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Camille Bulcke (1 September 1909 – 17 August 1982) was a Belgian
Jesuit , image = Ihs-logo.svg , image_size = 175px , caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits , abbreviation = SJ , nickname = Jesuits , formation = , founders ...
missionary in India who came to be known as "India's most renowned Christian Hindi scholar".


Early life

Camille Bulcke was born in Ramskapelle, a village in Knokke-Heist municipality in the Belgian province of West FlandersFather Camille Bulcke
'' The Telegraph'', Wednesday, 3 January 2007.
Bulcke had already acquired a BSc degree in civil engineering from Louvain University, when he became a Jesuit in 1930. After doing his philosophical training in Valkenburg, Netherlands, (1932–34) he left for India in 1934 and after a brief stay in Darjeeling, he taught Mathematics for five years at Gumla (present Jharkhand). It was here that he developed his lifelong passion for learning Hindi, as later recalled:
When I arrived in India in 1935, I was surprised and pained when I realised that many educated people were unaware of their cultural traditions and considered it a matter of pride to speak in English. I resolved my duty would be to master the language of the people." – The Faith of A Christian—Devotion To Hindi And To Tulsi.
He undertook theological training (1939–42) in Kurseong, India, during which he was ordained priest (in 1941). His interest in the classical language of India led him to do a master's degree in Sanskrit at Calcutta University (1942–44) and finally a doctorate in Hindi literature at Allahabad University (1945–49) with a thesis titled, ''Ram Katha Ka Vikas'' (Development of the Tale of Rama).


Career

In 1949, Bulcke became the Head of the department of Sanskrit and Hindi of St Xavier's College, Ranchi. But early hearing problems led him to go more for a scholar's than a professor's career. He felt much attracted by the 17th century's Hindi poet
Tulsidas Tulsidas (; born Rambola Dubey; also known as Goswami Tulsidas; c.1511pp. 23–34.–1623) was a Ramanandi Vaishnava Hindu saint and poet, renowned for his devotion to the deity Rama. He wrote several popular works in Sanskrit and Awadhi, but ...
on whose writings he made his doctoral thesis. He rewrote the famous Blue Bird play in Hindi under the name ''Neel Panchhi''. Bulcke was often invited to give conferences on Tulsidas and his devotional Rama-songs, which he did with much enthusiasm. He brought people in touch with the profound values of their own spiritual traditions, and, according to him, Tulsidas was also an excellent introduction to the values of the Gospel. He obtained
Indian citizenship Indian nationality law details the conditions by which a person holds Indian nationality. The two primary pieces of legislation governing these requirements are the Constitution of India and the Citizenship Act, 1955. All persons born in Ind ...
in 1951, and – highly esteemed by the Government of India – was made a member of the National commission for the promotion of Hindi as the national language. He came to Bihar and visited the church of
Darbhanga Darbhanga is the fifth-largest city and municipal corporation in the Indian state of Bihar situated centrally in Mithila region. Darbhanga is the headquarters of the Darbhanga district and the Darbhanga division. It was the seat of the erstw ...
, praising "the great land of divines and Mata Sita - the Mithila", and hence, he took on the name Bihari after acquiring Indian citizenship. He died in Delhi on 17 August 1982 due to
gangrene Gangrene is a type of tissue death caused by a lack of blood supply. Symptoms may include a change in skin color to red or black, numbness, swelling, pain, skin breakdown, and coolness. The feet and hands are most commonly affected. If the ga ...
.


