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NEWS &
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FEATURES |
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GRAVES OF
THREE MISSIONARIES, INCLUDING WILLIAM
CAREY, RESTORED |
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Kolkatta, 2
September 2009: The Kolkata Municipal
Corporation (KMC) spent Rs 20 lakh to restore the graves
of three very important missionaries in India - William
Carey, Joshua Marshman and William Ward.
The decaying cemetery in Hooghly’s Serampore, according
to the Times of India, was lying in complete neglect for
over 150 years till the West Bengal Heritage Commission
(WBHC) took notice.
The WBHC placed these graves as Category A heritage
structures and requested the Kolkata Municipal
Corporation to help in the restoration.
The KMC, in 2007, agreed to fund the complete rebuilding
of the graves, owing to the significant role played by
the three Baptist missionaries in the country.
The Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage
(Intach) was assigned the job for the restoration.
According to the TOI report, it took two years for
Intach to complete the job not only because the
structures were severely damaged, but also because an
initial amount of excavation at the site uncovered 17
other graves, all of missionaries who worked with Carey,
Marshman and Ward.
Says Anindya Karforma, director general of KMC’s Project
Management Unit, “We decided to take up restoration of
the cemetery because of the crucial role these
missionaries played in the history of Bengali language
and social reforms.”
Due to Poor drainage that caused permanent waterlogging
inside the premises, “it took a lot of time to first
construct a drainage system and then start the clean up
jobs of the 20 tombs,” explains GM Kapur, state convener
of Intach.
William Carey, Joshua Marshman and William Ward - known
as the Serampore Trio - were the founders of Serampore
College in 1818. The College is one of the greatest and
most historic of India’s Christian institutions. It was
the first in Asia to award a degree.
The Baptist missionaries established more than a hundred
‘monitorial’ schools in the region. Carey made an
outstanding contribution by founding the Serampore
Mission Press in 1800 that ushered in a glorious era for
the printing industry.
Also, Marshman and Carey together translated the Bible
into many Indian Languages as well as translating much
classical Indian literature into English. (By: Babu
Thomas)
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This page
is updated on Sep 18, 2009 |
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PRAISE THE ALMIGHTY
10 YEARS CELEBRATION
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