On the night of her husband’s death, Priyatama woke up to the sound of shouting outside of their house. When she went to investigate the shouting, she saw a sword on Abhimanyu’s neck.
Abhimanyu’s elder brother pleaded with the mob to spare him, but they tied him to a tree and set him afire. After the ropes burned away, Abhimanyu rolled to the ground screaming in pain. Enveloped in flames, he tried to crawl towards his house for safety.
Priyatama quenched the flames and rushed to her Hindu neighbours for help. Nobody came forward. By the following afternoon, Abhimanyu died. Priyatama was only able to bury the body with the help of the local authorities five days later.
When asked how she is managing her life after all these years, the initial answer we received was silence and tears on Priyatama’s face.
Then, after a few minutes, Priyatama opened up about her difficult life. “The Hindu people of my village ask me the same question,” Priyatama said. “But I tell them it’s my Lord who is helping me and comforting me. I have faith that God is protecting me and taking care of me.”
Her younger daughter, who is now studying in Class 11, still cries when she thinks about her father. Due to his death and the lingering trauma, she unable to enjoy her life like the rest of her peers. Financial struggles, a direct consequence of losing the family’s breadwinner, also prevent the family from dreaming of any luxuries except a hand-to-mouth existence.
“My son and I work as daily wage workers in agricultural fields where together we manage to earn about 250 rupees per day,” Priyatama shared. “Of course is not sufficient to support my two college-going daughters. But, my eldest daughter is married to a pastor.”
Recurring memories of her husband, as well as a lack of proper nutrition, have impoverished Priyatama’s health as well. She suffers from low blood pressure and often falls unconscious.
The thin silver lining in this dark and forlorn story is the tenacious desire in Priyatama’s heart to live for the Lord. “I am not going to leave my Lord even though my family has suffered so much,” Priyatama declared. “Even if the village where I live ostracizes me, I will forsake my house, my land, and everything, but not my Lord.”
Following the riots, Priyatama donated the parcel of land on which her husband was killed to build a church. Now, roughly nine Christian families gather there every Sunday for worship. “An organisation has built a church there and appointed a pastor,” Priyatama said. “We now worship there.”
Priyatama’s story is similar to thousands of other Christians who suffered great loss in the 2008 Kandhamal riots. In August, ICC will publish a series of stories to remember these suffering Christians as the tenth anniversary of the riots approaches. Remember these persecuted believers in prayer as many continue to face trials, trauma, and terror because of their commitment to their Christian faith.
For interviews with William Stark, Regional Manager, please contact Olivia Miller, Communications Coordinator: press@persecution.org