ധ്രുവദീപ്തി // Autobiography // Visit to Mawai Police station // Fr. George Pallivathukal

Autobiography // 

Journey of a Missionary Priest //

Visit to Mawai Police station // 

Fr. George Pallivathukal  

Pakhwar, our next destination

Fr. George Pallivathukal  

In the afternoon we set out for Pakhwar ,our next destination. We had to pass through Mawai to go to Pakhwar. Passing in front of the Police station I walked in to make a courtesy visit. The Thanedar welcomed me to his chamber and ordered Tea. He introduced me to all the staff present. We talked for sometime. I told him where ever I was going to visit during this trip. As he was responsible for law and order in the village under his jurisdiction, I made a request to him to see that the christians were not harassed by the non christians, who were the majority in most of the villages. He assured me that that was his duty and he would do it.

A shock was waiting for us in Pakhwar village. There were seven catechumen families in that village getting ready for baptism and we were going to camp in one of those houses. When we reached the house where we usually stay, we were told that they along with the rest of the families in Pakhwar had given up the faith because of the harassment of the non christians in the village. The catechumens were warned that no isai missionary should stay in their houses. If they hosted Isais,they would be ostracised from the society. To be ostracised means, they were not allowed to have food with the rest of the villagers and had no social life with them. This was a great humiliation and punishment for those who were ostracised.They were also not allowed to graze their cattle along with the rest of village cattle, and were not permitted to draw water from the common well. Usually people fall victims to such threats and harassments and give up the religion. So nobody would give us accomodation in that village. Sad, disapointed and dejected we proceeded to the next village, Harratola.

Harratola Village

 Village people

There was only one catholic family in Harratola village, that of Shri. Bhadua. Although Bhadua had no support from anywhere he was fearless. Bhadua had no children for many years after marriage. Encouraged by the catechist, fathers and sisters he prayed along with other believers for a child. Sisters treated the couple with medicines. God blessed them with a baby girl. This was a great miracle in their lives. The family was so happy that they became firm in their faith. The villagers had no argument against such an experience of this man. Moreover he was a very bold and given to drinking, so nobody would dare to fight with him. He would daringly face even the police. His argument was the miracle he had experienced in his life. He used to challenge the people and the police and would say " can anyone of you or your Gods do what jesus did for me?" If you cannot do it then keep your mouth shut." They had no answer for him.

To our bad luck Bhadua and family were not at home.When we reached the village time was already evening. There was no time to walk to the next village which would be about two hours walk. So we went to Bhadua's neighbor's house and asked for a place to spend the night. That was the house of the village witch doctor, the great enemy of the church.Still the house owner was not unkind. He offere us a little space in his cattle shed where the caves were usually tied. A "Khatia" (Village cot) was provided and settled down in that mini bed. The cot was not long enough for me and yet I had to be satisfied with what I got and that too from a person who hated me in the heart of his heart. He showed his dilike for me as long as I was there. I tried to pick up a conversation with him. But he never gave me a chance to talk to him.

After a little while when the cattle returned from grazing the animals were put inside their shed. After putting the cattle in, the owner of this house brought the calves and tied them on the legs of my mini bed. I was irritated but I could only swallow my irritation because that was his house and I was only an unwelcome intruder in that house. So here I was spending the night in the midst of big and small cattle like jessus in the cowshed of Bethlehem. Our cooking and dining was done in the garden. After supper I tried to lie down like an "S". After midnight the cattle started getting up and shitting. Urine fell on the ground and splashed on to me. I had not slept for a minute till then. And now to make the situation worse this sprinkling of cow urine and hot smell of cow dung! What I needed at stage was a bath and not purification with cow dung mixed with cow urine.

At that time. my only companion was my Rosary. I was praying the rosary lying down and all of a sudden I heard loud singing and shouting. Bhadua was returning to the village. Someone told him that Swamiji had come and he was settled down in the neighboring Panda's house because he was not at home. Immediatly he went silent. Slowly he came to the courtyard of the cowshed where I was lying down and he sat down on the ground. Seeing him I got up and went to him. He fell at my feet and appologized first for not being at home when we came, and secondly because he was drunk. He was shocked because of my sudden presence in his village and that shock made him a little sober I went in to his house. He spread out a mat on his varandah and I lay down there and had 2-3 hours of good sleep. In the morning I walked to the nearby stream about one Km. from the village and had a bath. We had mass and prayers. After breakfast I visited some houses in the village along with Bhadua and Indal Das.

 Holi Celebration

Harratola mission started with one family, that of Bhadua, and he was a drunkard.! Today this place has a church a house of the priests to live in, a convent, dispensary, social welfare centre, two boardings, one for boys and one for girls. We do not have a school in this place. We sent our children to the nearby government school, but to give them better quality of education we give them tuition and special coaching. It is said that God can write straight with crooked lines. God founded an active Mission at Haratola on one drunkard, named Bhadua, his wife and their daughter Emily. Pakhwar where we could not find a place to rest the first time I visited the village because all the catechumens of the village had given up our faith has more than twenty families following our religion today. God has His own ways and His own time. //-

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