Vincy the Prince

Vincy our Prince

On a Sunday afternoon on March 5, 1972, when we were tired and resting on the steps of the house after our games, our ‘Maa’ seemed a bit restless. Holding on to her bulging belly she moved to the only private room our house had and then called out, “Baptist, bring some water quickly!”  Baptist ‘dattu’ sensing the emergency, rushed and in his confusion, carried water in a coconut shell, of course water dripping on the way, as it had a hole in it! Within seconds we heard the cry of Vincy, the No.8 among us! Then came the women from the neighbourhood to assist the child birth. Being the youngest among the sons, he indeed was treated like a prince!

Just like his silent entry into the world, Vincy indeed was a quiet boy- speaking words measured to perfection and doing only what he is expected to. Soon he was joined by Shanti, the youngest of us and they were then two for tango- an inseparable company! While we the four (Baptist, Peter, Paul & I) were adventurous outside, Vincy & Shanti would be busy indoors- murmuring, planning, scheming and even stealing some eatables. But our parents would never suspect ‘the innocent looking partners’; instead we ‘four’ would be interrogated- often with ‘the third degree methods’ by our spirit-filled ‘Aan’ (father) in his evening ‘adaalat’.

An incident etched in my memory is our weeping and wailing for ‘dead’ Vincy! It was morning... we all were up... Vincy still sleeping... Maa called out to Vincy, there was no response... she went close and shook him... he seemed lifeless and still! Maa gave out a loud shriek. Hearing the commotion Aan came running from the farm, checked and gave up. Ours was a mourning house! Hearing the cry, our Coses aunt came rushing and diagnosed the real cause- Vincy was affected by the ‘worm’(‘burgyan pida’) which can be fatal to children. The herbal medicine pills with honey were handy and Vincy was back again. We the ‘four’ were happy we could bunk the classes ‘in the name of Vincy’.

In the school at Naravi, he was brilliant and diligent, often scoring above 90%. Mathematics being his favourite subject, he chose Commerce Stream and completed his B.Com from Jain College, Moodbidri about 25 Kms away from Mantrady, our village. Commerce was in his blood and he was calculative to the core!  His choices are well thought of- carefully planned and near perfect!

After completing his graduation he moved out of our 'jungle' in Mantrady to Mumbai his second home. Lilly bai and Dennis baoji welcomed him to Bhayander. They were his Maa & Aan for the next 5 years when he thought big-the job, a new house, marriage and family. God blessed him with all!

 The most anticipated day arrived on Dec. 31, 2001-  when our prince Vincy decided to tie the knot with Olivia, the princess. With Melisha and Marvin, the two new-arrivals, Vincy’s family is in full blossom.

Cherishing those nostalgic and memorable days of the past and wishing you Vincy-Olivia-Melisha & Marvin the joys of a happy & fulfilled family.

Fr.Thomas D’Silva