MGOCSM ,Spiritual Dynamo of the Malankara Indian Orthodox Syrian Church

MGOCSM ,Spiritual Dynamo of the Malankara Indian Orthodox Syrian Church

Prof Joseph K Alexander
Hon. Treasurer . MGOCSM.

Malankara Indian Orthodox Syrian Church evangelized and started in Kerala, India, by Apostle of Jesus St. Thomas in 52 AD is the second oldest Christian Church in the World, the first being the Antiochan Orthodox Church preached mainly by St. Paul immediately after the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. The Protestant Churches come into being only after 1596. Even the Roman Catholic Church formed in 869 AD separated from the main stream of Orthodox churches by claiming Papal Supremacy.

Mar Gregorios Orthodox Christian Student Movement (MGOCSM) of the Malankara Church started in 1907 is the oldest student organization in Asia. It is second only to the WSF started in Sweden on 1895 Since its inception in 1908 the MGOCSM then known as the Student Conference directed its attention to the spiritual upliftment of the students and youth. With this in view it emphasized the importance of Sunday School activities and evangelism .It used to publish an official organ called “The Vedadhyapakan” M/s N.I.Pilipose C.O.Oommen, K.C.Chacko, P.K.Varki, and ,P.K.Mathew were the persons mainly associated with that work N.I.Pilipose, Nalathra, Olassa was specially deputed for the propagation of this organ, who was actively helped by his cousin Rev.Dn. Kanianthra J.Alexander who went from parish to parish for the propagation of the Vedadhyapakan and for starting Sunday school in all the parishes.

It was this initiative of the MGOCSM that later led to the Sunday School Movement in Malankara Church, thus providing basic structure for the growth of spiritualism within the Church. When the Sunday school Movement became a structured organization of the Church, MGOCSM directed its attention to the College and School going student community.

With Universal Education and a plethora of students attending the annual conference of MGOCSM, the leaders were experiencing the loss of the spiritual atmosphere of the conferences. So they started organizing its units in the colleges and Schools. Under the guidance of the staff the students used to meet regularly for spiritual enrichment. This work was actively taken up during the president ships of H.G. Daniel Mar Philexenos and H.G. Philipos Mar Theophilos Despite this, the Movement felt its knees weakening under the impact of the general deterioration of moral and spiritual values

So MGOCSM devised short term Educational Orientation Programme for the Pre-SSLC and later Post-SSLC students. They have the most impressive and clean uncluttered minds to imbibe spiritualism and churchmanship. The products of this - now 30 year-old- scheme is at present the sheet anchor of and the spiritual dynamo of our Church. It is no exaggeration to state that MGOCSM has been providing the leaders for our church and the society all these hundred years. Its commitment to this cause even today enables it to provide outstanding leaders to the Church and the Society at large. Ever since 1908 the influence of MGOCSM in the spiritualism of the Church has been so total that one can in retrospect say that most of the Church leadership in all these years have come from the MGOCSM fold. This is the reason of calling it as the spiritual dynamo of the Church.

End

Christians of Keralam and Uliam work in Temples

Christians of Keralam and Uliam work in Temples

Dr.C.Issac in his article “ The spread of Christianity and Islam in Keralam- a study on trend and pattern “ in Itihas Darpan, New Delhi, Vol.iii No.1 Nov. 2001 pp-41-48, quoting Cosmos Indicopleustus (550 A.D), says that “Christians are not Masters in Malabar, but Salves”; and that “ they were Sudra Jatis doing uliam work in temples.”

It is a fact that they were not masters. But they were not slaves either. By the end of the 18th and the beginning of the 19th century some of the Christians including St. Thomas Syrian Christians were doing some work for certain temples like giving rice or “Aval”.But this was being done as a privilege and right conferred on them by the temple Some others were supplying rice to the temples as rent for the Dewaswam lands given to them for cultivation.
These were not uliam work. Compulsory labour for the temple for a meager wage or reward is uliam. This was uncommon. That might have existed in rare situations. But to make an all pervasive statement, that Kerala Christians before the advent of the European colonialists” were slaves; were of Sudra jatis like Nairs, Elavas doing uliam work in temples, is preposterous.” This is like the remarks of the four blind men who went to see elephants and described them as broom stick, pillar and so on.
Uliam is not the word. It is “ozhyam or Varuthi”.It was a feudal exaction made by the state. Such collections were later demanded from cultivators by the Brhamaswams and Dewaswams of Brahmin and temple lands. These payments were rent of that land and not ozhyam exactions. But the margin between the two was often indefinite.
If a work is to be called an ozhyam exaction, it should be one exploitatively and compulsorily demanded from some kind of a bonded labour. St. Thomas Christians were not bonded labourers before the coming of the Portuguese.
The fact is that there are a number of documents and books to prove that Nazarenes /St.Thomas Christians of Kerala occupied a very important place in the social, economic and political arena and had a reputation of maintaining very high ethical values in life. Here I am giving a few references out of the many, which are available in umpteen libraries in Kerala. (A).

