camilopark.blogspot.com: 2010

Sunday, October 3, 2010

Ideal Khap Panchayat

Ideal Khap Panchayat
CAMIL PARKHE
Friday, July 23, 2010 AT 09:25 PM (IST)
Tags: Khap Panchayat, Gawaki, Camil Parkhe

What is wrong in having khap panchayats or other bodies to set norms for members of a particular community? Some recent events in north India have brought a bad name for such "extra-constitutional" bodies. Jati or jamat panchayats have been a characteristic of ancient Indian society and they have served their purpose well. The genre of the khap panchayat itself should not be condemned per se.

I recently read a souvenir, commemorating the 50th anniversary of a "gawaki" (a sort of a khap panchayat, shall we say?) in the Vasai taluka of Thane district. I was pleasantly surprised to know that a body framing rules for its community members can also play positive roles. The Pali Wadwali Christian Samaj "gawaki" of three villages -- Wadwali, Gorodi and Karijbhat -- established in 1959 has framed rules for its members to come to the aid of those in mourning following a death in the family, to felicitate successful students and to honour senior citizens on reaching age milestones like 60, 75 or 80 years.

The "gawaki" is empowered to impose a penalty in the form of fines on persons who fail to abide by its rules. To this date, its authority has not been challenged by any of the members.

Incidentally, people who follow the diktats of the "gawaki" are no illiterate persons. The community is generally called East Indians and claims to be the original inhabitants of Mumbai and Thane. Most of them are financially sound and many of them travel to Mumbai daily to earn their bread.

One of the gawaki rules is that at least one male member in each family must rush to the house of a bereaved family in the village within half an hour of the death and also attend the funeral whenever it is held. The "gawaki" offers incentives to those who contact community members on the demise of a member, may be Rs100 as petrol expenses.

Those who fail to turn up at the house of the deceased and for the funeral have to pay a fine of Rs50. The members of the bereaved family are thus saved the trouble of running around to secure the death certificate and make all the arrangement for the final rites at the church and the cemetery. The survival of the "gawaki" for 50 years speaks volumes for its utility. There are more "gawakis" functioning in other villages in the Vasai taluka. I wish the tribe of such "gawakis" may increase elsewhere too in the new avatar of housing societies, and associations of employees or communities.

Tiff with Kiran Bedi

Tiff with Kiran Bedi

CAMIL PARKHE
Sunday, August 01, 2010 AT 06:44 PM (IST)
Tags: Kiran Bedi, Goa
I was a cub reporter in 1983 when Kiran Bedi was posted at Goa as deputy superintendent (traffic). Goa was then chosen as the venue for the Commonwealth heads of governments meeting (CHOGM) retreat. In those days, Goa had very little vehicular movement. Portuguese-built Potto Bridge was the only spot in the Union territory where a constable monitored traffic. Bedi's task was to monitor traffic during the three-day Goa visit of 39 heads of states including Margaret Thatcher, Robert Mugabe, Bob Hawke and the host -- Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.
Our newspaper had only three reporters -- chief reporter, a senior reporter and I. Crime was one of the many beats I handled. Bedi was among the police officers I met every evening at the police headquarters. Sometimes, she would take me along in her Gypsy for conducting rehearsals, with instructions flowing on a walkie talkie set from Panaji to Dabolim airport and to Fort Aguada beach resort, the CHOGM venue.
CHOGM being a very, very high security event, government offices were to be closed for three days to minimise people's presence on streets. One day, Bedi gave me a press note regarding traffic restrictions during the retreat. As a routine affair, I published the press note. Next day, Bedi asked me to repeat the same press note on three consecutive days. I laughed at her suggestion and told her that newspapers never publish the same press note twice. I told her the same press note can appear umpteen number of times but only as an advertisement.
Bedi pondered for a minute and said she would have a word with my editor. Despite my protests, she almost pushed me into her jeep and took me along to visit the editor. 'Ki khabar,' my editor asked her in Punjabi as we entered his cabin. I was left astonished and sulking when he, without any hesitation, agreed to repeat the press note for three days.
Later, when I protested, he said, "Come on, have a heart! It's not very often that Mrs Gandhi, Thatcher and several other presidents and premiers come for a retreat in Goa. Besides, in your journalist career, you would very rarely find an officer as charismatic as Kiran Bedi. Let's give her some concessions!”
Three decades after the incident, I believe my first editor was very right in his statement as also his judgement.

Bitter test of first newspaper assignment

Sakal Times
Point of view
Bitter test of a first byline
Camil parkhe

My first newspaper reporting assignment and my byline carried along with it has left behind a bitter test in my mouth to this date. I have destroyed the not even A newspaper editor had promised me a job and when I visited the newspaper office that morning, I was asked to rush to a school and to file a story. The nature of the assignment indeed baffled me. A school teacher had assaulted a fifth standard school with a ruler and a leader of a students union had approached the newspaper editor to publish a news item. When I wondered what was wrong with a teacher punishing an errant student, the editor said that corporal punishment was against law and we must highlight this incident.
Along with the students union leader, I rushed to Ribandar, a couple of km from Panaji, where the school was located. The teacher couple who had founded the small school were surprised when I, along with a photographer and the student leader, approached them to seek their version of the assault. The husband who was his early sixties was too shocked to react to see newspaper persons arriving at doorsteps to give a bad publicity for his reputed school. His wife who was in an aggressive mood saw nothing wrong in punishing the child who, she said, was at that time attending her classes, having fully forgotten that she had been punished the previous day. When I briefed the newspaper editor about the visit, he excitedly said that there was a good 'copy' for publication. The next day the story written by me and heavily edited by the editor was published with my byline. The same day, the editor told me that I had been hired as a reporter with one day retrospective effect. The joy of getting a first job had no bounds. But I had a nagging feeling that I had committed some of kinds of injustice to the school's dedicated founders.
In my journalism career, I have had some proud moments and some not so proud moments. Some of the incidents have gone blur in memory with the passage of time and it is only when I wipe off the dust from the file of my old newspaper cuttings that faint memories of these incidents are revived. After a few years, I destroyed the clipping of my first byline but I have not managed to wipe out that incident from my memory.

Panch Haud Church tea party stirs storm in Pune

Panch Haud Church tea party stirs storm in city

CAMIL PARKHE
Sunday, August 08, 2010 AT 08:01 PM (IST)
Tags: Panch Haud Church, Lokmanya Tilak, Mahadeo Govind Ranade
Lokmanya Tilak and some other prominent Puneites had to pay a hefty price for attending a tea party hosted at the city's Panch Haud Church, which is celebrating 125th anniversary of its foundation on Saturday.
'Pune Vaibhav', a Marathi periodical, had published names of 50 persons who had allegedly attended a lecture and subsequent tea party at the Church of Holy Name in Panch Haud in October 1890, sparking a major storm in Pune's puritan social circle.
Some of those present at the tea party did not drink tea for fear of being defiled. Nonetheless they were held guilty of entering a church. Tilak and Justice Mahadeo Govind Ranade, a front ranking leader of the social reformers, were among those who had drank tea at the function.
Consumption of tea and biscuits at the church was then considered akin to renouncing Hinduism and therefore the fundamentalist leaders had demanded social and religious boycott of all those who dined with Christians.
It is said that it was Gopalrao Joshi, maverick husband of Dr Anandibai Joshi, the first Indian woman to secure a doctor's degree abroad, had arranged the sting operation of a lecture and subsequent tea party at the church.
'Pune Vaibhav' however had also published names of some people who had not attended the tea party. These people filed a defamation case against the periodical's editor. A court held the editor guilty of defamation and imposed on him a fine of Rs 200.
The matter however did not end there. Some persons approached the Shankaracharya to punish those who had drank tea at the church. Two representatives of the Shankaracharya then arrived in Pune and conducted hearing in the case at the Sanglikar Wada near Shaniwarwada.
Tilak, an authority on Hindu scripture, defended himself against the charge and argued that he had obtained a certificate of doing Prayachitt (penance) in Kashi. That did not satisfy the fundamentalists and Tilak had to face the threat of social boycott on him and his family members.
Narhar Raghunath Phatak, who has written Tilak's biography, has said that the veteran political leader had even feared that he may not get a Brahmin priest for a religious function during the social boycott period.
The row over the tea party in the church continued for over two years and met a silent death only in December 1892.

