Amish`

BIOGRAPHY OF MAHATMA PHULE by Dr. Y. D. Phadke. for the bo†¦ http://www. dalitstan. org/books/slavery/slavry_b. html 1 of 6 6/23/2005 1:02 PM ——- O ——- Slavery by Mahatma Phule ——- O ——- Biography of Mahatma Phule Dr. Y. D. Phadke. [This brief Life Sketch of Mahatma Jotirao Phule is written by the noted the scholar Dr. Y. D. Phadke. He is the editor of the Collected Words of Mahatma Phule in Marathi. He is also an eminent scholar of Mahatma Phule and the Satyashodhak Movement. ] JOTIRAO GOVINDRAO PHULE occupies a unique position among the social reformers of Maharashtra in the nineteenth century.While other reformers concentrated more on reforming the social institutions of amily and marriage with special emphasis on the status and right of women, Jotirao Phule revolted against the unjust caste system under which millions of people had suffered for centuries. In particular, he courageously upheld the cause of the untouchabl es and look up the cudgels for the poorer peasants. He was a militant advocate of their right. The story of his stormy life is an inspiring saga of a continuous struggle whih he waged relentlessly against the forces of reaction.Though some keen observers of the social scene in Maharashtra like Narayan Mahadeo Parmananda did acknowledge his greatness in his lifetime, it is only in is only in recent decades that there is increasing appreciation of his service and sacrifice in uplifting the masses. Jotirao Phule was born in 1827. His father, Govindrao was a vegetable-vendor at Poona. Originally Jotirao's family known as Gorhays, came from Katgun, a village in the Satara district of Maharashtra, His grandfather Shetiba Gorhay settled down in Poona. Since Jotirao's father and two uncles served as florists under the last of the Peshwas, they came to be known as `Phule'.Jotirao's mother passed away when he was hardly one year old. After completing his primary education, Jotirao had to leav e the school and help his father by working on the family's farm. Jotirao's marriage was celebrated when he was not even thirteen. Impressed by Jotirao's intelligence and his love of knowledge two of his neighbours, one a Muslim teachr and another a Christian gentleman persuaded his father Govindrao to allow him to study in a secondary school. In 1841, got admission in the Scottish Mission's High School at Poona. It was in his this school that he met SadashivBIOGRAPHY OF MAHATMA PHULE by Dr.Y. D. Phadke. for the bo†¦ http://www. dalitstan. org/books/slavery/slavry_b. html 2 of 6 6/23/2005 1:02 PM Ballal Govande, a Brahmin, who remained a close friend throughout his life. Both Jotirao and Govande were greatly influenced by Thomas Paine's ideas and they read with great interest Paine's famous book ‘The Rights of Man. ‘ Moro Vithal Valvekar and Sakharam Yashwant Paranjapye were two other Brahmin friends of Jotirao who in later years stood by him in all his activities. After completing his secondary education in 1847 Jotirao decided not to accept a job under the Government.An incident in 1848 made him aware of the iniquities of the caste system, the predominant position of the Brahmin in the social setup. He was invited to attend a wedding of one of his Brahmin friends. As the bridegroom was taken in a procession, Jotirao accompanied him along with the relatives of his Brahmin friends. Knowing that Jotirao belonged to the Mil caste which was considered to be inferior by the Brahmins, the relatives of the bridegroom insulted and abused him. Jotirao left the procession and retuned home. With tears in his eyes, he narrated his experience to his father who tried to pacify him.After this incident Jotirao made up his mind to defy the caste-system and serve the Shudras and women who were deprived of all their rights as human beings under the caste-system. Education of women and the lower castes, he believed, deserved priority, Hence he began educating hi s wife Savitribai and opened a girls' school in August 1848. The orthodox opponents of Jotirao were furious and they started a vicious campaign against him. He refused to be unnerved by their malicious propaganda. As no teacher dared to work in a which untouchable were admitted as students, Jotirao asked his wife to teach the girls in his school.Stones and brickbats were thrown at her when she was on her way to the school. The reactionaries threatened Jotirao's father with dire consequences if he did not dissociate himself Yielding to the pressure, Jotirao's father asked his son and the daughter in-law to leave his house as both of them refused to give up their noble endeavor. Though the school had to be closed for sometime due to lack of funds, Jotirao re-opened it with the help of his Brahmin friends Govande and Valvekar. On 3 July 1851, he founded a girls' school in which eight girls were admittedon the first day. Steadily the number of student increased.Savitribai taught in this school also and had to suffer a lot because of hostility of the orthodox people. Jotirao opened two more girl's schools during 1851-52 in a memorial addressed to the Education Commission (popularly known as the Hunter Commission ) in 1882, he described his activities in the field of education, ` A year after the institution of the female school I also established and indigenous mixed school for the lower classes, especially the Mahars and Mangs. Tow more school for these classes were subsequently added. I continued to work in them for nearly nine to ten years'.Jotirao was aware that primary education among the