The following facts are worth mentioning.
1. The coming of Aryans to South India and Kerala were in trickles and later in the AD era, probably in waves. So one cannot deny existence of pockets of Aryan Brahmin colonies in Kerala even before the first Century A.D.
2. Before the coming of the Portuguese in the 15th century, there were Christians in Kerala having life pattern and customs of upper caste of Kerala. They might have been descendants of Brahmins converted to Christianity either by St. Thomas in the first Century itself or by some others at a later time. Most of their customs were of the Brahmins of Kerala. A scientific testimony is the “Anthropology of Syrian Christians” written by Ananthakrishna Iyer L.K (B).
3. A good number of the early Christians other than the converts were emigrants from Persia and other parts of West Asia.They were not part of the four varnas of the Kerala caste system. They were not Sudras.
4. These Semitic emigrants and the upper class converts maintained their class exclusivism of Judaic origin, very meticulously till the last quarter of the 20th Century.
5. Many Keralites (including the later Christians) had trade contacts with the foreign traders from Egypt or Rome even before the birth of Christianity. Afterwards they continued their trade relations with the West Asian Arabs and still later with the European traders. So naturally they were financially well off than their fellow Keralites.
6. Kalari piatte and army service was another occupation of the St. Thomas Christians ( later came to be known as Syrian Christians because of their spiritual contacts with Syrians of West Asia) .With the disintegration of the Kulasekhara empire and the Chera- Chola wars of the 10th and 11th centuries AD, a number of petty principalities and chieftains came up. They required warriors and “chaverpadas” for their internecine wars. The Kalari trained and dependable Christians were thus employed by these chieftains.(C)
7. Their catechism had made Christians honest, upright, just, trustworthy, non-practioners of polyandry or polygamy.and monotheists. So the community respected Nazarenes more than anybody else.

In short most of the Christians in Kerala before the coming of the Portuguese were an exclusive group outside the Caste System and were socially on a par with the upper castes of Kerala. If any traveler or others saw them then as slaves, it was due to the difference in observation. It was the coming of the Portuguese with their ignorance about Christianity other than the Roman Church, their militant proselytism among the lower castes of Kerala, their inter marriages with these new converts and immoral colonial behavioral patterns that lead to the destruction of social, economic and political status of Kerala Christians The Portuguese perhaps might have converted some of lesser castes who have been doing ozhyam work in the temples. The British colonialists tried to retrieve this decay of the status of Syrian Christians to some extent with their own motive of winning them to their Protestant ways.
So the statement that the Christians in Malabar were slaves and were doing ozhyam work for the Hindu Temples apply, if it applies, only to some microscopically few of them that existed outside the mainstream.
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A.! Gibbon. E. -Decline and fall of the Roman Empire-p. 826
2. Rev. James Hugh- History of Christianity in India-p.102
3 Sankunny Menon.P. - History of Travancore pp 150-154
4. Prakasam Publications- Christava Vinjanakosam (Malayalam) Alleppy. Pp 193-199
5. Z.M.Parret- Malankara Nazranikal- (Malayalam) First 8 Volumes.
Specially: - Malankara Nazranikal- Padaviyum Jathyacharangalum
6. Menacherry George- The St, Thomas Christian Encyclopedia of India- Vol II-
Trichur
7. Prof. Joseph K.Alexander-“Political- Economic Contributions”- in“. Fr. T.G.Sacharia
& K.V.Mammen- Twentieth Century Malankara Sabha (Mal) pp. 381-445”
B.Anantha Krishna Iyer. L.K. - Anthropology of the Syrian Christians.
C. Padmanabha Menon K.P. - History of Cochin Vol.II (Mal)

Urban politics and administration in Kerala.

