Posts

Native Bishops of Cochin: My Memories (BLAC008)

Image
Native Bishops of Cochin: My Memories A few years ago, I visited the Delhi Bishop’s House and had a long, engaging conversation with Archbishop Vincent Conçessao. I was in Delhi for a UGC interview connected to my proposed research on the Portuguese contribution to Kerala’s culture. After the interview, some friends took me to meet the archbishop. He was immediately intrigued by my research topic. After a spirited discussion, he leaned forward and said, “Let me give you the best tip for your project. Go to the Cochin Bishop’s House. It’s full of artifacts and heritage pieces. You must see the bishop’s rooms—the furniture alone is enough to begin a chapter.” I smiled and replied, “Your Grace, I’m from the Diocese of Cochin. My uncle—my father’s brother—was the first native bishop after the Portuguese line. I grew up in and around that house. In fact, that is one reason I want to explore this history more deeply.” Cochin was always a place of wonder for me. Growing up in Kumbalangi, a qu...
Post a Comment
Read more

Embracing Abundant Joy: The Journey of Spiritual Awareness and Intentionality (BLAC007)

Image
Embracing Abundant Joy: The Journey of Spiritual Awareness and Intentionality Dr. Edward Edezhath (edward.edezhath@gmail.com) In the hustle and bustle of our daily lives, it's all too easy to become entangled in the web of monotony and overlook the sheer abundance of beauty, hope, and joy surrounding us. Often, we find ourselves blinded by the world's brilliance or shackled by past hurts and future worries. Yet, the path to a joyful and fulfilling life lies in our capacity to be spiritually aware and intentional. This article delves into spiritual awareness and intentionality, exploring how they can help us grasp the abundance already within our reach. The Abundance of Beauty Life is replete with beauty—in ourselves, others, our surroundings, and God. To truly experience this beauty, however, we must open our eyes and relish it. Artists have a unique ability to see and capture the beauty in even the smallest of details, immortalizing it for the world to see. In contrast, many o...
Post a Comment
Read more

Chavittunatakam, the Western-styled Indian Dance Drama – A Legacy of Portuguese in Kerala (BLAC006)

Image
  Chavittunatakam, the Western-styled Indian Dance Drama – a Legacy of Portuguese in Kerala   Dr. Edward Edezhath (Edward.edezhath@gmail.com) This fascinating art form Chavittunatakam is almost four centuries old, its stories are mostly from the hoary antiquity of Europe, but its language and idiom are a mixture of centuries old styles of South India, yet this traditional dance-drama gradual path of recovery, at least in some pockets of the State of Kerala, from its long-lost glory and influence. This art form used to wield wide popularity in the coastal villages of central Kerala and is a most eloquent attestation to the joyful synthesis of cultures that took place following the entry of the Portuguese into this part of the world. Chavittunatakam is also an indication of the deep cultural inroads that the first European power could make into the Indian Psyche in a way that was never attempted or achieved by the subsequent western visitors to the subcontinent.   Lit...
Post a Comment
Read more

Possibilities and Challenges in Higher Education in India (BLAC005)

Image
  Possibilities and Challenges in Higher Education [Edezhath, Edward.  “Possibilities and Challenges in Higher Education” The Living Word. Sep – Oct. 2010, Pg282 – 291.] Higher education is receiving unprecedented attention in the developed as well as developing countries, primarily due to the newfound realization that it is closely linked to national growth, sustained development and availability of quality human resource. At all levels in the society people are trying to find out which institution or course would ensure a bright future for their youth and families as well as nations are setting apart significant amounts for higher education. There have also been on-going debates on what constitutes quality higher education and continuing efforts of benchmark institutions of higher education. In short higher education is assuming supreme importance in the contemporary world. Higher Education could refer to formal education beyond secondary level, which is also called tert...
Post a Comment
Read more