Tuesday, 24 April 2012
Study on Vasava Tribal community of South Gujarat by Xavier James
EMPOWERING PEOPLE
XAVIER JAMES L.
INTRODUCTION
Gone are the days when the Church gave some material benefits in order that people came up in life. It is high time for the Church to find out and utilize the potentials of the people to build communities. It is by building communities that people build each other and come out of their clutches those bind them. Thus we can grow as a community of persons who are meant for others. This was very much practical from my experience at Patlamau, a village in Sagbara Taluka of South Gujarat. Instead of giving fish the church has taught men and women to fish. I would like to give the historical and social realities of the village and then I would like to comment on empowering people where it is necessary.
THE GENESIS
Patlamau was a forest. In 1935, Padvibhai Patel, a Vasava tribal inhabited this forest that eventually made its existence as village. In the beginning, along with his family members, he occupied this place and later many others joined him. Nutjibhai, the only son of Padvibhai is still alive and active. All the inhabitants in this village are aboriginals and no outsiders are allowed to stay or immigrate here. Thus the village is not much contaminated by others. Padvibhai had brought a teacher to this village so to educate the children of this village. Thus people had access to education even before Independence. Nutjibhai has studied till 5th standard. He is an intelligent, well-respected, bright man and his handwriting is excellent. His fluency in Marathi, Gujarati and Vasavi is to be admired. He has written and composed many Bhajans in Vasavi, and also has translated with the help of others the Gospel according to Luke into Vasavi. I was put up in this precious family for my Contextual Theology Programme. This family is a warm and welcoming family. I envisage that this particular family will do much more for the growth of the village and of the people. The seed of faith was so strong in them that though some priests and sisters neglected this family due to their own insecurity problems, the family remained faithful to the teachings of faith.
SOCIAL LIFE
Vasava is a well-knitted indigenous community. These aboriginals are closely related to each other, loving, caring and a welcoming community. They highly respect the elders of the community who are powerful persons in regard to legislating and executing laws in the society. These people are very approachable. Once they come to know that a person is trustworthy, they gradually begin to share their difficulties, troubles and joys. Amidst goodness there are few social evils very dominant in this village such as drunkenness, laziness on the part of man, suppression of women, minimum education for the children and dropouts from schools and superstitious beliefs. As polygamy is concerned it is an accepted norm in this community and many live with more than one wife.
Here I would like to comment on the awareness and growth brought about by the Youth animator Gambirbhai and Women’s group animator Jakaben. I can visualize a better future for this village community. Already awareness programmes have been conducted by these groups and are guided by Fr. Andrew.
ECONOMICAL STATUS
People live solely on agriculture. They depend mostly upon rain for a good crop. Their fields are not on a leveled ground but on the hills. Owing to this they are necessitated to do step cultivation. They grow cotton, corn, juhar, rice, tuver, yeranda, vegetables, etc. Their homes are self-reliant with grains to eat and fill their stomach. However the economical condition is very poor. Poverty too is very vibrant and dominant in this village. A large number of them cultivate their own fields and those who go for daily wages to other’s fields would normally accumulate Rs. 20/- only. Some of them go for daily wages to the government projects only to earn Rs. 60/- per day. Others avail themselves to work in the cities like Surat, Bardoli, Navsari, Daman, etc for work as coolie, business and other works. On such works when they get salary it is usually transacted to their homes through Money Order. Eventually, quite a few of them would take their whole family to the city in view of getting some jobs. Here unemployment is a vital problem. It is obvious that the village has raised only 3 teachers until now. They were helped by missionaries then. It is a sorry state that they are not much interested in the progress of the village. Nonetheless the village has produced only one military man. Some have joined the Milk Co-operatives. Many possess cattles like oxen, buffalloes, cows, goats and fowls. Most of them live hand to mouth.
I hope that the self-help groups run by Women’s group and Youth group will lend a hand to the economic growth of the village progressively. Now people have begun realizing that they need to help themselves in order to grow economically.
