Seminar highlights contributions of Christians to Marathi literature

Christians have made extraordinary contributions to Marathi literature. A seminar held at Nashik on Thursday has shed light on those personalities whose scholarly works has left a lasting impression.

The seminar organised by the Salesian Institute of Philosophy dwelled on the contributions of prominent Christians such as Pandita Ramabai, Laxmibai Tilak, Baba Padmanji, Henry Doering, NV Tilak, Thomas Stephen, William Carey, and SN Suryavanshi.

Cecelia Carvalho, professor and a prolific Marathi writer from Vasai, drew a parallel between the life of Ramabai, NV Tilak and Laxmibai Tilak who she said were contemporary writers and were converts from Brahmin community to Christianity.

The essential element of their writings in Marathi literature has religion, culture, and hybridization of culture and literature, she said.

While Pandita Ramabai - a social reformer and Sanskrit scholar - single-handedly translated the entire Bible into Marathi, Narayan Vaman Tilak was a great poet who has over 2,000 poems to his credit. Tilak's epic 'Kristayan' is held in high esteem.

Says Carvalho, after eight hundred years, today there is a cultural democracy and Indian identity shaped in Maharashtra through the contributions of Christians.

Also presenting a paper was Kamil Parkhe, editor of Sakal Times Pune who focused on the contribution of Henri Doering and Baba Padmanji.

Speaking highly of Padmanji, Parkhe said he was the first known novelist in Marathi literature.

Born in an Orthodox Hindu family, Padmanji developed an interest in Christianity and after his conversion worked in Poona as a missionary for sixteen years, and further as the editor of the Bible Society and the Tract Society.

Padmanji was also a social reformer who expressed grave concern at the suffering of Hindu widows and advocated their remarriage.

Padmanji has written more than hundred books and his novel `Yamunaparyatan` published in 1857 is recognized as the first novel in Marathi language.

Another Christian personality that Parkhe spoke of was Archbishop Henry Doering, whose Marathi monthly 'Niropya', launched in 1903, shed light on topics such as spirituality, social issues and human rights.

The seminar also saw a presentation on the contribution of Thomas Stephens by Fr. Nelson Falcao.

Stephens' epic poem on the life of Jesus Christ, written in Marathi with a touch of Konkani, earned him the title 'Father of Christian Literature in India'.

The English Jesuit's 'Krista Purana' consists of over 11,000 stanzas and has been his magnum opus. Stephens is also remembered for his contribution to the Konkani language.