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MARCH 25 - APRIL 10, 2015PAGE 1
Contents
Registered RNI No. 45550/88
Published on 10th and 25th every month
MCN/209/2015-2017
Posted at Mumbai Patrika Channel Sorting Office,
Mumbai - 400 001
on 10th & 25th every month.
VOLUME 28 ISSUE 6 MUMBAI MARCH 25 - APRIL 10, 2015 `.`.`.`.`. 100ANNUAL SUBSCRIPTION
2
Editorial
We need to examine, whether the
term ‘mission’ is an appropriate
word in today’s world
Christian witness to the world
3
Biblical Justice is neither forensic
nor universalist but deliberately
biased towards the poor and
the vulnerable
Let not the anti-farmer-labourer
bill be passed
4
Two eminent ecumenical
stalwarts depart:
A profound scholar
and a great warrior
One with deep insight
and distinctive voice
5
“First to their comforts,
then to your own”
The budget fails to translate the
gender - commitments
to budgetary commitments
6
The union budget is not bothered
about the crucial concerns of
women
Two eminent ecumenical
stalwarts depart
7
“You do not know”
What is it?
The Church is essentially
a social justice movement
8
All India Council of Christian
Women
WCC mourns the loss of
Prof. Dr. Ninan Koshy
Agriculture is Life,
Agriculture is Right
To express solidarity with churches and
people in Israel and Palestine, the leadership of
the World Council of Churches (WCC) Central
Committee undertook a visit to Israel and
Palestine from 7 to 12 March.
The delegation with Dr Agnes Abuom,
moderator of the WCC Central Committee,
Metropolitan Dr Gennadios of Sassima and Bishop
Mary Ann Swenson, vice-moderators of the Central
Committee, and Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit, WCC
general secretary, highlighted the WCC’s focus on
supporting peace initiatives in the troubled region,
underlining the on-going presence and witness of
the churches’ engagements.
The visit was an expression of the pilgrimage
of justice and peace, affirming the WCC’s
commitment to support the peace process in the
Holy Land and in the Middle East, and to reflect on
the on-going and clear wish for a just peace.
The visit included meetings with
representatives of the WCC member churches,
SupporSupporSupporSupporSupport the peace-processt the peace-processt the peace-processt the peace-processt the peace-process
in the Holy Lin the Holy Lin the Holy Lin the Holy Lin the Holy Landandandandand
and the Middle Eastand the Middle Eastand the Middle Eastand the Middle Eastand the Middle East
including Patriarch Theophilos III
of Jerusalem and Bishop Dr.
Munib A. Younan of the
Evangelical Lutheran Church in
Jordan & the Holy Land as well
as other church leaders in
Jerusalem, who were hosted by
Patriarch Fouad Twal in a
gathering at the Latin
Patriarchate in Jerusalem.
The WCC delegation also
met with Jewish and Muslim
leaders, human rights groups
(both Palestinian and Israelis),
at the Peres Peace Centre, with
Shimon Peres, Prime Minister Al
Hamdallah, and the Presidential
Committee for Church Affairs in
Ramallah as well as
representatives of ecumenical
organizations. The delegation
Participants in the meeting with church leaders,
hosted at the Latin Patriarchate in Jerusalem © WCC/Marianne Ejdersten
Contd. Page 2 Col. 2 ..>>>
Institute of Social Sciences
Integrating Research with Action
30thAnniversary Lecture
How can Gandhian ideasHow can Gandhian ideasHow can Gandhian ideasHow can Gandhian ideasHow can Gandhian ideas
be woven intobe woven intobe woven intobe woven intobe woven into
the Social Science Agenda?the Social Science Agenda?the Social Science Agenda?the Social Science Agenda?the Social Science Agenda?
Ms. Ela Gandhi delivering the 30th Anniversary Lecture of the ISS. From left: Dr. George Mathew, Chairman, ISS,
Mr. Anand Sharma, former Union Minister and Dr. Ash Narain Roy, Director, ISS.
Ms. Ela Gandhi, Grand
Daughter of Mahatma
Gandhi, Peace Activist and
former Member of
Parliament, Republic of
South Africa, delivered a
lecture on “How can
Gandhian ideas be woven
into the Social Science
Agenda?” on the occasion of
the 30th Anniversary of the
Institute of Social Sciences
(ISS). New Delhi, on 9 Feb.
Ms. Ela Gandhi said, “In most
Universities throughout the
world and certainly in South
Africa the Social Sciences have
followed the Western Model.
Gandhiji spoke at length, in Hind
Swaraj, about the folly of
following Western models and
his reasoning was that in the
western thought a strong
element is the link between civilization and bodily
comforts. In the Eastern philosophy or way of
thinking, everything revolves around the mind and
spirituality and African thought revolves around the
community – it is always about us not I”.
Dr. Ash Narain Roy, Director, ISS, welcomed the
gathering. Mr. Anand Sharma, former Minister for
Commerce, Industry & Textitles, and Deputy Leader
of Opposition (Rajya Sabha), delivered the
Presidential Address.
Dr. George Mathew, Chairman, ISS, spoke about
the 30-year journey of the Institute of Social
Sciences. He said that “when the Institute was
registered on 28 August 1985, power to the people,
based on the Gandhian idea of Gram Swaraj was
the rallying point for many intellectuals, activists and
concerned citizens. It is against this background
that the Institute found its institutional expression.
The Institute’s birth was also necessitated by the
extraordinary demand from the intellectuals and
activists to come forward on a common platform
Contd. Page 5 Col. 1 ..>>>
and inter-religious initiatives
Peace-building
MARCH 25 - APRIL 10, 2015PAGE 2PAGE 2 MARCH 25 - APRIL 10, 2015
Thought for the FortnightThought for the FortnightThought for the FortnightThought for the FortnightThought for the Fortnight
Property is not theft,
but a good deal of theft becomes property.
– R. H. Tawney Editor in Chief
People’s Reporter, Post Box No.12,
Mavelikara - 690 101, Kerala, India
Phone : 09446916374, 0479 - 2300096, 2304355
E-mail : mammenvarkey@gmail.com, prprtr@gmail.com
For Editorial and Business Correspondence:
Prof. Mammen Varkey
Peace-building and inter-religious initiatives
Christian witnessChristian witnessChristian witnessChristian witnessChristian witness
to the worldto the worldto the worldto the worldto the world
>>> Contd. from Page 1 Col. 2
also had exposure to the
conditions of life under
occupation, and to successful
community projects in the area.
“Since 2002, over 1,500
volunteers have come for
three months to be the
Ecumenical Accompaniers
(EAs). That has been one
concrete initiative for the
WCC to show solidarity and
support to local and
international efforts to bring
a resolution to the Israeli-
Palestinian conflict with a
just peace based on
international law and relevant
United Nations resolutions,”
said Dr Agnes Abuom,
moderator of the WCC
Central Committee.
Despite being a religious
minority in Israel and Palestine,
Christians are strongly active and
visible in public life.
“Our role is to give Christian
witness to the world and work for
justice and peace,” said WCC
general secretary Rev. Dr Olav
Fykse Tveit as he explained how
the WCC accompanies peace
and reconciliation initiatives in
the Middle East and beyond.
Tveit underlined: “We believe
peace can be achieved only
together with the other. We are
called as the fellowship of
churches to take action in
support of peaceful solutions to
the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.”
The WCC delegation
included Georges Lemopoulos,
deputy general secretary, Dr.
Isabel Phiri, associate general
secretary for Public Witness and
Diakonia, Marianne Ejdersten,
the WCC’s director of
communication and Rev. Garland
Pierce, senior assistant to the
WCC general secretary.
– WCC News
BTESSC Seminar
Deenabandhu Manchala
WWWWWe need to examine,e need to examine,e need to examine,e need to examine,e need to examine,
whether the term ‘missionwhether the term ‘missionwhether the term ‘missionwhether the term ‘missionwhether the term ‘mission’ is’ is’ is’ is’ is
an appropriate word in todayan appropriate word in todayan appropriate word in todayan appropriate word in todayan appropriate word in today’s world’s world’s world’s world’s world
Relocating Theological Education in a Marginalizing Context
[Third part of excerpts
from the paper ‘Relocating
Theological Education in a
Marginalizing Context’,
presented at the BTESSC
Seminar held at Kottayam on
14 Feb. The Rev. Dr.
Deenabandhu Manchala is
the South Asia Area
Executive of the Global
Ministries of the United
Church of Christ and the
Disciples of Christ, USA.]
What are the implications of
the points I raised, to our
vocation of theological
education?Perhaps a more
active and consistent
engagement with contexts and
experiences of marginalization,
with public and people’s issues
and with social movements,
and participation in the lives of
those involved in justice
struggles? It calls for a new
understanding of ministerial
training as one going beyond
merely preparing for clerical
ministry and priestly duties, to
enable communities and
individuals to get engaged with
the life and issues of God’s
people. It also poses the need
for theological education in
India to propose alternatives,
more contextually relevant
meanings and expressions of
mission and diakonia rather
than adapting ourselves to the
given and striving to be
acceptable to the norms of
Western theological academia.
We also need to examine
whether the term “mission” is an
appropriate word in today’s world
which is completely different and
rapidly evolving, increasingly
pluralistic and complex, and with
the possibilities for greater
assertion of opinions and
identities. We need an alternative
to the English term “mission,”
which in most languages and
contexts, and among non-
theological communities evokes
meanings associated with
Christian religious expansion. In
an increasingly pluralistic world,
with resurgence of religions and
assertion of religious identities
on the one hand, and increasing
Contd. Page 3 Col. 1 ..>>>
We need an alternative to the English term “mission,” which in most languages and contexts, and
among non-theological communities evokes meanings associated with Christian religious expansion.
In an increasingly pluralistic world, with resurgence of religions and assertion of religious identities
on the one hand, and increasing indifference towards institutional/organized expressions of any
religion on the other, “mission” seems both divisive and regressive in spite of the many progressive
meanings and definitions that theologians may attribute to it. The challenge, therefore, is to explore an
alternative that adequately communicates what it actually means, i.e., as Christian participation in what
God wants to do in the world that God created, that invites as well as joins those – the progressive
forces from all living faiths and ideologies to work together for the realization of that vision.
In December 2014, hardly six months after assuming office,
the government of Mr. Narendra Modi promulgated in haste,
an ordinance to amend the Right to Fair Compensation and
Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Re-
settlement Act 2013 (LARR Act).But, some clauses in the
amendment caused widespread opposition. Even some of
the allies of the Govt. were against the ordinance. Despite
stiff resistance from the opposition parties and the Shiv Sena,
the Bill was passed in the Lok Sabha on 10 March.
The amended LARR Act of 2013 that replaces the colonial-
era Land Acquisition Act of 1894 is aimed at easing the
process of land acquisition to speed up the starting of new
industrial ventures. However, the Act ignores the right of the
land-owners and the social impacts of the large scale
conversion of farm lands into areas for non- agricultural
purposes. Before the amendment, under the LARR Act, prior
consent of at least 80% of the affected families and also a
Social Impact Assessment (SIA) were mandatory for acquiring
land for private companies. What is unfortunate is that the
amendments remove these conditions without any concern
for the livelihood and security of hundreds of thousands of
the affected families and the welfare of the society.
It must be noted that these amendments amount to a
dilution of the right to private property as a fundamental right.
Such a change is to be welcomed, if it is aimed at bringing
greater parity in land-ownership and at helping distribution of
at least a tiny plot of land for sheltering the homeless in the
country. But, such an intention is totally absent in the agenda
of the ruling class in general; and of the ruling coalition in
particular. When the debate on the LARR Act was alive inside
and outside the Parliament in 2013, a demand was raised to
implement the land reform policy, and to introduce the
Homestead Bill guaranteeing 10 cents of land for the
landless, which was drafted by the UPA government. It must
be noted that millions of acres of surplus land to be distributed
among the landless remain untouched for a long time, and
the ruling class is not at all bothered about passing
legislations to acquire that land. It is by ignoring this social
responsibility, the ruling class now shows restlessness to
speed up land acquisition for providing land to industrial
houses by ignoring its consequences on the life of the poor
land-owners and its social impacts. It must be remembered
that, despite various supports/ subsidies to the capitalists in
the form of providing land, water and electricity either as free
gifts or at a subsidied price, tax concessions and provisioning
of infrastructural facilities at the expense of the tax payers
during the last two and a half decades, the contribution of the
industrial sector in GDP hovers around 16%. It is by concealing
this fact the government wants to shower more benefits on
the big capitalists in various forms.
It must be admitted that governments should enjoy control
over the land. But, there are some questions in this regard: Is
this power used for enhancing the security and well-being of
the people or for helping the capitalists? Land is the free gift
of nature, basically to produce food for the people and animals
and to provide a space for shelter for all; and the government
is bound to ensure that land is used primarily to satisfy these
needs. Land may be allotted for other purposes but only after
ensuring this. The government, ignoring its basic
responsibilities gives priority to the distribution of land to big
industrialists.
At a time when more and more people get alienated from
land and the number of landless people increases, the
insistence of the ruling coalition to proceed with these
amendments is unreasonable and anti-people.
The Land Bill
MARCH 25 - APRIL 10, 2015PAGE 3
Whenyou
CLAIM
something,
youhave,
indeed,an
AIM
in it.
People’s Movements, Unions and Networks
Solidarity with Opposition Parties’ Protest March
against the Land Bill
LLLLLet not the anti-farmeret not the anti-farmeret not the anti-farmeret not the anti-farmeret not the anti-farmer-labourer bill-labourer bill-labourer bill-labourer bill-labourer bill
be passedbe passedbe passedbe passedbe passed
We welcome the
Opposition Parties’ unity and
steadfast opposition to the
undemocratic way in which
NDA government brought in
the Land Ordinance 2014,
now the Land Bill 2015
passed by the Lok Sabha.
The bullish approach of govt
was condemned and
opposed by the Opposition in
Lok Sabha and now they
have rallied together and
vowed not to get this anti
people legislation passed in
the Upper House.
We express our solidarity
against the anti-people land bill.
In a parliamentary democracy,
the need for effective opposition
to keep undemocratic moves of
the ruling government under
check is imperative and we are
happy that the opposition parties
have taken a clear stand against
the regressive anti-farmer-
labourer bill which is to serve the
interests of corporates at the cost
of people, agriculture and nature
of our country. We sincerely hope
that this protest will manifest itself
into a strong collective opposition
in Rajya Sabha against the
passing of this bill.
People’s Movements have
been opposed to the forcible land
acquisition for years and have
contributed immensely to the
enactment of the Land Act 2013.
The land bill has become a
political issue and we are happy
to note that parties have
organised marches,
demonstrations, hunger strikes
and lobbied against the NDA
govt. People’s movements
continue to oppose this and
demand no changes to 2013 Act,
but we would also like to stress
the following and urge the
political parties in Opposition,
who are in power in many states
that :
1. Government must bring a
white paper on all the land
acquired, used till and lying
unutilised in land bank of various
state departments. This is
necessary to prevent any
unwanted and unrequired
acquisition.
2. Let there be a moratorium
on the acquisition of any fertile
and irrigated land. This is
essential for the food security of
the nation.