EDUCATIONAL CONDITION
There is a primary school in the village, which caters to students from 1st to 7th Standards. There are only 4 teachers involved in the school. Raisighbhai Vasava is the principal of the school, who has genuine interest in educating the children. There are 151 children studying in the school. Many children study in the Ashram Schools of Navifali, NanaDoramba and Umerda. Some study in Navrachna mission school. People say that the proper education is given to the children only in the mission school. There are many dropouts from 5th, 7th and 9th Standards. The Catholics feel that the Catholic children should be given admission in the Catholic schools and be helped in education. Some people feel that the sisters are not sensitive to their feelings and they need to know the background of the people so to understand the people better. The inhabitants are very hard working and have a great desire to educate their children. In the surrounding of the village there are two schools and one Ashram School. The teachers are given a lot of other writing works by the state government therefore they are not able to utilize their potentials and time in teaching the children. The government has a hidden agenda by not educating these tribal children. I feel that the government does not want these tribals to rise above and get into some higher offices.
There are graduates and even postgraduates in the village who are unemployed. Some of them strive to do something to the development of the community. Some youth under the inspiration of the youth animator Gambirbhai go to the school and share their valuable knowledge with the children for the growth of the future generation. Some of them are very good at Mathematics, Science and English. This knowledge could be shared and used for the growth of the future generations.
RELIGIOUS SPHERE
The religion of the indigenous people is the original religion of the place. Now there is a lot of influence of Hinduism. In the place of Mogi Matha of Dev Mogra many gods and goddess have come into their houses. The tribals are the people of faith. They feel that Hinduism has destroyed their religion. Since there was nothing written and had only oral traditions it has at a snail's pace gone to the doom. Holi and Deepavali are the important feasts. Holi is an attraction in these areas. They have a religious festival for the ox called Pashudin. This is magnificently celebrated among the residents. They are very tolerant towards any religion. A quiet number of families are Catholics, others are Protestants, a few of them are bhatiji maharaj sect and some are Hindus. To these people what is more significant is the social life rather than its religion. Even in this sphere lot of awareness has been brought and the residents are bit cautious of any fanatics entering in.
CATHOLICISM
Since 1971 the Catholic presence is prevalent in this village. Frs. Barechi and Thomas have worked hard to infuse faith in them. Many who received baptism have regressed after the projects and giving financial help have stopped. Only 12 families have remained as Catholics and among them only 8 families are faithful and practicing Catholicism. However there is no conflict between those who are faithful and those who fell away. It seems that some priests and nuns have not been sensitive to the feelings of these people due to which, the Catholics feel that the religious instructions were insufficient and inevitable.
Priest and sisters need to visit the houses of the children who are already studying in our boardings. A simple visit of this kind may slowly but surely will bring them up to faith. The faith of those who have remained is very strong that they have been faithful though out their lives since its inception. To them the priest and the church do not matter but what matters is faith in Lord Jesus. Catholics meet every Sunday for prayer and alternative Wednesday for the Eucharistic celebration.
There are active leaders in the church as well as in the society. They are like leaven in the dough. There are some who want to be leaders for power and glorification of self. Nonetheless, some are genuine, selfless and generous leaders, who are authentically interested in the development and the well being of the village community. There are many Charismatic leaders who need to be encouraged. By encouraging them we can bring out the potentials, abilities, gifts and talents for the growth of the village and Church at large. The village community of believers come together to plan and celebrate some occasions. Their main focus is on the unity and harmony among the believers. They strive to build communities, which have two dimensions i.e. vertical and horizontal. Vertical refers to the faith and praising God, which indeed they do it. Horizontal refers to the love relationship, fellowship among the believers and also with the others and living out the Christian values of truth, freedom, equality, love, etc. which they strive to do so.
