Remembering a Priest Who Fought Poverty 08-19-2005  View all segments from this date  Change Preferences
	>> Warner: FINALLY TONIGHT, REMEMBERING AN EXTRAORDINARY PRIEST WHO DIED THIS WEEK. FATHER THOMAS EDWARD McGUIRE LIVED IN THE TOWN OF KALIMPONG, IN THE REMOTE HIMALAYAN FOOTHILLS OF INDIA. LAST YEAR THE NEWSHOUR COVERED HIS UNIQUE APPROACH TO FIGHTING POVERTY AND ILLITERACY WITH VIOLINS. HERE'S AN ENCORE OF FRED DE SAM LAZARO'S REPORT. >> Reporter: IT'S 7:30 A.M., AND THE KIDS ARE OFF TO SCHOOL IN KALIMPONG IN THE HIMALAYAN FOOTHILLS. LIKE ELSEWHERE IN INDIA, SCHOOLS ARE MOSTLY FOR THE MIDDLE AND UPPER CLASSES. MANY WERE STARTED BY CHRISTIAN MISSIONARIES BACK IN BRITISH TIMES, WHEN THIS AREA BECAME A REFUGE FROM SWELTERING CITIES LIKE CALCUTTA. A COUPLE MILES DOWNHILL IS THE NEWEST MISSIONARY SCHOOL, NAMED NOT AFTER A PATRON SAINT, BUT THE FATHER OF MODERN INDIA. AT GANDHI ASHRAM, IT IS THE FIRST DAY OF A NEW SCHOOL YEAR. FATHER THOMAS EDWARD McGUIRE, A JESUIT PRIEST, IS CHOOSING HIS NEWEST KINDERGARTEN. >> ( SPEAKING IN NEPALI ) >> Reporter: GATHERED AROUND HIM ARE DOZENS OF ANXIOUS PARENTS WHOSE KIDS COULD NEVER GET INTO ANOTHER SCHOOL. A LUCKY 25 OR SO WILL GET IN. >> ( SPEAKING IN NEPALI ) >> Reporter: McGUIRE IS LOOKING IN PARTICULAR FOR THE NAME BISWA KARMA, A NAME SHARED BY PEOPLE ON THE LOWEST RUNG OF INDIA'S CASTE SYSTEM. >> WE'RE TRYING TO PICK THE POOREST WE CAN FIND. IF SOMEONE COMES AND TELLS ME, "MY NAME IS SOMETHING, BISWA KARMA," THEN THEY'VE MADE 80% ON OUR ENTRANCE TESTS THAT WE HAVE HERE, YOU SEE? >> Reporter: ADMISSION IS MOST IMMEDIATELY A MEAL TICKET. >> BETWEEN THE NUTRELLA AND THE VEGETABLES THEY GET IN THE CURRY HERE, IT'S A RATHER WELL- BALANCED MEAL-- PLAIN, BUT VERY NUTRITIOUS. >> Reporter: THIS IS SOMETHING THEY WOULD NOT GET IN THEIR OWN HOMES NORMALLY? >> THAT IS CERTAIN, YES. YOU'LL SEE, AFTER THEY FINISH THE MEAL HERE, HOW THEY'LL START RUNNING AROUND, SORT OF GIVING OTHER WITNESSES TO THE PRESENCE OF A NUTRITIOUS MEAL. >> Reporter: THERE'S NOT MUCH EQUIPMENT OR PLAYGROUND TO RUN AROUND ON, BUT INSTEAD OF CRICKET BATS, EVERY CHILD HERE, ALMOST FROM DAY ONE, IS PROVIDED A VIOLIN. >> ...THREE, FOUR... ONE, TWO, THREE, FOUR... >> Reporter: MOST HAVE NEVER HEARD THE INSTRUMENT, CERTAINLY NOT PLAYING WESTERN MUSIC. BUT LISTEN TO THE NEXT CLASS. THEY ARE THREE TO FIVE YEARS ALONG, BUT SEEM LIGHT YEARS AHEAD.( VIOLINS PLAYING ) WHAT MADE YOU THINK UP THIS WHOLE IDEA OF TEACHING THESE KIDS VIOLIN AND WESTERN MUSIC? >> WELL, I SUPPOSE, FIRST OF ALL, BECAUSE I LIKE IT MYSELF VERY MUCH. I DON'T PLAY. >> Reporter: FATHER McGUIRE CAME HERE 50 YEARS AGO FROM CANADA TO TEACH IN THE PRESTIGIOUS JESUIT SCHOOLS, BUT McGUIRE ALSO WORKED THE STREETS, TRYING TO BRING INTO THE SCHOOLS CHILDREN OF PEOPLE HE CALLED COOLIES, OR LABORERS. BECAUSE THEIR CHILDREN WERE MORE LIKELY TO BE ACADEMICALLY BEHIND, McGUIRE BEGAN LOOKING FOR ACTIVITIES AT WHICH THEY COULD EXCEL. ONE DAY HE ASKED A VISITING VIOLINIST FROM THE CALCUTTA SYMPHONY TO PLAY FOR HIS STREET KIDS.>> AND I TOLD HIM BEFORE HE CAME, THEY MIGHT GIGGLE OR LAUGH OR THAT SORT OF THING. AND HE SAID, "FINE, I'LL BE READY FOR THAT." HE PLAYED FOR WELL OVER AN HOUR, AND IT WAS JUST RAPT ATTENTION. SO THEN I THOUGHT MAYBE THEY MIGHT TAKE AN INTEREST IN THIS KIND OF MUSIC. >> Reporter: WHEN HE STARTED HIS OWN SCHOOL IN THE EARLY '90s, WITH MONEY FROM INDIAN, GERMAN, AND CANADIAN DONORS, McGUIRE HIRED SOME OF THE COOLIE CHILDREN HE'D ADOPTED YEARS BEFORE TO BE TEACHERS, INCLUDING MUSIC DIRECTOR RUDRAMANI BISWA KARMA.