Urban politics and administration in Kerala.

Prof. Joseph K. Alexander
Chairman, Kerala Regional Branch
Indian Institute of Public Administration.


All modern governments assume responsibility for protecting the civic rights of their citizens. The protection of individual rights has taken two principal forms:
1, Protection of liberty of the individual against governmental oppression of its executives and
2. Protection of individual rights against hostile majorities / minorities within the State.

Political systems recognize certain functions as belonging to the government. These functions are devised and performed in such a way that the individual’s liberty and rights are protected from infringement by any power center.

In modern days these functions include the maintenance of domestic peace, public education system, hospital and health facilities, aid to the indigent, traffic control, supply of electricity, transport system, conservation of natural resources, flood control, fire protection, postal services, garbage disposal, commercial slaughter houses, laundries, ice plants, liquor sales, etc. They are, far more needed and rendered in the urban cities vis-à-vis rural areas

In Urban administration, urban planning and development movement arose in the West as a response to the disorder and squalor of the slum areas created by the Industrial Revolution of the 19th century. Urban city planners imposed regulatory laws establishing standards for housing, sanitation, water supply, sewage, parks and playgrounds. They also introduced regulations in building activity to set limits of height and density of habitats to protect neighborhoods. Recently urban scholarship has steadily progressed towards a conception of cities and urban cultures that is free of ethno-centrism, and with broad cross-cultural and historical validity.

In India this kind of city plans came up much earlier due to enlightened insights of the kings and rulers. With increase in population and large scale migration of villagers in the last century to towns seeking better employment opportunities, Indian cities also have now became congested slums. Thus we in India also face these very same problems as in the West

Organizing Govt. functions without infringement on individual liberty and effectively for the urban dwellers warrant a large amount of decentralization of political authority and functions. Empowerment of especially women at the grass root level of local wards and Panchayats are also necessary. To ensure this local initiative, Government of India introduced the 73rd and 74th Constitution Amendment Acts.

Kerala Government adopted these Acts and tried to implement them on the planning set up of the State with the following measures:

I Congress (I) Government in power enacted Kerala Panchayat Raj Act, 1994 and the Kerala Municipalities Act, 1994 to transfer to the Local Bodies; all schemes, institutions, building and other properties connected with the subjects listed for transfer.
2 .The first elections to the three tiers of Panchayat Raj set up in Kerala were held and the new Local Bodies came into being in October 1995.
3 .A comprehensive Government order was issued, transferring various institutions and staff to the Local Bodies

Thus the LSGs in Kerala got newly elected rulers, new staff devolved from other related offices, and power and money for implementation of their own programme.

But the new rulers were
a, untrained in administration,
b. staff disgruntled because of the displacements and
c, there were no detailed guide lines for working the new system.

4 .The new Left Democratic Front Govt. that came into power in the next election, riding on the shoulders of the previous United Democratic Front Govt.’s initiatives, embarked on a policy of Massive decentralization during 1996-2001.The attempt was to formalize and institutionalize the paradigm shift to the people-centered, bottom-up approach to planning and development and giving a direct and continuing role to the people. Thus the De-centralized Planning campaign was launched in Kerala on 17th of August 1996.

Kerala Model of growth. Kerala was first to achieve wide-spread literacy, health and a high Physical Quality of Life (PQLI) index and to introduce land reforms. This was made possible due to the early start in modern education and health facilities brought in by the European Christian missionaries and the consequent enlightenment of the rulers and the public.
The communist parties in Kerala make a claim that it is their work among the masses that brought this higher quality of life in Kerala. People of Kerala and their rulers (Rajas) became enlightened even before the birth of communism in Kerala, It is true that the political parties implemented more land reforms and made the masses to fight for their equality and rights in the society. But enlightenment and higher physical quality of life came because of their health conscience and interaction of masses with modern education, educated persons and social leaders like Sree Narayana Guru The political party’s claim is an effective propaganda to elicit votes of their ranks.

These higher standards got augmented after the 1970s with inflow of foreign money send by expatriates working in Gulf and other outside countries. But since independence in 1947, there was practically no growth in the Agricultural and Industrial sectors. Service sector was growing recently because of the large foreign remittances. Kerala Model of growth was a growth-less shine of the economy.

