Mangalore: Bejai Church to Present Play on the Passion of Christ

Florine Roche
Daijiworld Media Network - Mangalore

Mangalore, Mar 23: The playground of Lourdes Central School at Bejai is getting ready for the historic play “Thi Nimanin Bara Voram” (those final 12 hours) based on the Passion of Jesus Christ, to be held on March 25, 2012 at 6 pm. The play is organized by the members of liturgical church choir of St Francis Xavier Church, Bejai in association with MCC Bank, as part of the centenary celebrations of St Francis Xavier Church, Bejai. A gigantic stage with 10 platforms is being erected at the playground of Lourdes School for the enacting of the “Way of the Cross”, which is the basic theme of the play. Special lighting arrangements have been made for the play which will be enacted on a mammoth stage.

For the last 15 days practice is conducted on this stage set on an area of nearly 200 ft which will get fully festooned for the final show on Sunday. It starts from the lower end of the ground and will end on the elevated stage set on the front portion of the church near the portico. The elevated stage will act as the Golgotha Peak, the place where Jesus was crucified. About 75 power lights will be used for the play which is estimated to cost about Rs. 3.5 lakhs. Alwyn Bajal has taken up the responsibility of erecting the huge stage. “The play involves lot of expenditure and we have not collected any funds for the play. Despite this it will be a free show and we are not going to charge anything from the public who come to watch the play. It is part of the centenary celebrations of our church and it is a matter of pride and fulfillment for the parishioners” says writer of the play Joel Pereira.

Joel Pereira, Adolphus Coutinha, Fr Victor Machado

108 artistes both professionals and amateurs, all except 3 are from Bejai, will act in this 3 hour long play. Sangeet guru Joel Pereira has written the play, the songs and has also provided music for the play. The play is directed by comedy king Dolla and is co-directed by Clerence Pinto, Padil, under the spiritual guidance of Bejai’s parish priest Fr Victor Machado. Chris Electronics has taken up the responsibility of providing sound and light for the play and Arun Electricals is given the charge of stage lighting.

The artistes have been preparing intensely for the play for the last 33 days coming together in the evenings after a hectic day from 6.30 pm to 9 pm. Many of the drama artistes are students who don’t mind struggling hard to strike a balance between their commitment to studies in this exam season and also attending to regular rehearsals. Joel has a word of praise for the artistes who have exhibited their unswerving commitment for the rehearsal despite their demanding schedule.

The entire play is prerecorded and on stage it will be a sound and music event with on-stage miming. Director of the play Avitas Adolphus Cutinha, known to everyone as “Dolla” says “plays of this magnitude, such opulence and splendor have become a rare commodity in today’s materialistic world. There should be more such plays in the future so that we keep our tradition vibrant and also give the people a peep into our beliefs and faith”, says Dolla. Though some people want to have such plays enacted in their churches, they are not able to raise the funds required for the cause.

Joel recalls that a play title “Somyan tu kai Vethay” was enacted 2 years ago in Merlapadavu Church with the same opulence and grandeur as part of a fund-raising campaign for a noble cause at a cost of over Rs. 3 lakhs. About 8000 people had watched the play, which proved to be a fecund experience to the organizers. Joel therefore, suggests that people who can afford to sponsor should come together and do so for a spiritual cause which would automatically pave the way for staging such plays regularly in different churches and places.

On this occasion, the Bejai church has also decided to honor two outstanding parishioners of Bejai for their exemplary achievements. Parishoner Frank Martin Lobo, violinist and co-founder of Xavier Education Trust will be honoured for his remarkable service to church music. Konkani poet Melvyn Rodrigues, who has recently been conferred with Kendra Sahithya Academy award and belong to Bejai parish, will be honored during the occasion for his stupendous achievements in the field of Konkani literature.

The event will be presided over by the Bishop of Mangalore Rev Dr Aloysius Paul D Souza will be the Chief Guest and Dr Edward Nazareth will be the guest of honour of the celebrations.

The play “Thi Nimani Bara Voram” is one of the major celebrations as part of the year long Centenary celebrations of the church and a grand celebration is on the anvil in October this year to mark the end of the celebrations of the centenary year.

In the meanwhile the open grounds of Lourdes Central School is gearing itself for the much-awaited play a week before the last days of lent culminating in Easter following Sunday. Entry is open to all those who are interested to watch this play.