masses in the Bombay Presidency was very much neglected. He argued that ‘a good deal of their poverty,BIOGRAPHY OF MAHATMA PHULE by Dr. Y. D. Phadke. for the bo†¦ http://www. dalitstan. org/books/slavery/slavry_b. html 3 of 6 6/23/2005 1:02 PM their want of self-reliance, their entire dependence upon the learned and intelligent classes' could be attribute to the Br itish Government for spending profusely a lar portion of revenue on the education of the higher classes. According to him. this policy resulted in the virtual monopoly of all the higher offices under the Government by the Brahmins.Jotirao boldly attacked the stranglehold of the Brahmins, who prevented others from having access to all the avenues of Knowledge and influence. He denounced them as cheats and hypocrites. He asked the masses to resist the tyranny of the Brahmins. All his writings were variation on this theme. His critics made fun of his ignorance of grammar and philology, his inelegant language and far-fetched interpretation of Indian history and the ancient texts. They brushed his criticism aside by saying that he was merely echoing what the Christian missionaries had said about the Indian society in general and Brahmin in particular.The established scholars in his time did not take Phule's arguments seriously. His critics did not realise that Jotirao's acrimonious criti cism was basically a spontaneous outburst of a genuine concern for the equal rights of human beings Emotionally he was so deeply involved in his work that he could not make a dispassionate analysis and take a detached view of the social forces. Jotirao's deep sense of commitment to basic human values made it difficult for him to restrain himself when he witnessed injustice and atrocities committed in the name of religion by those who were supposed to be its custodians.Widow remarriages were banned and child-marriage was very common among the Brahmin and other upper castes in the then Hindu society. Many widows were young and not all of them could live in a manner in which the orthodox people expected them to live. Some of the delinquent widows resorted to abortion or left their illegitimate children to their fate by leaving them on the streets. Out of pity for the orphans, jotirao Phule established an orphanage, possible the first such institution founded by a Hindu. Jotirao gave pr otection to pregnant widows and assured them that the orphanage would take care of their children.It was in this orphanage run by Jotirao that a Brahmin widow gave birth to a boy in 1873 and Jotirao adopted him as his son. For sometime, Jotirao worked as a contractor for the government and supplied building material required for the construction of a huge barrage at Khadakvasala near Poona. He had a direct experience of working with the officials of the Public Works Department which was notorious as a hotbed of corruption. Except the British officers holding very high positions in the Department. the clerks and other officers were invariably Brahmin and they exploited the illiterate workers.Jotirao felt in necessary to explain to the workers how they were duped by the Brahmin officials . in one of the ballads composed by him, he described vividly the fraudulent practices resorted to by the Brahmin officials in the Public Works Department (printed at the end of `Slavery')BIOGRAPHY OF MAHATMA PHULE by Dr. Y. D. Phadke. for the bo†¦ http://www. dalitstan. org/books/slavery/slavry_b. html 4 of 6 6/23/2005 1:02 PM In 1868, Jotirao decided to give access to the untouchables to small bathing tank mere his house.In his controversial book called Slavery published in June 1873, Jotirao included a manifesto which declared that he was willing to dine with all regardless of their caste, creed or country of origin. It is significant that several newspapers refused to give publicity to the manifesto because of its contents. His book Slavery was severely criticised for its `venomous propaganda' against the Brahmins. Jotio dedicated this book `to the good people of the United States as a token of admiration for their sublime, disinterested and self sacrificing devotion in the cause of Negro Slavery'. The book is written in the form of a dialogue.After tracing the history of the Brahmin domination in India, Jotirao examined the motives and objects of cruel and inhuman laws framed by the brahmins. Their main object in fabricating these fasehoods was to dupe the minds of the ignorant and rivet firmly on them the chains of perpetual bondage and slavery which their selfishness and cunning had forged, The severity of the laws as affecting the Sudras and the intense hatred with which they were regarded by the Brahmins can be explained on no other supposition but that there was, originally between the two, a deadly feud arising from the advent of the latter in to this land.Jotirao argued that the sudras were the sons of the soil while the Brahmins came from outside and usurped everything that was possessed by the `not one hundredth part of the rogueries' that were generally practsed on his `poor, illiterate and ignorant Sudra brethren'. On 24 September 1873 , Jotirao convened a meeting of his followers and admirers and it was decided to form the ‘Satya Shodhak Samaj' (Society of Seekers of Truth) with Jotirao as its first president and treasurer. Ever y member had to take pledge of loyalty to the British Empire.The main objectives of the organisation were to liberate the Shudras and Ati Shudras and to prevent their exploitation by the Brahmins. All