LOVE CALLETH … LOVE SENDETH

MUMBAI JUNE 1, 2010

On the feast of the Visitation of Our Lady, Fr. Manuel, Fr. Santarita, Fr. Jeffery, Fr. James Tuscano, Fr. Cletus and Fr. Savio D’Souza gathered together at the Salesian Training Institute to commemorate twenty-five great years of living the Salesian call to holiness.

With grateful hearts the jubilarians said, “God Tussi Great Ho!” as they echoed sentiments of thankfulness and praise to the Lord for choosing them to be humble instruments through which HE would work wonders in the lives of all to whom they would be Sent In Love. The jubilarians stated that the Lord had worked marvels in their lives. It was through Him alone that they could reach out to touch and transform the lives of many. They all believed that through these twenty-five years they had many ups and downs but the love that they received from their superiors, companions and friends encouraged them to persevere and be faithful to their vocation. They called the gathering to put their trust in Jesus and to bank on His love, for without Him they would be nothing.

After the Eucharist, a short family circle was staged. A sumptous meal provided by the STI community enhanced the celebrations.

DANCING TO THE TUNES OF A TIMELESS MUSICAL

Nashik, August 3, 2010: The Community of Divyadaan staged the musical ‘The Prodigal Son’ written and composed by Lawrence Waddy in the Divyadaan Auditorium. Music was the theme for the evening. This Musical night began with the band. The brothers, under the able guidance of Mr. Bosco Monsorate, played the pieces The Crusader and Feelings.

The core of the night’s performance was the staging of the Musical ‘The Prodigal Son’. This musical is an adaptation from the Gospel parable of ‘The Lost Son’ narrated by Jesus (Lk 15: 11 - 31) which highlights the quality of the good shepherd. A crisp yet a meaningful performance ensured that the audience was spellbound and captivated. The audience truly appreciated the efforts of the brothers and acknowledged their performance. Mr. Merwin, a parishner who had been involved in the staging of the play a decade ago, stated that Divyadaan had been a centre of cultural performances during the past two decades. He felt that the brothers had really put in their best and were really good in the performance.

The brothers felt that the play was the most welcomed event in the life of the community. One thing that struck them was the fact that the entire community was involved in its production. They felt that the play was a wonderful time for community building. A load of talent was unearthed and a synergy was felt. The story of the Prodigal Son and its performance has left a lasting impression on the minds of all in the community.

The shows, held on July 31 and August 1, 2010, were attended by a total of about five hundred and fifty people from all over the city. The Musical was directed by the Assistants Brs. Leon and Jacob. The whole event was co-ordinated by Fr Felix Fernandes, sdb

“Moving a Step Forward” – Inauguration of the Academic year 2011-12 at Divyadaan

On the solemn occasion of the memorial of St. Barnabas, the ardent apostle of faith, the community of Divyadaan re-engaged in its pursuit of wisdom with the invocation of the Divine Spirit. The Inaugural Eucharist was presided over by Fr Michael Fernandes, the Salesian Provincial of Mumbai. He was joined by the Capuchin Provincial Fr Michael Fernandes and the various staff members from the campus.

 ‘Our main aim is human maturity’ were the words of Fr Michael, the Salesian Provincial, at the beginning of the Eucharistic celebration. He went on in his sermon to highlight the role of the Holy Spirit who helps and guides in this process of human maturity. Giving picturesque examples he painted with words the catalytic effect of the Holy Spirit.

The Eucharist was followed by the inaugural function. The event began with an invocation of the Holy Spirit and the lighting of the lamp by the different superiors. Fr Savio Dsouza, the Rector of Divyadaan, welcomed the gathering and motioned about the significance of the New Year as a sign of change. 

The student Capuchin friars then sung a choral piece – Glorious God. 

