Journalist, kirtankar Satyavan Namdeo Suryavanshi
Baba Padmanji, Rev. Narayan Vaman Tilak, Pandita Ramabai and Laxmibai
Tilak, all Christians, have contributed a great deal to the social
transformation in Maharashtra during the
pre-Independence era. Satyavan Namdeo Suryavanshi, the editor of 'Aapan (We)' weekly and a prolific
author, carried forward this tradition in independent India. He successfully explored several
fields- journalism, literature, kirtan,
social awareness and spiritualism, and won acclaim across Maharashtra.
Suryavanshi edited a Marathi weekly 'Aapan'
established by the Jesuits. Though run by Christian priests, it was popular
among readers of all religions. The credit goes to Suryavanshi's editorial
skills and aggressive writing. In the past 175 years, Christian missionaries
have published many Marathi periodicals. However, 'Aapan' has been the only periodical, which found wide acceptance
among non-Christian readers besides a place in the government and semi-
government public libraries. Those familiar with 'Aapan' at its peak would
agree that the wide acceptance was only because of Suryavanshi’s firebrand
editorship.
Suryavanshi wrote over 300 books in Marathi literature- some 25 novels,
translations, biographies, plays, songs and research publications. He was also
popular as a Kirtankar, delivering
the traditional kirtans. Kirtan is an old tradition in
Maharashtra wherein spiritual leaders deliver religious discourses,
interspersed with stories, hymns and accompanied by musical instruments like
harmonium, cymbals etc.
Suryavanshi's kirtans got
tremendous applause from the Marathi Christian community of western and
northern Maharashtra. The neo-Christians of
western Maharashtra and Marathwada, Konkani-speaking 'Bardeskar' Christians from border areas of Kolhapur,
Belgaum,
Sindhudurg districts, and the Christians from Mumbai-Vasai area – come from
varied cultural and religious backgrounds. Suryavanshi had won an award for one
of his books from Maharashtra government and
his three books won awards instituted by the Government of India.
Satyavan Suryavanshi was born in Hange village of Parner
taluka in Ahmednagar district on 31 March 1916. His father was a teacher in a
school run by the American Marathi Mission. Although his family had embraced
Christianity, in the eyes of the majority of local population they were still
'Mahar', an untouchable caste, and were treated with contempt. Young Satyavan
was educated in Ahmednagar. Despite appearing twice, he could not clear his
matriculation examination and came to Mumbai in search of work. He used to work
during the day and spend the nights on the open footpaths.
The job was that of a lowly servant in a Christian bookshop run by the
Bombay Tract and Book Society. He motivated himself to write a Marathi play on
the birth of Lord Jesus, entitled Yeshu
Balacha Janma and sent it for publication to Devdatt Tilak, son of veteran
poet Rev Narayan Vaman Tilak, at Nashik. A few days later, Devdatt Tilak came
to the bookshop in Mumbai, searching for the author of the play. It was then
that the bookshop's manager, Elizabeth Morland, came to know that the boy who
swept the floor of the shop was an author as well. Morland promoted him to the
post of a salesman in the shop. She also made Suryavanshi to write several
books for the Protestant Mission. Moreland molded him into a writer-
journalist.
Instead of rushing his writings for publication, Moreland advised him to
read them carefully and rewrite them repeatedly. He followed her advice even
after becoming the editor of 'Aapan' and later having made a name as a writer.
Suryavanshi got married at Ghodnadi town (Shirur) on 1 January 1940. He
and his wife, Mira, lived in a chawl at
Mazgaon in Mumbai, from where he began writing for various Marathi periodicals
and started performing kirtans.
After 1945, Suryavanshi worked at the Karnataka Press owned by Marathi
publisher B G Dhavale for a year and a half. Thereafter he worked for the 'Tatvavivechak' of Madhusudan Mehta and
at the British India Press for seven years each. His experience in the printing
business helped him immensely later as the editor of 'Aapan'.
During his stay in Mumbai, Suryavanshi wrote in various reputed Marathi
periodicals like - Mauj, Navyug, Navakal,
and Kirloskar. He also wrote Marathi
plays for the All India Radio for several years.
While working at the British India Press, he became a member of the
Bombay Labour Union and formed a close association with socialist leaders
George Fernandes (who later rose to become India's Defence Minister), Madhu
Limaye and Mrinal Gore. He was a deputy to George Fernandes who was then
president of the union. Recalling those days, Suryavanshi wrote in his autobiography,
"George Fernandes was of the view that I should quit my job at the British
India Press and work fulltime at the union office and participate in politics.