Be more sensitive to challenged persons

Be more sensitive to challenged persons

Sakaal Times
Friday, September 17, 2010 AT 07:33 PM (IST)
Tags: Disability, Physically challenged people
How sensitive are we to the problems faced by the disadvantaged and the physically or mentally challenged people? Most of us will consider ourselves to be 'fairly' sensitive. A couple of recent incidents has made me wonder if it is really the case.
Last week, I was waiting to get into a city bus as a group of rural folks struggled to alight from the rear door of the bus. A young woman was helping an elderly blind couple to get out and jostling with commuters impatient to get in. “Can't you people alight from the front door,” shouted one irate passenger at them. The woman, who had managed to lead the aged couple out, retorted, “Can't you educated people allow some leeway to the old and the blind?” The illiterate woman's remark left us dumb, too stunned to react.
An incident narrated by my teacher wife has lingered in my mind for long. She and some teachers were waiting for a physically challenged student to complete writing his answers during the SSC examination. All other students had left the examination hall after the expiry of the examination period. This student was given an extra half an hour in accordance with the rules of the secondary education board. The school teachers were not aware of the fact that physically challenged students are entitled to an extra half an hour during examination until the student had produced the board's letter to that effect.
As the boy hurriedly continued to draw graphs holding the scale in his deformed hand, the teachers waited impatiently. “Kay katkat ahe, nahi (What a nuisance)! By now, we would have left for home but for this boy...” one of the teachers said.After a few minutes, the boy finished his paper, looked quite apologetically at the teachers who had taught him for the past few years and said, “Miss, I would not seek extra time for the language and social science papers. It is only for science and geometry papers where I have to draw figures and for that I need extra time.”
My wife recounted that tears came to her eyes as she heard the boy's apologetic remark. “No beta , you take your own time, we won't mind,” she said. I, too, was moved greatly when I heard about the incident. Indeed, we surely need to willingly make an extra effort and be sensitive too all children, especially to the disadvantaged ones.

Uttam Kamble is Marathi sahitya sammelan chief

MARATHI SAHITYA SAMMELAN GETS A BOLD NEW FACE

CAMIL PARKHE
Friday, October 01, 2010 AT 01:40 PM (IST)
Tags: ABMSS, Uttam Kamble, Sakal Media Group, Camil Parkhe
Uttam Kamble, chief editor of Sakal Media Group, who has been elected president of the 84th All India Marathi Sahitya Sammelan, has mooted the idea of having a corpus fund to help the needy littérateurs who may need financial support.
Kamble is one of the youngest littérateurs to be elected to the coveted post of the Marathi literary conference in recent times. For the past few decades, rarely has a person below 60 years of age been elected to preside over the Sahitya Sammelan, and the average age of the president of the literary conference has been 70 years.
The next Marathi Sahitya Sammelan will be held in Thane in December, this year.
Speaking to Sakal Times, Kamble said that many veteran Marathi writers and poets have died in penury and some of them could not even afford medicines during the last stage of their life.
Stressing the need for having a permanent fund to support these littérateurs, Kamble said industrialists, social organisations and others could contribute towards creating a corpus fund.
Kamble also said that he will welcome various streams of Marathi Sahitya Sammelans, including rural, Dalit and Vidrohi Sammelans into the mainstream All India Marathi Sahitya Sammelan. Representatives of various Sammelans should not view each other as enemies, and be complementary to each other, he said.
Sakal Media Group chairman Prataprao Pawar and Managing Director Abhijit Pawar congratulated Kamble on his election at a function held at the ‘Sakal’ office on Thursday afternoon, which was attended by heads of departments in Sakal Media Group.
ELECTED WITH OVERWHELMING VOTES
Kamble was elected with an overwhelming 411 first preferential votes. Chandrakumar Nalage won 101 votes while Girija Kir polled 95 votes. Wamanrao Pathak and Dnyaneshwar Kulkarni polled 10 and seven votes, respectively, while 18 votes were declared invalid.
Kamble has 39 literary works to his credit including two novels, three autobiographical books, two poetry collections and five research books. Some of his books have been translated into Hindi, Kannad, Telugu and Malayalam languages. Some of his writings have been included in the syllabus of some universities in the State.

Sunday, September 26, 2010

MOTHER TERESA'S BIRTH CENTENARY COMMENCES SANS FANFARE

MOTHER’S BIRTH CENTENARY COMMENCES SANS FANFARE

CAMIL PARKHE
Friday, August 27, 2010 AT 11:10 AM (IST)
Tags: Pune, Mother Teresa, birth anniversary, Missionaries of Charity, Thomas Dabre, Camil Parkhe
The nuns belonging to the Missionaries of Charity congregation, founded by Mother Teresa, launched year-long birth centenary celebrations of their founder, sans any fanfare, here on Thursday.
It was business as usual at the three houses of Missionaries of Charity at Tadiwala Road, Chinchwad and Wakad, where the nuns continued their routine activities of caring for the aged, destitute and special children sheltered at these convents.
The only special feature marking the birth centenary of the Nobel Laureate was the prayers held at the three convents in the morning.
The nuns, commonly referred to as Mother Teresa sisters, also attended religious services at the nearby churches where special mass was offered for the early sainthood of their founder, who was referred to as a living saint during her lifetime.
Mother Teresa had visited the Missionaries of Charity convent at Tadiwala Road and St Patrick’s Cathedral during her visit to the city.
Pope John Paul II had declared the Macedonia-born nun as ‘Blessed’, a stage prior to declaring her as a saint.
As per the Church’s tradition, some more proved miracles are required for declaring the Blessed Mother Teresa of Kolkata as a saint.
Pune Bishop Thomas Dabre had directed all churches in Pune diocese, comprising Pune, Pimpri Chinchwad and nearby four districts, to offer special masses to seek expedition of the process for the Mother’s canonisation.

Be more sensitive to challenged persons

Be more sensitive to challenged persons
Sakaal Times
Friday, September 17, 2010 AT 07:33 PM (IST)
Tags: Disability, Physically challenged people
How sensitive are we to the problems faced by the disadvantaged and the physically or mentally challenged people? Most of us will consider ourselves to be 'fairly' sensitive. A couple of recent incidents has made me wonder if it is really the case.
Last week, I was waiting to get into a city bus as a group of rural folks struggled to alight from the rear door of the bus. A young woman was helping an elderly blind couple to get out and jostling with commuters impatient to get in. “Can't you people alight from the front door,” shouted one irate passenger at them. The woman, who had managed to lead the aged couple out, retorted, “Can't you educated people allow some leeway to the old and the blind?” The illiterate woman's remark left us dumb, too stunned to react.
An incident narrated by my teacher wife has lingered in my mind for long. She and some teachers were waiting for a physically challenged student to complete writing his answers during the SSC examination. All other students had left the examination hall after the expiry of the examination period. This student was given an extra half an hour in accordance with the rules of the secondary education board. The school teachers were not aware of the fact that physically challenged students are entitled to an extra half an hour during examination until the student had produced the board's letter to that effect.
As the boy hurriedly continued to draw graphs holding the scale in his deformed hand, the teachers waited impatiently. “Kay katkat ahe, nahi (What a nuisance)! By now, we would have left for home but for this boy...” one of the teachers said.After a few minutes, the boy finished his paper, looked quite apologetically at the teachers who had taught him for the past few years and said, “Miss, I would not seek extra time for the language and social science papers. It is only for science and geometry papers where I have to draw figures and for that I need extra time.”
My wife recounted that tears came to her eyes as she heard the boy's apologetic remark. “No beta , you take your own time, we won't mind,” she said. I, too, was moved greatly when I heard about the incident. Indeed, we surely need to willingly make an extra effort and be sensitive too all children, especially to the disadvantaged ones.

