Indian Christianity Since the Arrival of Portugese

After visiting Saint Thomas Mount and San Thome Basilica in Chennai, Susan and I flew into Goa yesterday.  Goa, the smallest of all Indian states and the latest territory that became part of free India, is known for its churches and wonderful beaches. Shortly after Vasco de Gama, the Portuguese explorer, came to the Malabar Coast in 1498, the Portuguese colonists defeated the local rulers of Goa and kept it till 1961, when the Indian army annexed the Goa into a union territory, and in early eighties it became an Indian State.  Perhaps the most lasting impression the Portuguese made may have been in transforming the Indian Christianity. The influence of the Catholic Church brought here by the Portuguese was so great that it overpowered the already established 1500 year old Christian Church started by Saint Thomas.  In Goa, we visited the St. Catherine's Chapel, Saint Francis of Assissi Church, and the Church where the 500- year-old body of Saint Francis Xaviour is encased in glass box.  It is a pilgrimage site for hundreds of thousands of people of all religious beliefs. We observed people lighting candles and giving offerings for the favors they received. Churches are ubiquitous in Goa.  So are bars and beach going foreigners. We spend the whole day visiting churches, museums, and a beautiful spice farm.  We got to put only our toes in the nice warm waters at the beautiful Kolva beach, because we forgot to pack our swimwears when we left our hotel in the morning.       

The Beginning of Indian Christianity

Arrived Chennai by train (Shathabdi Express) from Bangalore late evening on Thursday, January 19 and stayed in a service apartment by name The Lotus on Venkitaraman Road.  This nice place was arranged by my Mr. Jacob Kuruvilla (my son's father-in-law). We woke up to greet a busy Friday. After a nice vegetarian breakfast, our driver, Mr. Pandian took us to a cousin's (Babykochamma) flat.  It is quite an experience to sit in the car and watch how our driver maneuver through the busy streets of Chennai, known earlier as City of Madras.  This city has grown so much since 1971, the first time I came to obtain  my visiting visa from the American consulate. Babykochamma served us some typical Syrian Christian treats to eat and take home with.  From Babykochamma's flat we went over to Sunnychayan (P. M. Mathew) and Kocheri Kochamma's place in another part of the city.  They had visited us in the US in November. Over a nice lunch, we talked about politics in India and the US and how both our democracies are struggling to get anything meaningful done to improve the quality of life for ordinary people.  Despite the efforts by Anna Hazare, corruption is rampant here in my country of origin. The economy in India hit a bump especially in the IT sector due to the economic slump in the West.

It took all our energy to climb the Saint Thomas Mount. I had looked forward to visiting this place with great anticipation and expectation.  However, to tell you the truth, I was disappointed.  The place is not kept well.  Except for the chapel and the church at the top of the mount, everything was else was dirty and  smelly.  I shared with Susan, if there was a place as historically significant as this place in the West, it would be taken care with utmost care and the place would be immaculate and clean. It was here Thomas, the doubting turned great confessor disciple of Jesus, was pierced by a lance while praying in front of the stone cross sculpted by Thomas himself.  The original cross, known as the bleeding cross, is at the altar of the church built on the spot where Thomas killed.  The entrance to the chapel bears the words of Thomas's confession, "My God and my Lord".  This was what Thomas said when he recognized the Jesus after the resurrection.  Pope John Paul prayed at this spot during his visit to India in 1986.  As this place is at higher elevation, you get a panoramic view of the city of Chennai.

Coming down the mount was not as exhausting as climbing.  Pandian, our diriver then took us to the San Thome Church near Marina Beach. I was impressed with the beauty of this church and how they take care of its campus.  This was where Thomas was buried back in 72 AD. According to the historical accounts, Thomas first came to a place called Kodangaloor, on the west coast in Kerala in AD 52.  After preaching the gospel in several places in Kerala, he reached Saint Thomas Mount.  While he was there, he met with strong opposition from Hindu Brahmins. According to the legend, a Hindu brahmin pierced Thomas on his back while he was praying.  San Thome is one of the only three churches in the world built on the tomb of a disciple of Christ. The others are in Rome over St. Peter's tomb and in Spain over St. James' tomb. Pope John Paul conducted visited this place also in 1986.

                    

A Great Celebration and a Marthoma Reunion

Early Saturday morning, Kurian, a friend from college, and Elsie, his wife, took me to their Yoga School to attend a lecture by a Hindu Sannyasini by the name of Sister Poornima on the "Discipline of Tolerance." It was a well thought out and delivered talk. However, considering the time, 6 a.m on a Saturday,  I was amazed to see the number of people who came to hear her. I surmise that there is a huge hunger for learning and self-improvement among my contemporaries.

As planned, on Saturday at noon, family and friends of our mom gathered at Navallil House, my sister's home in Chennankary, a village near Alleppey, now frequented by tourists from around the world to enjoy its natural beauty and serene environment.  This village can be reached only by boat as it is surrounded by the tributaries of Pampa River, and Vembanadu Lake.  People have their homes built on the outer edge of this island village and they raise their crops such as rice, coconut, banana, and cocoa in the shallow fields in the middle. We chose this location for the family reunion and celebration because this was where our mom was born and brought up.

Shortly after everyone had come we boarded the boat and celebration began.  After adorning mom with a ponnada by my brother and myself, she cut the cake.  I said a prayer of thanksgiving to God for her and my brother spoke, grandchildren and great grandchildren sang a couple of nice lively valla pattu (boatrace song) which depict the life of local villagers. Dinner on the boat was fabulous.  All the arrangements for the celebration of this important milestone in the life of our mom was organized by my nephews, Thommachen and Mathachen. This get together gave me an opportunity to see and be with some of my cousins for the first time in forty years. It was intimate and intentional unlike wedding and funeral gatherings.

