ROYAPURAM CHURCH BECOMES A HOSPITAL
This is not a headline from today's world but something that happened it 1868 in our good old Madras. According to The Indian Medical Gazette, April 1886 the number of people who lost their lives in the Madras Presidency was recorded as 2984. It also mentions that the outlying districts of Madras namely Tondiarpettah, Washermanpettah, Royapuram and Cassemode were most affected. It was during this time of Cholera epidemic that a church in Royapuram becomes a hospital to serve the sick for almost four years. It is recorded in the 175th anniversary book of the church penned by Dr. P. Dayanandan and Anne Dayanandan and published in 2019. This church is now known as CSI Ulaga Meetpar Aalayam.
Dr. Paterson of the Edinburgh Medical Missionary Society was the man responsible for these efforts. "In the two dispensaries he had at Black Town and Royapuram about 120 patients were treated daily and 43000 patients were treated in a year." To serve the sick was seen as a primary need - that even a church was converted to a hospital.
It is wonderful that a church building was not only seen as a holy place of worship but also as a place that can double-up as a building used to serve the sick and dying. Many churches in the 20th century, especially in the rural areas, were just simply not buildings that Christians would flock to religiously every Sunday to have an hour or two of worship and then leave. Then, churches were primarily schools, shelters, crèches, women's tailoring classes, libraries and even clinics. On Sunday the buildings would also work as a church. Is this not more in keeping with the teaching of Jesus?
Have we
forgotten that the church is first and foremost a place which serves people?
This COVID 19 pandemic has reminded us that the churches need not be confined
only to traditional worship because serving those in need is also worship as
mentioned in the Bible. I am happy that many churches have come forward to help
in their own little ways to mitigate the suffering of the poor during the
Corona lockdown period. Now that many restrictions are being removed, should we
go back to our normal ways of looking and understanding what a church is ? Or
should we use this opportunity to challenge ourselves and re-think the role of
the church in the society and as an expression of our faith. Let us throw open
the church doors, let not the church be just a place of worship anymore.
Picture Credit: From the book - The Good News at Royapuram (175th anniversary book of CSI Ulaga Meetpar
Aalayam)
rhodalex@gmail.com
Rhoda Alex
Hello Rhoda,
ReplyDeleteVery interesting. In the ancestry research of my own family I have come across several that died from Cholera at Royapuram and Washermanpettah in the 1850s.
Regards, Celeste
Dear Celeste, First apologies for responding so late. I just saw your comment. Royapuram, Washermanpettah were beyond Black Town that was positioned a little away from the Fort St.George - with it own surrounding wall and had 'Portuguese, Indians, Armenians and a great variety of other people.” At Royapuram and Washermenpettah - labourers and those who provided services such as washing were settled. It was known to be congested and extremely unhygienic. Ofcourse there were pockets of streets and settlements that catered to the elite too.
DeleteChristian missionaries especially from Scotland have tried their best to offer the people here the gospel and access to basic health services and education. A number of dispensaries were opened and primary schools too. Some schools still exist. The missionaries kept dying as soon as they landed here and yet they did not stop coming here to serve the people. I am thrilled to know that your own family tree has a connection to Royapuram and Washermenpettah, I lived in Casemodu till i was 18 and went to a church in Washermenpettah - that was started to serve the poorest of the poor. It was only a circular tent in the beginning. Now it celebrates its 200th Anniversary.
Many persons from England also came here to be part of the administration services. Royapuram had the first Railway Station of South India. A hospital started by the Free Church of Scotland - the Christina Rainy Hospital is functioning still.
Thanks so much for taking the time to write down this comment . Am thrilled.