3. On lines of Nitish govt in
Bihar, we urge all parties to pass
a resolution against this bill and
vow not to implement it in their
states.
4. As a long term measure to
address the demands of the
movements, let governments
distribute the land to the landless
and implement forest rights, so
that land rights of the people be
protected.
5. While, we look at
preventing further displacement,
there is a need to provide R&R to
Crores of project affected people,
who have suffered in the name
of development.
6. Lastly, people should be not
only at the heart of any
development project but also in
its planning and hence Gram
Sabha and Basti Sabha must be
made a part of any development
planning in the country.
We do hope opposition
parties will include these
demands too and also appeal
to all secular-democratic and
pro-people forces to join the
movement against the land bill
on the ground as well as in the
parliament and to demand
immediate withdrawal of the
Bill.
National Alliance of People’s
Movements, All India Union of
Forest Working People, Delhi
Solidarity Group, Lok Shakti
Abhiyan, Pennurium Iyakkum,
Jan Sangharsh Samanvay
Samiti, Jan Jagran Shakti
Sangathan, Kosi Navnirman
Manch, Paryavaran Surksha
Samiti, Narmada Bachao
Andolan, Yuva Kranti, Ghar
Bachao Ghar Banao Andolan.
– NAPM News
BTESSC Seminar
Relocating Theological Education in a Marginalizing Context
indifference towards institutional/
organized expressions of any
religion on the other, “mission”
seems both divisive and
regressive in spite of the many
progressive meanings and
definitions that theologians may
attribute to it. The challenge,
therefore, is to explore an
alternative that adequately
communicates what it actually
means, i.e., as Christian
participation in what God wants
to do in the world that God
created, that invites as well as
joins those – the progressive
forces from all living faiths and
ideologies to work together for
the realization of that vision.
3. God’s Justice as
the Vantage Point
Caste and patriarchy are
perhaps the two most
outstanding forces of
marginalization in India. These
two factors have not only been
the sources of marginalization
and exploitation of large sections
of the society but also these
continue to counter any assertion
of human dignity and rights
besides corrupting the Indian
sense of human values and
structures of human
relationships. The worst victims
of the caste system are the Dalits
who form the majority of the
disadvantaged groups. Similarly,
a majority of Indian women,
besides tribals and adivasis are
exposed to multiple forms of
violence, violation, deprivation
and injustice. We all denounce
these but do very little to eradicate
them.
Years ago, A.P.Nirmal in his
seminal presentations on Dalit
Theology, in the early 1980s,
talked about the methodological
exclusivism to insist that only
Dalits know what caste
oppression is and what it does
to their sense of dignity and self-
worth, and that Dalits must be
ensured space and freedom to
speak for themselves, and that
they do not need patrons or
spokespersons. His call gave
courage and determination to
many Dalit Christians to assert
their identity and rights, and to
demand their rightful place in the
Church and their voices to be
heard. Dalit theology flourished
and so has Dalit leadership
increased.
However, even after 40 years
of active engagement of
theologians, activists and
institutions, Dalit issues remain
the concern mostly of the Dalits.
Dalits (at least the Christian
Dalits) should take lead and talk
about their discrimination and
marginalization, if others do not.
I must, however, acknowledge
the consistent partnership of
some theologians and activists
from non-Dalit backgrounds who
have been passionate about
Dalit liberation than many other
Dalits who seem to make use of
their Dalit identity for personal
career and power interests.
Furthermore, the aspirations of
Dalits for liberation and justice
are set aside as issues or
interests of one caste
community among many others
who are vying for power and
prominence. Likewise, if women
in the Church do not take lead
and raise their voices
demanding respect and equal
opportunities, we do not have
many men in the Church who
would do that. Some leaders
even trivialize and respond to their
concerns in lighter vein. We
prefer to talk about justice in
general terms and of its need “out
there,” but avoid doing anything
with these two evils right within
our household.
Justice has been a much
talked and written about issue in
ecumenical and theological
communities, even if it is not so
much in liturgies and teachings
of the Church. However, in spite
of the strong biblical tradition of
justice as central to the
affirmation and practice of faith
in God, it has not been able to
inspire much response.It
continues to be treated as a
social /secular issue and doesn’t
>>> Contd. from Page 2 Col. 4
Biblical Justice is neither forensic nor universalistBiblical Justice is neither forensic nor universalistBiblical Justice is neither forensic nor universalistBiblical Justice is neither forensic nor universalistBiblical Justice is neither forensic nor universalist
but deliberately biasedbut deliberately biasedbut deliberately biasedbut deliberately biasedbut deliberately biased
towards the poor and the vulnerabletowards the poor and the vulnerabletowards the poor and the vulnerabletowards the poor and the vulnerabletowards the poor and the vulnerable
Biblical justice, as our biblical tradition tells us, is neither forensic nor universalist
but is deliberately biased towards the poor and the vulnerable.
It exposes the sinfulness of the world through a preferential option for the poor.
It enlivens the dry bones as well as confronts and transforms the aggressor.
Contd. Page 7 Col. 1 ..>>>
People should be not only at the heart of any development project
but also in its planning and hence Gram Sabha and Basti Sabha must be made a part of
any development planning in the country
MARCH 25 - APRIL 10, 2015PAGE 4
Two eminent ecumenical stalwarts depart
A profound scholarA profound scholarA profound scholarA profound scholarA profound scholar
and a great warriorand a great warriorand a great warriorand a great warriorand a great warrior
One with deep insightOne with deep insightOne with deep insightOne with deep insightOne with deep insight
and distinctive voiceand distinctive voiceand distinctive voiceand distinctive voiceand distinctive voice
‘He was a gift to church, society and
community’ was the fitting remark made by
the preacher, the Bishop of Delhi
Brotherhood, at the funeral service
organised at the Cemetery in New Delhi on
4 March 2015.
More appropriately, the Rev. Dr. (Habil)
James Massey was a ‘rare gift to the Dalits
as a whole’ though he was widely known as
a Christian and a Dalit Theologian. Prior to
my taking over as the General Secretary of
NCDHR in 2003 in Delhi, I had heard about
Dr. Massey, but never had a personal
acquaintance with him. I had an impression
that like many, Dr. James Massey is also an
academic and a scholar from the ecumenical
domain whose insights would be limited to
church based understandings.
Incidentally sometime in 2005 in Delhi, I
peeped into a consultation, where I saw Rev.
Massey delivering a lecture in which he
handled the question of Caste and Dalits very
knowledgeably and emphatically, making
references from the Rig Veda to Ambedkar
and Christ. I was challenged of my perception
against him and I was inclined to sit and listen
to him. During the lunch break I met,
appreciated and handed over my business
card to him. On looking at the card, he
profusely exclaimed ‘Oh.. You are from
NCDHR! We need to meet!!.’ This gave me
an opening to relate with him directly and
personally.
I visited CDSS in Uttam Nagar, which was
promoted by him as CDS in 2001, where I
found him and the centre, not only scholarly
but also very pragmatic in terms of analysing
the issue of Caste and strategizing to
address the discrimination with Christian
ethos. There only I learnt about his stature
and the vital positions that he held in the
Church and related institutions viz ISPCK (Its
General Secretary), BTESSC (Secretary),
NCCI (Chair of Communication Unit) etc., I
found him to be a vibrant member of the
Minority Commission of India, who used the
Govt space for raising the issue of Christians,
mainly the Dalit Christians. Thereafter, I
strengthened my contacts with him and
shared what we strived in NCDHR to hold the
Indian State accountable for the Caste based
violence on Dalits and our interventions in
the UN, the EU and other international
forums to internationalise this issue.
Every time, he used to listen to me
silently until I finished, but came back
with his own insights and thought
provoking ideas for challenging the
Caste within the Church as well.
There, I found him more relevant,
practical and meaningful. Perhaps
such interactions would have
motivated me to undertake my PhD in
Dalit Theology.
When I met him in 2011 for an
interview for my Thesis in the same
centre, I found him great, as he had
authored more than 25 books and
penned around 100 articles on Dalits
and Dalit Theology. I was amazed to
see the names of his Associates, the
renowned stalwarts, which included
Rev Fr. Dr. T.K. John, Rev. Fr. Dr.
Lourdusamy, Sr. Dr. Shalini, Dr. Mohan
Razu, Rev Dr. Maoodeep Daniel, Rev
Fr. Dr. Maria Arulraja and Dr.
Lourdunathan, who joined him for
reflections and writings. Also, he and
CDSS had an extensive academic
relationship with premier institutions
like Vidya Jothi, CISRS, Delhi
Brotherhood, UTC, Nava Jothi PGR
Centre, Dharma Joti Vidya Peeth, NTS
etc., for teaching, reflecting and
publishing. He inspired many Dalits
like me to have a deeper understanding
about the origin and the
manifestations of caste as the source
of division and discrimination and
motivated to reflect theologically
considering Christ as a Dalit,
Challenger and Liberator. He is the
contemporary to Arvind Nirmal, the
Pioneer of Dalit Theology.
I enjoyed reading many books of
Dr. James Massy and to quote a few –
‘Roots, A Concise History of Dalits’,
‘Dalits in India, Religion as a source
of bondage’, ‘Downtrodden: The
Struggles of Indian Dalits for Identify,
Solidarity and Liberation’ and ‘Towards
Dalit hermeneutics’. I have made many
references to him in my thesis:
‘Towards a Practical Dalit Theology: Its
status among grassroots Dalit
Christians in their struggle against
caste oppression’. Still I remember
him saying, ‘Dalit theology has
necessarily to reach out to grassroots
to inspire and activate Dalit Christians
to challenge the caste within and
outside Church.’ He recalled how
much he faced discrimination in his
Childhood in Punjab where he was
born in 1943.
I shared platform with him in Delhi
in November 2014 during a
conference organised by the Dalit
Commission of the NCCI. He
presented a paper on, ‘The role of the
PRELUDE:
Ninan Koshy and I were
contemporaries in the Student
Christian Movement of India in the
early nineteen seventies – he as the
incoming General Secretary of The
SCMI and I, as the Area (Travelling
Secretary) of the North Tamilnadu
Area. In a way, he was one of my
favourite mentors in an official
ecumenical organization such as the
SCM. The three years we were
together in our respective capacities,
we seemed to have hit-it-off, and
grew more and more as personal
friends.
I still remember the times we were
together, consoling and comforting
each other when Susan (Cecily) and
Ninan had lost an infant child in an
unfortunate circumstance, and later
when I lost my aged mother around
that time. He had a tough exterior but a
very soft and outgoing mind, heart and
spirit. Even as an intellectual giant he
loved nurturing and mentoring
fledglings irrespective of regional,
linguistic, denominational and social
differences. He was truly an ecumenist
/ ecumenicist. We kept our great
personal relationship going beyond
the mid nineteen seventies and until
the time he passed away.
PROLOGUE:
Ninan Koshy was an ecumenical
person of a different era.
I should explain. In him there was
both agreement as well as
disagreement in the meaning,
methodology and measurement of
ecumenism and ecumenical
development. Let us examine a few
details:
Ecumenism
Ecumenism is the idea of
Christian unity in the literal meaning:
one single Church. Ecumenism is
separate and distinct
from Nondenominational Christianity
which seeks no common organizing
principle. This specific sense of the
word contrasts with interfaith dialogue
or interfaith pluralism aimed at unity or
cooperation among diverse religions
and referring to a worldwide “religious
unity” by the advocacy of a greater
sense of shared spirituality.
It is now widely known that the word
is derived from Greek oikoumene,
which means “the whole inhabited
world”, and was historically used with
specific reference to the Roman
Empire. The ecumenical vision
comprises both the search for the
visible unity of the Church (Ephesians
4:3) and the “whole inhabited earth”
(Matthew 24:14) as the concern of all
Christians. Therefore, Ecumenism is
the movement within Christianity that
aims at “the recovery in thought, in
action, and in organization, of the true
unity between the Church’s mission
to the world (its apostolate) and the
Church’s obligation to be one”.
Ecumenical Movement
One understanding of the
ecumenical movement is that it came
from the Roman Catholic Church’s
attempts to reconcile with Christians who had
become separated over theological issues.
Others see the 1910 World Missionary
Conference as the birthplace of the
ecumenical movement. Others yet point to
the 1920 encyclical of the Ecumenical
Patriarch Germanous of Constantinople “To
the Churches of Christ Everywhere” that
suggested a “fellowship of churches” similar
to the League of Nations.
After World War I, which had brought much
devastation to many people, the church
became a source of hope to those in need. In
1948 the first meeting of the World Council of
Churches was convened in Amsterdam with
the theme “Man’s Disorder and God’s
Design”. The movement led to an
understanding amongst the churches that,
despite differences, they could join together
to be an element of great change in the world.
To be an agent of hope and peace amongst
the chaos and destruction that humans seem
to create. More importantly the Council and
the movement led not only to ecumenism but
to the forming of councils amongst the
denominations that connected churches
across continental lines.
Wider Ecumenism
The relationship between the word
‘ecumenical’ and ‘unity’ is also a Roman
heritage. The emperors were keen to
maintain the ‘unity’ of their territory and prevent
any dissention or fragmentation, but the
church, which wielded much influence among
the people at that time, was the one that
threatened the unity of the Empire. The
Emperors feared that the doctrinal
controversies within the church would lead to
divisions and fragmentation. Therefore, they
themselves organized the early ‘Ecumenical
Councils’ and insisted that the Bishops of
the oikoumene get their act together to
maintain the unity of the church. Those who
continued to rebel against the decisions of
the Council were condemned as ‘heretics’
and were either executed or expelled from
the Empire.
The concern for ‘Christian Unity’ in the
Modern Ecumenical Movement is part of this
long heritage. In the context in which we now
live this focus is far from adequate.
I feel that Ninan Koshy represented
another worldview, that we need to move
away from the church base to a societal
base to reconsider ecumenism. That is, the
ecumenism of the community at large. The
people mattered, irrespective of race, color,
caste, creed and language.
His early scholastic background gave him
Ninan Koshy expired at Thiruvananthapuram on 4 March 2015
Vincent Manoharan Bennet Benjamin
Contd. Page 6 Col. 3 ..>>>Contd. Page 6 Col. 1 ..>>>
James Massey passed away at Patna on 2 March 2015
MARCH 25 - APRIL 10, 2015PAGE 5
Union Budget 2015-16 through Gender Lens
The budget fails to translate the gender - commitmentsThe budget fails to translate the gender - commitmentsThe budget fails to translate the gender - commitmentsThe budget fails to translate the gender - commitmentsThe budget fails to translate the gender - commitments
to budgetarto budgetarto budgetarto budgetarto budgetary commitmentsy commitmentsy commitmentsy commitmentsy commitments
Vibhuti Patel
The Union Budget (2015-
16) has subsidized the
corporate sector by
providing tax reductions and
sops. The phased reduction
of corporate tax has made
the richer sections of the
economyjubilant.Theburden
of indirect taxes is going to
break the back of poor
women.
