Politics in India has come to the era of being youth-i-fied. Different parties are claiming that the youth are not only their future but present as well. With the youth being lured to join various political dispensations, youth lobbyists are asking for more seats and representation in the political decision making and the running of the country. But the seniors are not willing to let go. Understandably so, because they have themselves burnt out their youthful fire before being handed the reins of power! In the midst of this deadlock and power mongering, the debate should perhaps be about power sharing.
The church in India reflects the same predicament. The youth are demanding their share and the older generation refuses to let go of what they have themselves just received. One way of ending this impasse is to locate spaces within the political and spiritual landscape of India. Spaces where all can be included and all can participate in a worth while manner!
The youth in India are taking to the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in a big way. The internet in its various forms is helping bring about a revolution which is creating a space for youngsters in this country. The church also through interactive web sites, chat rooms, online forums and blogs is being challenged to hear what the youth have to say. A clamp down on such forums and online activity would not fare well for the traditionalists as that would bring the battle on to the streets.
The time has come for the church to claim its youth and its online community. There will be cross overs from the older generation who are still young at heart and that should be welcomed as no one can lay claim to the term youth in an exclusive manner. It would bid well for the church to allow such alternative spaces which are in a way outside the physical church but in all aspects part and parcel of the church.
The concerns about social networking sites like facebook and orkut obviously remain, with prime concerns on whether the youth are being misled into a pseudo-spiritual life rather than one based on reality and real experiences. But one cannot write away such sites without discussing the pros and cons of it. The popularity of these sites seeks a discussion on them. The discussion could also go in the direction of how the church can be a part of these spaces which the youth have made their own and how the church can take them seriously and not just write them off as technological gizmos fit only for gamers and the laptop generation.
Churches in India need to go a step further. They have to discuss the possibility of having a spirituality which fits the demands of the online generation. Is online counselling possible, can video conferencing be held between the leadership and the youth to avoid red tapism and hierarchical high handedness, can the youth meet online and discuss everyday concerns, and can the priest be available online to the youth? The non-involvement of the church will make the youth space a churchless space!
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Friday, November 19, 2010
What does corruption in India mean?
Three big corruption scandals have hit India over the past two months. The Commonwealth games is being investigated with skeletons coming out of the closet. The 2g scam involving spectrum Raja has been given the tag of being India’s biggest corruption scandal post independence. The amount runs into 1.76 lakh crores of loss to the state exchequer, unimaginable in a country like India. Even the Kargil martyrs haven’t been spared. The politician-army nexus has snatched flats meant for those who sacrificed their lives for the nation. The Adarsh housing scam has brought down a chief minister. The Congress led UPA (United Progressive Front) is being cornered by the opposition which itself is not any better when it comes to corruption. Two cases involve the BJP in a 500 crore land scam in Karnataka and the CPM in the Lavlin case in Kerala.
As the media have a field day with various scams the citizens of India have to understand the concept of corruption in India. India is ranked 87 in the corruption index. Why do people take money below the table? Existence, survival, security and the like may be the initial reasons of doing this. Once we enter this world, one cannot realistically come out of it. Life in India is undervalued. It is therefore not acceptable to take money over the table but everything is possible in the dark and undisclosed India. The same mentality makes us do anything and everything as soon as we feel that no one is noticing. This is the after 6 way of life.
The church is also at fault for encouraging and not fighting corruption itself. Despite countless sermons on the topic of God and mammon, Christians simply do not stop paying and accepting bribes. The act of not paying the salaries that the priests deserve and instead wishing to pay for ‘services rendered’ brings about a culture of dependence which is similar to bribing. Any discussion to introduce proper salaries for priests will bring about an explanation that priesthood is social work and therefore does not deserve a salary. This light of the day denial is accepted as the need of the hour in the dark of night. What this does is to bring in various categories of priests. There are the ones who will struggle for their day to day living expenses, the ones who will look for weddings and programmes to attend to make that little extra money, the ones who will sell insurance policies and do real estate and the ones who will try to go for a stint abroad or even better settle somewhere outside India.
The M.P.’s in parliament crossed party lines and came together to increase their own salaries by an unprecedented amount. But the list of scams is not showing any sign of decreasing. Power is seen as the single most effective way of getting what one wants. This power is attainable through money, both black and white. Money is used to get white, red and black robes and money is used to further violence from the confines and the safety of these robes. A poor Jesus is only for sermons which happen to be inside richly decorated and huge churches. Jesus is even twisted to include the God of prosperity who gives us whatever we ask. Black or white! It does not matter.
Corruption in India will not end any time soon. This is because it happens because of us the people and our dual natures at dawn and dusk. Even though the space to come together and prevent corruption exists we will never do so because we will never stand together on such issues. The only thing we are going to do is to watch TV, whine about the sorry state of affairs in India and then go to sleep. Jesus on the cross has a definite meaning for our lives. But are we willing to speak up for what he died for? Or are we just going to have Jesus stay on the cross, as a decoration for our churches and homes?
As the media have a field day with various scams the citizens of India have to understand the concept of corruption in India. India is ranked 87 in the corruption index. Why do people take money below the table? Existence, survival, security and the like may be the initial reasons of doing this. Once we enter this world, one cannot realistically come out of it. Life in India is undervalued. It is therefore not acceptable to take money over the table but everything is possible in the dark and undisclosed India. The same mentality makes us do anything and everything as soon as we feel that no one is noticing. This is the after 6 way of life.
The church is also at fault for encouraging and not fighting corruption itself. Despite countless sermons on the topic of God and mammon, Christians simply do not stop paying and accepting bribes. The act of not paying the salaries that the priests deserve and instead wishing to pay for ‘services rendered’ brings about a culture of dependence which is similar to bribing. Any discussion to introduce proper salaries for priests will bring about an explanation that priesthood is social work and therefore does not deserve a salary. This light of the day denial is accepted as the need of the hour in the dark of night. What this does is to bring in various categories of priests. There are the ones who will struggle for their day to day living expenses, the ones who will look for weddings and programmes to attend to make that little extra money, the ones who will sell insurance policies and do real estate and the ones who will try to go for a stint abroad or even better settle somewhere outside India.
The M.P.’s in parliament crossed party lines and came together to increase their own salaries by an unprecedented amount. But the list of scams is not showing any sign of decreasing. Power is seen as the single most effective way of getting what one wants. This power is attainable through money, both black and white. Money is used to get white, red and black robes and money is used to further violence from the confines and the safety of these robes. A poor Jesus is only for sermons which happen to be inside richly decorated and huge churches. Jesus is even twisted to include the God of prosperity who gives us whatever we ask. Black or white! It does not matter.
Corruption in India will not end any time soon. This is because it happens because of us the people and our dual natures at dawn and dusk. Even though the space to come together and prevent corruption exists we will never do so because we will never stand together on such issues. The only thing we are going to do is to watch TV, whine about the sorry state of affairs in India and then go to sleep. Jesus on the cross has a definite meaning for our lives. But are we willing to speak up for what he died for? Or are we just going to have Jesus stay on the cross, as a decoration for our churches and homes?
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Women and politics in God’s own country
The UDF is euphoric, the LDF circumspect, the BJP satisfied with a little and the independents and rebels are repeating “didn’t I tell you so.” The results of the local body elections in Kerala were announced on October 27 and the winners are lining up to govern God’s own country. The uniqueness of this election is that God’s own country will be governed by God’s own women as well this time. A clear 50% of the seats were reserved for women and saw all women contests in them.
So now that we have women leaders in our society it is time we analyse whether they are going to make a difference or not. If one talks to the locals in any area in Kerala, they are doubtful of whether women will be able to make a difference in the political scene in Kerala. The reasons they give are 1. The women candidates are proxies of men who happen to be their husbands or fathers, 2. The husbands will run the show for five years and 3. These women are not well versed in the nitty-gritty’s of local and regional politics. The first two points one must note are not so much about the qualities of women but about the interference of their men!
The politics of reservation has gone wrong in a way and therefore it is good in one sense that it has not been passed for the Lok Sabha yet. An alternative to this has already been suggested in which 1/3rd or half the seats be reserved in political parties and not in constituencies. This leads to women being allowed to contest from wherever the party decides and not from reserved seats. Women will then get to fight seats against women and men. Proper planning will ensure that the parties don’t just give weak seats to women but will give women seats everywhere. This will lead to women feeling that they have earned their victory rather than being put through a performance of reservation.
