OLD GOA: The feast of St Francis Xavier draws people from near and far, with a special emphasis on far. One particular group, led by a man known simply as Santaji, walks the long distance from Kolhapur to Old Goa on an annual basis, purely as a celebration of their faith. The remarkable point to be noted is that not one member of this little group of 25 members is Catholic. Here’s how it all started.
The walking pilgrimage commenced in 1980, after the then Parish Priest, Swami Prabhudar, SJ of the Rosary Church of South Kolhapur District in Azra, decided to make a walk in good faith to cure the ailing watchman of the church.
The story goes that the watchman, Jose Bardezkar, suffered from an acute case of asthma and was declared ‘beyond help’ by healthcare professionals. In an attempt to intercede, the priest offered to take Jose on a pilgrimage on foot, over a distance of nearly 300 kilometres, to make a vow to St Francis Xavier.
His proposal was met with much scorn by all, as Jose’s lungs were worse for wear by that point and the odds of him surviving the journey were slim. However, it was the man himself who opted to go, signing an indemnity bond of sorts in the process that absolved the priest of the consequences of the journey.
With this clearance, the two men, accompanied by five other companions, set out on their trip.
Upon their return, the priest decided to build on the first trip by regularising the walking pilgrimage on an annual basis, which is where Santaji’s tale began.
A missionary from Sindhudurg, Santaji was born Santana Lobo, but upon becoming a missionary who was deputed to Kolhapur, he went by the moniker he now wears with pride. “I joined Swami Prabhudar after his first journey, when he had decided to make the trip an annual occurrence. The first few years were a little trying, as we were still finding our feet and the route was far from finalised. We shy away from the highway for a large part of our journey, and as such, needed to find a route that was conducive to our needs,” Santaji says.
Over the years, Santaji and his group have managed to grasp the trail that bests suits them and have managed to freeze on a time span that lasts four nights, with their arrival at Old Goa on the morning of the fifth day. This journey begins at 2:15 am with three major breaks for breakfast, lunch and tea. Breaks for bathing are undertaken only when there is a water body along the route.
Santaji highlights the two rules that pilgrims must abide by: shunning all forms of transportation and shying away from accommodation that is paid for. “We have to observe these rules. This journey is designed to develop one’s faith and self. As a part of this process, we accept meals where we can find them and accept lodging in a similar manner. For the most part, parishes and other religious institutions are kind enough to host us,” he says. This year, the group is being hosted within the premises of the parish of Old Goa itself.
And Santaji isn’t the only leader of his kind. He estimates that while his group may be small, with just 25 members rounding off the stack, there are as many as 1,300 such pilgrims that undertake this sort of journey with religious zeal. It has often been said that faith may move mountains, but in similar vein, it clearly moves men across them too.