Macro-economic measures
proposed in the budget are
detrimental to the working class
and the marginalized sections of
the economy. With respect to
more allocation for social sector,
paralysis has been generated by
neo-liberal analysis. Instead of
raising the direct taxes from the
rich sections to fund the Railway
budget, public-private
partnership (PPP) model is
promoted to further the cause of
corporatization of transport and
make the masses pay more for
the transport services. The
budget has demanded the
diversion of pension funds and
MP Local Area Development
(MPLAD) funds, thereby
absolving the government of any
direct responsibility to enhance
financial support for regional
development and for the
pensioners. By the reduction in
financial allocation for
Panchayati Raj, the Union Budget
makes a mockery of democratic
decentralization. In the absence
of financial decentralization the
local self government bodies
become ineffective and the talk
of 50% reserved seats for
women in the rural and urban
local self-government bodies
becomes an empty rhetoric of
‘empowerment of women’.
Public Economics
with no concern for
the marginalised groups
The state is increasingly
withdrawing from the social
sector in which the financial
allocation has been reduced
from 16.3 percent (2014-2015
budget estimates) and 15.06
percent (revised estimates,
2014-15) to 13.7 percent of the
budget outlay for 2015-
2016. Financial allocation for
women’s needs gets reduced in
the current budget. The
percentage of allocation for
women and child development
remains stagnant at 0.01 percent
of the total budget. This budget
fails to translate gender
commitments of the government
into budgetary commitments as
the financial provisions for
gender concerns have reduced
from 4.19 percent of the
estimated total budgetary
expenditure in 2014-2015 to 3.71
percent of the total expenditure
in the current budget.
Gender Budgeting
In the Union Budget 2015-16,
there has been nearly 50%
percent decrease in the
allocation for the Ministry of
Women and Child Development
over the revised budget of 2014-
15. Even if we add the Rs. 1000
Cr for the Nirbhaya Fund and
Rs. 100 Cr for the Beti Bachao,
Beti Padhao fund to the ministry’s
allocation, there is still a
decrease of more than 1/3rd
allocation in the total amount
allocated for women and child
development. The Gender
Budget has been drastically
slashed by 20 per cent (less by
Rs. 20,000 crore)! Major chunk
of gender budget is cornered by
Reproductive and Child Health
(RCH) with an aim of population
stabilization and to meet the
targets of ‘two-child norm’.
MGNREGS
MGNREGS, a major safety
net for the poorest of the poor
women has received a major
blow. For women-headed
households where the main Contd. Page 6 Col. 1 ..>>>
Institute of Social Sciences - Integrating Research with Action
30thAnniversary Lecture
>>> Contd. from Page 1 Col. 4
not only to create knowledge, but
also to share it with policy
makers, workers, practitioners,
organizations and others.”
Excerpts
from the lecture
We look at social sciences as
the study of relationships, of
communication, of behaviour and
of society and its evolution. When
we talk about Gandhiji and his
legacy, our thoughts immediately
go to Satyagraha and Ahimsa.
These have been over-killed by
writers and biographers to the
detriment of Gandhiji’s other
legacies in the social field.
While in SouthAfrica and later
in India, more of his time was
spent in developing his
constructive programme. This
included putting into action the
ideas of communal living, of a
holistic approach to health care,
of social change in terms of
mental transformation, interfaith
harmony and equality of all
beings regardless of race, colour,
creed, gender etc. and most
importantly empowerment of all.
He spent a large amount of time
both practically and in writing, to
build up a store of knowledge on
these aspects particularly at the
Phoenix Settlement and later at
Tolstoy Farm.
May I share a little story that
comes to my mind about a
school. In this school teams of
children were given various
responsibilities and these
responsibilities rotated so that
each team would have turns to
do certain chores. One team
reported about their turn in the
kitchen serving meals to the
children. They spoke about the
tea break when they would serve
each child a glass of milk and a
biscuit. Their story concluded by
the following report. “Today it was
our turn to give out the biscuits.
We gave each child the best
biscuits and kept the crumbs and
the broken biscuits for
ourselves.”
I told this story to a group of
educators and they laughed and
said that at their school they
would wait for their turn because
on that day they would have the
opportunity to select the best
biscuits for themselves. It was
their opportunity and they did not
consider it wrong to seize the
opportunity to select their choice
on the day they get to serve.
By logical deduction then if
these people are elected to a city
council for instance, would they
then select the best services for
themselves? Would that not be
a logical conclusion that they
would wait for opportunities in life
to enrich themselves? This is the
present reality of all our lives.
There are very few who would
select the crumbs for themselves
given the opportunity to have the
best. They may not commit fraud
or corruption but if they could they
would give more attention to that
which directly affects them rather
than that which affects others.
This makes one think, is this
attitude a result of early
conditioning of the mind to seize
an opportunity to enrich one’s
self?
When Gandhiji bade farewell
to one of his dedicated
colleagues who was to
accompany and take care of
some deportees, he said, “Take
care and look after these brothers
on the way. See first to their
comforts then to your own.” That
was the message and the
philosophy behind the message!
Social science has a huge
role in developing theories and
methodologies to look at how
change occurs and what are the
important messages that one
needs to communicate to future
generations if the present
spiralling trend towards
selfishness has to be reversed.
In our work in South Africa we
applied Gandhiji’s teachings by
emphasizing the idea of manual
work, tilling the soil, alongside
learning and communicating.
We emphasized the
importance of not devaluing
manual work. This was a key
lesson that we were taught in the
Phoenix ashram. All work is
equally important and should
have the same value. This was
also Tolstoy’s idea promoted by
Gandhiji.
Gandhiji evolved many ideas
but his ideas were not
scientifically tested or based on
any theory. Gandhiji would read
and he was an avid reader, but at
the end he would combine many
ideas into one and act on them.
His logic was born out of his
activism. He was not interested
in academic methodology.
So applying or studying his
principles, concepts and ideas
would be difficult because he did
not even write them up
scientifically and therefore his
ideas are open to many
interpretations. Martin Luther
King Jr on the other hand has
written extensively on non-
violence and in detail about his
movement and the principles on
which the movement was based.
One can learn a lot from his
books on the principles of
nonviolence.
To understand Gandhiji’s
ideas one needs to apply a
different research
methodology. Perhaps one
where some ideas can be tried
and tested. That is what we did
at Phoenix. University students
came and stayed at the
settlement under very rugged
conditions and tilled the soil and
then had political discussions.
How does this help? It helps by
conditioning the mind to the
basic philosophy of equity of
respect for all and for all work,
by learning to live under difficult
circumstances, so that we can
experience and understand the
kind of hardships the poor and
the deprived undergo. It is a
humbling experience, and
certainly goes a long way to
teach us to see through the
lense of other people.
Many of the students were
deeply affected by this training
and told us that their lives
changed as a result of the
training they received at
Phoenix Settlement.
economic burden of the family is
shouldered by widows,
separated, single and deserted
women; the survival struggle will
be more painful and extremely
arduous in the context of
galloping inflation due to the
mere symbolic increase in
budgetary allocation for Mahatma
Gandhi National Rural
Employment Scheme. The
Finance Minister stated that he
would allocate an additional Rs.
5000 Cr to the scheme only if
there is an increase in the
revenue receipts of the
government.
Social Security
The women’s organizations
have been demanding universal
social security coverage for all
women workers. But there is no
special focus on the needs of
working women, especially in the
unorganized sector, in this
budget. Though the budget has
provided for pension, old age
pension and social safety net
fund, the allocation of finances
for these much needed
“F“F“F“F“First to their comforirst to their comforirst to their comforirst to their comforirst to their comforts, then to your ownts, then to your ownts, then to your ownts, then to your ownts, then to your own”””””
Social science has a huge role in developing theories and methodologies to look at how change occurs
and what are the important messages that one needs to communicate to future generations
if the present spiraling trend towards selfishness has to be reversed.
The state is increasingly withdrawing from the social sector in which the financial allocation has been
reduced from 16.3 percent (2014-2015 budget estimates) and 15.06 percent (revised estimates, 2014-15) to
13.7 percent of the current budget outlay. Financial allocation for women’s needs gets reduced in the
current budget. The percentage of allocation for women and child development remains stagnant at 0.01
percent of the total budget. This budget fails to translate gender commitments
of the government into budgetary commitments.
MARCH 25 - APRIL 10, 2015PAGE 6
Union Budget 2015-16 through Gender Lens
The Union Budget is not bothered aboutThe Union Budget is not bothered aboutThe Union Budget is not bothered aboutThe Union Budget is not bothered aboutThe Union Budget is not bothered about
the crucial concerns of womenthe crucial concerns of womenthe crucial concerns of womenthe crucial concerns of womenthe crucial concerns of women
schemes is highly insufficient.
There is a virtual phasing out of
schemes like shelter homes for
single women, one stop crisis
centres. There is only a meager
allocation of Rs. 30 Cr for hostels
for working women. The scheme
for improving the working
condition women and child
labour has got a slight increase.
As far as the allocations for
women-safety are concerned,
the budget increases the
Nirbhaya Fund by Rs. 1000 Cr.
But let us not forget that last two
years’ budget allocations under
Nirbhaya fund were not utilized
as the government has no
concrete plans of action to create
structures, channels and
mechanisms to use this fund.
Health and Nutrition
The Economic Survey
presented along with the budget,
criticizes the PDS systems and
argues for the uniform
application of the cash transfer
scheme through JAM (Jan Dhan-
Aadhar and Mobile network) as
a means of implementing food
subsidy. Experience shows that
this policy measure has failed to
ensure proper nutrition for
women as it cannot ensure
adequate food for them.
ICDS and mid-day meals
The allocations under the
ICDS and mid-day Meal
Schemes have come down by
half, from over Rs. 16,000 crores
to Rs. 8,000 crores only in the
Union Budget. The government
made an empty promise of
increasing the allocations for
ICDS by Rs. 1500 Cr on the
condition of increase in the
revenue receipts. The gender
budget in the health sector has
been reduced by 17.9 percent
over the last year’s revised
estimate. The budget perceives
women only as reproductive
beings, and the overall health
needs of women and girls are
neglected. There is nothing in the
budget for elderly women!
Budgetary allocation for
Housing and Urban poverty
alleviation has been reduced
from Rs. 6,008 crores in the
previous year to Rs. 5,634 crores
in the current budget. Financial
allocation for the Tribal Sub-Plan
(TSP) has reduced to 5.5 per cent
as against the mandated 8.2 per
cent. Thus, as compared to the
previous year’s budget, the
current budgetary allocation for
tribal development is short of Rs.
5000 crores! For SCs it is 8.34
per cent instead of the
mandated 17 per cent (less by
Rs. 12,000 crore!) No serious
consideration is given to urban
habitat, for the 380 million urban
people living in sub-human
condition.
Education of Girls
The disregard for girls’
education is also evident in this
budget. The overall gender-
budget for school education has
come down by 8.3 percent over
last year’s revised estimate. The
budget for Sarva ShikshaAbhiyan
has been reduced by 9.5
percent. The much touted Beti
Bachao Beti Padhao Abhiyan
gets only Rs. 100 Cr which is a
mockery of this important slogan.
Rail Budget
The Rail Budget must give
priority to increase the number
of women’s compartments and
prevent men from encroaching,
improve lighting in all
compartments, toilets and on
railway platforms, and outside
railway stations, post police-
women, and have a special
helpline for women commuters.
Moreover, the ministry must give
top priority to cleanliness,
affordable and safe food,
sufficient toilets, clean drinking
water and adequate health
services on railway coaches and
platforms. Most of the cases of
kidnapping of women and
children take place at the railway
stations. Hence, finance for
‘Women’s Help Desk”
functioning 24 X 7 must be
created to cover all major railway
stations and junctions
throughout the country.
Social Security
India’s commitment to
universal social security does
not offer much in reality. In spite
of high maternal and child
mortality rates in our country,
there is nothing on universal
maternity benefit. In spite of
hundreds of thousands of
women involved in subsistence
production, neither Economic
Survey nor the budget recognizes
women farmers. The Budget
talks about the raised agriculture
credit target by Rs.50, 000 crore
to Rs.8.5 trillion for 2015-16. A
lot, in the budget, is being talked
about farmers, small farmers but
nothing on women farmers!
Infrastructure
The allocation for
infrastructure sector is
Rs. 70,000 crores, but it does
not talk about the investment for
reduction in the daily grind of
unpaid care work done by
women in terms of cooking,
cleaning, caring, collection of
fuel, fodder, water, looking after
live-stock and kitchen-gardening.
It is high time that budget
recognizes, reduces and
redistributes the women’s
unpaid care and non-care work.
Women pedestrians need
footpaths, women vendors and
entrepreneurs need market
places, women commuters
need affordable and safe
transport, rest rooms and public
toilets, elderly women, half way
homes, but the union budget is
not bothered about these crucial
concerns of women.
Conclusion
In conclusion, it is clear that
the toiling poor, majority of whom
are women, are the major
casualty as the budget hardly
>>> Contd. from Page 4 Col. 5 offers anything in terms of
– Protective Services
Sabla, Swadhar-scheme for
women in Difficult
Circumstances, Ujjawala
Comprehensive Scheme for
Prevention of Trafficking, One
stop Crisis centre for women and
children survivors of violence on
a 24 x 7 x365 mode, night
shelters for homeless women
and children, short stay homes,
welfare of working children
– Social Services -
ICPS, JSY, GIA, Creche,
CFNEUS, Kishori Shakti Yojana,
Nutrition Programme for
adolescent Girls
– Economic services -
such as schemes for training and
skill development, and provision
for credit, infrastructure,
marketing etc. which are critical
to women’s economic
independence and autonomy.
E.g. STEP Support for Training
and Empowerment of Girls,
working women’s hostel.
– Regulatory services -
which include institutional
mechanisms for women’s
empowerment, such as State
Commissions for Women,
women’s cells in Police Stations,
awareness generation
programme etc. which provide
institutional spaces and
opportunities for women’s
empowerment. E.g. Child-line
Services.
– Prof. Dr. Vibhuti Patel is
Professor and Head
of the Department of
Economics, SNDT Women’s
University, Mumbai
It is high time that budget recognizes, reduces and redistributes the women’s unpaid care and non-care
work. Women pedestrians need footpaths, women vendors and entrepreneurs need market places, women
commuters need affordable and safe transport, rest rooms and public toilets, elderly women, half way
homes, but the union budget is not bothered about these crucial concerns of women.
Two eminent ecumenical stalwarts depart
One with deep insightOne with deep insightOne with deep insightOne with deep insightOne with deep insight
and distinctive voiceand distinctive voiceand distinctive voiceand distinctive voiceand distinctive voice
>>> Contd. from Page 4 Col. 4
a perspective beyond inter-
denominational ecumenism.
‘The Hindu’ Newspaper, while
reporting on his demise said, “Ninan
Koshy, who sought to blend Marxism and
Liberation Theology as a social and
political analyst and foreign affairs
expert, died at a private Hospital…. He
was 81”. The Times News Network
wrote, “A multi-faceted personality,
Koshy had been an active presence in
the socio-political and educational
spheres of Kerala for decades, with his
deep insight and distinctive voice on
matters ranging from international
relations, human rights issues, theology,
education and Marxist ideology.”
So there is a case in point about Ninan
Koshy. He was an ecumenist in a context
- a context that is much wider than the
Church practising ecumenism.
