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
