quota to various communities. This has emboldened more and more communities in different parts of the country to seek reservations.
In Maharashtra, some leaders of the Maratha community had been demanding quota for their community. Knowing the legal positions, the Congress-NCP government during its 15-year-old consecutive rule in the state had ignored the demand. But the Prithviraj Chavan led government had announced quota for the Marathas and also for the Muslims just a few months before going to the assembly polls. As was expected, now the courts have struck down reservation for the Maratha caste while the BJP-Shiv Sena government has different views on the reservations for the minority Muslim community. As a part of the Lok sabha and Assembly polls campaign, the BJP had also assured reservations to the Dhangar community in Maharashtra. After coming to power both at the Centre and in the state, the party has not made any concrete moves in this regard.
The issue of quota has been controversial since the makers of the Constitution made provisions for the same in 1950s. The Sikhs, although not Hindus, were later included in the scheduled caste category to accommodate the dalits in this religious community. A few decades later even the dalits who had embraced Buddhism following in the footsteps of Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar were included in the Scheduled Caste category by the government led by V P Singh. Since then many states have passed legislations to provide the benefits of the reservation facility to the communities having significant vote banks. The issue of religion-based reservations, that is reservations for dalit Christians or the backward Muslims has also always remained controversial.
As long as the quota facility is available to some communities, the other communities will be tempted to seek similar benefits for themselves too, irrespective of their social, economic or political status. The politicians too will continue to make tall promises to their vote banks to capture or to retain power. At the same time, due to political reasons, there is no possibility of scrapping the prevalent quota system although these reservations were meant to be only for some specific period. It is a piquant situation the country has landed in and there does not seem to be any solution to the issue.

09/04/15--09:16: Puneri Christians Pune Christians Marathi article

09/09/15--05:43: Changing focus of news

Changing focus of news

Sakal Times Reporters Name | CAMIL PARKHE | Monday, 7 September 2015 AT 09:34 PM IST

news selection, criterias, news, focus, Camil Parkhe

Selection of the lead news for the page one of the newspaper has always been the most challenging job of the news editors. That is why often even the chief editors are also involved in this important task.

When I joined journalism profession in Goa, most newspapers were totally dependent on the two news agencies,the PTI and UNI. These news agencies transmitted their news through teleprinters installed in the newspaper offices. The news desk teams would then sort out the news, pin them together subjectwise and place them before the chief sub-editor for marking them on various pages. I remember, sometimes I used to accompany the newspaper's chief sub-editor in the jeep to the residence of the editor from Panaji to Miramar for selecting the lead news for page one and deciding their headings.

Sometimes, especially on Sundays and holidays, the days would be very dull newswise and it would be difficult to select the page one news or the lead news of that day.

In such circumstances, the editor had a permanent solution. He would then see what the then prime minister Indira Gandhi had said or done that day and tell us to use that as the lead news for the next day's newspaper. There is a famous dictum in journalism, “When in doubt, cut it out!” In a similar lines,his refrain was: “When in doubt, always use the PM's speech. You'll never be faulted for that.”

Before 1970s, political news always dominated the front pages of all newspapers in the country. For many years, the municipal corporators, legislators and parliamentarians obstructing the functioning of their respective Houses or running with the maces of the presiding officers to press for their demands were the favourite front page news for the news editors. It took many years for the newspaper editors to realise that these issues did not really deserve the front page slots and that the elected representatives were emboldened to stall house proceedings or create ruckus there only to hog limelight in the media.

Some years later almost all newspapers concluded that the politicians, ministers and elected representatives and – their speeches and actions – did not always merit front page space. This provided some space to humane interest stories,sports issues and local stories on the front page. Business matters which was in the past relegated to inside page of the newspapers also started appearing on the front page, thanks to the Harshad Mehta-led stock exchange scam and the increasing privatisation in the country's economy.

In the recent past, sensational celebrity crimes have been occupying the newspaper's front page space. A couple of years back, the issues related to the then Union Minister Shashi Tharoor, his wife Sunanda and a woman journalist from Pakistan were the matters of the front page newspaper coverage for many national and regional newspapers.

