Ecology: Vanishing Hills

Much has been said about the need to conserve our forests (see: Trees are vital). The campaign to keep the earth green seems to be getting the message across to millions of people. But there is another vital area of ecology that is, unfortunately, not receiving the attention that it deserves.

I am talking about the hills. All over India, hills are being flattened for for building construction, cutting stones, for obtaining earth for filling low or water logged areas and so on. Laws to prevent this may or may not exist but the indiscriminate mining carries on nevertheless. Nobody seems to bother except some activists.

What is the damage if the hills are flattened? Water covers about 70% of the Earth. I saw an estimate that water level would rise by more than 8000 feet (about 2500m) if the earth surface were evened out. That means there would not be any land-sea ratio. The planet would be a mass covered by water. That of course is an unlikely eventuality.

But there are several other adverse impacts of leveling hills. The surface area of the earth decreases when a hill is flattened. The trees and plants (some of them medicinal) and life forms that thrived there disappear. I think all the major rivers of the world originate from and are sustained by the mountains. The hills attract rains. They provide water to more than half the world’s population. Terrains like laterite formations retain water. If we do not protect hills, the result would be acute water problems.

There could be an argument that habitats are among the basic requirements of humanity and that construction activities provide employment to many people. True. But can’t we build without flattening the hills? Contour architecture, I think, is the answer. Two examples of this I can immediately recall are the residential area of the HMT complex near Cochin, and the Kovalam Resort near Trivandrum.

Certainly, our architects are capable of coming out with eco-friendly designs.

Ends.

Also see: Komana Kadu.

Cross posted to:

EARTH SAVE - Abraham Tharakan's Blog

Song og the waves - Parayil A. Tharakan Blog

Ram Sethu: Where is the conflict?

A closer look at Ram Sethu issue leads to a quagmire. I can’t see any real conflict. An objective analysis does not indicate any need for controversies, unless somebody really wants to create one. Perhaps that is what we are seeing now.

It is the belief of millions of people that Ram Sethu was built by the forces of Lord Rama. There is also a belief that the events in Ramayana refer to a war between Aryans and Dravidians. These are all traditions that originated some time in the distant past and survived through thousands of years. As Henry James (1843-1916) said, “It takes an endless amount of history to make even a little tradition.” In this light, the Archeological Survey of India (ASI) affidavit before the Supreme Court on Ram Sethu, though subsequently withdrawn, was unfortunate.

There is another side to it however. For instance, I am a Syrian Christian who firmly believes that St. Thomas founded our Church. That is the tradition among the people. But if I were asked to submit an affidavit on it in a court of law, I would have to say that there is no historic evidence about the Apostle ever landing in Kerala. Several historians have and still do, say this, but I have not heard of any Syrian Christian getting emotional about such statements.

The objective of building Ram Sethu would have been a limited one – to send armies to Lanka and rescue Sita. Therefore, the requirement was not a solid structure to survive millennia but a functional temporary causeway sufficient for the immediate purpose on hand. Leaving the bridge usable after the target was achieved would not have been wise militarily either. In any case, there was no reason at that time to have a permanent land route to Lanka.

Where would such a bridge have been built? Naturally at the shallowest, easiest and fastest to construct alignment. The location of Ram Sethu confirms this. Logic brings one to the conclusion that a temporary causeway was built using the existing shoals as base. The Adam’s Bridge, according to what I have read, is much older than Ramayna. The causeway which was raised on it had served its purpose and would have been washed away during the centuries that have rolled by with the waves. Perhaps some parts of it still remain. The name Ramaar Paalam or Ram Sethu merely signifies an event in the traditions.

Is there something sacrosanct about Ram Sethu? If there is, would the BJP led government have, according to reports, reactivated the 1860 scheme of Alfred D. Taylor to cut a shipping channel through it to connect Palk Strait and Gulf of Mannar? The obvious answer is no. And, if the project can help mankind, would Lord Rama like it being shelved again? (One website mentioned that a couple of dredgers engaged at the site broke down because Rama is angry. If that is the case, there is nothing to worry. Divine intervention will protect Ram Sethu.)

Now, will the project help the people? One view expressed is that it will only benefit the shipping companies and the politicians. I don’t know about the latter, but reducing the turnaround time of any carrier makes sound economic sense. The benefits are bound to percolate down to the people as well.

Another apprehension is that this project is meant to expedite the growth of Tuticorin Port in Tamil Nadu and sabotage the development of the Vizhinjam Harbor project in Kerala. The question here is whether the BJP which has at least some base in Kerala, would have agreed to an arrangement favorable to Tamil Nadu where it does not seem to have any significant following.

The real concern, I feel, should be the environmental implications of Ram Sethu project. The Techno-Economic Feasibility study for the scheme was reportedly done by the Tuticorin Port Trust. Was it an independent work by competent people, free of political interference? There was one indication that the World Monuments Fund had suggested that divers should be asked to collect samples from the seabed near Ram Sethu for analysis. I can’t trace any further information on this.

Those who are for the shipping canal project repeatedly assert that ecological hazards have been carefully assessed and addressed. One claim is that dredging process has been chosen for the scheme since blasting the seabed would cause damage. According to them five different alignments were considered by two different governments. Some media reports say that the present route was accepted by both the earlier BJP led government and the present UPA one after studying all aspects.

In the name of a project that may or may not be implemented, enough damage has been already done by the politicians and the fanatics. Is this what Rama Rajyam envisages?

Ends.

Also see:

Ram Sethu controversy

Adam's Bridge & Adam's Peak

Cross posted to

Articles By Abraham Tharakan

Ram Sethu comtroversy

The controversy about the Sethu Samudram Canal Project (SSCP) is most unfortunate. The scheme is to create a shipping channel to connect Palk Strait and Gulf of Mannar. Once this is done, the ships going to the Arabian Sea from India’s east coast ports can save about 400kms (say, about 30 hours of sailing) by avoiding the detour around Sri Lanka.

The protests against the project started when NASA released satellite photos showing the Adam’s Bridge which many millions believe was built by Lord Rama’s forces to cross over to Sri Lanka and rescue Sita from Ravana. The fuse was lit when the Archeological Survey of India submitted an affidavit in the Suprme Court making statements to the effect that there is no historic evidence to the events in Ramayana.. The way it was worded apparently offended certain groups and the Government of India promptly withdrew the affidavit. But the damage was already done.