.This “Kerala Model” which was loosing its shine, got a boost with this new “People’s Plan Programme” of the LDF. But when it was implemented, it was not only politicized, but also failed to cut down the high cost and low productivity syndrome of the Public Sector. The managers of the People’s Plan were mainly CPI (M) controlled volunteers from Kerala Sastra Sahitya Parishad and Total Literacy Programme.

Urban Programme.
Kerala was again one of the first few States in the country to formulate and declare a policy framework for urban development. An Urban Regulatory Authority was created. All problems relating to housing, unemployment, private participation in development were all worked out.

Kerala’s contribution in making the process of decentralization on a firm footing was also evidenced by the following administrative decisions and reforms introduced in several sectors of governance during 1994-’04.

1. Creation of an Administrative Reforms Committee. Their reports came in 2000; and another in 2001.
2. A white Paper on State Finances was issued in June 2001 for public debate by the newly elected UDF Govt.
3. Ombudsman for Local Self Government Institutions has been set up to enquire into allegations of corruption and mal-administration against members of Local Self Government institutions
4. The State Election Commission has been formed and the commission conducted two general elections to the LSG institutions.
5. The right to information has been given statutory validity by incorporating it in the two Kerala Decentralization Acts of 1994. This brought in transparency.
6. The State appointed two State Finance Commissions. The State Government implemented almost all the recommendations of the 1st Finance Commission.
7. The New Bill System of 03-11-‘04 gave detailed guidelines for devolution of funds to LSG Institutions.
8. Citizens charter of rights have been drawn up for 18 departments including Revenue, Land Records and Treasury,
9. Kerala also introduced a number of measures to implement e- governance in the State government and local self government institutions.

By these steps Kerala became a model for South East Asian countries regarding Decentralization laws and their implementation. The Kerala Institute of Local Administration (KILA) is considered to be a premier center in South Asia for capacity building in decentralized government.

END

Consumerism

Consumerism

India is passing through a period of appreciative economic growth. But it is not inclusive and so the benefits accrue only to those already endowed with political, social and / or economic wealth This make them richer and make rich-poor divide much more. Politician- bureaucrat- police- terrorist nexus accentuate this phenomenon. It is a fact that the percolate effects of development benefit some of those marginalised also. But most of them remain outside the governmental and NGO dispensations of programmes and policies.

While those below the poverty line is on the decline and the level of unemployment has decreased from about 20 to 9 % of the population, the gulf between the rich and the poor is widening. This skewing up of the incomes into the hand of a few, portents still greater unrest.

In the milieu of the present day concerns of very slow agricultural growth, increasing farmer suicides, still existing unemployment, quantity constrained consumer market, terrorism, drug and hawala mafia, increasing harassment of women, all pervasive corruption especially of the political leaderships, all varieties of illegalities and internal and external induced insecurity issues, we have very difficult days ahead.

Self discipline and containment of consumerism is the solution. Unlimited wants and increasing efforts to satisfy them are desirable. That will lead to more economic growth and income of the people. But excessive consumerism can only lead to ecological and environmental destruction as is happening in the West, and specially in Germany. In Germany the “ecological footprints” of man is the highest in the World. True to the Indian tradition, let us not imitate the West. We must try to preserve the flora and fauna of the earth, rather than follow the mad race of the westerners.

Prof..Joseph K.Alexander

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Social Doctrine of Jesus Christ

Utopia was, is and will be the dream of all thinkers. A peaceful society of harmony and love and concern for all by all, is the aim. We may call it an ideal society, heaven, nirvana, moksha, Rama Rajya or kingdom of God. Jesus was devising the modalities of a workable or practical heavenly kingdom of homosapiens in this world and the other, after death. He was dreaming about a human society of perpetual peace. He was thinking of a new social order.

Mr. John Kunnathu, said in a message to ICON
“God alone is righteous and all others are not… To become righteous --to become honest and one with God--one should shed all his unrighteousness and dishonesty and repent for all mistakes of, commissions and omissions. This repentance is the key to his teaching. This is the narrow path to the new social order of the Kingdom of God. Repentance leads to faith and acceptance by God, which is salvation”

Now may I add another dimension to the logic? Christ was prescribing a method to achieve this salvation; to create a new social order. What was that method? Repentance is not enough for that.
The main teachings of Jesus are: -
1. Universal brotherhood of man under the fatherhood of God.
2. The kingdom of heaven is here at hand and reachable immediately.
3. We are all messengers of Christ to spread his good news

The first is to accept fatherhood of God. He is the supreme authority with omniscience, omnipresence and omnipotence. This is not anything new. It is an idea inherent in human mind.