For the past fortnight, the issue involving Indrani Mukherjee, wife of Peter Mukherjee, former CEO of Star India, had dominated the front pages - and also inside pages - of several national and regional newspapers. At that time, some newspapers had only grudgingly allowed some space on the front page to the Patel community's massive agitation in Gujarat!

The other day, a senior citizen who is also a former bureaucrat questioned me why we mediapersons in newspapers and television channels were devoting so much space and time to the Indrani Mukherjee affair. I counter-questioned if whether he himself had not read or watched avidly all those details. His smile itself was his affirmative answer. “TRP is all what matters,isn't it...?” he said in exasperation.

Of course, I know it is a vicious circle. Neither the media or the readers are to be blamed in this regard. The focus of the media for news will always keep on changing. For good or bad.

Comments

Tania Roy - Wednesday, 9 September 2015 AT 12:34 PM IST

Enjoyed your article. It's indeed a sad state of affairs for journalists and journalism. Media houses selecting stories based on TRPs cannot run the show for long. Intelligent readers will make sure that they aren't taken for a ride. For readers and the world there are far more pressing concerns like water crisis, refugee issues and so on.

10/04/15--00:34: US, Cuba visit: Pope Francis brings fresh winds

Pope Francis brings fresh winds

Reporters Name | CAMIL PARKHE | Thursday, 1 October 2015 AT 09:18 PM IST

http://www.sakaaltimes.com/NewsDetails.aspx?NewsId=4963951844159374244&SectionId=4861338933482912746&SectionName=Blog&NewsTitle=Pope%20Francis%20brings%20fresh%20winds

Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, India, Pope Francis, Cuba, Communist Cuba, USA, Camil Parkhe

Many world leaders including India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Washington recently. Pope Francis was one of these leaders to whom US President Barack Obama played host and whose itinerary was well covered by the world media. The spiritual leader of over 1.2 billion Catholics in the world was also the first pontiff to address a joint meeting of US Congress. The pope utilised this tour to advocate for environment conservation, an issue on which he had recently issued a papal encyclical.

The visit of the pope to the USA was preceded by a tour of Communist Cuba. Both these tours were significant in several ways. First of all, the Argentina-born has been the first person outside Europe to be elected to the papacy, the first from the American continents and the first non-European pope after 1,300 years. He also described himself as a son of immigrants.

Pope John Paul II had played an important role in the silent political revolution in his native Poland nation. Pope Francis too has been instrumental in thawing the five decade-old bitter relations between the sworn enemies of Cuba and the USA. Pope Francis has consistently encouraged both Obama and Cuba’s Raul Castro to hold talks. That is why in his address, President Obama said, “Holy Father, we are grateful for your invaluable support of our new beginning with the Cuban people, which holds out the promise of better relations between our countries.”

There were speculations that the pope would also utilise this tour to shake hands with or exchange greetings with Chinese President Xi Jinping as both of them were on the USA tour almost in the same period. But this did not happen. The Holy See has been working hard to establish formal ties with China although the latter has not relaxed its curbs on churches or other religious institutions.

That was the reason the pontiff in an attempt not to antagonise the dragon power had avoided meeting the Dalai Lama when he was in Rome recently. In his media interview while returning Rome, the pope has expressed the confidence of having improved relations with China.

“We are moving forward. But for me, to have as a friend a great country like China, would be a joy,” he has said.

After taking over from his ailing predecessor Pope Benedict XVI, Pope Francis has indeed brought fresh winds in the Catholic Church. Like John Paul III, he has also been often on a tour of various nations, winning appreciation even from the non-Catholics as well as non-believers for his stance on various issues including human rights and environment.

He has emerged as a moral power to guide the nations on various humanitarian and social issues.

Comments

James Selvaraj - Sunday, 4 October 2015 AT 10:04 PM IST

The pope speaks from his heart ! His concerns are genuine.

