Celebrating the Prophetic Life of Stan Swamy on his 84th Birthday
Fr. Stan Swamy, celebrates his 84th birthday on 26th April. Although we are sad that he is forced to celebrate his birthday in solitude inside the prison walls near Mumbai, yet we celebrate the gift of his life - life as a prophet of truth and justice and a voice of the voiceless. Stan, is called ‘a torchbearer of the Constitution’, ‘a friend and a warrior of adivasis’, and ‘an ally of the oppressed’. Hence, let us celebrate the gift of his life and together with Fr. Arturo Sosa, Superior General of the Society of Jesus we say, “Stan, with you we thank GOD for your life and the graces you have received and shared with your people and companions. Thanks for your testimony and for being a witness of the new life in Christ. God bless you”
Stan, born in Tamil Nadu (South India) in 1937, he entered the Society of Jesus in 1957. On completing his Jesuit formation he was ordained a priest in 1970. Since then, he spent most of his life in 3 places: Bangalore, Chaibasa and Ranchi. He established the zonal social centre called Bagaicha in Ranchi in 2006 after the creation of the Jharkhand tribal state in 2000. This centre primarily focusses on empowering the adivasis, through training, research,documentation and advocating for the rights of people over their land water and forest. Stan was arrested on 8th October 2020 from Bagaicha under a draconian anti-terror law, Unlawful Activities [Prevention] Act (UAPA) and denied bail on March 22nd by a Special National Investigation Agency (NIA) court in Mumbai.
Ms. Marie Marcel Thekaekara, a writer and a very good friend of Stan for decades says, “He is one of the gentlest, kindest, softest-spoken men I have ever met. You practically have to strain to catch his words. Fr. Swamy has been accused of being a Maoist terrorist. This word conjures up a violent person who exhorts people to revolt, bombs symbols of authority, destroys, murders and does anything else it takes to overthrow the state. But his is the antithesis of this.”
Jean Dreze, a Belgian-born Indian development economist, known to Stan for over a decade describes him as a “gentle and honest man, always on time, secular and committed to his causes.”
Mr. Xavier Dais, another close activist friend of Stan in Ranchi says, “For Stan, people weremore important than anything else. He leapt across the wall of Church institutions to be with the people.”
His own Jesuit companion PM Tony says, “For Stan, true religion is standing for justice, humanity and truth. His ideas made many within the Church uncomfortable. To them, he was a radical of sorts. But, this was his life’s mission, and many activists, including myself, were inspired by his journey.”
Having known Stan personally for close to 3 decades, I can say with conviction that Stan is a prophet, a man of God who is never afraid to speak truth to power. As a strong believer in Jesus Christ, he never spoke about his faith but lived it fully in his daily living by walking with the vulnerable adivasis.
Xavier Jeyaraj, SJ
26th April 2021
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