Papal delegate, 12 bishops to attend city meet
CAMIL PARKHE
Wednesday, August 29, 2012 AT 11:59 AM (IST)
To participate in 'Asian conference of new evangelisation'
PUNE: In what could be a rare occasion, Apostolic Nuncio Cardinal Salvatore Pennacchio, the highest ranking official of the Catholic Church in India, and 12 bishops of various dioceses in the country and Asia, will be in the city next week to attend a conference.
The senior members of the church hierarchy will participate in a three-day 'Asian conference of new evangelisation' at the Ishwani Kendra in Vadgaonsheri from September 4 to 6.
The apostolic nuncio is also the ex-officio Vatican's ambassador to India.
Mumbai Cardinal Oswald Gracias, secretary general of the Federation of Asian Bishops' Conference (FABC) and president of the Catholic Bishops Conference of India, FABC chairman Thomas Menamparampil and Pune Bishop Thomas Dabre will speak at the inaugural ceremony of the conference on Tuesday morning.
The Pune meet is being conducted as an Asian and Indian contribution to the Synod of Bishops which is scheduled to be held in Rome from October 7 to 28, this year. The theme of the synod is 'The new evangelisation for the transmission of the Christian faith.'
The other senior church officials attending the city meet are Cardinal George Alencherry, major archbishop of the of Syro-Malabar Church, Moran Mor Baselios Cleemis Thottumkal, major archbishop of Catholicos, Syro-Malankara Church, Nagpur archbishop Abraham Viruthakulangara, Delhi archbishop Vincent Concessao, Varanasi bishop Raphy Manjaly, Bishop Jacob Mar Barnabas, Manila auxiliary bishop Broderick Pabillo.
Priests and nuns of various congregations as well as members of the laity will also attend the three-day meet, Fr Joy Thomas, Director of the Ishwani Kendra, has said.
The papal delegate will also concelebrate a mass along with the visiting cardinals, archbishops and bishops at St Patrick's Cathedral at 12 noon on September 4.
Join Sakal Times on Facebook:
www.facebook.com/SakaalTimes | |
Comments
On 29/08/2012 05:21 PM diago almeida said:
Hi Camil It is encourging to see you write in your papers about the imp. events about the Christians and Catholics , I am one of the laity from Pune who will be attending the meet.
On 29/08/2012 05:09 PM Fr.Joe Gaikwad,s.j. said:
Thanks for the information regarding the conference.
| |
Wednesday, August 29, 2012
Apostolic Nuncio, 12 bishops to attend Pune meet
Journey of Fr Gurien Jacquier — a French missionary
Faith and humanity
Sakaal Times
Monday, May 17, 2010 AT 12:00 AM (IST)
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
Pages: 144
  | |
Comments
On 31-05-2010 20:00:50 robert Das said:
hi Camil, It's great to hear ab the review on the catholic Missionary. It shows ur love fo the Missionary, and a tribute to ur journalistic talent. I must say that u have matured as a Journalistic with a substance. i am proud of u. Keep it up. waiting to meet and relax with u, or come over to Sangamner. love, robert sj.
On 5/31/2010 10:17 AM Joseph Pithekar said:
Dear Camil, Congrats. It is a wonderful service. The missionaries were not interested only in converting the masses or the untouchables. They were interested in making them bette human beings. this could be frihgtening for the prejudiced indians. Hope many of the readers will think differently. j m piithekar.
On 5/30/2010 6:40 PM Rahul P said:
This is books gives very good insight to the christians missionary work in maharasthra - people who have heard the name of Fr Gurien Jacquier but didn't have much information about how he worked in this region being a foriegner &lived with common people. I have been looking for this kind of information for a very long time. I would recommend this to all the readers & my best wishes to the author to come up with many more books.. Thanks Rahul
| |
Khadki's St Ignatius Church set for Vailankanni feast
Khadki church set for Vailankanni feast
CAMIL PARKHE
Sakal Times
Monday, August 27, 2012 AT 11:10 AM (IST)
 PUNE: St Ignatius Church in Khadki is all set for the 10-day long novena in honour of Our Lady of Vailankanni, commencing on Wednesday. Six bishops from different dioceses are scheduled to concelebrate the masses at the church during the novena and the feast of Mother Mary.
A huge pandal accommodating around 5,000 faithfuls has been erected near the 135-year-old church for the novena and the feast.
Bishop Emeritus Valerian D'Souza will hoist the flag and concelebrate the mass on the first day of the novena on August 29 at 6.30 pm. Pune Bishop Thomas Dabre will be the main celebrant at the mass in Marathi on August 31 and also at the feast celebrations on September 8.
