Chhotebhai
(Third part of the trilogy “Seeing Red” and “Orange or Purple Caps”)
We stop at a traffic signal when the light is red. It then turns to amber (saffron), before the green light gives us the signal to move ahead. I have unwittingly followed this colour sequence in my trilogy on the bishops of U.P. meeting the Chief Minister (CM) of the State. I have been severely critical of that meeting and had expressed the view that if at all such a meeting did have to take place then the laity should have been in the forefront.
Though more than two weeks have elapsed since that clandestine tryst on the 21st April, till the time of writing no information had trickled out on what transpired. Going by past experience I would presume that the bishops would have spoken about the community’s contribution in the areas of health and education. I feel that this is a ratta-pitta dialogue, because the nation is already aware of this. Besides, education today is so competitive and commercialised, that the service element is all but gone. Health definitely remains a major service. My daughter just delivered a baby in Mariampur Hospital, Kanpur, and I can testify that in health services our Christian witness is very powerful because of the amenities provided and the relatively low charges, as compared to private hospitals.
But we need to move on. I have in the past met Presidents, Prime Ministers, Governors etc; but I doubt if I will be bumping into the present CM of U.P. Be that as it may, what would I have chosen to speak about? The BJP Govt and its cadres indulge in what I would call pseudo-nationalism. Daring people to chant “Bharat Mata ki Jai” or “Vande Matram” is not nationalism. Nor is the hysterical cry to cut off the heads of 100 Pakistani soldiers, to avenge the beheading of two Indian ones.
TV anchors cleverly steer a debate in the direction that they have pre-determined. Skilled negotiators, even in a hostage crisis, know how to change the course of an interaction. I may not meet the CM, but I do interact with all sections of society, and I have learnt the art of steering a discussion. When the pseudo-nationalists talk of war against Pakistan I just ask them a simple question, “Is your son in the army? If not, do not make a sacrifice of somebody else’s son”. This invariably silences them.
The present CM is on record for even having questioned Mother Teresa’s motives in the work that she did for the poor. So our claims of “services to the nation” would not cut much ice with him.
When we are accused of “conversions” I quote the Census of India statistics. When Narendra Mohan, the late editor of the Dainik Jagran, who was also a BJP MP, was spewing venom I met him for an hour. Other than the Census figures I also showed him the Vatican II document “Decree on the Missionary Activity of the Church”, that clearly forbids fraudulent or forced conversions. It states, “The Church strictly forbids forcing anyone to embrace the faith, or alluring or enticing people by unworthy techniques … a convert’s motives should be looked into, and if necessary, purified” (AG 13). As I was speaking his face fell, because I had neutralised his subjective opinion with objective truth. So what should we talk about when confronted by the pseudo-nationalists of today? I would choose to talk about our contribution to the Defence Services and Public Life.
We take pride in supercop Julio Ribeiro, then Director General of Police (DGP), Punjab. He was not the only one. At that time Colaco held the same post in J&K and Saldanha (I hope my memory serves me right) was in Karnataka. Today when Kashmir is burning and a bye-election couldn’t be held for security reasons, we should recall the tenure of James Michael Lyngdoh as Chief Election Commissioner, when there was the highest voter turnout in Kashmir.
Nehru chose RCVP Noronha IAS of the M.P. cadre to be the Chief Civil Administrator of Goa after its liberation in 1961. He was assisted by Alban Couto IAS of the Bihar cadre. When Noronha became the Chief Secretary of M.P. he still rode around on a scooter. The administrative training institute in Bhopal is named after him. Indira Gandhi chose A.L. Dias ICS to be the Governor of West Bengal when it was in a state of flux. At the time John Lobo was the Director of the CBI. Purno Sangma was the Speaker of the Lok Sabha during A.B. Vajpayee’s tenure as PM. If we think that this is all old hat we need to be told that the present Chairperson of the Union Public Service Commission is David Syiemlieh from Meghalaya, and Anthony Lianzuala of Mizoram has just taken over as the Controller General of Accounts. How dare anybody allege that “missionaries’’ in the North East are fomenting trouble, when so many of its illustrious sons and daughters are holding high office in the Govt?
When the pseudo-nationalists talk of our ancient culture they need to be reminded that their much despised “foreign missionaries” were in the forefront of promoting Indian languages, their grammar and dictionaries. I will here draw on the book “The Christian Community and the National Mainstream” by Dr Louis D’silva, Dept of Political Studies, Bombay University. He says that Nehru credited the early Christian missionaries, especially the Baptist mission of Serampore for being pioneers in printing in native languages (pg 59). His daughter Indira Gandhi, while speaking of Padmabhushan Dr Camille Bulcke SJ (1909 – 1982) said that “He became one of the foremost authorities on the Ramayana and interpreted Tulsidas with rare insight” (pg 73). Such eloquent testimonies cannot be brushed aside.
Even in an area like sports we have seen how the evergreen Leander Paes rose to dizzying heights when representing the country. From their names many would not know that other sporting icons like Vijay Amritraj and Vijay Hazare are also from the Christian community.
