By C.M. Paul

Bolpur: Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore’s Shantiniketan environs has an added attraction now with the inauguration of a church with interiors decorated with full Tagore motifs.

The Infant Jesus Church Bolpur’s interior decor is designed by a Bengali Brahmin from Kolkata specialized in in-cultured church art.

Bishop Cyprian Monis of Asansol officially inaugurated the church on January 18.

“I was focused on keeping the traditions of world heritage Shantiniketan, when I tried to integrate church decor with the great Rabindranath Tagore’s religious and educational motifs still prevalent in the campus of Shantiniketan,” says CEO of Church Art Kolkata Subrata Ganguly.

The center piece in the sanctuary is an imposing banyan tree under which Jesus the guru is seated in lotus position imparting his teaching and blessings to all. Above the banyan tree is the depiction of the Spirit of Wisdom and Enlightenment in the form of a dove.

On the right side of the spreading banyan tree is the tabernacle enshrined in the traditional winnowing fan decorated with bamboo background and surrounded by conch shells. On the left side of the banyan tree is the statue of Infant Jesus – the patron of the Church.

The inside back wall of the church has a 40 feet mural depicting Jesus sitting under a huge banyan tree and holding a child. He is surrounded by six mothers bringing their children to Jesus for his blessings and looked on by four disciples and four women.

For the facade of the church, Ganguly has incorporated Santali tribal motifs highlighting the tribal population of Bolpur district.

The church has 14 brightly colored stained-glass windows depicting popular biblical scenes and ornate doors with liturgical symbols.

“Christian presence and influence was felt from the birth of Shantiniketan,” says Fr. Rahul Sequiera, Asansol Diocesan Treasurer, who monitored the construction.

Fr Sequiera recalls, “Tagore invited Bramhabandav Upadyaya the founding father of Indian Catholic theology, who spearheaded the hinduization of Christianity on the basis of his Thomistic reading of saccidānanda. Brahmabandhab and his disciple Animananda started a school in Kolkata in 1901 to teach and propagate the Vedic and Vedantic ideas of life along with modern education among the elite class of the society. Rabindranath Tagore was very much attracted to this idea of reviving the old Indian ideal of pedagogy, and offered them to shift their school to Shantiniketan in his father’s estate. This way Tagore’s school at Shantiniketan was conceived, which later became known and famous as Viswa Bharati.”

Angelo da Fonseca, C.F. Andrews and others had influenced Rabindranath Tagore with their stay at Shantiniketan. Angelo da Fonseca was born in St Estevan, Goa in 1902 studied under Rabindranath Tagore in Kolkata. He was subsequently condemned and expelled from Goa by the Portuguese Colonial Government for painting the Virgin Mary in a traditional Goan sari.

A close friend of both Gandhi and Tagore was Charles Freer Andrews. He was a priest from Cambridge, who taught philosophy at St Stephen’s College Delhi and diligently supported India’s struggle for freedom. After he arrived at Visva Bharati in 1914 Andrews worked closely with Tagore in the making of Visva Bharati and travelled widely with the poet in India and abroad. He also translated many of Tagore’s works into English.

The Christian mission presence started with Jesuit missionary Fr. Charles Poncelet who visited Bolpur in the 1950s from Sahebdanga.

From May 1981 the Bolpur Division was looked after by the Salesian Fathers from Joypur, Siuri after a plot of land was bought at Makrampur by Salesian Fr. Cyriac Manianchira for developing a center. In the year 1993 the Salesian Congregation handed over Bolpur Sub Division to the Archdiocese of Kolkata and Fr. Valerian Fernandes was appointed as the first Priest-in-Charge.

In the year 1995 Fr. Robert D’Souza was appointed Priest-in-Charge and in the year 1997 on February 7th, new community center was blessed by Bishop Cyprian Monis and in the year 1999 on July 4th it was erected into a parish and Fr. Robert D’Souza was the first parish priest and he wanted to make a shrine to Infant Jesus.

Fr. Dolphy Mathias appointed as the Parish Priest in the Year 2006 initiated the process for construction of the new church.

The present parish priest Fr. Wilfred Monis started the construction of the Church on 15 January 2015.