Pio Esteves
When sheer passion turns into a reality, its continuity over the years is a clear proof of perseverance and hard labour. Anthony Rodrigues from Dexibhatt, Agassaim, popularly known as ‘Starman of Agassaim’ has been into the practice of preparing stars out of bamboo and its number has been mounting annually in leaps and bounds. Anthony picks up this tedious exercise of painstakingly cutting the bamboo into sticks, joining them to give the shape of a star and finally dressing the entire skeleton with scrap paper, giving it a festive look. This assignment begins in the month of June and continues throughout till November-end. When young as a teenager,” Anthony reminisces, “it was merely looking at the preparations from the elders. Their active involvement in preparing the star and the crib annually for the Christmas celebration infused enthusiasm within me and that motivated me to take it up independently.” “It is a tedious task which involves a lot of patience and perseverance. But visitors’ overwhelming response every year only inspires me to do more enthusiastically, with a lot of innovations and creativity,” he add. Last year, apart from his usual task of preparing the numerous stars, which keep multiplying annually, Anthony had laid his prime focus on the life of St Francis Xavier, popularly known as ‘Goycho Saib’. In his presentation, he had depicted the ship he sailed and the cross in the sea, which was picked up by a crab and brought, delivered safely to the saint. This year, Anthony is focusing on another saint of the Goan soil, St Joseph Vaz, who worked as a missionary in Mangalore, Sri Lanka and other places. “His childhood life has an interesting tale, which was covered with many miracles,” he recalls, “and my efforts are to bring to the limelight one particular incident wherein when deprived to step out of his house, he would climb the jackfruit tree and walk straight to the church in Cortalim. Miraculously the main door would open for him and he would spend hours together praying before the Blessed Sacrament,” he mentions. As Anthony showcases his unique talent of preparing the stars and displaying them at his residence for public viewing, he never desires to keep his talent for himself. Instead, he wishes to share with others, especially the children andyouth so that this age-old tradition of star making moves forward and is persevered for posterity. Apart from his busy schedule of preparing the stars within the time-frame, Anthony has always welcomed people, who showed keen interest in learning the trick of the trade. He has trained many youngsters, who knocked on his door and they have returned home, with fulfilment in their hearts. Once the hundred-odd stars are put up for display, visitors and tourists from far and wide flock to the venue to enjoy the heavenly bliss. “There have been well-wishers from south and north right from Canacona and Pernem, who make it a point to visit and enjoy the colourful sight by night,” Anthony states. ‘Starman of Agassaim’ intends to keep his talent for viewing from 7 pm to 10 pm every day, but people flock to the place even past midnight. His better half, Succorine Rodrigues is always supportive in all his ventures, assisting him right from the preparations till the final display and throughout the public viewing. This year, the display of stars and the tableau will be kept open for the public till January 6.