Comments
On 20/09/2010 12:20 prakash bhalerao said:
Simply moving. Much to learn from the medically challeged. sensitivity belongs to heart

On 19-09-2010 21:46:52 Vijay Shejwal said:
In this world of rat race and materilistic values, we have certainly lost sense to persons around us even our near and dear once I dont no way we are so indefferent to our fellow human beings?

THREE LAKH ATTEND HAREGAON’S MATMAULI YATRA

THREE LAKH ATTEND HAREGAON’S MATMAULI YATRA

Correspondent
Tuesday, September 14, 2010 AT 10:42 AM (IST)
Tags: Ahmednagar, Haregaon, Christians, Matmauli yatra, church, yatra
Over three lakh Christians from different parts of the State participated in the two-day Matmauli yatra, which concluded at Haregaon in Shrirampur taluka of Ahmednagar district on Sunday.
The Matmauli yatra is celebrated at the St Teresa Church every year on the Saturday and Sunday after September 8, the feast of Mother Mary's birthday.
The high mass at the yatra was celebrated by Amravati Bishop Lourdes Daniel on September 11 evening in the presence of over hundred priests from Pune, Nashik and Aurangabad districts.
This was the 62ndyear of the Matmauli yatra launched by a German Jesuit Gerhard Baadar in 1948 for the poor faithfuls, who could not afford to attend Mount Mary feast at Bandra in Mumbai.
The golden jubilee anniversary celebrations of the yatra was held two years ago.
Over the years, the number of faithfuls attending the yatra has swelled to a few lakhs, creating tremendous pressures on the government administration and the church. For the last few years, the Church authorities have been appealing to the devouts to leave the Church premises soon after attending the religious services.
Church authorities on Saturday cancelled the procession of the statue of Mother Mary in view of large assembly of pilgrims and narrow village roads, thus giving much relief to the police.
The week-long annual feast of Mount Mary held at Bandra in Mumbai for a week, starting on the Sunday after September 8, is the largest congregation of the Christian community in the State.
The Haregaon yatra, on the other hand, is the largest assembly of Christians in western Maharashtra and Marathwada. Haregaon pilgrim centre is therefore, often described as the Pandharpur of the Marathi-speaking Christians.

Tuesday, August 10, 2010

Church stir for SC status to Dalit Christians, Muslims

Church stir on Aug 10 for SC status to Dalit Christians, Muslims

http://www.sakaaltimes.com/SakaalTimesBeta/20100809/5021517943918479316.htm

CAMIL PARKHE
Monday, August 09, 2010 AT 12:28 PM (IST)
Tags: Pune, Church, Christian, Muslim, CBCI, scheduled caste, Camil Parkhe
PUNE: Christians in the city will participate in a nationwide agitation on August 10 to demand Scheduled Caste (SC) status to Dalits belonging to Christian and Muslim religions.
The call for observing a nationwide black day on Tuesday has been given by the Catholic Bishops Conference of India (CBCI), the apex body of the Catholic Church in the country.
The black day will be observed to demand deletion of the paragraph 3 of the Presidential order on Constitution (Scheduled Caste) which said that ‘No person who professes a religion different from Hinduism shall be deemed to be a member of the Scheduled Caste’.
August 10 has been chosen the day for the stir as the Presidential order was issued on August 10, 1950. The Church has undertaken a signature drive to demand inclusion of the Dalit Christians and Muslims in the SC category. Signatures of the community members were collected during the masses at all the churches in Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad on Saturday and Sunday.
The Church has planned to submit a memorandum to Pune district collector on Tuesday. Fr George D’Souza, vicar general of Pune diocese, has issued a letter to all churches in Pune diocese to seek mobilisation of support for the agitation. Fr D’Souza has asked all parish priests to send a two-member team from each church to meet the collector.
The nationwide agitation has been led by CBCI’s Commission for SC/ST and Backward Classes. Commission chairperson and Hyderabad Archbishop Marampudi Joji has addressed a letter to the church hierarchy in the country, soliciting their support for August 10 agitation.
The archbishop’s letter has said that in 1956 and 1990, Dalit Sikhs and Buddhists were included in the SC category and has argued that denial of this status to Dalit Christians and Muslims is discriminatory.

BLACK DAY
The CBCI has called for hoisting black flags on all churches and church institutions to condemn denial of the SC status to Dalit Christians and Muslims.

Friday, July 30, 2010

1200-page Marathi Bible sold out in just 20 days

CAMIL PARKHE
Tuesday, July 27, 2010 AT 10:08 PM (IST)
Tags: Bible, Francis D'Britto, Rajhans Prakashan, Marathi
Subodh Bible, a 1200-page Marathi edition of the Bible translated by Fr Francis D'Britto and published by Rajhans Prakashan, has been sold out within 20 days after publication, setting a new record in the 200-year-history of Marathi edition of the scripture.
The Marathi Bible, priced at Rs 1,200, was made available at a discounted rate of Rs 750.
Anand Hardikar, editor of Rajhans Prakashan, said that the new translation of the Marathi Bible was released in Vasai in Thane district on June 20 and 2,000 copies have already been sold in different parts of the state.
The publishing house has decided to print a second edition of the translation and advertisements seeking booking for the copies would be released this Sunday, he said.
The exact number of the copies of the next edition would be decided on the basis of the response of readers, Hardikar said.
Rev William Carey had first published a part of the Bible in Marathi in West Bengal in 1807. This book was one of the first printed in this language.
Hardikar said that although some of Rajhans Prakashan's books have been sold in a record period of less than a 10 days, this overwhelming response for Bible's edition was not expected. The publishing house had not sought pre-publication booking of the edition, he said, and added that the copies were sold at various centres of the publishing house in Pune, Mumbai and elsewhere.
The overwhelming response to the new Bible edition is attributed to the popular writing style of the translator, Fr D'Britto, whose other books in Marathi have won readers' acclaim.
Incidentally, this is the first Marathi edition of the Bible released by a non-religious publishing house. It is the only second edition translated by a single individual. Pandita Ramabai had single handedly translated the entire Bible in Marathi 90 years ago.

Friday, July 23, 2010

Ideal Khap Panchayat

Ideal Khap Panchayat

CAMIL PARKHE
Friday, July 23, 2010 AT 09:25 PM (IST)
Tags: Khap Panchayat, Gawaki, Camil Parkhe
What is wrong in having khap panchayats or other bodies to set norms for members of a particular community? Some recent events in north India have brought a bad name for such "extra-constitutional" bodies. Jati or jamat panchayats have been a characteristic of ancient Indian society and they have served their purpose well. The genre of the khap panchayat itself should not be condemned per se.
I recently read a souvenir, commemorating the 50th anniversary of a "gawaki" (a sort of a khap panchayat, shall we say?) in the Vasai taluka of Thane district. I was pleasantly surprised to know that a body framing rules for its community members can also play positive roles. The Pali Wadwali Christian Samaj "gawaki" of three villages -- Wadwali, Gorodi and Karijbhat -- established in 1959 has framed rules for its members to come to the aid of those in mourning following a death in the family, to felicitate successful students and to honour senior citizens on reaching age milestones like 60, 75 or 80 years.
The "gawaki" is empowered to impose a penalty in the form of fines on persons who fail to abide by its rules. To this date, its authority has not been challenged by any of the members.
Incidentally, people who follow the diktats of the "gawaki" are no illiterate persons. The community is generally called East Indians and claims to be the original inhabitants of Mumbai and Thane. Most of them are financially sound and many of them travel to Mumbai daily to earn their bread.
One of the gawaki rules is that at least one male member in each family must rush to the house of a bereaved family in the village within half an hour of the death and also attend the funeral whenever it is held. The "gawaki" offers incentives to those who contact community members on the demise of a member, may be Rs100 as petrol expenses.
Those who fail to turn up at the house of the deceased and for the funeral have to pay a fine of Rs50. The members of the bereaved family are thus saved the trouble of running around to secure the death certificate and make all the arrangement for the final rites at the church and the cemetery. The survival of the "gawaki" for 50 years speaks volumes for its utility. There are more "gawakis" functioning in other villages in the Vasai taluka. I wish the tribe of such "gawakis" may increase elsewhere too in the new avatar of housing societies, and associations of employees or communities.