( VIOLINS PLAYING ) >> RUDRAMANI WAS A BOY WHO HAD, AS WE PROVED LATER, EXTRAORDINARY ABILITY IN MUSIC, NATIVE ABILITY. NOW, I FIRST MET RUDRAMANI ON THE STREETS OF DARJEELING WHEN HE WAS SEVEN OR EIGHT YEARS OLD. AND HE WAS JUST A COOLIE. HE WAS EARNING HIS OWN LIVELIHOOD. >> Reporter: UNDER McGUIRE'S TUTELAGE, HE WENT ON TO GET A COLLEGE DEGREE, AND, REMARKABLY, JUST IN THE PAST TWO YEARS, HEARING AIDS TO CORRECT A SEVERE IMPAIRMENT HE'D ENDURED SINCE CHILDHOOD. RUDRAMANI SAYS FEW WORDS. HIS PASSION AND ELOQUENCE ARE MORE EVIDENT IN THE MUSIC HE PLAYS, TEACHES, AND ARRANGES, EVERYTHING FROM MOZART TO MOVIE SCORES TO NEPALI FOLK SONGS. >> I WOULD BET YOU THAT 95% OF THE CHILDREN I HAVE HERE HAVE NEVER OWNED A TOY. ALL THESE CHILDREN CAN DO IS SIT AROUND AND PLAY MOZART. LUCKY KIDS. THEY CAN'T GO AND LISTEN TO "BOOM, BOOM, BOOM" OR "RRRR, RRRR" ON THE TV. >> ( SPEAKING NEPALI ) >> Reporter: MEET KUSHMITA BISWA KARMA.HER PARENTS LABOR ON FARMLAND IN EXCHANGE FOR FOOD AND SPACE FOR THEIR TIN-ROOFED HOME. >> ( translated ): WE'RE HAPPY, VERY HAPPY. >> ( translated ): WE'RE HAPPY TO SEE THEM GO TO STUDY, BECAUSE WE, OF COURSE, DID NOT HAVE A CHANCE TO STUDY. NOW THEY ARE ABLE TO GET AN EDUCATION. THEY CAN HAVE A BETTER LIFE THAN WE DID. >> Reporter: FOR KUSHMITA AND ABOUT 30 OLDER STUDENTS, McGUIRE HAS GOTTEN SCHOLARSHIPS TO ATTEND THE SO-CALLED MAINSTREAM SCHOOLS. >> SO WE'LL HAVE TO GO AND GET MEASURED FOR THE SCHOOL UNIFORM. >> Reporter: IT'S A BIG BREAK, BUT IT'S ALSO A SOCIAL CHALLENGE TO FIT IN. THAT'S WHERE THEIR VIOLINS FIT IN, PROVIDING A BOOST IN SELF- CONFIDENCE. ( VIOLINS PLAYING ) >> I USED TO PLAY VIOLIN. I USED TO PLAY SOLO SONGS, LIKE HINDI, NEPALI SONGS. AND THEY ALL USED TO LOVE ME PLAYING VIOLIN. I HAD FRIENDS. MANY FRIENDS I HAD IN THE CONVENT. >> Reporter: SO YOU HAD MANY FRIENDS IN THE CONVENT SCHOOL BECAUSE YOU WERE ABLE TO PLAY VIOLIN? >> AND I WAS GOOD, ALSO. >> Reporter: AND YOU WERE GOOD ALSO?>> YES. >> Reporter: SHE'S GOOD AT THE VIOLIN. ( VIOLIN PLAYING ) SO GOOD SHE WAS PULLED OUT OF SCHOOL TO BE TUTORED BY A VISITING GERMAN MUSIC TEACHER IN HOPES OF ATTENDING ONE OF GERMANY'S MOST PRESTIGIOUS CONSERVATORIES. >> BEFORE, I DIDN'T KNOW, LIKE, THE RULES AND THE WAY... HOW WE SHOULD PLAY VIOLIN. SHE TAUGHT ME HOW I SHOULD HOLD MY BOWS AND HOW SHOULD I CAST THE VIOLIN. I WANT TO COME BACK TO KALIMPONG BECAUSE MY PARENTS ARE HERE. I WAS BORN HERE. I STUDIED IN GANDHI ASHRAM SCHOOL IN KALIMPONG. >> Reporter: WOULD YOU LIKE TO BE A TEACHER IN KALIMPONG SOMEDAY, TEACH MUSIC AT GANDHI ASHRAM? >> YES. >> Reporter: YOU BELONG TO THIS SOCIETY OF JESUS. WHERE IS JESUS IN THIS HINDU- MAJORITY SCHOOL? >> WELL, MY CHRISTIANITY, AS LIVED HERE, IS TRYING TO GET BREAKFAST FOR THOSE KIDS IN THE MORNING. GO OUT AND DEVELOP YOUR TALENTS. GOD CREATED YOU FOR A PURPOSE. GOD HAS A PURPOSE IN MIND FOR YOU IN THIS WORLD TODAY. WHAT IS IT? YOU FIND OUT. ( VIOLINS PLAYING ) >> Reporter: HE SAYS FEW OF THESE KIDS WOULD LIKELY WANT TO MAKE A CAREER AS MUSICIANS, BUT MUSIC HAS BEEN THEIR TICKET TO AN EDUCATION, AND A TICKET OUT OF GENERATIONAL POVERTY. ( VIOLINS PLAYING ) ( APPLAUSE ) >> Warner: FATHER McGUIRE DIED MONDAY AT THE GANDHI ASHRAM, OF COMPLICATIONS FROM A STROKE.