The other bishops concelebrating the evening masses during the novena are Nashik diocese Bishop Lourdes Daniel (Hindi language, September 1), Belgaum diocese Bishop Peter Machado (September 2), Sindhudurg diocese Bishop Alwyn Barreto (Konkani, September 4) and Aurangabad diocese Bishop Edwin Colaco (September 5). Masses will also be held every day at 12 noon, followed by blessing of the sick.
This is the 40th year that St Ignatius Church is celebrating the feast of Our lady of Vailankanni, the church's parish priest Fr Clement Raj told Sakal Times.
Join Sakal Times on Facebook:
www.facebook.com/SakaalTimes |
SWaCH, waste pickers body, takes its struggle to citizens
SWaCH takes its struggle to citizens
CAMIL PARKHE
Sakal Times
Saturday, August 25, 2012 AT 05:17 PM (IST)
Launches signature drive to save jobs of wastepickers
PIMPRI: SWaCh, which has terminated its contract of garbage collection within the Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) jurisdiction citing unfair treatment, has now launched a signature drive. It is approaching citizens to ensure protection of livelihood of its waste picker members.
SWaCh, a cooperative society of waste collectors, was appointed by the PCMC for door-to-door waste collection in A and D wards. The agency issued a notice to terminate the contract alleging that the PCMC was not interested in continuing its eco-friendly garbage collection model. The civic body is now planning to appoint a new agency for the purpose in the two wards.
In an open letter, SWaCH has said that it had taken taken up garbage collection with an understanding that its waste pickers in the remaining B and C wards would be given the jobs after a year.
The agency alleged that the PCMC betrayed it and tendered out the work to another agency, BVG Group, on different terms. Pointing out that the BVG model does not require collection of user fees.
SWaCH says that the civic body has created a situation in which some citizens have to pay for waste collection and others do not.
The PCMC had recently issued notice to SWaCH about giving minimum wages and other benefits to its members.
SWaCH said its struggle is not over after terminating the contract. "We have to feed and clothe our children, we have to educate them. So we need work. We will approach the same officials who have issued us a notice. We will ensure that they protect our livelihood with the new contractor they appoint and ensure they give all the benefits," the letter says.
It has asked citizens to sign the pamphlet, condemning the PCMC's discriminatory approach in garbage collection in two parts of the city and demanding the integration of the displaced waste pickers in any waste collection model introduced by the civic body.
Join Sakal Times on Facebook:
www.facebook.com/SakaalTimes
www.facebook.com/SakaalTimes
Photo Gallery
A slice of Pune’s history
Saint Crispin's Church, Karve Road
CAMIL PARKHE
Sakal Times
Wednesday, November 16, 2011 AT 11:56 AM (IST)
Tags: PMC, PMC election, church, Saint Crispin's Church, karve road, Christian, Pune, Camil Parkhe, sakal times
 A few metres away from the busy Nal Stop corner on Karve Road stands Saint Crispin's Church, which has been a mute witness to various events that have unfolded in this area over the past 100 years. It is the only church in western parts of the city having over 100 years history.
A majority of the century-old churches in the city are based in Pune Camp, Wanowrie and Khadki where the British regime had military establishments. Many new churches have sprung up in eastern parts of the city including Yerwada, Nagar Road, Vadgaonsheri during the past few decades, following shifting of the Christian population from Pune Camp and also migration of Christians from the neighbouring districts to these sub-urban areas. In contrast, there are a few churches in Kothrud and other western parts of the city as the number of Christian families is comparatively less in these areas.
 However this church, named after the 13th century patron saint of cobblers, was built in 1901-02 by the public works department at the behest of the Society of Saint John the Evangelist, a religious congregation. It was designed by Comper, a British architect who specialised in the restoration and renovation of old churches. The Society of saint John the Evangelist had raised a subscription of $3,000 for construction of the church.
The structure initially served as the place of worship for nuns belonging to the Convent of Saint Mary the Virgin, having headquarters at Wantage, and priests of the Society of Saint John the Evangelist, with headquarters at Oxon in the United Kingdom.
Soon after the church was constructed, a plague struck Pune. The Society of Saint John the Evangelist then opened an orphanage for boys, who had lost their parents and relatives in the epidemic. The orphanage was closed later due to shortage of manpower. However, it was reopened in 1940 as a Rescue and Preventive Home for Girls and Women under the Diocesan Council of Bombay.