FAMILY LIFE
Family life in the village is very amazing phenomenon and there is close and well-knitted relationship between all the members of the family. I had a privilege to witness the facts of healthy family life of Rameshbhai and Jakaben and others in the family. The credit also goes to Fr. Andrew who facilitates the family life and the unity of the family. In this particular family all of them come together every evening for prayers, singing and Scripture reading. This particular act makes so much a difference in dealing with one another in the family. While I was there I used to break the Word of God and lead them to prayer with reflection. Many used to take part in the shared prayers and reflections. During the prayer many social issues are brought about and discussed in the community. Through such aloud thinking the hidden talents of the family members are brought to the fore for the service of the others and the society. Self-worth and self-image is so much stressed upon that many could come to reconcile with themselves to go forth to be the light of the community. They have also realized that ‘if I don’t grow then I stagnate’. I have tried to inculcate in them that to be holy today is to be a whole person. By becoming holy person we can also make others whole. This task is very noteworthy to build community. Hence from this group of believers 2 proficient leaders have emerged and are doing good work in building up people. They are Jakaben and Gambirbhai who are guided by Fr. Andrew himself.
Ecclesia in Asia says, “ The family is the normal place where the young grow to personal and social maturity. It is also the bearer of the heritage of humanity itself, because through the family life is passed on from generation to generation. The family occupies a very important place in Asian cultures; and, as the Synod Fathers noted, family values like filial respect, love and care for the aged and the sick, love of children and harmony are held in high esteem in all Asian cultures and religious traditions. Seen through Christian eyes, the family is ‘the domestic Church’”. The document also urges the parents to pay heed to the prayer, Bible reading and reflection in the family members. In doing so the family evangelizes itself and the wider community. In this particular family and this aspect is present.
GENDER
Basically men flock of this village remains idle, whereas the women and children work hard. Some women honestly say that due to this situation in the village, poverty is prevailing. If both work together then there would be a lot of scope for progress. The women’s movement under the leadership of Jakaben has become very effective and fully alive. They have organized seminars and have really attracted many women through these meetings. In the cases of marriage, the girls have the right to say ‘no’ to the proposals then otherwise. It is a custom for a boy to give dowry to the girl.
HEALTH AND POPULATION
There are 265 families in this village whose individual number runs to 1,155. The houses mostly are of bamboos, furnished with cow dung and mud. Within the walls it is cool and ventilating houses, which is normally surrounded by a garden. There is a hospital in the village. Doctor visits only on Tuesdays and Fridays but irregularly. Though everything seems to be fresh yet people are undernourished. There are 25 hand pumps in the village that provides pure water to them. The houses and surroundings are neat and clean.
POLITICAL AWARENESS
Political awareness is rather vibrant among the people. There are BJP, Congress and Janata Dal as dominant parties in this area. People like to speak about politics and many have the aspiration to become political leaders.
A PARTICIPATORY CHURCH
To have an active local church and to build basic human communities, we need to recognize the talents of the people. We need to take the people into confidence, gain their trust in order to share responsibilities with them. We need to have a mission that is, of the people and by the people. It should be people’s community and people’s Church. We need to have the approach of participatory Church for the development of the society. It should be non-institutionalized. We need to implant in the people a sense of accountability by making them responsible. People’s participation in the Church is inevitable. It is the need of the hour to work with the people.
IDENTIFICATION OF TALENTS
Through various organized and focused seminars, we need to trap the talents of the children, youth, men and women in order to create new and effective leaders. During my CTP experience I found Fr. Andrew was doing extremely well in this field. He is well versed in many spheres that counts him to be an asset to this parish and area. He organizes many seminars on personality development, participatory development, youth animation, women’s upliftment and catechetical courses. Through these seminars many have profited a lot and began to have good self-image and self-esteem. Many have realized the hidden talents in them and have begun to utilize the same to the whole growth of a person and society.
EMPOWERMENT
An empowering person is one who insists on equality with the collaborator, believes in joint decision-making and shared responsibility, is willing to share ideas as well as the feelings associated with them, is ready to give as well as receive feedback. The outcome is that the collaborator accepts peer status, feels free to communicate openly assumes a share of responsibility, and works co-operatively. Jesus was an empowering character in his every dealing. He says, “No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing: but I have called you friends… that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide.”(Jn. 15:15-16). Empowerment is easier in small village like Patlamau. It is possible to recognize persons and the talents they possess. Community animators should aim at nothing less than discovering, enabling and empowering the gifts/charism of each and every person is the village community.