Fr Robert Pen, the Principal of Divyadaan, presented to all the Academic Report of the Academic Year 2010-11. He listed the achievements of the institution and the activities conducted during the year. He also enumerated the numerous publications by the professors which contribute to the academic growth of the Institution. After releasing the Handbook for the year 2011-12, Fr Michael Fernandes, the Salesian Provincial drew a parallel between study and prayer. He urged the young academicians to spend time in study as they would spend time in prayer. He wished all to enjoy life by doing things well.

The inaugural lecture for this year was delivered by Rev Fr Felix Fernandes, a residential professor at Divyadaan. The topic of his presentation was ‘The Relation with the Other: The Philosophy of Emmanuel Levinas’. This presentation was an overflow of his reflections on Levinas’ philosophy during his doctoral thesis.

Having given a brief life sketch of Levinas, a philosopher whose thoughts were inspired and tested by his own life experiences, Fr Felix pointed out that for Levinas, the question of ethics was more important than the question of ontology. The heart of his philosophy is service and respect for the other, and recognition of the other as an individual independent of oneself. Levinas strongly championed for self-reflection and an other-centered world where one thinks not of oneself but of the other first; not what the other can do for me but what I can do for the other. This is what he meant by Asymmetrical Relations. Fr Felix remarkably synthesized the thoughts of Levinas in a crispy yet lucid manner giving to the audience only what was needed without losing on the essence of his philosophy. He presented the thoughts of Levinas as a voice of Conscience in a world ruled by totalitarianism. He concluded that the Challenge of the Asymmetrical continues to beckon us.

SECOND YEAR STUDENTS SUCCESSFULLY DEFEND THEIR THESIS

DIVYADAAN, MARCH 4, 2011: Today the students of the SyMph had the defense of the dissertation paper: Cl. Selvakumar Arockiasamy (A Study of the Modern Self in the Writings of Charles Taylor), Cl. William D’Souza (René Girard’s Mimetic Theory of Violence), Cl. Aneesh Chacko (An Existential Phenomenological Study of Viktor Frankl’s Man’s Search for Meaning), and Cl. Roshan Kullu (The Human Person According to Karol Josef Wojtyla) which is a fulfillment required for the completion of their Master’s Degree in Philosophy. To reach the summit of this day there had been a lot of hard work and thorough study with a detailed research done by the students regarding their respective papers. The efforts of their intellectual and philosophical pursuit have been from the start of this academic year 2010-2011.

For the defense, the candidates presented a synopsis of their respective papers which was for the first fifteen minutes. After which the readers did a commendable work by exposing the queries regarding the matter of the text and the methodology, as well as highlighted the technical faults and mistakes that could be taken into consideration in the future. There was clarification of terms, concepts and understanding of texts that were not certain and clear. The guides too, commented their views on the paper. Above all, the moderator played an important role in the defense by introducing to the assembly the candidate and also the topic, and facilitating the readers to questioning the candidate.

If only you knew the gift of God (Jn 4, 10) … The brothers of the SyMph have made an attempt to know this gift of God through their philosophical venture. Our prayer and hope is that they truly persevere and come to understanding of this gift of knowledge that God has bestowed on them.  

Cl. Romero D'Souza SDB

RIGHT WAY TO RESEARCH

DIVYADAAN, FEB RUARY 28, 2011:  Fr. Barnabe D’souza along with Ms. Dakshayini Madangopal and Ms. Snehal D’souza from Don Bosco Research and Documentation Centre, Mumbai, conducted a two day seminar on Social Research Methodology for the second year students of B.Ph. on February 25 and February 26, 2011. The seminar intended to introduce the brothers to the field of social research, its relevance in the apostolic religious life and how it can help focus or direct the activities of the individual and communities. Fr. Barnabe introduced the topic on day one, stressing on the different aspects of the term ‘research’ and how it influences our daily lives. The brothers were initiated to choose from any of the four groups, comprising of street hawkers/vendors, auto drivers, street dwellers and college youth and conduct a research on a topic that influences these groups. The brothers were given two hours in the afternoon to get on the field and interview their subjects on their own. They were guided by the resource persons on developing the right questions and implementing the right tools in collecting the data.

