Just as one passes the Adil Shah Palace in Panjim, it is the mesmerising statue of a man hypnotising a woman that immediately catches the eye. This bronze statue was sculpted by Ramchandra Pandurang Kamat and was erected by the Merchants of Goa in 1945. “The statue was not put up by the Government at that time but these merchants who must have felt proud of him and dedicated the statue in 1945. I began my novel, ‘Kator Re Bhaji’ with this event,” says Uday Bhembre, a noted Konkani writer who recently released second novel in Konkani.
Abbe Faria was born Jose Custodio de Faria and was a Goan Catholic priest who was one of the pioneers of the scientific study of hypnotism in France in the late 1700s. He was following on from the works of Franz Mesmer, who is known as the Father of Hypnotism. He was the son of Caetano Vitorino de Faria of Colvale, and Rosa Maria de Sousa of Candolim. He was living in Candolim in his maternal home as a young boy before embarking on a journey to Lisbon to join his father. He dedicated his doctoral thesis to the Queen in Lisbon and was also invited to the Sistine Chapel in Rome for an oration.
How did the phrase ‘Kator Re Bhaji’ become synonymous with Abbé Faria? It is credited to his father, also a Goan priest in France, Caetano. “Abbe Faria is known all over the world but he didn’t get the recognition he deserved when he was alive and he died a pauper in France. He was known as the Father of the Doctrine of Suggestion and dedicated this doctrine to the Queen in Lisbon. At the age of just 22, he was invited by the Queen to present an oration. His father was also in the audience and when Abbé Faria was nervous looking at the crowd and couldn’t utter a word, his father encouraged him by saying, ‘Hi soglim bhaji. Kator re Bhaji.’ These words transformed his life and he realised that this was a suggestion but it still had an impact on him. He realised that it is the suggestion that prompts a person to do what a hypnotist wants,” explains Uday.
The novel ‘Kator Re Bhaji’ is an attempt to take Abbé Faria’s life to the hands of youngsters. “The book is being translated into English and three other Indian languages and will be also transcribed into Romi Konkani. We have to introduced history to youngsters through novels rather than history or biographies. There are many great historical men and women of Goa who have achieved recognition on an international level and are yet to not recognised in Goa for their work,” he adds.
In 2014, people came forward to get Abbé Faria’s name a wider recognition. However, these demands were still not met. In 2016, a full length statue in Candolim, similar to the Panjim statue was erected by the Panchayat and unveiled by Tomazinho Cardozo, former Speaker of Goa Legislative Assembly. It is situated at the junction of Temple Road and the road leading to Sinquerim. Late Percival Noronha also played an important role in persuading the authorities to install the statue.
“From the age of 11, Abbé Faria was living in Candolim in his mother’s house before he left for Lisbon. Their heritage home was taken over by Provedoria, which later modernises their home. It had beautiful architecture with exposed stones and a truly traditional look which was lost after renovations. The house at Pinto Ward in Candolim has a bust of Abbé Faria on the right hand side and is now converted into an orphanage. When it comes to history, this house should have been a museum,” says Tomazinho Cardozo, who also wrote a Konkani song dedicated to Abbé Faria, which he performed on the 250th birth anniversary of Abbé Faria.