As that stands we need to look at what the 50% women leaders in Kerala are going to accomplish. Are we scared of them? Do we look down upon them because we feel they are not up to it? Will they ruin Kerala and thereby God’s own country? One needs to look at the book of Esther in the bible. Esther, the woman chosen to be the wife of the king Ahasuerus is faced with the destruction of her people due to the plot hatched by Haman. The newly crowned queen was in all means faced with a difficult situation. Many would have thought that she does not have it in her to help her people and she will be able to do nothing at all. It is interesting as to what Esther does. “She took off her splendid apparel and put on garments of distress and mourning, and instead of costly perfumes she covered her head with ashes and dung.” Further… “She prayed to the Lord God and said, “O my Lord, you only are our King; help me, who am alone and have no helper but you, for my danger is in my hand.” Esther’s determination leads to the survival of her people. She understands the seriousness of the situation better than anyone else and helps her constituency.
Instead of one Esther we have several Esthers. It is but natural that we are going to doubt the efficiency of our Esthers. But what we should not do is to get in between the Esthers and God as they try to bring in a new dispensation in our state. Till we fix the problematic reservation bill, we need to be with our women who will try their best to serve their constituencies. Thus will happen as Mordecai dreams in the book of Esther. “Then they cried out to God; and at their outcry, as though from a tiny spring, there came a great river, with abundant water; light came and the sun rose, and the lowly were exalted and devoured those held in honour.”
So now that we have women leaders in our society it is time we analyse whether they are going to make a difference or not. If one talks to the locals in any area in Kerala, they are doubtful of whether women will be able to make a difference in the political scene in Kerala. The reasons they give are 1. The women candidates are proxies of men who happen to be their husbands or fathers, 2. The husbands will run the show for five years and 3. These women are not well versed in the nitty-gritty’s of local and regional politics. The first two points one must note are not so much about the qualities of women but about the interference of their men!
The politics of reservation has gone wrong in a way and therefore it is good in one sense that it has not been passed for the Lok Sabha yet. An alternative to this has already been suggested in which 1/3rd or half the seats be reserved in political parties and not in constituencies. This leads to women being allowed to contest from wherever the party decides and not from reserved seats. Women will then get to fight seats against women and men. Proper planning will ensure that the parties don’t just give weak seats to women but will give women seats everywhere. This will lead to women feeling that they have earned their victory rather than being put through a performance of reservation.
As that stands we need to look at what the 50% women leaders in Kerala are going to accomplish. Are we scared of them? Do we look down upon them because we feel they are not up to it? Will they ruin Kerala and thereby God’s own country? One needs to look at the book of Esther in the bible. Esther, the woman chosen to be the wife of the king Ahasuerus is faced with the destruction of her people due to the plot hatched by Haman. The newly crowned queen was in all means faced with a difficult situation. Many would have thought that she does not have it in her to help her people and she will be able to do nothing at all. It is interesting as to what Esther does. “She took off her splendid apparel and put on garments of distress and mourning, and instead of costly perfumes she covered her head with ashes and dung.” Further… “She prayed to the Lord God and said, “O my Lord, you only are our King; help me, who am alone and have no helper but you, for my danger is in my hand.” Esther’s determination leads to the survival of her people. She understands the seriousness of the situation better than anyone else and helps her constituency.
Instead of one Esther we have several Esthers. It is but natural that we are going to doubt the efficiency of our Esthers. But what we should not do is to get in between the Esthers and God as they try to bring in a new dispensation in our state. Till we fix the problematic reservation bill, we need to be with our women who will try their best to serve their constituencies. Thus will happen as Mordecai dreams in the book of Esther. “Then they cried out to God; and at their outcry, as though from a tiny spring, there came a great river, with abundant water; light came and the sun rose, and the lowly were exalted and devoured those held in honour.”
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Everyone wants to play God
Kerala is going to have local body elections on October 23 and 25. We are witnessing unprecedented campaigning and new promises being delivered by all candidates. The bottom line is that all want to win. All want to serve and all are doing it as social service. They tell us that there is no hidden agenda and that development is the key. They have all come into politics to ‘save’ the various panchayats and municipalities of Kerala.
Thus candidates of all ages, gender and political affiliations have a religious tone to them in the form of the save all attitude. But even after analysing candidate after candidate, one does not understand what they intend to do for five long years, apart from saving all of us. It is sad that there is no platform to bring all together and make them explain what they are going to do. Online electioneering will take a bit more of time and so we have to rely on what they say to our faces.
The poor and the rich in Kerala are into a spirituality which is uni-religious in confession and multi-religious in action. This is because people are willing to do anything to get their things done. One has to then wonder that if politicos did indeed fulfil their promises, the picture would have indeed been a bit different. So we are faced with the difficulty of saving one of the candidates to help them save us. It is a quid pro quo. You save me and I will save you.
I am indeed confused. My religion tells me that God saves and I am just a part of that saving process. But the candidate tells me that I can save and win too! This election process has thus put me and many others in a dilemma. Do I become God for a day and vote? Or am I being made into God for a day to serve all the other days? Coming to think of it isn’t that what the candidates are supposed to do? Serve the people and stop being God after they have ensured victory? Everyone wants to play God! Is God watching?
Thus candidates of all ages, gender and political affiliations have a religious tone to them in the form of the save all attitude. But even after analysing candidate after candidate, one does not understand what they intend to do for five long years, apart from saving all of us. It is sad that there is no platform to bring all together and make them explain what they are going to do. Online electioneering will take a bit more of time and so we have to rely on what they say to our faces.
The poor and the rich in Kerala are into a spirituality which is uni-religious in confession and multi-religious in action. This is because people are willing to do anything to get their things done. One has to then wonder that if politicos did indeed fulfil their promises, the picture would have indeed been a bit different. So we are faced with the difficulty of saving one of the candidates to help them save us. It is a quid pro quo. You save me and I will save you.
I am indeed confused. My religion tells me that God saves and I am just a part of that saving process. But the candidate tells me that I can save and win too! This election process has thus put me and many others in a dilemma. Do I become God for a day and vote? Or am I being made into God for a day to serve all the other days? Coming to think of it isn’t that what the candidates are supposed to do? Serve the people and stop being God after they have ensured victory? Everyone wants to play God! Is God watching?
Saturday, October 9, 2010
The next Christian mission is going to be in space
A space is a place which is visible, tangible and feel-able. It is right in front of us and we can keep seeing it to assure ourselves of its existence. We can make physical corrections to it and even sell it. Correct? Not anymore! The new spaces can’t be touched (though they can be felt), can be seen in miniature (although it is really much bigger than that), could disappear if something goes wrong, and reproduction of the space is possible across space and time. Space will have a prefix to it and become virtual space. As the word itself suggests, it is virtually close to reality.
More and more people have already replaced part of their real lives with virtual lives and the time spent in the virtual world is increasing by the day. The feeling of real world seclusion and limited opportunities of interaction with people of a common wave length have forced human minds to look elsewhere. The real world in this scenario will be a world influenced by the virtual world in various aspects.
As the church thinks about how to do mission in a multi-cultural, multi-ethnic and multi-religious context, a new category emerges quietly but strongly. This is the multi-space context. Modern mission in the church is not complete without taking this context seriously. Some of the characteristics of this virtual space involve the people we seek out. These include 1. Ghost believers- those who may not spell out their identity and belief but may still like to learn more about the church or be associated with it in a very virtual but unofficial way. This is over and against anonymous Christians. 2. Finger/thumb believers- life in the virtual space may not be ultimately decided by the heart but by the finger or the thumb. Church mission will thus be confronted by changing singular sense reciprocity as against set multi sense worship patterns. 3. Multi choice/space believers- the inhabitants of the virtual space will have the luxury of choosing what they like from the security of their chair. They will be able to choose from a variety of spaces and faiths, even when touring from one said place.
Mission in this context is going to be challenging because we may have to look at new models of doing mission. Mission itself may have to be qualified into virtual mission. But then what happens to the trinity and to God? Will mission in the market place be replaced by mission in the virtual space? Will we have to read more into the Nicene Creed proclamation of ‘we believe in one God, maker of all things visible and invisible'? Can Jesus’ death on the cross be broken down to virtual consent and application? Will pain and suffering cease to become physical?
One has to say that Christian mission is not prepared to take this plunge into (virtual) space. Tweets and like buttons are going to challenge mission and blogs will construct virtual opinion on modern mission. Isn’t it then the time for us to make sense of space and the people in it? Shouldn’t we analyse the virtual to find missing pieces of the real and maybe even vice versa? Virtually speaking, Christian mission is going to experience a totally different level of paradigm or page shift!
More and more people have already replaced part of their real lives with virtual lives and the time spent in the virtual world is increasing by the day. The feeling of real world seclusion and limited opportunities of interaction with people of a common wave length have forced human minds to look elsewhere. The real world in this scenario will be a world influenced by the virtual world in various aspects.