What I can’t understand is, if the BJP and their allies genuinely believed in the sanctity of the bridge, why didn’t they, when they were in power, declare the area as a heritage site and change the name Adam’s Bridge officially to ‘Ramaar Paalam’ or ‘Ram Sethu’? The obvious answer is that at that time they failed to see the color of votes, if at all it is there, in this far away (from Delhi) destination.

Now it would seem that BJP went trigger happy without referring to the back files. A Times of India report that I saw on the Internet yesterday says that the SSCP was revived (the idea had been mooted during British days) by the then BJP government. Different alignments were considered and the BJP government gave the in principle approval to the project in January 2003. Quoting sources the report says that the present alignment which cuts through the Ram Sethu was approved by the NDA government led by BJP. Therefore it appears that the Manmohan Singh government is only carrying on with what the BJP had approved.

If this position is confirmed conclusively, the BJP would have difficulty in explaining the agitation against the project.

Two images of Adam’s Bridge from Wikipedia are reproduced below:

UN map, considered to be in public domain

Released to public domain by the Federal Government of United States.

Ends.

Also see: History of conversions to Christianity in Kerala – an overview

123 Go - BY THE BOOK

Where is the 123 (India-US Nuclear) Agreement, or rather the politicians’ handling of it, taking us? I am a reasonably well-educated citizen, I read a few newspapers daily and watch TV, but still the drama is confusing.

I understand that the present opposition mooted the idea of the nuclear treaty when they were in power. Now the agreement is anathema to them for whatever reason. They wanted a discussion in the Parliament, then a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) and again, a debate in the House followed by voting. The Speaker had already ruled that such procedure would be against precedent.

The Left has its own reasons for opposing the agreement. The old ‘imperialism, colonialism and capitalism’ jargon is still there, but added to it are ‘integrity, sovereignty and security’ of the country. The protest follows a well-trodden path – the Left has a history of campaigns against tractors, computers, mechanization in industry, and so on.

Currently the Left is also busy leading jathas from Chennai and Kolkota to ward off any danger from the foreign warships that are temporarily in the Bay of Bengal for a combined exercise with the Indian Navy. The vessels of Pakistan and China, the only two countries to have attacked India are not involved in the war games.

The scientists seem divided on the deal. Whether they have assessed the agreement in its totality or merely looked at some technical point or the other is not clear. And some wizards have suddenly realized that energy produced under the deal would be costlier than power generated through other methods.

The media too is split on the deal. One saw the sad instance of an esteemed Chennai-based daily doing a flip-flop on the issue and then coming out with an unconvincing explanation for its volte face. That paper also claimed (others too did) that the majority of MPs were against the 123 deal.

The Government appears to be adamant on proceeding with the nuclear agreement. What should be done in the given situation? Repeatedly stating that the Government has been reduced to a minority on this issue is not enough. The Constitution of India was written by wise men. It has the provision for handling such situations.

If the NDA and the Left genuinely believe that the 123 Agreement compromises India’s interests, I feel that they are duty bound to bring a no confidence motion against the Government.

Why is the hesitation to test the strength on the floor of the House? Is it fear of failure or the possibility of losing some seats should there be a fresh General Election?

For now, they are merely messing up the functioning of the Parliament with a lot of sound and fury.

Ends.

The photo: Wikimedia Commons – Public Domain). Shows the Preamble to the Constitution of India.

Click on it for enlarged view.

Also see: Indo-US nuclear agreement

Indo-US nuclear agreement

A spokesman of the US State Department, not the President or Secretary of State of that country, makes or is reported to have made a statement about the Indo-US nuclear deal. No body knows what exactly was said, if at all any comment on the agreement was made by the official. And on the basis of that the Prime Minister of India, never mind which party he belongs to, is virtually called a liar. Strange indeed are the ways of the politicians!

Let us have a look at what this is all about. The Government of India presided over by the then Prime Minister moots the idea of the nuclear deal with US. The succeeding government negotiates a treaty after considerable debate at home and claims that the agreement which has been reached is the best in the nation’s interest.

Undoubtedly, such a treaty should be judged dispassionately and objectively, taking into account the country’s sovereignty, energy requirements, technological development India has reportedly achieved so far and those like thorium based operations that are in the pipeline, and economic factors.

The ballyhoo would make one think that we have a nuclear test or two slated for the next few months. Nothing of the sort. The previous government had announced a moratorium on such tests. Only if that self-imposed constraint proves to be ill-advised or intrinsically wrong or irrelevant, the question of further tests arises. In any case, we seem to have reached a stage, like the US, where more tests are not really needed

Now, what happens if we do conduct a test? Will the American Marines storm the beaches of India, pack up all the fuel and equipment they supplied and leave? Or will the US do another Iraq? Not at all. The American Administration at that point of time would handle the situation according to what is best for them. It may be commercially beneficial for them to make some motions of protest and get back to business with India as usual.

What if India decides to call off the treaty? We have done that once with Russia. Do the Americans have any recourse? Well, why should we bother? It is their problem.

It would appear that the protesters have no faith in their own country, in its inherent strength, in its people and what its scientists are capable of. India will always be there bright and shining, no matter what an American official is supposed to have said (possibly for home consumption). The US slapped an embargo on us in the past. We carried on nevertheless.

The whole episode reminds me of a story told by Sriman Narayan, a former General Secretary of the Congress Party, decades back. In a once famous East European University, the new generation biology professor was teaching the anatomy of grasshoppers. He had a trained insect in his right palm. When he held up his left palm and ordered, ‘jump’, the grasshopper obeyed.

Now, the next part of the demonstration – The teacher pulled off the legs the insect and repeated the order. The insect didn’t jump. The conclusion given by the professor was that grasshoppers hear through their legs.

Protests and criticisms are fine. That is part of democracy. But warped logic is not.

Ends.

Also see: India - national symbols

Delannoy: Dutch sea captain, Maharaja’s army chief, people’s Valia Kappithan.