But if there is one area where Christians have excelled in inverse proportion to their numbers, it is in the Defence Services. It is a story that needs to be told, to silence any critics who may dare to call Christians anti-national. We have had two Defence Ministers, both respected for their simplicity and integrity, in George Fernandes and A.K. Antony. But it is the men in uniform that truly make us proud. Here again I will be drawing extensively from D’silva’s book, particularly the section written by Maj Gen Eustace de Souza PVSM (Retd); as also another interesting book “Patriotism in Action – Goans in India’s Defence Services” by Valmiki Faleiro.
The community has produced no less than 6 Chiefs of Staff – Admirals R.S. Pereira PVSM, AVSM, O.S. Dawson PVSM, AVSM and Isaac Sushil Kumar for the Navy; Air Chief Marshals D.A. La Fontaine PVSM, AVSM, VM and N.A.K. Browne for the Air Force; and General S.F. Rodrigues PVSM, VSM, ADC of the Army.
The tiny State of Goa is better known for its Feni, Football, Fernandes and Foreign tourists. Add another F – Fighters! In the introduction to Faleiro’s book Gen Rodrigues proudly states that “The Goan contribution to the officer ranks was the highest per capita in the country”. Faleiro adds that before the Liberation of Goa in 1961, the Goans that had joined the Defence Services were expatriates living in different parts of India. In fact in the 1961 operation 7 of the 8 Goan officers involved were Catholics. Does one require any further proof of where our loyalties lie?
How many of us know that two brave Christian pilots, at different times, saved the lives of two Prime Ministers? Sqn Ldr Reggie Rufus crash landed his Dakota in a paddy field near Coimbatore to save Nehru. Wg Cmdr Clarence D’lima did the same with his TU 124 in Jorhat, Assam, to save Morarji Desai. But he had to choose between a nose landing that would kill him, and a tail landing that would endanger the Prime Minister. He chose the former, true brave heart and martyr.
Let’s go back to when India gained Independence. The first Gallantry Awards were conferred in 1950. The very first Mahavir Chakra (MVC) went to Sqn Ldr Sidney Noronha (posthumously). Thirteen Christians from the IAF alone were awarded Vir Chakras (VrC). Of them, Air Cmdre Anthony Suares had the rare distinction of winning it again in1961. Most of the dare devil pilots of that era were Anglo Indians.
I could not glean much information on the 1965 war. From the IAF website I found that Wg Cmdr William Goodman won the MVC, Gp Cpt George John got the PVSM, and the Keelor brother Sqn Ldrs Trevor and Denzil, together with Fl Lt Alfred Cooke won the VrC.
Thanks to Maj Gen Eustace de Souza we have a lot more information on the 1971 war. The highest Gallantry Award, the Paramvir Chakra was bestowed posthumously on L/Nk Albert Ekka of the Brigade of Guards. Four Christians were awarded the MVC, of whom Sqn Ldr Allan D’costa was posthumous. Eleven brave hearts got the VrC, five the Sena Medal, three the Nao Sena Medal and four the Vayu Sena Medal. Twelve officers received the highest distinguished service award the Param Vishisht Seva Medal (PVSM), another thirteen got the AVSM and twelve the VSM. By any standards this is an enviable record, of which the Christian community in India should be legitimately proud. We don’t have to go to any CM pleading for protection!
Air Marshal Johnny Greene was a 4-times decorated officer – PVSM, AVSM, VrC, VM, and Lt Gen Mathew Thomas, a paratrooper, was the only one to earn all three distinguished service awards – PVSM, AVSM and VSM. I would also single out for mention Lt Gen Reginald Noronha PVSM, MC of the Madras Regiment, who was the Deputy Chief of Army Staff during the 1971 war. Earlier, as a Brigadier, he had won laurels for the country as the Commander of the UN forces in the Congo. On a recent visit to Chaubatia Cantt in Uttaranchal I was pleasantly surprised to find a crossroad named after him (see pic). Maj Gen Eustace de Souza, who was a witness to the horrors of the atomic bombs in Japan, commanded the prestigious Republic Day Parade. Lt Gen Christopher Barretto PVSM, AVSM, whose father Dr Cristovam Barretto (1889 – 1972) was Mahatma Gandhi’s personal dentist at his Wardha Ashram, donated Gandhiji’s teeth to the Gandhi Museum in Delhi (he could have auctioned them off for a princely sum).
Our Christian institutions have also produced many martyrs for the country. The first officer martyr in the Kargil operation (1999) was Maj Rajesh Singh Adhikari MVC from the Mechanised Infantry. He was from my alma mater, St Joseph’s College, Nainital. The latest martyr, Capt Ayush Yadav, killed in Kupwara, studied in St Joseph’s HS School, here in my hometown, Kanpur. The Principal, Sr Rose George UMI, led the mourners at the funeral, and kept the school closed as a mark of respect to the brave heart.
So despite all the red and saffron I do see the green light of hope, including the olive green of the Army, the sky blue of the Airforce, and the navy blue of the Navy. I trust that the sacrifices of all these wonderful people will not have been in vain. They will protect our country and our community, and hopefully inspire the young men and women of today to follow in their illustrious footsteps. JAI HIND!
(*Every attempt has been made to be factually correct. However, if there are any errors or glaring omissions they are unintentional, for which I hope to be forgiven. – Chhotebhai)