As the church thinks about how to do mission in a multi-cultural, multi-ethnic and multi-religious context, a new category emerges quietly but strongly. This is the multi-space context. Modern mission in the church is not complete without taking this context seriously. Some of the characteristics of this virtual space involve the people we seek out. These include 1. Ghost believers- those who may not spell out their identity and belief but may still like to learn more about the church or be associated with it in a very virtual but unofficial way. This is over and against anonymous Christians. 2. Finger/thumb believers- life in the virtual space may not be ultimately decided by the heart but by the finger or the thumb. Church mission will thus be confronted by changing singular sense reciprocity as against set multi sense worship patterns. 3. Multi choice/space believers- the inhabitants of the virtual space will have the luxury of choosing what they like from the security of their chair. They will be able to choose from a variety of spaces and faiths, even when touring from one said place.
Mission in this context is going to be challenging because we may have to look at new models of doing mission. Mission itself may have to be qualified into virtual mission. But then what happens to the trinity and to God? Will mission in the market place be replaced by mission in the virtual space? Will we have to read more into the Nicene Creed proclamation of ‘we believe in one God, maker of all things visible and invisible'? Can Jesus’ death on the cross be broken down to virtual consent and application? Will pain and suffering cease to become physical?
One has to say that Christian mission is not prepared to take this plunge into (virtual) space. Tweets and like buttons are going to challenge mission and blogs will construct virtual opinion on modern mission. Isn’t it then the time for us to make sense of space and the people in it? Shouldn’t we analyse the virtual to find missing pieces of the real and maybe even vice versa? Virtually speaking, Christian mission is going to experience a totally different level of paradigm or page shift!
Thursday, September 30, 2010
My verdict on Ayodhya
Who wants blood in the land of the holy rivers?
Who wants to kill in the land of non-violence?
Who wants to destruct in the land of creation?
The Allahabad high court in a few minutes is going to deliver the judgement in the Ramjanmabhoomi- Babri Masjid title suit. Thousands of police and para-military personnel have taken position in several parts of Uttar Pradesh sensing trouble after the judgement is delivered. After last minute efforts to scuttle the judgement were denied by the Supreme Court, all eyes are on the court premises of the Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court.
Both Hindus and Muslims are saying that they will accept the judgement. Many Indians across religious and cultural divides are saying that India has moved on since 1992. There is a sense of positive energy this time around. But the government is not taking any chances.
There is still a fear going through several minds of what could happen. The same fear which has lead to the tensions between two religious communities in India. The same fear which make us wall ourselves away from others. The fear that prevents us from sharing our public places of worship and laying claim to each others worship places. Being a Jacobite Syrian Orthodox Christian, I am in no way preaching to others, as I am also guilty of this same fear that my worship place is going to be taken over by someone else. I live in this fear that someone is going to take away something which belongs to me. My attachment to physical spaces is making me crazy and fundamentalist. I have turned into a warrior for Christ, guarding my church from others. But did Jesus ever think of physical wealth and spaces? My fear thus turns to shame. Shame on what I have become. A selfish, fearful and violent soul!
I understand to an extent what the two communities in Ayodhya are going through. I am going through the same. All I can say is that we have to work together towards peace in this country. I can never continue with my distanced criticism and ten point proposal for peace because I am part of the problem as much as everyone else in India is. Let us pray for peace to be expressed from all our hearts. My verdict thus, is a verdict and a plea for peace.
Who wants to kill in the land of non-violence?
Who wants to destruct in the land of creation?
The Allahabad high court in a few minutes is going to deliver the judgement in the Ramjanmabhoomi- Babri Masjid title suit. Thousands of police and para-military personnel have taken position in several parts of Uttar Pradesh sensing trouble after the judgement is delivered. After last minute efforts to scuttle the judgement were denied by the Supreme Court, all eyes are on the court premises of the Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court.
Both Hindus and Muslims are saying that they will accept the judgement. Many Indians across religious and cultural divides are saying that India has moved on since 1992. There is a sense of positive energy this time around. But the government is not taking any chances.
There is still a fear going through several minds of what could happen. The same fear which has lead to the tensions between two religious communities in India. The same fear which make us wall ourselves away from others. The fear that prevents us from sharing our public places of worship and laying claim to each others worship places. Being a Jacobite Syrian Orthodox Christian, I am in no way preaching to others, as I am also guilty of this same fear that my worship place is going to be taken over by someone else. I live in this fear that someone is going to take away something which belongs to me. My attachment to physical spaces is making me crazy and fundamentalist. I have turned into a warrior for Christ, guarding my church from others. But did Jesus ever think of physical wealth and spaces? My fear thus turns to shame. Shame on what I have become. A selfish, fearful and violent soul!
I understand to an extent what the two communities in Ayodhya are going through. I am going through the same. All I can say is that we have to work together towards peace in this country. I can never continue with my distanced criticism and ten point proposal for peace because I am part of the problem as much as everyone else in India is. Let us pray for peace to be expressed from all our hearts. My verdict thus, is a verdict and a plea for peace.
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Who has plundered our common wealth?
With barely a month to go for the Common Wealth games in Delhi, the can of worms is being celebrated in the Indian media. What so far was kept under guard in a locker room of patriotism and national pride is out in full public view. Even though several concerned citizens in India cried foul of the high handedness, corruption and waste of public funds, it was brushed under the carpet. So is this a failure of India which has again breached the 20,000 point mark in the sensex index or is this is a concerted effort of a few to plunder what is basically the common wealth of all the citizens of this country?
The former sports minister of India Mr. Mani Shankar Aiyar ruffled quite a few feathers in the Congress party and the Indian government when he said that he wished that the games failed. He must be giggling in private and public listening to the stories of collapsing bridges and unliveable apartments in the games village. These voices of cynicism have been many over the past few months. They have been silenced and branded as anti-national and un-patriotic.
Despite having close to seven years to prepare for hosting the games, the committee with Suresh Kalmadi as its chairperson has ended up confounding not only the people of India but also the several countries which are supposed to participate in the Common Wealth games. The cost of the games coming to 7.5 billion dollars is way beyond the 1 billion dollars of the 2006 games. The cost does include roads, a new airport, new stadiums and a big infrastructure drive which is supposed to be use worthy several years after the games. But can we justify this huge expense in a country like India which constitutes 50% of the hungry in the world and where one out of two children is under nourished?
The post colonial researchers will even question the need for a common wealth games. If India claims to be a nation which is marching forward and even forgetting its colonial past, what is the point in hosting such an event? One explanation would be that some of the oppressed have out grown their outfit and have now grown into the outfit of the oppressor. But who are we oppressing? The only answer would be that we are oppressing our own people. The common wealth organizers are thus plundering our common wealth which is meant for our common people.
What then does development mean? Is it to ensure food and basic amenities for our people or is it to dine with the wealthy? The common wealth games fiasco is not just the work of a few renegade men. It reflects the skewed aspiration of a people who want to be associated with money and power. We have a great bunny in the form of Kalmadi to kick and blame. But isn’t he just one pawn in the intricate game of fooling the poor in India?
All religious communities compete to build massive structures which house only the rich and keep out the poor. Our common wealth is plundered by our leaders who use it to grow into the custom made outfits of oppression. We definitely need a change in the development paradigm. Progress should mean that we try our best to root out oppression rather than becoming oppressors ourselves. Till then our common wealth will be plundered and ravished.
The former sports minister of India Mr. Mani Shankar Aiyar ruffled quite a few feathers in the Congress party and the Indian government when he said that he wished that the games failed. He must be giggling in private and public listening to the stories of collapsing bridges and unliveable apartments in the games village. These voices of cynicism have been many over the past few months. They have been silenced and branded as anti-national and un-patriotic.
Despite having close to seven years to prepare for hosting the games, the committee with Suresh Kalmadi as its chairperson has ended up confounding not only the people of India but also the several countries which are supposed to participate in the Common Wealth games. The cost of the games coming to 7.5 billion dollars is way beyond the 1 billion dollars of the 2006 games. The cost does include roads, a new airport, new stadiums and a big infrastructure drive which is supposed to be use worthy several years after the games. But can we justify this huge expense in a country like India which constitutes 50% of the hungry in the world and where one out of two children is under nourished?
The post colonial researchers will even question the need for a common wealth games. If India claims to be a nation which is marching forward and even forgetting its colonial past, what is the point in hosting such an event? One explanation would be that some of the oppressed have out grown their outfit and have now grown into the outfit of the oppressor. But who are we oppressing? The only answer would be that we are oppressing our own people. The common wealth organizers are thus plundering our common wealth which is meant for our common people.