The interesting story of a remarkable man lies buried in the obscure pages of Kerala history. In available data, there is confusion about his name, nationality and designation. I understand that my brother Professor Emeritus PKM Tharakan in Brussels has an ongoing research project on this subject. That, when completed, should provide clarity.

I have chosen the name Delannoy from the versions of it given by different writers. Delannoy was part of, or commanded an assault fleet of the Dutch East India Company in early 1740s to Colachal (Kolachal). The objective was to capture the port in the south western corner of India and the hinterland that was rich in pepper and therefore important to the Dutch commercial interests. Their adversary was the king of Venad who later became famous in history as Marthanda Varma Maharaja of Travancore.

The Dutch marines stormed the beach and advanced almost to the outskirts of the Venad palace. Then a surprise counter attack by the king’s Nair soldiers from the flank routed the Dutch. It is said that this was the first occasion when an Indian ruler defeated a western naval force. Delannoy and some of his men were captured alive.

The force that vanquished the Dutch had been raised in 1703 as bodyguards of the Venad raja. Today it is the 9^th Battalion of the Madras Regiment, perhaps the oldest unit in the Indian Army, with uninterrupted service for over 300 years.

In spite of Delannoy’s defeat, Marthanda Varma was quick to appreciate the man’s military acumen. He offered Delannoy and his men freedom in exchange of training the Travancore soldiers in modern weaponry and warfare. Thus started Delannoy’s association of nearly 37 years with Travancore.

Delannoy transformed the local army into an elite fighting force well-trained in the use of muskets. This contributed immeasurably to Marthanda Varma’s success in the several wars that he waged.

One of Delannoy’s great achievements was the designing and building of Nedumkottai, a 48 km long fort to defend attacks from the north. This bulwark was to play a crucial role when the Mysore forces attacked Travancore during the second half of the 18c.

There is no clarity about the Delannoy’s official designation in Travancore. Several writers refer to him as Captain. He was perhaps a naval captain at the time of Colachal War. He was made the chief of the state’s armed forces, whatever the designation was. With affectionate respect the people called him ‘Valia Kappithan’ which means big captain or admiral or great naval chief.

Delannoy’s status seems to have been that of a Nair Lord (madambi) or slightly above that. He stayed at the old Udayagiri Fort, which Marthanda Varma had renovated, till his death in 1777. It came to be known as ‘Dillanai kota’ (Delannoy’s fort).

Delannoy sleeps eternally in a chapel at Udayagiri. His wife and son were also buried there, on either side of his tomb.



Photos of Udayagiri Chapel and the Delannoy tombs are reproduced under GNU Free Documentation License. Click for enlarged view

Ends.

Also see: Indian who could have been the King of France?

History of conversions to Christianity in Kerala – an overview

This article takes a brief look into the history of conversions to Christianity in Kerala. The Christians of the State can be broadly categorized into three: Syrian Christians who are believed to have been converted from the upper castes (whether such distinction existed at that time is not clear) by Apostle St. Thomas in 1c, Latin Christians who were converted mostly from lower classes by St. Francis Xavier in the 16c and Dalit Christians who were converted in the 19c by the Anglicans and in the 20c by the Catholic denomination of the Syrians. The labels Syrian and Latin came about because of the respective languages that were used in liturgy. (See: Jewish names among Syrian Christians.)

The Syrian Christian community is referred to by historians as Malabar Church and St. Thomas Christians. This congregation was, till the intrusion by the Western Christianity with the arrival of the Portuguese, a distinctive Eastern Church with the Pope of Rome as a hazy father figure at the far end of a thin long line.

Being a Syrian Christian is a matter of birth and inherited religious convictions. Therefore, conversion to that community is an anomaly. In all its known history till the 20c, the Malabar Church never undertook any missionary work. The theology of the community was that every human being achieved salvation through his own religion; a conclusion that modern Christian theology is increasingly accepting. Spreading the Word of Christ and induced or forced conversions to Christianity are two totally different things. As a result, the Syrian Christians remained an exclusive community to which outsiders had no entry.

Two questions arise here: why then did St. Thomas carry out conversions and, why did he convert only the so called upper classes? The Apostle would have, if one accepts oral tradition, received into the Christian fold only those who came forward willingly and out of conviction. On the question of the claimed class distinction in the conversions by the Apostle, it is necessary to understand the background of his mission. His arrival in Kerala (52A.D.) was before the gentiles were accepted into Christianity. Even the word ‘Christian’ did not exist at that time; it was coined in Antioch around 65 A.D. Till then the followers of Christ were known as Nazranis, a name that continues to be used in Kerala.

It is possible that St. Thomas initially targeted the Jews who were already in Kerala. (Several historians claim that the Jews were trading with Kerala even at the time of King Solomon.) Some of the upper crust local people too, presumably, joined the new faith. Here ‘upper crust’ would mean the educated or enlightened who, according to oral tradition, engaged the Apostle in debates.

The Malabar Church enjoyed an organic growth for fifteen centuries, blending with the social structure and being part of it, conforming to the customs and traditions of the land, maintaining upper class stature, receiving support and recognition from the rulers.

The Portuguese arrived in Kerala at the end of the 15c. They initiated a campaign to convert the local Christians (who followed Syriac liturgy) to the Latin Rite. This met with incessant resistance. The net result in the long run was that the Malabar Church was truncated and split into different denominations. Of these, the Catholic faction was subjugated by the Western Latin Church for three centuries.

The arrival of St. Francis Xavier in the middle of the 16c saw a flourish in missionary activity. This great saint of the Catholic Church converted many people of the lower castes to Christianity. He had the patronage of the Portuguese and the maharajas of Travancore and Cochin. In fact, the Maharaja of Cochin had the title ‘Protector of Christians’.

But there were protests against these conversions from the upper classes not on religious grounds but for social and economic reasons. Accepting Christianity released the converts from their obligations under the fine tuned caste system. This led to several problems. To give an example: the coconut pickers who became Christians were no longer under any compulsion to carry out their traditional duty.

This new congregation came to be known as Latin Christians. Whereas the Syrian Christians always enjoyed upper class status, the Latin Christians were treated as lower caste and there were hardly any social interaction between the two. After Independence, the Latin Christians were officially included in the backward class category.