Joseph Pithekar - Sunday, 4 October 2015 AT 03:09 PM IST

The present Pope does not talk from high towers. He wants to dialogue with every section of humanity, especially the poor and neglected. he sends very powerful message for India too. This man goes beyond religion, but does not minimize values. now that our government is trying to impose their values and almost non acceptable values on every one he could be a model to follow. He thinks of the Church for the poor and of the poor. Could our country be for the poor and of the poor.

10/11/15--02:31: Holy Angels Church centenary celebrations on Oct 11

Holy Angels Church centenary celebrations on Oct 11

Reporters Name | CAMIL PARKHE | Wednesday, 7 October 2015 AT 10:55 PM IST

http://www.sakaaltimes.com/NewsDetails.aspx?NewsId=5627565244253972380&SectionId=5171561142064258099&SectionName=Pune&NewsDate=20151007&NewsTitle=Holy%20Angels%20Church%20centenary%20celebrations%20on%20Oct%2011

Church of Holy Angels, renovation, centenary, celebration

Members of the church have arranged special programmes on the occasion

Pune: The Church of Holy Angels in Rasta Peth is wearing a new look after renovation to celebrate its centenary on Sunday, October 11.

The members of the 100-year-old church have arranged a special programme to commemorate the occasion. Rt Rev Dr P C Singh, Moderator of the Church of North India (CNI) and CNI Pune Diocese Bishop Andrew Rathod will attend the celebrations.

A souvenir, highlighting history of the 100-year-old church, will be released at the function, said Madanmohan Thakore, Secretary of the church committee.

The Church of Holy Angels, located near the Power House in Rasta Peth, has nearly 300 member families. The church is included in the heritage structures list of the Pune Municipal Corporation.

Prior to 1915, Christian families from Rasta Peth used to attend religious services at the Church of Holy Name at Panch Howd. The land for building a church in Rasta Peth was acquired for a price of Rs 50 by a Christian teacher Bhikubai Dhuraji Bhalerao. Construction of the church was carried out from 1907 to 1915. Rev Vasant David led the prayers at the newly built church on October 10, 1915. Sushila, daughter of Bhagubai and Yakob Ohol, was also baptised at the church on this day.

The church conducts prayers at 6.30 am and 8 am on every Sunday. Rev Devdan Makasare is the present priest at church. The other members of the church committee include Deepa Khandagale, Joint Secretary; Vilas Borde, Treasurer; Ravindra Patole, Assistant Treasurer; and Nalini Chandanshiv, President of women’s wing; and members Sarala Barse, Manali Salawi and Rajanikant Bankar.

“Church of Holy Angels has records of various sacraments like baptism, marriages and funerals taken place at the church during the last 100 years. The church was initially a part of Bombay Diocese and became a part of the Kolhapur Diocese in 1970. It joined the Pune Diocese after this diocese was created.”
—Madanmohan Thakore,
Secretary of church committee

10/15/15--00:25: Returning of awards has a tradition!

Returning of awards has a tradition!

Reporters Name | CAMIL PARKHE | Thursday, 15 October 2015 AT 09:08 AM IST

Camil Parkhe, blog, Indira Gandhi, Operation Blue Star, Golden Temple, Khushwant Singh, Padma Shri, returning awards
http://www.sakaaltimes.com/NewsDetails.aspx?NewsId=4913465897162652784&SectionId=4861338933482912746&SectionName=Blog&NewsTitle=Returning%20of%20awards%20has%20a%20tradition

When Indira Gandhi ordered Operation Blue Star to flush out terrorists from the Golden Temple, senior editor and die-hard loyalist Khushwant Singh returned his Padma Shri to protest against desecration of the Sikh shrine. I was then working in a Panaji-based newspaper and I remember we journalists had a heated discussion that evening on the issue whether the news merited front page space. Most of us opined that Operation Blue Star was justified and there was no need to glorify Khushwant’s action.

However, the editor’s veto prevailed – he was trained under Khushwant Singh in the ‘Illustrated Weekly of India’ – and the news was carried on page one.

