Special Edition: A Man Called Mr. John
August 23, 2002
(This essay is a revision of the tribute I wrote on my father's 99th birthday)
August 23, 2002 marks the 100th anniversary of the birth of John Kanhai of Syne Village. He was named Premchand and his father's name was Dhanpal. He was nicknamed Kanhai, as he was thought to have been born on the birthday of Lord Krishna, one of whose nicknames was Kanhai. Kanhai became the name by which he was known, and when he was baptized and took a Christian name John was placed ahead of his nickname and he became John Kanhai.
Pa, as we called him, with the exception of our youngest brother, who called him Pappy, had very little schooling, but was by no means uneducated. The started school late. At the time going to school was not the general rule. Missionary workers came and got him from home to take him to school. He quit school in the Third Standard (roughly equivalent to the Third Grade). He was fourteen years old then and decided to go to work to support his family, as his father had died about that time.
Unschooled, but hardly unlettered, he read everything on which he could lay his hands. He bought books and brought them into our home. He had me read aloud to him, and memorize passages and recite them back to him. He read the newspapers every day. He mastered the Bible and knew it as well as the preacher. He loved to argue the Bible and religion, and welcomed Jehovah's Witnesses, as they provided him an opportunity for his favorite past time.
Even more noteworthy than his love of books and reading was the high value he placed on education. He insisted on an education for his children. He recognized the value of a Western style education to help his family get ahead. When he decided to send my eldest sister to High School (which was not free back then) he consulted with the head of the clan, his eldest uncle. He was told that he was trying to "hang his hat higher than he could reach." Yet he went ahead, and later, with the help of his mother, sent my second sister to High School. The school was in another city and they had to travel by 'bus every day. To this day I can't understand how he managed the transportation, uniforms, books and school fees on his weekly income of $8 (which also fed the whole family). A couple of years later it was my turn, and then my brother, and so on to the rest of the family.
Thus he opened a way, not only for his children, but also for relatives, including his uncle who scoffed at his ambitions. Indeed, his vision opened up the possibility for a poor family to send their children to get a higher education for the rest of the community, and for relatives who lived elsewhere. The impact of that single leap of faith cannot be easily measured. The teachers, university lecturers, business people, doctors, lawyers and assorted others who still make positive contributions to that and other societies and the impact of their influence on others for generations must all be included in the tally.
His vision and passion for social justice were equally ahead of his times. I remembered his involvement in the trade union movement, especially as many of the meetings were held "under" our house. He pioneered the credit union movement in our village. Again, the meetings were held "under" our house. Later, when a consumers' co-operative was formed, it was the small grocery store that he and Ma operated that became the Consumers' Cooperative. I have tried to understand the roots of this vision in his life, but I have no idea. I do know the source of the passion for social justice I've felt present in my siblings, sometimes even in greater intensity than in me. I am convinced in my own mind that this is something I learned from him. The concern he expressed for the welfare of others, from his visiting people in the community of whose difficulties he was aware, to sheltering in our home the vulnerable and needy, to running the shop as a ministry which was more of a benefit to others than it was profitable to him, --in all these ways his social conscience was expressed. I don't recall his teaching any of this specifically, but his example spoke so loudly that it could not be resisted.
Beyond his love for learning, for books, for education and his passion for social justice was his thirst for spiritual fulfillment. The sadhu in him continued his search even after he had embraced Christianity. His unspoken desire for me to enter into the ministry was a secret to me until after I was ordained. Yet, certainly, his whole lifestyle, the way he raised his family, and his personal impact on me were major forces which directed me toward ministry. His complete commitment to the local church and his activity as a life elder of the Presbyterian Church were daily examples of his faith which impacted us all.
In these and in many other ways he spread his spirituality, his social conscience, his love of books and of learning much farther than he could have ever known. Our children have no idea of the fact that some of these influences have been a part of their own formation, nor of how great that influence has been. The people whose lives we touch with compassion and gentleness are not aware that it is his touch mediated through us. Mr. John, as many of the villagers called him, is alive in real and powerful ways long after he is no longer with us in the flesh.
So, today, I have been saying inwardly in my spirit, "Happy Centennial Birthday, Pa! Thank you for so much more than you knew you gave!"
