Alma Khuris desecrated once again

The Iconic Alma Khuris at Cavorim was vandalized once again on the intervening night of October 18 and 19 making this the third time when the cross has been desecrated. Residents of Cavorim who were trudging to the Chandor mount to celebrate the feast of Our Lady of Piety were shocked to see the vandalized cross in the early morning.

This is the third time the cross has been vandalized. The last time it was vandalized was in 2010 where along with the Cross, the bandstand near the church and the cross at the altar at the cemetery was also vandalized.

Incidentally the concrete seal installed by Maria Menino Nunes near his general store at Mena Cavorim was also vandalized on the same night. Being a concrete structure the miscreants found it difficult to damage the seal and only its face was damaged. Significantly in 2010 the terra cotta dolphin installed by Mr. Nunes at the same spot was also vandalized.

While the structures at the Church were spared this time, another cross at Derrick D’Cruz’ house at Cotta next to the St. Tiago Chapel was also damaged by the miscreants.

At around 1 am former Sarpanch of Chandor Cavorim Derrick Braganza passed by Alma Khuris and it was intact. According to Mr. Nunes’s neighbor Joaquim alias Jack Mascarenhas, he heard a weird sound at around 3 pm which makes one conclude that the vandalism took place at that time.

Significantly, despite many protests those responsible for the vandalisation in 2010 have not been identified as yet and there is not much hope that even in the present case the police will make much headway.

Alma Khuris was initially constructed on the eve of All Souls Day in the year 1982 by Krishna alias Gabo Bandodkar along with his friend Fidelis D’Silva to provide solace to people who were frightened of reported spirits’ presence there. Subsequently the cross was shifted to its present location.

It may be noted that about three weeks back yet another cross – albeit a lesser known one – in front of the house of the D’Silva family near St. Anthony’s Chapel at Cavorim was also vandalized. This cross too has a history of being built by a Hindu whose wife was claimed to be barren being blessed by children after constructing the cross. The person who built this cross is none other than the grandfather of Krishna Bandodkar who built the Alma Khuris.