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Saint Kuriakose Elias Chavara History often fails to do justice to social reformers who have also been religious leaders. Saint Kuriakose Elias Chavara, who triggered a renaissance in Kerala in the 19th century, was one such reformer who was also a man of faith. The 150th death anniversary of this saint-reformer — which was commemorated on January 3 — is an occasion to revisit his life and works.
Saint Chavara was a social reformer, an educationist, a social entrepreneur, and a prolific poet. He deserves a place in the pantheon of socio-religious reformers that includes Ram Mohan Roy, Swami Vivekananda, Jyotirao Phule, Swami Dayananda Saraswati and Sree Narayana Guru. Millions, irrespective of caste and creed, benefited from his work, which triggered a social, cultural and intellectual awakening in Kerala.
Saint Chavara was a pioneer of education reforms. When education was the privilege of the social elites, his Pallikkoodam movement (setting up schools in church premises) enabled universal access to education. As the Vicar General of Syro-Malabar Christians, he ordered that schools be set up on all church premises and threatened to close down those that failed to comply. He also started free mid-day meals and provided clothes and books to reduce drop-outs among the poor and Dalit students. For this purpose, he mobilised resources by collecting pidiyari (a handful of rice) and tithe from well-off families. The practice initiated by Saint Chavara in Christian schools influenced the diwan of Travancore, C P Ramaswamy Iyer, to plan mid-day meals in government schools in 1936. In 1846, Saint Chavara established a Sanskrit school in Mannanam in Kerala, that enabled ordinary people to study the sacred Hindu literature in Sanskrit.
The first indigenous Catholic religious congregation for men (CMI) he founded in 1831 supplied dedicated and highly-skilled personnel for managing the schools and institutions. The first religious congregation for women (CMC-CTC) he founded in 1866 established schools to promote education for women with boarding facilities. It was a starting point for women’s empowerment in Kerala. These congregations continue to pursue Saint Chavara’s vision of universal and affordable education, by running hundreds of educational institutions across the country. In the words of former President R Venkataraman, Saint Chavara “represented a major manifestation of the Indian renaissance, which was to raise our underprivileged, to alleviate distress and infuse our people with a sense of pride in themselves”.
In 1846, with the permission of Swathi Thirunal, the maharajah of Travancore, Saint Chavara founded a printing press in Mannanam, and published educational materials and books to promote social harmony. He was convinced that the print media was a powerful medium to further learning. This venture not only contributed to the expansion of knowledge in Malayalam, but also effectively resisted the monopoly of colonial interests in the publishing domain. Deepika, the oldest Malayalam newspaper now in circulation, was started from this press in 1887.
As a mark of his exceptional altruism, Chavara founded a House of Charity in 1869 in Kainakari, his native village, for the aged, the abandoned and the sick. Saint Chavara raised resources for his educational and social interventions through paddy cultivation and small contributions from the local community.
Well-versed in Malayalam, Sanskrit, Latin and Syriac, Saint Chavara wrote extensively. His poem Anasthasyayude Rakthasakshyam (The Martyrdom of Anastasia, 1862) is considered the first minor epic in Malayalam. Atmanutapam (Compunction of Heart) reveals the yogic poet in him exploring the rumblings of the inner self. Oru Nalla Appante Chavarul (Testament of a Loving Father) is a treatise on the upbringing of children, settling family disputes and the importance of writing wills. His correspondence with the Church authorities in Rome and letters to the public are of great literary and documentary value — they throw light on the socio-cultural background of 19th century Kerala.
He was an apostle of peace and religious harmony. In his autobiography, Nalagamam (Chronicles), Saint Chavara vividly narrates how Hindus, Muslims and Christians together toiled hard to establish his monastery in Mannanam. He realised that God’s glory relies on the greatness of humans. He was a true karma yogi, contemplative in action and working tirelessly to liberate people from the tyrannies of ignorance, poverty, and sickness.
Devassy is Director and Dean of CHRIST (Deemed to be University), Delhi NCR Campus, and Abraham teaches Media Studies
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