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Vol. 1 No. 26 Pages 16 PUNE, SUNDAY MAY 20, 2012 Rs.4
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Korean Mass at Deshpande Church
RAKESH NAIR
For the expatriate Korean community brotherhood in Pune, the Brother Deshpande Church is more than a praying place—it represents a home away from home, where newcomers are welcomed and joys and concerns are freely shared
Where faith resides z The church is situated in Kasba peth, not far from Surya hospital
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t’s just another church. Really? No, it’s actually a church and much more for the simple reason that it attracts a select community of faithful – the Koreans. In fact, so exclusive is this church that if you happen to ask for the Brother Deshpande Church to a rickshaw driver, you would, in all likelihood, be met with a blank stare or at the most a quizzical raising of the eyebrows. However, ask any Korean staying in Pune for directions and he or she might happily escort you to its doors.
Korean Church, Indian Name? z What is the origin of Brother Deshpande Church? According to the records, Ramchandra Deshpande, a Hindu born in Nagpur, embraced Christianity in 1917. After his conversion, Deshpande made Pune the
Koreans in Pune z Koreans have been forming a significant community in Pune since 2002 and the Korean association here now has in excess of 1000 members. z Initially, the Korean community consisted mainly of foreign students but over the years, there has been an increase in the number of people from
Community Hub The church has been an activity hub for nearly 1,000 South Koreans who are either staying in the city for work, are passing through, have arrived as tourists or have migrated here. It’s a place where they come together to pray and share the common link they have with their country of origin. Says Chae Hong, leader of the Korean community in Pune: “I have been in Pune for nine years now. Most of the Koreans in Pune work in South Koreabased multinational giants like LG, Hyundai, Samsung, Posco, etc. Also, there are students who come and stay in Pune for three to four years and need a place to congregate and bond with each other. For all of us, the church is a symbol of brotherhood – it’s a place that brings and keeps us together.”
Life 365 is more than just a daily that packages `life’ in its 16 pages. It is a platform to understand your city better in terms of the good work silently being done by hundreds of good samaritans. Their stories of
fulcrum of his activities. He passed away on June 25, 1949. Two decades later, the Brother Deshpande Church was established in his memory. The church is run under the aegis of the Churches of North India (CNI).
A Homely Bond The desire to witness the protestant mass proceedings in their local language instead of English is what led the Koreans in the city to Samuel Ohol. “In 2009, 50 Koreans nationals collectively expressed their wish to get the church allotted for a Korean mass every Sunday morning. Post the approval, a priest named Kim was especially invited from Korea for the mass. His tenure, however, was brief, following which Fr Steven Lee became the priest here,” says a member. The Korean mass, conducted at the church between 10 and 11 am every Sunday, has been drawing
how they lend an extending hand could propel you to contribute your bit to the society. In this progressive city of Pune, the desire to the serve the society is very strong, as we learnt from interaction with citizens.
South Koreans from all corners of the city for quite a while now but what is also interesting is that it has the mass proceedings in Marathi and English too, run throughout the other days of week.
Gaining Popularity Over the course of time the number of Korean community members frequenting the church has steadily risen from 50 to 250. The clan organises private feasts with traditional rice cake and the trademark noodles-vegetable-rice mix on most Sundays. “The community lays emphasis on thoroughly briefing new members in town. The
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Korea arriving in Pune due to the IT sector in Hinjewadi in order to learn IT skills. z Korean companies based in Pune include LG, who have made Pune home to their 2nd manufacturing plant in India and Hyundai Heavy, who have made a sizeable 260-crore investment in a plant in the region.
orientation sessions involve teaching the newcomers some of the basics such as being able to communicate with the autorickshaw drivers. We recently witnessed a wedding ceremony wherein a young Korean tied the knot with a local, right here at the church!” says Samuel Ohol with pride. Apart from the Deshpande Church, Pune’s Korean community also frequents churches around Sanghvi and Aundh for the Sunday mass. Before the Brother Deshpande Church’s popularity soared, the All Saint’s Church in Khadki served as the favoured common meeting point for the Koreans.
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