{
  "bookName": "History of Christianity in India: Source Materials",
  "authorName": "M. K. Kuriakose",
  "publisherName": "Indian Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge",
  "publicationYear": 2011,
  "chapterNumber": 119,
  "chapterName": "1868. Omed’s Conversion: Beginning of Baptist Work among Hill Tribes of North East India",
  "pageFrom": 209,
  "pageTo": 209,
  "pages": [
    {
      "pageNumber": 209,
      "ocrText": "SOURCE MATERIALS\n209.\n119. OMED'S CONVERSION: BEGINNING OF BAPTIST\nWORK AMONG HILL TRIBES OF NORTH EAST INDIA\n(1868 A.D.)\nOmed, a member of the Garo tribe of the present Meghalaya,\nwas the first important convert among the Baptists from among\nthe hills tribes of North-East India. A year following his baptism,\nwhich took place at Gauhati on 8th February, 1863, he became\nan evangelist among his own people. His successful work influenced\nthe Mission to take up work in other hills areas a work which led to the\nestablishment of large Christian communities in that region. Similar\nwork was done by the Welsh Presbyterian Mission among\nthe Khasis and Mizos. The account of Omed's conversion, as told\nby Omed to the missionary William Ward, through the instrumentality\nof a tract and an Assamese Christian is cited in the Baptist Missionary\nMagazine, vol. XLVIII (1868), p. 454. It is taken from a letter of\nWard's dated June 28, 1868.\nAs we wended our way to another preaching place, Omed gave\nme an account of his conversion, as follows: He was a sepoy at\nGowahati, where, according to the custom of the European officers\nin command of the regiment, one sepoy had always to stand guard\nby turns at the door of the officers' private dwelling. At that time\nthe commanding officer rented one of our Mission bungalows or\nhouses, at which Omed was called very frequently to stand guard.\nIn one room of the bungalow was a book-shelf belonging to the\nmission, on which were numerous tracts and religious books in\nAssamese and Bengali. The guard were charged by the English\nofficer to see that no harm came to these books; no one was to\ntouch them. But in cleaning the house, some leaves of tracts had\nbeen swept out upon the ground. To indulge his curiosity, Omed\npicked up and read a few pages on 'Error Refuted,' and his attention\nwas immediately arrested, a strong con conviction taking possession\nof his mind that what he had read was true. He then went to the\nnative Christians for more tracts and books, and the more he read,\nthe more deeply was he impressed. He visited the native Christians\nfor instruction; and, notwithstanding the abuse received from his\ncomrades, he resolved to be a Christian. They endeavoured to the\nutmost to dissuade him. Omed,' said they, what is this you are\ndoing? Are you going to give up your caste and become a\n\"Kistan\"? (a word of cutting contempt) 'don't do that; it is a\nvery bad religion. But his mind was made up. Henceforth he\nconsorted with the little company of despised Christians. Subse-\nquently to this, br. Bronson wrote to me that Kandura, the leading\nnative Christian at Gowahati, had informed him that there were\ntwo sepoys who had joined them and wished to be baptized, and\naccordingly he baptized them on his next visit.\nH.C.I.-14",
      "status": "completed"
    }
  ]
}