What then does development mean? Is it to ensure food and basic amenities for our people or is it to dine with the wealthy? The common wealth games fiasco is not just the work of a few renegade men. It reflects the skewed aspiration of a people who want to be associated with money and power. We have a great bunny in the form of Kalmadi to kick and blame. But isn’t he just one pawn in the intricate game of fooling the poor in India?
All religious communities compete to build massive structures which house only the rich and keep out the poor. Our common wealth is plundered by our leaders who use it to grow into the custom made outfits of oppression. We definitely need a change in the development paradigm. Progress should mean that we try our best to root out oppression rather than becoming oppressors ourselves. Till then our common wealth will be plundered and ravished.
Sunday, September 19, 2010
We need more Elsammas
Kerala is experiencing the battle of the spirits. The orderly queues are visible at the civil supply liquor joints and the spirit filled battle cries in the numerous and ever growing tents of various spiritual organizations. Both are disciplined, decided and sure about what they will get at the end of the exercise. One is predominantly dominated by men and the other by women. The state is thus in a perpetual state of the spirit, whichever way you look at it!
In this state of the spirit, one industry which manages to hold its own in the midst of several film industries in India, is the Malayalam film industry. Even as Mammooty and Mohanlal continue their unabated grip over the industry, new timers and excellent scripts offer inspiring models to follow and think of. One such recent addition is the movie “Elsamma enna aankutty”. Directed by Lal Jose and starring newcomer Annie Augustine, the movie is about a girl who stops studying after her tenth standard to take care of her mother and three sisters. She works as a newspaper delivery girl, newspaper agent, distributes milk, helps to make rubber sheets and cooks in the nearby house as part of the numerous jobs she has to do to make a living. Her day starts at 4:30 in the morning and ends late. The power she has as part of being a newspaper agent and the passing on of news stories to the newspaper keeps the inhabitants of Balan Pillai city (BP city) on their toes. From the panchayat chairperson to the spurious toddy (liquor) business man, the attackers of the natural hills of Kerala to the rich boys who only think of ruining the lives of simple girls, Elsamma appears as the only one who stands for what is right.
Scripts which highlight a woman are rare in all forms of Indian cinema. The male audience also finds it difficult to accept a woman who is after all doing the right thing and is a source of change in society. The panchayat and municipal elections next month in Kerala will have 50% reservation for women. Even though it is a great opportunity for Kerala to have the vibrancy and innovations of women added to the leadership of the state, many are questioning the reservation itself along with the skills of women. Some men are using this to arm twist their wife’s into contesting wards which they themselves can’t this time round. In essence this would mean that the men would run parallel administrations from their homes.
The acceptance of women seems to be something that will take more time. One wonders whether this could be because women are too close and taken for granted. In the gospel of Mark 6:1-6 the power of Jesus is questioned in his home town as they see him as the son of Jesus and Mary. Jesus is too close for comfort. This is perhaps the way we see God too. Whenever God seems close we are uncomfortable. And that makes us seek a spiritual stupor in whatever form. Jesus says that a prophet is without honour in his own place.
Elsamma is also too close for comfort. She is in one sense the girl next door. But if we accept her, we have to accept that we are living in the wrong. So we will look at ways to deny her the credit for what she does. Who is Jesus? Who is Elsamma? Jesus questions the leaders of his time who practised their own beneficial way of governance and living. Elsamma questions the corrupted village panchayat, stands for the rights of her village and fights for the common person. Maybe that is why we may feel inside, “who is Elsamma?” We don’t mind to accept big banners and big screen names. But we are suspect of offerings which make us think.
BP city is a constructed space. But it is also a space which makes us think of our own spaces. Elsamma enna aankutty does have problems with the handling of some of the concepts it contains. But there should not be any doubt whether it does put forward a message. This message is also a message for churches as well. Women in Kerala will provide a substantial portion of good understanding and good governance. If we keep them away we will remain in a spiritual stupor without accomplishing anything more. If we care to entertain more Elsammas’ we might after all find a few solutions to the problems Kerala faces today.
In this state of the spirit, one industry which manages to hold its own in the midst of several film industries in India, is the Malayalam film industry. Even as Mammooty and Mohanlal continue their unabated grip over the industry, new timers and excellent scripts offer inspiring models to follow and think of. One such recent addition is the movie “Elsamma enna aankutty”. Directed by Lal Jose and starring newcomer Annie Augustine, the movie is about a girl who stops studying after her tenth standard to take care of her mother and three sisters. She works as a newspaper delivery girl, newspaper agent, distributes milk, helps to make rubber sheets and cooks in the nearby house as part of the numerous jobs she has to do to make a living. Her day starts at 4:30 in the morning and ends late. The power she has as part of being a newspaper agent and the passing on of news stories to the newspaper keeps the inhabitants of Balan Pillai city (BP city) on their toes. From the panchayat chairperson to the spurious toddy (liquor) business man, the attackers of the natural hills of Kerala to the rich boys who only think of ruining the lives of simple girls, Elsamma appears as the only one who stands for what is right.
Scripts which highlight a woman are rare in all forms of Indian cinema. The male audience also finds it difficult to accept a woman who is after all doing the right thing and is a source of change in society. The panchayat and municipal elections next month in Kerala will have 50% reservation for women. Even though it is a great opportunity for Kerala to have the vibrancy and innovations of women added to the leadership of the state, many are questioning the reservation itself along with the skills of women. Some men are using this to arm twist their wife’s into contesting wards which they themselves can’t this time round. In essence this would mean that the men would run parallel administrations from their homes.
The acceptance of women seems to be something that will take more time. One wonders whether this could be because women are too close and taken for granted. In the gospel of Mark 6:1-6 the power of Jesus is questioned in his home town as they see him as the son of Jesus and Mary. Jesus is too close for comfort. This is perhaps the way we see God too. Whenever God seems close we are uncomfortable. And that makes us seek a spiritual stupor in whatever form. Jesus says that a prophet is without honour in his own place.
Elsamma is also too close for comfort. She is in one sense the girl next door. But if we accept her, we have to accept that we are living in the wrong. So we will look at ways to deny her the credit for what she does. Who is Jesus? Who is Elsamma? Jesus questions the leaders of his time who practised their own beneficial way of governance and living. Elsamma questions the corrupted village panchayat, stands for the rights of her village and fights for the common person. Maybe that is why we may feel inside, “who is Elsamma?” We don’t mind to accept big banners and big screen names. But we are suspect of offerings which make us think.
BP city is a constructed space. But it is also a space which makes us think of our own spaces. Elsamma enna aankutty does have problems with the handling of some of the concepts it contains. But there should not be any doubt whether it does put forward a message. This message is also a message for churches as well. Women in Kerala will provide a substantial portion of good understanding and good governance. If we keep them away we will remain in a spiritual stupor without accomplishing anything more. If we care to entertain more Elsammas’ we might after all find a few solutions to the problems Kerala faces today.
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Greatness through acceptance: 30 years as patriarch of the Syrian(c) Orthodox Church. H.H. Ignatius Zakka I Iwas
The prince patriarch of the Syrian Orthodox church, H.H. Ignatius Zakka I Iwas celebrated 30 years as the spiritual head of the church yesterday, the 14th of September, 2010. As church members all over the world celebrated along with the blessed occasion of the festival of the cross (Sleeba perunnal), other churches also looked curiously to understand the demeanour of the leader of this ancient church. In 30 years the patriarch has seen the rise and spread of the Syrian Orthodox church to all parts of the world. It is then no wonder that everyone would be interested to know more about the patriarch.
Born in Iraq the patriarch had an initial experience of what many Syrian Christians in the Middle East had to come to terms with; ‘migration from their places of birth’, due to socio-economic reasons and political unrest and war. This has been a significant part of the history of the church in the Middle East, something which the church in India has not totally and completely understood. The will to do well may have arisen through this and the patriarch did well in his studies and was accepted as a good interlocutor early on in his career. This must have led the church leadership into sending him as an observer in the second Vatican council.
The patriarch’s exposure made him a person who the church could count on to dialogue with other churches and communities. The finding of the relics of St. Thomas also brought him into good standing as a man who was not only interested in dialogue outside the church but also within the church as in trying to bring about a link between the present and the past. The patriarch’s tenure thus far has to be remembered as one which has managed to accept the unknown or the other. That is the greatness that we can truly and affectionately attach to the patriarch.
Within two years of patriarch Ignatius Zakka I Iwas’ enthronement he got into talks with the then pope H.H. John Paul II of the Catholic church and signed a joint document in 1984. Both leaders continued in the foot steps of their predecessors. The importance of the document is reflected in the words “The confusions and schisms that occurred between their Churches in the later centuries, they realize today, in no way affect or touch the substance of their faith, since these arose only because of differences in terminology and culture and in the various formulae adopted by different theological schools to express the same matter. Accordingly, we find today no real basis for the sad divisions and schisms that subsequently arose between us concerning the doctrine of Incarnation. In words and life we confess the true doctrine concerning Christ our Lord, notwithstanding the differences in interpretation of such a doctrine which arose at the time of the Council of Chalcedon.”
