Rose Mary

Rose Mary

I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith 2 Timothy 4:7

Every now and again, at certain predestined times in the history of mankind, a leader is born who is ordained to stop the downward spiral of events in the narrative of a state or nation, and give it a new direction. These extraordinary persons are imbued with certain common characteristics that make their personalities larger than life, and they stand apart from the ordinary and severely limited cluster of people they interact with.

In the global context, we have only one leader— Jesus Christ – who came to redeem the world of its sinfulness and open the gates of heaven for all mankind. His life was an example of the spiritual stature and single-mindedness of purpose that is required for such divine deeds. On a smaller canvass, we have witnessed glimpses of a similar fearlessness, strength and determination in the people chosen by God to steer mankind in the right direction. Among these, the names of Mahatma Gandhi and Nelson Mandela figure prominently, persons who spurned all earthly comforts, even life itself, for the cause they were committed to. Today, we mourn the death of yet another doyen belonging to this enlightened group— Father Stan Swamy— who followed in the footsteps of his divine Master, and went down, fighting till his last breath for the poor, exploited, marginalized tribal people of India.

Throughout his life, Father Stan was actively involved in human rights issues in many parts of the sub-continent. In the mid-seventies he raised his voice against the injustice of bonded agricultural labourers in Bangalore. In the late seventies and eighties, he took up the cause of the Dalits in South India. Often his struggle brought him against Church authorities; however, none of this deflected his vision for an inclusive society, and justice for the marginalized.

His fight for the tribals of Jharkhand was on similar lines. Exploitation was rampant in the State where these economically challenged communities were continually denied the rights promised to them by the law of the land. When they protested, they were thrown into prison on the basis of the UAPA on false charges of sedition and anti-national activities. Father Stan fearlessly went to court seeking the freedom of 3000 undertrials languishing in jails, because they had no financial means to fight their case.

In incidents like these, his likeness to his Master, Jesus Christ is undeniable. Whether it was to defend a lowly prostitute from the cruelty of her persecutors, or whether it was to openly accuse the Pharisees of hypocrisy and double standards, Jesus was never one to mince words or step back. And just like his Master, Father Stan faced the consequences. Having been arrested by the NIA in October 2020, the 84 year-old had to spend more than eight months in prison without even an opportunity to defend himself. He was charged under the anti-terrorism law and evidence to that effect was said to have been planted in his computer through phishing and professional hacking malware. Struggling with Parkinson’s disease and Covid-19 in the confines of his jail cell, his body became weak but his spirit remained undaunted. He said he was happy because he was not a ‘silent spectator’ to the injustice that played out in front of him. ‘I am ready to pay the price, whatever be it’ –strong words from an indomitable spirit!

And pay the price he did! He breathed his last on the fifth of July probably echoing the last words of our Lord on the cross—Into you hands I commend my spirit. His mission on earth is completed and he has passed the baton on to us, the followers of Christ, to carry forward the fight. In a letter during his months in jail, he had written “But still we sing in chorus. A caged bird can still sing.” The bird has flown to its final destination but the chorus must continue to get louder. Why are we, then, so silent?