The pen as weapon of change

"Come and follow me" said Jesus to his disciples when he invited them to be the fishermen of people. Francis D’Britto, hailing from a Catholic family was born in 1943 in a village called Nandakhal in north Vasai, heard this call while studying for his Matriculate at the Church High School and decided to follow Christ for the rest of his life.

After completing arduous philosophical and theological studies at St. Pius College Seminary at Goregaon, Mumbai, he was ordained a Roman Catholic priest in 1972. Throughout his formative years in the seminary, Fr. D’Britto always had a penchant for writing. Editing Suvarta that has a circulation of 11,000 for the last 17 years, Fr Britto reaches the people through the medium of the print media reflecting continually the struggle for justice and concern for the poor.

Peace and harmony along with justice are other messages that Father D’Britto strives to convey with sarva dharma sabhas in Vasai; he has also been the instrument of dialogue among various religious and cultural communities. Through the heart and hands of Fr. D’Britto have flowed many a literary feat, which include: Parivartanasathi Darma (Dimple Publication), Tejachi Paoole (Akshar Prakashan), Christachi Gosta (Popular Prakashan), Mulanche Bible (Dimple Publication), Oasischya Shodhat (Rajhans, Pune), Christi San Ani Utsav (Lok Wangmaya, Mumbai). He has to his credit translations such as: Pathikachi Naam Yatra (Vidharbha Marathwada), Krutagnha (Anmol Prakashan), Mother Tereza (National Book Trust), Anandache Antarang (Mehta Publication, Pune).

Marathi journalism has acknowledged this scribe in priestly garb; father D’Britto has received several awards for journalism which include the famous Lokmat Award from the Lokmat Group of Newspapers, Nagpur, in 1993; the Darpan Award, Satara, in 1994 and the Mumbai Marathi Granth Sangrahalya Puraskar, Mumbai, in 1997.

His talents extend beyond journalism to writing too and for this facet of his personality, too, moffussil Maharashtra has paid it’s tributes: the Shyam Panganti Award, Pune, in 1996 for literature; Damani Award, Sholapur, in 1996; Sant Namdeo Award, Jamkhed, 1996; Lokmat Literary Essay Award, Nagpur, in1996; Sarvajanik Vachanalaya Award, Nasik, in 1997; Anant Kanekar Award, Mumbai, in1997; and Konkan Marathi Sahitya Award, Mumbai, in1997.