Diocese: Belgaum
Pioneers: Sisters Eulalia Monteiro, Dulcine Crasta and Rosa Cecily PJ
Hangal is a semi-forest area in the district of Haveri in North Karnataka. The district was been formed in 2001 after being carved out of the district of Gulbarga. In order to present the significance of the presence of the Sisters at Hangal, a demographical portrayal of the setting must be attempted. The newly-formed district was not free from the unjust socio- economic and cultural structures that are common to North Karnataka.
A large section of the people belongs to scheduled castes and tribes at Hangal. The Lingayat community forming majority owns the agricultural and business resources of the place; the rest of the people either marginal farmers or landless labourers, seek employment from the landlords, which is but seasonal. The rest of the time of the year, they migrate outside the district and at times even outside the State. Only ten percent of the families own a bullock cart and on an average 15% of the families own a cow/buffalo/goat/sheep/fouls etc. In their dreadful economic misfortune, they borrow money from landlords and moneylenders; their inability to settle loans, lands them into child labour and bonded labour. The mighty of society exploit the weak to the maximum. They enforce the principle of divide and rule in villages which have resulted in a systematic exploitation of the people. Hangal consists of 40 Gram Panchayats and 173 villages.
The Hangal taluka contains 220 primary schools and only 27 secondary schools, nine pre-university colleges and a single degree college. This is a pointer to the fact of dropout rate in schools. 60% of the children drop out of school by age ten. On an average, 6,919 children drop out from a total number of 38,613 annually, which implies that within a period of five years 90% of the children stay out of school. Poverty and migration, two interrelated factors are the causes of this sorry state of things. Hangal is a multi-cultural locale. Tribal and caste communities hold on to their own customs and norms. Generally they believe in fertility cult. Customs such as early marriage and marriage among relatives are rampant. Devdasi system (offering of girl children to goddess Yellamma in fulfilment of a vow taken; they are later sexually exploited by poojaris) also exists in the region.
In such a setting, the Ursuline Franciscan Sisters were called to proclaim the Kingdom of God. The setting corresponded to a vision of Sr Edilburga, Superior General, to uplift the downtrodden and neglected of society. The project was commenced on an experimental basis in 1997 when Sisters Eulalia Monteiro, Ruth Rodrigues, Grace Alvares and Dulcine Crasta were sent to Mundugod to familiarize themselves with the abject state of the place. As a daring move, they opted to reside individually in villages. The Loyala Vikas Kendra at Mundugod, a Social Action Centre of the Jesuits of Karnataka Province, was the beacon in their dismay and confusion caused by the dismal state of affairs.
Their encounter of the reality for a year equipped them to engage profoundly in their mission at Hangal. On June 5, 1998 at the request of Bishop Bernard Moras of Belguam Diocese the Mangalore Province started a social work centre at Hangal by staying in a house at Kubsat Building in Vijayanagar extension which is located 0.05 kilometres away from the current location of the convent. The house was named Roshni Social Action Centre. Sisters Eulalia Monteiro, Dulcine Crasta and Rosa Cecily PJ were its pioneers. As a preliminary course of action, they studied the situation of Hangal taluk and identified villages for their work. Initially they focused on three villages where the people of Lambani tribe lived. They trained them to take to savings and tailoring. The benefits of the Coaching Centres and Holiday Camps which were established and conducted in villages and exclusively for people from villages were also made available to them. As they worked in villages, walking distant miles and residing in villages amidst people, and facing rejection from them became part of their work.
Being true to its name, Roshni, the Centre spreads rays of hope on everyone – women battered by societal evils, children divested of their childhood by their being forced into child labour, youth who are unemployed due to lack of education, men who are victims of evil habits, and the aged who are neglected by their own. All of these categories are organized under Self-Help- Groups and motivated to achieve liberative empowerment. Young girls are guided to be self-reliant through tailoring and craft. The Youth Clubs and Yuvati Mandals (Clubs for young women) are conscientized regarding their responsibility at home and in society; they are also alerted regarding communicable diseases. The youth in turn communicate the same to people in their respective villages by means of street theatre. They also organize shramadan (donating labour freely) to keep their hamlet clean; people support their initiative by joining them. Meanwhile it must be noted that the beneficiaries of the Sisters’ toil are not Catholics alone, for Hangal consists of only six migrant Catholic families.
In 2000 the Sisters purchased a 9 cents of land to put up a social action centre. The structure was ready on November 20, 2001. Roshni Social Action Centre was inaugurated by Sr Doreen D’Souza, Provincial Superior, and blessed by Bishop Bernard Moras of Belgaum Diocese. The Sisters moved into the Centre on the same day and occupied a part of the building as their residence whereas the other part was used for the social action activities. In 2002 an additional three acre of land was purchased in the adjacent location in view of starting a formal school. Roshni Primary School comprising LKG, UKG, and Class I was started in 2002 in the Centre. On June 2, 2003 the foundation stone was laid for the school building. At the completion of the building on July 24, 2004 it was inaugurated and the classes were shifted to it immediately.
