Page 11 - PushpaTarang_July

DOUBTER CONVINCED

Rev. Fr. Mathew Puthenpura CST

I had the rare chance to visit the Sewagram Ashram, Wardha
during my theology studies at St Charles seminary, Nagpur.
(1977-81) Every academic year we were given the permis-

sion for a one-day outing. Some of us came together and made
the strategy to visit Acharya
Vinobha Bhava’s Ashram.
He was an Indian advocate
of non-violence and human
rights. Often called Acha-
rya, he is best known for the
‘Bhoodan Movement’. He
was the disciple of Mahatma

Gandhi.
The day we reached the Ash-
ram was a day of fasting and
silence for Acharya Vinobha.
The inmates of the ashram
gave us the permission to
have a gaze of him. We were
asked to give our names in
writing. We were six in the
group and the name of one brother was Thomas. Vinobha
scribbled something at the back of the paper and gave back to

us.
“Doubting Thomas”, he wrote. It came as a surprise for us.
The world today is full of doubting Thomases. In fact, a little
of Thomas lurks in us all. Many today simply do not believe