SISTER REKHA IS FIRST WOMAN PROFESSOR IN CHURCH IN INDIA

SISTER REKHA IS FIRST WOMAN PROFESSOR IN CHURCH IN INDIA

CAMIL PARKHE
Thursday, July 22, 2010 AT 11:57 AM (IST)
Tags: Rekha Chennattu, Church, women professor, JDV, Christanity, India
Sister Rekha Chennattu, a nun belonging to the Religious of Assumption congregation, has earned the distinction of being the first woman professor in the male-dominated Catholic Church in the country.
Sister Chennattu, who has been teaching Bible to the priests-in-formation at the Jnana Deep Vidyapeeth (JDV) located on the Nagar Road in the city was recently promoted to the rank of a full-time professor with the approval of the Vatican.
Speaking to Sakàl Times, Sister Rekha said that it was indeed an honour to be elevated to the rank of professor at the JDV, an institute where would-be priests from across the country and from abroad take lessons in theology.
Sister Chennattu said that there are only a handful of Catholic women professors teaching Bible in Rome and elsewhere in the world. “It is heartening to note this number has been on the rise in the recent past,” she said.
Sister Chennattu, who hails from Kerala had worked for a year among tribals in Nashik district. She had joined the JDV teaching faculty as a lecturer on scripture in 1996. She has a licentiate of the Rome-based Pontifical Biblical Institute and also holds a doctorate in Biblical studies of the Catholic University of America, Washington DC.
Father Malcolm Sequeira, spokesperson for the Pune diocese, said that it is an honour for Sister Chennattu to be the first woman professor on Bible at the prestigious Jnana Deep Vidyapeeth.

Sunday, July 18, 2010

Christians hail caste inclusion in census

Christians hail caste inclusion in census

http://www.sakaaltimes.com/SakaalTimesBeta/20100513/5741562463657674903.htm

CAMIL PARKHE

Thursday, May 13, 2010 AT 01:23 PM (IST)
Tags: CBCI, Church, caste, census, Christianity, Dalit Christians
PUNE: The Catholic Bishops Conference of India (CBCI), the apex body of the Catholic Church in the country, has welcomed the government’s willingness to include caste in the national census.
The CBCI has said that the move will facilitate identification of the dalit Christians - the erstwhile untouchables converted to Christianity - and help them get benefits extended to dalits belonging
to other religions.
In an interview to a Christian website, Fr Babu Joseph, CBCI spokesperson, welcomed the Centre’s proposal and said that since caste remains a social reality, there should be the “actual picture of people belonging to a particular caste.” However, such data should be used for ‘our long term aim of removing caste’ from society, he said.
The Church, which does not endorse casteism in its community, however recognises existence of dalits in its fold and has been demanding that they should be given all the concessions given to dalit Sikhs and Buddhists.
Fr Malcolm Sequeira, spokesperson of Pune diocese, has said that mere religious conversion does not bring any changes into the socio-economic status of the dalits. Therefore, dalit Christians should not be discriminated on the grounds of their religion. Fr Sequeira said that the census form should have two separate columns for caste and religions, so that even dalit Christians or dalits of any religion may be able to specify their caste as well as religion.
Tribals from northeastern states converted to Christianity continue to get quota meant for scheduled tribes even after conversion. This benefit is not extended to the dalits Christians, formerly belonging to various scheduled castes.

Great orators vanish

Great orators vanish

CAMIL PARKHE
Sunday, July 11, 2010 AT 12:00 AM (IST)
Tags: Shivajirao Bhosale, Orator
Newspapers in Maharashtra prominently carried last week the news of Shivajirao Bhosale's death. Bhosale was a former vice-chancellor, writer and college principal for several years. But it was the orator in him that was the highlight of all the news stories, obits and editorials. Professionals like teachers, lawyers and preachers have to constantly put their oratorical skills to test and only some of them stand out as good orators. As a reporter in Aurangabad, I had covered Bhosale's week-long lecture series on
"Dnyaneshwari." The innumerable members of the audience were left spellbound each day with his oratorical skills.
Acharya Atre was undoubtedly the greatest orator among the towering personalities who led the Samyutka Maharashtra movement in the 1950s. After Atre, humorist P.L. Deshpande mesmerised the Marathi-speaking audience. I had attended a three-day lecture series delivered by this popular writer in Goa. On the first day, I had managed to secure a seat reserved for journalists in the packed hall and experienced his power of oratory. The next day, I had to hear him standing in the crowded passage that led to the rows of seats in the hall. On the last day, the hall was packed half an hour before the speech. I could only hear P.L., not see him.
Shivshahir Babasaheb Purandare is among the veteran orators Maharashtra has produced. There were many other personalities whose lectures drew thousands of people in various cities. Keertankar Govindswami Aphale, editor Madhav Gadkari, writers Ram Shewalkar and Y.D. Phadke are some of persons whose oratory skill impressed masses.
As I went through the obits on Shivajirao Bhosale, I wondered who are the gen-next orators who can step into his shoes. There are scores of orators from various fields. But none can draw people in as large numbers as Atre, P.L., Bhosale or Purandare did. Of course, this is no reflection on their oratorical skills but an outcome of the changing era. In the present age of 24-hour news channels, live and reality shows, and entertainment, how many people would visit a hall and listen to a speaker for over two hours? And how can an orator hone his oratory skill without a constant feedback from the audiences? The future may bring in many popular orators but they are unlikely to reach the stature of Purandare, Bhosale, P.L. Deshapande and Atre. Titans in the field of oratory with a large following may well be a thing of the past.

http://72.78.249.126/SakaalTimesBeta/20100711/5079870340311480905.htm

Sunday, June 27, 2010

Nehru the gardener was my inspiration

Nehru the gardener was my inspiration
CAMIL PARKHE
Thursday, June 24, 2010 AT 12:00 AM (IST)
Tags: Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, Gardening
When Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru was jailed in Ahmednagar Fort during the Quit India movement, he utilised the prison term to pen his magnum opus ‘Discovery of India’ and to create a rose garden at the historic fort of Chand Bibi. Nehru had no idea as to how long the British rulers would keep him in that prison. But that did not deter him from growing a rose garden there - an act that has inspired me immensely in the past few years.
As a student in Goa, I had developed a garden on an open space near the staircase leading to our hostel. But at that time, I had not known about Nehru’s experiments in the garden.
After marriage, I moved from Deccan Gymkhana to Chinchwad. The large open area in front of our building beckoned me whenever I stood in balcony of our third floor flat. One July morning, I started cleaning the area near our housing society’s water tank. The place had vegetation tall enough to hide buffaloes which roamed there. Next week, I bought a pickaxe and other gardening equipments.
It was then that my wife asked me what I was upto. She could not imagine me cleaning up that dirty place and planning a garden there, especially when the land was not even ours. It was then that Pandit Nehru came to my rescue. “Nehru, a towering leader of his time, made a rose garden even in a prison. So what’s wrong if I develop a garden near our society’s building?” I asked her.
The Nehru example did the trick. Thereafter my wife has never objected to my gardening. Working in a garden which was not even ours was not easy. I was aware of several pairs of eyes watching me scornfully from nearby flats as I cleaned weeds, watered the plants and drove away buffaloes. It was the image of Nehru working in the prison that helped me to carry on. Soon, I developed a garden on that land with many flower plants and some tall trees.
Recently, we shifted to a new building nearby in the same colony. Here, too, the large open space near the building beckoned me. This time, there was no hesitation on my part. I have been developing a garden on this no man’s land, nurturing the saplings with my head held high - thanks to Pandit Nehru !