The property of over six acres and 20 guntha of land was handed over to the Convent of Saint Mary the Virgin in 1951. The facade of the church, its external and as well internal structures are very special. The church has indeed stood the test of the time. The structure measures about 3,000 square feet and is built in the Gothic architectural styles.
 The uniqueness of the century-old structure is manifested as soon as one enters the church. At the centre is the sanctuary and six chapels in small appendages along the larger sides. There is also a small gallery from where one can view the sanctuary. The church's design provides for adequate ventilation and light and the stone construction also makes it cool even during hot summer season.
Tichnor Charles, secretary of St Crispin's Home, said that some years ago, a new complex for St. Crispin's Home was constructed near the church. It comprises a residential child care facility, a primary and secondary school and a vocational training centre.
UNEXPECTED VISITOR
St Crispin’s Church complex was in the news some years back when a leopard strayed into this complex located in one of the busiest areas of the city. The leopard was spotted relaxing on a tree over a room. The wild animal was captured by the forest personnel late in the evening after it was tranquilised and captured.
SPEAK TO US
Sakal Times has launched a campaign, focussing on various parts of the city to highlight both positive and negative aspects that affect the lives of citizens in these areas. If you would like Sakal Times to pay attention to any particular issue or aspect in your area, please e-mail to reporters@sakaaltimes.com, giving your name and contact number (which will be kept confidential). We will get in touch with you. Alternatively, you can also write to The Editor, Sakal Times, 27 Narveer Tanaji Wadi, Shivajinagar, Pune 411 005.
Photo Gallery
   | |
Comments
On 18/11/2011 12:28 PM vishwas patole said:
Dear Kamil, God bless you & your family, we people are staying in Pune city, but yet we do not know details about it, thanks for good information thanks vishwas patole
| |
Wednesday, June 6, 2012
Maharashtra is at a standstill
State is at a standstill
CAMIL PARKHE
Sakal Times
Tuesday, June 05, 2012 AT 08:13 PM (IST)
Tags: Bihar, Nitish Kumar
The recent reports that Bihar has recorded the highest, 13 per cent, growth rate among the states needs to be welcomed not only by the people in Bihar but also other states where local politicians have been crying hoarse over the influx of Biharis in their respective states. Bihar has experienced a new lease of life after Nitish Kumar of the Janata Dal (United) took over as chief minister, ending the over 15-year-old rule of Lalu Prasad Yadav.
Maharashtra, the leading state in the country, has experienced a strong resentment against the presence of Biharis and people from other northern states after Raj Thackeray broke away from the Shiv Sena and used the issue of "outsiders" to create political space for his Maharashtra Navnirman Sena. When Bal Thackeray floated his Shiv Sena in the 1960s, he too had made the south Indians in Mumbai the targets and entrenched himself as the voice of the Marathi people, especially in Mumbai. Today, when Raj Thackeray has been praising the Narendra Modi-led Gujarat model of development and Bihar is progressing fast, Maharashtra is fast losing the race to retain its lea in development.
Almost all parts of the state are facing load shedding for several hours a day. The plight of farmers and entrepreneurs in rural sectors is worse. They face power shutdown when electricity is most needed. The economic growth in these areas has virtually come to a halt and yet there are no sign of measures to mitigate the situation in near future. The power scarcity is expected to create an alarming situation within a few years and the ruling group leaders and those in the opposition are refusing to acknowledge the writing on the wall. Some major cities like Aurangabad receive drinking water after an interval of two days while towns like Shevgaon in Ahmednagar district get water after four days. Shevgaon is not far away from the Jayakawadi reservoir, state’s largest irrigation project. Even then, residents of such towns are considered luckier than people in remote villages, who just do not have any source of clean drinking water. This indeed is a sorry state of affairs for an economically developed state.
What is worse is that none of the political parties and leaders -- ruling or opposition -- has taken up these issues in the interest of the masses or tried to exploit them to their own political advantage. All politicians take up people’s issues and hit the streets only during the state or the civic polls. They return to their cabins in New Delhi or Mumbai as soon as the elections are over, even before counting begins. In the past, leaders like Sharad Pawar, Pramod Mahajan, Gopinath Munde or even Ramdas Athavale had undertaken statewide tours, mobilising public opinion on people’s issues. This had helped them to be on first-name terms with local leaders and eventually become a leader of the masses. The new breed of politicians has not tried that sort of approach. They have never tried to be with the masses to really get to know their problems. They usually do not know the pulse of the masses.
