Reflections on a Trip to India

Alex Jay - February 2009

     I was privileged to spend 2 weeks in East India, visiting my friend Tony Sukla, who has lived there for almost 10 years. Since this was my first venture into the third world, I was especially grateful to have him as a native guide. I went to check out his various ministries and a major school construction project, hoping to be able to take his place for six months when his Indian visa expires in late May. It was a life-changing experience and, Yahweh willing, I will return to India in May.

     My direct flight from the States landed in Bombai at midnight. I would meet Tony the following afternoon in Hyderabad, the capital of the state Andrah Pradesh in East India. Meanwhile, I was on my own in very unfamiliar territory. Security was high; soldiers with machine guns were everywhere in the city. So were mobs of people along with very heavy and chaotic traffic. I was now in the tropics and would not need my coat or hat until I got home.

     The taxi ride to my hotel was very traumatic; driving in India seems to be a test of nerves and reflexes since there are no lanes or rules and traffic must swerve around cows lying in the road, oxcarts, swarms of bicycles and various types of two- and three-wheeled motorized contraptions. Having settled in at my hotel, I was hungry and wanted to get to a restaurant across the street; I stood there terrorized until a native helped me across the street. None of the vehicles, even buses and taxis, had their lights on.

     In the morning I took a walk; the hotel turned out to be next to a beach, my first glimpse of the Indian Ocean. I saw people sleeping everywhere, curled up under trees, tables, whatever. In the tropical climate, it doesn’t take much to keep warm.  There were also hundreds of people walking on the beach, but they were well-dressed and vibrant, out for a morning stroll before work.

     Later in the morning I was back at the airport to fly across India to Hyderabad, a huge sprawling city near the Gulf of Bengal. The flight took us over the "plateau," a rugged and very dry mountainous region.

     Tony met me at the airport and brought me by taxi into Hyderabad, where we kept the Sabbath and visited a small assembly on the North side of town. The assembly has its own building next door to the pastor’s house; the meeting hall is very pleasant and open. It is on the second floor, above what is to become a nursing home for the elderly. Worship was encumbered by the need for an interpreter; both Tony and I gave short messages to the congregation. The native language in Andra Pradesh is Telegu; it is pleasant to listen to, very hard to learn, and beautiful to look at, with its swirly letters. Most of the rest of India speaks Hindi.

     When visiting such an unfamiliar area, it takes a while to collect your thoughts. My impression at this point of the trip was that India is in extreme bondage. The cities were in total squalor, with trash strewn everywhere and malnourishment rampant. Shrines to various idols are everywhere; it was hard not to make a connection. The most prevalent idol is Lord Gamesh, a hideous fat human body with an elephant’s head, all bright pink. And of course the sacred cows, which obstruct traffic and are a general nuisance, are also worshiped in Hinduism.  On the positive side, I felt no fear, even in large crowds, and saw no crime, drunkenness or immorality. Also, many of the older buildings were stunningly beautiful, with lovely arches and towers.

     After an overnight train ride (you get a small bunk to sleep on) Tony and I were in his village, which is in a remote agricultural area with lots of rice fields and coconut trees, a well watered land. That was Sunday: I saw the local assembly hall, the building which houses the school Tony founded (on the wall facing the road, the 10 Commandments are painted in Telegu) and, a short distance away, the beginnings of a new school building. Part of the new school, which has been funded by generous brethren in Texas, was under roof: The rest consisted of holes in the ground where concrete footers would soon be poured.  I then settled myself into a back room of Tony’s rented house, which would be home for two weeks.  

Tony’s School

     So, what is Brother Tony up to? His main focus is the school, which has 180 students, a staff of about 15 (teachers, cooks, and bus drivers), and is about to have a new building about six times larger than the small one he currently rents. School starts at 9AM with the reciting of the 10 Commandments (yes, using YAHWEH’s name), the days of creation, and Yahshua’s Our Father prayer. The children usually sing a song in English (Tony plays the guitar) and another in their native Telegu. After that the children do some stretching exercises and start their classes. Lunch is served at noon; it consists of locally grown and milled brown rice with vegetables. There is no silverware: The children eat with their right hands off of metal plates, as is the custom in India.  Classes resume at 1PM and end at 4. Buses take the children home in two shifts. Then there are the two sisters who live away from the bus routes: My job was to take them home on Tony’s scooter. I was glad to be useful.

     The children are very exuberant and pleasant to be around. The youngest were four or five and the oldest 15. Most of them were barefoot but wore neat blue uniforms. The girls had long black hair; they applied coconut oil to make it shine. The hard part is going to be telling the children apart; they look a lot alike.

     I was present for the school’s first “PTO” meeting; parents came from far away to voice their expectations for the school. They want their children to learn English, spelling, and computers. Meanwhile, Tony encouraged them to have their children ready early so the bus does not have to wait for them (very few of the students’ homes had clocks in them so this was not easy), and not to let them bring candy or soda to school with them. He encouraged the parents to help the children with homework and make sure they brushed their teeth. You could tell which ones ate candy; their teeth were already rotted. Most of the children, however, had beautiful teeth.

     As previously mentioned, the new building is taking shape, so Tony must watch over the construction crews and monitor their work. All building is done with concrete since termites are such a problem in the tropics.

The Pastors and Assemblies

     After the school, the pastors of the area took a considerable part of Tony’s time and energy.  I met about six of them but understand that there are about 30 or so that he supports and directs. Some of them pastor about three congregations each Sabbath; the brethren have no way to travel so the pastors make the rounds each Sabbath on motor scooters or bicycles. Very few of the pastors speak English; Tony has two trusted people who translate for him. Tony’s cell phone is kept pretty busy. The pastors I met all carried pictures of their congregations, usually taken during the Feast of Tabernacles.

The Telegu Bible Project

     Translating the Bible into Telegu is a challenging undertaking: The first printing is beautifully bound and consists of the New Testament, Psalms, and I think the Pentateuch (first five books).  Telegu letters are very loopy and circular but hard to tell apart. A printing of the whole Bible in Telegu is not far away: Tony is trying to determine how many Hebraic terms to include.

Other Activities

     Tony must feel like an ATM machine most of the time; between the school staff, the pastors, the construction workers at the new school, plus the mechanics that keep the buses and vehicles running. He seems to always be dispensing money. I should mention that he also sends monthly stipends to numerous widows in the faith, who are extremely grateful for his help.  A little goes a long way in India; for example, the whole school budget, including a staff of 15, feeding over a hundred people every day, renting a building and keeping the buses running, is about $780 per month. One of the widows I met lived off of a stipend of 200 ruppees per month: That’s about $4.  Tony is very cautious with his spending and is a trustworthy steward of Yahweh’s resources.

My Calling

     Yahweh willing, I will be going back to India in late May to take Tony’s place for six months; hopefully my wife and some of my children can join me for some of the time. I was certainly out of my comfort zone over there in the cities, but found the slow pace of village life and the joy and enthusiasm of the students at Tony’s school wonderful and uplifting. I am anxious to return there. It’s about the children: Their parents want them to learn English, spelling, and computers. They learn  about Yahweh and His Commandments at the same time, and the salvation provided through Yahshua’s shed blood. I was glad to have a picture of my baptism to show people; there I was, having a life of sin washed away in a feed trough at the Feast back in 1979. I was proud to show it wherever I went. Look what Yahshua did for me!

Click here to see more pictures from India!

HalleluYAH!