Andharkota (eng)

Andharkota

Very soon they came in contact with the evangelists of the Presbyterian mission of Rajshahi. It is said that when some young Paharias of Andharkota and Dainpara approached Prem Chand, a Presbyterian evangelist native of Calcutta, telling him that they were seeking the true religion, he made them travel all the way, not to nearby Rajshahi but to Purnia. Fr. Knockeart redespatched them with a letter to the Catholic center of Krishnagar.

The Krishnagar Fathers objected that they could hardly hope to find a catechist willing to go north of the Ganges. It was then when Prem said "Why don't you give me the job? I only need to have your books!" Yes, the first Catholics of Andharkota were instructed by a Presbyterian evangelist who, on his part, never thought of becoming a Catholic himself.

The first converts were baptized on February 21, 1904 by Fr. S. Taveggia, PIME who became the first bishop of Dinajpur. Fr. Taveggia, then in charge of the mission center of Bhabarpara in the Kushtia district, brought along his travelling catechist Tustu Biswas. Tustu, besides helping instructing them, became also the godfather of the new Catholics in the ceremony of baptism and, as they were not sure they had any surname at all, gave them his own, Biswas. That surname has stuck to this day. After their baptism, Sam Sarkar Biswas was appointed catechist of the Mal-Paharias, and Prem Chand retired to his native Calcutta, where he died.

The year 1917 brought the conversion of the Mahalis of Susnipara, 11 miles north of Andharkota. They were baptized by Fr. G. B. Anselmo, PIME - the future second bishop of Dinajpur. In 1931 the Mal-Paharia Catholics succeeded in making friends with, and bringing to Christianity, the first Santals of the area - Paru Tudu of Dainpara, and Sam Soren of Bortola (subsequently Sam was instrumental in the conversion of thousands of Santals in different zones of the Rajshahi district). Then, in their turn, in 1958, the Santals succeeded in bringing to Christ a number of Oraon villages. It is to be noted here that the Santals of Agdigha and the Oraons of Sorisabari who started this sharing have all emigrated mostly to India. This kind of sharing took place afterwards also among the Santals and Oraons of Bartola and Mohipara.

A parish was tentatively set up in Andharkota in 1907, but three priests, one after the other, failed to withstand the climate and the diseases, and the mission center had to be closed down in 1910. It was after this temporary closure of the parish center (followed may be by a period of neglect, considering the distance) that trouble arose. A group of Mal-Paharia Catholics of Dainpara, led by Bisunath Biswas who was none other than the number one in the baptism register of the parish, were persuaded to join the Presbyterian Church. The Presbyterian mission of Rajshahi took proper care of the new flock, built up a brick chapel and assigned to them a capable evangelist.

The situation was all getting out of hand, when at last Bishop Taveggia, in 19/7, sent a man fit for the job. He was Fr. Anselmo. On his arrival in Andharkota Fr. Anselmo was 37 years old, and had already 5 years of pastoral experience in his native Genoa and 5 years of missionary experience in Krishnagar. Previously he had also paid some occasional visits to Andharkota. On setting foot in the mission his first thought was to go and see for himself how things were in Dainpara where, at the news of his arrival, the straying flock of the village, with the same decisiveness, started getting ready to prevent him from entering their place. The Father came to know of their intentions, but he also knew that a number of villagers were still attached to the Catholic faith; he could not abandon them. Everybody in Andharkota tried to persuade him to wait and see. "No use", Fr. Anselmo said, "if you are afraid, don't worry; I will go alone!"

He departed for Dainpara on foot, followed at a distance by some of the people of Andharkota. Sure enough, at the beginning of the footpath that led to the village of Dainpara, there stood Bisunath and a number of his followers. Everyone was holding a stick and the priest was ordered to stop or else... It was not in the nature of Fr. Anselmo to get scared because of those sticks or because of the ugly looks on their faces. He went straight ahead and walked defiantly through the very middle of the group.

It was a case of either now or never, and Bisunath let his stick crash down on the shoulders of the priest. Some of his companions did the same. There were no shoutings or agitation. It was apparent that the assailants were scared to death of what they were doing and the priest neither slackened his gait nor quickened it. He simply passed through them very much like Jesus through the Nazarenes up there on their hillock.

Fr. Anselmo proceeded to take care of the remaining flock of Dainpara, but to Bisunath and his group something happened which they never expected. Their action left them utterly shaken. Before they dispersed from the place of the encounter, they were joined and properly scolded by the Andharkota group that had accompanied the missionary. Surprisingly, they quickly repented and, before the day was over, came back to the priest and asked to be forgiven. This little tale goes to show that sometimes the last endeavour of a good pastor who wants by all means to bring his straying flock back to the right path, might very well be to go forward and risk taking a good beating for it.

In 1921 the Andharkota parish center was closed again due to an extraordinary movement of conversions among the Santals in the extreme north of the parish. Fr. Anselmo transferred his residence from Andharkota to the Rohanpur area. Andharkota, however, did not lose its importance because without fail a priest from Rohanpur would come over for a week or two, on both the occasions of Christmas and Easter. In those days the village congregation, socially and religiously, was carrying on exemplarily.

In 1930, Andharkota center was reopened as a parish by Fr. P. Carnevale, PIME. Other remarkable missionaries of this parish were Fathers Ghezzi, Lucas Topno, Cattaneo, Pinos, Canton who built the church and the convent, and Maggioni who was shot dead in his room at night by bandits in 1972 during the lawless period in the country following independence. Then there were Fr. Licciardi, Calanchi, Giacomelli, and Marcus Marandi.