Tribal and Adivasi Sunday worship held in UTC

The Tribal and Adivasi Sunday worship was held in UTC by the NCCI yesterday in the Tagore Hall at 6:30 P.M.. The celebration of the wonderful diversity and energy offered by the tribals and adivsasis in India has not come to the forefront in churches in India. The alarming realities of the increasing violence and violation of Human Rights and Dignities meted out against the Tribal and Adivasi (original inhabitant of the children of the soil) communities in India today makes the National Council of Churches in India (NCCI) feel that the Church can no longer afford to remain a silent spectator. 

 

Way back in the year 1994, during its General Assembly, the United Nations had, for the first time, pronounced the 9^th of August as International Day of the World’s Indigenous People all over the World. By following this UN day, on the 17^th September 2010, during the Annual General Body Meeting of the National Council of Churches in India in Bangalore, the NCCI, for the first time, announced the observance of NCCI Tribal and Adivasi Sunday. The NCCI therefore from then urges and requests member constituents to annually observe every First Sunday of August as the NCCI Tribal and Adivasi Sunday, commencing from year 2011 and that the date be marked in the Church Calendar and Dairy.

In order to have a better understanding of the life situation of the Tribal and Adivasi communities in India, and to have a common form of worship for this special Sunday, the NCCI, Commission on Tribals and Adivasis therefore brings out this Liturgy. The NCCI acknowledges that many Churches do not follow a liturgical form of worship, still the NCCI requests those Churches to use this Liturgy by adopting it suitably in their own tradition.  At the same time the NCCI is also aware of the absence of Tribal and Adivasi communities in certain Churches, yet the NCCI requests all those Churches to observe this special NCCI Tribal and Adivasi Sunday to show our solidarity to our fellow citizens and to the people of God who are oppressed and marginalized in various ways.

The NCCI hopes that the observance of this Special NCCI Tribal and Adivasi Sunday will be an enriching exercise in our faith affirmation and for widening the horizon of our Ecumenical Journey. May God bless us all to become better citizens in the Kingdom of God here on Earth by bringing the struggles of the Tribal and Adivasi communities within the worshipping communities.

The expression ‘tribal’ and ‘adivasi’ means ‘original inhabitants of their land’ and ‘children of the soil’ across India. Not all the tribals and adivasis are included under the Scheduled Tribes of the Government of India. According to Census 2011 the percentage of Scheduled Tribes of the total Indian population (1.21 billion) is 8.6 % (104,281,034 million). Majority of the SC lives in Rural areas (11.3% - 93, 819,162 million) while only 2.8% (10,461,872 million) reside in Urban areas. About 16% of the mineral resources in India is found within the tribal/adivasi land, which is the major cause for the present crises done to them in the name of globalization through so called development.    

In the service in UTC Dr. H.T. Sangliana the former Police Commisoner of Bangalore and former member of parliament talked on the importantance of quality education for the tribal and adivasi people in order to address our issues of poverty, alienation and our struggles to overcome violence and violation of our rights. We need to get right information and right knowledge in order to challenge and rise above the problems we are facing today.

Dr. Hrangthan Chhungi, the secretary of the Commission on Adivasis and Tribals, NCCI, preached on the theme God, the tree of life lead us to justice and peace. She took the metaphor of the tree of life as a life giving source, providing us with food, fodder and fuel, where people take refuge, and how significant it is for the tribal and adivasi people. God, the tree of Life is our shelter in a stormy weather, our refuge when we get the life giving oxygen, our ultimate symbol of life, the Cross, where Jesus gave up his earthly life for people who are ostracised and wronged as a mark of Justice and Life. The church is called to take steps in order to bring healing and peace in society. Dr. Chhungi spoke on the texts: Prov 3:18-20 and Rev.22:1-2..

Carols unheard: A call for an inclusive Christmas

The Christmas season brings in memories of the commemoration of the birth of Jesus, celebration, carol songs, church services, community activities and sharing of food. Each church denomination celebrates the birth of Jesus with pre-prepared services and prayers. Carol songs in English and the vernacular are sung in houses and churches and people of all communities, castes and groups get together in their own celebrative ways.

The Carol songs we sing and listen to are traditional and well known to many. But there are limitations with language, context and lyrics. Many a time this is brushed aside and we get together in the spirit of the Christmas season forgetting everything else. But Carol songs are much beyond of what we know. Several communities have expressed their feelings and emotions about Jesus, his birth narrative and how Jesus gives hope and life in the midst of oppression and discrimination.

Such songs have been unheard, unseen and unsung by the mixed communities in churches, theological colleges and seminaries. Various dalit communities in different states of India have always sung from deep within their consciousness of being oppressed for centuries together. Such a deep consciousness finds support from the babe who was born in the midst of nothingness. Despite having everything, Jesus chose to be born in this nothingness, thereby associating himself with those who have been deprived their rights and their humanity. Carol songs gain deep meaning when sung from the consciousness of various dalit communities.

The United Theological College and the NationalCouncil of Churches in India (NCCI) have always stood for helping to build a church which should try hard in getting rid of caste, gender, and all sorts of discriminations within and outside the church. As part of this commitment the NCCI with support from the Evangelisches Missionswerk in Germany (EMW) and in partnership with the Department of Communication, UTC decided to bring out a CD on “Carols unheard: Christmas Carols from Dalit perspectives.”

The talks about how this could be done were done in the early part of 2012 with liaison work happening between Rev. Sunil Raj Philip, the secretary of the Dalit Desk of the NCCI, and an alumna of the college, and the Communication Department in the UTC. The actualization of the project happened on November 2,3,4 and 5 with recording done in the UTC recording studio. The release of the CD was held on November 6, 2012 with the first copy being released by the principal of the UTC, Rev. Dr. John Samuel Raj and the first CD being given to Rev. Dr. Vincent Rajkumar, Director of CISRS and Executive member of the NCCI. The students, faculty and staff of the college graced the occasion.

The songs have been written, set to tune and sung by students from various theological colleges and the UTC. The songs include Oriya, Tamil, Hindi, Telugu, English and Malayalam songs. Students from various states starting from the North East till down South were the backbone of this venture. The songs reflect the self-determination of the dalit communities and will be an inspiration to all the churches in India. We hope that this Christmas season will be more meaningful with the dissemination of these songs.

The songs are available for free download from http://soundcloud.com/commission-on-dalits-ncci This we hope will ensure the easy and concerted distribution, listening, appreciation and internalizing of the songs by the UTC alumni, various church denominations and Christians at large in India and all over the world. May we listen to these songs and be able to hear the unheard during the birth of our Lord and saviour Jesus Christ.

(Photo credit: Rev. Sunil Raj Philip). JK

Tribal and Adivasi Sunday held in UTC

The Tribal and Adivasi Sunday initiated by the Commission on Tribals and Adivasis, National Council of Churches in India (NCCI) was held in the Tagore Hall of the UTC on Sunday, August 7, 2011. The theme was “Life with Dignity and Together with Nature.”  The biblical texts used were Psalm 72: 1-20 and Luke 4:18-19. Mr. Edwin Daniel, a human rights activist from Kerala preached on the occasion. The worship made use of various tribal and adivasi elements. Students of the UTC actively took part in the worship. The Kannada fellowship sang for the worship as well.

 

The Rev. Dr. Israel Selvanayagam, the former principal of the UTC was present for the worship and was honoured with a bouquet by Rev. Dr. John Samuel Raj, the principal of the UTC. Dr. Selvanayagam talked of his present involvements and work.