the members of the Satya Shodhak Samaj were expected to treat all human being as children of God and worship the Creator without the help of any mediator. Membership was open to all and the available evidence proves that some Jews were admitted as members. In 1876. Jotirao refused to regard the Vedas as sacrosanct. He opposed idolatry and denounced the chaturvarnya. In his book Sarvajanik Satya Dharma Pustak published in 1891, his views on religious and social issues are given in the form of f dialogue.According to him,both men and women were entitled to enjoy equal rights and it was a sin to discriminate between human being on the basis of sex. He stressed the unity of man and envisaged a society based on liberty, equality and fraternity. He was aware that religious bigotry and aggres sive natioalism destroy the unity of man. In 1876 Jotirao was nominated as a member of the Poona Municipality, He tried to help the people in the famine-stricken areas of Maharashtra when a severe famine in 1877 forced people in the rural area to leave their villages.Some of them had to leave their children behind and appeal issued on 17 May 1877 by Jotirao indicates that theBIOGRAPHY OF MAHATMA PHULE by Dr. Y. D. Phadke. for the bo†¦ http://www. dalitstan. org/books/slavery/slavry_b. html 5 of 6 6/23/2005 1:02 PM Victoria Orphanage was founded under the auspices of the Satya Shodhak Samaj to took after these unfortunate children. From the beginning of the year 1879 Krishnarao Bhalekar, one of his colleagues, edited a weekly called Deenbandhu which was the organ f the Satya Shodhak Samaj.The weekly articulated the grievances of the peasants and workers. Deenbandhu defended Jotirao when Vishnushastri Chiplunkar, a powerful spokesmen of the conservative nationalists, attacked Jot irao's writing in the most vitriolic style. Narayan Meghaji Lokhande was another prominent colleague of Jotirao, Lokhande is acclaimed as the Father of Trade Union Movement in India From 1880 onward, he look over the management of Deenbabdhu which published from Bombay. Along with Lokhande. Jotirao also addressed the meetings of the textile workers in Bombay.It is significant that before and his colleagues Bhalekar and Lokhande tried to organise the peasants and the workers, no such attempt was made by any organisation to redress their grievances. One of the charges levelled by Jotirao against the leaders of the Brahmo Samaj and the Prarthana Samaj, the Sarvajanik Sabha and the Indian National Congress was that despite their programmes, in reality, they did very little to improve the lot of the masses. He felt that these organisations were dominated by the Brahmins and were not truly representative in character.In his booklet called Satsara (The Essence of Truth) published in June 1 885, he criticised the Brahmo Samaj and the Prarthana Samaj. Addressing their leaders he declared, ‘We don't need the help of your organisations. Don't worry about us' In his book, Sarvajanik Sabha or the Indian National Congress. He warnhat the persistent demand made by these organisation for Indianisation of the administrative services, if accepted, would lead to Brahminisation of the service in India.He thought that it was difficult to create a sense of nationality so long as the restriction on dining and marrying outside the caste continued to observed by people belonging to different castes. Education of the masses would promote the process of nation-making. It should be remembered that just as Jotirao did not mince words when he criticised the leaders of tormist movement he was equally fearless in criticising the decision of the alien rulers which did not contribute to the welfare of the masses.When the government wanted to grant more licences for liquor-shop, Jotirao co ndemned this move as he believed that addiction to liquor would ruin many poor families. On 30 November 1880, the President of the Poona Municipality requested the members of approve his proposal of spending one thousand rupees on the occasion of the visit of Lord Lytton, the Governor-General of India. The official wanted to present him an address during his visit to Poona. Lytton had passed an Act which resulted in gagging the press and Deenbandhu, the organ of the Satya Shodhak Samaj, had protested against the restriction on the right to freedom of the press.Jotirao did not like the idea of spending the money of the tax- payers in honouring a guest like Lytton. HeBIOGRAPHY OF MAHATMA PHULE by Dr. Y. D. Phadke. for the bo†¦ http://www. dalitstan. org/books/slavery/slavry_b. html 6 of 6 6/23/2005 1:02 PM boldly suggested that the amount could be very well spent on the education of the poor people in poona. He was the only member out of all the thirty-two nominated members of th e Poona Municipality who voted against the official resolution. Another incident also revealed his attachment for the poor easant and his courage in drawing the attention of member of the British royal family to the sufferings of the framers in rural areas, On 2 March 1888, Hari Raoji Chiplunkar, a friend of Jotirao, arranged a function in honour of the Duke and Duchess of Connaught. Dressed like a peasant, Jotirao attended the function and made a speech,. He commented on the rich invitees who displayed their wealth by wearing diamond studded jewellery and warned the visiting dignitaries that the people who had gathered there did not represent India.If the Duke of Connaught was really interested in finding out the condition of the Indian subjects of Her