LATA MANGESHKAR

Born in 1928, Lata Mangeshkar, often called the 'Queen of Indian Melody', hails from Mangesh, Goa. Needless to say, Lata Mangeshkar is a byword in Indian semi-classical music. As a singer who offers variety in her music, she has an undescribable, unsoiled purity in her voice. It is delicate, sharp and clear in difficult note patterns. Her rendition is marked with a rare sense of rhythm and lyrics.

As far as Indian classical / semiclassical music is concerned, the last hundred years have seen some exquisite women vocalists in Moghubai Kurdikar, M S Subbulakshmi, Kishori Amonkar, etc. But, for the haunting quality, the early years of Lata should stand any standard and few have displayed such high versatility.

JOHNNIE THE BAPTIST (1919- 1984)

Born in a small village called Shirod in the year 1919, Johnnie the Baptist, at the young age of just eight, learnt his first notes of music. The initial grounding was entirely acquired by simply playing the violin along with the church choir at St Joeph's Church, Shiroda. Soon after he also picked up the nuances involved in playing the Clarinet. In the year 1939, he went to Bombay to find a suitable place in it's much talked about music world.

His first ever public performance was at St Xavier's College, Bombay, during which he was a part of Paul Frank's group. Subsequently, he played the Clarinet for many other leading bands in the city, besides also playing for Goa. Johnnie and his troupe could usually be seen playing at the Ritz, the Ambassador, the Grand Hotel, the Bombay Gymkhana, the Eros Ballroom, not to forget private and public functions, which included weddings.

When in the late 70s', Johnnie's health deteriorated considerably, his first son, Mario, took over his band, and rechristened it the "Johnnie Baptist Revival". Although this luminary has been silenced for almost two decades now, whoever had the privelege of listening to his music or even was under his tutilege, will never think twice before saying he is among one of the greatest players of the Clarinet the world every saw.

ST FRANCIS XAVIER OF ASSISSI

In autumn 1540, King John III of Portugal ordered six Jesuit priests to be sent to India. St Ignatius of Loyola could think of only two priests Simon Rodriguez and Nicholas Bobadilla, of whom the latter could not make it because of his indisposition, keeping in mind the dangerous and long voyage involved in travelling to India. Therefore, Igantius' secretary, Francis Xavier, was requested to take his place. Without batting an eyelid, he accepted the chore gracefully. On the 7th of April, 1541, Xavier began his voyage to India, a voyage which was terrible in its many trials and tribulations. Starting right from the rough sea ride, to combatting with disease, this thirteen month journey could be considered valuable because of the opportunities Xavier had to excercise his missionary zeal.

This missionary par excellence laid the foundation to many activities which were later developed and perfected by the Church, particularly the Jesuits. Once his missionary work began, there was certainly no looking back. He was "All Things to All Men". He would dine with the worldy and suffer with the poor, fast with the ascetics and discourse science and philosophy with the learned. He made the beds, bandaged the wounded, buried the dead (whose graves he personally dug) and washed the rags of beggars, amongst many other honourable things.

However, undoubtedly, teaching Catechism was his greatest forte. Xavier taught children by singing lessons in tunes of his own composition. He would then send the children to share the same with their family members. Consequently, children formed an impressionable part of Xavier's missionary labours. After a decade's invaluable service to Goa in particular and India in general, in the early hours of Dec 3rd, 1552, when en route to China to spread his teachings, he died on the island of Sancian. Sixty years hence, he was proclaimed a Saint along with Ignatius of Loyola, on March 12th, 1622.