Bastora

Bastora is a village in North Goa, India. It is located on theoutskirts of Mapusa town. Green and still scenic, this is one of themany communities and villages that makes up mainly-rural, butfast-urbanising Goa.

Name, origins

Bastora was earlier known as Bastodem, when it is believed to havebeen by the Kadamba and Vijaynagar dynasties that ruled the region.Like the rest of the region of Bardez came under Portuguese rulesome 33 years after Lisbon conquered the region now known as Old Goa in1510.

Local landmarks

Bastora was earlier home to St Xavier's College, which later shifted to Mapusa. It is also home to the Holy Cross School, and a prominent publishing and printing institution that played a key role in Goa's intellectual life for decades, Tipografia Rangel.It is now home to Asha Bawan a drug rehabilitation's home at Boa Vista.

t Xavier's College at Bastora

St Xavier's College was founded in 1963 in Bastora, and initially run by the Jesuits, who deputed former St Xavier's College, Bombay principal Fr Edward D'Cruz to take over as principal. Fr. Nicolau Pereira, who had a doctorate from the United States, oversaw the shifting of the college to Mapusa in 1968.

According to Dr Jaime Rangel, there earlier was a proposal to locate the college complex in Bastora itself, on land to be acquired from the local Comunidade of Bastora. But, writes RAngel, due to some disagreements with some comunidade functionaries, land was instead acquired from the Mapusa Comunidade. [Rangel, Dr Jaime, Bastora -- Keeping The Faith, (in souvenir released on the blessing of the renovated St Cajetan Church and Parochial House, May 15, 2006, Goa), ]

Tipografia Rangel

Launched in 1886, this printing press and publishing house -- whose imprint marks many books published in Goa during the period -- continued in operation till 1994. It was founded by Janin Rangel. Its books are still visible in libraries across the world.

Janin Rangel published his first book on Konkani Grammar,and also compiled the Solfeggio, 1o, 2o and 3o Tomo, which continued being used by music students in Goa for long. The Boletim do Instituto Vasco da Gama later renamed to Boletim do Instituto Menezes Bragança was published from here. An annual almanac was also a feature of Tipografia Rangel.

Holy Cross High School

Another village institution is the Holy Cross High School, run by the Sisters of the Cross of Chavanod. It was founded in 1936. Among those credited with building this institution are the French nun Mother Margaret and Sister Beatrice, a Goan nun from the village of Siolim. Over the years, literally thousands of students have passed through this school.

Bastora panchayat

As of May 2006, the sarpanch (village council head) of the Bastora village is Janardhan L Parsekar. Currently (October 2006), the village is represented in the Goa assembly the legislator of Saligao constituency Dr Wilfred A. De Souza, who also happens to be the deputy chief minister of Goa.

Bastora parish

Bastora parish is part of the Mapusa Deanery, which also comprises the villages of Colvale, Cunchelim, Mapusa, Pirna, Revora, Socorro, Ucassaim, Parra and Porvorim.

This parish church with St Cajetan as patron, was dedicated to Our Lady of Hope (Nossa Senhora de Esperanca] , initially erected as a chapel in 1752, and affiliated to the church at Ucassaim Uccassaim's church was completed in 1628 to cover Ucassaim, Bastora, Punola and Paliem.

Bastora's chapel was consecrated a church on May 1, 1957.

This church, built in stone masonry, is in the Mannerist Neo-Roman style, which originated in Italy in the fifteenth century, with the vision of reviving the style of old Imperial Rome.

Mannerism is an ambiguous mode of Neo-Roman style, in which architects began to express their individual style or "manner" not always sin conformity to standard rules. Mannerism flourished among Goan churches from 1550-1760.

This church's frontal façade has a miniature template with a niche that holds the statue of St Cajetan. Twin bell-towers with the finial in the shape of an obelisk or spear-head also mark its architecture.

Recently, the church was renovated, while maintaining its architectural features.

Some of the parish priests of St Cajetan Church at Bastora as as follows:
* Fr Vincente Correia (1947-48)
* Fr Bernardo Menezes (from Goa Velha, 1948-65)
* Fr Benedito Dias e Souza (from Nagoa-Bardez, 1965-68)
* Fr Jose Paulo Nazare (from Moira, 1968-81)
* Dr Lino MOnteiro (from Loutolim, 1981-89)
* Fr Antonio Xavier D'Souza (from Corjuem, Aldona, 1989-92)
* Fr Wenceslaus Mascarenhas (from Loutolim, 1992-2002)
* Fr Angelo Bonamis (from Margao, 2002 till date as of Oct 2006)

In the village

Other recognisable points or institutions in the village are Cafe Prakash at the Boa Vista locality of Bastora, the Friends XI Sports Club of Vaddem, William D'Souza General Stores of Balbot, Cafe Tato and Satpurush General Stores at Boa Vista, Kuku Farm at Pello Vaddo in nearby Uccasiam, Mr Fixit of Boa Vista, the Bastora Ucassaim Group MP Co-operative Society Ltd, Kidskook at Xell, Alcrafts workshop (for aluminium windows and doors) at Teliavaddo, among others.

Bastora Union is a network of villagers based in the Indian commercial capital of Mumbai (formerly Bombay). The Comunidade of Bastora is a community-based land-owning traditional institution. Women and Child Welfare Association of Bastora currently (May 2006) has Alima Monteiro and Reema Morosker as its general secretaries.

Prominent villagers

* Msgr Estevam Jeremias Mascarenhas, member of Parliament of Portugal
* Fr joseph Albuquerque, Superior General of Pilar Fathers
* Justice Antonio Abreu Lobo, Judge of the Supreme Court of Lisbon
* Dr Ubaldo Mascarenhas, physician-mayor of Bombay
* Dr Jaime Valfredo Rangel, physician and president of the Municipal Council of Bardez, also delegate to the International Labour Organisation.
* Joao Abreu Lobo, Administrator of Salcete
* Caetano Castelino, secretary-general of the Municipal Council of Bardez or the Camara de Bardez
* Vincente João Janin Rangel, founder of Tipografia Rangel and editor of O Indispensavel Musicologist
* Dr Jeremias Mascarenhas, physician and health officer of Mormugao
* Dr Felipe Mascarenhas, physician
* Dr John Menezes, physician
* Dr Damaciano Souza, physician
* Dr Jose Rangel, physician and director of the Voicuntrao Dempo Centre for Indo-Portuguese Studies, writer and poet.

References