Following the family reunion, we remained at my sister's home for the night, and on Sunday, we went to the Mar Thoma church in Karackal.  My grandfather, the late Rev. M. O Koshy, served this church for many years and was buried here.  This was where I was baptized as an infant and attended Sunday School in the early years.  It was hugely significant for me to be back here as a priest, a vocation following my grandfather's footsteps. The priest in the church allowed me to assist him in the Eucharist and asked me to preach.  As a priest this was the first time I served eucharist and preached in a Mar Thoma Church.  It was an awesome blessing!




         

Family Reunion

Friday, January 13

I like the early hours of Kerala winter morning, especially when I wake up in our new flat in Kalathypady, very close to Kottayam and my mom's house.  The cool morning quietness is broken only by a vigorous bird chirping and cock crowing. It's nice to sit back and relax without any major to-do list to accomplish during the day. Tomorrow is going to be a big day, the day Susan and I have been hoping for since we began our sabbatical planning. It is to celebrate the 90th birthday of my mom whom we lovingly call Kochammachi. 

Kochammachi

 All her children, six of us, will be there.  We will meet at my sister's house in Chennankary, near Alleppey.  Our plan is hire a large boat for few hours and go for boat ride into the beautiful Vembanadu Lake.  Food and drinks will be served in the boat.  There will be close to forty people including her 86 year old brother, three or four cousins also in their eighties, nieces, nephews, children, grandchildren and great grandchildren. Part of the ceremony is to adorn her with a Ponnada, a very fine thin cloth with a band of golden threads on the edges.  Then children and grandchildren will say few words giving thanks to God for her and then provide some entertainment.  This will be the first time in many years for us to be part of the celebration of a family milestone.  I will post another blog with pictures of family reunion in a couple of days.       

Cochin

Tuesday, January 10, 2012

Wow, it's been almost a week since we arrived in Kerala. Susan and I came to pick up Ranjit and Manju from the train station (Johanna remained in Bangalore) and then went on to visit relatives nearby in Ernakulam, a city attracting foreign investments and young people because of its business environment.  After chilling with Susan's niece and family for a bit, we ventured into Fort Cochin, the nearby city, old and historic from before the modern colonial era began.  One of the sites was the almost five hundred years old Jewish Synagogue, next to the palace of the local king.  The king's palace, dated even earlier, was converted into the office of the Dutch administration for a brief period.  Though it is preserved, it is not adequately maintained. According to literature, the initial wave of Jews took place shortly after the destruction of the Jerusalem temple.  They were embraced by the people and local king and were given a special place for worship, and provided opportunities to thrive. The Jews in Kerala suffered a set back only when the Portuguese came.  They were driven out from their original settlement and were resettled in Fort Cochin with the help of the King of Cochin.  This is where the synagogue has been for the last five centuries.  Not too far from this Synagogue is a church originally built by Portuguese and renovated in 1779.  The body of explorer, Vasco de Gama, was originally buried here, but later his son took the body back to Portugal.  We also visited the fishing village, a short distance from the church.  The picture above of the two fishermen mending their nets coincided with the Book of Common Prayer's daily gospel reading of Peter and Andrew mending the nets and leaving them to follow Jesus.  The fresh fish caught from there was prepared by a nearby restaurant as part of our lunch menu.  Cooked in an earthen pot with spices from the Malabar coast, this fish was the most delicious we had so far.  It again reminded me of Jesus serving broiled fish with his disciples on the beach on one of Jesus' post Easter appearances. More later!            

Saturday, January 7, 2012
Our flight to Cochin from the Philadelphia was long as expected and uneventful as wished. The last leg of the trip was a car ride from the airport to my home in Kottayam, a distance of only100 kilometers, which  normally would take three hours but at four O' Clock in the morning with no traffic except for some vans carrying Hindu pilgrims on their way to Sabarimala, was a quite fete to be accomplished in less than two hours. As dawn was barely braking in, we arrived at the door and were greeted by my youngest sister, Anitha, still wearing a collar, which immediately reminded me of the recent accident and miraculous survival she had experienced along with her husband.  The joy of seeing her healthy and in good spirits and attending to our needs brought tears of joy to both Susan and me.  My mom, ninety years old was also up that early, and alert in making sure that we are well cared for.  Despite the lack of sleep while traveling, we both were quite awake and energetic, and were ready to enter a day that had quite a long to-do list.  The day ended, feeling satisfied with and giving thanks to God for what we were able to accomplish on the first day.  Like the other day, it is getting late, and I will fill you in on other exciting things in the next few days.     

On the Eve of Sabbatical

Here I am, on the eve of the first day of my sabbatical.  Wondering what to pack and what not to pack as this is the first time ever going on a long journey for this long - 3 months.  I am reading all the e-mails and cards received from friends from my church family; it is comforting to know that they are praying for Susan and me.  One of the cards reads, "It must feel wonderful to know you are going to your native land and re-connect with the Lord. I wish you both a beautiful trip. We will miss you, but we know you will be coming back to us, so enjoy your much earned time away." With this card also a St. Jude Devotional Prayer Booklet. How nice!
We chose this verse from Isaiah that reads, "In returning and rest shall you be saved, and in quietness and trust, you shall find your strength" as our mantra for this sabbatical, a journey back to the beginning of our life, connecting with family, friends, culture, religion, faith, etc., elements which shaped me and prepared me to who I am today.  It is getting late, I must get some good rest considering that I didn't get much sleep much last night as I stayed awake to usher in the New Year.