Camille Bulcke and Ramcharitmanas

To fulfil the duties of a missionary monk, Bulcke stayed for quite some time in Darjeeling to make an in-depth study of the scriptures, being deeply interested in
philosophy Philosophy (from , ) is the systematized study of general and fundamental questions, such as those about existence, reason, knowledge, values, mind, and language. Such questions are often posed as problems to be studied or resolved. Some ...
, but to acquire a systematic knowledge of Indian philosophy and literature, he studied for his M.A. degree in Hindi from the University of Allahabad. During this period of preparation for his M.A. in
Allahabad Allahabad (), officially known as Prayagraj, also known as Ilahabad, is a metropolis in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.The other five cities were: Agra, Kanpur (Cawnpore), Lucknow, Meerut, and Varanasi (Benares). It is the administrat ...
, he had an occasion to read and study the ''
Ramcharitmanas ''Ramcharitmanas'' ( deva, श्रीरामचरितमानस, Rāmacaritamānasa), is an epic poem in the Awadhi language, based on the ''Ramayana'', and composed by the 16th-century Indian bhakti poet Tulsidas (c. 1532–1623). This ...
'' of
Tulsidas Tulsidas (; born Rambola Dubey; also known as Goswami Tulsidas; c.1511pp. 23–34.–1623) was a Ramanandi Vaishnava Hindu saint and poet, renowned for his devotion to the deity Rama. He wrote several popular works in Sanskrit and Awadhi, but ...
. The ''Ramcharitmanas'' was a highly influential devotional book for Hindus in the 19th and early 20th centuries, and was frequently read by Europeans learning Hindi. The more Bulcke studied the ''Ramcharitmanas'', the deeper became his attachment to it. His sublime sense of righteous goodness, the lofty values and ideals of its characters and its poetic excellence fascinated him to such an extent that it almost became an object of worship for him. He found a striking resemblance between the ethical aspect of righteous conduct and values of life as portrayed by the author of the ''
Ramcharitmanas ''Ramcharitmanas'' ( deva, श्रीरामचरितमानस, Rāmacaritamānasa), is an epic poem in the Awadhi language, based on the ''Ramayana'', and composed by the 16th-century Indian bhakti poet Tulsidas (c. 1532–1623). This ...
'' and those propounded by Jesus Christ in his discourses. He, therefore, took up a relevant topic, viz. ''Ramkatha: Utpatti Aur Vikas'' (The Tale of Rama: Origin and Development) and obtained his
D.Phil A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields. Because it is ...
degree from the University of Allahabad on the subject. His thesis was hailed by scholars all over India and his name came to be known even outside the Hindi world.


Religious output

His lifelong involvement in Hindi research and translation work led him to gather material for an English-Hindi Dictionary (40,000 words) that is still the most widely used in North India. Till the end of his life he kept updating it. He prepared a life of Christ based on the four gospels, ''Muktidata'' (The Redeemer) and also translated the Bible into Hindi, as well as liturgical and devotional books. His love for the Hindi language, his imposing appearance as well as his constant willingness to help students and scholars and to listen to the simple and the distressed gave him the reputation of being a 'guru' and, for this reason, many approached him for advice even in matters that had little to do with literature.


Main publications

* (Hindi) ''Muktidata'' (The Redeemer), Ranchi, 1942. * ''The Theism of Nyaya Vaisheshika'', Calcutta, 1947. * (Hindi) ''Ramkatha: Utpatti Aur Vikas'' (The Tale of Rama: Origin and Development), Allahabad, 1950. * (Hindi) ''Ramkatha Aur Tulsidas'', (The Tale of Rama and Tulsidas) Allahabad, 1977. * (Hindi) ''Naya Vidhan'' (New Testament), Ranchi, 1977. * ''English-Hindi Dictionary'', Ranchi, 1981 (3d ed.).


Recognition

In 1974, the Government of India conferred on him the Padma Bhushan, one of the premier civilian awards, second only to the Bharat Ratna and the Padma Vibhushan. The award was presented in recognition of his work in the field of literature and education. Among those whom Bulcke mentored was Raaj Sah (subsequently Professor at the University of Chicago), beginning when Sah was an undergraduate at St. Xavier’s College Ranchi. In gratitude, Sah gifted a plaque which was unveiled in 2020 at Bulcke’s birthplace, Ramskapelle. The plaque’s inscription is in Flemish, to honor that Bulcke’s first love in languages was his mother tongue. A word-picture (शब्द-चित्र) of Bulcke that Sah drew, in a style dear to Bulcke, is:


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bulcke, Camille 1909 births 1982 deaths Belgian emigrants to India Belgian Indologists Belgian civil engineers Catholic University of Leuven (1834–1968) alumni 20th-century Belgian Jesuits Hindi-language writers 20th-century Indian Roman Catholic priests Naturalised citizens of India Indian people of Belgian descent Recipients of the Padma Bhushan in literature & education University of Allahabad alumni University of Calcutta alumni Scholars from Bihar People from Knokke-Heist Indian Sanskrit scholars Indian civil engineers 20th-century Indian linguists People who lost Belgian citizenship Deaths from gangrene