EPILOGUE:
In my view, Ninan Koshy advocated to
each one of us the following:
a. To be rooted in a particular
Christian tradition
b. To take an active part in the careful
and honest appraisal of whatever needs
to be done for the renewal of one’s own
church
c. To be willing to learn
d. To cultivate an historical
consciousness
e. To be willing to work together
f. To feel the scandal of our divisions
–doctrinal, social & economic
g. To be alert to the presence of God
and the action of the Holy Spirit in the
lives of other Christians and members
of other living faiths:
h. To have a biblical patience
i. To pray regularly for the unity of the
Church
– Dr. Bennet Benjamin is the Director
of the Centre for Rural Health and Social
Education and Former Secretary of
SCMI, CISRS, ECC and NCCI
A profound scholarA profound scholarA profound scholarA profound scholarA profound scholar
and a great warriorand a great warriorand a great warriorand a great warriorand a great warrior
>>> Contd. from Page 4 Col. 2
Church in addressing Caste and Dalit
issues’. As usual, it was well received as
he challenged the silence of the church to
address this heinous issue which
tampers the very life and dignity of the
Dalits. He shared with me that he was
planning to complete his final contribution,
‘Dalit Bible Commentary’ (both OT and NT
– 30 volumes) and translate the same in
many Indian Languages, including Tamil.
I was privileged to attend his funeral
on 4th
March and paid my last respects to
him silently in the midst of many religious
heads and theologians, besides his
beloved wife and daughters. His
departure is certainly a loss to his
immediate family, friends, colleagues,
institutions and Church, but, certainly for
the Dalits, it has created an irreplaceable
vacuum as they lost not only a scholar and
a theologian but also a warrior who served
as a thinker, strategist, teacher, writer,
theologian, organiser, promoter of
institutions and an activist.
Dalit History and especially Dalit
Theological world will certainly provide
an indelible space for Dr. James Massey
for the contributions that he made to
challenge caste.
We need to thank the Almighty for
the life of Dr. Massey and pray for his
soul to rest in Peace. Also, to provide
comfort and strength to the bereaved -
his wife and daughters. I, as a Dalit
Activist and a Theologian, with the help
of the contextual and liberational insights
that Dr. James Massey has infused in
me, will try to carry Dalit Theology to the
grassroots to challenge Church, which
still allows caste practices to exist in its
hierarchy and in a large measure in. its
educational and health based
institutions.
– Rev Dr. Vincent Manoharan is a
Dalit Rights Lawyer and Theologian
based at Madurai, Tamilnadu.
MARCH 25 - APRIL 10, 2015PAGE 7
Lenten Reflections – 4
298
Mammen Varkey
“““““YYYYYou do not knowou do not knowou do not knowou do not knowou do not know.”.”.”.”.”
What is it?What is it?What is it?What is it?What is it?
When you say
GREEN,
automatically you
GRIN;
But when you say
BLACK
you unknowingly
draw
BACK!
“And they were on the road, going up to Jerusalem,
and Jesus was walking ahead of them; and they were
amazed, and those followed were afraid. And taking the
twelve again, he began to tell them what was to happen to
him, saying, ‘Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem; and
the Son of man will be delivered to the chief priests and the
scribes, and they will condemn him to death, and deliver
him to the Gentiles; and they will mock him, and spit upon
him, and scourge him, and kill him; and after three days he
will rise’.”
“And James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came
forward to him, and said to him, “Teacher, we want you to
do for us whatever we ask of you.” And he said to them,
“What do you want me to do for you?” And they said to
him, “Grant us to sit, one at your right hand and one at your
left, in your glory.” But Jesus said to them, ‘You do not
know what you are asking…….’ …..” Mark 10: 32 – 45.
The first response of
the Master, according to
Mark, to the request of the
two of his closest disciples
was, “You do not know
what you are asking.”
Mark 10: 38
Where else
should they sit?
When the two chief disciples
put their request, with freedom,
to their Master, they must have
thought that it was a natural,
justifiable claim. And that there
was nothing unfair about it.
Because they were two of the
closest disciples. Where else
should they sit? Even when the
Master would come in glory they
should be the closest!
It surprised them
Further, both of them were
prepared to lay down their lives,
‘to be baptised’. So the two
disciples must not have felt
anything undue, unreasonable
about their claim to the seats on
the right and on the left. So their
Master’s reply must have greatly
surprised them!
Why they were told,
“you do not know”?
In spite of their being with the
Master from the day of their
selection as the disciples, and
their walking and interacting with
him, they must have wondered
what was it that they did not know.
On our part, what do we think as
the reason for such a blunt,
painful statement by the Master?
Have we ever deliberated upon
that. What was it in which the two
disciples were still ignorant.
What exactly was the matter
about which the two disciples,
still, had no clear knowledge of?
They failed to ‘know’
the central message of Jesus
Mark records, “Now after John
was arrested, Jesus came into
Galilee, preaching the gospel of
God, and saying “The time is
fulfilled, and the kingdom of God
is at hand; repent and believe in
the gospel.” Mark 1: 14, 15. Jesus
came to establish the kingdom
of God, totally replacing the reign
of Caesar. Or as some Biblical
scholars say the ‘empire’ of God
in the place of the empire of
Rome, the reign of God ending
the reign of Rome. The central
message of Jesus was that the
rule of God would be established
in the place of the rule of Caesar.
And Jesus, very clearly,
unequivocally taught them to
pray, “Our Father who art in
heaven, ……. Thy kingdom
come…..” Matt. 6: 9, 10. They
were taught to pray for, to strive
for, and if necessary, to lay down
their lives for, the establishment
of the rule of the Father. No doubt,
they were called to reject the rule
of the king, the emperor, and to
submit themselves to, to
embrace the rule of the Father.
He taught them to understand
that the ‘way’ or governance of
the Father was absolutely
different, antithetical to the ‘way’
of governance of the king or the
emperor. Undoubtedly, the nature
and pattern of the rule of the
Father based on love, would be
totally different from the rule of the
king or the emperor using
‘sword’. The ‘tool’ of governance,
in the ‘kingdom’ of the Father
would be not ‘bullets’ but
‘brooms’. They were called to be
‘servants’ but not to seek ‘seats’!
Terribly sad
Jesus was, really, sad that
even two of his closest disciples,
and that too when his ministry on
the earth was about to come to
an end, conceptualized the rule
of the Father in terms of, in the
fashion of the rulers of the earth!
He must have been terribly
pained that his long association
and interaction with the two
disciples did not enable them to
have a different vision about the
rule of God, the Father.
BTESSC Seminar
Relocating Theological Education in a Marginalizing Context
>>> Contd. from Page 3 Col. 5
seem a requirement to seek right
relationship with God for many a
Christian. Here is another
challenge to reclaim a core
element of Christian discipleship
through a re-visioning of
theological education from the
perspective of justice.
Justice is also often referred
to in plain terms, often as part of
ecumenical jargon. However,
biblical justice, as our biblical
tradition tells us, is neither
forensic nor universalist but is
deliberately biased towards the
poor and the vulnerable. It
exposes the sinfulness of the
world through a preferential
option for the poor. It enlivens the
dry bones as well as confronts
and transforms the aggressor.
The reign of God, as Jesus tells
us, includes all the excluded, and
for all those who hunger and
thirst for justice. As a bearer of
this tradition, the Church is
essentially a social justice
movement. If pursued this way –
the way of Jesus, the justice of
God-this direction is likely to
transform us to be churches of
the poor. Are our churches ready
for that?
Perhaps, it is time that we
focused our attention on the
agenda of eradicating the two
structurally embedded forms of
injustice and marginalisation -
caste and patriarchy. Failing to
do so implies our continued
indifference to what God wants
us to do – “to do justice and to
love kindness” (Mic.6.8), and
reluctance to be the community
called to be a sign and
instrument of the coming reign
of God. The community called the
Church is also a fellowship - a
fellowship of partners for justice,
and a movement towards the
realization of God’s purposes for
the world. It is this partnership
character that enables churches
to be just and inclusive
communities. In fact, history
testifies to this sensitivity and
availability of the Indian church
through its mission of social
transformation in India by
enabling spaces and
opportunities for Dalits,
Indigenous peoples, women and
other socially disempowered
groups in the fields of education
and economic emancipation.
The Church today seems to have
forgotten this legacy, and
remains unperturbed by the
increasing marginalisation of
large sections of the socially
disempowered communities
from economic, educational and
employment opportunities.
Unfortunately, not many of our
churches/dioceses and our
leaders are known for their
passionate engagement not only
with either of these two issues
but also of any issue of life and
people. They seem too
preoccupied with the
maintenance of institutions and
the possibilities these offer.
The Church is essentiallyThe Church is essentiallyThe Church is essentiallyThe Church is essentiallyThe Church is essentially
a social justice movementa social justice movementa social justice movementa social justice movementa social justice movement
The community called the Church is also a fellowship - a fellowship of partners for justice,
and a movement towards the realization of God’s purposes for the world. It is this partnership character
that enables churches to be just and inclusive communities. In fact, history testifies to this sensitivity
and availability of the Indian church through its mission of social transformation in India
by enabling spaces and opportunities for Dalits, Indigenous peoples, women and other socially disempowered groups
in the fields of education and economic emancipation. The Church today seems to have forgotten this legacy,
and remains unperturbed by the increasing marginalisation
of large sections of the socially disempowered communities
MARCH 25 - APRIL 10, 2015PAGE 8
CONCISIONCONCISIONCONCISIONCONCISIONCONCISION in Stylein Stylein Stylein Stylein Style
PRECISIONPRECISIONPRECISIONPRECISIONPRECISION in thoughtin thoughtin thoughtin thoughtin thought
DECISIONDECISIONDECISIONDECISIONDECISION in Lifein Lifein Lifein Lifein Life
– Victor Hugo
Theviewsexpressedinthispaperarenotnecessarilythoseoftheeditors.
Printed and Published by
Vattukalathil Chacko John
G-1, Sujatha Niwas
S.V.Road, Bandra (West)
Mumbai - 400 050
for and
on behalf of
New Education and Welfare
Service Trust
and
Printed at
Anita Art Printers,
No. 29, 30, Oasis Industrial
Estate, Nehru Road,
Vakola Masjid, Santacruz East
Mumbai - 400 055
and
Published at
G-1, Sujatha Niwas
S.V.Road, Bandra (West)
Mumbai - 400 050
Phone : 022 - 26422343
Editor
Mammen Varkey
All India Council of Christian Women
Life Giving Agriculture Forum India Launched
Agriculture is Life, Agriculture is RightAgriculture is Life, Agriculture is RightAgriculture is Life, Agriculture is RightAgriculture is Life, Agriculture is RightAgriculture is Life, Agriculture is Right
Commission on Justice
Peace and Creation, National
Council of Churches in India,
Christian Institute for the Study
of Religion and Society,
Ecumenical Christian Centre,
and Korean Christian Life Giving
Agriculture Forum jointly
organized a National
Consultation on ‘Life Giving
Agriculture’ at the ECC,
Bangalore from 2 to 6 Feb.
The participants
representing various walks of life
such as farmers, activists,
theologians, clergy and
academicians from India and
South Korea deliberated on the
vital issues affecting farmers in
India and Korea. They issued a
statement at the end of the
consultation.
Excerpts from the statement
We the participants
therefore call upon both the
IndianandKoreanChurchesand
Civil Societies,
(a) To bring to the centre the
rural Dalit and Adivasi Churches
which are predominantly
agrarian and who constitute
eighty percent of our
congregations but have been
pushed to the margins for
generations;
(b) To re-read the Bible
through the eyes of the marginal
farmers and evolve liturgies that
reflect agricultural motifs,
seasons and festivals.
(c) To lobby with the
Government to implement
radical land reforms and
sustainable agriculture in the
society-at-large.
(d) To plead with Indian
Churches to entrust vast tracts
of land in their fold with local
congregations promoting LGA
rather than keep the land idle.
(e) To motivate Churches in
India to campaign for Food
Sovereignty and negotiate with
their respective States to ensure
the just and fair public distribution
system.
(f) To organize Indian
Churches to lobby for just and
pro-farmer Land Legislations,
and also reject the Land
Acquisition Ordinance, 2014.
(g) To promote alliance
building with neighbouring South
Asian countries so that churches
and farmers’ movements learn
from each other.
(h) LGA in Korea and India
to address the serious problem
of youth abandoning agriculture
in villages and address the
same on war footing.
(i) LGA in Korea and India to
explore new ground for
ecumenical cooperation and
collective action between rural
and urban churches.
(j) LGA in Korea and India to
influence Seminaries to adapt
theological education per se to
include LGA in their regular
courses as part of Ministerial
Training.
We Resolve:
With regard to
mainstreaming LGA in India, we
resolve that the NCCI- CJPC
promote Life-Giving Agriculture in
India, and continue to dialogue
and partner with LGA-Korea and
promote Joint solidarity struggles
and exchange of information on
Life Giving Agriculture.
– Executive Secretary,
Commission on JPC, NCCI
<ncci.cjpc@gmail.com>,
<ncci@nccindia.in>
Gender based violence has become
pandemic in India. To combat and
puncture this culture of violence All India
Council of Christian Women (AICCW)
has launched a campaign 365 Days
Zero Tolerance to Gender Based
Violence : Make it Happen Now!!!
We invite you to promote this
campaign so that women and children
and vulnerable people - victims of
gender based violence - can have ‘ Life
in its Fullness’.
We request you to watch the video
in U tube, India’s Daughter a
documentary produced by Leslee
Udwin which is banned by the Home Minister, to understand the
precarious form of gender based violence which exists in this
country, the culture and mindset that prevents us to break silence.
– Moumita Biswas, Executive Secretary, AICCW, NCCI
Zero TZero TZero TZero TZero Toleranceoleranceoleranceoleranceolerance
to Gender Based Violenceto Gender Based Violenceto Gender Based Violenceto Gender Based Violenceto Gender Based Violence
WCC mourns the loss of
Prof. Dr. Ninan Koshy
The World Council of Churches mourns the loss of
Prof. Dr Ninan Koshy who passed away unexpectedly in
Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India on 4 March, shortly after
his 81st birthday.
Prof. Koshy joined the WCC staff as Executive Secretary of the
Commission of the Churches on International Affairs (CCIA) in
July 1974 and served as its Director from 1981 to 1991. He has left
an indelible mark on the WCC and the wider ecumenical movement
with his incisive analyses of global issues and his theological
insights on the churches’ responsibility to witness for truth, justice
and peace in a deeply troubled world.
In Geneva he assumed responsibility for the program on
militarization and the armaments race organizing a series of
international ecumenical consultations that broke new ground, for
example in identifying militarization as an underlying cause of war
and conflict. The definition of militarism developed there was
subsequently applied by the United Nations in its Commission on
Human Rights. At a critical moment in the nuclear arms race he
organized, together with Paul Abrecht, Director of the WCC
Department of Church and Society, the Public Hearing on Nuclear
Weapons and Disarmament held in Amsterdam in 1981, and co-
edited its report, Before It’s Too Late. WCC General Secretary Philip
Potter reported its findings directly to the plenary of Second Special
Session of the UN General Assembly on Disarmament (SSDII) in
New York in 1982 where they proved to be influential.
He engaged personally in initiatives aimed at peaceful
resolution of conflicts in different parts of the world, meeting with
churches, government and political leaders and reported on them
through a series of CCIA Background Information that was read in
both church and political circles.
