No place for pilgrims

No place for pilgrims

Herald Review June 22, 2014 

While the government splurges on yet another Euro tour to sell the Exposition abroad, pilgrims who make the 220 km journey on foot to Old Goa— they’ve been doing this for over 30 years— have no place to stay in

LISA ANN MONTEIRO  

The government is at it again. This time it is the tourism department that is digging into state coffers for their Euro trip next month. The delegation is expected to visit various countries in Europe starting with Spain with the intention of attracting pilgrims to the decennial Exposition of the relics of St Francis Xavier. The trip is expected to cost Rs 4 crore and it is not clear who will be going.

Meanwhile on the ground the government has been doing precious little for pilgrims flocking to Old Goa every year during the novenas and feast on December 3. Their role has been restricted to providing traffic police and mobile toilets.

In other states, the government builds dharamshalas near shrines for pilgrims. The Goa government has been less sensitive on this front. Each year since 1980, Goans settled in the neighbouring districts of Ratnagiri, Kolhapur, Belgaum and Karwar who fled Goa in the 16th century have been making the 220 km journey by foot to Old Goa for the Feast.

Advocate Bernard D’Souza from Margao has been very active on this front, requesting the Church to provide land to build a pilgrim house. The pilgrims would earlier stay in the compound of the Holy Family Sisters and would have no place to freshen up. “They had no facility to wash, refresh and change after reaching and after holy services. Many would take shelter under trees where they have refreshments, rest and return to their villages.”

Outstation Goans then constituted the St Francis Xavier Pilgrims Welfare Trust on June 22, 2010 with Advocate D’Souza at the forefront to provide shelter and services for the pilgrims. The trust requested the Church for land where they could build a pilgrim house.

The Church told them they had funds but no land. D’Souza secured necessary revenue records comprising survey Plans and Form I & IV and requested the Church to allow them to build a permanent pilgrim house. The Church declined.

But the trust for the first time in December 2010 managed to erect a pandal over 2000 sq metres much to the relief of pilgrims.

Over the years the pandal has been provided with necessary facilities of light and fans. Water was made available for washing. Drinking water was arranged. The toilets of the panchayat which were not in use got cleared and cleaned and were made available for the pilgrims.

The trust says there is need for a permanent building where devotees from the lower and middle class visiting not only during novenas and the Feast but throughout the year can stay in.

When the pilgrims began in 1980 they walked for eleven days both ways.

Then when government employees also wanted to join the group they couldn’t get leave for eleven days and requested the group to cut down the number of days. For six years the group walked both ways. When they began walking for five days one way, a large number of people began joining the group.

They begin walking on November 28 and arrive on December 2. They have a thanksgiving mass at 12: 30 pm and have a singing procession to the Basilica.

On December 4 they have a thanksgiving mass in the morning and then leave back to their state.

The numbers range from 800 to 1000 each year and this year they are only expected to double. Fr Santaji Lobo from Kolhapur joined the group in 1981 and has been making the trip to Old Goa each year. The group has two rules he says– they will not accept lifts from anyone along the way, and they will abstain from smoking and drinking for the period.

The Church has told the trust that the pilgrims can stay in the new retreat centre which is being restored at Old Goa. Adv D’Souza says this is not feasible as it is more than 2 km away from the Basilica. “ After walking for 300 km you can’t expect the pilgrims to walk all the way up the hill and back down every time for services. It is not practical. A retreat centre is a peaceful place. Here the pilgrims want to mingle with each other. Even the tourist hostel in Old Goa charges nothing less than Rs 1500 per night. We want a permanent building for those devoted pilgrims who cannot afford to pay so much.”

Fr Alfred Vaz, convenor of the Exposition Committee of the Scared Relics of St Francis Xavier, says the Archaeological Survey of India ( ASI) visited the churches with their engineers and are presently conducting repair and restoration works in the Cathedral and the Basilica. The government committee for the Exposition, he says, has not been set up yet, and they have not been told when it will be constituted and who the commissioner will be. Until then they’re doing their part.

“To decongest the roads we proposed another road for those coming from South Goa. It was already approved during the Portuguese time but there are some encroachments now. We have also requested for that the government change the IFFI dates as these clash with the days of the Exposition.” The Exposition will be held from November 22 till January 4 and the film festival will take place from November 20 till November 30.

The government is yet to sit down with the Church committee and discuss ground realities for the Exposition— all this while they are set to head for Europe to “ sell” the religious event to bring in more tourists. The 2004 Exposition brought around 30 lakh pilgrims.

This year the Church is expecting another 20 lakh. Tourism Minister Dilip Parulekar says he expects to attract another 50,000 from his foreign tour.

Fr Vaz when asked what he feels about the government promoting the religious event for the sake of tourism said, “We’re preparing people for the spiritual encounter. For us it is a spiritual journey. If the government wants to look at this event for tourism, they can.” Review Bureau