Monday, June 21, 2010

Football on home turf

Football on home turf

Sakal Times

http://www.sakaaltimes.com/SakaalTimesBeta/20100617/4855837917579914042.htm

CAMIL PARKHE

Thursday, June 17, 2010 AT 04:54 AM (IST)

Tags: Football, television, sport, opinion

I was at home in the evening on my weekly off. My daughter, now in the crucial 10th standard, was also at home as her tuition teacher had given her a holiday. After long, animated chats with friends in the building, she returned and exclaimed, “What’re you doing? The entire world is going crazy over World Cup football and you haven’t switched on the TV?” Soon we were glued to the television set, watching with excitement the moves by South African and Mexican players.

I am no sports buff. I don’t understand the technical terms, rules and nuances of various sports. The other day, a junior colleague stared at me in sheer disbelief when I asked him whether a leading cricket star was a lefthander. But when world cup cricket matches or any prestigious cricket tournaments are on, the cricket fever grips me too. I find myself joining the crowds in shouting, advising some top players how they could have played the shot better and telling anybody ready to listen what the captain should do at that particular stage of the match, without really knowing anything about the game.

Now the father-daughter duo was absorbed in the football match. Suddenly I found myself on home turf. After ages, I remembered how passionately I had played football during my college days in Goa. I was a much-sought goalie when the two captains would begin selecting teams.

As the players intercepted the ball, dribbled it past a couple of rival players, passed it on or tried to head it; as they ran into the rival player rather than the ball, kicked some player with adroitness calculated to put the referee into two minds, I provided a running commentary for the benefit of my daughter. We spent the next hour enjoying the match with much excitement. It was intermingled with my expert comments, which left my daughter much impressed. To me it was a throwback to my school and college days full of fun and joyous abandonment. As I recounted those small details to my daughter, we suddenly developed a new bond. After a while, my wife returned home, interrupting her gossip session with the neighbours to find out what had excited us so much.

She too was hooked on to the game. World Cup football matches have now eliminated the unending family wrangling over the control of the TV remote. The three of us savour a common television programme, besides the CID and some popular serials.

Sunday, June 6, 2010

Let West Bengal have their Didi's rule

Let West Bengal have their Didi's rule

CAMIL PARKHE
Sunday, June 06, 2010 AT 12:00 AM (IST)
Tags: West Bengal civic polls, Mamata Banerjee

http://sakaaltimes.com/SakaalTimesBeta/20100606/4845676999552011798.htm

Earlier this week, the news channels started flashing the reports of the West Bengal civic polls and soon I grew anxious about the poll outcome. Having a keen interest in political developments, I invariably find myself glued to news channels during the counting of votes of elections to state assemblies or Lok Sabha. This time, initially I was a neutral observer and did not owe my loyalty either to firebrand Mamata Banerjee or the world's longest surviving democratically elected Left Front government.
But as the days passed, I found the pendulum of my loyalty swinging violently between the two warring groups. On Tuesday, the total picture finally emerged with Mamata didi humbling the Left Front in sizable number of civic bodies. Now the question is: Will Mamata realise her ambition of occupying the throne in the Writers' Building?
I personally have been an admirer of the Left Front government and its leader Jyoti Basu for their success in winning the hearts of the masses in the border state for three decades -- not an ordinary feat when one sees the instability in Jharkhand or Goa. Mamata Banerjee's eccentric nature, her tantrums as a minister in the Atal Behari Vajpayee-led NDA government and now as railway minister in the Manmohan Singh-led United Progressive Alliance government made me feel that it would be in the interests of the West Bengal public to keep the state in the trusted and well-tested safe hands of the Leftists. As the updates on the civic poll verdict came pouring in, a colleague said in a lighter vein, let Mamata rule West Bengal, the country can then have a new railway minister who can look beyond the interests of a single state.
Apparently, the image of Mamata Banerjee among the electorate of West Bengal is different than her image in the minds of people in rest of the country. Didi of course will be least bothered about what people outside West Bengal think of her as long as her tantrums in New Delhi are applauded by voters in her home state. Do we not see a similar phenomenon in the likes of Lalu Prasad Yadavs and Raj Thackerays? And so I guess we should keep our prejudices to ourselves and concede that the voters in West Bengal are the best judges to decide which political option suits them the most. If they want Mamata, so be it.

Sunday, May 30, 2010

Review of Book on Fr Jacquier, MSFS

Faith and humanity

Sakaal Times
Monday, May 17, 2010 AT 12:00 AM (IST)
Tags: Literature, book, Camil Parkhe, missionary

Journalist Camil Parkhe has retraced the journey of Fr Gurien Jacquier — a French missionary, who arrived over a century ago in Ghogargaon, Auranagabad, to sow the first seeds of Christianity there in the book Fr Gurien Jacquier of Ghogargaon. The revered missionary made that place his home and did his best to uplift the downtrodden in the region.
Parkhe offers anecdotes about the missionary’s early life and how his contemporaries portrayed him. There are also chapters on missionaries, like Fr Forel and Archbishop Doering. Along with some rare photographs of the missionaries and places, the book tells us how Fr Jacquier dealt with the prevalent social malaises in Marathwada — the exploitation of the tamasha artistes, and the humiliation of the dalits. In all, it is an interesting book about faith, humanity and a noble soul.

Fr Gurien Jacquier of Ghogargaon
By: Camil Parkhe
Publisher: SFS Publications, Bangalore, 2009
Pages: 144

http://www.sakaaltimes.com/SakaalTimesBeta/20100517/4974060955087910067.htm

Sunday, April 4, 2010

Marathi monthly 'Niropya' enters 100th year

Marathi monthly Niropya enters 100th year

Times of India

Camil Parkhe, TNN, Dec 26, 2002, 10.37pm IST

http://maillogout.indiatimes.com/city/pune/Marathi-monthly-Niropya-enters-100th-year/articleshow/32495109.cms

PUNE: Niropya, a Marathi monthly launched by a German Jesuit priest in an obscure village in Ahmednagar district in 1903, has today earned a distinct position among Marathi periodicals.

The monthly, presently being published from ‘Snehsadan’ in the city, is among the handful of Marathi periodicals which have reached the century mark. Niropya (Marathi word for messenger) was launched at the Walan-Kendal village in April 1903 by Fr Henry Doering, who later rose to become the vicar apostolic of Hiroshima in Japan and the archbishop of Pune.

The monthly, owned by the Society of Jesus (Jesuits), has grown from its initial four-page bulletin form to its present 32-page format. The magazine now boasts of a circulation of 20,000 copies.

Most of its subscribers are its third, fourth or even fifth generation readers — a feat rivalled by few other Marathi periodicals. The history of Marathi journalism begins with the publication of Darpan, a periodical launched by Balshastri Jambhekar in 1832.

Monthly Dnyanodaya, published from Ahmednagar since 1842, is the oldest surviving Marathi periodical, followed by daily Kesari, published from Pune since 1881.

Doering shifted Niropya’s publication to Pune when he was appointed the second bishop of Pune diocese in 1907. During the First World War, the British government declared bishop Doering, a German national, as persona non grata. His monthly was also banned.

The Holy See then shifted Doering as vicar apostolic of Hiroshima in 1921. After the end of hostilities, Doering returned to Pune in 1927. Soon after his return, the archbishop resurrected his baby in 1927 and since then, Niropya is being published without a break.

