“Hello, Dr Mathias! How are you?” Hard of hearing and seeing, no reply came. “Happy Easter Dr Fr Mathias!” I said again close to his left ear. “Who is it?” “Fr David!” “Oh! Fr David.” Replied with great joy and cheerful smile. “Happy Easter!” Laughter continued. “How are you?” He did not hear. His laughter continued. “Mr Thomas Dungdung and family came to see me.” “From Amritbag road, Ranchi”. “Once I will have to go to them.” He was still rejoicing having met his close relatives. “Who else came to wish you?” I asked but could not hear me. “How is Raymond?” He asked. “He is fine. He will come to see you.” “OK?” “Provincial?” “He will come to see as well.” “Oh. OK.” “Let sing some Easter Song.” After some time, he starts singing. Milenge Kahin Baharo Ki Manjil Rahi.
Then, he narrates that this song was very often sung by Marianus Horo. His memory is still very sharp. “Received the catalogue, thank you.” “When is the Province days?” he asked. “May 21-24” “Ok. I will go to listen to Fr Provincial!” “I am 99 now.” “O yes. Next you will be a centurian! Come January 12, 2026, we’ll have a grand birthday celebration.” Immediately, started singing, “Sau Saal Pahele, Mujhe Tumse Pyar Tha...Aaj bhi Hai Aur Kal bhi Rahega.” (Hundred Years ago, I fell in love with Thee, that love is still there and shall continue to be there forever.) “Wow! What a fantastic memory and love and energy, Fr Dungudng!” I said to myself. We talked quite some time on many things. He was so very grateful for this love meeting. “Thank you! You came to see me after long time.” “Keep well, hale and hearty!” and took leave from him.
On Easter Sunday (20 April 2025) after a long chat with Fr Mathias Dungdung, as I walked out his room from the Manresa House, Infirmary, his cheerfulness, his laughter, his joyfulness and hopefulness kept resounding in my mind. “Indeed, Fr Mathias became a source of Easter joy and Hope!” I told myself. At the same a series of questions arose in my mind. Who is this great legendary man? What keeps him so joyful and hopeful in life? What is his secret of happy and healthy life? I started a journey into the life of this pilgrim of joy and hope.
14 Years of A joyful retired life
Fr Mathias retired from active service on June 11, 2011 and moved to the Manresa House Infirmary. It is 14 years since then. His life is marked by joy and hope. He sings daily and even dances for joy. When he recognized me, he was extremely elated and started dancing. He has no complaints about anything. Even at the age of 99, he enjoys life to its full. Now his eyes-sight and hearing abilities are failing him. Still he continues to re-live life of hope and joy. That’s keeps his memory very sharp. The romantic Hindi Songs, Hindi Shayris, plentiful life-anecdotes and events are still very fresh in him memory. “It is so very edifying to serve this great man!” those serving/attending him would say.
One of his favorite quotes that he once had asked me to memorize. I recited for him, “Here hath dawn yet another blue day! From eternity it came and into eternity at night it shall return. Think, will you let it slip useless away?” and he exclaimed with joy, “Oh you remember that!” This quote has a lot to say about him, about his philosophy and theology. The filmy romantic song – one line only – that he sang for me has a deep meaning, which I could pick up. One year of life or 100 years of life – we have come from eternity and into eternity we shall all return. No single moment, therefore, should be whiled away uselessly. He has understood this so very well. He has fallen in love with this eternity (i.e. God) and that this love continues forever and ever.
21 Years of His childhood life
Looking at the joyful and gracious life of age – second childhood age, I try to imagine his early childhood days. In his second last scholarly work – Ujaale Yadon Ke, he has dedicated five chapters on his childhood. He was only son of his parents. He had a sister and a brother older to him but died early on before he was born on January 1926. His father was a part of Indian Army who was sent to France during the World War I. But due to adverse effect of gases used in warfare got serious sickness. He died when Mathias was just three year old. Then onwards, his mother Martha was his everything. He grew in age as a beloved boy his mother. He loved his mother so dearly. I had heard him repeat a number of times, “A boy’s best friends is his mother!” He beautifully describes in his autobiography about his early, joyful and playful childhood days in Konbir Noatoli, his native place. He had his play schooling in Ursuline Convent School. He was excellent in studies.
In his third standard he passed the government exam to obtain scholarships, which lighten his mother the financial burden of paying fees till seventh class. He had his middle schooling from St Joseph’s Middle school, Konbir Noatoli. He passed Seventh Class in good marks and paved his way to study in St John’s High School, Ranchi. He was in Apostolic School Ranchi while pursuing his High Schooling from 1940-1944. He continued from here his Intermediate Arts from St Xavier’s College, Ranchi. It was here in the Apostolic School, Ranchi he expressed his desire to join the Society of Jesus. His mother wanted him to become a diocesan priest, but sacrificing her desire allowed her son to go ahead in his call to be a Jesuit Priest.
