On Sunday I attended a protest initiated by the Catholic Church in Hyderabad, where hundreds of Christians gathered on either side of Tank Bund Road, a main roadway that connects Secunderbad and Hyderabad. Not long ago a vibrant and magnetic Fr. Tomas Pandipally, a Father and teacher to many, was brutally murdered and dumped on the street. With posters and banners the two groups met halfway across Tank Bund, and at the congregation they took over the road. Nuns stood at the roadside with candles, and a few priests stood on top of a van trying to direct the people. The people screamed, “we want justice!” The police don’t want to hear about it.
Meanwhile, OMCC runs 80 schools across the country, teaching many Dalit Children. The Dalit people are the untouchable caste of the Hindu caste system which remains strong today across India’s states and religions. (Even some churches) It seems to be in their blood, as you can imagine it would be hard to stop any tradition that has been practiced for thousands of years. I’ve had the privilege to visit the school in Uttamarry, a place full of life, where 402 kids learn in English and Teligu (the local language). At the opposite end of the school grounds is an office where many vocational classes take place. Women are taught to sew, making thousands of school uniforms for schools all over South India. They have also opened a tailoring shop in the village, and hired a handful of their students. They run Woman Empowerment groups, and offer small loans to help families get out of the cycle of poverty. Much is happening, much more than I have written here.
But today the Uttamarry school, along with schools all over the country, takes a break to remind the people of the struggle many Christians in India face, because of the violence happening in Orissa. Just a few days ago an OMCC school was burnt down.