Ninan was a compelling speaker whose astute analyses of
international affairs became high points of meetings of the WCC
Central Committee. Partly in response to them the representatives
of the churches tended to focus more and more on international
political concerns during their meetings. Although serious in his
work, Koshy maintained his relaxed demeanor and his sense of
humour.
He was a gifted and prolific writer, in both English and in his
mother tongue, some of the latter products have become classics
of Malayalam literature. His very first book written under M.M.
Thomas’s tutelage in 1968, Caste in the Kerala Churches was
even then called path-breaking and it has been reissued recently
with a postscript on the contemporary situation.
Upon “retirement” from the WCC Prof. Koshy accepted an
invitation to become a Visiting Fellow in the Human Rights Program
of the Harvard Law School in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Back at home in India he became a fellow of the Faculty of Law
at the University of Delhi, taught at other universities, was granted
an honorary doctorate in theology by Serampore University and
was named member of the Kerala University Senate. He remained
devoted to the ecumenical movement and at the request of the
Christian Conference of Asia he wrote the first and edited the
second volume of A History of the Ecumenical Movement in Asia,
published in 2004. His written production in books, newspapers,
and periodical journals was prodigious and appeared regularly,
and right up to the day he died he was still writing and at work on
new projects.
The WCC and the world-wide ecumenical movement to which
Dr. Koshy devoted so much of his life mourns his passing.
– Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit –
General Secretary, WCC
Please see pages 4 & 6
Participants in the Consultation
Mission Consultation onMission Consultation onMission Consultation onMission Consultation onMission Consultation on
Indian Christian ObligationIndian Christian ObligationIndian Christian ObligationIndian Christian ObligationIndian Christian Obligation
towards Global Mission Challengetowards Global Mission Challengetowards Global Mission Challengetowards Global Mission Challengetowards Global Mission Challenge
In Obedience to the Great CommissionIn Obedience to the Great CommissionIn Obedience to the Great CommissionIn Obedience to the Great CommissionIn Obedience to the Great Commission
A Mission Consultation will be held at the Ecumenical
Christian Centre, Whitefield, Bangalore, from 26 to 29 May 2015.
We invite you to come and participate in this thought provoking
strategic conference and contribute to a process of innovating
a new future for Indian Christian Mission praxis.
There will be strategic paper presentations, workshops and
discussion sessions.
Free hospitality will be provided at the ECC.
Be prepared to pay a Registration fee of Rs.1000 per person.
Pray that God will bless our gathering for His greater glory.

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People's reporter vol. 28, issue 6, march 25 april 10, 2015

  • 1. MARCH 25 - APRIL 10, 2015PAGE 1 Contents Registered RNI No. 45550/88 Published on 10th and 25th every month MCN/209/2015-2017 Posted at Mumbai Patrika Channel Sorting Office, Mumbai - 400 001 on 10th & 25th every month. VOLUME 28 ISSUE 6 MUMBAI MARCH 25 - APRIL 10, 2015 `.`.`.`.`. 100ANNUAL SUBSCRIPTION 2 Editorial We need to examine, whether the term ‘mission’ is an appropriate word in today’s world Christian witness to the world 3 Biblical Justice is neither forensic nor universalist but deliberately biased towards the poor and the vulnerable Let not the anti-farmer-labourer bill be passed 4 Two eminent ecumenical stalwarts depart: A profound scholar and a great warrior One with deep insight and distinctive voice 5 “First to their comforts, then to your own” The budget fails to translate the gender - commitments to budgetary commitments 6 The union budget is not bothered about the crucial concerns of women Two eminent ecumenical stalwarts depart 7 “You do not know” What is it? The Church is essentially a social justice movement 8 All India Council of Christian Women WCC mourns the loss of Prof. Dr. Ninan Koshy Agriculture is Life, Agriculture is Right To express solidarity with churches and people in Israel and Palestine, the leadership of the World Council of Churches (WCC) Central Committee undertook a visit to Israel and Palestine from 7 to 12 March. The delegation with Dr Agnes Abuom, moderator of the WCC Central Committee, Metropolitan Dr Gennadios of Sassima and Bishop Mary Ann Swenson, vice-moderators of the Central Committee, and Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit, WCC general secretary, highlighted the WCC’s focus on supporting peace initiatives in the troubled region, underlining the on-going presence and witness of the churches’ engagements. The visit was an expression of the pilgrimage of justice and peace, affirming the WCC’s commitment to support the peace process in the Holy Land and in the Middle East, and to reflect on the on-going and clear wish for a just peace. The visit included meetings with representatives of the WCC member churches, SupporSupporSupporSupporSupport the peace-processt the peace-processt the peace-processt the peace-processt the peace-process in the Holy Lin the Holy Lin the Holy Lin the Holy Lin the Holy Landandandandand and the Middle Eastand the Middle Eastand the Middle Eastand the Middle Eastand the Middle East including Patriarch Theophilos III of Jerusalem and Bishop Dr. Munib A. Younan of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan & the Holy Land as well as other church leaders in Jerusalem, who were hosted by Patriarch Fouad Twal in a gathering at the Latin Patriarchate in Jerusalem. The WCC delegation also met with Jewish and Muslim leaders, human rights groups (both Palestinian and Israelis), at the Peres Peace Centre, with Shimon Peres, Prime Minister Al Hamdallah, and the Presidential Committee for Church Affairs in Ramallah as well as representatives of ecumenical organizations. The delegation Participants in the meeting with church leaders, hosted at the Latin Patriarchate in Jerusalem © WCC/Marianne Ejdersten Contd. Page 2 Col. 2 ..>>> Institute of Social Sciences Integrating Research with Action 30thAnniversary Lecture How can Gandhian ideasHow can Gandhian ideasHow can Gandhian ideasHow can Gandhian ideasHow can Gandhian ideas be woven intobe woven intobe woven intobe woven intobe woven into the Social Science Agenda?the Social Science Agenda?the Social Science Agenda?the Social Science Agenda?the Social Science Agenda? Ms. Ela Gandhi delivering the 30th Anniversary Lecture of the ISS. From left: Dr. George Mathew, Chairman, ISS, Mr. Anand Sharma, former Union Minister and Dr. Ash Narain Roy, Director, ISS. Ms. Ela Gandhi, Grand Daughter of Mahatma Gandhi, Peace Activist and former Member of Parliament, Republic of South Africa, delivered a lecture on “How can Gandhian ideas be woven into the Social Science Agenda?” on the occasion of the 30th Anniversary of the Institute of Social Sciences (ISS). New Delhi, on 9 Feb. Ms. Ela Gandhi said, “In most Universities throughout the world and certainly in South Africa the Social Sciences have followed the Western Model. Gandhiji spoke at length, in Hind Swaraj, about the folly of following Western models and his reasoning was that in the western thought a strong element is the link between civilization and bodily comforts. In the Eastern philosophy or way of thinking, everything revolves around the mind and spirituality and African thought revolves around the community – it is always about us not I”. Dr. Ash Narain Roy, Director, ISS, welcomed the gathering. Mr. Anand Sharma, former Minister for Commerce, Industry & Textitles, and Deputy Leader of Opposition (Rajya Sabha), delivered the Presidential Address. Dr. George Mathew, Chairman, ISS, spoke about the 30-year journey of the Institute of Social Sciences. He said that “when the Institute was registered on 28 August 1985, power to the people, based on the Gandhian idea of Gram Swaraj was the rallying point for many intellectuals, activists and concerned citizens. It is against this background that the Institute found its institutional expression. The Institute’s birth was also necessitated by the extraordinary demand from the intellectuals and activists to come forward on a common platform Contd. Page 5 Col. 1 ..>>> and inter-religious initiatives Peace-building
  • 2. MARCH 25 - APRIL 10, 2015PAGE 2PAGE 2 MARCH 25 - APRIL 10, 2015 Thought for the FortnightThought for the FortnightThought for the FortnightThought for the FortnightThought for the Fortnight Property is not theft, but a good deal of theft becomes property. – R. H. Tawney Editor in Chief People’s Reporter, Post Box No.12, Mavelikara - 690 101, Kerala, India Phone : 09446916374, 0479 - 2300096, 2304355 E-mail : mammenvarkey@gmail.com, prprtr@gmail.com For Editorial and Business Correspondence: Prof. Mammen Varkey Peace-building and inter-religious initiatives Christian witnessChristian witnessChristian witnessChristian witnessChristian witness to the worldto the worldto the worldto the worldto the world >>> Contd. from Page 1 Col. 2 also had exposure to the conditions of life under occupation, and to successful community projects in the area. “Since 2002, over 1,500 volunteers have come for three months to be the Ecumenical Accompaniers (EAs). That has been one concrete initiative for the WCC to show solidarity and support to local and international efforts to bring a resolution to the Israeli- Palestinian conflict with a just peace based on international law and relevant United Nations resolutions,” said Dr Agnes Abuom, moderator of the WCC Central Committee. Despite being a religious minority in Israel and Palestine, Christians are strongly active and visible in public life. “Our role is to give Christian witness to the world and work for justice and peace,” said WCC general secretary Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit as he explained how the WCC accompanies peace and reconciliation initiatives in the Middle East and beyond. Tveit underlined: “We believe peace can be achieved only together with the other. We are called as the fellowship of churches to take action in support of peaceful solutions to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.” The WCC delegation included Georges Lemopoulos, deputy general secretary, Dr. Isabel Phiri, associate general secretary for Public Witness and Diakonia, Marianne Ejdersten, the WCC’s director of communication and Rev. Garland Pierce, senior assistant to the WCC general secretary. – WCC News BTESSC Seminar Deenabandhu Manchala WWWWWe need to examine,e need to examine,e need to examine,e need to examine,e need to examine, whether the term ‘missionwhether the term ‘missionwhether the term ‘missionwhether the term ‘missionwhether the term ‘mission’ is’ is’ is’ is’ is an appropriate word in todayan appropriate word in todayan appropriate word in todayan appropriate word in todayan appropriate word in today’s world’s world’s world’s world’s world Relocating Theological Education in a Marginalizing Context [Third part of excerpts from the paper ‘Relocating Theological Education in a Marginalizing Context’, presented at the BTESSC Seminar held at Kottayam on 14 Feb. The Rev. Dr. Deenabandhu Manchala is the South Asia Area Executive of the Global Ministries of the United Church of Christ and the Disciples of Christ, USA.] What are the implications of the points I raised, to our vocation of theological education?Perhaps a more active and consistent engagement with contexts and experiences of marginalization, with public and people’s issues and with social movements, and participation in the lives of those involved in justice struggles? It calls for a new understanding of ministerial training as one going beyond merely preparing for clerical ministry and priestly duties, to enable communities and individuals to get engaged with the life and issues of God’s people. It also poses the need for theological education in India to propose alternatives, more contextually relevant meanings and expressions of mission and diakonia rather than adapting ourselves to the given and striving to be acceptable to the norms of Western theological academia. We also need to examine whether the term “mission” is an appropriate word in today’s world which is completely different and rapidly evolving, increasingly pluralistic and complex, and with the possibilities for greater assertion of opinions and identities. We need an alternative to the English term “mission,” which in most languages and contexts, and among non- theological communities evokes meanings associated with Christian religious expansion. In an increasingly pluralistic world, with resurgence of religions and assertion of religious identities on the one hand, and increasing Contd. Page 3 Col. 1 ..>>> We need an alternative to the English term “mission,” which in most languages and contexts, and among non-theological communities evokes meanings associated with Christian religious expansion. In an increasingly pluralistic world, with resurgence of religions and assertion of religious identities on the one hand, and increasing indifference towards institutional/organized expressions of any religion on the other, “mission” seems both divisive and regressive in spite of the many progressive meanings and definitions that theologians may attribute to it. The challenge, therefore, is to explore an alternative that adequately communicates what it actually means, i.e., as Christian participation in what God wants to do in the world that God created, that invites as well as joins those – the progressive forces from all living faiths and ideologies to work together for the realization of that vision. In December 2014, hardly six months after assuming office, the government of Mr. Narendra Modi promulgated in haste, an ordinance to amend the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Re- settlement Act 2013 (LARR Act).But, some clauses in the amendment caused widespread opposition. Even some of the allies of the Govt. were against the ordinance. Despite stiff resistance from the opposition parties and the Shiv Sena, the Bill was passed in the Lok Sabha on 10 March. The amended LARR Act of 2013 that replaces the colonial- era Land Acquisition Act of 1894 is aimed at easing the process of land acquisition to speed up the starting of new industrial ventures. However, the Act ignores the right of the land-owners and the social impacts of the large scale conversion of farm lands into areas for non- agricultural purposes. Before the amendment, under the LARR Act, prior consent of at least 80% of the affected families and also a Social Impact Assessment (SIA) were mandatory for acquiring land for private companies. What is unfortunate is that the amendments remove these conditions without any concern for the livelihood and security of hundreds of thousands of the affected families and the welfare of the society. It must be noted that these amendments amount to a dilution of the right to private property as a fundamental right. Such a change is to be welcomed, if it is aimed at bringing greater parity in land-ownership and at helping distribution of at least a tiny plot of land for sheltering the homeless in the country. But, such an intention is totally absent in the agenda of the ruling class in general; and of the ruling coalition in particular. When the debate on the LARR Act was alive inside and outside the Parliament in 2013, a demand was raised to implement the land reform policy, and to introduce the Homestead Bill guaranteeing 10 cents of land for the landless, which was drafted by the UPA government. It must be noted that millions of acres of surplus land to be distributed among the landless remain untouched for a long time, and the ruling class is not at all bothered about passing legislations to acquire that land. It is by ignoring this social responsibility, the ruling class now shows restlessness to speed up land acquisition for providing land to industrial houses by ignoring its consequences on the life of the poor land-owners and its social impacts. It must be remembered that, despite various supports/ subsidies to the capitalists in the form of providing land, water and electricity either as free gifts or at a subsidied price, tax concessions and provisioning of infrastructural facilities at the expense of the tax payers during the last two and a half decades, the contribution of the industrial sector in GDP hovers around 16%. It is by concealing this fact the government wants to shower more benefits on the big capitalists in various forms. It must be admitted that governments should enjoy control over the land. But, there are some questions in this regard: Is this power used for enhancing the security and well-being of the people or for helping the capitalists? Land is the free gift of nature, basically to produce food for the people and animals and to provide a space for shelter for all; and the government is bound to ensure that land is used primarily to satisfy these needs. Land may be allotted for other purposes but only after ensuring this. The government, ignoring its basic responsibilities gives priority to the distribution of land to big industrialists. At a time when more and more people get alienated from land and the number of landless people increases, the insistence of the ruling coalition to proceed with these amendments is unreasonable and anti-people. The Land Bill