The research was conducted with great enthusiasm and the brothers returned to collate and evaluate the data collected, the experience of meeting and interacting with people. The data collected, though little helped to focus on social issues and also to formulate practical solutions to deal with them.

The second day involved topics on Relevance and Analyses of Social Research taken by Ms. Dakshayini. The brothers learnt how to evaluate the effectiveness of their research and also how to construct a cause-effect analysis design which will help to pinpoint the problem. The brothers also learnt to critically review the research done by their peers as well as their own. They learnt to prepare a report that provides not only quantitative data but also qualitative information of the subjects complete with the researcher’s reflections, comments and suggestions for further research. The brothers were also introduced to Ethics in Social Research. This helped to realize that the subjects of any research need to be informed and their consent acquired. Confidentiality is another key feature which needs to be respected. Finally, all researches are encouraged to be participatory.

The seminar ended with the hope that the skills learnt could be implemented by brothers in their apostolate helping them to enrich their respective experiences and also enhancing their future apostolic prospects.

Cl. Rudolph D'Souza SDB

FEAST OF DON BOSCO CELEBRATED WITH K2K YOUTH

Divyadaan, Nashik, was honored to share the joy and celebration of Don Bosco with the youth of the ‘K2K Yatra’, an initiative by ‘Youth Activ8 Foundation’ and the ‘ICYM’. This encounter of the Salesian seminarians and the youth was arranged by Fr. Anton D’Souza, sdb, the Diocesan Youth Director of Nashik Diocese.

The day commenced as the youth and the community of Divyadaan joined in celebrating the Holy Eucharist. The main celebrant of the Eucharist, Rev. Fr. Savio D’Souza, sdb in his homily helped the assembly to understand the deep connection Don Bosco shared with the youth and the zeal in which he went about doing his work for the love of his beloved boys. He expressed his joy and stated that the youth were the very reason of the existence of the Salesian apostolate. He thanked the K2K Yatra for having made a stop here in Divyadaan to honor the name of Don Bosco.

As the day progressed, the youth joined the brothers in the lightening tournament too. The day climaxed as the youth and the brothers from Divyadaan gathered to celebrate the gift of Don Bosco through a quiz competition. Moments of sharing and interaction followed.

The K2K youth members presented to the Salesians the purpose of their journey; that is to promote peace and harmony in the nation by helping youngsters to have mutual dialogue and understanding. They shared their insights, learnings and suggestions to build a stronger youth apostolate. The brothers didn’t hesitate to ask them questions regarding their convictions of the yatra, the growth processes and also the followings of the yatra, to which the youth willingly responded. The enthusiasm of the youth was almost contagious as their zeal caught on like wild fire and the brothers from Divyadaan responded by presenting the Strenna of the Rector Major to the ‘K2K’ youth in a very creative way.

The K2K group consisted of the animating director and the ICYM president. The youth also held important posts in the troop but did so very humbly. All the members were from different parts of India. All together it was a conglomeration of persons, cultures and ideologies that gave them their identity. The Salesians did enjoy talking to the youth, who were overwhelmed by the love and hospitality. The brothers were inspired by the youth who had committed themselves to help their peers. At the end of the day all wished and prayed for the success of the trip with the blessings and intercession of St. John Bosco.

RED REALITY – NAXALISM: AN EXISTENTIAL DILEMMA

We the students of Masters in Philosophy (2010-2011) presented a symposium on the topic “Naxalism: An existential dilemma”. The ‘why’ of this topic – the Media Today is flooded with news of Naxals which brings to our senses the relevance of this topic, the India Today is faced with many realities and one of it is surely facing the Red reality of the Naxalism. Therefore, we as a group decided to take this existing dilemma realizing the thought that every citizen of India is affected by the Philosophy of the Naxalites, in thought and action. Thus in our paper we made an attempt to reflect and unveil firstly the ideology of Naxalism by exploring Naxalism as an offshoot of Marxism through the glasses of Materialism, Nihilism and Existentialism. Secondly The rise of Naxalism by giving the origin, and the background of the socio-economic and political situation and the causes that led to the rise of Naxalism in India. Thirdly Is Naxalism: A Way Out by taking a look at the roots of Violence in the tribal belts of India and unfolding the approaches that India as a Nation has taken towards the Naxalites. After which there were possible remedies presented to this existential dilemma, Naxalism: A way out??? Going through this process we came to a possible philosophy of the Naxalites.

