FR. PREMANANDA SINGHA AND THE NEW MISSIONARY ERA

Before describing the new missionary era ushered in by Fr. Premananda Singha, here are a few words describing about the Anglo-Indian community who were the chief preoccupations of the Kharagpur Parish Priests and their Assistants. The Englishmen held the highest posts who were mostly Protestants, who behaved like gentlemen, somewhat distant and patronizing. Meanwhile, the Anglo-Indians who held the minor managerial posts such as Foremen, Express and Passenger Drivers were in majority. Catholics on the other hand were engaged in social get together inviting the clergy to their homes for birthday parties and house blessings. They were good church goers, generous in supporting their priests and of their loyalty there was no doubt.

Independence altered many things. Railway passes were abolished, and if Anglo-Indians became Mail Drivers and were still getting a priority on recruitment to apprenticeships, the European scale to pay-double of the ‘Indian’ was also abolished. Most Anglo-Indians who could afford it emigrated to U.K., Canada and Australia. Whereas the younger men stayed back and turned their backs on the Railways. The community had no strange behavior towards the church as long as they stuck to antiquated ‘privileges’ seats in the main nave, “English Mass” at the most convenient timings. In 1953, the parish Priest, Fr. Richir wrote for his personal notes that the Anglo-Indian community, after the departure of the British, held the highest positions in the Station, the Chief Mechanical Engineer, the Divisional Superintendent which triggered the presence of large families and their numbers of Anglo-Indians and Catholics and made up for those who have emigrated. Unfortunately for Fr. Richir these consoling features were temporary and the inevitable decline in prestige and numbers was not slow in showing the real state of affairs.

On the other hand the growth of the Santal Apostolate ushered in by Fr. A. Ernst SJ and especially Fr. Premananda Singha who became the central figure in the moment of conversions that spread from the zealous community that Olda had become. Soon there was a mass movement that shook the Southern Midnapore district in the mid seventies under Fr. Prem and his companions, Cyprian Monis, Owen D’Souza, Robert Richard D’Souza, Anthony Lobo and others with new stations at Kamarchowki, Kearchand, Baligheria and then Chamrusai with Frs. De Cocq and Ernst. Under the guardianship of Joachim Osta and Fr. Francis Gomes, Midnapore rose in importance. The affect of this rise was the birth of two Bengali-Medium High Schools, the friendly relationship with the district authorities, in such a way that the seat of deanery was transferred to Midnapore since 1975.