CHRISTMAS WITH A DIFFERENCE

             It is indeed a CHRISTMAS - TALE of 2018. While India was celebrating its Independence - anniversary on 15 August, a newly - born baby was found in a Chennai - gutter, wailing heavily. His umbilical cord was still found wound around his tiny neck. That morning saw many a people walking over the drain. But, it was a poor and compassionate passer-by, Geetha by name, who came forward to his rescue. Immediately setting aside all other tasks, she rushed him to the Government‘s Children Hospital.   

         The baby was utterly underweight, at just 1.9kg. He had a number of health complications. Tests showed that he had a severe bacterial infection in the blood. Accordingly, he was moved to intensive care unit for further close-care. For over 2 weeks, the baby was put on high - spectrum antibiotics and monitored round the clock by a team of doctors and nurses. Breast-milk from the hospital’s milk bank was processed, pasteurised and fed through a tiny cup.

A THEOLOGISING YATRA

                  It was little over thirty years ago. I was attending, for the first time, the annual meet of the Indian Theologians’ Association held then at the Sacred Heart Seminary of Chennai. It was while participating in its deliberations that I got the spark of taking up a contextual and concrete, challenging and convincing focus for my doctoral study. 

           I had  also resolved to accomplish the doctoral program in our Indian soil itself, as a manifestation of inculturation.  And, that too, in Tamil. Observers note that, back in 1992, mine was possibly the first theology - doctorate in any Indian language. There was a news item then on this in a Delhi - paper since the degree was conferred by the Vidya Jyothi Theological Institute, Old Delhi. All these are for a sole purpose of ‘theologising in an involved, inculturated  and incarnated way.’