The Christian Contribution to India |
- By Ambassador (Retd) Alan Nazareth*The Christian contribution to India has been made by Indian & foreign Christians & also by some non-Christians.. Indian Christians who have made major contributions are Rajkumari Amrit Kaur, Sushil Kumar Rudra, S.K. George & Mother Teresa. Raj Kumari Amrit Kaur, niece of Raja Randhir Singh of Kapurthala studied at Sherborne Girls School in Dorset, England & then at Oxford University. She returned to India in 1918. As her father was a close friend of Gopal Krishna Gokhale, she got involved in the Indian Freedom struggle. Her meeting with Gandhi in Bombay in 1919, impacted her deeply. Thereafter she worked as his secretary for some years. For participating in Gandhi's 1930 Dandi March she was imprisoned. On her release in 1934 she lived for some years in Gandhi's ashram. She was imprisoned again for participating in the 1942. Quit India Movement. In 1948 she was elected as a member of the Constituent Assembly of India & was a member of its Sub-Committee on Minorities. In Jawaharlal Nehru's first Cabinet; she was Health Minister & held that portfolio for ten years. She launched India wide campaigns to fight malaria & tuberculosis She set up the All India Institutes of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), the Indian Council of Child Welfare, Colleges of Nursing & governmental bodies for fighting tuberculosis and leprosy. From 1957 until her death in 1964, she was a member of Rajya Sabha & President of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences & Tuberculosis Association of India. Sushil Kumar Rudra was Principal of the prestigious St. Stephen's College in New Delhi. His great contribution to India's freedom struggle is epitomized in Gandhi's eulogy to him on his demise on January 30, 1925: "Sushil Kumar Rudra was an esteemed friend and a first class educationist with a deep spiritual bond between him and his pupils. He was a Christian who had high reverence for Hinduism and Islam. Since my return to India in 1915 I was his guest whenever I came to New Delhi. My letter to the Viceroy about the Khilafat agitation was drafted under his roof. He and Charlie Andrews finessed it. He was a silent spectator at the meeting between the Ali brothers and myself. He exemplified in his life a beautiful harmony between action and belief." S.K. George, had joined Bishop's College Calcutta to become a pastor of the Anglican Church. When he was "gripped" by Gandhi's message" and boldly declared "Gandhi today is giving a practical demonstration of the applicability of the teachings of Jesus Christ to modern problems. The Christian Church despite all its adoration & exaltation of him has all along treated his teachings as impracticable idealism." Rev. Foss Westcott, Head of the Anglican Church in India, urged him to recant his statement. On his refusal to do this he was expelled from Bishop's College & ostracized in Anglican & British social circles. Soon thereafter he left for Gandhi's Sabarmati Ashram & stayed there for many months. In his 1939 book titled 'Gandhi's Challenge to Christianity' he wrote "I do not claim to be a great in anything but proudly claim to be a Christian & a Gandhian. The conviction that a true Christian in India today must necessarily be a Gandhian came to me as a young man & has deepened with the passage of years." He also averred "Satyagraha is "The Cross in Action". A real welding of Indian spirituality and Christian values could result in a Christianity that will enrich the whole world." Mother TeresaBorn 1910 in Skopje, Albania in a devout Catholic family she came to India in 1929, did her novitiate in Darjeeling & took her religious vows as a nun in May 1931. She began to teach at Calcutta's Loreto convent school in 1932 & was appointed its headmistress in 1944. Deeply moved by the innumerable deaths in the 1943 Bengal famine & August 1946 Hindu- Muslim riot, she he applied for & in October 1950, received Vatican permission to found the Missionaries of Charity (MoC) congregation. Its members had to take vows of chastity, poverty, obedience, "wholehearted loving service to the poorest of the poor" & wear a white sari with a blue border. She applied for & was granted Indian citizenship in March 1950. In 1952, she opened her first MoC Home in an abandoned building at Kalighat. She named it, Nirmal Hriday. Those brought to it received medical attention & the comfort to die with dignity in accordance with their respective faiths: Initially dedicated to serving "the poorest of the poor" in Calcutta, 1960 onwards MoC spread India & worldwide. By 2025 it had 180 homes in India and 754 homes worldwide in 138 countries, each of them caring for those afflicted with leprosy,HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis & other such diseases. Approx. 