Senior BJP leader L K Advani recently criticised the UPA government for the various crises faced by the country but lamented that even the BJP work has been disappointing. The same can be said about the Congress-NCP front in Maharashtra. The front has been elected to rule for the third consecutive term only because the opposition parties have miserably failed to expose the ruling group’s failures on economic, industrial and other fronts. The state has not witnessed any major development in power generation, industrial growth or on removal of the regional development imbalance. The ruling politicians have remained steadfastly apathetic to the people’s problems while the opposition leaders have not been much different.
The recent BJP executive meeting saw Gopinath Munde on the dais after long. Although a mass leader in his party, Munde has been keeping a low profile after Nitin Gadkari became the party president three years back. The voices of other opposition leaders, including the Shiv Sena, are heard only when the state legislative session is on, or when elections are round the corner. Their agenda is confined to the protests in the House and statements at media conferences.
Raj Thackeray has rarely moved out of Mumbai to keep himself abreast of the state situation. Nor is he monitoring the affairs of the state legislature and civic bodies, where his party members have been elected. The leaders don't realise that Nitish Kumar and Mamata Banerjee had to toil hard for nearly two decades before they could oust the ruling parties in their states.
The lacklustre performance of all-party politicians is ominous for the future of the state. In the face of intense competition from other states, Maharashtra will have to strive extra hard to attract investment and maintain its lead in development. And everyone must remember that even the basic needs of the entire population are not being met at present.
Formation of Aurangabad Roman Catholic diocese Maharashtra
Formation of Aurangabad diocese
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. 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. 2
References:
1)
Gospel according to St Mathew, 4:1-9,
2)
Directory of Aurangabad Catholic Diocese, published by Bishop’s House,
Aurangabad (2003)
Dalit Christians in pre-independence era
Dalit Christians in pre-independence era
From Fr Gurien Jacquier of Ghogargaon
(Catholic Mission in Aurangabad diocese - 1892 onwards)
By Camil Parkhe
published by SFS Publications, Bangalore
During the last quarter of the 19th century and early 20th
century, many Dalit families from several villages in Ahmednagar, Aurangabad,
Nashik, Jalna and Amravati districts in Maharashtra embraced Christianity. Most
of the families were from the Mahar and Mang castes which were then the
untouchable communities. The upper caste people continued to regard them as
untouchables even after the religious conversion and now called them as
'Mahar Christians' or 'Mang Christians'. This practice continues even to
this date in the rural areas of Maharashtra.
From the viewpoint of the upper caste community, the
conversion of the untouchables to Christianity did not change their social
status. Conversion did not allow them to move upward in the established social
hierarchy. No one would touch them physically for fear of being defiled. Even as members of the Hindu community, the
untouchables were forbidden entry in Hindu temple. But at least now they could
enter the church, their own temple. Nevertheless, there was no change in their
daily plight as they continued their hereditary occupations like removal of
cattle carcasses and begging for food in the village.
In the
pre-Independence days, one Iganti Salwe of Pune had written an article in
Marathi monthly Niropya in which he
had highlighted the sufferings of the untouchable Christian community and
remarked that conversion had not brought any significant changes in the life of
the Mahars.
‘Untouchability is not a religious
but a social matter. However some people believe it has religious sanction and treat the Mahars and
other untouchables as slaves and force them to perform several dirty works.
These untouchables are not allowed to know about their basic human rights. Hard
labour works and even village night watchman duty were the only means to eke
out a living. Hindu religion practices
such unjustified traditions. In fact, it
is a stain on humanity and such cruel practice was not justified by any other
religious scriptures of the world.”
Salwe further states; "By the
grace of the Almighty, Christian political rulers have come to this country,
followed by the Christian missionaries. Moved by the plight of the
untouchables, they offered them a new religion, made them aware of their rights
and tried to free them of their ancestral shackles of social slavery. To
achieve this, they established many schools and other educational institutions
for this community".
