Light on the Burnt Horizon
Light on the Burnt Horizon
Chavara, The Reformer Saint
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Go to cartISBN: 9789386243362
Bind: Hardbound
Year: 2017
Pages: 442
Size: 8.5 x 11 Inch
Publisher: Viva Books Originals
Sales Territory: Worldwide
"Saint Kuriakose Elias Chavara was a dedicated teacher, a relentless social reformer, a talented organizer, a true visionary, a gifted poet, a multi-linguist, a proven orator, an imaginative media person, a playwright and, above all, compassion and kindness incarnate. All these were merged in his persona while successfully striving to shape his modest personal life to match perfectly with what he believed was the ideal model ordained by God for men on earth."?
-C Radhakrishnan
"Saint Chavara's interventions in the society, using his training and learning as a Christian priest, were seemingly simple but contained in them the potent seeds of far-reaching social revolution ... His moves were so radical that they became more universal than strictly Christian. The establishment of what was then a modern printing press at Mannanam - only two had existed in Kerala till then -was an act of far-reaching cultural and social consequences ... At the same time Chavara was deeply involved with his own faith. In today's political/management parlance he would be called a ?charismatic leader? or a ?great mentor?. In fact he seems to have forestalled, in several respects, some of the major reformers of late 19th and 20th century Kerala. His famous call for education for all became a game-changer: ?One School for One Church."
-Paul Zacharia
Light on the Burnt Horizon: Chavara, The Reformer Saintis a visual journey interspersed with analytical studies into the life of Chavara by distinguished experts. It attempts to capture the contributions he made to elevate the socially and culturally stagnant 19th century Kerala to the progressive state that we see today. The state was writhing in darkness. Society had lost its way. The horizon was burnt, bleak and seedless. Chavara lighted a lamp of hope.
Man of Grit and Mission of Grace
Kuriakose Elias Chavara's achievements make him immortal - as a priest, scholar, social reformer and pioneer. In a distinctive assemblage of well-thought-out articles by renowned persons from diverse spheres of the civil society, the role of the esteemed seer in awakening the mass consciousness of Kerala towards social reformation is highlighted in this voluminous publication.
Besides, the reader is acquainted, through a rare collection of letters, exquisite paintings and definitive sketches, with the trajectory of the life of Chavara who lived in 19th century Kerala, and how he guided his flock to a social order that upheld the tenets of inclusion and justice.
Chavara combined a life of action and contemplation. He was a pioneer on many fronts. He was a litterateur, a torchbearer in the theatre movement, a frontiersman of mass literacy initiatives including setting up of a Sanskrit school for the masses, a promoter of novelty who introduced print technology and successfully operated a press. He was also an environmental conservationist. He was a true secularist and nationalist whose activities reached every section of society irrespective of caste, creed or religion. He was a harbinger of the change that the society of his times was waiting for, and he successfully infused into Christianity the spirit of Indian culture.
Chavara was a quintessential humanist and believed that spiritualism manifested itself through faith, hope and charity. This sentiment was amply revealed through his activities and writings. His was the highest degree of spirituality, and the style that was manifested was one of grandeur.
In what can be described as the first of its kind, this exhaustive volume, in a highly systematic manner, initiates the reader on almost every aspect of the now canonized priest's life. The book would be of interest not only to the general reader hitherto unfamiliar with the multifaceted persona of Chavara, but also social scientists and researchers.
Target Audience:
People interested in Christianity, Religion, Literature, Social Reform, Social Scientists and Reseachers.
