hristianity
in the Indian subcontinent is almost as old as Christianity in its
birthplace. There is a strong tradition in south India that St.
Thomas the Apostle introduced Christianity in India in 52 AD. ‘St.
Thomas Christians’ there are a living proof of it. Yet, many a
Muslim and Hindu in India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh wrongly consider
Christianity a recent phenomenon and a foreign one at that. The
Advent of the Portuguese and Christianity in Bengal: Renowned
Portuguese navigator Vasco de Gama rounded the Cape of Good Hope of
South Africa in 1498 and landed at Calicut (present Kozikode of
India) by discovering the sea-route to India. From 1500 onwards, the
Portuguese established their power first in
Cranganore, then to Cochin and Goa. With these traders and commercial
opportunists, also came Franciscan, Dominican, Augustinian, and
Jesuit missionaries to bring Indian heathens to Christ. From 1517
onwards, Portuguese traders from Goa were traversing the sea-route
to Bengal but were not successful in establishing trading posts in
this part of India. Only in 1537, were they allowed to settle and
open customs houses at Satgaon (near present-day Hooghly) of West
Bengal (India) and Chittagong of present-day Bangladesh. In 1577,
Mughal emperor Akbar permitted the Portuguese to build permanent
settlements and churches in Bengal. The first Christians in Bengal
were the Portuguese themselves. After their intermarriage with local
women, their descendants became the first indigenous Christians.
Then came the local converts to Christianity from both Hinduism and
Islam...
The school system we have in Bangladesh is indebted to William Carey who had developed this system in Bengal. For the last few years, two Catholic Italian Xaverian missionaries – Fathers Marino Rigon and Silvano Garello – have been translating many works of 1913 Nobel Laureate Rabindranath Tagore, Nazrul Islam, Jashim Uddin and others.
The
Churches in Bangladesh earned a reputation in the fields of
education and works of mercy, including health services, for all –
especially the poor, underprivileged, and helpless. In a country
where almost 85% people are Muslims, running such educational and
welfare institutions and organizations is both a challenge and a
privilege. In these institutions and organizations, Christian love
and values are practiced in word, sign and deed.
Christians contributed immensely in the field of Bengali literature.
Portuguese missionary Fr. Manuel da Assumpsao wrote Kripar Shastrer
Orthobhed, which was printed in 1743 in Lisbon, Portugal, in Roman
alphabets. It was a catechism in the question-answer form. He also
wrote a 40-page Bengali grammar book and a 529-page
Bengali-Portuguese and Portuguese-Bengali dictionary, called
Vocabulario em Idioma Bengulla-e-Portuguez, divided in two part.
Dom Antonio da Rozario, a local Hindu prince converted by the
Portuguese, was successful in making mass conversions (20,000 to
30,000) among low-caste Hindus in north of Dhaka. He wrote Brahmman-Roman
Catholic Sambad, where a Roman Catholic dialogues with a Hindu
Brahmin (priest) and tries to show the superiority of Christianity
over Hinduism.
Baptist missionary William Carey translated and printed the Bible in
Bengali, wrote many other books and a dictionary, called A
Dictionary of the Bengali Language. He also helped develop Bengali
type faces for printing and established Serampore Mission and
College besides publishing newspapers and periodicals. His
colleagues Dr. John Thomas, William Ward, Felix Carey (his son),
John Pearson, and others also left their contributions in Bengali
literature. The school system we have in Bangladesh is indebted to
William Carey who had developed this system in Bengal. For the last
few years, two Catholic Italian Xaverian missionaries – Fathers
Marino Rigon and Silvano Garello – have been
translating many works of 1913 Nobel Laureate Rabindranath Tagore,
Nazrul Islam, Jashim Uddin and others into Italian. Their books have
created an increasing interest of the Italians for Bengali
literature and Bangladesh.
The Churches also left an indelible mark in helping victims of the
War of Independence and various cyclones in the coastal region.
Although the Christians in Bangladesh are a microscopic minority
(one Christian in every 324 Bangladeshis), the Churches are quite
active. The contributions of the missionaries and Christians in
different fields are a lasting tribute and witness to Christ. These
contributions are flowing from the love of Christ and love of
one’s neighbors.
(From Bangladesh Christian Online)