The Rev Alison Richardson (Plymouth) and the Rev Deborah Kirk (Taunton), visit to India during January 2012.

By now many of our circuit know that a friend and colleague of mine, Rev Deborah Kirk (Minister at Taunton), and I, visited the Cuttack Diocese of North India in January. This was at the invitation of Bishop Samson Das, who I met at Holy Trinity, Brompton. We both attended the World Conference there last year, 111 Bishops from around the world, and hundreds of other people. We met over breakfast when Bishop Samson asked if he could sit at my table – an early example of the dear man’s humility and graciousness. I was trying to keep a low profile, in mufty, and keep a safe distance from all the Bishops. It appears that God had other plans, which Bishops Samson, Deborah and I learned fully as this year has proved.

From the moment I mentioned that my great aunt Edith had been a missionary in South India, it was obvious that this conversation was the first of many which Bishop Samson and I shared. Within six months of that chance meeting I, and Deborah too, were in his company, on Indian soil, such is the Grace of God.

The Bishop gave us an experience which we would, and could, never forget. We travelled hundreds of miles with him, thanks to Raoul his patient driver, mostly on rough, dirt track jungle roads, which flung us around unmercifully, and very painfully. We visited hundreds of Christians from the huge city of Bhubaneswar right down through the Ganjam and Nayagarh districts, along the Bay of Bengal, to the farthest part of Cajapati, to Denja-Ambo village, which is remote, rural, jungle and very poor.

We provided the Bishops ‘Women’s Empowerment Programme’, which we definitely did not feel equipped for, but God led us, and blessed us with sufficient words for every occasion. Only once could we use a power point made at home in advance, as most of the churches did not have electric, let alone IT equipment. There was frequently no running water either. We both preached and taught at the pre-arranged seminars, which often meant a journey of four or five hours each way. The longest we stayed anywhere was three nights, and our suit cases were never emptied.

Congregations varied from 400 to 800 at these remote villages. Sari’s were stitched together and attached to long wooden sticks, to create huge canopies, to protect us from the sun, and straw was strewn on the ground, because the village churches were too small. We were given plastic garden chairs, because we were important guests. Not that we wished to be thought of as important, all of this was very humbling experience, especially when they washed our feet and hands.

There were times when we had to strip ‘the Gospel’ down to absolute basics, we would say ‘Jesus loves you, and wants you to be treated fairly, and equally. Jesus always treated women as equal to men, and with fairness, love and compassion.  The Bishop told us to speak boldly to the women, because they must stand up for themselves and not be subservient to the men. Our fear was, because there were always a proportion of men present too, that they would be beaten by the men when we left. Wife and child beating, especially girls, and worse, is common in Indian society, particularly in the more remote areas, where it was for us, incredible to believe that we are living in the same century as them. I could not help but think that little has changed since 1967 when my great aunt died there. The situations caused by poverty and deprivation which we witnessed, seemed to me to be the same as she always told us they were. 

Sometimes our emotions got the better of us, and we were moved to tears by their humility, generosity and kindness. Nothing prepares you for the extreme poverty of India, we have so much, they have so little, it was hard to witness but very worthwhile. Deborah and I are changed people, we found that we are stronger, more resilient women, than we realised. We adapted well to the very basic accommodation which did not include mosquito nets, hot water, sink plugs, drinking water, cups or any kitchen equipment i.e kettle, toilet rolls or even blankets.

We lived as they live, except we had money, but we could not buy anything as there were no shops where we were, for most of the time. On the one occasion when we went to a large textile exhibition at Bhubaneswar with dear Rashmi Das, we purchased a few gifts for home. I needed to ‘powder my nose’ but Rashmi told me that it was too dangerous for me to go behind the tents, as she did. There were gangs of men who might attack me, or worse. This was one of only two times in which I felt nervous. The Bishops wife, Rashmi, is the principle of Bhubaneswar Stewart School and lives on the campus during the week, as it is too far from their home in Cuttack. (see their website for more information)

There were many moments of pleasure, the visit was far from a bad experience. One of the best days, for me, was at the first wedding we attended, at Puri. Deborah was invited to preach, although she was nervous, she was marvellous, given the fact that she did not know the couple, and was given the most basic information about them.

There was a large group of children present, sitting on a mat on the floor. I thought were relatives of the ‘happy couple’. I made them laugh with my impression of Indian dancing, and generally made a fool of myself with them. We had lots of fun and later found out that they all live at the Children’s Home, Puri, and that this wedding was held in their hall! We thought that we were in a church, but the new church is being built

Since coming home I’ve established that some of these children’s parents were victims of the Kandhamal riots. In 2007 the swami, the Hindu guru in Khandamal , was murdered, the Christians were blamed. I quote the ‘National peoples tribunal on kandhamal, interim report.  “Thousands of dalits and tribals belonging to the Christian minorities in the Kandhamal region of Orissa were victims of organized violence starting in August 2007. According to government figures during the last bout of violence from August to December 2008, in Kandhamal district alone more than 600 villages were ransacked, 5600 houses were looted and burnt, 54000 people were left homeless, 38 people were murdered. Human rights groups estimate that over 100 people were killed, including women, disabled and aged persons and children; and an unestimated number suffered severe physical injuries and mental trauma.” 

http://www.persecution.in/content/report-national-people%E2%80%99s-tribunal-kandhamal

This article will concluded in the next issue