5000 MoC nuns of diverse nationalities manage these homes. Mother Teresa died on 5 September 1997. Her funeral was attended by President K. R. Narayanan & Prime Minister I.K. Gujral, the Queens of Spain, Belgium & Jordan, Presidents of Albania & Italy, Prime Ministers of Bangladesh & Canada & US First Lady Hilary Clinton. Since 2013, her September 5 death anniversary is being observed as 'International Day of Charity' by the United Nations. All this is testimony that Mother Teresa greatly raised India's stature in the world with her dedicated service to the "Poorest of the poor". Among non-Indian Christians who made notable contributions to India are the following: Charles Freer Andrews, was son of an ardent imperialist Tory for whose children "Deeds that won the Empire" was compulsory reading, He joined the Anglican priesthood & came to India in 1905 to teach at St. Stephen's College, New Delhi. From its principal S. K. Rudra he learnt of India's national struggle and became sympathetic to it. Among his early friends were Tagore and Gokhale. The latter induced him to go to South Africa to assist Gandhi. He landed in Durban on January 1st 1914. On meeting Gandhi he respectfully touched his feet. This shocked South African whites. A Durban newspaper editor wrote "this is unfortunate, most unfortunate". Charlie was not deterred. Gandhi's heroic battle against South Africa's racism, blossomed into a lifelong reverence for him. He extolled Gandhi as a "commanding spiritual personality". He accompanied Gandhi to London in 1931 and arranged meetings for him with leading British intellectuals. Earlier than any other Englishman he perceived that India needed to be treated with dignity and justice. About him Gandhi wrote "I have not known a better Christian." Madeleine Slade, daughter of a British Admiral, first heard Romain Rolland laud Gandhi as "another Christ". She read his book on Gandhi and felt impelled to go to India to work with him. Her parents, who moved in London's top social circles, were greatly embarrassed that their daughter had "joined the entourage of the arch – rebel of the British Empire". When she arrived at Gandhi's Ashram in November 1925, he named her "Mira behn" & told her "You shall be my daughter". She stayed at his Ashrams always thereafter. She accompanied him to London in 1931 & in 1934 toured the USA to promote India's cause. When soon after the "Quit India" movement was launched Gandhi was imprisoned for 21 months (August 1942 – May 1944) at Aga Khan Palace, Pune she was imprisoned with him. After her return to England in 1960 she wrote her 'The Spirit's pilgrimage' autobiography. It was a moving tribute to Gandhi. Samuel Evans Stokes, son of a Philadelphia engineer who had pioneered elevators in America, he decided at age 22 to go to India & work at a leper hospital in the Simla Hills run by Dr Marcus Carleton. He did this despite his parent's strong opposition & arrived in India in 1904. In 1912, he married a local Christian named Agnes... He then started a school & campaigned to end of 'Begar' system which required the locals to work wage free for feudal landlords. In 1916, he distributed 'American Delicious Apple', seeds to local farmers. Apple orchards soon sprang up on the in the Simla Hills neighbouring hills. This transformed the economic condition of their farmers. Gandhi wrote in 'Young India: "Satyanand Stokes has veritably become friend, philosopher & guide to the hill people." The April 1919 Jallianwala Bagh massacre revulsed him greatly. Soon thereafter he wrote a booklet titled 'Awakening India'. Gandhi wrote its Foreword. For signing the 1921 Congress manifesto which called upon Indians to quit government service he was charged /sentenced to six months imprisonment of sedition. He spent this period in Lahore jail &campaigned for India's freedom until his death in May 1946. His biography, written by his granddaughter Asha Sharma's is titled 'An American in Gandhi's India'. Laurence ("Laurie") Wilfred Baker, an award-winning British architect, went to China in 1937 to work with the Quaker Friends Ambulance Unit. On his way back to England, he had an enforced stay in Bombay because of delayed arrival of his ship to London. His Quaker friends took him to meet Gandhi. He later wrote "I had the thrill & privilege of informing Gandhiji about people's lives in India & China & how my Chinese cloth shoes were made. While returning to with my Quaker we had 'Quit India' shouted at us". Encouraged by Gandhi to return to India he did so in 1945. He initially worked at Pithorgarh in north India & built a leprosy hospital He then moved to Peerumed in Kerala to work among its tribals. In 1970 he moved to Trivandrum where in 1984, he set up COSTFORD (Centre of Science and Technology for Rural Development). He has averred "Gandhiji is the only leader who has spoken insightfully about India's building needs. He urged that the ideal village house should be built with materials found within a five-mile radius. As a young architect, educated in the West, I initially thought this was 'far-fetched', but now with forty years of building experience, I am convinced he was completely right". Among the many buildings Laurie Baker designed the most famed are the Centre for Development Studies & India Coffee House, both in Trivandrum. Apostolic Carmel Congregation. (ACC)ACC, founded in France in 1868 was brought to India in 1870 by Mother Mary of the Angels. Since then it has made major contributions to women's education & empowerment. It presently has 247 primary/high schools, 4 colleges ( of which the oldest is St. Agnes College, Mangalore & the most renowned is Mount Carmel College Bangalore) & 4 teacher training institutes Its reputed schools in north India are the Carmel High Schools in New Delhi, Patna & Ranchi. The Society of Jesus (SJ)The Society of Jesus (SJ) is the largest religious order in the Catholic Church, with approx. 25,000 Jesuits spread all over the world. As already mentioned Francis Xavier SJ appointed 'Apostolic Nuncio to the East' by Pope Paul III in 1541 arrived in Goa in 1542. In 1543 he founded St Paul's College & seminary. It's printing press. The first in India began publishing books in 1556 (Cf : O'Malley, J. W. 'The First Jesuits', 1993). The Jesuits presently have in India 118 Primary & Middle Schools, 220 High Schools, 58 University Colleges, 22 Technical Institutes & 17 Business Administrations Institutes & 5 IIMs, with 11,525 teachers & approx. 3,60,000 students. They belong to every social class, community & linguistic group. The most reputed of these Jesuit Colleges, with their founding dates of are:
