Hymns are an integral part of services during the ongoing XVII Exposition of the Relics of St Francis Xavier and millions of devotees have been singing numerous Konkani hymns in harmony and reverence. But not many are aware of the dedication, passion and brilliance of one composer behind most of those Konkani hymns. The pioneering efforts of Goan Jesuit Fr Vasco do Rego (89), former Rector at Bom Jesus Basilica (1979-95), and his collaborators have led to his
popular Konkani hymnal Gaionancho Jhelo (Garland of Hymns), sung by Goan devotees across the world for five decades.
Fr Rego even composed a lengthy 18-verse hymn Sonvsarak Jezu Diat for the 1984 Exposition, one of the longest hymns in Gaionancho Jhelo. “Composing
this long hymn was not a joke. The late Fr Lourdino Barreto did wonderful orchestration of my music and heightened my own composition,” acknowledges
Fr Rego. It was Fr Rego’s embarrassing experience, while a seminarian pursuing theology in Belgium, that led him to compose Goa’s first Konkani Carol and
later, hundreds of original Konkani hymns, many of which are classic gospel music today.
“Two of us Goans were among seminarians from 17 countries in Belgium and during Christmas in 1952, groups were asked to sing Carols in their native
languages. We were ashamed as we did not have even one Konkani Carol in 1952,” recalled Fr Rego, presently editor of Dor Mhoineachi Rotti since 2009.
“What humiliated me was that Congolese seminarians, these second generation Catholics, sang Carols in their language, while we couldn’t do so, even though our faith was over 400 years old.”
Fr Rego returned to India in 1957 and was later appointed Spiritual Father at Rachol Seminary in 1963. “Those days, our hymns were mostly translated
from Portuguese or English. During one retreat for priests that year, I composed about a dozen original Konkani hymns, officially approved by late Fr Camilo
José Xavier, then president of the Diocesan Commission for Sacred Music.” “One day, Fr Xavier asked me to translate an Italian hymn into Konkani,
to be sung over All India Radio. I rejected the offer as I refused to be a slave to another foreign language (after Portuguese). Fr Xavier understood my
refusal.” “Sitting on the side-steps touching the Rachol Seminary church one day in 1963, I composed Goa’s first Konkani Carol, Visvasacho Dis.”
Fr Rego then composed several other Konkani hymns officially approved for liturgical use. “Composing hymns was never about personal interest and not
even for the development of Konkani. I wanted to feed my people with gospel music deeply rooted in our faith. Hence, all my lyrics are doctrinal, despite being
simple to sing.”
Keen to make these hymns readily available, Fr Rego bound the cyclostyled hymns into a booklet in 1963. The title, Gaionancho Jhelo,was incidentally coined
by Canon Saturnino Dias, who was a seminarian under Fr Rego. “While these hymns were being composed and practiced in the Seminary, the need was felt to compile them. I did much of typing and cyclostyling at the time. While discussing the name for the compilation, some seminarians suggested Gitancho/Songitancho Mollo/Jhelo. I thought of Gaionancho Jhelo and Fr Vasco accepted the name,” recalls Fr Dias. Fr Rego also encouraged his seminarians to compose hymns in Gaionancho Jhelo. “I’m proud that some of my students like Fr Bernardo Cota are acclaimed musicians in their own right,” acknowledges Fr Rego.
Fr Rego found it difficult to manage the financial aspects of Gaionancho Jhelo, despite its growing popularity. “Hence in 1967, the same year I left Rachol Seminary for a new assignment, I donated Gaionancho Jhelo to the Diocesan Liturgical Commission. However, I continued as its editor to compose new hymns, even while serving as Rector of the Basilica,” said Fr Rego.
Fr Rego estimates to have composed lyrics to over 300 hymns, besides composing music to over 50 hymns. “I have composed several other hymns, but they are not included in Gaionancho Jhelo as yet.” A lesser known fact is that the hymn Jezu Bhaxen in Gaionancho Jhelo contains the lyrics of acclaimed Hindu Konkani
writer-poet Manoharrai Sardessai. Four senior priests, either acclaimed musicians or former seminarians who assisted Fr Rego in Gaionancho Jhelo, have acknowledged his pioneering work in Konkani Gospel music. “Fr Rego headed the great movement of creating new Konkani hymns. He began by composing beautiful Christmas Carols, such as Sang Kiteak Ailai Balla and Visvasacho Dis,” recalls Manora Chaplain Fr Bernardo Cota, composer to about 200 melodies in Gaionancho Jhelo.
“Then came Lent and Easter and he came up with unforgettable hymns like Tuji Povitrtai and Mornnantlo Jivo Zalo. Soon, vernacular hymns were needed during liturgy. Again, Fr Vasco came up with gems of liturgical songs,” Fr Cota said. Adds Fr Saturnino Dias: “Fr Rego made great efforts to make the Word of God available in Konkani. He composed many Konkani hymns, while encouraging others to compose hymns in Konkani. He deserves full credit in this and he got full cooperation from seminarians of Rachol and in a particular way, from our batch.” São Bras (Gandaulim) Parish Priest Fr Lino de Sa described the lyrics of Fr
Rego’s hymns as very rich in theology and well rhymed poetically. “Gaionancho Jhelo now contains 555 hymns, including some traditional ones. Fr Rego has 239 original lyrics and 66 translated from the original in Latin in this book. Many of these have also melodies composed by him. In all, 58 hymns in Gaionancho Jhelo have my lyrics, while 53 have my melodies,” said Fr de Sa. Fr J Loiola Pereira, secretary to the archbishop and a composer to some melodies in Gaionancho Jhelo, describes Fr Rego as a man of many parts: spiritual guide, theologian, Biblicist, Konkanist, lyricist, musical composer and much more.
“Among Fr Rego’s gigantic contributions to the vernacular corpus of liturgical publications, Gaionancho Jhelo was perhaps his favourite baby. This Konkani hymnal
has seen eight editions and lakhs of copies to date. Gaionancho Jhelo is not just a book of religious poems, but a veritable summula of Catholic theology
and spirituality, perhaps one of the best exemplars of a Catholic Hymnal ever,” sums up Fr Pereira.
