THE FACE OF THE ‘MISSION’ TODAY…

What is the mission in the North-east really like? That is a question I have been longing to seek an answer to. When one looks at the institutional development in a city it is hard to fathom what the reality was before the missionaries came. Well, yesterday I had a chance to see first-hand what it must have been like as I took a trip to one of the oldest mission stations of Meghalaya – Mawkyndeng. The journey began early (5:30 am) and luck was on our side as the traffic was light on an otherwise busy road. We were in Jowai by 7:30 and at our destination by 8:15 – The regulars were shocked at how little time it had taken us to reach. They are used to more like 5 hours on the road.

The 'mission' compound is almost a self-contained unit, centred on education with a plethora of schools both formal and non-formal. The parish church is at the very centre of things (literally and metaphorically). There are two large boardings (one for girls run by the FMAs and the other for boys under the care of the SDBs). The school buildings give one the impression of solidity and seriousness. Even though it was a school holiday, one could see many children around the place. There is also a little pond and other structures that ensure safety and security to the compound. The greenery all around bears witness to a native ecological sensitivity that pre-dates our own feeble efforts on the issue today.Being at the mission to animate a recollection, I did not have much time to go around but I was impressed by the pioneering vision of those who chose this rather isolated and difficult terrain as the locus of a new 'kingdom'. They brought well-being and peace, they brought education and development. They strove hard in the face of unimaginable difficulties but never gave up. God bless them for their courage and God bless those to who continue the 'mission' there (and in other territory) that would daunt the faint-hearted.

Returning back after sunset on the journey home, I was lost in thought and my mind was filled with gratitude for the work done. So many sons and daughters of the soil now labor to bring the same message of peace and development, of well-being and education in other parts of the state of Meghalaya, in other parts of India and some even in other areas of the world. The fire that has been lit in 1882 now burns on - not just in the physical structures, but more especially in the hearts and minds of those who have been 'lit' and now carry the light onward.

TWO INTERESTING VISITS

This is a tale that had to be told...It describes an outing we had on 7th July 2008...Here goes... The venue chosen was Gargoti – the mineral museum - and Swami Shilananda’s ashram in Sinnar.

The Gargoti mineral museum is about 40 kms from the city of Nashik. While the outside of the building is rather nondescript once one steps in it is a whole new world. The owner - Mr. K.C. Pandey has built up a collection of stones from Maharashtra and other places that decries belief. One comes face to face with zeolite rocks having blue or yellow or green or red formations within all the result of volcanic activity and subsequent cooling. The museum also has a moon rock and one from Mars, but the formations that have taken place in the rocks on display over the years truly amazes.

At many times during our tour we just felt we had to stop and take all that we had seen in before moving forward. They also have some rocks with dinosaur fossils and others dating to the times before man appeared on planet earth. It took us about an hour to move through the exhibits - but we could have taken longer and still not had enough.

After that trip we went on to visit the famous Spanish Jesuit who is 84 years old and lives in an ashram for the last 40 years. Swami Shilananda has been living as a sadhu all alone and visiting the villages around to take the message of Jesus to people. He has mastered the kirtan form of singing and the Marathi language. Going around the area he sing kirtans of Jesus to the people – fearlessly proclaiming Jesus’ message. While he has not a single conversion to his name, he certainly has done a lot to spread the message of Jesus which I think is more important than how many people have accepted baptism. We spent about an hour with him listening to his story and his idea of mission work.

One can see that he is a truly holy man - filled with God and with no rancour towards others. The latter could be justified when one considers that he has not been always understood by his superiors. But he continues in the mission he feels God is calling him to.

After those two intense encounters we went over to a hotel room that we had booked to have a grand dinner. It was time to unwind and relax. We returned home by 9:30 pm and all of us were unanimous in feeling that we had spent a truly enriching day with food for our eyes, our body and souls.