Not many people outside Gujarat and even within this western Indian state itself know that there is a Christian Member of the Legislative Assembly in the Hindutva laboratory – one who has won four terms in a row. And that is perhaps because of his common tribal identity.
Punaji Gamit, 56, a Protestant, represents Vyara, a constituency in the tribal-dominated Tapi district of South Gujarat. He happens to be a convert – like 30% of others in his constituency.
So not many people know that these days Gujarat’s sole Christian assemblyman is losing sleep over an issue — the demand for delisting converts like him from the Scheduled Tribes (ST) list — which has serious ramifications for him and other converts. This demand is being pushed by Janjati Su-raksha Manch (JSM), an outfit backed by the powerful right-wing Hindu group Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh.
Despite being the only Christian MLA, Gamit has not emerged as the voice and face of the Christian community. The Dalit community, which accounts for 7.5% of the population, has an iconic figure in the outspoken Jignesh Mevani.
Though about 60 Christian organiza-tions in South Gujarat have come together to form a common plat-form to counter what they des-cribe as Hindu groups’ controversial move, the community so far does not have a prominent face to spearhead the cause.
In fact, the Christian community does not even have a leader of the stature of Chhotu Vasava — an MLA known across the whole tribal belt.
“As a beneficiary of tribal status, Gamit understands that with de-listing he will not be able to contest elections and represent the tribal community”
Interestingly, even this lone Christian MLA, who is a member of the Congress Party, is not part of the Christian group that has been formed to combat the JSM’s campaign which Christians fear is likely to reach its logical conclusion in the Monsoon session of Indian parliament expected to start on July 18.
Daily Archives: July 15, 2022
Indian Christian Day celebrated
Christians cutting across denominations came together at various parts of India July 3 to organize special programs to mark the 1950th martyrdom day of Saint Thomas the Apostle.
Saint Thomas, one of the 12 disciples of India, is believed to have come to India in 52 AD and preached the Christian faith in the western and southern regions of the country. He was martyred 20 years later in Chennai, currently the capital of the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Since 2021, the day is being observed as the Indian Christian Day to “love the neighbor, serve society, celebrate Jesus and bless India.”
The ecumenical annual day helps Christians to remember and celebrate “the person and message of Lord Jesus Christ in India.” That also helps them preserve their identity with the Indian cultural heritage and promoting unity. The day, a people’s movement, saw Christians organizing festivities, cultural programs, community service, health and literacy camps, food and clothes drive, environmental cleanup and workshops.
Salesian educationist to be ordained Krishnagar bishop
An educationist for almost four decades, Salesian Fr Nirmol Vincent Gomes will on July 23 be ordained the bishop of Krish-nagar diocese in West Bengal.
The uncle of the bishop-elect, Bishop Emeritus Theotonius Gomes of Dhaka will preside over the episcopal ordination to be held in Cathedral of the Holy Redeemer Krishnagar.
Dignitaries expected at the event include Vatican Nuncio to India and Nepal Archbishop Leopoldo Girelli and president of the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences Salesian Cardinal Charles Bo of Myanmar.
Abp Kalist tests Covid positive in Rome
Archbishop Francis Kalist of Pondicherry-Cuddalore has tested Covid positive and was quarantined in Rome. The archdiocesan office has informed the cancellation of all programs of the archbishop until further information and urged people to pray for the prelate’s speedy recovery. Archbishop Kalist went to Rome on invitation from Pope Francis to receive the pallium on June 29, the feast of Saints Peter and Paul.
Vatican calls for granting seafarers shore leave
Stella Maris, global ship visiting network, has backed an urgent call from the Vatican for all seafarers to be granted shore leave immediately.
In a message ahead of Sea Sunday on July 10, the Vatican said that some governments and some shipping companies must no longer use the pandemic “as an excuse” for banning the crew from going ashore.
Goa’s first native archbishop-patriarch dies
Archbishop Emeritus Raul Nicolau Gonsalves, the first native to head the arch-diocese of Goa-Daman, died July 1 after ailing for the past ten days. The death occurred at 8:45 am at the JMJ Hospital in Alto-Porvorim, 8 km north of Panaji, the capital of Goa. He was 95.