Khushwant Singh perhaps was the first person to return his Padma Shri. In early 1990s, anti-corruption crusader and social activist Anna Hazare had also threatened to return his Padma Shri to protest against the government policies.

Prior to Operation Blue Star, India had witnessed a dark period in the form of Emergency and yet at that time no one returned their awards instituted by the government or by bodies appointed by the government. At that time, Marathi writer and research scholar Durga Bhagwat had given a call to littérateurs not to share dais with the ruling politicians or shun government funds for hosting literary conferences as a sign of protest against the government.

The present spree of veteran writers in the country returning their literary and other laurels to protest against the increasing intolerance and the passive role of the government has once again brought the intelligentsia and the government face to face.

There is indeed a marked difference in the situation prevailing during the Emergency and now. The present government has been duly elected with popular support and it has mandate to rule for its full term. During the era of pro and anti-Mandal agitations, the atmosphere in the country was charged with people fiercely supporting or opposing the quota rule. So much so that there was a spurt in youngsters attempting self-immolations to protest against the reservation system.

It would be easier to label the writers and others returning their Sahitya Akademi and other laurels as ‘anti-Modi’ or ‘pseudo-secular’ people and skirt the main issue. Union Culture Minister Mahesh Sharma has almost done that. But the government authorities need to take into consideration that some of these protesting members of intelligentsia may have supported Narendra Modi when he only spoke of ‘development’ in his Lok Sabha poll campaign. The people in the country had then not imagined the scenario they are experiencing now. Considering this, the government needs to seriously consider the concerns being expressed by the dissenting writers and immediately undertake the remedial measures.

11/02/15--23:53: Church will host youth, charismatic conventions in Pune

Church will host youth, charismatic convention

Reporters Name | CAMIL PARKHE | Monday, 2 November 2015 AT 11:51 PM IST

Kairos National Youth Convention, 16th national Catholic Charismatic Convention

Pune: Over 7,000 delegates from all over India will attend the Kairos National Youth Convention and the 16th national Catholic Charismatic Convention to be held simultaneously at St Ursula School in Nigdi and St Andrew’s School in Chinchwad, from November 11 to 14.

The Vatican Ambassador to India, Archbishop Salvatore Pennacchio, will inaugurate the two conventions in the presence of Catholic Bishops Conference of India (CBCI) President Cardinal Baselios Cleemis, Pune Bishop Thomas Dabre, Emeritus Bishop Valerian D’Souza and Bishop Thomas Mar Anthonios.

“This is for the first time in the history of the Catholic Church in India that these two national events are organised simultaneously in one city,” said Meerut’s Bishop Francis Kalist, who is Episcopal Advisor to the two events. Few activities are common for both conventions and some are planned at the respective venues.

The delegates coming from various parts of the country will be accommodated at the residences of members of various Catholic parishes in Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad and also in institutions run by the Church.

Shirish Sebastian, co-ordinator for the two events, told Sakal Times that the local Catholics and the Church authorities have been planning for the two conventions for the past two years.

11/17/15--06:40: Charismatic, youth conventions inaugurated in Pimpri Chinchwad

Charismatic, youth conventions inaugurated in Pimpri Chinchwad

Reporters Name | CAMIL PARKHE | Wednesday, 11 November 2015 AT 11:20 PM IST

16th national Catholic charismatic convention, ‘Kairos Youth Convention 2015

Pimpri: Cardinal Baselios Cleemis, president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India (CBCI), has highlighted the plurality of the country and said it was sacred obligation of all people to cooperate with society, irrespective of language, caste or religion.

Cardinal Cleemis, head of the apex body of the Catholic church in the country, was speaking at the inauguration of the four-day long 16th national Catholic charismatic convention and ‘Kairos Youth Convention 2015’ at St Ursula School grounds in Nigdi on Wednesday morning.

Cardinal Cleemis said, “India is a sacred land having saints, martyrs and living saints of various communities and a land, which offers the world a plurality of divine.”