Doering, who died in 1951, was interred at St Patrick’s Cathedral in the city. The inscriptions on his grave, which highlight his contributions to various fields are, however, silent on the archbishop’s role as the founder editor of Niropya, or his contribution to the history of the Marathi press.

During the last 100 years, the monthly has been published from Sangamner, Shrirampur, Panchgani, Karad, Aajra and Nasik, based on postings of its Jesuit priest-editors.

“Niropya has played an important role in creating social awareness among Catholics”, says Fr Joe Pithekar, the monthly’s executive editor.

Routine Oct 19 for these ( Missionaries of Charity) nuns

Times of India , Pune

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/pune/Routine-Oct-19-for-these-nuns/articleshow/237444.cms

Routine Oct 19 for these nuns

Camil Parkhe, TNN, Oct 17, 2003, 12.56am IST

PUNE: It will be “business as usual” for the local nuns of the Missionaries of Charity (MC) on October 19, when churches in the country and abroad celebrate the beatification of their founder, Mother Teresa.
Beatification is a step prior to the declaration of sainthood. The Pope has chosen October 19 — the day he celebrates the silver jubilee of his own Pontificate — for Mother Teresa’s beatification.

The Catholic church all over the country has arranged many programmes to commemorate the beatification of Mother Teresa on Sunday. But the nuns from the MC’s two city houses will — as always — be busy on that day, attending to their 200-odd sick and dying destitute inmates.

The “Mother Teresa sisters” — as the MC nuns are popularly called — personally look after the needs of the destitute at their homes. A group of eight nuns at the Tadiwala road home attends to the needs of over 120 female destitutes, while six others take care of over 100 male destitutes at the MC’s home in Chinchwad.

A visit to these homes will testify the selfless service offered by these nuns to people belonging to all castes and religions.

Monday, March 22, 2010

Awards come too late: Vinda karandikar

Awards come too late

CAMIL PARKHE

Sakaal Times
Sunday, March 21, 2010 AT 03:12 PM (IST)
Tags: Vinda Karandikar, Jnanapith award, Konkani

http://www.sakaaltimes.com/SakaalTimesBeta/20100321/5522482249938926835.htm

Four years ago when Govind Vinayak alias Vinda Karandikar was selected for the Jnanapith award, the first thought that struck my mind was: why did the selection committee wait for so long to honour this literary giant. Vinda was 88 when he was chosen for the prestigious literary award.

When Vinda's name was announced the spontaneous general reaction was that he truly deserved the award. Another common refrain was that the award had come too late. The late conferring of the award may be condoned as better late than never but that does not justify honouring a littérateur for his two or three-decade-old literary creation.
The Jnanapith award is given every year for literature from any Indian language recognised by the VIII Schedule of the Constitution. It is understood that the selection committee has to go scrutinise books written in various languages or review literary contribution of a large number of littérateurs. Nonetheless, the literature lovers will like to see that the creators of literary masterpieces are given their due at the right time, when the writer or the poet is physically fit to enjoy basking in the glory.
Only three Marathi littérateurs have received the Jnanpiths during the over 50-year history of the coveted award. Vinda was lucky that he lived long enough for the Jnanapith committee realise that he was worthy of the honour. But this may not be the case with all deserving writers and poets. And as there is no practice of awarding Jnanapith posthumously, works of many towering literary figures may miss the singular honour of receiving the Jnanapith award.
When V.S. Khandekar received the Jnanpith for his novel Yayati in 1975, he said he would have enjoyed the honour more had it come earlier. Khandekar was almost blind during the hour of his glory. Kusumagraj alias V.V. Shirwadkar was fortunately in the pink of health when he received the award in 1987. Just last year, veteran Konkani writer Ravindra Kelekar was chosen for the award -- the first ever such award for a Konkani work. I used to read Kelekar's work with avid interest when I was in Goa during 1970s and 1980s. Even during those days, many believed that Ravindrabab, a recipient of Sahitya Akademi award, was a top contender for Jnanapith for Konkani litterature.
In 2008 when Kelekar bagged the award, he was in his early 80s. This state of affairs calls for serious introspection on the criteria for choosing a writer for the award. If a Salman Rushdi and an Arundhati Roy or A.R. Rahman can win world level literary or music awards at a much younger ages, why can we not honour our literary geniuses at a younger age?

Friday, March 5, 2010

Why govt funds for Marathi sahitya sammelan?

Why govt funds for sahitya sammelan?

CAMIL PARKHE

Sakaal times
Friday, March 05, 2010 AT 12:44 PM (IST)

Tags: Point of view, ABMSS, fund, VSS, Sahitya sammelan

http://www.sakaaltimes.com/SakaalTimesBeta/20100305/5497755909320607061.htm

The next all-India Marathi Sahitya Sammelan will be held in Pune later this month. Like every year, the state government will act generous and patronise the literary meet by doling out funds for organising the meet. The Vidrohi or rebellious cultural movement leaders have once again expressed vehement opposition to this largess. There is some logic in the stance adopted by the Vidrohi leaders. The Marathi Sahitya Sammelan, a 135-year-old cultural legacy, is a unique literary phenomenon in the country. It is a feast for Marathi literature fans and book publishers. But that is no justification for the political rulers to allot huge funds for the extravaganza and in reciprocation expect to be on the dais and hog the limelight during the sammelan.

The Akhil Bharatiya Marathi Sahitya Mahamandal, the apex Marathi literary body which conducts the sammelan every year, has crossed the country's borders from last year to hold a worldwide Marathi sahitya sammelan. This is in addition to the over-100 Marathi literary conferences held annually or on an irregular basis. These include Vidrohi sahitya sammelan, rural sahitya sammelan, Konkan sahitya sammelan, Khristi sahitya sammelan, Dalit Khristi sahitya sammelan, Muslim sahitya sammelan, Bal sahitya sammelan, and Kumar sahitya sammelan.

All these promote Marathi and so it would not be wrong for their hosts to seek government funds. The government may not be averse to helping the hosts of all these sammelans. The all-India Marathi Sahitya Sammelan's organisers cannot claim that they have a right to government aid. The annual sahitya sammelans are a jamboree for the publishing industry, a self-promoting event for the political host, if the activities and the menu at the three-day events are any indications. There is no reason why the state should sacrifice public funds to satisfy the appetite of these people. The popularity of a literary work does not depend on recognition by the government or by any government-sponsored body. The government bearing the major chunk of the financial burden of the all-India or the worldwide literary meet will not boost Marathi literature. It will only further pamper the ego of the sammelan hosts and those associated with it. If the government is really keen on promoting Marathi literature, it should use the funds to subsidise literary works which win the state government's annual awards as the Vidrohi movement leaders have suggested.

Sunday, February 28, 2010

Book salutes missionary contributions

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Friday, February 19, 2010

Christianity in Aurangabad diocese from 1892 onwards

"Fr Gurien Jacquier of Ghogargaon
Catholic Mission in Aurangabad diocese (Maharashtra) - 1892 onwards"

By Camil Parkhe
Published by: SFS Publications,

PB No 5639

Rajajinagar, 1st Block,

Bangalore, 560 010

ISBN 81-85376-78-6

First edition 2009

Copyright : SFS Publications

29) Formation of Aurangabad diocese

(Christianity in Aurangabad diocese from 1892 onwards)

Fr Gurien Jacquier arrived in the four-year-old Ghogargaon mission centre in November 1896 and breathed his last in the same village five decades later. From October 1915 to January 1922, he had been on deputation to Rahata in neighbouring Ahmednagar district. During his 50 years vocation as a missionary, Jacquirbaba took rest and visited his motherland only once - from 1926 to 1928 - when he was forced to slow down his work on health grounds.