The first principle also tells us how to bring about that heavenly society in practice. The method is to practice in one's life the synergy of Universal love to every thing in the World. This universal love is the essence of his teaching.

The 2nd principle says that the moment one repents, accept honesty in his life and love everything in the Universe, he is in heaven. He is in the new peaceful social order. It is in him and within his immediate reach. He can straightaway enter into it

A great problem confronting wrong doers or dishonest people was whether they would remain condemnable all their life? Was there any moksha from it? Will they go through new successive purification births as said by some religions? Jesus gives a positive answer and dispels all fears of perpetual condemnation. This is another great thinking and solace we find in the teaching of Jesus.

Another problem that confronted thinkers was as to what will happen to man at death. Will everything end with physical death of a person? Jesus taught his followers that all honest members of the kingdom of God would resurrect from physical death to live a new life with God. In other words, for honest people life after death will be the same as before death and will be with God. Those who are unrighteous can also get into it by repentance.

In short Recognition of God as superior to all authority,
Recognition of everyone else as your own brother and
Reliance on repentance as the key to Heaven (the New Society)
are the keys of the teachings of Jesus

Prof. Joseph K.Alexander

Rev.Dn. Alexander and “Holy Brahmawar”

Rev.Dn. Alexander and “Holy Brahmawar”
Ref:- Article published on 13th Dec. 2009 in ICON as post No. 2438
I am happy to read the posting on “Holy Brahmawar” by Mr. George Alexander, Chief
coordinator, D P R of OBL Forum in ICON on 13th Dec. 2009. It gives more information
on Portuguese Padruvado community church and the Propaganda Church of Rome and
how Mar Alvares Julius started the new Brahmawar Orthodox church for the oppressed
old Christian community who wanted freedom from Rome.
The article traces the persons who built up the Orthodox community in Brahmawar. H G
Mar Alvares became in 1889 a consecrated Metropolitan of the Malankara Orthodox
Church. He constructed this new church in Brahmawar. He got an ardent supporter in Fr
Nuronah, 39 years, who was then already a Catholic priest. They were the pioneers of this
community. Mar Alvares pleaded to his superiors in Malankara to send missionaries to
inculcate the Orthodox liturgy and rituals to his 5000 odd families who were his
followers in the new church. H G Pulikottil Mar Joseph IInd sent Rev. Dn. K J Alexander
who was a reputed orator and convention speaker. He went in 1905 to Brahmawar to join
Fr. Nuronah in building up the Orthodox community. Dn. Alexander thus became the
first Kerala Missionary in Brahmawar.
Fr. Nuronah and Dn. Alexander then requested for woman volunteers from Kerala to
work among women in Brahamawar. They got Ms. Annamma Vettiyil, Vakathanam and
others. As she later got married in her advanced years to my relative, I had an opportunity
to personally hear from her, about her stay in Brahmawar. Dn Alexander was sent by Fr.
Nuronah to nearby localities in Karnataka, and Telugu and Marathi speaking
population for the mission work. Rev. Dn K J Alexander was later ordained by H G Mar
Alvares in 1911 and returned to Kerala to become vicar of his mother parish St. John’s
church, Mepral. It was Dn. K J Alexander and Fr. Nuronah together who built the
COSMOPOLITAN SCHOOL the first educational institution for this community. In1936
Fr. K J Alexander went from Mepral to the death bed of Fr. Nuronah in Brahma war
These facts are not seen in the said article. Fr. P G .Koshy came in after Rev.Dn.
Alexander, who went for higher studies to Serampore College, Kalkota around 1909-‘10
Ref:
1 Light of Life- Feature –H.G. Alvares Mar Julius [1889-1923]
By Prof. Joseph K. Alexander-2005 July Vol. IV- issue 10
2. Kanianthra family History. Feature-Rev Fr K J Alexander Corepiscopa:
Joseph Alexander and Achamma Ammini Joseph –2000- Sankar Printers.
Bangalore .PP 136-141
3. Kanaianthra Kudumbam(Malayalam) Feature- K J Alexander Corepiscopa
1882-1955:– Dr.J Alexander, K. J Ninan and Prof. Joseph Alexander -1991. – M
M Press. Trivandrum. PP 261-271
4. Church Weekly 1956. April 8: Feature- Parethanaya Kanianthra Achen- P P
Varkey
5. “XRAY”- a vituperative book attacking Malankara Orthodox Church- p. 32
says that Mar Alvares ordained Kanianthra Fr K J Alexander, Kannamcote Fr.
Lukose and Kunnamkulam Dn. David.
6. Alvares Mar Julios” Malayalam D Mathews-Feature- “Kanianthra
Alexander Kathanar PP 106-107
7 Ordination Document. Copy - published in “News And Views” of MGOCSM
– Vol I Bk 7 Oct-Dec.2004

