By Augustine Singh

Kandhamal, Jan 19, 2020: Kandhamal district in Odisha, eastern India faced the worst kind of anti-Christian persecution in 2007 and 2008. The second attack lasted for more than three months, causing massive damage.

Their effects have been devastating to the core. Along with the loss of property, damaging houses and churches, about one hundred people got killed, most of them leaving their young wives and kids behind.

Without support from the government, various sectors and kind-hearted persons from the country and abroad, they were clueless, as to how to surmount the situation and proceed. Among the other supports, psychological help was one of those much-needed one.

When the violence against the Christians in 2007 and 2008 occurred, I was preparing my doctorate in psychological counseling, in De La Salle University, Manila, Philippines. As the saddest news of the violence was pouring in through different channels, both mass media and personal communication systems, I, along with my junior member in Manila from the Archdiocese of Cuttack-Bhubaneswar, Odisha, was getting disturbed and concerned about the volatile situation of our native place, Kandhamal.

It was unimaginable for us that Kandhamal was undergoing the religious persecution as the early Christians had to face. However, as the process of martyrdom of the persons got killed during the violence is on, it feels quite soothing for all people concerned.

Nevertheless, for me, it has been a great privilege to be part of the efforts to be at the side of the survivors.

It is a grace of God that I became a part of the coordinating team, from the first month of 2009.

The team was responsible for addressing the needs of the survivors, under the leadership of Divine Word Archbishop Emeritus Raphael Cheenath. It included different departments: relief program, health, psychosocial counseling, housing and rehabilitation, legal-justice, education, women’s security and mass communications.

The situation, around this time, was still volatile. However, it was quite amazing that we were able to plunge into action in Kandhamal, fearlessly as we were moved by the inner urge and by the guidance of the unseen hand from above, and of course, by the constant visits and assistance of the eminent persons, like social activist John Dayal, social activist Ram Puniyani, Catholic journalist Anto Akkara and the persons and groups from other nationalities, to name a few.

One of the findings suggested that the material or financial support was not fully sufficient to address the irreparable loss the survivors had incurred.
The loss of life, as a burning instance, that it is still haunting the widows, the children (now in schools and colleges), and their family members and not permitting them to be fully at peace.

There is a sense of huge vacuum in each survivor as they expressed in one of the counseling programs, for the widows and family members, on December 27, 2019.

“This was a unique session for all of us, who have lost our own and dearest ones. We sat together, for the first time, along with our children and family members. It was helpful for me,” said Kanaka Rekha, the widow of late Parikhit Nayak, who was cut into pieces, to this inhuman action, by the miscreants Kanaka was forced to be the eye witness.

Ludhia Digal, who has also lost her husband, expressed a similar experience, said, “I am so happy that I could host this session at my house. It was a real blessing that we all came together as a family, during Christmas time.”

“It was a great opportunity to listen to each other and how each one is making an effort to rebuild one’s life. The children, who were too young then, when the persecution happened to us, are now quite grown up and are with us for this session. They too are becoming responsible enough to be at our side in life’s journey. We look forward to more of this kind of session,” said Digal.

Practically everyone expressed happiness, about the counseling session, saying that they felt supported and strengthened and received light in decision making for life.

Another offshoot of the violence was the imprisonment of seven Christians from Kothagarh area of Kandhamal district for a decade. They were put behind the bar, suspecting their link with a terrorizing group called Maoists and were convicted of murdering a Hindu leader whose death sparked the worst case of anti-Christian violence in India’s history in August 2008.

However, to their good luck, all of them have received bail just before this Christmas.

In this regard too there have been lots of struggles and supports from different corners. We too have been at the side of the family members as they had become orphans for 11 years, even if their fathers were alive; widows, even if their husbands were very much alive.

On December 22, 2019, a counseling session was conducted for all the members of the seven families. This was also our pre-Christmas celebration with them.

“It provided us ample opportunity to sit with each other, all the members of the seven families for the first time. Felt encouraged going ahead in life. We are grateful to every person, organization and government,” said Bijay Kumar Sanseth, who was the first to get the bail in January 2018.

So too Gornath Chalanseth expressed much happiness, “I am greatly happy to see myself free and with our family members sitting and sharing our experiences and hopes for future. I am much thankful to all, who have been at our side during a difficult time.”

(Augustine Singh is a trained psychological counselor. He has been accompanying the Kandhamal violence survivors for years).

(Photo caption: Dr. Augustine Singh and his colleagues with the widows and family members, who lost their closest persons in Kandhamal violence).