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Business News/ Politics / Policy/  For the blessings of Goencho Saib
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For the blessings of Goencho Saib

The exposition of the remains of St Francis Xavier, held once in a decade, draws an eclectic mix of devotees from all over the world to Goa

Devotees walk past the casket which has the relics of St Francis at Se Cathedral. Photo: Abhijit Bhatlekar/MintPremium
Devotees walk past the casket which has the relics of St Francis at Se Cathedral. Photo: Abhijit Bhatlekar/Mint

Panjim (Goa): Esperenca Fernandes, a middle-aged Goan housewife, has been standing patiently in the sun for over two hours on the grounds of the 17th century Basilica of Bom Jesus in Old Goa.

Chanting a prayer for Mary, mother of Jesus, fingering the beads on her blue rosary, she smiles when asked if the heat bothers her. It is Saturday, 22 November, and the hot sun beats down on Fernandes and hundreds of other devotees with humidity exceeding 80%.

At approximately 12.20pm, a procession emerges from inside the Basilica. They—two altar boys, two choir girls and eight bearers—are carrying a casket on a palanquin. Fernandes’ chanting becomes faster and the crush of people around her becomes intense. A pair of shrivelled feet comes into view. There are flashes of a gold, scarlet and ivory ensemble, and a brief glimpse of a skull as the procession makes its way to the Catedral de Santa Catarina, known as Se Cathedral, across the road.

This is the first day of the exposition of the remains of St Francis Xavier—a once-in-a-decade event. A canopy of gold and ivory protects the remains—called sacred relics—from the harsh sun. Volunteers wearing blue jackets bearing the legend ‘SFX Exposition 2014’ form a human chain as the procession covers the 400m between the basilica and the cathedral. Fernandes and hundreds like her, follow in an orderly manner on both sides of the road even though it will be two more hours of waiting before they will be allowed to enter the cathedral to pay their respects.

Around the world, many religious experiences require the faithful to submit themselves to physical discomfort: climbing a mountain, or hundreds of steps to a temple, or braving a glacier. In Goa, the challenge is the hot sun. But devotees have been gathering since 8.45 am.

It is in the Basilica in Panjim that the relics of St Francis lie. Once every 10 years, the crystal casket containing the remains of St Francis (who is known here as Goencho Saib, or lord of Goa) travels across the road to the Se Cathedral where it remains for 44 days till 4 January for the faithful to come and seek blessings.

To the faithful, what they see before them is nothing short of a miracle. Even though St Francis, born Francisco de Jasso y Azpilicueta into a Spanish aristocratic family, died in 1552, his body is said to have remained intact. In fact, till 1974, the church used to refer to it as the “incorruptible remains" of St Francis.

The legend of a body that remained intact even after death took root after Francis’s first exhumation in Sancian Island near the southern coast of China, where he had died at the age of 46. The grave was dug up to take the remains to Malacca, which was a Portuguese colony from 1511 to 1641.

“They cut off a small portion of the flesh and there was blood," says Father Alfred Vaz, the convener of the current exposition.

The body was buried and exhumed at least twice more before it was brought to the Basilica in Panjim in 1637. And it was more than three centuries later that the Church admitted that the body had signs of decay. “The body has shrunk and that is why the terminology changed from incorruptible remains to relics," said Vaz.

To many devotees, however, these are no more than technical details. “I have been coming here since 1994 and every year the numbers increase," says Micheal Lopez, who has travelled from Mumbai in a group of 20 with ages ranging from 10 to 67. “We are part of the Rasikranjan natya manch," chirps Elene Williams, a student of Class V, unmindful of the mounting excitement of adults around her. “We have been here since 8.30am and they are saying it will take some more time before we go inside, but it’s okay. I like exploring new places," she says even as Lopez tries to stress the devout and steadfast nature of those who come for the exposition.

“There was a one-legged man in the line with me in 2004 and I offered him the option to go ahead. He absolutely refused. He told me that he will wait for his turn, as it is then that St Francis will choose to call him." There are more examples of faith and dedication on the cathedral grounds.

An air hostess with an international airline who is named after St Francis has managed a work trip to Goa for a day just to be there for the opening. The Christies, a Gujarati family of six, some of whom live away from their hometown for work, co-ordinated among themselves and planned the trip so as to be there all together.

It’s an eclectic mix of devotees— some carry Louis Vuitton bags... some are dressed in polyester saris. Wrists adorned with mehendi and the wedding choodha merge seamlessly with tees that say ‘Royal Enfield Rider Mania’.

“We are here for a biking event, but we always planned to come for this," said Lia Saldanha, 26, a travel consultant from Mumbai.

She and her friend Anand Agarkar, 28, have sat down for refreshments after viewing the relics and agree that the exposition lived up to their expectations.

Lyra Lobos, a Goan from Australia, grumbles that “most people gathered here don’t even know the significance of the exposition". “But it’s such a big occasion so I guess the crowds are expected," she says.

The queuing area for the visitors, called the pilgrims’ walk, is adorned with posters depicting major life events of St Francis. “Many are not aware that he is a foreigner or that he was not even Portuguese," says Savio Abreu, director, Xavier Centre of Historical Research.

That is not the case with Rieko Nishikawa, a Japanese who is on her 10th visit to Goa. Though a Buddhist, she had planned this trip two years ago upon learning about the exposition.

“St. Francis is very famous in Japan also and I really wanted to come for this," she says while waiting for her turn in the queue.

