Graham Staines Burnt alive while in service of lepers

Contribution of Christian missionaries in India

10 Rev. Graham Staines: burnt alive while in service of lepers

Not many people might be familiar with the name, Graham Stuart Staines. But if he is described as the Christian missionary who along with his two minor children was burnt alive in Orissa, his identity would be established immediately. The whole world was stunned to hear of this horrible incidence, which took place on the threshold of the 21st century, on January 23, 1999, at Manoharpur in Odisha.

Staines who served lepers in Orissa was brutally burnt to death with his two young sons, Philip (aged 9) and Timothy (aged 6), while they were fast asleep in a jeep. This incident evoked a strong reaction in India and elsewhere. Dr Staines, along with his sons, was given the death penalty because he was a Christian missionary who was serving the lepers and other tribals in remote parts of Orrisa State. It is said that his major crime was that he preached Christianity among the tribals.

Until the brutal burning of the missionary and his two young sons, not many people outside Orissa had heard of Graham Staines or his wife, Gladys. After their killings under the cover of darkness, the whole world came to know about the Staines couple and the service they were rendering. Many years before this incidence, the Staines couple was serving lepers in the remote place of Orissa but they had never come into the limelight.

Graham Stuart Staines was born in Palmwoods, Queensland in Australia on 18 January 1941. He was the third child of his parents. He was baptised in a Baptist church. Bera Stevens, an Australian missionary serving lepers in Orissa, went on leave to Australia when he met young Staines. Staines got impressed by the work of Stevens and decided to join the missionary work in India.

At the age of 24, Graham Staines reached India in January 1955. Thereafter he started working in an ashram established in Baripada in Orissa to serve lepers. He spent remaining 34 years of his life in that ashram. Later his wife Gladys also extended a helping hand in his work.

Gladys Staines was born in 1951 in Australia. She had completed her training in nursing, in Australia and worked in Singapore, Malaysia and Europe for sometime. She met Graham Staines at Mayurbhanj in Orissa. Although they both had spent their childhood in neighbouring districts in Australia, they met each other for the first time in India only. Two years later, in 1983, they tied a nuptial knot and Gladys started working with her husband in leper's ashram in Baripada.

Esther Joy was born on November 7, 1985. Philip was born on March 31, 1988 and Timothy was born on May 4, 1992. Philip and Timothy were burnt alive along with their father on that fateful night.

In Baripada, Staines used to run a medical centre and a rehabilitation centre for lepers. There were nearly 80 lepers staying in that centre.

Due to progress in medical sciences and increasing social awareness, society has changed its view about leprosy and lepers. Leprosy is now curable. Still many of us are not mentally prepared to sit next to a disfigured leprosy patient in buses or in public places. Staines cleaned wounds of such lepers who were excommunicated by society, he supplied medicines to them and rehabilitated them. Leprosy patients and tribals in Baripada and nearby areas had great respect for him and his wife.

Staines was not the first missionary to take up social work among tribals of rural Orissa. The leprosy home was established in Mayurbhanj in 1895 at the instance of the then Maharaja of Mayurbhanj. A missionary woman by name Kate Allenby had established the home when she was 24-years-old. Many missionaries had served leprosy patients there even before Graham Staines came to India. These missionaries were role models for Graham Staines and his wife. Due to the brutal murder of Graham Staines, the world realised that Christian missionaries were serving the underprivileged and the most ignored sections of society in various remote areas under most difficult and adverse circumstances.

No one really had a grudge against Graham Staines working with the lepers. It is said that he propagated Christianity among the tribals and some considered this was a crime committed by the missionary. Hence, he was burnt to death along with his sons. Of course, those people who make such comments do not necessarily justify the death penalty given to Staines and his young sons. But it is argued that Staines received the death sentence for hurting sentiments of a particular group.

People who argue that Staines was burnt to death for his crime of propagating his religion forget very conveniently that the Indian Constitution permits religious conversion. Any true democracy allows any citizen to embrace a religion of his or her choice. In the same manner, if some one wants to live without following any religion or proclaim himself to be an atheist, the person should not be compelled to follow any religion.

