TRIBUTE TO FR THOMAS STEPHENS
MARCH 6 is the death anniversary of Fr Thomas Stephens and my papa. Today is the death anniversary of Fr Thomas Stephens, sj (c.1549-1619), a Jesuit priest. He was born in England, persecuted for his Catholic faith, left his country England, came to the City of Goa (now Old Goa) on October 24, 1579 and spent 40 years in the Missions of Salcete, Goa.
Fr Stephens is known for his magnum opus the Krista Purana, a work on the Bible written in Marathi/ Konknni, a poem of 10,962 stanzas written in the “ovi” metre, that was first printed in 1616. He wrote a catechism in the Konknni language (those days called Lingua Canarim). It was printed at Rachol by the Jesuits in 1622.
Fr Stephens was also the author of Konknni grammar. It was printed in 1640. Among the printed grammars of Indian languages in India, his Konknni grammar was the first one. He cemented his place in the annals of missionary authors who championed the cause of Konknni and Marathi languages in Goa.
Fr Stephens died on March 6, 1619 in the novitiate in Goa. There is a belief that he may have been buried at Rachol, Goa.
Today is also the death anniversary of my father Edwin Carvalho (24.02.1920 — 06.03.2005). He was born at Kundapura, Udupi District, Karnataka. He worked 42 years at Mumbai, took voluntary retirement in 1979, settled at Nayakwadi village of Udupi District, reared cows, fowls, cats and dogs and worked in his large orchard of 3.25 acres (13,130 square metres). He died on March 6, 2005 at Pune and was buried at Kalina, Mumbai cemetery. He was a great fan of Valerian Cardinal Gracias, the archbishop of Bombay. Whenever Cardinal Gracias celebrated Sunday Mass at the Holy Name Cathedral, Bombay, my papa never missed the Mass and listened to his sermons.
We have no portrait of Fr Stephens. Hence, I have attached a sketch of him drawn by a modern artist. I have also attached a photograph of my papa taking a nap in his resting chair at Nayakwadi. It was clicked by my nephew on December 25, 1983.
Fr Thomas Stephens and my papa must be enjoying their eternal bliss.
| –Pratapananda Naik, SJ, Goa |
LETTER TO A BANK!
IT is worth reproducing this 96-year-old woman’s note to her bank. The bank manager thought it amusing enough to have it published in the New York Times! We share here for the woman’s feelings match the feelings of most senior citizens the world over…
`To Whom It May Concern
I am writing to thank you for bouncing my check with which I endeavoured to pay my plumber last month. By my calculations, three nano seconds must have elapsed between his depositing the check and the arrival in my account of the funds needed to honor it. I refer, of course, to the automatic monthly transfer of funds from my modest savings account, an arrangement which, I admit, has been in place for only thirty-one years. You are to be commended for seizing that brief window of opportunity, and also for debiting my account $30 by way of penalty for the inconvenience caused to your bank.
My thankfulness springs from the manner in which this incident has caused me to rethink my errant financial ways. I noticed that whereas I personally attend to your telephone calls and letters, when I try to contact you, I am confronted by the impersonal, overcharging, pre-recorded, faceless entity which your bank has recently become.
From now on….I, like you, choose only to deal with a flesh-and-blood person. My mortgage and loan repayments will therefore and hereafter no longer be automatic but will arrive at your bank, by check, addressed personally and confidentially to an employee at your bank whom you must nominate.
Be aware that it is an offense under the Postal Act for any other person to open such an envelope.
Please find attached an application contact status form which I require your chosen employee to complete. I am sorry it runs to eight pages, but in order that I know as much about him or her as your bank knows about me, there is no alternative.
Please note that all copies of his or her medical history must be countersigned by a Notary Public, and the mandatory details of his/her financial situation (income, debts, assets and liabilities) must be accompanied by documented proof. In due course, I will issue your employee with a PIN number which he/she must quote in dealings with me. I regret that it cannot be shorter than 28 digits but, again, I have modelled it on the number of buttons presses required of me to access my account balance on your phone bank service. As they say, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. Please allow me to level the playing field even further. When you call me, you will now have a menu of options on my new voice mail system to choose from.
Please press the button as follows:
Press 1: to make an appointment to see me.
Press 2: to query a missing payment.
Press 3: to transfer the call to my living room in case I am there.
Press 4: to transfer the call to my bedroom in case I am sleeping.
Press 5: to transfer the call to my toilet in case I am attending to nature.
Press 6: to transfer the call to my mobile phone if I am not at home.
Press 7: to leave a message on my computer, a password to access my computer is required. Password will be communicated to you at a later date to the authorized contact.
Press 8: to return to the main menu and to listen to options 1 through 7.
To make a general complaint or inquiry. The contact will then be put on hold, pending the attention of my automated answering service. While this may, on occasion, involve a lengthy wait, uplifting music will play for the duration of the call. Regrettably, but again following your example, I must also levy an establishment fee of $50 to cover the setting up of this new arrangement. Please credit my account after each occasion.
Your humble client,….
(Remember: This was written by a 96-year-old woman!)
–shared by Pankajbala R Patel, courtesy a social media post