The next round of conversions to Christianity in Kerala was in the 19c by the Anglicans, now known as Church of South India (CSI), who came to Kerala in the wake of the British in the first quarter of the 19c. This episode covered both Syrian Christians and members of some lower castes. The Anglicans championed major causes of the Dalits, like the right of Channar women to cover their breasts in public, and the abolition of slavery. This attracted lower castes to the new edition of Christianity in Kerala.

Then, in the early 1930s, the Syrian Catholic Church suddenly went on a conversion spree against all traditions of the St. Thomas Christians, focusing specifically on the Pulayas who were among the untouchables. They were bonded labor attached to landlords, both Hindu and Christian. Anizham Thirunal Maharaja abolished slavery in Travancore in the mid -19c, but the practice continued in one form or the other till the World War II. The Pulayas were totally at the mercy of their lords. The prospect of joining Christianity appealed to many of them.

Whether all these conversions were genuine, arising out of conviction is debatable. The details about the activities of St. Thomas in Kerala are shrouded in the foggy past. But by no stretch of imagination could he have had the political, financial or military clout to indulge in coercion. The subsequent conversions are unlikely to pass the test because there was an element of quid pro quo involved, in one way or another.

The present scenario in Kerala is that the label ‘Christians’ covers diverse groups without meaningful homogeneity or integration.

Ends.

Also see:

Vedas, Syrian Christians

Ball Nut Tree (Calophyllum inophyllum).

The ball nut tree (Calophyllum inophyllum), which belongs to the mango stein family, is also called Alexandrian Laurel sometimes though it is not a native of Alexandria. Probably the reason is that its fragrant white flowers look like a bouquet. In Tahiti it is called ati or tamanu, In Hawai the name is kamani and dilo in Fiji. This article deals with the properties and uses of different parts of this tree.

Ball nut tree tolerates different conditions including degraded soil, but grows best in the in sandy coastal areas in the tropics where it may attain 20-25 m height. It branches low and has a rich canopy of thick leaves. The nuts are green in color when young and turn to yellowish brown or red on maturity and about 2 to 4 cm in diameter. Bats love the flesh cover on the nut. They eat it and drop the nut, often into the water which carries them to different locations where they propagate.

The wood is hard and strong. Polynesians traditionally build boats using it for the keel, and planks of breadfruit tree for the sides. In Kerala, India, (where the tree is called punna), entire boats are made from ball nut tree. These crafts are heavier than the Polynesian ones. Ball nut tree is also utilized for masts, scaffolding, railway sleepers, bridge building, furniture and several other applications.

The nuts are picked and sun-dried for about two months after which the shell is broken and the kernel taken out for further drying. Then tamanu oil is extracted through a cold-press process and is purified under controlled conditions. This product, which is internationally known as nambagura or tamanu oil has great medicinal and cosmetic properties and is used in several beauty formulations particularly in Europe.

According to estimates, a fully mature tree yields up to 225 pounds of nuts from which about 40 pounds of oil can be obtained. After refining, the pure oil availability may be around 10 pounds. The retail price of tamanu oil is about USD20/oz.

It seems that several scientific studies have been made in Europe and USA about this product. The ingredients that tamanu oil contains are claimed to be effective in restoration and regeneration of skin tissues, removal of scars, physical and chemical burn marks, and general toning of the skin. It is said to cure skin diseases, rheumatism and ulcers and to have healing and antibiotic capabilities. It would however be prudent to check with qualified persons before using tamanu oil. Other parts of the ball nut tree also have medicinal and pesticide properties.

There are different species of ball nut trees. The oil from some of them is, according to studies, good for bio-diesel. Planting ball nut trees along the beaches can prevent soil erosion.

All indications are that there is good scope for cultivating ball nut trees commercially.

Ends.

Irish father of Indian cardamom, rubber and pepper planting

The old man, past eighty, was ailing when the letter came from a friend to whom he had expressed a desire to buy a new sophisticated wireless set. The friend had written to say that only one such equipment was available.

From what was considered to be his death bed, the old bachelor replied, “Thank you for your letter. I suppose that at my age and in my condition I should be ordering a harp, not a wireless set.” He would have been reasonably certain about his place in heaven because he was a staunch Catholic and Pope Pius XI had, in 1927, conferred on him the Papal honor Pro Ecclesia Et Pontifice for the services he had rendered to the Catholic Church and for his philanthropy.

But the man had great resilience. On this occasion he came back from the jaws of death, so to speak, and immediately sent a telegram to his friend: “cancel harp send wireless.” That was the kind of indomitable spirit he had.

Who was he? An Irishman named J. J. Murphy (1872-1957).

He was born in Dublin into a family of Shippers and Bankers, a seventh month baby who was rather delicate and asthmatic. After private education with Marist Brothers, a Catholic Educational Brotherhood in Europe, and Trinity College, Dublin, J.J. (as he was popularly known) set out to the East. He joined a tea plantation company in Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) but shifted to South India to join another. In spite of his independent nature he survived on that job for a few years before being sacked.

That, in a way, set Murphy free, at the age of 29.

And there was the whole wide, wild world before him. How he faced it is a saga, which, unfortunately, has not found its rightful place in history. It would be a worthwhile thesis material for a serious researcher.

The first niche Murphy formed was at Pambadampara in the Cardamom Hills. It was virgin forest. There he did something that no body else before him had tried. Till then cardamom was obtained from wild growth in the forests, or from small peasants. The Irishman cultivated cardamom at Pambadampara on an organized plantation basis. It was the first such estate in India and perhaps the world. An interesting aspect was that since cardamom requires heavy shade, it was not necessary to cut down the trees.

Murphy’s interest turned to rubber. Since 1872 the India Office in London had been trying to introduce hevea rubber plants in India without any success. But Murphy, along with three associates, established the first rubber plantation in the country at a place called Alwaye. Then, in 1904, the man went for his own private rubber plantation at Yendayar, the place that was to be his home till death. When I last visited Yendayar Estate, a couple of decades back, a few of the rubber trees planted by Murphy were still standing.

Murphy’s success attracted major Sterling companies to the field. They closed down, at least temporarily, during the depression years. But with uncanny foresight Murphy held on and replanted the old rubber area with high yielding Malaysian clones. When the demand for the strategically important natural rubber spurted during the World War II, the Irishman was right up there on top.