Majesty the Queen of England, Jotirao suggested that the ought to visit some nearby village as well as the areas in the city occupied by the untouchables. He requested the Duke of Connaught who was a gandson of Queen Victoria to conv ey his message to her and made a strong plea to provide education to the poor people, Jotirao's speech created quit a stir. Throughout his life.Jotirao Phule fought for the emancipation of the downtrodden people and the struggle which he launched at a young age ended only when he died on 28 November 18 He was a pioneer in many fields and among his contemporaries he stands out as one who never wavered in his quest for trust for and justice, Thought he was often accused of fomenting hatred between the non Brahmins, very rarely an attempt was made to consider his scathing criticism in a broad perspective.The later generation also took considerable time to understand and appreciate the profound significance of his unflinching espousal of the rights of man remained till the end of his life a major theme of his writings and a goal of his actions. [p. xxii] Dr. Y. D. PHADKE – o o O o o – [ Table of Contents ] [ Preface >> THE END Amish Janie Kiester Mini Ethnography on Amish Dinner Instructor, Michelle Stone, PhD Amish/Mennonite Information: Today there are over 12 different Amish and Mennonite groups in the Shipshawana area. They do not permit electricity or telephones in their homes. By restricting access to television, radio, and telephones, the Amish feel they are better able to keep the modern world from intruding into their home life. The Amish have long preferred farming as a way of life. They feel their lifestyle and their families can best be maintained in a rural environment. While they do not permit the use of tractors in their fields, these traditional Amish groups do use modern farm equipment pulled by teams of horses or mules. These traditional Amish groups do not own or operate automobiles, believing that cars would provide easier access to the ways of the world. You often see their horses and buggies on the streets of Shipshawana. These traditional groups wear plain clothing styles, which has earned them the name â€Å"Plain People†. It is the simple, peaceful lifestyle of these plain people that attracts such a curiosity today. Many wonder how these people can survive in their supposedly backward ways. Well, they're not only surviving – they're thriving. Since 1960, the Amish population in Shipshewana has almost tripled. Their separation from the rest of society actually helps to strengthen their community. Amish children attend Amish one-room school houses through the eighth grade. Amish worship services are held every other week in one of the member's homes. Socializing is an important part of Amish life. The Amish have a strong sense of community spirit, and often come to the aid of those in need. Their barn raisings are a good example and neighbors freely give of their time and their skills to help one another. The Amish are generally private people and often find all the attention and curiosity about their lifestyle disturbing. They believe that the taking of photographs where someone is recognizable is forbidden by the Biblical prohibition against making any ‘graven image. With our society's current interest in restoring ‘family values', much can be learned from studying the Amish way of life. Their devotion to family and community and their strong work ethic are good examples of a much larger society. I was invited to attend the Amish Dinner in the home of J and B Yoder, of Shipshawana on October 16, 2010, at 6:00pm. Six other people were invited to attend this special dinner and I arrived early so I could observe them as they arrived. The home was completely inviting and decorated in wood furniture and homemade furnishings; anyone would be of comfort. Small Amish children could be found running around, lots of women with aprons carrying food dishes to the eating area, even a dog was barking and running about while all this commotion was happening. I talked to Mrs. Yoder, the wife of Mr. Yoder, who is the head of the household. I asked her many questions about being Amish, living with extend family, and what her culture is like on a day to day basis. She excitingly talked about her family and her ideal culture of being Amish. She went on to talk about the huge amounts of work that has to be done each day and each person residing in the home has their own responsibilities. She named a few of hers, including laundry by hand, bathing the 7 young children, making 12 loafs of bread everyday and the cleaning. She laughed at having 4 ovens and it still isn't enough for her family. The powerful leaders in her group are definitely the men. Then use the law of consecration and when someone needs help it is done together as a community in the order of need. If a family needs food, housing, transportation, then they give from within. She comments about being born and raised Amish and that she does not know a life outside it. She does enjoy the family unity the culture provides, the sense of well-being and the quiet lifestyle. The first to arrive was the Adam's Family. There were two adults and two small children. They entered the house with much gratitude and was introduced to Mr. and Mrs. Yoder. The children were brought into the playroom to play with the Amish children. I stood in the doorway to observe the children and noticed the conversation was all about the Amish child's clothing. A Adams, was asking