13 Years of His Glorious Jesuit Formation:
Pilgrim joined the Society of Jesus on June 21, 1947 by starting his first stage of Jesuit Formation in St Stanislaus College, Sitagarha. Fr Francis Quirainan and later Fr Peter Ponnet rooted and grounded him well in the Ignatian Spirituality. He was found fit and worthy of Jesuit way of life. On June 21, 1949, he professed his first vows in the Society of Jesus. At that time there was no classical juniorate stage of formation. He was sent for Graduation from St Xavier’s College, Ranchi. St Xavier’s College, Ranchi was five year old then with Fr Schokart as the Principal and great scholarly faculties like Fr Camil Bulcke, Prof Mohanto, Prof B. Banerjee. He chose to study Hindi (Honours) with English and Economics as other subsidiary papers. All scholastics stayed in Manresa House while doing their college studies and Latin Language class was compulsory before classes in the college. Two years passed by very fast and college life was over!
Pilgrim went to Shembagnur for his philosophical studies. He had wise scholars to teach him philosophy - Fr Shouriya, Fr Dorairaj, Fr Ogarte, Fr Savrimuthu. It was an international community of staff and students at Shembagnur and provided Mathias a suitable atmosphere to grow in spiritual and intellectual depth. He had chance to deeply reflect and understand the philosophies of great philosophers, like Thomas, Descartes, Shelling, Hegel, Freud, Yung, etc. In Shembagnu, 7000 above sea level, amid the silence of Palani mountainous ranges, he learnt the skills of philosophizing life with a blend of silence and smiles. Three year of philosophy equipped him well to see realities from different perspectives. He came down the mountain as a wise man. Then came the period of Regency. He did three year of Regency from 1954 to 1957 in Loyola High School Kunkuri.
On completion of three years of Regency, Fr J. B. Moyerson, the first Provincial of Ranchi Province in 1956, sent this pilgrim for the theological studies in Louvain, Belgium. After the third year of Theological studies, he got ordained on August 10, 1960 in Heverly. As a newly Ordained Jesuit Priest he a chance to serve for four months in Asfunburg (Germany) as a Chaplin in the camp of American soldiers. He completed his theological studies and came back to India by ship Manchuria till Mumbai and from there by train to Ranchi. He pursued MA (Hindi) from Ranchi University Ranchi from 1961-1963. He did his tertianship - last stage of formation in the society of Jesus from Stanislaus Sitagarha.
51 Years of His dedicated loving service:
When I look back at the life of the pilgrim, I am mesmerized to find that he had 51 year of long, dedicated and loving service in the Society of Jesus to the church. He started his active life of education ministry in Loyola High School, Kunkuri in 1964, where he had done his regency for three years. After a year in 1965, his great call/appointment came by Fr Provincial Crick as the Hindi Professor of the Department of Hindi in St Xavier’s College, Ranchi. Together with his lectureship, he continued his academic pursuit and obtained the degree of Ph D in Hindi in April 1976 from Ranchi University Ranchi. His Research Ph D work was on “Hindi and Kharia – A comparative and analytical study.” He continued teaching in the college for seventeen long years. From 1983 – 1985, he served as the socius to Novice Master in Stanislaus Sitagarha. Then Fr Sylvanus Kiro was the Novice Master. He was appointed as the Hindi Teacher of the Juniorate at Sitgarha for a year. It is here he completed his 25 years of priesthood, but had no silver jubilee celebration.
The pilgrim was posted for three years as caretaker of Param Veer Albert Ekka College, Chainpur between 1987-1990. He worked there under Principal Patras Ekka. He had a chance to work there with his students of St Xavier’s Ranchi, who had now become professors of that college. The college was facing tough times due to some legal court cases. He worked there in such tough and difficult times. But, tough times too pass away.
The pilgrim got a transfer in 1991 to be an assistant parish priest of Majhatoli, a parish a little beyond St Ignatius Gumla, on the way to Chainpur. In Majhatoli he also served for a year as a Spiritual Director in St Aloysius Minor Seminary. After the death of great Hindi Scholar Dr Camil Bulcke on 17 August 1982, a research centre was established in 1983 at Manresa House, Ranchi and named as Dr Camil Bulcke Research Centre. In 1992 the pilgrim was appointed as the Director of the Research Centre. He served as the Director of the Bulcke Research Center over 19 years. It is during this period of time that the pilgrim devoted himself into scholarly work mostly in translations. He guided over hundred thirty eight Ph. D research scholars through Dr Camil Bulcke Research Centre. He retired from this office of the Bulcke Research centre on June 11, 2011 at the age of 87. However, even after his retirement, he continued pilgrim search and shared his life, vision and mission through his writings.
His scholarly works:
Fr Mathias Dungdung as a joyful and hopeful pilgrim has touched thousands of lives through his scholarly writings. He is truly a Hindi Pandit (Hindi Scholar) – a chalta firta Bulcke Hindi Dictionary (Walking Hindi Dictionary). He has contributed immensely to the Hindi Literature. He has to his credit 36 books, mostly translated, last one being Karuna Ki Kirne, a book on Divine Mercy. Seva Ki Saugaat, Subhah Ke Adhkhile Phool, Sankalp Ki Safalta, Door Thi Manjilen are some of the well read translated books. However, according to him every translation is a new creation of his own. Ujale Yadon Ke, an autobiography, is a summary of his life and work, which he published after his retirement in 2015. In the book he recalls, reviews, relives and repeats – Amen! In this autobiography, he divides his life – First, Own land to foreign land and Second, foreign land to own land. Symbolically, our life is a journey. From eternity it has come and into eternity it has to return. That’s our destiny. We are citizens of heaven. To reach heaven is our destiny. In between we have only a delightful memories.
I wish we could learn from the pilgrim the art of blissful life.