High Literacy Rate in Kerala Not Because of Catholic Church
Every once in a while you read something that just blows your mind away. A few days ago I read an article that basically indicated that the high literacy in Kerala is because of the Catholic Church. According to the Malayalee Catholic Fellowship (MACAF), this comment was made by well known historian Dr. M.G.S. Narayanan while delivering
the keynote address at the 26th Annual Day celebrations of the MACAF on August 15, 2009.
According to the release Narayanan also reportedly said that the “Catholic Church was the first to recognize the dangers of communism and started the liberation struggle”. Narayanan was also supposed to have said that “Christianity was the only religion that introspected, acknowledged its mistakes and failures, apologized and corrected them”.
So far I have not been able to find the exact text of Narayanan’s keynote speech. But the news has been recycled and is on the website of most Christian organizations including the Catholic Bishop’s Conference of India (CBCI). None of the websites reporting this news has a direct quote from Narayanan. Narayanan knows his history. He was the Chairman of the Indian Council for Historical Research (ICHR) and has published various books and articles on Indian history. However the comments he made (if he actually made them) during the keynote speech are controversial to say the least and outright false in other cases. Does he not have the responsibility to show some evidence to corroborate these statements?
Kerala (what is now Kerala) always enjoyed a higher literacy rate when compared to the rest of India. It can be attributed to many factors. The Kings and Queens who ruled Kerala showed some interest in educating its public. The census report for 1941 indicates that the high literacy rates are due to interests shown by the rulers. The reports points to the edict issued by Rani Gouri Parvathi Bayi in 1817. The edict basically says that the state “shall defray the entire cost of the education of its people in order that there may be no backwardness in the spread of enlightenment among them, that by diffusion of education they might become better subjects and public servants, and that the reputation of the state may be advanced thereby”. Most Malayalees also know about work done by individuals like Sree Narayana Guru, Sree Chattambi Swamigal and Ayyankali when it comes to education and improving the living standards and education levels of the Ezhavas, Nairs and Harijans.
Keep in mind that although the literacy rates in Kerala where high it was only about 45% when India got its independence. The Land Reform Ordinance was introducted in 1957 by EMS Namboothiripad. This rule abolished tenancy, paved the way for public food distribution and also reformed laws involving agricultural workers. This ordinance changed the lives of millions of poor people. Such policies along with very good public education catapulted Kerala’s literacy rates from the 40’s to the 90’s by mid 1995 (Kerala is one of the few states where the majority of the population goes to public schools for education and to public medical hospitals for treatment).
Kerala like most of India was under the British rule (although not directly as it was the case in Tamil Nadu). The British are Protestants. Are we to believe that the Protestant rulers allowed the Catholic missionaries to go around educating the poor people? An educated public would be viewed as a direct threat to the survival of the British Raj. The point we are missing is that the missionaries (then and now) have little interest in education, poverty alleviation, health, women’s welfare and so forth. They are driven by the idea of conversion, profits and power. It is a fact that a Hindu woman from Kerala today has more rights and privileges under the law than does a Catholic Christian woman. The Church supposedly educated everyone in Kerala but forgot to give equal rights for their women in their own community!
To say that the Catholic Church was the first to recognize the dangers of communism and started the liberation struggle is laughable. What liberation movement are we talking about? The Communist parties remain strong in Kerala. Their ideology however convoluted it might be appeals to the poor and the exploited. Most of the land reforms initiated by the Communist parties where done with the support of the different factions of the Kerala Congress and the Congress party (the parties that represents the Catholic interests in the state). How can you claim that you are fighting a liberation struggle against the communists when your party is part of the ruling elite?
The last claim that “Christianity was the only religion that introspected, acknowledged its mistakes and failures, apologized and corrected them” is really the icing on the cake. Did Narayanan really make this statement? I do not think so. If he did make these statements then is it true? Has the Catholic Church apologized for not opposing but tacitly encouraging the policies of Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy? When is the Church going to apologize for its role in the slave trade? As an Indian I am waiting for an apology regarding the massive looting of the country by the Christian empires?
For 500 years (14th century (when Europe began colonizing India) until 1962 (the year the Portuguese where kicked out of India)) no one of authority in the Catholic Church including the Pope uttered a word against the racist and imperial policies. They actively participated and benefited from it. Now are we to believe that what good we have left is due to their efforts and not ours. An interesting note: The word Catholic is derived from the Sanskrit word “Ketu-Luka” which means “universal leader”.
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- Muslim Fanatics Sever Christian Fanatics Hand in India
- Kerala and West Bengal’s fall from Glory
- Saint Thomas the Apostle of India
- Dreams of my Father
Category: Culture & Religion
I have to disagree on the Catholic word part. It came from the Greek word “katholikos” which meant universal.
This can be debated. Both Sanskrit and Greek are Indo-European languages and have several common words.
It is more likely to be a Greek influence. As the main founder of the religion, Saul aka Paul, was influenced of the Hellenistic culture.
Early Christianity was influenced by many cultures and Greek is just one of them. For example the word Abraham and Brahma are almost identical.