Very few incidents in recent history had evoked such strong spontaneous indignation all over the world as these brutal killings. Newspapers in India and also all over the world wrote about the incident and also commented on it. Many national magazines also published cover stories on the killings.

Condemning the burning of Graham Staines and his two sons, veteran journalist Abhay Mokashi in his column 'Nation State' published in daily Mid-day has written - "I do not know if Graham Staines, the Australian missionary who was burnt alive with his two sons Philip and Timothy, was involved in religious conversions. One thing he definitely did - he converted leprosy patients into human beings for the treatment meted out to them even by their near and dear ones was worse than that given to animals. Staines, his wife and his children, helped the leprosy patients live like human beings."

He further said, "The Hindu fundamentalists responsible for the killing of Stains and his two sons should know that the loss of these three lives is not to Christianity, but to humanity at large. The Hindu leprosy patients for whom he devoted his life have lost their saviour."

Immediately after the incident of burning Staines and his children alive, the then President of India K R Narayanan issued a communiqué and expressed deep regret about it. The Rashtrapati Bhavan never issues such a communiqué unless a very major incident takes place. President Narayanan had described this repulsive act as "one belonging to the inventory of black deeds of history" and as "monumental aberration from the tradition of tolerance and humanity for which India is known."

Veteran social activist Swami Agnivesh said the incident has justly pricked the conscience of the nation. The then Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee commented, "my head hangs in shame".

One can't even imagine Gladys Staines' condition after her husband and two young sons were burnt to death. This incident snatched everything away from Gladys who had left her country for missionary work and settled in India after her marriage with Staines. Gladys herself and her 13-years-old daughter Esther had survived as they were not present in Manoharpura on that dreadful night.

Gladys said then," It's true that the incident has made me sad but I have no hatred for those people. I sincerely pray to God to forgive them because they do not understand what they do." Her last sentence was the one uttered by Jesus Christ when he was crucified.

After her husband and sons having been sacrificed to flames, Gladys never thought for a moment about her future course of action. Many had expected her to return to her native country as her husband's support was over and staying with a young daughter in India would be very unsafe. But Gladys proved them wrong. She continued her work with leprosy patients in Orissa and Esther also continued her secondary school education in India.

Gladys said," My husband and my sons have sacrificed their lives for this country. India is my country and I feel happy to live here. I intend to live in India and serve needy people. "

A couple of years later, in 2002, peace activists gave Gladys Staines the prestigious Gandhi Community Harmony Award.

Esther completed her studies at Ooty, while Gladys continued her work at the Leprosy Home. In 2004, Gladys Staines decided to return to Australia to look after her 91-year-old father, Besides her daughter Esther who had turned 18 wanted to pursue her medical education. But she said that she would visit India regularly to continue the work started by her husband in Orissa.

Commenting on her plans to return to Australia, Chandigarh-based 'The Tribune' wrote an editorial entitled 'Goodbye Mrs Staines: Her tragedy will remain on India's conscience' on July 16, 2004.

The editorial said: "Had Gladys Stuart Staines left in January 1999 when her husband and two little sons were burnt to death in what President K R Narayanan described as mankind's blackest deed, it would have been painful but understandable. But she had decided to stay put and carry on the missionary work started by Graham Staines. Her leaving the country now makes the parting all the more heart-rending and poignant."

Gladys has kept up her commitment to her mission in Orissa. She has been supervising the work of the proposed leprosy center that would be a memorial to her husband and also to her two sons. In 2005, the government of India selected her for the prestigious Padma Shri award. The President Dr A P J Abdul Kalam presented her the award in recognition of her distinguished service to the nation.

References :-

1. 'Jeevant Jalale' , Marathi translation of original English work ' Burnt Alive' - By Vishal Mangalwadi, Vijay Martis, M.B. Desai, Babu K. Verghese and Radha, Anil Dahiwadkar and Prof. David Aawale, Publisher - GLS Publishing, Udyog Bhavan, 250, D, Worli, Mumbai 400 025 (2000)

2. Daily 'The Tribune', An editorial entitled 'Goodbye Mrs Staines: Her tragedy will remain on India's conscience', July 16, 2004, Chandigarh