by BIS Correspondent
DAKOR, DEC 13, 2017: The life-story of Don Bosco's pupil Mickey Magone who reformed himself from a street hooligan to an aspiring saint in the 18th 
century is now available in Gujarati. The fruit of a long-drawn laborious effort by Father Dinesh Vasava, Mickey Magone is a short, crisp booklet featuring incidents from the young lad's life prior to and after meeting with Don Bosco in the alleyways of Turin during the aftermath of the industrial revolution.
Mickey Magone, the Gujarati version was launched with much fanfare as part of the concluding moments of SYMBIOS GuRaM at the Don Bosco Dakor campus on December 10. Father Godfrey D'Souza, Salesian Provincial Mumbai; Pioneering Salesian Missionary in Dakor, Father Ivan deSouza; Father Ignas Macwan, Father Charles Anthony, Father Edwin, Sister Sunanda FMA, Sister Melna SMI; and Jasvantbhai Macwan, Editor of the Gujarati Catholic Monthly Dhoot participated in the book launch ceremony.
Compeering the event, Father Pravin Macwana, Rector at Don Bosco Narukot described the book launch as a relevant meaning-making occasion within the context of the mega-youth fest, with 450 youth from across the institutions managed by the Salesian Family in the GuRaM region of NorthWest-Central India. "Every sinner has a past; every sinner has a future, and this book reveals how this is possible through Don Bosco's Educational System," remarked Father Macwana. Jasvantbhai Macwan, who painstakingly copy-edited the tome, said, "The life of Mickey Magone as this book describes, and the tremendous transformation in his personal life after meeting with Don Bosco is so inspirational, I wonder why he has not been declared a saint by the Church! The boy who was considered a gang-leader and a ruffian, reinvents himself as a do-gooder through a virtuous renewal of his life and this book will definitely prove relevant to everyone who reads it."
In the Q & A session that followed the launch, the author of Mickey Magone, Father Dinesh Vasava interacted with the 450 plus audience, sharing his personal life-experiences and youth-encounters as a Salesian of Don Bosco. Replying to a question on his own personal 'Mickey'-like encounters, he said, "Yes, of course, during my tenure here in Dakor, as a young Salesian, I have indeed encountered so many boys who were alike Mickey Magone, and moreover in my stint at Don Bosco Snehalaya at Vadodara in the interactions with these boys whom society rejects and neglects, I really discovered the greatness of Don Bosco's youth work."
When asked about his inspiration, Father Vasava reminisced about his childhood and latter years, responding, "Looking at my own childhood and experiences in the boarding and later when I decided to join the Salesians of Don Bosco, I can say that yes, Mickey Magone is an inspiration for change. I was inspired to write this book for the young and for Salesians in local Gujarati, since this can possibly affect the lives of so many youth and enable them to connect with each other, while responsibly committing themselves to societal transformation."
The young participants at SYMBIOS GuRaM were ebullient in their applause for the effort of the author, even as Father Macwana brought the occasion to a close reminding the participants that this is the moment for life-transformation and Mickey Magone can be their inspiration.