At Yendayar Murphy planted tea as well, and scored another first by organizing pepper cultivation on plantation pattern. Till the, like cardamom, pepper too was procured from wild growth and small farmers.

The Irishman was an enlightened employer. Once he told the Planters' Association of which he was the Chairman, "So long as we pay fair rates and look after our coolies well, we need not worry much."

At one time I used to visit the Mundakayam Club, which Murphy established, rather frequently. I heard the following story there.

When the First World War began, Murphy went to Madras (now Chennai) to enlist. The officer concerned pointed out that the age limit for recruitment was 40. The Irishman was around 42 then. He was upset, but there was nothing any one could do about His Majesty’s regulations.

Murphy told the officer, “Very well, but don’t blame me if you lose the bloody war”, and walked out.

J. J. Murphy died on May 9, 1957. He was buried at Yendayar.

Ends.

Note: For details I have depended on an article “J. J. Murphy 1872 – 1957”, which the late K. L. Kershaw, an eminent planter himself, wrote for the Planters’ Chronicle. This collectors’ item was sent to me by my maternal uncle, Michael A. Kallivayalil, who, among other things, owns the Yendayar Estate.

Cross posted to Song of the waves.

Some Clubs of India

Last week I received a copy of the Platinum Jubilee Souvenir of the prestigious Lotus Club, Cochin. The Committee that brought it out deserves high compliments for the excellent production, which is not only about Lotus but also a good reference book on the history of Cochin.

Though a member of this club for decades, I didn’t know that W. Somerset Maugham was one among the several illustrious visitors to the club including the Maharajas of Cochin and Mysore, and Lord Linlithgow when he was the Viceroy of India.

Linlithgow actually played tennis at Lotus during a visit to Cochin during the early 1940s. Tennis always had a prominent place in the activities of this family club, which used to conduct an All India ranking tournament. By 1990s the interest in tennis waned, but it has been revived recently with the laying of a synthetic court. Last week I was happy to see a group of young children being coached by an expert.

Bridge is another favorite at Lotus. Prof. Robins Jacob, Honorary Secretary of the Kerala Bridge Association writes, “Lotus Club is credited with the unique distinction of hosting the oldest uninterruptedly conducted Duplicate Tournament in India, perhaps in the whole world.”

The souvenir contains an interesting article titled ‘The Club Culture in India’ by David T. Mookken who has the rare distinction of having been President of Cochin Club and Lotus Club. David traces the origin of clubs in India and the transition of the club culture from British times to post-Independence days.

The first club outside Britain was perhaps Calcutta Cricket and Football Club (1792). A year later Calcutta Racket Club was established. Cochin Club was formed in 1821. Some of the other old clubs in South India are Madras Club (1832), Bangalore Club (1868), Coimbatore Club (1873), Secunderabad Club (1878), Coonoor Club (1885), and Kodaikanal Club (1887).

These were known as ‘English Clubs’. No Indian was allowed entry to them. This exclusiveness led to the formation of the Lotus Club by Lady Gertrude Bristow. Her husband, Sir Robert was a representative of the British Government who was entrusted with the task of developing a modern port at Cochin, a job which he completed admirably. But the Bristows were denied admission to Cochin Club because Lady Gertrude was not English born!

The lady was not disheartened, though. With the cooperation of some prominent families of Cochin, she had a suitable piece of land assigned by the Maharaja of Cochin and started the Lotus Club! The Maharaja himself attended the first Club Night of Lotus on September 9, 1932 as Chief Guest.

Lady Gertrude Bristow was the Founder President of the Club, and remained in that position from 1931 to 1941.

Ends.

Some memories of WW II, Cochin and the 1940s.

The Yad Vashem Controversy

The Inside the Vatican Newsflash of May 7, 2007 carries a staff written article titled ‘Nuncio Battles for Truth’ about the Yad Vashem controversy that erupted last month. This piece is scheduled to be published in the May issue of the magazine.

Yad Vashem is Israel’s Holocaust Museum. The problem arose with the rather dramatic protest by sixty-nine-year-old Archbishop Antonio Franco, Papal Nuncio in Jerusalem against ‘inaccurate’ statements displayed at the Museum on role played by the Catholic Church and Pope Pius XII during the genocide. The nuncio announced that he would not attend the memorial service for the Holocaust victims on April 15 unless the offending exhibits were removed.

This immediately became a full blown dispute. Earlier, Franco’s predecessor had also protested against the Yad Vashem display in a milder and more diplomatic manner. But the salvo by a seasoned diplomat like Franco surprised many. It also generated apprehensions about the future of the Catholic - Jewish dialogue and the Pope’s to visit to Israel on invitation by their government.

The Yad Vahsem authorities handled the situation admirably. They insisted that the disputed exhibits represent verifiable facts according to ‘current research’. But they were willing to examine any new documents made available (it is said that there are several secret documents relating to this in the Vatican Archives) and were prepared to go by the evidence. Graciously accepting this as fair enough, the nuncio decided to attend the function on April 15 and the storm blew over.

Was this a conviction based action-reaction situation or is there something more to it? One assessment by Inside the Vatican is: “Franco made a wise choice to try to deal with the Pius issue immediately. As serious as prejudice against Pius is, it does not compare to some of the other complications in the Jewish-Catholic relationship. The injustice against Pius is a manageable problem -- for impartial, fair-minded scholars.” This could very well be true.

The journal presents several points to establish that Pius XII and the Church did, in fact, help in many ways the cause of the Jews under persecution by the Nazis, and that the details are known to the Israelis. If that is so, why did Franco concede to the demand by Yad Vashem for fresh documentation for further study?

The Pope Pius XII-Nazi matter seems to be the greatest PR fiasco ever by the Catholic Church. The accusations against the former Pope have been going around for decades. For some strange reason, Vatican has been apparently defensive on the subject.

Given here is a quote from an article this author wrote some time back: “Notwithstanding all these, terror, undoubtedly, was Hitler’s main weapon for enforcing the kind of control that he desired. Many Germans genuinely supported him. They appreciated the socio-cultural stability that was established. The Church was maneuvered into doing a tightrope act, but retained a considerable degree of independence. When severe practices like euthanasia and the gassing of the Jews came into light the Church did protest. But an unsavory feeling that the Church could have done more to prevent the outrageous events that occurred, remains. This is accentuated by the fact that those who suffered most were not very friendly to the Church.”