Inside the cathedral the queue moves silently, swiftly. Nine volunteers stand around the casket encouraging people to not linger.

In Goencho Saib: the life and mission of St Francis Xavier, journalist-turned-writer Rajan Narayan quotes from a report written by Dr Silvano Dias Sapeco, a forensic medicine expert from Margao’s Hospicio Hospital in Goa who examined the remains in 1994 through the glass cover of the casket: “A whole skeleton covered with skin which is parchment dry and has the texture of clay. Mud from the many burials has adhered to the skin. The pinna on the right ear are missing… some hair is visible…"

There have been reports that in 1554 when the first public exposition took place, a worshipper bit off the pinky toe of St Francis’s right foot. Today, though the big toe remains easily identifiable, there are only stumps in place of the others. A portion of his right arm was separated from the body in 1614 on the orders from Rome, where it still lies at the Church of the Gesu and further amputations were carried out in 1619. Though it is hard to make out any missing limbs through the robes, what is clearly visible are three tiny, white, pre-molars.

“The phenomenon of the incorruptible body has been the topic of debate… Various arguments were put forth in the last two expositions. Was there any miracle? Or was there a case of slow decomposition… In 1951 for the last time in the 20th century a complete examination of the body was conducted… the finding of the team made (sic) the then Patriarch of India Costa Nunes to remark that the ‘miracle was over, a miracle was not eternal’," writes Fátima Da Silva Gracias, a Goan historian in a booklet St Francis Xavier, His Memories in Goa.

Most visitors on the first day take photographs of the relics with their mobile phones but on the second day the volunteers stop them from doing so. “Everyone has a mobile phone and everyone is clicking. Only the old people stood with folded hands when the procession passed. Even when they gather to kiss the casket, everyone is holding a mobile phone and clicking. I was thinking whether people come with devotion or they want to come for memory. These things were not there the last time," says Vaz, a priest who has been involved in the last two expositions.

“We believe that as long as Goencho Saib lies in Goa, the state will be protected. Irrespective of religion, every Goan will make a trip to Se Cathderal in the next 44 days," says Chandan, a local.

He may not be far off the mark. The exposition, which develops an almost carnival-like feel on the second day with colourful banners and vendors a few hundred metres down the road from the cathedral, sees visitors of all religions. Sikhs, Muslims, Hindus, Christians are all there, alone or in groups, taking a moment or two to click photographs and later stretch out on the lawns of the cathedral. “Religion is a lived phenomenon in India. There are a number of theological combinations that touch the lives of people. That is why there is a communitarian dimension to religion in India," explains Abreu.

On 3 December, the anniversary of St. Francis’s passing, a feast is held in his memory, drawing visitors from far and wide, of all religions. “We have a sweet seller, a Hindu man who sets up a stall every year at the feast. And he tells me that St Francis has always ensured he has never gone back empty-handed. He has got all his daughters married from the money he makes here," says Vaz.

Organisers of the 17th exposition expect over five million visitors over the 44 days. “Last time there were 28 lakh people who came," says Vaz. They included pilgrims from all over world, including Goans from Pakistan.

Preparation for the exposition started in November last year and the last few months have been a whirlwind of activity for the organizing committee—from training sessions for volunteers to making arrangement for the stay of pilgrims to meetings with government and police officials to plan everything, down to the last detail. “They have put armed guard next to the casket… We asked for no barricading, but then the DGP (director general of police) and IGP (inspector general of police) came for a dry run, they insisted, saying it could be difficult to control people," says Vaz.

Around 1,500 police personnel, including those from Maharashtra, are deployed on the premises daily.

And the central government’s favourite campaign, Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, makes its way here also, not just in spirit but action, too. There is a banner of the campaign on the main gate of the cathedral; and there is not one discarded mineral water bottle, or a crumpled savoury snack packet to be found.

Dustbins, around 250 of them, dot the grounds of the cathedral and the Basilica. A team of 160 cleaners, identifiable in their fluorescent orange jackets work non-step, pick up any trash left behind. Sixty-four portable loos have also been installed by the Goa State Infrastructure Development Corporation.

And while there are some who commend this effort, there are others, especially older members of Goan society, who feel that the exposition has been reduced to a tourist spectacle. “There are people who feel that the exposition has become a tourist attraction when it was always meant to be a show of faith," says a member of one of Goa’s older established families who declined to be named.

But even as Goa celebrates the miracle of the relics of Goencho Saib, there are some uncomfortable questions about the saint that emerge now and then. In a letter written to John III of Portugal in 1545, St Francis had asked for an inquisition to be installed in Goa: over 10,000 people were tried by the tribunals of the Inquisition in Goa, but some historians argue that there was a reason St Francis asked for it.

“He (St Francis) probably meant for the inquisition to bring back the erring Portugese to the right path as the period described was one of excess hedonism. His main aim, it has been said, was to curb their debauched lifestyle," says Silva Gracias.

St Francis has also been criticized for his attitude towards Indian scriptures and Hinduism. But such talk matters little to the faithful such as Manuel Fernandez, who left behind a three-day old granddaughter in Mumbai to come and volunteer. “This is my fifth exposition and every time it grows. It satisfies my soul to be so near to St Francis," says the former football coach.

The viewing stops at 7pm and as the strains of the last Mass of the evening fade away, many make their way back home even as compulsive self-clickers try out different angles to ensure that they get the Se Cathedral in all its glory in the frame.

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Published: 27 Nov 2014, 12:20 AM IST
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