The CBCI chief urged the gathering not to be exclusive but to be inclusive to serve all who are created in the image of God.
The two national conventions are being attended by a large number of Catholics including priests and nuns from different parts of the country.

The charismatic convention is being held at St Ursula School while the youth convention is being held at St Andrew’s School in Chinchwad. This is the first time that the two-national level conventions are being held in the same city simultaneously.

In his address, Pune district Guardian Minister Girish Bapat who welcomed delegates from different states in the country said that true religion is the one, which preaches spreading love to everyone in the whole world. “All religious shrines, be it temple, church or Gurudwara, are dwellings of God. People should experience God who lives among the poor,” he said.

Archbishop Salvatore Pennachhio, the apostolic nuncio in India, Pune Bishop Thomas Dabre and Silven Miranda, chairman of the local service team, also spoke at the event. The inaugural ceremony was attended by MP Shrirang Barne, MLA Laxman Jagtap, Bishop emeritus Valerian D’Souza.
Shirish Sebastian was the coordinator for the two conventions.

01/07/16--23:30: When in Goa, dig into Goan Pav Bhaji!

When in Goa, dig into Goan Pav Bhaji!

Reporters Name | CAMIL PARKHE | Tuesday, 5 January 2016 AT 08:11 PM IST

http://www.sakaaltimes.com/NewsDetails.aspx?NewsId=4833843097527707162&SectionId=5131376722999570563&SectionName=Features&NewsTitle=When%20in%20Goa,%20dig%20into%20Goan%20Pav%20Bhaji

Goa, Camil Parkhe, Goan Pav Bhaji, Panjim-Miramar riverfront, food, Mandavi river

When I am in Goa, there are some things I would not miss: a walk along the Panjim-Miramar riverfront, and on my way back digging into authentic Goan Pav Bhaji!

Early morning, I slip into my walking shoes and head from the Palace (Old Secretariat building) to Miramar beach, a four-km long stretch along the banks of the Mandavi river.

On one side, there are old one-storeyed buildings and bungalows (especially in Campala area) and on the other bank is the Mandavi river surging to merge into the Arabian Sea.

From Kala Academy complex, there is a long stretch of open land till Miramar beach which has been especially reserved for sports and cultural activities. Here we can spot sportspersons — footballers, cricketers, athletes — perfecting their skills on the ground. Not much has changed along this stretch since I was a student at Dhempe College of Arts and Science.

After spending sometime at the Miramar beach, I head back in the opposite direction. But this time in a local bus to a local joint to grab a bite of Goan Pav Bhaji. This is what I look forward to most when I’m holidaying in the beach state! I usually order a Patal Bhaji, my first preference. The Batata or Potato Bhaji is my second choice. In Goa, we can choose from a variety of breads to eat the Bhaji with. There is the common variety of soft Pav which is also available outside Goa, then there is Undo, a square-sized crisp variety of loaf, or the Poi, the flat and round variety.

Coming back to Patal Bhaji, it is not liquid as the name suggests. It is a thick gravy of well-cooked green or white peas. Potato Bhaji, as compared to Patal, is liquid with tomatoes added to it. The third variety, called Mixed Bhaji, combines the two variants.

One has to visit the restaurants or hotels run by the Goenkars if you want to savour the Goan varieties of Pav Bhaji. The best part is that the dish tastes the same at any joint in Panjim, Mapusa or anyother part of the state – provided it’s run by the local populace and not by the migrants settled in Goa. In the Udupi joints, the taste will be different and the ingredients too may differ. Therefore I prefer to walk a few extra meters to search for the authentic food joints to enjoy a good breakfast.

If you have a good appetite, along with Pav Bhaji, you may also order other local delicacies of Batata Wada, Green Chilli Bhajji (pakodas), which might sustain you till afternoon.

A good swim at a nearby beach may help you to lose the extra calories, if you are a diet conscious person. However, I would suggest that the issue of calories should be ignored if you are holidaying in Goa.