Bombay (Mumbai): Vasai-based Catholic priest Father Francis D’Britto, writer and environmentalist, was recently elected president of the Akhil Bharatiya Marathi Sahitya Sammelan (ABMSS) 2020, a three-day event that will be held in Osmanabad starting January 10, 2020.

Fr. D’Britto, who is the first Christian to be elected president of the ABMSS, said he would like to use the platform to spread ideas of secularism and tolerance in the country. “We need to respect our Constitution. With the book of one’s religion in one hand and the Constitution in the other, we can pave the way for peace in the country. While our religious books will lead us to heaven, our Constitution will lead us to experiencing heaven on earth, in our country,” he said.

The veteran who is known for serving people beyond the four walls of the Catholic Church, attributed his success to the people who have stood by him for several decades.

 Apart from having authored over a dozen books, Fr. D’Britto spearheaded the Harit Vasai Movement in the 1990s, when Vasai was on the verge of becoming a breeding ground for the land mafia. He also took on a local gang leader and  formed the ‘Harit Vasai Sarkshan Samiti’ to help locals unite against the terror of real estate mafia.

 In 1993, he led 1 lakh people against CIDCO’s proposed Development Plan for Vasai-Virar, a protest that forced authorities to make changes in the proposed DP.

Fr. D’Britto said writers like Bharat Sasne, Pratibha Ranade and Pravin Davane were among those who withdrew from the election in his support. “It was an absolute honour to have all 19 members vote in my favour,” he said.

The priest-author said his selection as president honoured the Indian tradition of inclusion. “The ethos of the country built by leaders like King Ashoka, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, B.R. Ambedkar, Mahatma Gandhi and many others like them is all about embracing the Indian culture of pluralism,” he said.

Speaking about the growing religious intolerance in the country, Fr. D’Britto said it is a passing phase, and that Hinduism promotes the values of tolerance, acceptance and inclusion. “Every individual should feel safe in our country. Freedom and not fear should run through the fabric of the country,” he said.

 Father D’Britto, 75, is known for his literary and social work. But his work titled ‘Subodh Bible’ – a Marathi translation of the New Testament – stands out among the over 50 books he has authored. The priestauthor is believed to be only the second person to translate the Bible in Marathi. The book also won him a Sahitya Akademi award in 2013 for translation in Marathi language category.

 Often known to take on local goons with as much avidity as he does social causes, the priest-author has had several milestones in his busy career. Before joining the Jeevan Darshan Kendra Trust in Vasai as a priest, Father D’Britto did his Masters in theology from Gregorian University in Rome and his graduation from Pune University after receiving religious and spiritual training for ten years from St Pius College in Goregaon.

 He is also credited with turning Suvarta magazine into a more inclusive cultural and social space after he took over in 1983. He remained the editor of Suvarta for 22 years until 2007.

His latest book – a memoir -Nahi mi Ekla (I am not alone) is a detailed account of all the causes he has since taken up.

Although the president’s post of the Akhil Bhartiya Marathi Sahitya Sammelan has no teeth, it is held in high regard by the literary community. For now, all eyes are on the socio-political stand the 75-year-old priest chooses to take in his first-ever address during the three-day literary meet in January.

Father D’Britto says, “As a nation, we are facing many serious issues – our cultural and religious harmony has been disturbed, the economic challenges before us are enormous. But I believe in communication, dialogue and coordination, so I am going to speak on that line.”

The prestigious meet was in the news this year after organisers recanted the invitation to noted author Nayantara Sehgal reportedly under political pressure. Those in the know say, apart from Durga Bhagwat (1975), no president has chosen to not toe the metaphorical line, considering the festival is state-funded.

  Catholic Church, literature, Mumbai