Friday November 22 2013

Looking Back: An Indian Elder

A tribute to an Indian Christian convert who became a church leader. First published in November 1903.

AN INDIAN ELDER

By the Rev. R. KILGOUR

THE portrait is that of Suktring of Darjeeling. This article is a tribute of affection and sorrow and thankfulness to his memory.

Thirty or thirty-five years ago, Suktring was a student in a Buddhist monastery. There he learned the Tibetan letters, and the first lessons of a future Lama. He attended to the “things of the altar”; prepared the vestments, and the food and drink of the priest under whose care he had been put.

Only when he was about eighteen or nineteen did he hear of the Christian religion, and was not long in finding in it a peace and a joy and a salvation which he had never experienced, nor ever had been taught to hope for. Without professing himself a Christian, or even being on probation for baptism, he began to engage in prayer and other forms of Christian duty. As he accompanied Mr. Macfarlane on his journeys, the great missionary got to know the deep humility and devotion of the lad. At last, after several years, he could hold out no longer, and in June 1877 he was admitted by baptism into the Church of Christ.

After his baptism he continued for some eight or ten years as Mission chaprassi or messenger. No more useful servant, no more faithful Christian, ever served the Mission.

Had he been an educated man he would have been given more definite spiritual work long before it was given him. But he knew no more than the rudiments. He could with difficulty spell out a manuscript; and indeed learning was never his forte; even to the end he could only read the Bible with difficulty. But his heart was consecrated. That was most evident. And when a preacher and catechist was required for one of the out-stations called Kainjilia, there can be no doubt that Mr. Turnbull was wisely guided in appointing the faithful, earnest Suktring.

At that out-station, and in all the villages around, Suktring went preaching the Gospel and leaving an influence for good wherever he went. The European missionaries often declared in private and in public that a visit to Suktring and a glimpse of his work did more to encourage them than they could do to encourage him. One felt one was in the presence of a man of God. His prayers were the outpouring of a heart which dwelt much within the veil. His quiet gentle way with all his parish, Christian or non-Christian, was very remarkable. Like all the finest Lepchas, he was one of nature’s gentlemen.

Progress, however, was very slow at Kainjilia. Like Saint Paul, our Indian elder wanted to preach to those in other parts, where he felt his message would be more earnestly listened to. Leaving a Christian teacher at Kainjilia, Suktring went farther north and broken new ground at Kizom. The first-fruit of his work here was the conversion of a whole Lepcha family to Christ. When the Lamas heard of it they instituted a persecution against the convert. Using the Rajah’s name, they fined him Rs.50 for becoming a Christian. Suktring sent word to Darjeeling that this had been done, and asked if no steps could be taken to expose the injustice. We were not long in bringing the matter directly to the notice of our friend Rajah Tenduk, and this persecution was stopped immediately. Instead of doing harm, it really did good to the work.

Suktring rapidly won his way into the affections of the people. First one, then another, of the Lepchas asked to be admitted into the Christian Church. When the congregation numbered about sixty, they set themselves to build a permanent church on one of the most beautiful spots in the Eastern Himalayas. In this they were most kindly helped by the late Rajah Tenduk. The Church was dedicated to the worship of the true God on the 14^th of October 1894. Every year since, the number of those desiring to join the Church has been increasing. For the last two years the baptisms at Kizom have been more numerous than at any of the stations, more numerous even than at Darjeeling itself.

At Suktring’s suggestion, he was set free from the travelling, which was becoming burdensome to a man of his years, and a younger man was sent over to help him. He himself took the second place from the day of his assistant-and-successor’s arrival, helping him all he could, giving him all the honour of his new, position, and quietly himself retiring into the background. A dispensary and hospital have since been erected, again with the help of our good friend Rajah Tenduk (after his death this dispensary was termed the Tenduk Memorial Dispensary).

A severe epidemic visited the district. One of the first to become ill was dear old Suktring. Everything was done to try and ward off a fatal issue. But the tired worker needed his rest. He entered into the joy of his Lord.

The present writer was a witness of the unanimous respect in which his fellow-worker was held by both Christians and non-Christians. They crowded the Church as we carried the coffin and laid it before the Communion Table, where Suktring, elder, had so often taught his flock. An American visitor, who had never seen or heard of Suktring before, confessed how deeply he was touched by the dead man’s hold on the people’s regard.

As the shades of evening fell, we laid our friend to rest in a grave on the hillside, just overlooking the church and hospital which he had built, and in full view of the work of which he had so wisely laid the foundations. One could not mourn as those who have no hope. One praised God for giving us such a faithful, earnest, humble worker, and earnestly prayed that those who are left may be as much used as he was in building up the kingdom of God.

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