When criticism about the role of Pope Pius XII in the unprecedented tragedy surfaced, the Church tried to ward them off by ineffective measures like accusing the Russians of false propaganda to help the expansion of Communism in post-war Europe. These tactics proved futile and we find a strange situation where the man whom the Nazis once denounced as ‘the mouthpiece of the Jewish war criminals’ being accused by the Israelis for abetting the genocide.

Perhaps the Church’s initial reaction to the accusations was influenced by the words of Pius XII himself. Inside the Vatican Newsflash quotes the former Pontiff: "We owe no greater debt to our office and to our time than … 'to give testimony to the truth'…We shall not be held back by mistrust or opposition, by rebuffs or lack of appreciation, nor yet by fear of misconceptions and misinterpretations." -- Pope Pius XII, Summi Pontificatus, October 1939. These words were spoken long before the Holocaust.

Rather belatedly, the Church is taking a more forceful stand on this question. In 2005 Inside the Vatican started an ‘oral history’ project to record accounts by Jews whom the Church had helped to escape the Holocaust. By then most of the refugees involved had died. In the present article the journal comes out with convincing arguments against the display at Yad Vashem. But how many people get to read them?

Archbishop Franco’s protest brought the issue back to public attention and now it is left to the academics to sort out the matter with support from both sides. Fortunately, a stand off like the one between Turkey and Armenia on the 1915 tragedy has been avoided. If Yad Vashem had taken an uncompromising stand on the issue, the nuncio would have been in an unenviable position.

This leads one to think that the whole episode was, perhaps, choreographed with consensus from both Israel and Vatican to pave the way for the Pope’s visit. Inside the Vatican mentions that according to a high ranking Vatican official the Pope may decline the invitation from Israel if the offending exhibits are still on display at Yad Vahsem. This possibly was an impromptu reaction.

Let us objectively analyze the situation. Pope John Paul had visited Yad Vashem but that was before the statements about Pius XII were introduced. If the present Pope were to call at the museum without any publicly known mutual understanding about the exhibits it would have been not only highly embarrassing but also could have led to a major controversy damaging the Jewish-Catholic dialogue.

Franco has changed all that. He has registered his protest, Yad Vashem has agreed to look into the matter positively and the Pope can see for himself what exactly the Holocaust Museum has displayed about Pius XII. May be the Israelis would be more generous during the Papal visit. In any case the dialogue can and would continue effectively and meaningfully.

Strange sometimes are the ways of diplomacy!

Ends.

Also see:

Nazi Era - Looting of Cultural Treasures.

Twin Churches

Read

Back to the twin churches.

at Song of the waves.

Church demolition - addenda.

Three pertinent questions have been raised by ‘anonymous’ about my post Churches on demolition line.

- Is there any chance whether the Cardinal in Cochin will be able to prevent the demolition?

- Who is funding these activities?

- Can these funds be used for more appropriate purposes like teaching the priests the value of cultural heritage?

The Cardinal who is the Major Archbishop and Head of the Syro-Malabar Church can certainly prevent demolitions of old church buildings. Being a learned priest, he certainly would be aware of the importance of preserving the heritage landmarks.

But does he have the will or the capability? The Ernakulam Archdiocese, the seat of the Cardinal, is already involved in court cases regarding attempts to demolish two Parayil built churches - the family’s private oratory (1869 - see A Kerala Tharavad.) and the beautiful St. Rafael’s Church (1859) at Ezhupunna. There could be more such litigation relating to other churches.

Once the Cardinal came out with a strong statement deploring the construction of chapels and other structures flush by roads and disruption of traffic by church processions. An admirable stand. But nothing really happened.

Now, about the funds. Some of the churches like Ramapuram, are rich because of large number of offerings by devotees/pilgrims. Many Non Resident Indians also contribute generously. For them it is a payback to their home church, which of course is noble. But unfortunately, instead of restoration of old churches, the concept of building anew came up. Can the priests escape the responsibility for this? Can anyone conceive of old temples being replaced by modern structures?

The money can certainly be used for much more worthwhile purposes. When incompetent people play architect, cost of construction escalates and concrete monstrosities result. It is a pity that the Syro-Malabar Church (as far as I know) does not have design parameters for its churches. A classic example of the approach of the Church authorities is described in Laurie Baker - A Tribute.

A place of worship, like liturgy, should reflect the hopes, aspirations, ethos and history of the people who are to use it.

Ends.

Churches on the demolition line.

Photo: INTACH Post Card

Beautiful, isn’t it?

These are the historic twin churches at Ramapuram, one of the cradles of Christianity in Kerala. The smaller of these, in the name of St. Augustine, was built around 1450, and the other in 1864. These may be razed to the ground soon. What no invader, no government, no other community, have dared to try, is being done with abandon by the Church itself.

Aisanet TV reported last evening that a referendum is being conducted among the parishioners of Ramapuram on Sunday, April 29, 2007 about demolishing these famous shrines. The Church officials have taken a strong stand in favor of the destruction. Therefore the outcome of the vote is a foregone conclusion. The priests do not seem to be worried whether such actions and procedures conform to the laws of the country.

The move to demolish the twin churches and build a ‘modern’ one in their place has been on for some time. The Hindu carried a report about this on February 18, 2005. The reason given for this proposal by the Vicar was that more space is required to accommodate the increased number of pilgrims! Apparently he was not alert to the fact that the newer of the two churches was also built for the same reason, but people who were responsible then had ensured that the old one was preserved.

The vicar went on to give a piece of wisdom to the world: “God created the whole world for man. Archaeology is for the benefit of man and not vice-versa''. Shades of Benito Mussolini! Il Duce was reported to have said when his car knocked down and killed a boy, “What is the life of a child in the matters of state?”

The Syro-Malabar Church of Kerala, under which Ramapuram comes, is the second largest (after Roman /Latin) Rite in the Catholic Diaspora. It is headed by a Major Archbishop who is a Cardinal. Can the authorities of the Syro-Malabar wash off the responsibility for the demolition mania, like Pontius Pilate? There is something called acts of omission and commission.