  • 3. MARCH 25 - APRIL 10, 2015PAGE 3 Whenyou CLAIM something, youhave, indeed,an AIM in it. People’s Movements, Unions and Networks Solidarity with Opposition Parties’ Protest March against the Land Bill LLLLLet not the anti-farmeret not the anti-farmeret not the anti-farmeret not the anti-farmeret not the anti-farmer-labourer bill-labourer bill-labourer bill-labourer bill-labourer bill be passedbe passedbe passedbe passedbe passed We welcome the Opposition Parties’ unity and steadfast opposition to the undemocratic way in which NDA government brought in the Land Ordinance 2014, now the Land Bill 2015 passed by the Lok Sabha. The bullish approach of govt was condemned and opposed by the Opposition in Lok Sabha and now they have rallied together and vowed not to get this anti people legislation passed in the Upper House. We express our solidarity against the anti-people land bill. In a parliamentary democracy, the need for effective opposition to keep undemocratic moves of the ruling government under check is imperative and we are happy that the opposition parties have taken a clear stand against the regressive anti-farmer- labourer bill which is to serve the interests of corporates at the cost of people, agriculture and nature of our country. We sincerely hope that this protest will manifest itself into a strong collective opposition in Rajya Sabha against the passing of this bill. People’s Movements have been opposed to the forcible land acquisition for years and have contributed immensely to the enactment of the Land Act 2013. The land bill has become a political issue and we are happy to note that parties have organised marches, demonstrations, hunger strikes and lobbied against the NDA govt. People’s movements continue to oppose this and demand no changes to 2013 Act, but we would also like to stress the following and urge the political parties in Opposition, who are in power in many states that : 1. Government must bring a white paper on all the land acquired, used till and lying unutilised in land bank of various state departments. This is necessary to prevent any unwanted and unrequired acquisition. 2. Let there be a moratorium on the acquisition of any fertile and irrigated land. This is essential for the food security of the nation. 3. On lines of Nitish govt in Bihar, we urge all parties to pass a resolution against this bill and vow not to implement it in their states. 4. As a long term measure to address the demands of the movements, let governments distribute the land to the landless and implement forest rights, so that land rights of the people be protected. 5. While, we look at preventing further displacement, there is a need to provide R&R to Crores of project affected people, who have suffered in the name of development. 6. Lastly, people should be not only at the heart of any development project but also in its planning and hence Gram Sabha and Basti Sabha must be made a part of any development planning in the country. We do hope opposition parties will include these demands too and also appeal to all secular-democratic and pro-people forces to join the movement against the land bill on the ground as well as in the parliament and to demand immediate withdrawal of the Bill. National Alliance of People’s Movements, All India Union of Forest Working People, Delhi Solidarity Group, Lok Shakti Abhiyan, Pennurium Iyakkum, Jan Sangharsh Samanvay Samiti, Jan Jagran Shakti Sangathan, Kosi Navnirman Manch, Paryavaran Surksha Samiti, Narmada Bachao Andolan, Yuva Kranti, Ghar Bachao Ghar Banao Andolan. – NAPM News BTESSC Seminar Relocating Theological Education in a Marginalizing Context indifference towards institutional/ organized expressions of any religion on the other, “mission” seems both divisive and regressive in spite of the many progressive meanings and definitions that theologians may attribute to it. The challenge, therefore, is to explore an alternative that adequately communicates what it actually means, i.e., as Christian participation in what God wants to do in the world that God created, that invites as well as joins those – the progressive forces from all living faiths and ideologies to work together for the realization of that vision. 3. God’s Justice as the Vantage Point Caste and patriarchy are perhaps the two most outstanding forces of marginalization in India. These two factors have not only been the sources of marginalization and exploitation of large sections of the society but also these continue to counter any assertion of human dignity and rights besides corrupting the Indian sense of human values and structures of human relationships. The worst victims of the caste system are the Dalits who form the majority of the disadvantaged groups. Similarly, a majority of Indian women, besides tribals and adivasis are exposed to multiple forms of violence, violation, deprivation and injustice. We all denounce these but do very little to eradicate them. Years ago, A.P.Nirmal in his seminal presentations on Dalit Theology, in the early 1980s, talked about the methodological exclusivism to insist that only Dalits know what caste oppression is and what it does to their sense of dignity and self- worth, and that Dalits must be ensured space and freedom to speak for themselves, and that they do not need patrons or spokespersons. His call gave courage and determination to many Dalit Christians to assert their identity and rights, and to demand their rightful place in the Church and their voices to be heard. Dalit theology flourished and so has Dalit leadership increased. However, even after 40 years of active engagement of theologians, activists and institutions, Dalit issues remain the concern mostly of the Dalits. Dalits (at least the Christian Dalits) should take lead and talk about their discrimination and marginalization, if others do not. I must, however, acknowledge the consistent partnership of some theologians and activists from non-Dalit backgrounds who have been passionate about Dalit liberation than many other Dalits who seem to make use of their Dalit identity for personal career and power interests. Furthermore, the aspirations of Dalits for liberation and justice are set aside as issues or interests of one caste community among many others who are vying for power and prominence. Likewise, if women in the Church do not take lead and raise their voices demanding respect and equal opportunities, we do not have many men in the Church who would do that. Some leaders even trivialize and respond to their concerns in lighter vein. We prefer to talk about justice in general terms and of its need “out there,” but avoid doing anything with these two evils right within our household. Justice has been a much talked and written about issue in ecumenical and theological communities, even if it is not so much in liturgies and teachings of the Church. However, in spite of the strong biblical tradition of justice as central to the affirmation and practice of faith in God, it has not been able to inspire much response.It continues to be treated as a social /secular issue and doesn’t >>> Contd. from Page 2 Col. 4 Biblical Justice is neither forensic nor universalistBiblical Justice is neither forensic nor universalistBiblical Justice is neither forensic nor universalistBiblical Justice is neither forensic nor universalistBiblical Justice is neither forensic nor universalist but deliberately biasedbut deliberately biasedbut deliberately biasedbut deliberately biasedbut deliberately biased towards the poor and the vulnerabletowards the poor and the vulnerabletowards the poor and the vulnerabletowards the poor and the vulnerabletowards the poor and the vulnerable Biblical justice, as our biblical tradition tells us, is neither forensic nor universalist but is deliberately biased towards the poor and the vulnerable. It exposes the sinfulness of the world through a preferential option for the poor. It enlivens the dry bones as well as confronts and transforms the aggressor. Contd. Page 7 Col. 1 ..>>> People should be not only at the heart of any development project but also in its planning and hence Gram Sabha and Basti Sabha must be made a part of any development planning in the country
  • 4. MARCH 25 - APRIL 10, 2015PAGE 4 Two eminent ecumenical stalwarts depart A profound scholarA profound scholarA profound scholarA profound scholarA profound scholar and a great warriorand a great warriorand a great warriorand a great warriorand a great warrior One with deep insightOne with deep insightOne with deep insightOne with deep insightOne with deep insight and distinctive voiceand distinctive voiceand distinctive voiceand distinctive voiceand distinctive voice ‘He was a gift to church, society and community’ was the fitting remark made by the preacher, the Bishop of Delhi Brotherhood, at the funeral service organised at the Cemetery in New Delhi on 4 March 2015. More appropriately, the Rev. Dr. (Habil) James Massey was a ‘rare gift to the Dalits as a whole’ though he was widely known as a Christian and a Dalit Theologian. Prior to my taking over as the General Secretary of NCDHR in 2003 in Delhi, I had heard about Dr. Massey, but never had a personal acquaintance with him. I had an impression that like many, Dr. James Massey is also an academic and a scholar from the ecumenical domain whose insights would be limited to church based understandings. Incidentally sometime in 2005 in Delhi, I peeped into a consultation, where I saw Rev. Massey delivering a lecture in which he handled the question of Caste and Dalits very knowledgeably and emphatically, making references from the Rig Veda to Ambedkar and Christ. I was challenged of my perception against him and I was inclined to sit and listen to him. During the lunch break I met, appreciated and handed over my business card to him. On looking at the card, he profusely exclaimed ‘Oh.. You are from NCDHR! We need to meet!!.’ This gave me an opening to relate with him directly and personally. I visited CDSS in Uttam Nagar, which was promoted by him as CDS in 2001, where I found him and the centre, not only scholarly but also very pragmatic in terms of analysing the issue of Caste and strategizing to address the discrimination with Christian ethos. There only I learnt about his stature and the vital positions that he held in the Church and related institutions viz ISPCK (Its General Secretary), BTESSC (Secretary), NCCI (Chair of Communication Unit) etc., I found him to be a vibrant member of the Minority Commission of India, who used the Govt space for raising the issue of Christians, mainly the Dalit Christians. Thereafter, I strengthened my contacts with him and shared what we strived in NCDHR to hold the Indian State accountable for the Caste based violence on Dalits and our interventions in the UN, the EU and other international forums to internationalise this issue. Every time, he used to listen to me silently until I finished, but came back with his own insights and thought provoking ideas for challenging the Caste within the Church as well. There, I found him more relevant, practical and meaningful. Perhaps such interactions would have motivated me to undertake my PhD in Dalit Theology. When I met him in 2011 for an interview for my Thesis in the same centre, I found him great, as he had authored more than 25 books and penned around 100 articles on Dalits and Dalit Theology. I was amazed to see the names of his Associates, the renowned stalwarts, which included Rev Fr. Dr. T.K. John, Rev. Fr. Dr. Lourdusamy, Sr. Dr. Shalini, Dr. Mohan Razu, Rev Dr. Maoodeep Daniel, Rev Fr. Dr. Maria Arulraja and Dr. Lourdunathan, who joined him for reflections and writings. Also, he and CDSS had an extensive academic relationship with premier institutions like Vidya Jothi, CISRS, Delhi Brotherhood, UTC, Nava Jothi PGR Centre, Dharma Joti Vidya Peeth, NTS etc., for teaching, reflecting and publishing. He inspired many Dalits like me to have a deeper understanding about the origin and the manifestations of caste as the source of division and discrimination and motivated to reflect theologically considering Christ as a Dalit, Challenger and Liberator. He is the contemporary to Arvind Nirmal, the Pioneer of Dalit Theology. I enjoyed reading many books of Dr. James Massy and to quote a few – ‘Roots, A Concise History of Dalits’, ‘Dalits in India, Religion as a source of bondage’, ‘Downtrodden: The Struggles of Indian Dalits for Identify, Solidarity and Liberation’ and ‘Towards Dalit hermeneutics’. I have made many references to him in my thesis: ‘Towards a Practical Dalit Theology: Its status among grassroots Dalit Christians in their struggle against caste oppression’. Still I remember him saying, ‘Dalit theology has necessarily to reach out to grassroots to inspire and activate Dalit Christians to challenge the caste within and outside Church.’ He recalled how much he faced discrimination in his Childhood in Punjab where he was born in 1943. I shared platform with him in Delhi in November 2014 during a conference organised by the Dalit Commission of the NCCI. He presented a paper on, ‘The role of the PRELUDE: Ninan Koshy and I were contemporaries in the Student Christian Movement of India in the early nineteen seventies – he as the incoming General Secretary of The SCMI and I, as the Area (Travelling Secretary) of the North Tamilnadu Area. In a way, he was one of my favourite mentors in an official ecumenical organization such as the SCM. The three years we were together in our respective capacities, we seemed to have hit-it-off, and grew more and more as personal friends. I still remember the times we were together, consoling and comforting each other when Susan (Cecily) and Ninan had lost an infant child in an unfortunate circumstance, and later when I lost my aged mother around that time. He had a tough exterior but a very soft and outgoing mind, heart and spirit. Even as an intellectual giant he loved nurturing and mentoring fledglings irrespective of regional, linguistic, denominational and social differences. He was truly an ecumenist / ecumenicist. We kept our great personal relationship going beyond the mid nineteen seventies and until the time he passed away. PROLOGUE: Ninan Koshy was an ecumenical person of a different era. I should explain. In him there was both agreement as well as disagreement in the meaning, methodology and measurement of ecumenism and ecumenical development. Let us examine a few details: Ecumenism Ecumenism is the idea of Christian unity in the literal meaning: one single Church. Ecumenism is separate and distinct from Nondenominational Christianity which seeks no common organizing principle. This specific sense of the word contrasts with interfaith dialogue or interfaith pluralism aimed at unity or cooperation among diverse religions and referring to a worldwide “religious unity” by the advocacy of a greater sense of shared spirituality. It is now widely known that the word is derived from Greek oikoumene, which means “the whole inhabited world”, and was historically used with specific reference to the Roman Empire. The ecumenical vision comprises both the search for the visible unity of the Church (Ephesians 4:3) and the “whole inhabited earth” (Matthew 24:14) as the concern of all Christians. Therefore, Ecumenism is the movement within Christianity that aims at “the recovery in thought, in action, and in organization, of the true unity between the Church’s mission to the world (its apostolate) and the Church’s obligation to be one”. Ecumenical Movement One understanding of the ecumenical movement is that it came from the Roman Catholic Church’s attempts to reconcile with Christians who had become separated over theological issues. Others see the 1910 World Missionary Conference as the birthplace of the ecumenical movement. Others yet point to the 1920 encyclical of the Ecumenical Patriarch Germanous of Constantinople “To the Churches of Christ Everywhere” that suggested a “fellowship of churches” similar to the League of Nations. After World War I, which had brought much devastation to many people, the church became a source of hope to those in need. In 1948 the first meeting of the World Council of Churches was convened in Amsterdam with the theme “Man’s Disorder and God’s Design”. The movement led to an understanding amongst the churches that, despite differences, they could join together to be an element of great change in the world. To be an agent of hope and peace amongst the chaos and destruction that humans seem to create. More importantly the Council and the movement led not only to ecumenism but to the forming of councils amongst the denominations that connected churches across continental lines. Wider Ecumenism The relationship between the word ‘ecumenical’ and ‘unity’ is also a Roman heritage. The emperors were keen to maintain the ‘unity’ of their territory and prevent any dissention or fragmentation, but the church, which wielded much influence among the people at that time, was the one that threatened the unity of the Empire. The Emperors feared that the doctrinal controversies within the church would lead to divisions and fragmentation. Therefore, they themselves organized the early ‘Ecumenical Councils’ and insisted that the Bishops of the oikoumene get their act together to maintain the unity of the church. Those who continued to rebel against the decisions of the Council were condemned as ‘heretics’ and were either executed or expelled from the Empire. The concern for ‘Christian Unity’ in the Modern Ecumenical Movement is part of this long heritage. In the context in which we now live this focus is far from adequate. I feel that Ninan Koshy represented another worldview, that we need to move away from the church base to a societal base to reconsider ecumenism. That is, the ecumenism of the community at large. The people mattered, irrespective of race, color, caste, creed and language. His early scholastic background gave him Ninan Koshy expired at Thiruvananthapuram on 4 March 2015 Vincent Manoharan Bennet Benjamin Contd. Page 6 Col. 3 ..>>>Contd. Page 6 Col. 1 ..>>> James Massey passed away at Patna on 2 March 2015
