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Mr. Salunkhe has given a historical account of the good
Samaritan work done by missionaries in India from the
Portuguese Father Stephen who loved Marathi as intensely as
Dnyaneshwar. White the high castes maintained education as
their monopoly; the missionaries opened schools and carried on
the holy task of educating the poor, backward and down
trodden. What was distinctive about Dr. Wanless’s medical
mission was that he believed in voluntary conversion.”I never
forced Christianity upon anyone. Christianity must be change
in the heart. It must come from within.”
Shahu had abiding trust in Dr. Wanless as his personal
physician who described his first impression of Shahu in this
inimitable manner:”He is the only man I ever saw who could
diminish the size of an elephant.” Shahu once even wanted to
learn first aid and wrote to Dr. Vail:
“I should like to have lessons in ambulance. Could you kindly
send me some simple notes on the subject? After I have
mastered them I would like to go through a practical course
with you at Miraj.” Had Shahu been a commoner there is not
doubt that with all his native passion to ameliorate the lot
of the poor he would surely have mastered the craft of the
medicine and who knows might have become a medical missionary
of the stature of Dr. Albert Schweitzer.
As Mr. Salunkhe explains: “Shahu noticed the efforts made by
Dr. Wanless and Dr. Vail to treat untouchables like human
beings, this made such a deep impression on Shahu’smind that
not only did he change his own manner of treating but also
attempted to abolish by law the discriminatory and prejudical
treatment meted out to the untouchables in schools,
dispensaries and Government service by the high caste people
in his State.”
In his Ordinance proclaiming eradication of
untouchability in Government and Government aided hospitals
Shahu declared:
“Charitable institutions are meant for poor people and even
the poorest untouchable human being has a right to be treated
on a footing of equality. His Highness earnestly hopes that
his medical staff will follow the good example set by the
foreigners, especially by the American Mission at Miraj.”
In another Ordinance Shahu said:
“Be informed that all public building, charity houses,
State houses, public government inns and river watering
places, public wells etc. no defilement, on account of any
human being, is to be taken account of just as in Christian
buildings and at public wells. And as Dr. Wanless and Dr. Vail
in the American mission, treat all with same love, so also
here they are to be treated as not esteeming any unclean.”
As Mr. Salunkhe points out this was the first administrative
attempt in India for the eradication of untouchability. And
rightly did Dr. Wanless compliment it in his autobiography: “I
had never heard of such a proclamation in the history of a
native State during my thirty six years in India, nor had
known of it in Indian history.”
When Dr. Wanless asked Shahu whether he had a lot of trouble
in enforcing these regulations Shahu said: “No end of trouble.
A few days ago a large group of my people came to me demanding
that I inform them as to where and upon whose authority. I
have issued these new administrative regulations. We have been
unable ourselves to discover any authority in our Shastras
(Scriptures) for these rules of conduct, they said”.
Shahu told them: “I informed them that I first discovered
these rules of behaviour in the American Mission Hospital
at Miraj. I have seen them in operation for several year and I
determined that it would be a fine thing for my State, if the
administration could be conducted upon the same principles.”
This is the secret and spring source of the inspiration of the
great task of emancipation of the oppressed and depressed
people accomplished by Shahu. Its quality of enlightement of a
determined assault on entrenched orthodoxy, superstition,
priestcraft and ritualism can be only compared and explained
with reference to the great Platonic image of the journey from
darkness to light given at the outset.
... Continued
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