Question

Write a note on Abbe Dubois.

Answer 1

Abbe J.A. Dubois or Jean-Antoine Dubois(January 1765 – 17 February 1848) was a French Catholic missionary in India, and member of the 'Missions Etrangères de Paris'.he was called Dodda Swami by the local people. In his work Hindu manners , customs and traditions he presented Indian cultures, traditions, thoughts and varnasrama system in his work. After some years he returned to France, and authored the book Hindu manners, customs and ceremonies, a valuable work of Indology. He is remembered locally for having adopted the way of life, clothing, food (vegetarianism) and language typical of a Hindu monk or renunciate, and to have thereby earned the trust and respect of the local people. However, he failed in his mission of converting Indians to Christianity, and often expressed the opinion, in writing and in conversation, that the project of bringing the Indians to Christ is doomed to failure.

Answer 2

Note on Abbe Dubois:

• Abbe Dubois was an enlightened French missionary. He was the first European to carry out a comprehensive study on the manners and customs of Hindus. He started working from the southern districts of present-day madras.
• He worked for reorganizing the community of Christianity that was previously scattered by Tipu during his reign. He succeeded in founding agricultural colonies. He also introduced small pox vaccination.
• He was known for abjuring his European style of dressing or customs and adopting the Hindu style of dressing and habits. He also avoided eating meat for several years garbing the attire of sanyasis. He also translated the Hindu book into French.