May 5, 2005

Pakdilpur





Hello, this is just to tell you about our summer ministry program in the diocese of Jhnsi in Utter Predesh.
If you remember well what happened in Utter Predesh in 1994, the demolition of Babri Masjit, and the killing of Muslims and Hindus and the river of blood that was shed could not be counted. And the role-played by Rani Lekshimi Bhai and how her changed the fight against British in freedom fight are unforgettable part of the Indian History. The fort still remains there with it all proud and beauty. And to this place where we went for our summer village program.
On 21st of March we left from our seminary –Eluru and from Wijywada we started our journey to Jhansi and the next day we reached the Bishop’s house and in the evening we left for Pakdilpur – where we were assigned to live by the Bishop. In the evening we started our journey to Pakdilpur and in the morning we reached Manikpur and from there after refreshing ourselves we were started our journey to thins particular place.

From Manikpur it is one and half hour journey by jeep and after you start your journey in the jeep for sometime it is road and then it goes through a big forest and more than one hour journey is through jungle only. When we reached our destiny we had a very cordial welcome prepared by DSS sisters [Deena Sevena Sabha] and the parishioners of the parish of the Christ the king. It was very hearty and cordial with rose flowers and garland and Arati and a very warm welcome it was.
And we stayed in this particular parish hose for three weeks and then we visited our way back to Jhansi some more mission and some mission places we stayed one of two days and it was very interesting and touching. And in the following pages I will try to say about Pakdilpur and our experience there and as a whole the experience and then what we had lived there.
History of Pakdilpur
Pakdilpur is an oldest parish in the diocese of Jhansi. And it was began in the early 19s and still it remains, as it was build by the Malta fathers. In the early years of 20th century there came a group of Capuchin fathers from Malta and they started this entire diocese and this mission. Actually it was place was a jungle and there was a very big forest and only there was advisees (tribal people) living in it. And actually when you go from Manikpur till the entrance of this particular place there is tar road and then you have to cross a river, which makes trouble and very big trouble for the people when it is raining season. And from there it is full forest where there is wild animals are available. And there is a Coles (the least cast there) village and then is this place called Pakdilpur. And when the Malta fathers came they bought thousand acors of land and made use of cultivation and then they brought Christian people from a different place and actually according to the Bishop these were Christian orphans from a distant place. There are 26 Christian families in the village and they do not like to make any contact with other tribels or other people outside of their village. And big hills and mountains protect this place naturally. So no other people like to come and live in this place.

When one Christian meet with one another they greet each other "Jai Yesu" which means Hail Jesus. And they have a very simple faith. But the sad thing is that it does not affect the daily life of the people. And surprisingly even the other people who are not Christian also greet you in the same way when they know that you are also a Christian
There are many other villages in this place but they are quite far from this particular village where we stayed. And some of the villages in the middle of this hills so they do not have any help from the mountains or they have any job so they go to other villages for finding their livelihood. And in Pakdilpur there is a parish church dedicated to Christ the King and there is a convent run by DSS and there is a school up to 5th standard and there is a dispensary run by the sisters and otherwise this is place of cultivation and small houses. And this could be a short history of past and present of Pakdilpur.
SOCIAL LIFE AND OCCUPATION
There were two groups of people in this village. One is Christian and the other is coal. They are living separated. There are around twenty Christian families. Fr. Francis is the parish priest. There is also a regent Bro. Vargees. Many of the people have their own land to cultivate. People who do not have land, they approach parish priest and father gives them land to cultivate, because the diocese has got two hundred and forty acres of land. When they harvest, they have to give half of the crops to father and half for them. Father provides seeds, water and manual for the cultivation. Only thing is that people should cultivate. Actually the people depend upon rain for their cultivation. People are very hard working. Men get 30 RS and the women get 25Rs per day and they rarely go out due to lack of transportation.
When there is no cultivation people go to forest and collect firewood for selling and they also collect a kind of flowers called mauve to sustain their life. People sometimes go for hunting. Inshore people economically are very backward and they have no idea about their future.