  • 5. MARCH 25 - APRIL 10, 2015PAGE 5 Union Budget 2015-16 through Gender Lens The budget fails to translate the gender - commitmentsThe budget fails to translate the gender - commitmentsThe budget fails to translate the gender - commitmentsThe budget fails to translate the gender - commitmentsThe budget fails to translate the gender - commitments to budgetarto budgetarto budgetarto budgetarto budgetary commitmentsy commitmentsy commitmentsy commitmentsy commitments Vibhuti Patel The Union Budget (2015- 16) has subsidized the corporate sector by providing tax reductions and sops. The phased reduction of corporate tax has made the richer sections of the economyjubilant.Theburden of indirect taxes is going to break the back of poor women. Macro-economic measures proposed in the budget are detrimental to the working class and the marginalized sections of the economy. With respect to more allocation for social sector, paralysis has been generated by neo-liberal analysis. Instead of raising the direct taxes from the rich sections to fund the Railway budget, public-private partnership (PPP) model is promoted to further the cause of corporatization of transport and make the masses pay more for the transport services. The budget has demanded the diversion of pension funds and MP Local Area Development (MPLAD) funds, thereby absolving the government of any direct responsibility to enhance financial support for regional development and for the pensioners. By the reduction in financial allocation for Panchayati Raj, the Union Budget makes a mockery of democratic decentralization. In the absence of financial decentralization the local self government bodies become ineffective and the talk of 50% reserved seats for women in the rural and urban local self-government bodies becomes an empty rhetoric of ‘empowerment of women’. Public Economics with no concern for the marginalised groups The state is increasingly withdrawing from the social sector in which the financial allocation has been reduced from 16.3 percent (2014-2015 budget estimates) and 15.06 percent (revised estimates, 2014-15) to 13.7 percent of the budget outlay for 2015- 2016. Financial allocation for women’s needs gets reduced in the current budget. The percentage of allocation for women and child development remains stagnant at 0.01 percent of the total budget. This budget fails to translate gender commitments of the government into budgetary commitments as the financial provisions for gender concerns have reduced from 4.19 percent of the estimated total budgetary expenditure in 2014-2015 to 3.71 percent of the total expenditure in the current budget. Gender Budgeting In the Union Budget 2015-16, there has been nearly 50% percent decrease in the allocation for the Ministry of Women and Child Development over the revised budget of 2014- 15. Even if we add the Rs. 1000 Cr for the Nirbhaya Fund and Rs. 100 Cr for the Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao fund to the ministry’s allocation, there is still a decrease of more than 1/3rd allocation in the total amount allocated for women and child development. The Gender Budget has been drastically slashed by 20 per cent (less by Rs. 20,000 crore)! Major chunk of gender budget is cornered by Reproductive and Child Health (RCH) with an aim of population stabilization and to meet the targets of ‘two-child norm’. MGNREGS MGNREGS, a major safety net for the poorest of the poor women has received a major blow. For women-headed households where the main Contd. Page 6 Col. 1 ..>>> Institute of Social Sciences - Integrating Research with Action 30thAnniversary Lecture >>> Contd. from Page 1 Col. 4 not only to create knowledge, but also to share it with policy makers, workers, practitioners, organizations and others.” Excerpts from the lecture We look at social sciences as the study of relationships, of communication, of behaviour and of society and its evolution. When we talk about Gandhiji and his legacy, our thoughts immediately go to Satyagraha and Ahimsa. These have been over-killed by writers and biographers to the detriment of Gandhiji’s other legacies in the social field. While in SouthAfrica and later in India, more of his time was spent in developing his constructive programme. This included putting into action the ideas of communal living, of a holistic approach to health care, of social change in terms of mental transformation, interfaith harmony and equality of all beings regardless of race, colour, creed, gender etc. and most importantly empowerment of all. He spent a large amount of time both practically and in writing, to build up a store of knowledge on these aspects particularly at the Phoenix Settlement and later at Tolstoy Farm. May I share a little story that comes to my mind about a school. In this school teams of children were given various responsibilities and these responsibilities rotated so that each team would have turns to do certain chores. One team reported about their turn in the kitchen serving meals to the children. They spoke about the tea break when they would serve each child a glass of milk and a biscuit. Their story concluded by the following report. “Today it was our turn to give out the biscuits. We gave each child the best biscuits and kept the crumbs and the broken biscuits for ourselves.” I told this story to a group of educators and they laughed and said that at their school they would wait for their turn because on that day they would have the opportunity to select the best biscuits for themselves. It was their opportunity and they did not consider it wrong to seize the opportunity to select their choice on the day they get to serve. By logical deduction then if these people are elected to a city council for instance, would they then select the best services for themselves? Would that not be a logical conclusion that they would wait for opportunities in life to enrich themselves? This is the present reality of all our lives. There are very few who would select the crumbs for themselves given the opportunity to have the best. They may not commit fraud or corruption but if they could they would give more attention to that which directly affects them rather than that which affects others. This makes one think, is this attitude a result of early conditioning of the mind to seize an opportunity to enrich one’s self? When Gandhiji bade farewell to one of his dedicated colleagues who was to accompany and take care of some deportees, he said, “Take care and look after these brothers on the way. See first to their comforts then to your own.” That was the message and the philosophy behind the message! Social science has a huge role in developing theories and methodologies to look at how change occurs and what are the important messages that one needs to communicate to future generations if the present spiralling trend towards selfishness has to be reversed. In our work in South Africa we applied Gandhiji’s teachings by emphasizing the idea of manual work, tilling the soil, alongside learning and communicating. We emphasized the importance of not devaluing manual work. This was a key lesson that we were taught in the Phoenix ashram. All work is equally important and should have the same value. This was also Tolstoy’s idea promoted by Gandhiji. Gandhiji evolved many ideas but his ideas were not scientifically tested or based on any theory. Gandhiji would read and he was an avid reader, but at the end he would combine many ideas into one and act on them. His logic was born out of his activism. He was not interested in academic methodology. So applying or studying his principles, concepts and ideas would be difficult because he did not even write them up scientifically and therefore his ideas are open to many interpretations. Martin Luther King Jr on the other hand has written extensively on non- violence and in detail about his movement and the principles on which the movement was based. One can learn a lot from his books on the principles of nonviolence. To understand Gandhiji’s ideas one needs to apply a different research methodology. Perhaps one where some ideas can be tried and tested. That is what we did at Phoenix. University students came and stayed at the settlement under very rugged conditions and tilled the soil and then had political discussions. How does this help? It helps by conditioning the mind to the basic philosophy of equity of respect for all and for all work, by learning to live under difficult circumstances, so that we can experience and understand the kind of hardships the poor and the deprived undergo. It is a humbling experience, and certainly goes a long way to teach us to see through the lense of other people. Many of the students were deeply affected by this training and told us that their lives changed as a result of the training they received at Phoenix Settlement. economic burden of the family is shouldered by widows, separated, single and deserted women; the survival struggle will be more painful and extremely arduous in the context of galloping inflation due to the mere symbolic increase in budgetary allocation for Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Scheme. The Finance Minister stated that he would allocate an additional Rs. 5000 Cr to the scheme only if there is an increase in the revenue receipts of the government. Social Security The women’s organizations have been demanding universal social security coverage for all women workers. But there is no special focus on the needs of working women, especially in the unorganized sector, in this budget. Though the budget has provided for pension, old age pension and social safety net fund, the allocation of finances for these much needed “F“F“F“F“First to their comforirst to their comforirst to their comforirst to their comforirst to their comforts, then to your ownts, then to your ownts, then to your ownts, then to your ownts, then to your own””””” Social science has a huge role in developing theories and methodologies to look at how change occurs and what are the important messages that one needs to communicate to future generations if the present spiraling trend towards selfishness has to be reversed. The state is increasingly withdrawing from the social sector in which the financial allocation has been reduced from 16.3 percent (2014-2015 budget estimates) and 15.06 percent (revised estimates, 2014-15) to 13.7 percent of the current budget outlay. Financial allocation for women’s needs gets reduced in the current budget. The percentage of allocation for women and child development remains stagnant at 0.01 percent of the total budget. This budget fails to translate gender commitments of the government into budgetary commitments.
  • 6. MARCH 25 - APRIL 10, 2015PAGE 6 Union Budget 2015-16 through Gender Lens The Union Budget is not bothered aboutThe Union Budget is not bothered aboutThe Union Budget is not bothered aboutThe Union Budget is not bothered aboutThe Union Budget is not bothered about the crucial concerns of womenthe crucial concerns of womenthe crucial concerns of womenthe crucial concerns of womenthe crucial concerns of women schemes is highly insufficient. There is a virtual phasing out of schemes like shelter homes for single women, one stop crisis centres. There is only a meager allocation of Rs. 30 Cr for hostels for working women. The scheme for improving the working condition women and child labour has got a slight increase. As far as the allocations for women-safety are concerned, the budget increases the Nirbhaya Fund by Rs. 1000 Cr. But let us not forget that last two years’ budget allocations under Nirbhaya fund were not utilized as the government has no concrete plans of action to create structures, channels and mechanisms to use this fund. Health and Nutrition The Economic Survey presented along with the budget, criticizes the PDS systems and argues for the uniform application of the cash transfer scheme through JAM (Jan Dhan- Aadhar and Mobile network) as a means of implementing food subsidy. Experience shows that this policy measure has failed to ensure proper nutrition for women as it cannot ensure adequate food for them. ICDS and mid-day meals The allocations under the ICDS and mid-day Meal Schemes have come down by half, from over Rs. 16,000 crores to Rs. 8,000 crores only in the Union Budget. The government made an empty promise of increasing the allocations for ICDS by Rs. 1500 Cr on the condition of increase in the revenue receipts. The gender budget in the health sector has been reduced by 17.9 percent over the last year’s revised estimate. The budget perceives women only as reproductive beings, and the overall health needs of women and girls are neglected. There is nothing in the budget for elderly women! Budgetary allocation for Housing and Urban poverty alleviation has been reduced from Rs. 6,008 crores in the previous year to Rs. 5,634 crores in the current budget. Financial allocation for the Tribal Sub-Plan (TSP) has reduced to 5.5 per cent as against the mandated 8.2 per cent. Thus, as compared to the previous year’s budget, the current budgetary allocation for tribal development is short of Rs. 5000 crores! For SCs it is 8.34 per cent instead of the mandated 17 per cent (less by Rs. 12,000 crore!) No serious consideration is given to urban habitat, for the 380 million urban people living in sub-human condition. Education of Girls The disregard for girls’ education is also evident in this budget. The overall gender- budget for school education has come down by 8.3 percent over last year’s revised estimate. The budget for Sarva ShikshaAbhiyan has been reduced by 9.5 percent. The much touted Beti Bachao Beti Padhao Abhiyan gets only Rs. 100 Cr which is a mockery of this important slogan. Rail Budget The Rail Budget must give priority to increase the number of women’s compartments and prevent men from encroaching, improve lighting in all compartments, toilets and on railway platforms, and outside railway stations, post police- women, and have a special helpline for women commuters. Moreover, the ministry must give top priority to cleanliness, affordable and safe food, sufficient toilets, clean drinking water and adequate health services on railway coaches and platforms. Most of the cases of kidnapping of women and children take place at the railway stations. Hence, finance for ‘Women’s Help Desk” functioning 24 X 7 must be created to cover all major railway stations and junctions throughout the country. Social Security India’s commitment to universal social security does not offer much in reality. In spite of high maternal and child mortality rates in our country, there is nothing on universal maternity benefit. In spite of hundreds of thousands of women involved in subsistence production, neither Economic Survey nor the budget recognizes women farmers. The Budget talks about the raised agriculture credit target by Rs.50, 000 crore to Rs.8.5 trillion for 2015-16. A lot, in the budget, is being talked about farmers, small farmers but nothing on women farmers! Infrastructure The allocation for infrastructure sector is Rs. 70,000 crores, but it does not talk about the investment for reduction in the daily grind of unpaid care work done by women in terms of cooking, cleaning, caring, collection of fuel, fodder, water, looking after live-stock and kitchen-gardening. It is high time that budget recognizes, reduces and redistributes the women’s unpaid care and non-care work. Women pedestrians need footpaths, women vendors and entrepreneurs need market places, women commuters need affordable and safe transport, rest rooms and public toilets, elderly women, half way homes, but the union budget is not bothered about these crucial concerns of women. Conclusion In conclusion, it is clear that the toiling poor, majority of whom are women, are the major casualty as the budget hardly >>> Contd. from Page 4 Col. 5 offers anything in terms of – Protective Services Sabla, Swadhar-scheme for women in Difficult Circumstances, Ujjawala Comprehensive Scheme for Prevention of Trafficking, One stop Crisis centre for women and children survivors of violence on a 24 x 7 x365 mode, night shelters for homeless women and children, short stay homes, welfare of working children – Social Services - ICPS, JSY, GIA, Creche, CFNEUS, Kishori Shakti Yojana, Nutrition Programme for adolescent Girls – Economic services - such as schemes for training and skill development, and provision for credit, infrastructure, marketing etc. which are critical to women’s economic independence and autonomy. E.g. STEP Support for Training and Empowerment of Girls, working women’s hostel. – Regulatory services - which include institutional mechanisms for women’s empowerment, such as State Commissions for Women, women’s cells in Police Stations, awareness generation programme etc. which provide institutional spaces and opportunities for women’s empowerment. E.g. Child-line Services. – Prof. Dr. Vibhuti Patel is Professor and Head of the Department of Economics, SNDT Women’s University, Mumbai It is high time that budget recognizes, reduces and redistributes the women’s unpaid care and non-care work. Women pedestrians need footpaths, women vendors and entrepreneurs need market places, women commuters need affordable and safe transport, rest rooms and public toilets, elderly women, half way homes, but the union budget is not bothered about these crucial concerns of women. Two eminent ecumenical stalwarts depart One with deep insightOne with deep insightOne with deep insightOne with deep insightOne with deep insight and distinctive voiceand distinctive voiceand distinctive voiceand distinctive voiceand distinctive voice >>> Contd. from Page 4 Col. 4 a perspective beyond inter- denominational ecumenism. ‘The Hindu’ Newspaper, while reporting on his demise said, “Ninan Koshy, who sought to blend Marxism and Liberation Theology as a social and political analyst and foreign affairs expert, died at a private Hospital…. He was 81”. The Times News Network wrote, “A multi-faceted personality, Koshy had been an active presence in the socio-political and educational spheres of Kerala for decades, with his deep insight and distinctive voice on matters ranging from international relations, human rights issues, theology, education and Marxist ideology.” So there is a case in point about Ninan Koshy. He was an ecumenist in a context - a context that is much wider than the Church practising ecumenism. EPILOGUE: In my view, Ninan Koshy advocated to each one of us the following: a. To be rooted in a particular Christian tradition b. To take an active part in the careful and honest appraisal of whatever needs to be done for the renewal of one’s own church c. To be willing to learn d. To cultivate an historical consciousness e. To be willing to work together f. To feel the scandal of our divisions –doctrinal, social & economic g. To be alert to the presence of God and the action of the Holy Spirit in the lives of other Christians and members of other living faiths: h. To have a biblical patience i. To pray regularly for the unity of the Church – Dr. Bennet Benjamin is the Director of the Centre for Rural Health and Social Education and Former Secretary of SCMI, CISRS, ECC and NCCI A profound scholarA profound scholarA profound scholarA profound scholarA profound scholar and a great warriorand a great warriorand a great warriorand a great warriorand a great warrior >>> Contd. from Page 4 Col. 2 Church in addressing Caste and Dalit issues’. As usual, it was well received as he challenged the silence of the church to address this heinous issue which tampers the very life and dignity of the Dalits. He shared with me that he was planning to complete his final contribution, ‘Dalit Bible Commentary’ (both OT and NT – 30 volumes) and translate the same in many Indian Languages, including Tamil. I was privileged to attend his funeral on 4th March and paid my last respects to him silently in the midst of many religious heads and theologians, besides his beloved wife and daughters. His departure is certainly a loss to his immediate family, friends, colleagues, institutions and Church, but, certainly for the Dalits, it has created an irreplaceable vacuum as they lost not only a scholar and a theologian but also a warrior who served as a thinker, strategist, teacher, writer, theologian, organiser, promoter of institutions and an activist. Dalit History and especially Dalit Theological world will certainly provide an indelible space for Dr. James Massey for the contributions that he made to challenge caste. We need to thank the Almighty for the life of Dr. Massey and pray for his soul to rest in Peace. Also, to provide comfort and strength to the bereaved - his wife and daughters. I, as a Dalit Activist and a Theologian, with the help of the contextual and liberational insights that Dr. James Massey has infused in me, will try to carry Dalit Theology to the grassroots to challenge Church, which still allows caste practices to exist in its hierarchy and in a large measure in. its educational and health based institutions. – Rev Dr. Vincent Manoharan is a Dalit Rights Lawyer and Theologian based at Madurai, Tamilnadu.