Its most reputed IIMs & IBAs are: Xavier Institute of Management, Bhubaneswar Xavier Institute of Management Jabalpur Loyola Institute of Business Administration. Chennai In 2015, the Jesuits launched 'Lok Manch', a platform of diverse religious denominations, to promote social transformation by empowering their leaders with social perspectives knowledge & skill to enable them safeguard the rights & entitlements of their respective communities. The most eminent Jesuit in post-Independence, India was Fr. Jerome D'Souza. Principal of Loyola College Madras & a member of the Constituent Assembly of India. Its most eminent Christian couple were Joachim & Violet Alva. He was a three term Lok Sabha MP. She, a Rajya Sabha MP was initially Deputy Minister for Home Affairs & later Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman April 1962 – November 1969. Judge William Jones & his four Asia Society colleagues.Even in the despised British Colonial era, five Christians made vital contributions to India. Most important among them was William Jones. Appointed Chief Justice of High Court of Bengal, he arrived in Calcutta in 1783. He studied Sanskrit because Indian law is rooted in Sanskrit sacred texts. Having previously studied Greek, Latin & Persian he noticed a close similarity between Sanskrit, Greek & Latin. To foster deeper research into this he founded The Asiatic Society in January 1784. On February 2, 1786 he presented at it a lecture titled 'The history and culture of the Hindus'. In it he averred: "The Sanskrit language has a wonderful structure; more perfect than Greek, more copious than Latin, and more refined than either. It has stronger affinity to them, in verb roots and grammar, than can be produced by accident & no philologer can examine all three, without concluding they have a common source". This thesis is now widely acknowledged as genesis of Indo-European language studies & comparative linguistics. Jones translated many Indian legal & literary works into English. Among them were 'Code of Manu', 'Gita Govinda' & Kalidasa's Abhijñānaśākuntalam. The last mentioned, titled & published as 'Sacontalá ; An Indian Drama by Cálidás', was the book which first brought India's rich literary heritage to the attention of British, German & American intellectuals. His four like-minded Asia Society colleagues also made translations. Charles Wilkins translated the Bhagavad Gita & Hitopadesa; Henry Colebrook the Digest of Hindu Laws, Vijnaneshwara's Mitacshara & Jimutavahana's Dayabhaga. Nathaniel Halhed wrote a Sanskrit Grammar. Two renowned non-Indians made vital contributions by highlighting the unique nature of India's freedom Struggle: "Gandhi's concept of Satyagraha was profoundly significant to me. Love coupled with non-violence is a potent weapon in an oppressed people's struggle for freedom. Christ furnished the motivation and Gandhi the method" (Cf: Martin Luther King's 'Strength to Love" book) "China followed Sun Yat Sen, took up the sword and fell into the arms of Japan. India, weaponless, accepted as her leader one of the strangest figures in history, and gave to the world the unprecedented phenomenon of a revolution led by a saint, and waged without a gun." (Cf: Will Durant: The Story of Civilization': volume 1) Among non-Christians the greatest contribution has been by Mahatma Gandhi who made the following impactful affirmations about Jesus Christ. "What does Jesus mean to me? To me, he was one of the greatest teachers humanity has ever had." "Jesus was the most active resister known to history. His was non-violence par excellence". "Jesus, completely innocent, offered himself as a sacrifice for the good of others, including his enemies, and became the ransom of the world. It was a perfect act". "Jesus expressed as no other could, the spirit and will of God. His life has a transcendence above all other men. I therefore believe that he belongs not solely to Christianity but to the entire world, to all races and people irrespective of what faith they profess or God they inherited from their ancestors". "Jesus uttered a lofty Truth when he stated that wisdom emanates from the mouth of babes. If we are to reach real peace in this world, we shall have to begin with the children." That Gandhi made all these affirmations after 1923 when V.D. Savarkar's Hindutva book, (which derided Muslims & Christians because their "Punya bhumis" (Holy lands) were outside India) was published, makes them so pertinent & significant. * Ambassador (Retd) Alan Nazareth, Author of 'Gandhi's Outstanding Leadership' & 'Gandhi :The Soul Force Warrior books. | Email: panazareth@gmail.com |