WhatsApp group’s Christmas gift helps Tripura tribals fight winter

By Matters India Reporter

New Delhi, Dec 22, 2021: Gaspar Delerock and his wife Shanti in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu donated blankets for the poor in Tripura, northeast, as part of celebrating their wedding’s silver jubilee.

Ammu Urimainathan sent her contribution forgoing her Christmas dress and Joseph Raj from Pondicherry shared his meager money left in his bank account.

These people are among 54 members of Pockisham Prayer, a family WhatsApp group that is trying to reach out to poor tribal communities in Tripura.

The group decided to gift blankets as its Christmas gift after listening to one of its members, Jesuit Father Irudhaya Jothi, who works among Tripura’s Tribals and Adivasis (tribal communities with roots in Chhotanagpur region spread over central and eastern India.

This family group meets at 7 pm every Sunday for Mass and adoration since the first lockdown started March 24, 2020, and it continues to hold members together through Zoom meetings.

During a recent service, Father Jothi explained the misery people during the winter, especially the aged, single, widows and widowers. He also shared a few photos in the group and encouraged the members to share their Christmas joy with those unfortunate people.

“The response was very encouraging as the whole family decided to reach out individually to the poor even forgoing their own little pleasures,” Father Jothi told Matters India December 22.

One of his cousin brothers, who is on dialysis, pitched in to ensure someone is protected from the winter.

Capuchin Father Nithiya Sagayam, the group administrator, encouraged the members to help the poor.

The group is named after Pockisha Mary, the mother of both Sahayam and Jothi who died December 29, 2019.

The group members also pray for her individually at 7 pm and ensure they participate in the family Zoom Mass without break.

Each family shares the responsibilities of hymns and reading while the Mass and Adoration are shared by Precious Blood Father George Anand, Sahayam and Jothi

The family distributed fruit tree saplings on her funeral to keep her memory alive and promote the greening of the village.

The prayer group has so far distributed 120 blankets and the senior citizens who received them thanked God and blessed the donors, said Father Jothi, who came to Tripura a year ago.

Tripura is the third-smallest state in India, and is bordered by Bangladesh to the north, south, and west, and the Indian states of Assam and Mizoram to the east.

According to 2011 census data the state has 3,671,032 people, just 0.3 percent of India’s population.

The state has 19 tribal communities — Tripuri, Jamatia, Noatia, Uchai, Chakma, Mog, Lushai, Kuki, Munda, Kau, Orang, Santal, Bhil, Chaimal, Garo, Khasia and Lepcha.

According to the Tripura state portal information, only 31 percent of the state’s 3.6 million people are tribals and the rest are Bengalis. The state language is Bengali.

The Church has been active among the tribal population since the Holy Cross fathers entered the area.

The state has 58 operational tea gardens, of which 42 are individually owned, three are run by the Tripura Tea Development Corporation and 13 are operated by cooperative societies. Around 3,000 small growers also run their tea gardens with government support. A total 6,885 hectares of land is currently under tea cultivation in Tripura.

The stage has 21 tea processing factories, and more than 2,500 small tea growers, producing about 9 million kg tea every year. This makes Tripura the 5th largest, among the 16 tea producing states in India.

The state is estimated to produce 35.8 million kilo green tea leaves annually, of which 8.8 million kilo “made tea” (processed tea) is manufactured at different processing plants. Majority of this bulk is produced and sold by privately-owned tea estates.

Father Jothi says he was shocked to realize the those working in the tea estates are paid poorly. “A meager amount of 110 rupees a day for plucking 20 kilo tea leaves in 8 hours. And there is no one to speak on behalf of them, but the garden owners who have unions,” the activist priest explained.

The worst affected are the old and widows and widowers. According to Age well Foundation, report released on World Elder Abuse Awareness Day on June 15 more than 71 percent senior citizens in India are victims of abuse by family members.

Hence the seniors even among them the single, widows and widowers were reached out with blankets to fight the bitter cold, Father Jothi said.