  • 7. MARCH 25 - APRIL 10, 2015PAGE 7 Lenten Reflections – 4 298 Mammen Varkey “““““YYYYYou do not knowou do not knowou do not knowou do not knowou do not know.”.”.”.”.” What is it?What is it?What is it?What is it?What is it? When you say GREEN, automatically you GRIN; But when you say BLACK you unknowingly draw BACK! “And they were on the road, going up to Jerusalem, and Jesus was walking ahead of them; and they were amazed, and those followed were afraid. And taking the twelve again, he began to tell them what was to happen to him, saying, ‘Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem; and the Son of man will be delivered to the chief priests and the scribes, and they will condemn him to death, and deliver him to the Gentiles; and they will mock him, and spit upon him, and scourge him, and kill him; and after three days he will rise’.” “And James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came forward to him, and said to him, “Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you.” And he said to them, “What do you want me to do for you?” And they said to him, “Grant us to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your glory.” But Jesus said to them, ‘You do not know what you are asking…….’ …..” Mark 10: 32 – 45. The first response of the Master, according to Mark, to the request of the two of his closest disciples was, “You do not know what you are asking.” Mark 10: 38 Where else should they sit? When the two chief disciples put their request, with freedom, to their Master, they must have thought that it was a natural, justifiable claim. And that there was nothing unfair about it. Because they were two of the closest disciples. Where else should they sit? Even when the Master would come in glory they should be the closest! It surprised them Further, both of them were prepared to lay down their lives, ‘to be baptised’. So the two disciples must not have felt anything undue, unreasonable about their claim to the seats on the right and on the left. So their Master’s reply must have greatly surprised them! Why they were told, “you do not know”? In spite of their being with the Master from the day of their selection as the disciples, and their walking and interacting with him, they must have wondered what was it that they did not know. On our part, what do we think as the reason for such a blunt, painful statement by the Master? Have we ever deliberated upon that. What was it in which the two disciples were still ignorant. What exactly was the matter about which the two disciples, still, had no clear knowledge of? They failed to ‘know’ the central message of Jesus Mark records, “Now after John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.” Mark 1: 14, 15. Jesus came to establish the kingdom of God, totally replacing the reign of Caesar. Or as some Biblical scholars say the ‘empire’ of God in the place of the empire of Rome, the reign of God ending the reign of Rome. The central message of Jesus was that the rule of God would be established in the place of the rule of Caesar. And Jesus, very clearly, unequivocally taught them to pray, “Our Father who art in heaven, ……. Thy kingdom come…..” Matt. 6: 9, 10. They were taught to pray for, to strive for, and if necessary, to lay down their lives for, the establishment of the rule of the Father. No doubt, they were called to reject the rule of the king, the emperor, and to submit themselves to, to embrace the rule of the Father. He taught them to understand that the ‘way’ or governance of the Father was absolutely different, antithetical to the ‘way’ of governance of the king or the emperor. Undoubtedly, the nature and pattern of the rule of the Father based on love, would be totally different from the rule of the king or the emperor using ‘sword’. The ‘tool’ of governance, in the ‘kingdom’ of the Father would be not ‘bullets’ but ‘brooms’. They were called to be ‘servants’ but not to seek ‘seats’! Terribly sad Jesus was, really, sad that even two of his closest disciples, and that too when his ministry on the earth was about to come to an end, conceptualized the rule of the Father in terms of, in the fashion of the rulers of the earth! He must have been terribly pained that his long association and interaction with the two disciples did not enable them to have a different vision about the rule of God, the Father. BTESSC Seminar Relocating Theological Education in a Marginalizing Context >>> Contd. from Page 3 Col. 5 seem a requirement to seek right relationship with God for many a Christian. Here is another challenge to reclaim a core element of Christian discipleship through a re-visioning of theological education from the perspective of justice. Justice is also often referred to in plain terms, often as part of ecumenical jargon. However, biblical justice, as our biblical tradition tells us, is neither forensic nor universalist but is deliberately biased towards the poor and the vulnerable. It exposes the sinfulness of the world through a preferential option for the poor. It enlivens the dry bones as well as confronts and transforms the aggressor. The reign of God, as Jesus tells us, includes all the excluded, and for all those who hunger and thirst for justice. As a bearer of this tradition, the Church is essentially a social justice movement. If pursued this way – the way of Jesus, the justice of God-this direction is likely to transform us to be churches of the poor. Are our churches ready for that? Perhaps, it is time that we focused our attention on the agenda of eradicating the two structurally embedded forms of injustice and marginalisation - caste and patriarchy. Failing to do so implies our continued indifference to what God wants us to do – “to do justice and to love kindness” (Mic.6.8), and reluctance to be the community called to be a sign and instrument of the coming reign of God. The community called the Church is also a fellowship - a fellowship of partners for justice, and a movement towards the realization of God’s purposes for the world. It is this partnership character that enables churches to be just and inclusive communities. In fact, history testifies to this sensitivity and availability of the Indian church through its mission of social transformation in India by enabling spaces and opportunities for Dalits, Indigenous peoples, women and other socially disempowered groups in the fields of education and economic emancipation. The Church today seems to have forgotten this legacy, and remains unperturbed by the increasing marginalisation of large sections of the socially disempowered communities from economic, educational and employment opportunities. Unfortunately, not many of our churches/dioceses and our leaders are known for their passionate engagement not only with either of these two issues but also of any issue of life and people. They seem too preoccupied with the maintenance of institutions and the possibilities these offer. The Church is essentiallyThe Church is essentiallyThe Church is essentiallyThe Church is essentiallyThe Church is essentially a social justice movementa social justice movementa social justice movementa social justice movementa social justice movement The community called the Church is also a fellowship - a fellowship of partners for justice, and a movement towards the realization of God’s purposes for the world. It is this partnership character that enables churches to be just and inclusive communities. In fact, history testifies to this sensitivity and availability of the Indian church through its mission of social transformation in India by enabling spaces and opportunities for Dalits, Indigenous peoples, women and other socially disempowered groups in the fields of education and economic emancipation. The Church today seems to have forgotten this legacy, and remains unperturbed by the increasing marginalisation of large sections of the socially disempowered communities
  • 8. MARCH 25 - APRIL 10, 2015PAGE 8 CONCISIONCONCISIONCONCISIONCONCISIONCONCISION in Stylein Stylein Stylein Stylein Style PRECISIONPRECISIONPRECISIONPRECISIONPRECISION in thoughtin thoughtin thoughtin thoughtin thought DECISIONDECISIONDECISIONDECISIONDECISION in Lifein Lifein Lifein Lifein Life – Victor Hugo Theviewsexpressedinthispaperarenotnecessarilythoseoftheeditors. Printed and Published by Vattukalathil Chacko John G-1, Sujatha Niwas S.V.Road, Bandra (West) Mumbai - 400 050 for and on behalf of New Education and Welfare Service Trust and Printed at Anita Art Printers, No. 29, 30, Oasis Industrial Estate, Nehru Road, Vakola Masjid, Santacruz East Mumbai - 400 055 and Published at G-1, Sujatha Niwas S.V.Road, Bandra (West) Mumbai - 400 050 Phone : 022 - 26422343 Editor Mammen Varkey All India Council of Christian Women Life Giving Agriculture Forum India Launched Agriculture is Life, Agriculture is RightAgriculture is Life, Agriculture is RightAgriculture is Life, Agriculture is RightAgriculture is Life, Agriculture is RightAgriculture is Life, Agriculture is Right Commission on Justice Peace and Creation, National Council of Churches in India, Christian Institute for the Study of Religion and Society, Ecumenical Christian Centre, and Korean Christian Life Giving Agriculture Forum jointly organized a National Consultation on ‘Life Giving Agriculture’ at the ECC, Bangalore from 2 to 6 Feb. The participants representing various walks of life such as farmers, activists, theologians, clergy and academicians from India and South Korea deliberated on the vital issues affecting farmers in India and Korea. They issued a statement at the end of the consultation. Excerpts from the statement We the participants therefore call upon both the IndianandKoreanChurchesand Civil Societies, (a) To bring to the centre the rural Dalit and Adivasi Churches which are predominantly agrarian and who constitute eighty percent of our congregations but have been pushed to the margins for generations; (b) To re-read the Bible through the eyes of the marginal farmers and evolve liturgies that reflect agricultural motifs, seasons and festivals. (c) To lobby with the Government to implement radical land reforms and sustainable agriculture in the society-at-large. (d) To plead with Indian Churches to entrust vast tracts of land in their fold with local congregations promoting LGA rather than keep the land idle. (e) To motivate Churches in India to campaign for Food Sovereignty and negotiate with their respective States to ensure the just and fair public distribution system. (f) To organize Indian Churches to lobby for just and pro-farmer Land Legislations, and also reject the Land Acquisition Ordinance, 2014. (g) To promote alliance building with neighbouring South Asian countries so that churches and farmers’ movements learn from each other. (h) LGA in Korea and India to address the serious problem of youth abandoning agriculture in villages and address the same on war footing. (i) LGA in Korea and India to explore new ground for ecumenical cooperation and collective action between rural and urban churches. (j) LGA in Korea and India to influence Seminaries to adapt theological education per se to include LGA in their regular courses as part of Ministerial Training. We Resolve: With regard to mainstreaming LGA in India, we resolve that the NCCI- CJPC promote Life-Giving Agriculture in India, and continue to dialogue and partner with LGA-Korea and promote Joint solidarity struggles and exchange of information on Life Giving Agriculture. – Executive Secretary, Commission on JPC, NCCI <ncci.cjpc@gmail.com>, <ncci@nccindia.in> Gender based violence has become pandemic in India. To combat and puncture this culture of violence All India Council of Christian Women (AICCW) has launched a campaign 365 Days Zero Tolerance to Gender Based Violence : Make it Happen Now!!! We invite you to promote this campaign so that women and children and vulnerable people - victims of gender based violence - can have ‘ Life in its Fullness’. We request you to watch the video in U tube, India’s Daughter a documentary produced by Leslee Udwin which is banned by the Home Minister, to understand the precarious form of gender based violence which exists in this country, the culture and mindset that prevents us to break silence. – Moumita Biswas, Executive Secretary, AICCW, NCCI Zero TZero TZero TZero TZero Toleranceoleranceoleranceoleranceolerance to Gender Based Violenceto Gender Based Violenceto Gender Based Violenceto Gender Based Violenceto Gender Based Violence WCC mourns the loss of Prof. Dr. Ninan Koshy The World Council of Churches mourns the loss of Prof. Dr Ninan Koshy who passed away unexpectedly in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India on 4 March, shortly after his 81st birthday. Prof. Koshy joined the WCC staff as Executive Secretary of the Commission of the Churches on International Affairs (CCIA) in July 1974 and served as its Director from 1981 to 1991. He has left an indelible mark on the WCC and the wider ecumenical movement with his incisive analyses of global issues and his theological insights on the churches’ responsibility to witness for truth, justice and peace in a deeply troubled world. In Geneva he assumed responsibility for the program on militarization and the armaments race organizing a series of international ecumenical consultations that broke new ground, for example in identifying militarization as an underlying cause of war and conflict. The definition of militarism developed there was subsequently applied by the United Nations in its Commission on Human Rights. At a critical moment in the nuclear arms race he organized, together with Paul Abrecht, Director of the WCC Department of Church and Society, the Public Hearing on Nuclear Weapons and Disarmament held in Amsterdam in 1981, and co- edited its report, Before It’s Too Late. WCC General Secretary Philip Potter reported its findings directly to the plenary of Second Special Session of the UN General Assembly on Disarmament (SSDII) in New York in 1982 where they proved to be influential. He engaged personally in initiatives aimed at peaceful resolution of conflicts in different parts of the world, meeting with churches, government and political leaders and reported on them through a series of CCIA Background Information that was read in both church and political circles. Ninan was a compelling speaker whose astute analyses of international affairs became high points of meetings of the WCC Central Committee. Partly in response to them the representatives of the churches tended to focus more and more on international political concerns during their meetings. Although serious in his work, Koshy maintained his relaxed demeanor and his sense of humour. He was a gifted and prolific writer, in both English and in his mother tongue, some of the latter products have become classics of Malayalam literature. His very first book written under M.M. Thomas’s tutelage in 1968, Caste in the Kerala Churches was even then called path-breaking and it has been reissued recently with a postscript on the contemporary situation. Upon “retirement” from the WCC Prof. Koshy accepted an invitation to become a Visiting Fellow in the Human Rights Program of the Harvard Law School in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Back at home in India he became a fellow of the Faculty of Law at the University of Delhi, taught at other universities, was granted an honorary doctorate in theology by Serampore University and was named member of the Kerala University Senate. He remained devoted to the ecumenical movement and at the request of the Christian Conference of Asia he wrote the first and edited the second volume of A History of the Ecumenical Movement in Asia, published in 2004. His written production in books, newspapers, and periodical journals was prodigious and appeared regularly, and right up to the day he died he was still writing and at work on new projects. The WCC and the world-wide ecumenical movement to which Dr. Koshy devoted so much of his life mourns his passing. – Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit – General Secretary, WCC Please see pages 4 & 6 Participants in the Consultation Mission Consultation onMission Consultation onMission Consultation onMission Consultation onMission Consultation on Indian Christian ObligationIndian Christian ObligationIndian Christian ObligationIndian Christian ObligationIndian Christian Obligation towards Global Mission Challengetowards Global Mission Challengetowards Global Mission Challengetowards Global Mission Challengetowards Global Mission Challenge In Obedience to the Great CommissionIn Obedience to the Great CommissionIn Obedience to the Great CommissionIn Obedience to the Great CommissionIn Obedience to the Great Commission A Mission Consultation will be held at the Ecumenical Christian Centre, Whitefield, Bangalore, from 26 to 29 May 2015. We invite you to come and participate in this thought provoking strategic conference and contribute to a process of innovating a new future for Indian Christian Mission praxis. There will be strategic paper presentations, workshops and discussion sessions. Free hospitality will be provided at the ECC. Be prepared to pay a Registration fee of Rs.1000 per person. Pray that God will bless our gathering for His greater glory.