One of the heritage and most attractive buildings of Meghalaya, the All Saint’s Cathedral has been a “pilgrim” from 1877 “like a fine-drawn note from a one-stringed lute,” as Nobel Laureate Rabindra Nath Tagore eulogized about the Church in one of his poems.
And yes, neither could the earthquake of 1897 nor the “blazing Sun” of the years gone by could stop the cathedral, affiliated to the Diocese of North East India, from celebrating the centenary year from tomorrow.
Nobel Laureate Rabindra Nath Tagore in his poem “To the Bishop of Assam” in 1922 likened the Church as a “pilgrim” whose journey through the years has been one of salvation for the many of its 50,000 odd followers.
“Built in 1877, the church was razed to the ground in the earthquake of 1897 and was rebuilt and opened for service in 1915 and H Pakenham Walsh was its first Bishop,” Bishop Presely Lyngdoh said after informing about the centenary celebrations.
He said that Rev. Walsh and Tagore were close friends and often met, but during one of his visits they could not meet and so Tagore wrote the poems for the church as “compensation,” Lyngdoh said while proudly handing out copies of the poem to journalists.
“This poem was written to Rev. Walsh and delivered to Rev. CF Andrews. The poet probably tried to make up for his inability to meet Rev. Walsh then,” the Bishop said.
The Church is a fine example of the Elizabethan era as the one of the British engineers Evandel has demonstrated through his superb modeling of the church during the rebuilding process.
It is entirely built out of Teak wood brought from Burma (Myanmar.) The tinted glasses were brought from England. The church has also preserved the original Font and the Bible from 1877, which were salvaged from the wreckage of the Earthquake, Purely Lyngdoh, Vicar of the Church said.
Not just that the All Saint’s Church also has in its compound one of the “oldest and tallest Christmas trees” of the State. The tree is as old as the Church and was planted when the church was built. The majestic Deodar tree stands besides the Church and each year before Christmas is decorated with lights and is one of the attractions of the State.
Bishop Lyngdoh said that during the centenary celebrations, in which delegation from all over the country would participate, more trees would be planted so that they would give company to the Deodar and the Church for many more centuries.
Here is Rabindranath Tagore’s poem dedicated for the All Saint’s Church written in February 20, 1922 from Shantiniketan titled: “To the Bishop in Assam.”
Pilgrim, the night of the weary old year is ended
The blazing Sun brings on you path
The call of the Destroyer,
The fiery scourge for the pollutions of the past.
A thin line of distance stretches along the road
Like a fine-drawn note from a one-stringed lute
Of a beggar seeking his way he has lost.
Let the grey dust of the road be like your nurse:
May she take you up in her arms,
Lead you away from the clasp of clinging reluctance!
Not for you is the music of your home,
The light of the evening lamp
The wistful gaze of the lover keeping watch.
You have ever claimed the boon of life
Which is not in pleasure nor in peace or comfort,
Therefore the time has come for your rejection at every door,
Never fear Pilgrim!
Turn not away from the terror of Truth,
Or the dark Phantom of the unreal:
Accept your final gift from Him
Who takes away everything.
No comments:
Post a Comment