Contents:
A Sign From Above: The Life of Kuriakose Elias Chavara (Maleeha Raghaviah and Mellanie Marquez Shibu)
Part 1: Thoughts, Spirituality and Social Action of Chavara
Chavara: The Solitary Star of Excellence (M T Vasudevan Nair) • The Man Who Shaped Kerala's Modernity (M G S Narayanan) • Saint Chavara: Multi-Dimensional Revolutionary (M P Veerendra Kumar) • Chavara: A Golden Feather in India's Cap (Oommen Chandy) • A Different Saint (Paul Zacharia) • The Saint Who Walked Ahead of His Time (John Paul) • As Chavara Sowed, So Kerala Reaped (Ramesh Chennithala) • A Civil Society for Malayalis (K S Radhakrishnan) • He Who Moved Mountains (V Sukumaran) • Chavara's Plantain Pith Revolution (P K Rajasekharan) • Chavara: The Cultural Intermediary (Scaria Zacharia) • The Mannanam Press: Ingenuity at Its Peak (Maleeha Raghaviah) • The Leader of Syrian Catholics
(P Govinda Pillai) • Education Reaches the Masses (Maleeha Raghaviah) • Chavara's Food Security Network (Maleeha Raghaviah) • To Live in Joy and Die in Peace (Benoy Jacob) • Indianization (A Sreedhara Menon) • A Secular Realization of Religious Consciousness (Ajay P Mangat) • Committed Secularist (Maleeha Raghaviah) • Chavara's Attainment (M K Sanu) • A Rare Gem, Indeed (Maleeha Raghaviah) • Chavara: An Architect of the 19th Century (C K Ramachandran) • The Saint Who Made the Desert Bloom (Perumbadavam Sreedharan) • Hallmark of a Karmayogi (N Gopalakrishnan) • Light on the Burnt Horizon (Kabita Mukhopadhyay) • Linking Faiths (Ma Atmajyoti Ananda) • Daring to Dream (Renitha Raveendran) • Chavara: The Environment Conservationist (Maleeha Raghaviah) • The Breathing Clay (John Mannarathara) • A Multi-faceted Genius (Sebastian Paul) • The Boon of Talent (M Thomas Mathew) • Chavara's Inclusive Academy (Mellanie Marquez Shibu) • Kuriakose Elias Chavara: Integral and Inclusive Education (Saju Chackalackal) • Carrying the Legacy Forward (Paul Achandy) • Architect of Modernity: The Man Who Held the Masses to His Heart (P S Sreedharan Pillai) • The Cultural Sustenance that Went Unrecorded (Thomas Jacob)
Part 2: Chavara's Writings
Writings of Saint Chavara (Sebastian Poonoly) • Poetic Environs (Kalpetta Narayanan) • Writings to Aid Meditation (Joseph Mundassery) • Atmanutapam: A Literary Landmark (M P Beena) • Atmanutapam: Writing With a Higher Aim (Meena Panikker) • On Reading an Old Work (D Babu Paul) • Mothering Heights (M Gopinath) • The Map of Mother (John Mannarathara) • Spiritual Poem Nonpareil (Maleeha Raghaviah) • Martyrdom of Anastasia: Celebrating a Brave Woman (Renitha Raveendran) • Philosophy of Death (P P Sreedharanunni) • Death in Chavara Poems (P K Rajasekharan) • Poetic Treatment of Death (Renitha Raveendran) • Milestones in the History of Malayalam Drama (Kavalam Narayana Panicker) • Theatre Awakening in Monasteries (K Sreekumar) • Redrawing the Map of Malayalam Drama (M Gopinath) • Chavara: The Chronicler (Mellanie Marquez Shibu) • The Master Letter Writer (Maleeha Raghaviah) • In Friendship with God (Mellanie Marquez Shibu) • Directives for Families: A Sociological Approach (Hafiz Mohammed) • Invaluable Insight (Aarti C Rajaratnam) • A Saint's Vision of a Model Family (Maleeha Raghaviah) • The Portrait of a Noble Family (Renitha Raveendran) • This Page Shall Not Perish (Subhash Chandran) • A New Code for Economic Justice (K K N Kurup) • Synergy of Saintly People: Tribute to Chavara's Associates (M Gopinath)
Part 3: Saints, Sages and Satsangs
Saints and Sages (Cyriac Kanichai) • The Saints: A Cloud Of Witnesses (Mellanie Marquez Shibu) • In Giving, Receive Happiness (A P J Abdul Kalam) • The Saint Who Put Her Soul to the Flames of Suffering (John Mannarathara) • Saint Euphrasia: A Paragon of Spiritual Empowerment (M Gopinath)
Part 4: Monastery: A Place of Spirituality and Solitude
Monastic Orders in Other Religions (Maleeha Raghaviah) • Monasteries of Hermits and Monks (Mellanie Marquez Shibu)
Appendices • Documents • A Selection of Chavara's Writings • Speeches • Homily of His Holiness (John Paul II) • Father Chavara Represents Indian Christianity at Its Best (R Venkataraman) • Fr Chavara, the Pride of Humankind (P Ramachandran) • Selfless Service Leads to a Great Nation (A P J Abdul Kalam) • Homily of Pope Francis • Address of Pope Francis • Address of the Prime Minister • Bibliography • Writers? Profile • Editorial Board • Artists? and Photographers? Profile • Acknowledgement.
About the Authors/Editors:
Silver Word
Silver Word is an anvil for eminent writers: critics, researchers, journalists, editors, translators and artists. The molten silver of ideas flows out, in trickles and torrents. Imagination and finesse strike when the metal is hot, when the time is ripe, shaping words on spirituality, art and literature. The Life and the Legacy of Saint Kuriakose Elias Chavara, Chavarayachan: Keralaadunikathwathinte Shilpi, Manassoru Theeram and Crossroads of Calenderare the works from the smithy of Silver Word. More books are shaping up at the work surface. With John Mannarathara at the helm, Silver Word functions under the auspices of CMI St Thomas Province, Kozhikode(Email: johnnjcmi@gmail.com). Among the wordsmiths at Silver Word are Paul Kallanode, Maleeha Raghaviah, M Gopinath, Benoy Philip, Renitha Raveendran, Kabita Mukhopadhyay, Jyoti Krishnan Unni , Mellanie Marquez Shibu and Reethamoni Das. They have more differences than similarities but what they have in common is unshakeable faith in the words that form at their forge.