Pakdilpur --- a reality
This mission is going to be about 80years ever since it was started. And only this small number of 26 Christian families which were brought from outside are there. Though there are many other villages of different cast people there is not a single one Christian from this place. So that shows how much the people have benefited from our Christian mission in this place. And the moral life of the people here is very law and they do no know much about the morality and meaning of Christian marriage and things like that. But they have simple faith in coming for Eucharist and prayer to Our Lady and all but they do not touch the daily lives of these people. And according to Bishop he had tired different priests there to make changes but they a hand full only. So it is his intention to send a religious community who will changes the life of the people without interfering into the culture of this people.
One more thing you have to gain is that the people who live around this village is tribal and they do not have a religion as such so still there is time to gain more people for Christ. But that is the last thing Bishop himself say that.
One must know that this mission and school have started many many years ago still the literacy is very poor and the value of education is very law. In Pakdilpur there may be students who have studies 12th standard but there are many villages and villages who think that taking a student to a school is for conversion. So need to break this ice and need a wide vision about life beyond this juggle. So for this kind of thing only the Bishop is inviting the SCJs of India District.
Life under the mountain.
The people here depend on rain for their life. Because they depend their life on cultivation. And some of the people have their own land and they cultivate wheat, mustard seed and different kinds of Dallas and things like that. And many people are depending on the land of the diocese and they get land and things for cultivation and at the end of the reaping time they have give half of the portion to the Parish Priest in charge. And their life has no thinking beyond the place and time. They have no means of communication and relation with outside world. The post office is very far from there when people go for shopping one a week or so they go to the post office and get the letters and that comes to the parish house and then pastor gives to the people. One another thing is that all most all the people – including men and woman are addicted to pan and aracunut and many good numbers of people are addict to drinking. They also so have caws and goats and sheep.
Our visit to other villages.
We reached in Pakdilpur on a Wednesday that was previous to Monty Thursday. And this Holy Week we were just in the parish house and helping in the church liturgical activities and decoration. In the following week we started to visit the neighboring villages where the Social service society of the diocese has their works. From the Convent Sr. Jacintha DSS was always with us to take to different villages. And we visited many villages there. And all these villages are divided of casts. And some villages only Coles (least cast) are only and in some other villages there Coles and Pandits and some high Brahmins and such people are living. The main occupations in these villages are collecting firewood from the jungle and sell in the town. These people have to go on foot many Miles to reach the town, but for their life they go on with heavy load on their head. And there is a special kind of flower from the mountain called Mawa. People say that out it they make toddy and some others say that the doctors make medicine out of it. It is true that since people do not know the actual use of it they are cheated. In these villages there are schools, but they never functions properly. And one or two villages are neither in the middle of this mountain that they neither get help from forest nor from jungle. It was really touching to see how people are living in a village whole of their lifetime. And this particular sister who came with us have her project in these villages for education and water, and there are volunteers to look after it. And sister was very good helping in introducing it. And they welcomed use with big smile and warm heart.
Our Way back.
On 16th April we left from Pakdilpur and Bishop had arranged our to Jhnsi to visit some other missions too. And on the way visited Mission places called karvi, Atrra, Banda, and Mahoba. And in all these missions they have school and some have dispensaries. And particularly what I have to mention that in these places there are no Christians or only very few. The maximum number of the Christians was just 10 families. And among this 10 families more than half are from the South of the country. And they work there. So if Indian SCJs are planning to take a parish and start a mission in north then it would be a big mistake. According to the words of a priest from this mission, it is very beginning of the mission here. In the beginning these places were simply empty land and these priest stayed in rented house near by and later they bought land and they started to build schools. But in the beginning there were opposition from Hindu communities. But now they are happy with the "best education" they give to their children in comparing with other public school. Father continue to say that when Christmas comes people buy cards and give and say Happy Christmas and these Hindus joins us in our Christmas celebration. And this is how I try to give Christ to them. A beautiful way of giving Christ in our world.
Meeting with Bishop
At the end when we came to the Bishop house we had a short meeting with Bishop (Bishop Fredric D’souza) he said to us about the history of Pakdilpur. And the mission that he tries to do. Mainly he was telling about there things. The cultivation there. He tried to grow honeybees in different families but it was failure because people don’t like cultivation rather they like jungle and loose life. And second about education. He tried to take intelligent students from Pakdilpur to a boarding school in Jhansi. But they did not succeeded because people in the villages were saying that he took the children out side of the villages in order to convert them and so some went back because of the push of their parents and some went by their own wish. But some students are there. And but they need a lot of support and prayer. The third thing what he said is about relation between the Christians and other religions. The concern of the Bishop is that though this mission had started many years ago we could not gain any one for Christ. And it is a very sad thing. And we need to find some new method or strategy in order to gain people for Christ. And he said to us (SCJ s who visited) that "people who are discerned, dedicated and ready to take up the challenges are welcome to work here. Are our Indian District ready to take up the challenge with conviction to continue the mission of Christ in the part of India????????"
Problem of dakoits : Our program was a full one month, so there is a lot to say about it. And before I keep a "full stop" I want to say about one main problem these people are facing. And this is the problem of dakoits. For many years people are suffering from the attack of this people. They live in the mountain and they come and steal the belongings of the people and order them to vote for the people who they suggest. They also come and live in the villages and order them to cook and do things for them. And may people are expecting a real freedom from this threatening reality. And it is sad that police and government are doing little to prevent them and provide social security.

I would like to conclude this report with the words of Fr. Leo John Dehon SCJ.

If I had on piece of advice to give to Christians and priests of our day, it would be not to remain strangers to social question, as had so often been the case. Get involved in the lives of farmers and workers, learn about their living condition, their food, their salaries, their children and elderly, their mutual aid societies, what they read and what they do in their spare time. Why? My God, in order care for the them, to instruct them, and to improve their circumstances! This ought to be our dominant concern, not politics or ambition or ascribing blame.

2 comments:

SANIL MICHEAL SCJ said...

hello it is good

Anonymous said...

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