(This essay is a revision of the tribute I wrote on my father's 99th birthday)
August 23, 2002 marks the 100th anniversary of the birth of John Kanhai of Syne Village. He was named Premchand and his father's name was Dhanpal. He was nicknamed Kanhai, as he was thought to have been born on the birthday of Lord Krishna, one of whose nicknames was Kanhai. Kanhai became the name by which he was known, and when he was baptized and took a Christian name John was placed ahead of his nickname and he became John Kanhai.
Pa, as we called him, with the exception of our youngest brother, who called him Pappy, had very little schooling, but was by no means uneducated. The started school late. At the time going to school was not the general rule. Missionary workers came and got him from home to take him to school. He quit school in the Third Standard (roughly equivalent to the Third Grade). He was fourteen years old then and decided to go to work to support his family, as his father had died about that time.
Unschooled, but hardly unlettered, he read everything on which he could lay his hands. He bought books and brought them into our home. He had me read aloud to him, and memorize passages and recite them back to him. He read the newspapers every day. He mastered the Bible and knew it as well as the preacher. He loved to argue the Bible and religion, and welcomed Jehovah's Witnesses, as they provided him an opportunity for his favorite past time.
Even more noteworthy than his love of books and reading was the high value he placed on education. He insisted on an education for his children. He recognized the value of a Western style education to help his family get ahead. When he decided to send my eldest sister to High School (which was not free back then) he consulted with the head of the clan, his eldest uncle. He was told that he was trying to "hang his hat higher than he could reach." Yet he went ahead, and later, with the help of his mother, sent my second sister to High School. The school was in another city and they had to travel by 'bus every day. To this day I can't understand how he managed the transportation, uniforms, books and school fees on his weekly income of $8 (which also fed the whole family). A couple of years later it was my turn, and then my brother, and so on to the rest of the family.
Thus he opened a way, not only for his children, but also for relatives, including his uncle who scoffed at his ambitions. Indeed, his vision opened up the possibility for a poor family to send their children to get a higher education for the rest of the community, and for relatives who lived elsewhere. The impact of that single leap of faith cannot be easily measured. The teachers, university lecturers, business people, doctors, lawyers and assorted others who still make positive contributions to that and other societies and the impact of their influence on others for generations must all be included in the tally.
His vision and passion for social justice were equally ahead of his times. I remembered his involvement in the trade union movement, especially as many of the meetings were held "under" our house. He pioneered the credit union movement in our village. Again, the meetings were held "under" our house. Later, when a consumers' co-operative was formed, it was the small grocery store that he and Ma operated that became the Consumers' Cooperative. I have tried to understand the roots of this vision in his life, but I have no idea. I do know the source of the passion for social justice I've felt present in my siblings, sometimes even in greater intensity than in me. I am convinced in my own mind that this is something I learned from him. The concern he expressed for the welfare of others, from his visiting people in the community of whose difficulties he was aware, to sheltering in our home the vulnerable and needy, to running the shop as a ministry which was more of a benefit to others than it was profitable to him, --in all these ways his social conscience was expressed. I don't recall his teaching any of this specifically, but his example spoke so loudly that it could not be resisted.
Beyond his love for learning, for books, for education and his passion for social justice was his thirst for spiritual fulfillment. The sadhu in him continued his search even after he had embraced Christianity. His unspoken desire for me to enter into the ministry was a secret to me until after I was ordained. Yet, certainly, his whole lifestyle, the way he raised his family, and his personal impact on me were major forces which directed me toward ministry. His complete commitment to the local church and his activity as a life elder of the Presbyterian Church were daily examples of his faith which impacted us all.
In these and in many other ways he spread his spirituality, his social conscience, his love of books and of learning much farther than he could have ever known. Our children have no idea of the fact that some of these influences have been a part of their own formation, nor of how great that influence has been. The people whose lives we touch with compassion and gentleness are not aware that it is his touch mediated through us. Mr. John, as many of the villagers called him, is alive in real and powerful ways long after he is no longer with us in the flesh.
So, today, I have been saying inwardly in my spirit, "Happy Centennial Birthday, Pa! Thank you for so much more than you knew you gave!"
posted by cornelius @ 7:24 AM
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