the sweet Amish boy why he had to wear the same out fit as the other Amish boys and men. He even asked if it was his Halloween costume. It was amazing to me that at the age of 5, Alex knew that the clothing was out of his social norm. He also was well aware that this Amish boy was not of his same social group. The Amish boy was very quiet and did not answer the questions he was asked. He sat quietly and played with a hand made wooden truck. C Adams, the older boy pulled out his Nintendo DS System and started playing with it. The Amish boy asked him if it was a calculator. C Adams, showed the Amish boy the video game system and he watched but never took the offer to play it. Mrs. Adams was in the kitchen trying to help but her attempts were turned down by the sweet Amish women. The next to arrive was a black couple. They were not as out going and gracious as the Adam's family. They sat at the table and did not get up and look around or offer any assistance to the Amish women. I walked up to this couple and introduced myself to them. They had just moved to the area and was invited to the dinner by friends. They currently had no knowledge or experience with the Amish and were amazed by their lifestyle. They were anxious to try the delicious food they kept hearing all about. They also commented on never knowing anyone who could live life without cars, electricity etc. The black man did ask if there were black Amish families in the area and Mr. Yoder commented that he did not know of any and that he was sure there were African Americans who partake in his same culture. Once the guests were all arrived, they were all invited to gather into the garage area where there were long tables set up for the dinner. Young girls wore cute aprons and were introduced as our servers for the evening. The group was overall very quiet and full of observation. There were a few babies fussing but other then that you heard very little chatter. Mr. and Mrs. Yoder came out and welcomed everyone formally and asked to say a blessing on the food. This was definitely part of their beliefs and everyone took the gesture kindly. We then sat as the young Amish girls brought platters and platters of food to our tables. Huge amounts of fried chicken, chicken and noodles, mashed potatoes, lots of different vegetables, white turkey and ham were available to enjoy. Everyone ate and kept to themselves. The Amish girls were busy running back and forth with new platters of food and pitchers full of fresh lemonade. There was no entertainment of any kind and we very seldom saw the hostesses. It would have been nice if they were around to answer questions or to offer information about their culture to the invited guests. After the main course was cleared and everyone was full with a joyous amount of food, they brought out the pie. There was lots of cheering and excitement. We were allowed 2 pieces and there was about 10 different choices. My husband and I chose 4 different choices and nibbled at each of them. The Amish are definitely known for their delicious pies and bakery items. As the guests slowly left as they finished their deserts. I watched and only a few took their dirty dishes into the kitchen. Those that did, took the time to thank the Yoder family for this special occasion. A couple of the young Amish boys then took a few of the men on a tour of the property. The Amish are definitely a rare social institution of its own. They go against the world and live life like they did a million years ago and survive. No cell phones, no internet, no cars, no electricity, no gasoline, etc. These strict values make the outsider curious of such institution. I heard people say many times, â€Å"I could never live like this, how do they do it? † How do they do it? Many of them don't know anything different and therefore make it much easier to go without something that you never had to begin with. The Amish are a religious group, they are sweet and full of God's spirit. The are a kind people, a family orientated people. They are selfless, always doing service for someone else. I can't help but think what our society would be like with instilled and encouraged amazing values and beliefs. One can still have electricity and be kind, love their families and do selfless acts of service right? I feel that our society would be so much better if somehow we could follow some of the Amish's examples. We all have our own norms, our own religions and beliefs. Watching teenagers text nonstop is something that I fear is a glimpse of our future. Can we survive without materialistic things like a cell phone? How could a teenager's time be spent if he/she weren't loathing in high school gossip 24/7? As an entire society we will never be able to instil such values but within our families and primary groups we can. As parents I feel that we have a huge responsibility and teaching our children high standards and values is of the utmost importance. What would our society be like if teenagers spent the same amount of time studying as they did texting? Amazing! We would have rocket scientists everywhere! Writing this paper gave me some great experience going out of my social comfort zone. I found, however, that it makes a group more likely to socialize if someone opens up first and introduces themselves. It breaks the ice and was much easier then I had thought it would be. I feel my next social event will go better now that I have experienced going out of my comfort zone and introducing myself to strangers first.