10/12/2006: Special Dalit Report - Part 1
Special Dalit Report - Part 1
Gospel for Asia missionary Premal Lokprakash serves among the Mushars, a group of Dalit people living in India's Bihar state. As he travels to the villages and towns in his region, he observes on a daily basis the discrimination and prejudice these Dalits face. But Premal is more than a bystander—he is a first-hand witness. He, too, is a Mushar, and well acquainted with the sufferings of his people.
Very few Mushars own land. They live essentially at the mercy of the wealthy, high-caste landowners in whose fields they toil. Most are illiterate and their children have little opportunity for education. Yet in the midst of their struggles, the Mushars are finding hope and freedom in Jesus Christ. In one village, 70 Mushars have come to Christ through the witness of Premal Lokprakash.
In the first of this special two-part Dalit report, Premal talks with a GFA field correspondent about the challenges Mushars face in their daily lives-and of his ministry to them.
Tell us about the struggles and difficulties the Mushars face.
Most of them are field laborers. This is the only resource for them to survive. They grow wheat, millet, corn and other vegetables.
How much do they receive for their daily wages?
They do not get wages. After working a whole day in the field, they receive three kilograms (6.6 pounds) of either rice or wheat flour (worth about US 66 cents).
Since they are lower-caste people, do they face atrocities from the higher castes?
The higher castes hate the Mushars because they are lower caste. They want the Mushars to remain as they are, in poverty and without voice. They do not want them to have an education.
Why don't they want the Mushars to receive an education?
They think that if the Mushars get an education, no one will work in their fields.
Do the high castes practice untouchability?
Yes, they will not sit with the Mushars or eat with them. There is no intermarriage between the two communities. The Mushars work in their fields; sow, cultivate and harvest their crops; and even store their grain in barns and warehouses—but the high-caste people will not allow the Mushars to enter their houses. They believe the Mushars are of lesser value.
The Mushars are actually like bond slaves. They work in others' fields without earning enough for their daily survival. They are given food while they work and a little grain for pay, but if they need clothing they will have to work somewhere else.
In this village, most of the men have gone to other states in search of making more money. And almost all the women are working in the fields.
Tell us how the Mushars earn their living.
The only way they can survive is by laboring in the field. Their husbands and elder sons go for a couple of months to other states and bring home far greater money than they would have earned working in the fields of the landlords. Still, all their needs are not met.
How are the villagers able to send their children to school?
There is not much concern for these matters. If the parents are literate, they manage to send their children for some years, but they usually drop out because the mother works in the field and the father is away in another state, so there is no one to mind whether the children go to school or not.
Do these children have to become laborers in the same landlord's field?
To some extent, yes. Because their parents have lived at the mercy of those landlords and these children have no better place to work, they too begin to work in the same field.
How do the Mushars respond to the Gospel?
There is a sense of a need of a Savior in all people, whether rich or poor. These people feel they need God, and that is why they are coming to the Lord. Of course they are poor, but there is a spiritual quest in them, and when they hear about the Lord, they receive Him.
You said you have 70 people in your church. How do you explain this change of heart among the Mushars?
I make it clear to them that there are no monetary benefits for receiving Christ. But they see that there is love and unity in Christianity. They see that Christians love each other as brothers and sisters, and do not practice untouchability. There is no distinction between the higher and lower castes; people shake each other's hands no matter which caste they may belong to. They were impressed and this changed their minds.
Another important thing I taught them is that while people are running after man-made gods and goddesses, the true God is looking for us. Many people spend all their money in search of a god, but I told them, "Why don't you seek the only true God who requires neither your money nor an incense stick? Receive the God who truly loves you and seek Him, and He will surely come near to you."
Now, although they are poor, they have peace and joy in their hearts. Although they work hard and labor in the fields, they are happy because they have the Lord.
When I ask them personally, they say, "Christianity is totally different from other religions. There is peace and happiness in it. We are taught good things such as 'do not fight, do not quarrel.' We like it because it is very simple."
Tell us about the involvement of your church in outreach.
I teach the believers that sharing the Gospel and witnessing is not only the pastor's responsibility, it is the responsibility of all believers. Sometimes, once a week or every two weeks, believers join me in outreach.
How many of the church members join you for outreach?
Sometimes five, sometimes two or one. Sometimes I'm alone. Sometimes there are ten of us going out for evangelism.
When you go in a group for outreach, what do you do?
We preach the Gospel in villages, and we do personal evangelism. If we find someone interested in the Lord, we plan a day and have a small meeting at his house. We sing some worship songs and share the Gospel. We pray for anyone who is sick.
When a mobile team comes, we also show films in some of the villages. I also introduce the GFA Radio program "Athmeeya Yathra" (Spiritual Journey). I tell the villagers, "On this certain meter band you can hear the message of love and how to receive salvation."
When you distribute tracts and tell people about the Lord, do people oppose you?
Yes, they do. Sometimes young people from Hindu extremist groups come and tell me that we are spreading a foreign religion in the country, and that ultimately the foreigners will come to India and occupy our country once again. "Read these tracts yourselves," I tell them. "Do they propagate foreign power? Read them, come to know the truth. We are ready to talk with you."
Once I was threatened while conducting a Sunday school. Some men came and told me they would beat me up, chase me from the village and blow up the building.
Afterward, I kept meeting with one of those men, and he is more friendly to me now.
Although he hasn't received the Lord, he just tells me not to change the religion of the people. But he does tell others that I have come to the village to convert people.
I tell them I have come here to serve the Lord; it isn't my job to convert people to Christianity. I tell people about the Lord, and it is up to the people whether they want to receive Jesus as their Savior.
These Hindu extremists are quite aggressive against Christians. They have written on the walls in town that Christians are evil people and it is a foreign religion.
