Being, Rigor & Phenomena

My name is Anthony Gonsalves is a blog post on Anthony Prabhu Gonsalves, written with verve, sensitivity and sincerity by Rajan Parrikar. Rajan is a passionate being who calls a spade a spade, like referring to Bacchan's humor as oafish nonsense (I can now die). The other point he makes is: Kishore Kumar’s pronunciation of “Gonsalves” even today grates on every Goan ear. The syllable “Gon” is phonetically close to “gone,” not to “lone.”


In the area of music, film music in India — very little is know of the contribution of the Christians, and worse barring a few, very little is understood by those whose entire being appears to be propped up by that music. The point is simply that very few understand how influences, mentorships, resonances and other phenomena lead to satiation in ones being. It is such awareness, which have made your music heroes who they are in your eyes today as also the confusion as to what constitutes influence which help one forge new perspective albeit often with the same raw materials. 

So why is that? Give that a thought. A clue: The modernity that many of us imbibe so comfortably has come at a price in many ways on the part of a lot of specific and rigorous productivities on the part of others, who are not in the majority. They are part of India’s minorities. This is not baseless, nor is intended to take the shine away from the big names; rather, it is to draw attention to the base on which ones heroes stand tall in our own eyes.

Shunning the Shine

We are all different yet at times conveniently presume we are all the same, uttering platitudes to elevate our selves while massaging in conceit. We hear the same words differently, as said by different people; are easily impressed; as also, easily turned off; besides being quick to think one has understood intended meanings. We are not talking of painting here. Basically, many of us live in conservative worlds with conservative concerns; but, in no way relating to anything close to a liberal, progressive, or other egalitarian mode of being. 

John the Baptist and Venantius in front of 
the Ohara Museum of Art, Kurashiki, Japan 2011. 
Thanks to Sylvain Guintard’s (Kuban) 
suggestion, I made it to Kurashiki. 

We would like to shun those who hurt us, but more often than not are unable to hold accountable those who assault our sense and sensibility. That goes for remaining silent when ones environment is torn asunder — the spine of lived reality kicked in. One is not talking of simply feeling offended but committing offences which only serves (hardly inadvertent) the offenders, whose trope is to harangue at the cost of clamouring to tell the truth. There is a cost, and they know it. By lived environment, one refers to the relationships between people and place. To clarify further, and beyond the usual — office, play environments, home, children, public spaces--and others more complex — relational, one must look at relationships with institutions — the larger Church, the Church at large, as also within such paradigms, at the humble cog (as perceived), the humble cure of souls, the Parish Priest.

Perhaps this already is too much said. 

NOTE: I follow these things and share them in a general sense--much as I may mention a shloka, a proverb, a text, or a movie. There is a reason for someone engaged closely with art to do certain things in specific ways, without spelling it out. Tracing contours. Sharing process. Unfortunately, not many like to attempt an engagement: so take my word, leave it, or disparage it. It all works. 

To ATTACK with LOVE!

There is something to being addressed as a Pastor and then have acid poured on your face. Something intensely forlorn and anguished. Of course the same may be said cynically or sarcastically, but then it would sound different to the ear. One would perceive a threat in the tone. The idea and a dastardly one at that, is to as we say in India attack with love (प्रेम से मारना/prem se marna = to kill with love; हमला करना/prem se hamla karna = to attack with love). Such dastardliness is not mere cowardice, it is a contemptible meanness rooted in a hollow interior existence and shows up in other forms including in individuals with halos apparently intact, as far as the mind can perceive.

http://persecutedchurch.info/2012/01/02/muslim-extremists-in-uganda-throw-acid-on-bishop/