PAST THE PULPIT; CHURCH LOOKS TO SOUND-AND-LIGHT AT OLD GOA >From Frederick Noronha
For a change, the pulpit is passe. Goa's Catholic Church is showing signs of embracing the new information and communication technologies (ICTs) as it attempts to spread its message by means of a slick multi-media sound-and-light show set up in a four centuries old shrine. If you stand in the right place, you could feel a few drop fall as Goa's seventeenth century missionary Fr Joseph Vaz prays for rain in Sri Lanka. When it's time for Christ to die on the cross, the ground quakes below your feet. Smoke effects leave behind a fragrant whiff at other places, as you walk through this story of time. In the little-noticed and long unused west-wing of the Bom Jesus Basilica, a team of Church authorities have spent two years in telling their version of the story of three men who shaped the Church in this once-critical outpost of Christianity in Asia. This mix of technology with religious devotion focuses on Christ, sixteenth century Basque missionary and co-founder of the influential order of the Jesuits Francis Xavier, and the eighteenth century Goan missionary who went out to the Canara coast (in today's Karnataka) and Sri Lanka, Joseph Vaz. Currently, Vaz is the patron of the archdiocese. "This idea came up when auxiliary bishop Filipe Neri Ferrao went to Varanasi and saw a multimedia exhibition there in Hindi," says Joaquim Loiola Pereira, the secretary to Goa's archbishop, and a key person involved in this project. But, in Goa, the venture is being termed as a 'sound-and-light gallery', instead of a 'multimedia' show, because of the tendency to confuse the latter with IT and computers alone. For the Church, this is an attempt to package their message using near life-size statues -- some of which move -- and a slick commentary together with music. Entering centuries-old solid walls, one is taken aback by suddenly coming across almost life-size statues that transport you to the University of Paris in the 1530s. That's where Francis Xavier studied. You then come across John the Baptist, and there's actually water flowing down the river Jordan. Sounds of gushing water amplifies the effect. As you walk through what till recently were dusty corridors, now artistically done up, the story goes on. One needs the patience -- or perhaps devotion -- to go through the hour-long presentation. "It took two years to work on this. Its costs is in lakhs of rupees," says Loiola Pereira. Since its inauguration by the papal envoy some time back, the gallery has already started its shows, from 9 am to 5 pm, daily except Mondays. It costs Rs 10 per adult and Rs 5 per child. "At peak, we can theoretically have four shows an hour," says Loiola Pereira. Each could accommodate 15-18 persons. To put forward an impressive message, the Church has requisitioned on a number of noted artists from the region -- cartoonist Mario de Miranda, medico-turned-artist Subodh Kerkar, Justino Lobo, the arty-couple Querozito and Liesl D'Souza, Dominic Cordo among others. "This is done fully in thread, except for a little bit of cloth. There's no paint," says Loiola Pereira, pointing to one of the art-works by Liesl D'Souza. Colourful batiks -- lit from behind -- came in from Sri Lanka. Fibre-glass statues by Bicholim-born artist Sadashiv Kunkolienkar, now based in Mumbai, and sculptures by the well-known Bicholim-based pottery artist Zilu Harmalkar add to the rainbow of inputs. After walking down the centuries, including a trip to a village renamed after Joseph Vaz in Sri Lanka, one comes across a 21st century market place in Goa. Christ's companions and people he encountered have meanwhile got transformed into today's people from this state in their "different avatars". This Basilica of Bom Jesus (Good Jesus, or Infant Jesus, to whom the church is dedicate) is better known as a large structure with red unfinished exteriors to tens of thousands of pilgrims is also the home to the remains of Francis Xavier. It was completed in 1595, over four hundred years ago. Loiola Pereira believes that this must be one of the most ambitious projects of its kind among all Church institutions in India. Because it is being set up a decade-and-half after Varanasi's show, there was a chance to take advantage of advances in technology. Unlike other outdoor sound-and-light shows, this 'gallery' is located wholly indoors. This means that shows could be held at any time, regardless of weather or light levels. Trilingual -- in English, the regional language of Konkani and Hindi -- the programme makes use of a wide range of media to make its point. Fibre-glass, plaster of Paris, paintings, canvasses, 3D mobiles (artworks that twist to change the paintings visible), video, translites, LED boards, and sculptures in wood or terracota and terracota-cum-copper are included. In parts, the music marries Gregorian chant with the sitar, in a show that an estimated 60 persons worked on to put together. Priests from Goa, many of whom are steeped in musical talent given the Church's emphasis on music till recently, contributed the background music.. Goa-born Leon de Souza, now in Mumbai, put together the musical compositions. "He put them into one cauldron of his synthesizer, and produced all the music. That's all done on one keyboard, not with an orchestra, though it sounds so," says Loiola Pereira, himself a keen music enthusiast. This show's theme song's melody was composed by a talented recently-returned musician Schubert Cotta. Some Indian musical background has been composed by the the Mumbai-based priest Charles Vas, svd. Some of the inspiration for this project came from the Hall of Horrors -- not the subject, naturally -- at Madame Tussads Gallery in London. Church officials met up with Ray Kancharla, an artiste with Caritas-India, who was then invited down to Goa, to devise the script and coordinate the execution of the ambitious project. "It took two years of working together. In his early trips, Ray just needed time to conceptualise it," says Loiola Pereira. Caritas (Goa) director priest Valariano Vaz, Communication Centre secretary Fr Olavo Velho Pereira, theatre personality Isabella Vaz and Loiola Pereira were entrusted with the project. Goa's government has incidentally been talking for some time now of plans to build its own sound-and-light shows to give something to visitors to keep busy over, in a touristic state which literally goes to sleep after sunset, with little healthy entertainment or infotainment possibilities. (ENDS) -- Frederick Noronha * Freelance Journalist * Goa * India 832.409490 / 409783 BYTESFORALL www.bytesforall.org * GNU-LINUX http://linuxinindia.pitas.com Email [EMAIL PROTECTED] * SMS [EMAIL PROTECTED] * Saligao Goa India ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ To unsubscribe from Goanews Send a mail message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: 'unsubscribe goanews'