In 1998 the patriarch became the president of the World Council of Churches (WCC), Middle East region. In his capacity he tried to reach out to the Muslim community in the Middle East. The patriarch has in this way tried to reach out to a local and global audience taking into consideration cultural, national and humane outlooks. It would have been this inter-religious experience which has led the patriarch into understanding the unique situation in India as well, where we live harmoniously in the midst of other religions.
The patriarch has built his ecumenical and inter-religious experience on the rock of ‘love.’ This has also brought about a rich love and acceptance of his spiritual children in India. The love has translated into four apostolic visits to India in 1982, 2000, 2004 and 2008. Even though the huge crowds in India have kept him from speaking to each and every person, a visit to his abode in Syria will get one just that. A deep hospitality and love for all.
The leader of the Syrian Orthodox church has written on several matters in the church and they include the role of women, fasting, identity and monastic life in the church. But more than anything else it has to be the patriarch’s acceptance of what lies inside and outside the church that has to be his greatest contribution to the church and the world. It is this acceptance which gives us a great patriarch, H.H. Ignatius Zakka I Iwas.
Monday, September 6, 2010
St. Mary the teacher
In Christian theology Jesus comes through as the teacher who answers and guides those who question him. This irrepressible quench for teaching starts at a young age and many are amazed by what the carpenter’s son accomplishes. Even as Mary and Joseph shared this sense of amazement one has to also acknowledge the role they would have played in the development of Jesus.
One can question this quest to identify Jesus’ teachers as a futile attempt that will lead nowhere. How can anyone teach God? Jesus being the child of God would then have known everything and what would then be the reason for anyone teaching him, leave alone Mary and Joseph? But isn’t keeping quiet when needed and non-teaching also a form of teaching? In this regard we can look at St. Mary the teacher.
The wedding at Cana initiates one of the few lines credited to Mary which the biblical writers finally manage to part with. Mary says in John 2:3, “They have no more wine.” Even though this looks like a lecture about the state of wine in that house, it is a question directed at Jesus by Mary in teacher’s robes. The answer is something like Jesus is not ready to answer the question. Unlike many teachers in our time who would then proceed to beat out the answer of the student, Mary tells the others, “do whatever he tells you.” The un-complaining teacher gives space to her student to make sense of the question she has put forward.
What happens later is history and well documented in our minds. To look at this passage for teachers’ day brings about a total re-working of the concept of who a teacher is. In the luminosity of the relationship between Mary and Jesus we are still left in the dark because that is indeed what a student-teacher relationship is. It is abstract to the one looking but clear to those involved. The best teachers I have had are the ones who made me think, who left a space for me to be me, who left the jars empty for me to fill up!
For teachers’ day the concept of a teacher has to be re-defined before we wish happy teachers’ day. Who is my teacher? My teacher is the one who allows me to learn and do. For this reason I cannot define who my teachers are. They are one and many. My mother, father, priest, aunt, school facilitator, theology guide, college friend, wayside vendor, co-journeying passenger! Happy teachers’ day to all of you. You have left the jar empty so that I could figure out what to do with it.
One can question this quest to identify Jesus’ teachers as a futile attempt that will lead nowhere. How can anyone teach God? Jesus being the child of God would then have known everything and what would then be the reason for anyone teaching him, leave alone Mary and Joseph? But isn’t keeping quiet when needed and non-teaching also a form of teaching? In this regard we can look at St. Mary the teacher.
The wedding at Cana initiates one of the few lines credited to Mary which the biblical writers finally manage to part with. Mary says in John 2:3, “They have no more wine.” Even though this looks like a lecture about the state of wine in that house, it is a question directed at Jesus by Mary in teacher’s robes. The answer is something like Jesus is not ready to answer the question. Unlike many teachers in our time who would then proceed to beat out the answer of the student, Mary tells the others, “do whatever he tells you.” The un-complaining teacher gives space to her student to make sense of the question she has put forward.
What happens later is history and well documented in our minds. To look at this passage for teachers’ day brings about a total re-working of the concept of who a teacher is. In the luminosity of the relationship between Mary and Jesus we are still left in the dark because that is indeed what a student-teacher relationship is. It is abstract to the one looking but clear to those involved. The best teachers I have had are the ones who made me think, who left a space for me to be me, who left the jars empty for me to fill up!
For teachers’ day the concept of a teacher has to be re-defined before we wish happy teachers’ day. Who is my teacher? My teacher is the one who allows me to learn and do. For this reason I cannot define who my teachers are. They are one and many. My mother, father, priest, aunt, school facilitator, theology guide, college friend, wayside vendor, co-journeying passenger! Happy teachers’ day to all of you. You have left the jar empty so that I could figure out what to do with it.
Friday, September 3, 2010
Is St. Mary our model of protest?
‘Ettu nombu’ (eight day lent from Sep 1- 8) is being observed by the Jacobite Syrian Church and several other churches for several decades now. Even though it is not an official lent of the church, the people have adopted it and made it their own lent whereby they faithfully abstain from meat and milk products and meditate in the mornings and participate in Qurbana. The culmination is celebrated with ‘pachor’ (a sweet preparation made with rice on the 7th evening) on the 8th morning.
The lent is supposed to have started as a result of the faith of the people in the intercessory powers of Mother Mary. Such is the belief in St. Mary that the church has accepted the wishes of the people and by now almost all churches in Kerala and other parts of India and the diaspora observe the eight day lent.
But what is the eight day lent really? For me the lent is a mass protest against injustices in society. The magnificat (Luke 1:46-56) of St. Mary includes these words of protest when she says, “For God has been mindful of the humble state of God’s servant. From now on all generations will call me blessed, for the mighty one has done great things for me. Holy is God’s name. God’s mercy extends to those who fear God, from generation to generation. God has performed mighty deeds with his arm, God has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts. God has brought down rulers from their thrones but has lifted up the humble. God has filled the hungry with good things but has sent the rich away empty.” What inspiring words?
In this regard the sainthood of Mary does not just come because she gave birth to Jesus but also because she held the beacon of protest in her womb and exclaimed so when she met Elizabeth. I wonder whether in the lent and celebration that follows, we as a church have forgotten that we are celebrating the birthday of the torch bearer of protest in our society? Every day during this eight day lent thus becomes not just a time to be quiet and submissive but a time to take stock of what needs to be done in our society and country. Our lent in that sense should be for thinking of how God turns the tables on the proud and the rich and will fill the hungry.
We are losing people and figures we can look up to during this era of corruption and injustice. But we also forget that some of these people are right before us, it is just that we have never chosen to see them that way. As we lose our energy to fight against all odds, this lent should remind us that St. Mary invites us to protest. She bore witness to the greatness that followed, but she also bore protest as her legitimate right of existence. Shouldn’t we then get all excited and energised during this ettu nombu (eight day lent)? It is indeed our mother and her life of protest that we celebrate.
The lent is supposed to have started as a result of the faith of the people in the intercessory powers of Mother Mary. Such is the belief in St. Mary that the church has accepted the wishes of the people and by now almost all churches in Kerala and other parts of India and the diaspora observe the eight day lent.
But what is the eight day lent really? For me the lent is a mass protest against injustices in society. The magnificat (Luke 1:46-56) of St. Mary includes these words of protest when she says, “For God has been mindful of the humble state of God’s servant. From now on all generations will call me blessed, for the mighty one has done great things for me. Holy is God’s name. God’s mercy extends to those who fear God, from generation to generation. God has performed mighty deeds with his arm, God has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts. God has brought down rulers from their thrones but has lifted up the humble. God has filled the hungry with good things but has sent the rich away empty.” What inspiring words?
In this regard the sainthood of Mary does not just come because she gave birth to Jesus but also because she held the beacon of protest in her womb and exclaimed so when she met Elizabeth. I wonder whether in the lent and celebration that follows, we as a church have forgotten that we are celebrating the birthday of the torch bearer of protest in our society? Every day during this eight day lent thus becomes not just a time to be quiet and submissive but a time to take stock of what needs to be done in our society and country. Our lent in that sense should be for thinking of how God turns the tables on the proud and the rich and will fill the hungry.
We are losing people and figures we can look up to during this era of corruption and injustice. But we also forget that some of these people are right before us, it is just that we have never chosen to see them that way. As we lose our energy to fight against all odds, this lent should remind us that St. Mary invites us to protest. She bore witness to the greatness that followed, but she also bore protest as her legitimate right of existence. Shouldn’t we then get all excited and energised during this ettu nombu (eight day lent)? It is indeed our mother and her life of protest that we celebrate.