GLOBALISATION LEADS TO RECESSION

Globalization Leads to Recession.
Prof. Joseph K Alexander
Oct 2009

Globalization is inter-connectivity, inter-dependence of peoples and economies. 1/3 to 1/5th of the World production is daily traded in the world markets. Trillions of World currencies are exchanged every hour between countries. Majority of products and services traded are intermediates for further processing. Internet connectivity enables producers and traders to suit instantaneously their production and transaction plans to changing national / international situations. Factors of production of land, labour, capital and organization move to global markets to get the highest reward (subject to barriers imposed by Nation States). There is more income, more demand, market expansion and keen competition. This is the theory of .Liberalization, Privatization and Globalization. L P G is apparently beneficial to the World. But intense global competition leads to recession and depression. Why?

Resources are uneven.
The basic issue we have to realize is that opportunities and resources in the World are uneven. Some Countries, Nations, Sub-national groups, Localities, Firms and Individuals have more endowments: some natural, some acquired. A few are born with more wealth and better entrepreneurship. Some live in societies having more health, literacy, longevity and facilities to acquire them. These all have a head start over others in the competitive race in the production and exchange markets.

The keen global competition is with the most efficient economic units. Even an iota less of any of core competency requirements / efficiency, will lead to rejection and marginalization of the less endowed economic units. Kerala, despite very good ambience for quick economic growth in the form of near-centum literacy, wide spread health facilities and higher longevity; self-impose marginalization and tardy economic growth for ideological fundamentalism. Gujarat, to cite an example, on the other hand utilizes every opportunity for competitive one-upmanship.

Income and wealth accumulate into the few efficient and successful units. This skewing up of wealth will be so massive to create a very wide gulf between the rich and the poor. Richest 20 % of the population own nearly 90 % of the World GDP while the poorest 20 % own only 1 % or less of it. Globalization leads to widening inequality. This leads to recession. How?

Demands & Investments of rich & poor are differ.
The demands of the over-rich and the very poor are totally different. The phenomenal income of the rich is used for durable and luxurious conspicuous consumption. Their rising prices and profits attract most of the new investment funds. The capital investment in such production is large, roundabout, and with longer gestation periods. These are expectational investments aspiring for high returns in the future. They crowd out and decrease investments in other spheres. They are sure to move in due course into overinvestment and glut in the supply of their finished products. Then their prices and profit margins fall. The retailers and whole sale stockists urgently and drastically curtail their demands for stocks. The sudden decrease in demand and disinvestment create large scale retrenchment and unemployment. The investors fail to repay their bank loans. Closure of banks and the wide spread panic leads to pronounced recession in the economy.

Marginalization decreases the income and consumption of the poor. Even their basic demands for food, shelter and clothing languish for want of purchasing power. Thus prices and profits in these primary production areas also tend to decline. Investments in these industries decrease. This augments the recession trends in the economy. Thus intense competition of globalization can widen the rich-poor gulf and economies may move to depression.

Remedies are effective.
Unlike in the 19th and 20th centuries, modern governments adopted contra-cyclical Monetary and Fiscal policies. Interest rate cutting, boosting exports and imports, manipulation of the foreign trade and foreign exchange policies are all brought in to prop up the economic decline. Thus recession is reined. Despite all these measures to mitigate the evils, countries suffer the recession in varying degrees subject to the efficacy of their contra-cyclical props.

END