Charles Freer Andrews
Deenabandhu — 'Friend of the Poor'
C. F. Andrews came to Delhi in 1904 with the Cambridge Mission, but his path soon diverged from the usual missionary road. Sickened by the racial arrogance of empire — and by mission attitudes that echoed it — he threw in his lot with Indians themselves. He became a devoted friend of Mahatma Gandhi and the poet Rabindranath Tagore, taught at Santiniketan, and campaigned across the empire against the indentured-labour system that trapped Indian workers in Fiji, South Africa and the Caribbean. Indians gave him the name Deenabandhu, 'Friend of the Poor.'
- Campaigned to end the indentured-labour system that bound Indian workers overseas. Andrews-bio
- Worked for reconciliation between Indians and the British and for the dignity of the poorest, alongside Gandhi and Tagore. Andrews-bio
- 1871Born in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. Andrews-bio
- 1904Arrived in Delhi with the Cambridge Mission. Andrews-bio
- 1914Deepening friendship with Gandhi; took up the cause of indentured labourers. Andrews-bio
- 1940Died in Calcutta. Andrews-bio
Andrews modelled a Christianity that stood with the colonised rather than the coloniser, and his anti-indenture campaigning helped end that system; 'Deenabandhu' is still an honoured name in India.
- Visva-Bharati / Santiniketan (Tagore's school, where he taught) — Santiniketan, West Bengal, India still active
Andrews grew theologically unorthodox and resigned his priestly orders, and his politics alienated many fellow missionaries. He belongs here precisely because he embodies the honest tension between mission and empire, choosing Indian dignity over imperial comfort.
Wikipedia — C. F. AndrewsHugh Tinker — The Ordeal of Love: C. F. Andrews and India
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