When we focus on the development of the people we need to focus on the human person. However we should not dehumanize while empowering. The church teaching is very clear about this view. By taking the name of empowerment we tend to sideline, isolate and neglect the human person. Hence we need to defend and safeguard the dignity of human person. The service of human development begins with the service of life itself. Life is a great gift entrusted to us by God.
CONCLUSION
To build people we need to know, understand the way they think and act. To build people, we need to make use of all these knowledge and abilities of the people. This will enable us to help them grow toward greater and better well being. They are meant to make wonders in their own respective well-knitted villages as a community.
Ecclesia in Asia 34, the document illustrates about the mission to the Asian Church to the Adivasis, “In almost every Asian country, there are large aboriginal populations, some of them on the lowest economic rang. The Synod repeatedly noted that indigenous or tribal people often feel drawn to the person of Jesus Christ and to the Church as a community of love and service. Herein lies an immense field of action in education and health care, as well as in promoting social participation. The Catholic Community needs to intensify pastoral work among these people, attending to their concerns and to the questions of justice, which affect their lives. This implies an attitude of deep respect for their traditional religion and its values; it implies as well the need to help them to help themselves, so that they can work to improve their situation and become the evangelizers of their own culture and society”.
We, the Church can a make difference in such localities if we are resolved to work for the development and well being of the people. And that seeing the good works that will be done by the people, we may give praise to God the Father.
Saturday, 14 April 2012
Social issue of Sati - Xavier James L.S.
SATI – WIDOW BURNING IN INDIAN SOCIETY
Xavier James L.S.
INTRODUCTION
Sati (suttee) is burning alive the widow of the deceased man in the funeral pyre. In Hindu religion the custom is to cremate the dead body after one’s death. Since it is a male dominated society the men thought that the wives are their property. So if a man dies then it is obligatory for the widow of that man jump into the fire of her dead husband and die. It was considered to be a holy act until some sensible people looked into the matter and tried to reform this social evil in the name of religion. If the woman dies the man could live on and marry another. Many thought that widow burning was inhuman act and tried to bring some changes. The recent case was on 4th September 1987 at Deorala in Sikar Dt., Rajastan. Roop Kunwar a young Rajput girl committed sati at the funeral pyre of her husband. Some people wanted to stop the glorification of this evil. The government promulgated Sati prevention Ordinance on 1st October 1987 stating that sati is a crime. But some youth took out a procession favouring the act of sati. Some traditional groups who wanted sati to be prevalent instigated them. Hinduism is a nonviolent religion. How can it be so violent with human beings in the matter of Sati? Lord William Bentinck was a social reformer and so he wanted to abolish this social evil during the British rule in India. To some extent he succeeded in doing so. Sati literally means a good woman or widow and Sattee means sahamarana – dying together, Ammarana – without dead body. In fact we cannot trace the beginnings of this practise in the Hindu Scriptures. It comes from the social life and tradition of Hindus. There is no vedic proof and even in Ramayana and Mahabharata no woman laid down her life for her dead husband. In Russia among the Volga tribes this tradition was present also in some Egyptian and Chinese tribes. Mount Stuart Elphinston was then governor of Bombay had a decisive voice in the formation of policy on suttee. He was held in high esteem for his statesmanship and mature understanding of Indian life and customs.
CONTRIBUTION OF CHRISTIAN MISSIONARIES
Evangelical movement was perhaps the most striking force in the second half of 18th century. It had a profound influence on British society and politics. Christianity challenged the English law. They attacked virulently the social abuses prevailed in India. Christian missionaries played an important role in the abolition of suttee. It is a pity that the historians often forget the good things done by the missionaries and hold on to the matter conversion. The missionaries created a climate of opinion favourable for the abolition of suttee, which was inevitable. In 1803, 25,000 women were burnt in Bengal. The Baptist missionaries condemned suttee as a crime and regarded as duty to suppress it. Carey was a faithful, simple pastor who was deeply committed to the welfare of the Human Society. Missionaries viewed suttee as an act against God, Human and Nature. In order to concientize the college youth they had debate on the issue of Sati as a part of academic programme. The Main contribution of the missionaries was propagating the value of life. But the government was doubtful about their motives as it is today. When Bantinck passed the legislative enactment on suttee Carey acted promptly writing that the first time the Ganges flowed unblooded to the sea.
