Biblical exegetes would have us believe that the allegorical Garden of Eden, mentioned in the Book of Genesis, was probably situated between the mighty rivers Tigris and Euphrates, in modern day Iraq. I found Eden at a stone’s throw from the renowned tiger reserve, Corbett National Park.
It is known as Vardan Vatika (Garden Gift) in Ramnagar, near the entrance to the park. It is a Christian ashram started 20 years ago by Sr Jaya (65) of the Congregation of St Anne of Providence. The inspiration for this garden ashram goes back 35 years, when Sr Jaya joined the youth renewal team led by this writer. Among the other noteworthy members of that team were Acharya Anildev IMS of Matridham Ashram, Varanasi, Abp Albert D’souza of Agra, who is the CBCI Secretary General, Ms Lily Fernandes, Directress General of the secular institute, the Maids of the Poor, and Sadhu Asteya, who was tragically murdered in his ashram chapel near Dehradun, a few years ago.
True to its name, Vardan Vatika was originally an orchard. Even now it is covered by fruit-laden trees. What sets this ashram apart, though, is the total involvement of the local populace (none of whom are Christian) in its functioning. Young girls and women from 19 surrounding villages consider the ashram to be truly God’s Gift, because it is here that they have discovered their own identity and self-worth.
Sr Jaya (nee Julia) in now popularly known as Jaya Didi. Originally hailing from Bijai village in Mangalore diocese, she had joined the St Anne’s congregation, and was doing wonderful work in a school. But through the youth spiritual ministry and ashram movement, she too, like Mother Teresa, experienced a call within a call; to relinquish the relative comfort of a convent life, to launch out into the untested and unchartered waters of the ashram way of life.
Initially Jaya Didi’s congregation was skeptical about the viability of such an “adventure”. Nevertheless they supported her with both finance and personnel. 20 years down the line they can say with pride and confidence that they had made a wise “investment”. Jaya also expresses great gratitude to Bp Anthony Fernandes of Bareilly, in whose diocese her ashram is situated.
A few ashramites and well-wishers from neighbouring mission stations, as also the local populace, gathered together in the garden on 25th April, on the occasion of its completion of 20 years. Presiding over the Holy Eucharist, Bp Fernandes pointed out that the first two Christian ashrams in north India were both situated in his diocese. The Sattal Ashram in Nainital district was founded by the American missionary Rev E Stanley Jones of the Methodist Church, about 80 years ago. The second was Jyotiniketan Ashram, Bareilly, founded by the English pastor, Rev C. Murray Rogers of the Anglican Communion, in the 1960’s. Interestingly, both these “foreign missionaries” were drawn to the ashram way of life by Mahatma Gandhi’s ashrams in Wardha and Sabarmati.
The unique aspect of Gandhiji’s ashrams was that they were not reclusive or exclusive, but inclusive. So too with Vardan Vatika. Its unique feature is its inclusiveness, as manifested by the “cultural programme’ that followed the Eucharistic celebration. I am normally not enamoured of such presentations. But this was different, because of the total involvement of the village women. They put up a skit on how they had overcome the scourge of alcoholism among their men folk. There were testimonies of how the ashram had empowered these once reticent village women.
Talking of the ashram’s impact Jaya Didi attributed it to her three-pronged approach of Contemplation, Commitment and Contextualisation. She felt that the Church of the future in India needed to be more connected with the people, enter into dialogue with other religions and be sensitive to their beliefs. The church needed to become much more participatory and involved in people’s joys and sorrows, she opined.
The liturgical singing, in the backdrop of the bronze bust of Sadguru Yesu, was devotionally conducted by Joshy Alat, while the chants were led by Rev Ashok Masih. Bps Francis Kallist of Meerut, and his predecessor in office Patrick Nair, concelebrated with 20 priests from the nearby mission stations. Since Jaya Didi herself was hospitalized for most of the day, due to sheer exhaustion, handling the celebration fell on the broad shoulders of the local parish priest, Rev Bonaventure Menezes, ably assisted by Jaya’s companion sisters – Sophiya and Premila.
Chairman of the Ramnagar Town Area Committee, Haji Mohd Akram, said that it required great sacrifice to leave the comfort of one’s home to serve in a far away land. Five of Jaya’s brothers and sisters, as also other relatives, had traveled all the way from Mangalore, to witness the wonder of their beloved sister’s work.
Truly, many who had come that day to Vardan Vatika did indeed hear the footsteps of the Lord, as in the Garden of Eden, near the tiger reserve, not the Tigris river!
APRIL 2014
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