Saturday, August 14, 2010
Eco justice in the Jacobite Syrian Orthodox Church
The Jacobite Syrian Orthodox church has taken a step in the right direction by inaugurating the Ecological Commission on August 6, 2010. The decision to plant one lakh saplings all over Kerala has been picked up by many churches already and the church is trying to be more ecologically sensitive. The name ‘Shlomo’ does suggest the setting of peace on earth and this can be accomplished only by the peaceful co-habitation of all of God’s creation.
But can peace come about without justice? This is what we usually forget in our quest for peace. In this sense the church has brought forth a bold initiative because justice also involves justice for all and that includes ecology. Therefore it is not only justice for humans but for all creation. At the same time we should look at more ways of being ecologically sensitive. Churches are already doing their bit. But to be front runners in suggesting a model for all to be a part of in Kerala, India and the whole world, we should put our thinking caps on and see what we can do within the existing scheme of things.
The church always rewards its members for contributing towards the life of the church and more importantly society. Two very common titles that all are familiar with are commander and chevalier. I am sure that the church does confer the titles on people who have done good work. But why don’t we expand the scope of such titles? What about a title for a person who stands for eco justice? Why not honour a person (woman or man) who has managed to log several carbon points by using clean and un-polluting technology? And why not honour people who by their very existence proclaim eco justice? What about churches which use green technology and traditional methods of construction and maintainence rather than spending crores to build towering structures?
As the church bans plastic and plants saplings what about the waste that we produce? Our sermons are usually about cleansing our souls and beings but never refer to the collective sins in the form of mounting waste in our villages, towns and cities. Why don’t we go for bio-gas plants and other eco-friendly waste disposal methods and try to reduce our consumption of plastic and production of waste? Wouldn’t it be a noble and path breaking effort to have these mini waste converting units in the church compounds itself?
As part of our upward social mobility we like to flaunt our cars, motor bikes and other polluting machines. The church also is forced to bless the prosperity of its people. But shouldn’t we also pray for those who by being powerless are actually bringing about eco justice in this world. Shouldn’t we then reward those who consume less, waste less, pollute less, and therefore sacrifice themselves for the good of many? Aren’t they our true commander’s and chevalier’s?
The ecological initiative by the Jacobite Syrian Orthodox church should be whole heartedly supported by the people. But it would also help if the leadership of the church takes this further through discussions and deliberations which will lead to a change in the process of rewarding, where more dimensions are added and thereby even people who have stood and will stand for eco justice will also be rewarded for their contribution to the church and the world. In the mean time, let us plant the saplings and nurture them.
But can peace come about without justice? This is what we usually forget in our quest for peace. In this sense the church has brought forth a bold initiative because justice also involves justice for all and that includes ecology. Therefore it is not only justice for humans but for all creation. At the same time we should look at more ways of being ecologically sensitive. Churches are already doing their bit. But to be front runners in suggesting a model for all to be a part of in Kerala, India and the whole world, we should put our thinking caps on and see what we can do within the existing scheme of things.
The church always rewards its members for contributing towards the life of the church and more importantly society. Two very common titles that all are familiar with are commander and chevalier. I am sure that the church does confer the titles on people who have done good work. But why don’t we expand the scope of such titles? What about a title for a person who stands for eco justice? Why not honour a person (woman or man) who has managed to log several carbon points by using clean and un-polluting technology? And why not honour people who by their very existence proclaim eco justice? What about churches which use green technology and traditional methods of construction and maintainence rather than spending crores to build towering structures?
As the church bans plastic and plants saplings what about the waste that we produce? Our sermons are usually about cleansing our souls and beings but never refer to the collective sins in the form of mounting waste in our villages, towns and cities. Why don’t we go for bio-gas plants and other eco-friendly waste disposal methods and try to reduce our consumption of plastic and production of waste? Wouldn’t it be a noble and path breaking effort to have these mini waste converting units in the church compounds itself?
As part of our upward social mobility we like to flaunt our cars, motor bikes and other polluting machines. The church also is forced to bless the prosperity of its people. But shouldn’t we also pray for those who by being powerless are actually bringing about eco justice in this world. Shouldn’t we then reward those who consume less, waste less, pollute less, and therefore sacrifice themselves for the good of many? Aren’t they our true commander’s and chevalier’s?
The ecological initiative by the Jacobite Syrian Orthodox church should be whole heartedly supported by the people. But it would also help if the leadership of the church takes this further through discussions and deliberations which will lead to a change in the process of rewarding, where more dimensions are added and thereby even people who have stood and will stand for eco justice will also be rewarded for their contribution to the church and the world. In the mean time, let us plant the saplings and nurture them.
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Hope
(This sermon was preached in the Gurukul Lutheran College, Chennai on June 27, 2010)
Luke 7:1-10
1.When Jesus had finished saying all this in the hearing of the people, he entered Capernaum. 2.There a centurion's servant, whom his master valued highly, was sick and about to die. 3.The centurion heard of Jesus and sent some elders of the Jews to him, asking him to come and heal his servant. 4.When they came to Jesus, they pleaded earnestly with him, "This man deserves to have you do this, 5.because he loves our nation and has built our synagogue." 6.So Jesus went with them.
He was not far from the house when the centurion sent friends to say to him: "Lord, don't trouble yourself, for I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. 7.That is why I did not even consider myself worthy to come to you. But say the word, and my servant will be healed. 8.For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, 'Go,' and he goes; and that one, 'Come,' and he comes. I say to my servant, 'Do this,' and he does it."
9.When Jesus heard this, he was amazed at him, and turning to the crowd following him, he said, "I tell you, I have not found such great faith even in Israel." 10.Then the men who had been sent returned to the house and found the servant well.
1. Relationships should bring hope not just despair- Society at the time of the centurion can be gauged to have been divided into a master-slave dispensation. But there is a tension in the text as the centurion valued his slave a lot, which may not have been the usual relationship between a master and slave at the time. If this is converted into a news story it gains immediate news value as this news attains human interest because it is odd. Therefore one can say that the story of the centurion and his slave would have grabbed headlines during the time of Jesus. It is odd and sad that the relationships we get to see today are those which have no hope in them. But even though the story of the centurion and his slave is news worthy it is also one which brings about the sense of hope in an otherwise hope-less world. So despite it qualifying as news it instills in us a deep sense of hope. So we not only hope that something is going to happen in the story, but we get a foretaste of hope itself. But do we get to see similar stories of hope in the media or does the media reflect a largely cynical view of who we really are? Let us listen in to a news story about crimes against dalits.
A random sampling of headlines in mainstream Indian newspapers tells the story of dalits: "Dalit boy beaten to death for plucking flowers"; "Dalit tortured by cops for three days"; "Dalit 'witch' paraded naked in Bihar"; "Dalit killed in lock-up at Kurnool"; "7 Dalits burnt alive in caste clash"; "5 Dalits lynched in Haryana"; "Dalit woman gang-raped, paraded naked"; "Police egged on mob to lynch Dalits". Smita Narula, author of Broken People: Caste Violence Against India's "Untouchables" writes that "Dalits are not allowed to drink from the same wells, attend the same temples, wear shoes in the presence of an upper caste, or drink from the same cups in tea stalls."
By and large stories of violence and discrimination against dalits are not covered in the mainline media because it is not seen to have any news value. It is interesting that the centurion goes against accepted norms. His relationship with his slave is thus hope filled in every way. When we compare this with what happens now, the story of the persons who experienced hope through their relationship appears out of the passage.
2. Authority, its use and misuse- The use and misuse of authority is another key element in the passage. The centurion brings in another twist to the passage which already presents a surprise element. His friends stop Jesus’ entourage and pass on his message to Jesus. There is no need to come to his house he informs Jesus. Several questions may arise out of this twist. Did the centurion consider his house impure for Jesus to visit? Did he see no need for Jesus to come and meet his slave who was on his death bed? Therefore did he on second thoughts send a delegation to dissuade Jesus? But on the other hand we can also see a very positive meaning of authority and position emerging from the passage. We are used to an authority which seeks to perpetrate injustice and stand for the cause of a dominant community. But that does not mean that authority is a lost cause. The centurion rather proposes a true mandate for which authority should stand for, which is to seek out hope for the oppressed, who are diverse. We can say that the courage to state this may have come as an after thought but never the less it comes through in the form of a road block of Jesus. Jesus does not question this late development but rather affirms that authority becomes authority when used for the betterment of people. In a way Jesus is made speechless and he readily disengages and disbands his group which included some influential Jews who had recommended the centurion’s case to Jesus.
