Reverend Father Archilles (Archie) D'Souza (1942-2006):
The priest who did not go gentle into the good night.
Excerpt from Daily Times
By Mahim Maher
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2006\04\01\story_1-4-2006_pg12_12

KARACHI: In the early 1950s there was one place in the city where Hindus, Christians and Muslims would bump into each other for one purpose. This place was the D' Souza family wine shop in Saddar where a young Archie D'Souza first experienced the way the people of these three faiths interacted. Small wonder then, that when he was 18 years old, he decided that he wanted to become a priest. And over the years, Father Archie went on to become one of the strongest proponents of interfaith harmony. In fact, not only did he pursue a B.A. in Islamic studies at Jamia Millia, Malir, in 1969 but he also went on to do an M.A. in Islamic Theology from the University of Edinburgh, Scotland, and later a Ph.D. in Islamic Theology at Gregorian University, Rome, in 1976. With his death last week, the Christians, Muslims and Hindus of Karachi and Pakistan have lost a valuable diplomat.

Fr. Archie passed away on March 25 in his room at the age of 64 and at the time of his death he was the parish priest of Our Lady Fatima Church off Randall Road. He was also the former vicar-general of the Archdiocese of Karachi.

According to The Most Reverend Evarist Pinto, who was ordained at the same time as Fr. Archie in 1968 at St. Patrick's Cathedral and who lived in the same place for a while, the late priest was outgoing, an extrovert and made friends easily. "This was reflected in his presence
during sermons; he was a showman," Rev. Pinto told Daily Times on Friday, while referring to Fr Archie's ability to command a parish's rapt attention.
 

Raj Kumar; South Indian Movie Star
Associated Press
Thursday, April 13, 2006; B06

Raj Kumar, 77, a onetime child actor who became one of south India's most beloved movie stars and later was kidnapped by a notorious bandit, died of cardiac arrest April 12 at a hospital in Bangalore. Mr. Kumar, whose name was also spelled Rajkumar, appeared in more than 200 Kannada-language films in five decades and had millions of fiercely devoted fans. Although he largely gave up acting in the mid-1990s, he remained one of the region's best-loved figures.
Hundreds of distraught fans rioted in Bangalore when police prevented them from forcing their way into the late actor's home, New Delhi Television reported. Police used bamboo canes to drive away angry fans who shattered the windows of several buses and set a half-dozen cars and motorcycles on fire.

The actor's body was later moved to a large public park in the heart of the city to allow fans to pay their respects. The regional government in southern India has decided to give Mr. Kumar a state funeral, according to Press Trust of India.


John J. D'Souza
X 4447