But I was not keen to become a socialist and I did not want to give up my
writing to join politics. I had valid reasons to fear for my faith in God and
religion if I had joined these people.''
We do not know whether Suryavanshi would have become a major political
leader or successfully led a labour movement had he continued his association with
Fernandes and the socialists. His resolve to never enter politics nonetheless
proved a boon for the Marathi-speaking Christian community, which got a great
writer, journalist and a kirtankar in
him.
Suryavanshi served as a bridge between Catholics and Protestants. Till
his middle age, he had absolutely no association with the Catholics. He was
associated only with the Protestant community as a student and also as an
employee of a Protestant Mission. He also performed kirtans for gatherings and functions of Protestants. He first came
in contact with the Catholic community much later but maintained the
association till his death.
While working in the British India Press, Suryavanshi was once invited by
Fr J S Miranda, a social worker from Vasai in Thane district, to perform a kirtan at the famous Mount Mary Church
in Bandra. Suryavanshi was taken aback by the invitation to deliver a kirtan at a Catholic Church. Suryavanshi
performed kirtan at the church for four hours to the accompaniment of a tabla
and a harmonium. The tradition of performing kirtans was prevalent among the Marathi Christians, thanks to Rev
Tilak and other Protestant missionaries. But this was fro the first time a kirtan was performed in a Catholic
Church. And the performer was a Protestant! This was indeed a historical event.
Suryavanshi's kirtan at Mount Mary
Church took place even before the second Vatican Council, which advocated
ecumenical dialogue. In his autobiography, Suryavanshi described the event
symbolising unity of the two sects in the following words: 'On that night, a
strong wall collapsed with a big bang!'
As soon as the kirtan in Bandra
church was over, another Catholic priest who was present there invited
Suryavanshi to perform at his church in Vasai. This priest was Fr Dominic
Abreo, parish priest of the church at Papadi in Vasai near Thane. Fr Abreo was
also the editor of a Marathi magazine 'Suvarta
(The Good News), published by the Mumbai archdiocese. Fr Abreo was later to
become the bishop of Aurangabad
diocese and also to preside over the Marathi
Khristi Sahitya Sammelan (Marathi Christian literary conference). Repeat
invitations extended to Suryavanshi to perform kirtans at Catholic churches meant recognition to his talent. He
himself wrote later that "since then, new avenues were opened to me.''
The Bandra and Vasai kirtans
brought Suryavanshi closer to the Catholics and Catholic priests. The Jesuit
priests later entrusted him with the responsibility of the editorship of the
Marathi weekly 'Aapan'.
A young European Jesuit, Fr Joaquim Barranco, once called on Suryavanshi
at the British India Press. Fr Barranco was well versed with Marathi
literature. Barranco and Suryavanshi became close friends. When Fr Barranco
moved from Pune to Nashik, he invited Suryavanshi to work with him there.
Suryavanshi bid adieu to Mumbai - the city where he had lived for 28-years- and
went to Nashik to work with the Catholic missionary. The close ties between
this Protestant kirtankar and a
Catholic priest shocked many and caused dismay among some. But the friendship
lasted till Fr Barranco's accidental death a few years later. Because of Fr
Barranco, Suryavanshi also came in close contact with Fr Vincent Ferrer of
Manmad.
Fr Barranco had brought Suryavanshi to Nashik for a specific mission. He
had very well judged the literary talent and writing skills of Suryavanshi.
Among the Catholics, there was no one like Suryavanshi who was gifted with a
literary genius and the ability to communicate through his kirtans so effectively!
Fr Barranco had decided to take help of his talented Protestant friend in
his missionary work. He started the Marathi weekly 'Aapan’, which was owned and published by the Jesuits. Suryavanshi
ran the periodical successfully for nearly a decade and did full justice to the
faith reposed by Fr Barranco in him.
Before coming to Mumbai in search for a job, Suryavanshi had once heard a
kirtan by Gadge Baba, a veteran
social reformer in Maharashtra. Gadge Baba who
had cast a spell even on great persons like Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar preached the
message of cleanliness, personal hygiene, education, etc., through his kirtans at various places in Maharashtra. Gadge Maharaj who spoke the dialect of the
local people delivered the kirtans in
his typical rustic style. This style highly impressed Suryavanshi. Later in his
autobiography, he wrote about Gadge Baba, "His dialect accent was easy to
understand, had meaningful discourse, typical tune, the Abhangas, and the exclusive clap, which only Baba could do. I
remember all this ditto." Gadge Baba referred to various Hindu deities in
his kirtan but Suryavanshi could
sense Christ in his kirtan. He
further added, "For me, kirtan
never got over. It kept on ringing in my ears throughout my life".