WILLIAM BENTINCK
He was a social reformer and had lot of concern for the social life of Indians. He was interested to know about the practice of suttee even before coming to India as the governor general. Many learned people supported from the Hindu groups. Bentinck stressed public opinion as a council factor for his decision to prohibit suttee since he wanted to use it. Bentinck had the full support of his counselors and passed Regulation XVII on 4th December 1829. It was declared that the practice of suttee, burying or burning alive the widows of Hindus, whether the sacrifice be voluntary on her part or not. It was illegal and punishable by the criminal court for the crime committed. Sir Charles Edward Grey, the chief justice of Supreme Court had prepared the draft of regulation. For his interest in the social reformation he had to face controversies in India and England. But thanks to the initiative taken by him to abolish suttee from this land. We know from the history that Dalhousie completed Bentinck’s mission.
RAJA RAM MOHAN ROY
He toiled hard and suffered humiliation from his own countrymen for the cause of abolishing suttee. His interest in abolition of suttee was aroused by the death of his elder brother Jagmohan in 1811 where his widow sacrificed herself on the funeral pyre. This episode compelled Roy not to rest until the practice was abolished. He took keen interest in social and educational reforms. He founded Atmiya Sabha to impart the value of human person. He was the man of liberal outlook. Roy condemned suttee as an act of an inferior kind. He considered that woman to lead a life of austerity and chastity to self-immolation. He suffered greatly at the hands of fundamentalist. Orthodoxy had strong hold on the social and religious life of Hindus. Roy had the challenge to swim against his contemporary currents of social and cultural ideas. He was the man with pretty extraordinary intellect imbued with the idea of reforms. Roy was very supportive to Bentinck in abolishing suttee from Indian soil.
PEOPLE’S RESPONSE
In Bombay and Madras presidencies Suttee was not a problem, whereas in Bengal it was a severe problem. The orthodox Hindus thought that abolishing suttee was a severe attack on Hinduism. When some people led by Roy were for abolishing this inhuman acts and the Christians encouraged and congratulated them. When Karan Singh, the chief of Ahmednagar died his 5 queens were about to commit suttee. When Mr. James Erskine, British Agent came to know he rushed to the spot. But alas they were immersed in the alcohol and dragged into the river. Once Richard Shakespeare stated ‘I abstain form injuring any animal and ask the state to abstain from allowing its women to be murdered’. Suttee was very common among the Rajputs. It was a point of honour to commit suttee. It was a custom that Rajputs’ wives, concubines and slaves all committed self-immolation. The men wanted to get rid of the Rajput widows. In fact Indian society was not attuned to any sort of change at this juncture. There needed to be a lot of value education and awareness programme that could be done through proper education. Raja Ram Mohan Roy had the intention of reviving the educational system in India so that many would be aware of this inhuman act and value of human life. Only a small portion of the population of the country was effected by suttee, not all are involved. Those who advocated abolition of suttee would increase the number of victims, whereas those who were in favour of keeping up the tradition merely decrease the number.
WHY DO HINDUS BURN WOMEN
The rite of suttee originated in the upper strata of society amidst the kings and aristocratic people. However once custom takes root, it becomes a part of social order. A widow seldom inspired any sympathy and had to lead miserable life. She bore the insults and taunts of the relatives. She was held guilty for the death of her husband. She suffered social ostracism. She had to go about without ornaments, broke bangles, shaved her head, move around with white sari, and sleep on the floor. Women were socially dead after the death of their husbands and were thought to be polluting. Hence the concern was for purity. The priestly class, the Brahmins encouraged and motivated this social evil to exist for their livelihood. After this dramatic crime the Brahmin would look for the melted gold, silver and copper, which was their earning. The widow was utterly in a helpless state. They were hardly cared for and there was no maintenance for the rest of their life. Many also had their eye on the property of the widow. To understand how and why woman burnt herself it is necessary to reconstruct the circumstances under which she was rushed to the pile. When the man dies, there is gloom. The widow suffers the most. She is stricken with grief. She is unable to cry and absolutely dumb. She has no time to think or reflect. On this occasion, the family members Brahmins and crowd take advantage of this helpless situation. They push her into the fire. If she cannot bear the heat and tries to come out of the fire then the family members beat her up and push her back into the fire. She was the easy target of abuse, fun and disparagement. It is a pity that often the children lose their both parents and become orphan.
