THE LEAST OF THESE
A friend
of mine did not speak to his eldest brother for the last five years. They
were five siblings. Their father, on his death, had left substantial
property. There was dispute and misunderstanding over the property issue ever since
their father had passed away. My friend took whatever share, given to him by
the eldest brother, and moved out. But, rest of the siblings expected a fair share…
The bitterness had broken down all the communication and the siblings did not visit their ancestral house. Though they did not hold grudges against each other, something always prevented them from resolving the issue. Occasionally, my friend would meet some members of his brother’s family somewhere outside; but, he couldn't bring himself to reconcile with his brother...
And, one afternoon, this happened. Some children from the neighborhood, while playing
cricket, were creating a ruckus outside. Agitated, my friend’s brother
picked a fight with the adult members of the neighborhood… It turned into a full-blown
brawl… The rough-and-tough young men, from the other side, badly assaulted my friend’s brother… The next thing to follow was landing
up at the local police-station… Meanwhile, someone called up my friend to inform about the emergency… My friend, instinctively, got on his motor bike and rushed towards his brother's house...
Before my friend could reach his brother's place, he received a call from the latter… “Brother, let the matter be… Police have
sent both the parties with a stern warning not to escalate the matter any
further… They have taken our written undertaking… Let’s not do anything at this
stage… Please keep your cool.”
By then, my
friend was inside his elder brother’s house; and he ended up being with them
till midnight, preceded by a dinner filled with warmth!
Who said, they
were enemies for the last five years?
Hello, they
are brothers… Sons of the same father. Soon, like their father, they, too, will
go, leaving behind this ‘Property’… “From dust thou come, to dust thou return!
Probably,
you may not have heard about the movie, which is currently being screened across
India – ‘The Least of These’. It’s a powerful story based on the life and death
of Graham Staines. He was an Australian Christian missionary, who lived with
his wife (Gladys), teen-aged daughter (Esther) and two little sons (Philip, 10
and Timothy, 6). Staines had spent many years in Baripada, one of the the remotest tribal villages of Odisha, treating tribals affected by leprosy. Over these years, Staines and
Gladys had dedicated themselves in the service of ‘the least of these’ – the
poorest of the poor, the sickest of the sick, and the downtrodden and the outcast…
and, they and their little children made this humble tribal land of Odisha
their own home. They not only provided cure for the leprosy (which was
considered by many in the village to be a ‘curse’!), they, also, taught them to
live a life of dignity. Philip and Timothy played cricket with the village kids,
and they all lived peacefully…
Then came the
darkest times… Some fundamentalists began to look at Staines' leprosy work with
suspicion. They accused him of conversion through inducement and conspired to
eliminate him. So, that fateful night on 23 rd January, 1999 (after attending a
Christian camp in jungle area of Manoharpur) when staines had gone off to
sleep, along with his two little boys, inside his station wagon (jeep), a
misguided mob surrounded the jeep and set it on fire, as Staines and his two
little boys were reduced to ashes!
Well, while
the nation and the entire world was shaken by this beastly act, as the law took
it own course, Gladys, the one who should have been broken down in her spirit totally,
went through her personal grief… and, in the end, did what she and her family
had been preaching and practicing: she forgave them!
This
is the season of Lent. Even as He struggled to take His last breath on the
cross, Jesus had prayed, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they are
doing!”
They know not?
Yes, they know
not, Sir…
In one of the
delightful scenes in ‘The Least of These’, Sharman Joshi teases the little sons
of Graham Staines as they spiritedly play cricket with many other tribal
children…
”You enjoy
cricket?”
“Yes.”
“Want to play
for the Australian team?”
“We want to
play for India… We love Sachin.”
“But, you are
from Australia.”
“We are from
the dust…”
Little boys of
Graham Staines are shown saying this so playfully. But then, it took my breath away
for a few moments!
Our
properties? Our religions? Our problems? What else?
The least of these!
GERLAD D’CUNHA
Pic.: Scroll.in
Videos: FilmStop Trailers
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