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| Church of St. Thomas, Arrossim. |
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| Funeral Mass for Baven. |
- Brian Mendonca
Mourners throng
the Three Kings Way
a son falls
never to return.
The ides of March have come
But have not gone.
Destiny claims one more life.
A mother ruffles her son's hair
for the last time.
Sister and grandmother
watch with disbelief.
The church bell tolls
wails rent the air.
Chandeliers light up
his innocent face.
A sea of black and white
-and a splash of maroon.
Daniel 9
'Let your compassion
hasten to meet us.'
Baven we commit you
to God and to heaven
May the earth enfold you.
Rest now in peace.
Sans pain, sans tears
An epic journey
of a lad
who wore
his heart on his sleeve.
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Baven Antao was laid to rest at St. Thomas church, Cansaulim, Goa on 2 March 2026. Updated 12/3/26. Pix by Brian Mendonca.
Notes
-St. Thomas church, Cansaulim was built by the Jesuits in 1567. It was dedicated to St. Thomas in 1588.
-Ides of March is an expression in Shakespeare's drama Julius Caesar in which a soothsayer predicts his death in 44 BCE:
Ceasar: The ides of March have come.
Soothsayer: Ay Ceaser. But have not gone.
-The villages of Cansaulim, Arrossim, and Cuelim traditionally celebrate the Feast of the Three Kings on 6th January.
-Daniel 9: The reading of the day from the Book of Daniel in the Bible.
-Heart on his sleeve: idiom used by Ayeesha, Baven's sister, in the eulogy, to describe his selfless nature. Origin: Medieval knights wore the colours of the lady they were championing while jousting.
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