Suryavanshi took inspiration from Gadge Baba and became a successful kirtankar.
When Suryavanshi started performing kirtans,
he gradually made several changes in his style. Initially, he used to play ektari, a musical instrument with a
single string. The tunes used to be of folk songs. Later he introduced the use
of other musical instruments like cymbals and mrudung for rhythm. There were times when people interested in his kirtans could not afford an orchestra
for accompaniment. He, therefore, used to sing with accompaniment of harmonium
and tabala only. Wherever he was
invited, he used to take help of local artists for playing the musical
instruments. Such an accompaniment was easily available as Marathi Christian
community in Maharashtra used these musical
instruments in their religious ceremonies.
Suryavanshi never accepted any honorarium for his kirtans. He was also not in favour of passing around a hat or a
plate for collecting donations. He has written in this context, "I charge
money for writing because that is my profession. But I do not charge for kirtan as I consider it worship.
Delivering the kirtan is my way of
thanking God for whatever he has given me. My only expectation is that I should
be paid third class tariff for my to and fro journey. I will not charge for kirtan. That is a commitment I have made
with God!"
The editor of Marathi monthly ‘Niropya’,
Fr. Prabhudhar, who was based at Ajra in Kolhapur
district, once invited Suryavanshi for delivering a kirtan for the Bardeskar
community living in the border area of Maharashtra
- Karnataka. The Bardeskars are
Catholics who had migrated from the Bardez taluka of Goa in late 19th century
and settled in Kolhapur and Sindhudurg districts
of Maharashtra and Belgaum
district of Karnataka. Suryavanshi, accompanied by his wife Mira, toured the
areas and delivered several kirtans
in February 1980. Fr Prabhudhar, who was Ajra parish priest at that time, had
offered his own jeep to the Suryavanshi couple for this purpose. As Suryavanshi
used the medium of kirtan for
religious worships in various villages during the month-long period, the Jesuit
parish priest traveled by State Transport buses to carry out his routine
functions.
There was an overwhelming response to Suryavanshi's kirtan from the Bardeskar community. A few months later, Suryavanshi
wrote a series of articles in 'Niropya'
describing his experiences of performing at the base of the Sahyadri range of
mountains in western Maharashtra and about the Bardeskars who have retained
their distinct cultural identity.
At the end of the series, he wrote, "Fr Prabhudhar utilised my
services as a kirtankar for a whole
month. If any one utilises my services for religious purpose in this fashion
for eleven months, I will be ever thankful to God".
S N Suryavanshi was the first person to acquire respect of the Catholic
and Protestant sects in Maharashtra. With his
writings and kirtans he crossed all
sectarian boundaries. Many people who were acquainted with him were not aware
whether he was a Catholic or a Protestant. Both the Catholics and Protestants
strongly felt that he was one of them. Suryavanshi himself used to say that he
was only a Christian and thus used to mingle freely between the two sects.
Pune
Khristi Sahitya Sangh honoured him with the title 'Sahitya Bhushan ' (Pride of Literature)a few months before his
demise. Several leaders of the Protestant community in Maharashtra
like Sudhir Sharma, then President of Marathi Khristi Sahitya Parishad and
editor of 'Dnyanoday' Marathi
monthly, poet Niranjan Ujagare, and educationist Jayantkumar Tribhuvan, were
present at the function to felicitate this literary giant and kirtankar. Suryavanshi who traveled from
Nashik to Pune for the function stayed at ‘Snehasadan’, an institute run by the
Jesuits. He stayed there as a guest of Fr Joe Gaikwad, the then editor of 'Niropya' monthly. Suryavanshi's
personality was such that he could win admiration of people belonging to both
the sects of Christianity.
In his autobiography 'Aga Je
Kalpile Nahi’, Suryavanshi has said- 'I am a Protestant for the Protestants,
and a Catholic for the Catholics! I have fans in both communities and they
shower equal love on me. For the sake of Christ, I treat them alike.'
Suryavanshi's decade-long career as the editor of 'Aapan' was the zenith of his long writing career. His editorials,
well-researched articles and hilarious columns like 'Narba Liwatoy' (Narba, a fictitious character, writes) won wide
applause in the rural parts of Ahmednagar, Nashik and Aurangabad districts. Many Christian
families, who could not afford to subscribe a daily newspaper, used to await
the arrival of the weekly 'Aapan' and 'Niropya' monthly. Like all weeklies,
'Aapan' used to be released on Sundays and would hit the stands a day or two
earlier. I still recall the Friday evenings when `Aapan' used to land in our
house and how during meals I used to read aloud 'Narba Liwatoy' for everybody
in the family. The conversation between the rustic Narba, his family members
and an old lady next doors, used to be favourite reading for my mother, father and
other members of our family. Over three decades have lapsed since 'Aapan' had
to be closed down but Suryavanshi's Narba, his family and Jiji, the old lady in
the neighbourhood are still alive in my mind. Such was the magic of his writing
skills.