Jacquierbaba worked tirelessly for 40 long years in Ghogargaon and Borsar mission centres. It was during this period that Christianity took deep roots in Aurangabad district. It is significant to note that the MSFS priests had been working in Amravati, Chikhaldhara, Akola, Kapustalani and other parts of the Vidarbha region during this period. However, due to various social, religious, political and economic factors, the work of these Catholic missionaries in most of the areas was almost wiped out by the time India gained Independence.

Fr Azarias D’Mello had taken charge of Ghogargaon in 1944. In January 1951, Fr John D’Souza was sent to be his assistant. In May 1951, Bro Ambrose came to help him. In May 1952, Fr Azarias D’Mello was transferred to Achalpur. Fr Olivet Vas took charge of Ghogargaon with Fr Edwin Alvares as assistant.

In 1948, the political situation in Nizam’s Hyderabad princely state became tense. India had gained independence from the British rulers on August 15,1947. But the Nizam government in Hyderabad in Central India refused to join the Indian Union. Efforts for a peaceful settlement failed. Economic sanctions were imposed by the Indian government. According to the notes written by Fr Monteiro, the blockade paralysed the mission activities. As a result, catechists and masters were discharged and the children’s boardings were closed. At night fall, no one went outdoors. The missionaries also could not go out.

On September 14, 1948 began the Police Action against the Nizam state. Action was taken against the Razakars, the special army of the Nizam. By September 18, the Hyderabad princely state was taken over by the Indian Government and peace was restored. The Police Action was planned by the then Union Home Minister Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel.

In the meantime, many of the discharged catechists had secured jobs in sugar factories and were not prepared to return to their work and their small pays. The Scheduled Castes Federation was very active and won many adherents form the converts, wrote Fr Joseph Monteiro.

MSFS historian Fr Moget has dealt in details on the missionary activities and the number of baptisms given to local people in the Vidarbha region. However a glance at the statistics of the Catholic population in the present Nagpur, Amravati and Aurangabad dioceses reveals that some of the people converted to Christianity in the early 20th century have embraced Buddhism along with other followers of Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar in the 1950s and 1960s.

The factors responsible for the spread of Christianity in Aurangabad district. its stunted growth or subsequent disappearance in some parts of the Marathwada and also in the neighbouring Vidarbha region can be well illustrated with the parable on the seed of the Word of God narrated by Jesus Christ. The parable goes like this:

“A sower went out to sow his seed. And as he sowed, some fell by the wayside; and it was trampled down, and the birds of the air devoured it. Some fell on rock: and as soon as it sprang up, it withered away because it lacked moisture. And some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprang up and chocked it. But others fell on good ground, sprang up, and yielded a crop a hundredfold.” 1

Even today, the number of Catholics in Gangapur and Vaijapur talukas of Aurangabad district – the area where Fr Jacquier sowed the seeds of the Word of God – is far more conspicuous as compared to the rest parts of the Marathwada and for that matter, even the whole Vidarbha region. It would be incorrect to solely credit Jacquierbaba for this. But the fact remains this was the missionary who toiled for 40 years for the most downtrodden, the untouchable folks of these two talukas and preached the gospel to them. He was also the first social reformer in this rural area to spread literacy among local population of mixed castes and religions. He had opened so many schools in villages under his Ghogargaon mission centre. He also tried to various social evil practices like untouchability, child marriages and bigamy.

It is difficult to believe that a great soul existed in this small village which remains obscure to this date. He tried his best to transform the lives of the whole population in this region. The large number of tales associated with this Mahatma, as told by people even today with much reverence to this missionary, are testimony of the great works carried out by Jacquierbaba in this region.

Jacquirbaba traveled on horseback, in bullock cart or horse cart to various villages which now come under the jurisdiction of the present Ghogargaon, Borsar, Kannad, Vaijapur, Gangapur, Wahegaon parishes.

Fr Stephen Almeida is the present parish priest at the Christ the King in Ghogargaon, a post held for four decades by Jacquierbaba. Ironically Ghogargaon village to this date remains inaccessible to the world in the absence of asphalted, motorable road. The church parish runs a primary, middle and higher secondary school in the village, attended by hundreds of Christian and non-Christian children from neighbouring villages. The Holy Cross sisters who run a dispensary in the village offer medical facilities to the rural populace here.

When Fr Jacquier arrived from France to work in India, the then Nagpur province was entrusted to his MSFS religious congregation. The Catholic Church has in the latter years bifurcated this giant province into the present Nagpur, Amravati, Chanda and Aurangabad (all in Maharashtra) Jabalpur, Khandwa, Raipur (Chhattisgarh) and Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh). Each of this diocese are headed by an archbishop or bishop.

During the past 100 years, the Missionaries of St Francis de Sales (MSFS) of which Jacquirbaba was a member preached Christianity in the then Central Province, Berar, and Marathwada. The MSFS congregation priests purchased land, built on them schools, churches, dispensaries and hostels for the girls and boys. Later the Catholic Church established new dioceses in these areas and the secular or the diocesan priests under the new bishops started working in this villages. In keeping with the Catholic Church tradition, subsequently the MSFS congregation took a back seat and handed over the huge real estates, schools, churches, hostels and other establishments to the bishops, the heads of the newly created dioceses in the respective areas.

Similar transfer also took place in the neighbouring Ahmednagar district after the Nashik diocese was carved out of the Pune diocese in 1987. There, the Jesuits – members of the religious congregation Society of Jesus - handed over the land and institutions to the new diocese and shifted their attention to work in the area where no one had trodden.

This novel tradition of handing over ownership of real estate and reputed institutions to others exists only in the Catholic Church and there cannot be any other parallel to this custom.

The diocese of Aurangabad was erected by the Decree 'Qui Arcano' (No. 1139/78) dated December 1997. It comprises of eight revenue districts. Of these, Aurangabad, Jalna, Parbhani and Nanded were taken from the diocese of Amravati while Latur, Beed and Osmanabad were detached from the archdiocese of Hyderabad. This entire region under the Aurangabad diocese constitutes a political unit named Marathwada in Maharashtra. Fr Dominic Abreo, a diocesan priest from Vasai in Thane district who had presided over the seventh Marathi Christian Sahitya Sammelan (literary meet) held in 1973 was appointed the first bishop of Aurangabad diocese. 2 Bishop Edwin Colaco who was appointed as bishop of Amravati in 1995 has been bishop of Aurangabad diocese since 2007.

As per the statistics provided by the Catholic Bishops Conference of India (CBCI), there are 16,000 Catholics in Aurangabad diocese. As far as the Christian (Catholic and Protestants) population and the number of Church establishments are concerned, Aurangabad diocese is one of the most important dioceses in Maharashtra, next only to Mumbai, Pune and Nashik dioceses.

Aurangabad Catholic diocese has 22 parishes. There are 15 high schools, one higher secondary schools, 15 upper primary schools, 12 hospitals, nine hostels and five orphanages. 3

References:

1) Gospel according to St Mathew, 4:1-9,

2) The other former bishops of Aurangabad diocese are Bishop Ignatius D'Cunha (1989-98) and Bishop Sylvester Monteiro (1999-2005)

3) Directory of Aurangabad Catholic Diocese, published by Bishop’s House, Aurangabad (2003)

* * * * *

Prevention of terror, Pune Bomb blast

Prevention of terror

CAMIL PARKHE

Sakaal Times Thursday, February 18, 2010 AT 03:11 PM (IST)

Tags: Pune blast, blast, terror attack, point of view

http://www.sakaaltimes.com/SakaalTimesBeta/20100218/5048311537236628314.htm

Some weeks back, there was tension at Shivajinagar state transport bus depot after a bomb-like object was suspected to be there. A colleague from the newspaper office rushed there to cover the news as the rest of us anxiously tracked him on mobile to know what was happening. Has terror arrived in Pune? That was the question bothering us. A few hours later, we were relieved to know that it was a bomb hoax call. “We have been lucky again, thank god!” was our spontaneous reaction. But how long will it be before terror strikes this city, was the question I, and perhaps others, did not wish to utter aloud.

