Thomas Anchukandam – “«Don Bosco» in northeast India. A name synonumous with change and societal transformation through education and skill-training” in “Percezione della figura di Don Bosco all’esterno dell’Opera salesiana dal 1879 al 1965”

Don Bosco had the idea of sending missionaries to India after his visits to Pope Pius IX in 1876 and 1877, with the intention of taking up the Vicariate Apostolic of Mangalore. However, the urgent and constant demands for personnel from South America forced him to postpone his plans for India. Years later, in 1883-1884, Mgr. Paul-François-Marie Goethals, Vicar Apostolic of Calcutta, on the recommendation of the Baroness de Monin from Belgium, invited Don Bosco to establish an orphanage in Giridih, southern Bihar, but the lack of personnel prevented Don Bosco from accepting this attractive proposal.

During the tenure of Don Rua, Don Bosco’s successor, the Bishop of the Padroado Diocese of Mylapore, Mgr. Antonio de Souza Barroso, began insistent correspondence to have Salesians in his diocese, but his transfer to Oporto, Portugal, in 1889, hindered this project. His successor, Mgr. Teotonio Manuel Ribeiro Vieira de Castro, resumed contact with Don Rua from 1901, and his efforts led to the arrival of the first group of six Salesians in Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu, in January 1906. However, these initial Salesian presences in Thanjavur and Mylapore lasted only until 1928, when the Salesians were forced to withdraw. The second arrival of the Salesians in India, in 1922, under the dynamic leadership of Father Louis Mathias, was a success from the start. The activities of the Salesians in Northeast India have helped to create a reputation for Don Bosco as an agent of change and development through education and vocational training. This article, after presenting the Northeastern region of India with its various challenges and illustrating the missionary efforts in the region before the arrival of the Salesians, asserts that the name “Don Bosco” has been associated with change and social transformation through education from the very beginning and continues to be regarded as such to this day.

Index

• 1. Understanding the Term Northeast India
• 2. A Brief Historical Sketch of the Pre-Salesian Catholic Missionary Efforts
• 3. Salesians in the Prefecture-Apostolic of Assam
• 4. The Perception of Don Bosco in the North East
  • 4.1 From the reports in the early years – up to 1952
  • 4.2 Recent reports
  • 4.3 Administrative steps by government in favour of Don Bosco
  • 4.4 The results of a survey
    • 4.4.1 The background of the respondents
    • 4.4.2 The questions and the responses
• 5. Conclusion

Reference time period: 1879 – 2015

Reference institution:
Associazione Cultori Storia Salesiana (ACSSA)