Imphal’s first archbishop dies
Archbishop Emeritus Joseph Mittathani of Im-phal died July 11, a day before his 91st birthday.
A message from Fr G.P. Amalraj, deputy secretary of the North East India Regional Bishops’ Conference, says the funeral is on July 14 at St. Joseph’s Cathedral Imphal.
India’s indigenous president candidate fails to impress tribal Christians
Tribal Christians in the western state of Gujarat say they are not enthused by a forthcoming visit to their province by India’s first indigenous woman all set to become the nation’s president.
Draupadi Murmu is scheduled to be in the home state of Prime minister Narendra Modi on July 13 to pay homage to the late Sardar Vallabhai Patel, an iconic national leader from Gujarat credited with uniting India after independence.
Murmu is the candidate of the ruling alliance led by the pro-Hindu Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and is expected to sail through the July 18 contest against Yash-want Sinha, a former BJP veteran politician and ex-federal minister pitted against her by a united opposition.
India’s president is not elected directly but chosen by an electoral college comprising parliamentarians and legislators across the provinces.
The tribal people including Christians in Gujarat say they do “feel good that someone amongst them will become India’s first citizen.”
However, they say her visit isn’t of any interest to them because they will not be allowed to go near her because of VIP security protocols for important political figures.
Gujarat’s lone Christian legislator Punja Gamit says Murmu’s election as president may help the right-wing agenda of “delisting converts [to Christianity] from the list of Scheduled Tribes recognized officially across India.”
Gamit was referring to ongoing debates in India, pushed forth by Hindu right-wing groups, over attempted exclusion of tribal people who converted to Christianity from special education, job, social welfare and legislative quotas reserved for them.
Gamit said he and his Congress party will be endorsing Yashwant Sinha in the hope that he will refuse to be a “rubber stamp” and stall the anti-tribal Christian moves, such as the delisting of converts by Modi’s ruling BJP government.
Raj Vasava, a young tribal activist in Gujarat who recently joined the opposition Congress party, said Murmu’s nomination as a presidential candidate was a matter of pride but there was also fear.
She is known for projecting herself as pro-Hindu rather than as an indigenous person and had chosen to visit a temple after her nomination, he noted.
Nuns help female entrepreneurs rebuild lives after pandemic
Lucy D’Souza was desperate. She lost her husband to cancer in 2020, and the pandemic took away her job as a housemaid. However, she managed to rebuild her life with what she says is “timely support” from some Catholic nuns.
“Today, I make my living by selling pickles in the local market,” said the Catholic mother of two as she packed mango and pickled vegetables into small bottles.
D’Souza is among the more than 200 Christian, Hindu and Muslim women who through local self-help groups have ta-ken up trades and self-employment projects to overcome pandemic trauma in Mangaluru, a port city in the southern Indian state of Karnataka. Another 200 women have done the same in Bengaluru, the state capital, some 220 miles east of Mangaluru.
They all are assisted by four congregations of women religious.
“People suffered a lot with no jobs, business or any means of livelihood during the COVID lockdowns,” said Sr. Joel Lasrado, a member of the Missionary Sisters of the Queen of the Apostles who helped D’Souza start her business.
Other congregations that have helped people like D’Souza are the Sisters of the Little Flower of Bethany, Sisters of Charity of Sts. Bartolomea Capitanio and Vincenza Gerosa, and Sisters of St. Joseph of Tarbes.
Indian theater artist elected Signis Asia president
Father Stanley Kozhichira, a Limca World Record holder for theatrical production, was on July 14 elected the Asian president of Signis, the global network of Catholic communicators.
“My personal thoughts are for working together as a team to build a strong Catholic communication network in the Asian region and to make Signis a brand among the youngsters,” the 50-year-old priest of the archdiocese of Delhi told Matters India soon after his election.
He also said he would like to bring into the organization a collective decision-making concept as a professional street theater person.
The online election was attended by delegates from all member countries of Signis Asia. Father Kozhichira, who is currently the president of Signis India, succeeds Father Joseph Anuch Chadeja of Thailand.
He has been in theater for more than 30 years. He has written and directed over 110 plays and street plays. An expert in street theater, he has conducted workshops in street theater for 22 years. He has produced documentaries and telefilms for Doordarshan, the national television network, and other production houses as director, assistant director, senior producer and script writer.