On Saturday, February 13, Puneites' worst fears came true. The bomb blast that killed 11 persons, most of them youngsters, left the city people too shocked to realise that Pune had joined the league of the country's terror-hit cities like Delhi, Mumbai and Hyderabad. Probably, it was wishful thinking that Pune offered a safe haven for terrorists to plan their nefarious activities and that they would not like to make things hotter for them by executing terror plans in the same city. On February 13, Pune lost its distinction as a peaceful paradise.

Post-February 13, it is futile to wonder whether the security agencies had failed in preventing such an attack despite getting several 'alerts.' Now citizens and the government administration will have to think of measures that will help in preventing such attacks in future. It would be fatalistic to feel that terror is now a worldwide phenomenon and we have to face it as and when it strikes. There are many nations which have been on the radar of terrorists of various kinds and they have often succeeded in thwarting terror machinations.

Only a few months back, Pune had got the dubious distinction of having the highest number of swine flu cases in the country. Many people from other cities had then deferred their visits to Pune. Even today, swine flu has not disappeared. Last week, the disease claimed as many as five lives in a single day. But that did not make a front page news. Swine flu has a curable treatment and we are also looking forward to the development of a vaccine to prevent it. That cannot be said about terror. After February 13, we will have to constantly remain on guard against terror attacks. We cannot afford to be lax a week or a fortnight after the bomb blast and go about with our routine as before. There are several ways to thwart terror threats and every citizen can contribute in this regard by just being alert and cautious about things around us.

Thursday, February 18, 2010

Jacquierbaba challenges custom of untouchability

"Fr Gurien Jacquier of Ghogargaon
Catholic Mission in Aurangabad diocese (Maharashtra) - 1892 onwards"
By Camil parkhe

Published by: SFS Publications,
PB No 5639
Rajajinagar, 1st Block,
Bangalore, 560 010

ISBN 81-85376-78-6
First edition 2009
Copyright : SFS Publications

23) Jacquierbaba challenges custom of untouchability

Even after their conversion to Christianity, there was absolutely no change in the lifestyles of the members of untouchable community in any parts of India. They carried on with their traditional occupations (the vatandari) and customs, i.e, disposal of cattle carcasses, eating flesh of the dead animals, following orders of the members of the upper castes and making the two ends meet on whatever meager was paid to them in the form of grains. 1
The untouchables were so accustomed to the inhuman treatment meted out to them that they never even considered anything wrong or unjust with it. Even if anyone were to raise a murmur of protest against this treatment, the person would have found it difficult to live in the village community. First of all, he or she would have been ostracised by the members of the upper castes and would be denied any source of livelihood.
With the arrival of missionaries in the rural areas, the Mahar, Mang men and women who otherwise were compelled to move around with heads lowered and faces covered, slowly gained a self-esteem.
There was however some sort of relief for the Dalits when they embraced Christianity. Most of the Catholic and Protestant missionaries in Ahmednagar, Jalna and Aurangabad were from Germany, Switzerland, America, France etc. There were very few British priests in India. These missionaries tries to change the lifestyle of the untouchable communities by offering them education, jobs in the church complex.
Though the European missionaries were familiar with terms like slaves and slavery, they found it difficult to understand the concepts of casteism and untouchability, a legacy found only in India. According to this custom, a person was born as untouchable and died as untouchable. There was no way to make the person climb the social order and be a part of the higher caste community.
The Mahars, Mangs and other members of the other untouchable communities members were pleasantly shocked when the European missionaries mingled with them freely and also ate along them. Earlier no person superior to them in any respect would ever dare to physically touch them. These missionaries also worked for the upliftment of these forsaken communities by admitting their children into the Church-run schools. Children of untouchables in Ahmednagar, Sangamner, Rahata, Ghogargaon, Aurangabad and other adjoining areas had special schools run by these missionaries.
I have often heard my parents and relatives speaking about an incident associated with my maternal uncle, Waman Shingare, who had served as a horse cart driver to Fr Jacquier. This incident is a classic example of the psychological support extended by the Christian missionaries to the Dalits against their higher caste oppressors. During the 19th and 20th centuries many foreign missionaries must have boosted the morale of the newly baptized Christians in this manner.
Before the Independence, jurisdiction of Ghogargaon mission centre included several villages in Gangapur and Vaijapur talukas of Aurangabad district. Fr Jacquier frequently visited these villages with my uncle Waman Shingare in the cart driver’s seat.
During those days, there were several restrictions on the members of the untouchable communities. For example, they were not allowed to flaunt new clothes or wear footwear in the presence of the higher caste people. They were required to take off footwear while approaching an upper caste individual. The bride belonging to an untouchable caste was not allowed to move ceremoniously in a procession in the village while sitting on a horse back.
This was the situation prevailing in Maharashtra and most parts of India when Fr Jacquier preached Christianity in Aurangabad district. Therefore, the sight of a young Mahar speedily driving a horse cart through the village entrance gates was considered by the higher caste persons as most outrageous. They viewed it as a serious violation of the age-old chaturvarna (social hierarchy based on four categories) custom.
However Waman was a cart driver of a missionary who was an European, a white man. No one could dare to stop the cart in which Fr Jacquier was travelling. Scolding Waman for violating the rules of untouchability would have invited the wrath and displeasure of the white sahib. People knew how Jacquierbaba alone used to bring an abrupt end to stage shows of tamasha troupes at various places. It was necessary to prevent the untouchable Waman from riding his cart through this village entrance gate in this ‘objectionable’ style. His act would have encouraged many other lower caste youths and others to challenge the custom of untouchability and the prevailing social hierarchy.
Once Waman was driving the horse cart through a village gate when the local village Patil could no longer contain his rage. He signaled Waman to halt the cart as soon as the vehicle approached nearer.
"Hey you Mahar, how can you be so arrogant? How dare you seat in the cart while crossing the village gate? Step down immediately from the cart and walk. And don’t you dare to repeat driving the cart in this village again," the village chief shouted.
Threatened in this manner, Waman immediately slowed down the cart, stepped down and started on foot still holding the reigns in his hands. He occupied the cart driver’s seat again only after moving out of the village border when he was totally out of the sight of the patil.
It was later that Waman informed Jacquierbaba about the conversation transpired between him and the village patil. He told Jacquierbaba that the members of the untouchable communities had no right to ride a horse cart while crossing a village entrance gate or when an upper caste individual was nearby. An untouchable individual was expected to run either before or after the cart when his master was sitting in the horse cart.
Jacquierbaba was furious but he decided to wait for another occasion to react to this barbaric custom. Some days later, Jacquierbaba’s horse cart was returning to Ghogargaon via the same village. Coincidentally, the village patil along with a few other persons was sitting in the Chawadi, the village community place, when the horse cart approached nearer. As instructed by Jacquierbaba, Waman slowed down the pace of the cart. His fears came true as the enraged village chief rushed to the cart. Abusing Waman, he snatched away the horse bridle.
Jacquierbaba had never imagined whatever had transpired before his eyes. He was furious that his cart driver was being humiliated on the grounds of his untouchable caste. Within a few seconds, Jacquierbaba stepped down from the cart. It is said that he trashed the village chief in the presence of the local villagers gathered at the site. The missionary did not stop there. He later approached Aurangabad district collectorate to complaint against the village patil's behaviour. The village chief subsequently had to face music for halting the horse cart of the European missionary. Eventually, Patil apologised over his high handedness and true to his nature, Jacquirbaba pardoned him immediately and also withdrew the complaint against him.

This episode relating to the custom of untouchability had caused a sensation in rural parts of Aurangabad district. The incident must have served as a warning to many upper castes persons who used to exploit the Christians and others belonging to the untouchable communities.

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