Alongside, a dispensary was established on September 23, 2002. On June 2, 2003 a mobile clinic was added to the dispensary. Social apostolate has been a remarkable feature of Roshni. People from forty villages within the radius of twenty five kilometres from the Centre have been the beneficiaries of the work of the Sisters. In these villages, they have established eighty five SHGs; members of SHGs are trained in various areas of self-reliant programmes and employment. Girl children are accorded utmost importance by the Sisters. In the school they obtain special attention. During school vacation, they are involved in camps, moral value education sessions and in children’s club; they are also provided with the hostel facility in villages. The School offers scholarships to girls from villages scoring highest marks in classes IX and X. Thirteen girls have been availing themselves of this facility thus far. Spoken English classes are being conducted for those interested in learning English.
A tailoring centre has been started at Aregoppa. A large number of women utilize its expertise and benefits. These women are motivated to form themselves into SHGs; they are also animated to contest in civic body elections. Women’s Day celebrations are held at taluka level and cluster level. Environment care has been instilled in people by the distributing of plants; a follow-up of this scheme is maintained. People are provided with benefits of the government schemes. Animators of the Centre at various fields are brought together for regular monthly, quarterly, and yearly evaluation.
Roshni Rehabilitation Centre for addicts was established in on January 26, 2008. Having felt the need of the people to free themselves from the clutches of alcoholism, Roshni reached out to people with a simple and systematic approach. Involvement of the community in bringing the alcoholics to the main sphere was very important. As the people of the locality had no idea of the de-addiction programme, awareness was given to the people on an individual and group basis. Initially de-addiction camps were conducted in the rehabilitation centre which is in the first floor of Roshni building itself. Until 2010 April, addicts were treated in a camp setting. The treatment in the camps brought about good result and people were drawn to Roshni, as it lightened the families and instilled hope among the family members of alcoholics. Later on the Centre felt the need of having a systematic approach in treating the addicts, so 21 days of treatment was introduced on a monthly basis, having the admission on the 5th of every month. This procedure was followed until the centre became aware of the rule of the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, to have de-addiction treatment for 31 days. The treatment for 31 days was introduced from March 2012. As to abide by the rules of Mental health authority license to run de-addiction centre under the Mental Health Act was obtained on June 20, 2012. Now, the Centre has systematic treatment methods with psychological re- educative sessions, therapies, individual and family counseling, spiritual exercises, physical and psychiatric treatment. Every month 10-15 patients get admitted to the Centre and benefit from the treatment. So far 500 patients from the districts of Haveri, Dharwad, Gadag, Bellary, Karwar, Shimoga, Davangere, Mangalore, Gulbarga and Pune have undergone the treatment. Today the Centre is considered as having the best treatment and facilities in the undivided Dharwad district. The regular programme of sensitizing the people through awareness programmes is being carried out.
As the fame of rehabilitation centre began to spread, the thought of having a spacious building for de-addiction activities was put into action by buying 4 acres of land at Nakara Cross, 7 kms away from Roshni. Due to the lack of financial stability to put up a building, at present the land is utilized for agriculture purpose. Mango plantation, cultivation of seasonal crops and rearing of domestic animals are carried out as the income generating activities for the Centre.
The Sisters had been telling themselves constantly that a formal school was a crying need of the place as it was one of the most effective means to progress in any undeveloped setting. Hence in 2003 a school was started with UKG, LKG and Class I in the Centre. Administering a school in the campus buzzing with several activities was found to be challenging. Nonetheless, the Sisters stubbornly carried on with the undertaking until the classes were shifted to the new building at Roshni Teachers’ Quarters in 2008.
Amidst their usual physical exhaustion they have never allowed their spirit to sag. Spiritual assistance is drawn from the diocesan priests from Hirekerur and Haveri and Jesuits from Mundugod. With the erection of St Lawrence parish church and appointment of a resident priest in 2003 at Hangal, the Sisters received additional help in their spiritual life. Regular spiritual exercises are followed in the community in spite of its hectic schedule.
The Sisters have been endeavouring to build one human family at Hangal irrespective of caste and creed. They have enabled the people to realize their human dignity especially by empowering them through people’s organizations. God has certainly worked through them as he did through St Paul, his powerful instrument. God uses the Sisters in the service of his people and the Sisters keep themselves ever open to the promptings of the Holy Spirit.
