Udaipur (AsiaNews) – The Indian Catholic Church today mourned Bishop Devprasad Ganawa, Bishop of Udaipur in the state of Rajasthan, who died on 4 October at the age of 74 following a cardiac arrest. He was a highly significant figure for the Bhil community, a local ethnic minority, of whom he was the first priest to become a bishop. The funeral, held today at the Cathedral of Our Lady of Fatima in Udaipur, thus marked the end of a shepherd’s life, but also the close of a significant chapter in the history of Catholics amongst India’s indigenous communities.
Born on 8 December 1951 in Panchkui, in the Diocese of Jhabua, in the state of Madhya Pradesh, Ganawa belonged to the indigenous Bhil community. He entered St Thomas’s Seminary in Mhow in 1965, took his first vows with the Divine Word Missionaries in 1974 and was ordained a priest in 1982. Throughout his ministry, he carried out pastoral work in parishes, trained priests and led seminaries, whilst also dedicating himself to interfaith dialogue.
It was Benedict XVI who appointed him Bishop of Jhabua in 2009: the episcopal ordination of Bishop Ganawa, which took place on 16 June of that year, was hailed by the Catholic community of the Bhil people as a historic milestone. Around 10,000 people attended the celebration.
“Now the community can turn directly to a bishop who is well acquainted with its problems,” said Vijay Martin Meda, a Bhil Catholic, at the time, expressing the hope that education, healthcare and the Church’s services might reach even the most remote areas. Fr Bhil Casmir Damore spoke of “a dream come true”, whilst Manuel Ganawa, the bishop’s nephew and a diocesan catechist, regarded it instead as the overcoming of a significant “communication barrier” between the Church and the tribal communities.
In 2012, Monsignor Ganawa was appointed – again by Pope Benedict – as Bishop of Udaipur, a diocese that includes Mewar-Vagad, another region where Bhil communities form a fundamental part of local society and culture. Here, he devoted particular attention to the poor, to tribal peoples and to the formation of priests and religious.
His ministry is rooted in a pastoral tradition attentive to local identity. In this, he continued the path begun by his predecessor, Bishop Joseph Pathalil, who had learnt the Bhili language and promoted pastoral materials in that language, even going so far as to wear the tribal turban as a sign of closeness to the people.
Fr Sanjay Dodiyar, a Bhil Catholic priest, told AsiaNews: “A significant contribution by Bishop Devprasad Ganawa was the opening of the cause for the Capuchin friar Charles de Ploemeur, recognised by the Church as a Servant of God.” Bishop Devprasad Ganawa walked alongside his people and worked tirelessly for the dignity, faith and identity of the Bhil Catholic community, and for everyone else regardless of caste or creed, particularly the most vulnerable, marginalised and oppressed.”
The death of Bishop Ganawa thus leaves a legacy that extends beyond his person, telling the story of a Church capable of honouring its indigenous roots. For the Bhil community, he is remembered as one of their own who became a shepherd of the Church without ever losing his connection to his homeland and his people.