CONCLUSION
In this way this inhuman act was performed in the name of religious tradition. It was an instrument of the priestly class such as Brahmins in order to make a business out of it. This deprives of women their human dignity and right to live. The glorification of sati is a crime. If out of love for husband wife has to die, why not the husbands die? This is very vivid witness for the inequality and male domination. The question to be asked here is whether she would become a good wife by dying? Is she not forgoing or forced to forgo the responsibility of taking care of her children? Does not the society commit a crime in making the children orphans? There are some good Hindus like Swami Agnivesh work for this cause. Thanks be to some good people that they work for the dignity of human person.
* The main source to this work is Dr. V.N.Datta, Sati – Widow burning in Indian society.
Friday, 13 April 2012
Jesus was the victim of fundamentalist ideology by Xavier James
JESUS WAS THE VICTIM OF FUNDAMENTALIST IDEOLOGY
Xavier James L.S.
Two thousand years ago there lived a man called Jesus who claimed, who was believed to be the Son of God. He was from a humble family. He worked for the integrity of human person. He lived for his values of love, peace, happiness, justice, equality etc… He was convinced of what he was speaking and doing.
He was a Jew from Palestine (Israel). He was a true Jew in his spirit. He mingled with the people of every walk of life. Though society had so many restrictions he was not much bothered about those blind and binding regulations. They did not have any base of humanity. He ate and drank with the Samaritans and tax collectors, who were considered to be outcastes and untouchables. He valued human person. He related with women, which was very scandalous in the society. He lifted the downtrodden and marginalized up and gave the dignity of human person. He loved the poor and felt at home with them.
He proclaimed that he was the Son of God and was the expected Messiah. He fulfilled the Jewish Scripture without undermining any word. He wanted the people to have change in the mental attitude. He wanted always newness that people might have new and broader out look. He called God as Father and no Jew would dare to call. He wanted to give new meaning to Sabbath and other rules in the Jewish religion and society. He cured the sick on that day. He advocated the universe as one family. God is the father and all are his children. Each human being is bound by fraternal love. He taught that God is of not only of Jews but also Samaritans and others too. He taught tolerance. He was against exclusivist ideology. One day he entered into the temple and drove the merchants away since they were doing business in the house of the Lord. Many people followed him to hear his gracious words. He was kind to everyone.
Though he did all these with good intention still he was misunderstood and was considered to a rebel. They were infuriated by his words and deeds. All Social and religious reforms were a threat to the traditional Jewish society and religion. The Pharisees, Sadducees and the Jewish elders did not want to loose their ancestral religion because of one person who thinks, speaks and does differently. Their minds were blocked to new ideas. They did not want to bring any change into their age-old religion. They were extra cautious in religious duties. They looked at him with pessimism and trying to find fault with him. They were frightened that if such thing went on then the Romans would destroy their religion. They had experienced before under the Egyptians, Babylonians, and Greeks. They did not want the history to be repeated. Therefore the Social and Religious leaders got together with the Political leaders and decided to get rid of him by hook or crook. They were fearful that they would lose their rights. They arrested him at night and after trying him in social and religious court they led him for political trial. He was accused to be revolutionary, leading people astray, He claimed to be the king, and he pronounced blasphemy. All these were false accusations in order to keep up their tradition going. In their fury they put him to death. They crucified him at the hands of the foreign rulers. They thought that they were the victors, successful and felt relieved. But on the third day there came and alarming news that the tomb was empty and he was alive. In this way Jesus was the victim of fundamentalist ideology. No wonder even after 2000 years the followers of Christ face the same ideology. History is being repeated when we stand for the same values of the kingdom.
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