Guru Panchayat Pershadi was born to a family of the oil-crusher caste. He was received by W. B. Page into the American Mennonite Mission orphanage in 1899 during the great famine and received his education in the mission schools in Dhamtari, completing the 7th class of the Vernacular Middle School. He also took a normal course and later was sent to the Mission Bible School in Ghatula. Until the late 1920s he served as teacher, headmaster, and evangelist at the Mission Primary School in Maradev.

"Pastor Pershadi" served as secretary of the conference in 1912. In 1913 he was ordained a deacon for the Maradev congregation and in 1938 was ordained as a minister. He served as pastor for 4 years at Sankra, 4 years at Shantipur, and ca. 20 years at Maradev. He was highly respected for his deep commitment, shrewd judgment, and farming acumen.
Pershadi was married twice. He had five sons and a daughter from his first wife Sewanti Bai and one son and two daughters from his second wife Ramsir, a widow with three children from her first marriage.

Guru Panchayat Pershadi died 18 December 1978.

Bibliography

Adapted by permission of Herald Press, Harrisonburg, Virginia, and Waterloo, Ontario, from Mennonite Encyclopedia, Vol. 5, p. 698. All rights reserved. For information on ordering the encyclopedia visit the Herald Press website.

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