M.L. Brite, the secretary of Kodaikanal Public School has been accused of molesting a 14 year old girl student. A case has been registered against the 73 year old man. The school principal maintains that the girl’s parents had not complained to the school authorities. But this has been proved false. The police are on the look out for the absconding man. After the media reported the case, more girls have come forward complaining that the secretary of the school had sexually abused them. There have been protests from several corners that the authorities of the school are protecting the accused.
This is yet another case of how authority is misused in India today. Fortunately the CSI church through one of its pastor’s has been helping the girl concerned and is hoping that Mr. Brite will be held accountable for his actions and justice is implemented for the concerned girls of the school.
3. The word/intention/deed when meant for the good of another becomes the act of God by itself- This is the hope we have amidst the diversity we live in. The centurion expresses the hope of God which he sees in his diverse context. He overcomes his limitations and expresses his word of intention which is intertwined in the hope he felt. Jesus accepts his understanding and commends the centurion’s faith which he has not seen in anyone else. There is then no need for him to go to the house because the house lives in hope. This is the hope amidst diversity in a multi faith context. We usually over ride this hope by saying that we have to say the word and only then there will be hope and the saving grace. But this passage shows us again that hope is not limited to a certain religion or dispensation but to all who claim it.
Rehmatullah is a 60 year old Muslim man who was wrongly accused in one of the 1992 Mumbai riots cases. He married a Hindu woman Mutkamma and adopted his wife’s sister’s daughters when their parents died. His wife and he brought up the adopted daughters Deepa and Suman as Hindu’s and then got them married according to Hindu marriage rites. He and his wife never asked and forced them to convert to Islam but accepted them as they are.
Another story is from Bhagalpur, Bihar, where boys were always preferred over girls, as in the rest of India. But this changed when the village decided that whenever a girl child was born, the family would plant 10 tree saplings at the least and nurture the girl child and the trees. When the girls attained the age of marriage, the trees would pay for their wedding expenses. In one swift act of faith the village has managed to solve the problems of dowry, global warming and female foeticide. No girl has died in the village ever since. Every birth of a child now brings forth hope to the family, the village and the world.
Communicating hope amidst diversity. The challenges remain but multi- faith communities are showing us the way forward. They are bringing out the aspect of hope, which we have been searching for generations. Our relationships, use of authority and intentions and actions should all reflect this deep sense of hope amidst diversity. Amen.
Luke 7:1-10
1.When Jesus had finished saying all this in the hearing of the people, he entered Capernaum. 2.There a centurion's servant, whom his master valued highly, was sick and about to die. 3.The centurion heard of Jesus and sent some elders of the Jews to him, asking him to come and heal his servant. 4.When they came to Jesus, they pleaded earnestly with him, "This man deserves to have you do this, 5.because he loves our nation and has built our synagogue." 6.So Jesus went with them.
He was not far from the house when the centurion sent friends to say to him: "Lord, don't trouble yourself, for I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. 7.That is why I did not even consider myself worthy to come to you. But say the word, and my servant will be healed. 8.For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, 'Go,' and he goes; and that one, 'Come,' and he comes. I say to my servant, 'Do this,' and he does it."
9.When Jesus heard this, he was amazed at him, and turning to the crowd following him, he said, "I tell you, I have not found such great faith even in Israel." 10.Then the men who had been sent returned to the house and found the servant well.
1. Relationships should bring hope not just despair- Society at the time of the centurion can be gauged to have been divided into a master-slave dispensation. But there is a tension in the text as the centurion valued his slave a lot, which may not have been the usual relationship between a master and slave at the time. If this is converted into a news story it gains immediate news value as this news attains human interest because it is odd. Therefore one can say that the story of the centurion and his slave would have grabbed headlines during the time of Jesus. It is odd and sad that the relationships we get to see today are those which have no hope in them. But even though the story of the centurion and his slave is news worthy it is also one which brings about the sense of hope in an otherwise hope-less world. So despite it qualifying as news it instills in us a deep sense of hope. So we not only hope that something is going to happen in the story, but we get a foretaste of hope itself. But do we get to see similar stories of hope in the media or does the media reflect a largely cynical view of who we really are? Let us listen in to a news story about crimes against dalits.
A random sampling of headlines in mainstream Indian newspapers tells the story of dalits: "Dalit boy beaten to death for plucking flowers"; "Dalit tortured by cops for three days"; "Dalit 'witch' paraded naked in Bihar"; "Dalit killed in lock-up at Kurnool"; "7 Dalits burnt alive in caste clash"; "5 Dalits lynched in Haryana"; "Dalit woman gang-raped, paraded naked"; "Police egged on mob to lynch Dalits". Smita Narula, author of Broken People: Caste Violence Against India's "Untouchables" writes that "Dalits are not allowed to drink from the same wells, attend the same temples, wear shoes in the presence of an upper caste, or drink from the same cups in tea stalls."
By and large stories of violence and discrimination against dalits are not covered in the mainline media because it is not seen to have any news value. It is interesting that the centurion goes against accepted norms. His relationship with his slave is thus hope filled in every way. When we compare this with what happens now, the story of the persons who experienced hope through their relationship appears out of the passage.
2. Authority, its use and misuse- The use and misuse of authority is another key element in the passage. The centurion brings in another twist to the passage which already presents a surprise element. His friends stop Jesus’ entourage and pass on his message to Jesus. There is no need to come to his house he informs Jesus. Several questions may arise out of this twist. Did the centurion consider his house impure for Jesus to visit? Did he see no need for Jesus to come and meet his slave who was on his death bed? Therefore did he on second thoughts send a delegation to dissuade Jesus? But on the other hand we can also see a very positive meaning of authority and position emerging from the passage. We are used to an authority which seeks to perpetrate injustice and stand for the cause of a dominant community. But that does not mean that authority is a lost cause. The centurion rather proposes a true mandate for which authority should stand for, which is to seek out hope for the oppressed, who are diverse. We can say that the courage to state this may have come as an after thought but never the less it comes through in the form of a road block of Jesus. Jesus does not question this late development but rather affirms that authority becomes authority when used for the betterment of people. In a way Jesus is made speechless and he readily disengages and disbands his group which included some influential Jews who had recommended the centurion’s case to Jesus.
M.L. Brite, the secretary of Kodaikanal Public School has been accused of molesting a 14 year old girl student. A case has been registered against the 73 year old man. The school principal maintains that the girl’s parents had not complained to the school authorities. But this has been proved false. The police are on the look out for the absconding man. After the media reported the case, more girls have come forward complaining that the secretary of the school had sexually abused them. There have been protests from several corners that the authorities of the school are protecting the accused.
This is yet another case of how authority is misused in India today. Fortunately the CSI church through one of its pastor’s has been helping the girl concerned and is hoping that Mr. Brite will be held accountable for his actions and justice is implemented for the concerned girls of the school.
3. The word/intention/deed when meant for the good of another becomes the act of God by itself- This is the hope we have amidst the diversity we live in. The centurion expresses the hope of God which he sees in his diverse context. He overcomes his limitations and expresses his word of intention which is intertwined in the hope he felt. Jesus accepts his understanding and commends the centurion’s faith which he has not seen in anyone else. There is then no need for him to go to the house because the house lives in hope. This is the hope amidst diversity in a multi faith context. We usually over ride this hope by saying that we have to say the word and only then there will be hope and the saving grace. But this passage shows us again that hope is not limited to a certain religion or dispensation but to all who claim it.
Rehmatullah is a 60 year old Muslim man who was wrongly accused in one of the 1992 Mumbai riots cases. He married a Hindu woman Mutkamma and adopted his wife’s sister’s daughters when their parents died. His wife and he brought up the adopted daughters Deepa and Suman as Hindu’s and then got them married according to Hindu marriage rites. He and his wife never asked and forced them to convert to Islam but accepted them as they are.
Another story is from Bhagalpur, Bihar, where boys were always preferred over girls, as in the rest of India. But this changed when the village decided that whenever a girl child was born, the family would plant 10 tree saplings at the least and nurture the girl child and the trees. When the girls attained the age of marriage, the trees would pay for their wedding expenses. In one swift act of faith the village has managed to solve the problems of dowry, global warming and female foeticide. No girl has died in the village ever since. Every birth of a child now brings forth hope to the family, the village and the world.
Communicating hope amidst diversity. The challenges remain but multi- faith communities are showing us the way forward. They are bringing out the aspect of hope, which we have been searching for generations. Our relationships, use of authority and intentions and actions should all reflect this deep sense of hope amidst diversity. Amen.