Under such circumstances, the lives of many Dalit Christians
were dependent on the missionaries for a long time. Before the Independence,
both Mahar and Mang Christians were victims of social injustice. The British
rulers of that time, though Christians, did not contribute to the betterment of
this underprivileged community. After the Independence, the Constitution of
India made a provision for reservations or affirmative action to ensure
upliftment of the Dalits. However the Dalit Christians continued to suffer discrimination even in free India. While the
reservations were made available to the Dalit Hindus, Dalit Buddhists and Dalit
Sikhs, the Dalit Christians have been denied these facilities. 1
Reference:
1) Camil Parkhe, ‘Dalit Christians: Right to reservations’,
Published by Indian Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge (ISPCK), Post Box
1585, 1654 Madarasa Road, Kashmere Gate,
Delhi – 110 006 (2005)
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Cong, NCP go aggressive in ZP, civic polls
|
| |||
Cong, NCP go aggressive
CAMIL PARKHE
Tuesday, January 31, 2012 AT 10:58 PM (IST)
The elections to zilla parishad, panchayat samitis and 10 municipal corporations in Maharashtra have will be yet another political battle fought by the five main parties in the state. The polls have come just a couple of months after the municipal councils polls, in which the Congress and the NCP had fared well. The battles-lines are expected to on the same lines as in the municipal polls. That is why the Congress and the NCP are in an aggressive mood while the opposition Shiv Sena and the BJP have been forced on the defensive.
The elections to 27 zilla parishads and 309 panchayat samitis will be held on February 7 and polls to 10 corporations, including Mumbai, Pune, Pimpri Chinchwad and Aurangabad, on February 16. Civic elections are also due in Nagpur, Thane, Nashik, Amravati, Kolhapur and Akola. The main contestants are the two constituents of the Democratic Front, the Congress and the NCP; the saffron alliance of the Shiv Sena and the BJP, which has been reinforced this time by the Republican faction led by Ramdas Athavale; and the comparatively new entrant in the state politics, the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena led by Raj Thackeray. All the parties are gearing up for the polls and finding ways to woo the voters.
The crucial polls are being held as the Congress-led ruling front is completing half of its third consecutive term. In such circumstances, the ruling combine often faces the heat of the anti-incumbency wave. But thanks to the acts of commissions and omissions by both the Congress-NCP government and the Shiv Sena-BJP alliance, the municipal council poll verdict indicated that the ruling front faces no such wave. In fact, because of some turbulence in its own camp, it is the saffron alliance which has been forced to lick its own wounds, leaving it with little strength to attack the ruling front with some effectiveness. The only political party outside the ruling front thoroughly enjoying the present political atmosphere and ready to exploit it for its advantages is the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena. The local self-government poll will serve as a rehearsal for the state polls, scheduled two years later.
The panchayati raj and municipal council poll should have served as an ideal opportunity for the opposition to attack the ruling front on corruption scandals like the Adarsh housing complex in Mumbai and the nine-month imprisonment of Pune's suspended Congress MP, Suresh Kalmadi, in Tihar jail in the Commonwealth Games scam. But most opposition parties are busy setting their own house in order.
Senior BJP leader Gopinath Munde is the party's only mass leader in the state but he has been facing major setbacks in the past couple of years. He has little time to consolidate the party's base. He has been fighting a battle for survival in his own party with party president Nitin Gadkari. After threatening to quit the party and knocking at the door of other parties, Munde decided to stay put in the BJP but not without damaging his credentials. Now, the former deputy chief minister is facing a serious challenge on his home turf of Beed district from his nephew and MLC, Dhananjay Munde, who is openly hobnobbing with the NCP. Gadkari and other Munde detractors are doing everything to marginalise Munde. So the BJP leaders have no time to train their guns on the ruling party or to give a fight in the panchayati and civic body polls. A wounded Munde is no position to play a vital role in galvanising the BJP and reviving its poll prospects.
The Shiv Sena is fighting a battle to retain its two-decade hold on power in Brihamaumbai Municipal Corporation. It faces a major threat from the combined forces of the Congress and the NCP. This is for the first time the two Congresses have come together in Mumbai civic elections. The presence of the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena in the previous State Assembly polls had helped the Congress-NCP to defeat the saffron alliance in Mumbai and to return to power for the third consecutive term. The ruling front hopes that the Raj Thackeray-led party will play a vital role in dethroning the Shiv Sena. The revolt of the Shiv Sena's Thane MP Anand Paranjape -- the party's only victorious nominee in the Mumbai-Thane belt in the last Lok Sabha polls -- has dealt a severe jolt to the party. It will have repercussions on the civic poll in Thane.
So it is no wonder that the ruling Congress-NCP front hopes to romp home at the hustings without much difficulty. All the opposition parties will really have to really work overtime during the remaining few days to deny a cake-walk for the ruling front, although the ruling front has performed no great wonders to stake claims to uninterrupted power. The opposition has to expose the misdeeds of the government and prove its own credentials. The verdict of the electorate will show who among the ruling group and the opposition plays its role effectively.
| |||
Sunday, January 15, 2012
Saturday, January 14, 2012
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)