What about the Pope?

In the recent Apostolic Exhortation, ‘Sacramentum Caritatis’, the Pontiff states, "A solid knowledge of the history of sacred art can be advantageous for those responsible for commissioning artists and architects to create works of art for the liturgy. Consequently, it is essential that the education of Seminarians and priests include the study of art history, with special reference to sacred buildings..."

[The response of some priests in Kerala to this might be, ‘Oh, it’s about some paintings in Europe’, like Stalin who once asked during WW II, ‘How many Divisions does the Pope have?’ In Kerala itself, invaluable frescos were lost by recent demolition of Thycattussarry Church. See my post ‘A historic church is no more’ by clicking on the title.]

Indiscriminate destruction of heritage structures should be a matter of concern not only for Christians, but also for all people. If you agree, please email this to as many people as you can. The procedure is very simple. Just click on the ‘envelope’ icon below and give the email IDs.

Let us preserve our heritage.

Ends.

(Cross-posted to Song of the waves.)

Amazing Grace.

Amazing Grace, written by John Newton (1725-1807) in 1772 is one of the most popular hymns of all time. This article takes a brief look at the song, the poet and the people who supported him.

Newton’s life story is amazing. Son of a ship master, he went out to the sea at the age of 11 with his father. He was forced to join the navy after that and was caught while trying to desert. Later he was exchanged to a slave ship where he faced many travails. But finally he had his own ship that he commanded, and engaged in slave running.

Newton had no religious convictions during his seafaring days though he was born to Anglican parents. There are two versions of how his ‘conversion to Christianity’ came about. One is that his ship ran into a violent storm and was saved because, due to some amazing grace, he suddenly turned to God and prayed. The other is that he fell seriously ill out at sea and eventually pleaded with God to cure him.

The first stanza of the hymn Amazing Grace seems to describe this turnaround in the man’s life:

Amazing grace! (how sweet the sound)
That sav’d a wretch like me!
I once was lost, but now am found,
Was blind, but now I see.

Newton gave up sailing and took a shore job. During that time he learned several languages. Then came the desire to be a minister. Initially the Bishop of York turned down his request. After a few years of frustration, he was ordained by the Bishop of Lincoln. Another stanza of the hymn is appropriate at this point:

Thro’ many dangers, toils and snares,
I have already come;
’Tis grace has brought me safe thus far,
And grace will lead me home.

John Thornton, a philanthropist and evangelical layman sponsored Newton as curator of Olney. In his later life, Newton was involved in a campaign to abolish slave trade along with William Wilberforce, MP and others.

It was at Olney that Newton wrote the lyrics of Amazing Grace and several other hymns. John Thornton helped to publish them, along with some poems by William Cowper (Cooper?), in a volume titled Olney Hymns.

Thornton continued to support Newton all along. After the death of the financier, Newton wrote this about him,

You know something of my peculiar obligations to him. . . To him,
under the Lord, I owe all my consideration and comfort as a
minister (Bull 300-301).

It is interesting to note that Milton Klein named his biography of John Thornton ‘An Amazing Grace’ after the famous hymn.

And the hymn began to gain popularity. Many church choirs in English speaking parts of the world took up the song. The 20^th century saw several recordings of the hymn. It featured in movies and the television. In the UK it attained top ten rating in the charts during the early 1970s, two centuries after it was written!

The concluding stanza of the hymn says:

The earth shall soon dissolve like snow,
The sun forbear to shine

Till then, Amazing Grace will live in the hearts of men and women who have heard it.

Ends.

Cited works:

Bull, Josiah. But Now I See, The Life of John Newton. The Banner of Truth Trust. Carlisle.1868, 1998.

Klein, Milton M. An Amazing Grace. U.P. South. New Orleans. 2004.

New­ton, John. Ol­ney Hymns. W. Ol­i­ver, London. 1779.

Lili Marlene

What makes a song immortal? Is it the lyrics? Or the tune? Or the way it is rendered? Perhaps it is a combination of all these and some more.

Take the rather baffling case of the song Lili Marlene (English version: Lilly Marlene). It has been hailed as the most popular war song of all time. But is Lili Marlene really a war song? It is a love song, a romantic, sentimental piece that was, rather strangely, set to a marching tune. Lili Marlene was written during a war and attained the pinnacle of popularity during another war.

A German soldier, Hans Liep wrote the lyrics on which Lili Mrlene is based, in 1915 during World War I. After gathering dust for twenty two years it was discovered in 1937, when Nobert Schultze set it to music. The original recording of Lili Marlene by Lale Andersen in 1939 did not create any waves. Joseph Gobbles, Propaganda Secretary of Nazi Socialist Party, is said to have hated the song. But Field Marshal Erwin Rommel intuitively identified the potential of Lili Marlene and it was broadcast daily over Radio Belgrade for his Afrika Korps.

The effect was stunning. From underneath the lantern Lili of the lamplight reached out to the soldiers on the desert. The song had pathos, romance, and intensity of feeling. It talked of love and longing and loneliness. It captured the hearts and the souls of the fighting men. Imagine the impact of the following words (by Tommie Connor in the English version of Lili Marlene) would have on lonesome soldiers far away from home:

Resting in our billets, just behind the lines
Even tho' we're parted, your lips are close to mine
You wait where that lantern softly gleams,
Your sweet face seems to haunt my dreams
My Lilly of the Lamplight, my own Lilly Marlene

In what could possibly be termed a faux pas, Rommel apparently had not considered that sentiments transcend national boundaries. Soon the Allied soldiers too picked up the song. According to one story, when a senior officer berated a British soldier for singing Lili Marlene in German, the victim answered with a counter question, “Sir, do we have an English version?” A translation was made quickly and BBC started broadcasting it. Thus came about a strange situation where both sides in the war were using the same song, Lili Marlene, for propaganda and to boost the morale of their troops.

The Marlene Dietrich rendering of Lili Marlene was perhaps the pick among the many recordings of the song. Even after World War II, Lili Marlene continued to be a favorite with versions by Vera Lynn and others. It is said to have been translated to nearly fifty languages. When asked about the reason for the popularity of the song, Lale Andersen, the German singer who first recorded it, is reported to have stated, "Can the wind explain why it became a storm?"
The storm might have abated but even 6o years after the World War II, the passion for Lili Marlene lives on. A Web search for the song would turn up over a million results. On several of these sites you can listen to Lili Marlene and download it.