Sunday, July 18, 2010
The real world cup
(This meditation was preached in the Gurukul Lutheran Theological College chapel on June 30, 2010)
Luke 10: 25-28.
Just then a lawyer stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he said, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” He said to him, “What is written in the law? What do you read there?” He answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbour as yourself.” And he said to him, “You have given the right answer; do this, and you will live.”
The football world cup 2010 is on in full swing and has reached the quarterfinal stage. People all over the world, including India are sitting glued in front of their television sets, even betting over the outcome of the matches. South Africa is being presented as a paradise on earth hosting a global event. But in the thrill, glamour and glitter of a sporting event we are being misled into believing that this event will unite countries and bring hope and opportunities to ordinary South Africans and others world wide.
The theme for this week is ‘Hope amidst diversity: Communicating hope in multi-faith Asia.’ Sport is definitely one way of communicating hope in an otherwise hope-less context. But are sporting events like the world cup the hope that we are waiting for? The song “Give me hope Joanna” by Eddy Grant was a protest against the South African regime which practised apartheid and racism. And yet a few years later South Africa is being projected as if all this has been wiped away from its land. But the truth is that 16 years after the abolishment of apartheid in South Africa racism still exists and the poorest of the poor remain the same. This world cup has seen a huge increase in women and child trafficking to satisfy the heavy demand for illegal sex. Several of the poor who lived near the gigantic stadiums built for the world cup, have been evicted from their homes and relocated to tin shacks. So even though the world cup is packaged as hope to many, what it really grants is satisfaction to a few. Football and sports do have a role in providing hope but grand events like the world cup end up perpetrating injustice against many. But this does not mean that local sports and games follow the same pattern. They form the ultimate launch pad for hope in small and local communities. The unofficial ‘Poor people’s world cup’ in South Africa is such an initiative involving thousands of people who won’t get a ticket to watch a game in their own country.
Luke 10:25-38 has Jesus asking a lawyer to recount what is written in the law regarding eternal life. He replies, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbour as yourself. Those into sports will definitely know that the three things which a sportsperson needs are strength, a good mind and a large heart. But the completeness of this is attained only when we love our neighbour as ourselves and therefore the best sportspersons are also the ones who respect their opponents. Who is our neighbour is a relevant question in this discussion and the story of the Good Samaritan should be a model for us to follow. But in a world where we are divided by caste, class, religion, gender and race, are we willing to claim our neighbour? The problem we face today is that despite having a biblical mandate to love our neighbour, we go around this by limiting our neighbours to those in our own community, caste and race. Thus for hope to transpire we have to claim our neighbours.
The football world cup is being sold using theme songs and catchy tunes. The official world cup coca cola song by K’naan, and the song by Shakira have caught the imagination of people. An examination of the lyrics of Shakira's song suggests that nothing has changed. It seems that a war on the football field is happening and the players are supposed to fight till the finish, calling upon their God to help them. This way of presenting the world cup resembles the gladiator battles in Roman coliseums. People attended in large numbers and encouraged the gladiators to kill each other. This also helped the Roman emperors to detach the minds of the people from the real issues facing them. Advertisers are spending millions of dollars to package hope and freedom through their products. Sports and games, football included should not be a means of denying hope but reclaiming hope. This is the challenge before us. One should note that coca cola made K’naan rewrite parts of the song to fit their global need. The original song was much more like the Give me hope Joanna song. Are we then willing to see through this skewed concept of hope? Are we also willing to listen to alternative voices like the local version of the world cup song from Kerala?
Are we willing to realise the existence of hope, claim our neighbours and re-claim hope? We all know the Messi’s, the Kakka’s, the Forlan’s, the Lee Chung-yong’s, the Mueller’s, the Rooney’s, the Drogba’s, and the Khune’s. But do we know Senthil, Prabhakar, Binu, Shiju, Moa, Chinza, David, Ranbir, Sajish, Tasha, Nilu, Riya, Mona and Anushka? They are our neighbours who come together on the unclaimed football fields to re-claim hope. They are our true representatives of hope. Amen.
(Also see http://jerryachensworld.blogspot.com/2010/06/sport-and-religion-world-cup-challenge.html)
Picture courtesy http://www.radiotimes.com/news/2014-06-12/michael-palin-the-world-cup-shows-the-yawning-gap-between-brazils-very-rich-and-very-poor
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
Interceding for hope and the prayer of hope
Intercession
God of love, we pray for communities who have been denied the essence and the means to hope. We pray for those who have been marginalized from the main stream of life and whose existence itself is a day to day struggle. We ask your help for dalits, adivasis and tribals who are fighting for their land, rights and needs. As they lose hope in the system which is supposed to protect them, we plead you to intervene and restore the hope which is rightfully theirs. Lord, in the midst of diversity, grant us hope.
God of equality and respectfulness, we pray for the equality of women in this country. We pray that women may never be turned away and kept inside their homes because of their gender. May women of all castes and religions in this country be represented by their own candidates and may we discuss and implement a bill for women, which is just and equal for all the women of this land. Lord, in the midst of diversity, grant us hope.
God of nurture and care, we pray for our children. May they receive their right to full access to education, and may they never be forced out of their innocence at an age which is decided by someone else. Give us the insight and the will to keep and not destroy what they should see and experience. May their new thinking and ideas instill a new found hope in us. Lord, in the midst of diversity, grant us hope.
God of unity, we pray for our country which is diverse and rich in its culture, religion and thought. We pray for those who suffer for believing in their way of life. Let no woman, man or child be discriminated and crucified for choosing their belief or their orientation and how they want to live life in its fullness. May we see hope in ourselves and share this hope with our neighbouring countries and the people of Asia and the world. Offer us opportunities to hope in the midst of suffering. Lord, in the midst of diversity, grant us hope.
God of knowledge, we pray for different theological communities which are diverse groups of different Christian denominations. May we learn from each other and help one another in our journey of faith and hope. Let our classes and discussions be multi faceted and exciting. May we lean on each other at times of despair and comfort one another during testing times. Lord, in the midst of diversity, grant us hope.
The prayer of hope.
Our hope in earth and heaven, glory to your name. May your true message be proclaimed and followed, in diverse contexts and cultures. Give us the means and opportunities of coming together by way of community meals and fellowships. Forgive our acts against hope as we forgive those who act against situations of hope. Lead us not into exclusive cultures but make us more inclusive and accommodating. For yours are our lives, our existence and our work forever and ever. Amen.
(This is from a worship order prepared for Asia Communication Sunday which was held at Gurukul Lutheran Theological College, Chennai on 27-6-2010)
God of love, we pray for communities who have been denied the essence and the means to hope. We pray for those who have been marginalized from the main stream of life and whose existence itself is a day to day struggle. We ask your help for dalits, adivasis and tribals who are fighting for their land, rights and needs. As they lose hope in the system which is supposed to protect them, we plead you to intervene and restore the hope which is rightfully theirs. Lord, in the midst of diversity, grant us hope.
God of equality and respectfulness, we pray for the equality of women in this country. We pray that women may never be turned away and kept inside their homes because of their gender. May women of all castes and religions in this country be represented by their own candidates and may we discuss and implement a bill for women, which is just and equal for all the women of this land. Lord, in the midst of diversity, grant us hope.
God of nurture and care, we pray for our children. May they receive their right to full access to education, and may they never be forced out of their innocence at an age which is decided by someone else. Give us the insight and the will to keep and not destroy what they should see and experience. May their new thinking and ideas instill a new found hope in us. Lord, in the midst of diversity, grant us hope.
God of unity, we pray for our country which is diverse and rich in its culture, religion and thought. We pray for those who suffer for believing in their way of life. Let no woman, man or child be discriminated and crucified for choosing their belief or their orientation and how they want to live life in its fullness. May we see hope in ourselves and share this hope with our neighbouring countries and the people of Asia and the world. Offer us opportunities to hope in the midst of suffering. Lord, in the midst of diversity, grant us hope.
God of knowledge, we pray for different theological communities which are diverse groups of different Christian denominations. May we learn from each other and help one another in our journey of faith and hope. Let our classes and discussions be multi faceted and exciting. May we lean on each other at times of despair and comfort one another during testing times. Lord, in the midst of diversity, grant us hope.
The prayer of hope.
Our hope in earth and heaven, glory to your name. May your true message be proclaimed and followed, in diverse contexts and cultures. Give us the means and opportunities of coming together by way of community meals and fellowships. Forgive our acts against hope as we forgive those who act against situations of hope. Lead us not into exclusive cultures but make us more inclusive and accommodating. For yours are our lives, our existence and our work forever and ever. Amen.
(This is from a worship order prepared for Asia Communication Sunday which was held at Gurukul Lutheran Theological College, Chennai on 27-6-2010)
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