Suryavanshi's literary works include humour pieces, plays, novels,
research papers, radio plays, translated literature, travel accounts, spiritual
literature, biographies, poetry and an autobiography. He wrote biographies of
some Christian missionaries in Maharashtra like the founder of Ahmednagar
College, Dr. Bhaskarrao Hiwale, Sundarabai Pawar, Dr William Wanless of Miraj,
poet Krishnaji Ratnaji Sangale, Rev H. G. Howard of Kodoli, and Rev Bhaskarrao
Ujagare. He has authored about 300 books. His autobiography, 'Aga Je Kalpile Nahi!', published in early 1970s, is one of the
first Dalit autobiographies of Maharashtra, a
trend that virtually revolutionised Marathi literature in the last quarter of
the 20th century.
During his lifetime, Suryavanshi was honoured with various awards and
also presided over various literary gatherings. He was the president of the
Marathi Khristi Sahitya Parishad held in Mumbai in July 1978 and also of the
Marathi Khristi Sahitya Sammelan held at De Nobili College in Pune in the same year.
He was also the president of the second Marathi Dalit Khristi Sahitya Sammelan,
held at Jalna in May 1993.
This great litterateur and journalist passed away at Nashik on June 11,
2000 when he was 85. Suryavanshi used his pen aggressively to refute false
allegations against the Christian community, such as it was not patriotic
enough and its culture was not rooted in this soil.
The 'Aapan' weekly, published
30 years ago, used to pay honorarium to even novice contributors. It shows how
much Suryavanshi respected the creativity and talent of his contributors.
Prestigious periodicals even today do not follow this practice.
While I was in the 10th standard, 'Aapan'
published two of my stories for children and the editor promptly sent me an
honorarium of Rs five each by postal money order. It was a pleasant surprise
for me. It was the first honorarium that I received for writing. It was also
for the first time that I received a postal correspondence in my own name. In
later years, writing became the only source of income as I opted for journalism
and writing as a career. Nonetheless, I still remember the first postal money
order that I received 30 years ago as payment for my writing
During his career as editor, writer and kirtankar for over four-decades, Suryavanshi motivated many
Christian youngsters like me to take up writing and join various media.
Although I have been a fervent admirer of Suryavanshi right from my childhood,
I never got an opportunity to meet him or talk to him. I have always regretted
it.
I never had the occasion to attend his kirtans, which were very popular in the 1970s and 1980s. I was in
Goa, away from Maharashtra, for 14 years when
Suryavanshi was at the peak of his career. This was one of the reasons why I
did not get an opportunity to meet this great person.
A few months before his demise, Suryavanshi was felicitated in Pune and
this was the first and the last time I had an opportunity to see him and hear
him speak. Setting my eyes on him for the first time and noting his every word,
I realised how much of an ardent admirer I was of him. I am sure there would be
many more admirers like me in Maharashtra who
admire and respect Suryavanshi.
References:
-
1) 'Aga Je Kalpile Nahi!'- Satyavan Namdeo Suryavanshi.
Sumant Dayanand Karandikar, Secretary, Bombay
Tract and Book Society, 21 Hajarimal Somani Marg, Mumbai 400 001 (1975). For
Mangal Sahitya Prakashan.
2) 'Suvartik’ (An evangelist) -
Sahityik Acharya S. N. Suryavanshi',
Philomina Bagul, Niropya Magazine, (August 2000).
3)
'Khristi Marathi Vangmay (Father Stephens Te 1960 Akher)' Dr.
Gangadhar Narayan Morje, Publisher - Ahmednagar
College, Ahmednagar and
Snehasadan, Shanivar Peth, Pune 411 030. Distributor - A. J. Prabhu, Vidarbha
Marathwada Book Company, 1334 Shukrawar Peth, Pune 411 002, (1984
--
I joined Tilak High School in Karad as a standard XI student and soon I learnt that the then foreign affairs minister Y B Chavan was an alumnus of the school. Chavan often came to his home-town and I had the opportunity to watch him and hear his speeches from close quarters. Often, he wore his famous grin from ear to ear and mingled with party workers and others freely. These and several other incidents flashed before my mind when his birth centenary celebrations were launched recently.