Lili Marlene is still waiting where that lantern gleams softly.

Ends.

Jewish names among Syrian Christians.

Last month when I was at Olavipe, a British travel agent who had come to see the place asked me, “You are Christians. How is it that you have Jewish names?” She had a point there. My name is Abraham. Among the brothers we also have Mathew, Joseph, and Jacob. Biblical names are common among the Syrian Christians of Kerala.

I explained to the lady that the reason was that Christianity came to Kerala even before the Apostles started converting gentiles. The word ‘Christian’ was coined in Antioch during the seventh decade after Christ. Till then a follower of Jesus Christ was known as ‘Nazrani’, a label that is still actively used by the Arabs and in Kerala.

The Church and many historians accept that St. Thomas the Apostle landed in Muzuris near Cochin in Kerala in 52 A.D. and spread the Word although no unquestionable evidence of this is available. From the beginning the Syrian Christians of Kerala have been called Nazrani. Some historians see this as a proof of the antiquity of Christianity in Kerala.

There is another interesting question that is raised sometimes. Why is one community among the Christians of Kerala called Syrian Christians? It is not because they originally came from Syria.

The belief is that St. Thomas converted Jews and, perhaps later, Brahmins (if this priestly class existed in Kerala in that era) to the new religion during his sojourn in Kerala. The descendants of these early converts are known as Nazranis. Of late they are referred to as St. Thomas Christians as well. They had a social position that was almost equivalent to that of the Brahmins.

Then, in the 16^th century, during the Portuguese ascendancy in Kerala, St. Francis Xavier converted a great number of locals, mostly in the coastal areas, to the Roman Church in which Latin was the language of liturgy.

The Dutch ousted the Portuguese from Cochin in 1663. A century later, Adriaan Moens, Dutch Governor of Cochin from 1771 to 1782, decided to call those who were converted by St. Xavier ‘Latin Christians’ and the ancient Christians who followed Syriac Liturgy, ‘Syrian Christians’ to avoid confusion.

No doubt, the Syrian Christians belong to an Eastern Church of Apostolic origin. But the Jews have been in Kerala perhaps from the time of King Solomon.

The hotter it gets...

Read what global warming is leading us to. See EARTH SAVE - ABRAHAM THARAKAN'S BLOG.

Nazi Era - Looting of Cultural Treasures.

The plunder of cultural treasures, particularly paintings, during the Third Reich was unprecedented in history. Adolf Hitler, of course, is considered to have been the main culprit. The Fuhrer’s will quoted by Infield (1974 p.130) says:

The paintings in the collections I bought over the years were never acquired for private purposes, but always exclusively for the establishment of an art gallery in my native town of Linz.

But evidence does not support the claim by Hitler that all the art pieces in his collection were purchased.

The Nazis believed that the arts, especially music, were an expression of the nation’s soul, character, aspirations and ideals. The problem, however, was that non-Aryans were to have no part in it. Anything precious in their possession was to be seized. The Third Reich’s sanitizing of the cultural field was achieved through what was called ‘synchronization of culture’ led by Joseph Gobbles, the Nazi Minister for Popular Enlightenment and Propaganda.

The Nazi Cultural Revolution caused immense damage in the field of art and artifacts among others. The Third Reich considered modern art and impressionist paintings degenerative. Many of them were consigned to flames. But contrary to Hitler’s assertion in his will that his art collection was bought, great paintings were confiscated ‘in national interest’ and a number of them were sold to enrich the coffers of the Nazi Party and its leaders.

However, the blame for the looting of art and artifacts during 1930s and 1940s does not rest with the Nazis alone. A French Government panel has estimated that the Jews of France suffered a combined loss of over $1.2 billion due to exploitation by the Vichy regime (TIME Europe, 2000). The victorious Allied and Soviet armies also plundered innumerable works of art, books and archives (Akinsha, 1995, Alford, 1994). Years after the war, the Dutch finance ministry sold to its staff items stolen from Amsterdam Jews at heavily discounted prices. Archival evidence indicates that the Swiss government and banks assisted in selling the treasures commandeered by the Nazis.

The United States took no action on reports by the Strategic Services expressing concern about the unmonitored shipping of valuables to the country from Europe. Effective government intervention at that point of time could have prevented some of the unsavory developments that followed.

Today, huge amounts are being spent on tracing the treasures worth billions of dollars ransacked during the Nazi era and for the ensuing litigation. Lawyers make millions in the process. In fact, this has developed into a major growth area in international legal practice. Interpol records indicate that the black market in art items is the fourth biggest international criminal activity. FBI estimates that the market volume at 5 billion dollars.

In the year 2000, Russia passed a legislation permitting its government to retain the valuables looted during the Second World War. But in Germany and other Western countries, there is an emerging realization that the plundered treasures should be returned to the rightful owners. Many museums have published lists of artwork of doubtful provenance. The German government has opened a website (http://www.lostart.de/) that provides database for such articles to assist search by claimants.

It would appear, though, that this noble endeavor has come too late for many who lost heavily in the pillage during the Nazi era.

–

Bibliography.

Akinsha, Konstantin, et al. Beautiful Loot: The Soviet Plunder of Europe's Art Treasures. (1995.) New York: Random House. (N 8795.3. G3 A39 1995)

Alford, Kenneth D. The Spoils of World War II: The American Military's Role in the Stealing of Europe's Treasures. (1994.) New York: Carol Publishing Group. (D 810 A7. A37 1994)

Infield, Glenn B. The Private Lives of Eva and Adolf. (1974.) Grosset and Dunlap, New York, p 130

Labi, Aisha, Plunder and Provenance, TIME EUROPE, May 15, 2000, Vol.155, No.19. Available from: www.time.com/time/europe/magazine/2000/0515/naziart.html

[Accessed on 27 July, 2006.]

Traynor, Ian. Precious Plunder. Available from: www.centropa.org/reports.asp?rep=&ID=6863&TypeID=0 [Accessed on 27 July, 2006.]

Ends.