From hill in Pilar, the life of Christ brings hope

Panaji: The Pilar hillock came alive recently when the members of the Society of Pilar staged Jivitachem Jivit, Uzvaddacho Uzvadd, a Lenten operetta in Konkani.

Over 2,000 people across Goa witnessed the musical programme which depicted the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, through song and drama. The play resonated the message of hope, in line with the theme of the Jubilee Year, Pilgrims of Hope, as announced by Pope Francis.

The operetta evoked nostalgic feelings of a similar operetta staged in 1985 with the audience moving around to watch the different scenes from the life of Jesus.

However, this version was enacted on a massive stage covering almost 100m. A total of 13 scenes were enacted by a group of over 50 artistes. The scene depicting Jesus meeting his mother on his way to Calvary evoked a profound sense of sorrow among the audience. Frazer Fernandes from Morjim played the role of Jesus, while Felicia Hyacinth Coutinho from Verna played the role of Mary, the mother of Jesus.

Other significant roles were played by Alexinho de Morjim who took on the role of Judas, Fr Pio Furtado as Peter, the apostle of Jesus, Fr Milton Rodrigues as the high priest and Fr Derrick Rodrigues as Pilate. The play included 13 songs composed by Fr Peter Cardozo, along with Fr Dominic Alvares and Avers Pereira. The songs performed by a group of over 20 professional musicians and singers.