The symposium was held in the Academic Hall scheduled from 2:00 p.m to 4:00 p.m. The presentation of the papers led to questions that were life probing, insightful and ethically essential. There were also comments and sharing which made the discussion richer.

This symposium has been for us a learning and growing experience, to understand and think as religious on the meaning of life in a given situation of a nation like ours, India. This has also helped us in an awareness of the need to become ‘good Christians and honest citizens,’ to put it in the words of our father and founder, Don Bosco. All in all, it was an invitation for us to strive to live up to this ideal as Religious, as Salesians, as Christians and as human beings; to be witnesses of peace and love. 

Cl. Romero D’Souza SDB 

ACPI ENCYCLOPEDIA OF PHILOSOPHY RELEASED

NEW DELHI, NOVEMBER 2, 2010: The ACPI Encyclopedia of Philosophy (2 vols), ed. Johnson J. Puthenpurackal, OFM Cap and George Panthanmackel, MSFS, was released on October 23, 2010 by H.E. Cardinal Telesphore P. Toppo, Archbishop of Ranchi, at Father Agnel School Auditorium, Gautam Nagar, New Delhi, in the presence of a number of dignitaries, including Justice Sree Markandey Katju of the Supreme Court of India, Dr Cyriac Thomas, Member of the National Commission for Minority Educational Institutions, Dr Maulana Wahiduddin Khan, Islamic Scholar and Padma Bhushan Awardee, Mr John Dayal, Chairperson, Minority Commission of India, and Prof. Gracious Thomas, Coordinator, CBCI Chair, IGNOU. 

The encyclopedia is the fruit of the very hard work of the two chief editors, assisted by a board of sectional editors who include Keith D'Souza, SJ, Augustine Thottakara, CMI, Kuruvilla Pandikattu, SJ, Stanislaus Swamikannu, SDB, Vincent Aind, Saju Chackalackal, CMI, and Ivo Coelho, Sdb.

The two volume work contains four hundred and twenty two entries, more than eighty percent of which were contributed by members of the ACPI and staff of various Christian institutions all over the country. Very handsomely brought out by ATC Bangalore, the encyclopedia is a pleasure to the eye.

Among Indian Christian thinkers, the following are included: Swami Abhishiktananda, Robert De Nobili, Richard De Smet, (Mother Teresa), Raimon Panikkar, Brahmabandhav Upadhyaya and Thomas Stephens (unfortunately listed under ‘T’). Missing, unfortunately, are the Jesuits of the 'Calcutta Jesuit School of Indology': J. Putz, Pierre Johanns, J. Bayart, G. Dandoy, R. Antoine, and P. Fallon.

A milestone for the ACPI which was "conceived in 1975 and born in 1976 at Aluva (Kerala)" under the guidance and inspiration of the late Fr Richard De Smet, SJ, and the initiative of Dr Albert Nambiaparambil, CMI.

Among the contributors are at least twenty four Salesians – a good ten percent of the total of two hundred and thirty six writers. 

Fr Ivo Coelho sdb 

KRISTAPURANA IN PUNE UNIVERSITY

NASHIK, NOVEMBER 22, 2010: Pune Vidyapeeth (University) Marathi Department which is celebrating its Diamond Jubilee (2010-2011) held a Seminar cum Discussion on the Kristapurana of Fr. Thomas Stephens (1549-1619) on November 15 and November 16, 2010 at P.C. Ray Sabhagruha, Pune University.  It was a joint venture of Pune Vidyappeth Marathi Department and Don Bosco, Nashik.  The theme of the seminar was:  “Kristapurana:  A Review (Punaravalokan)”.  The University Hall was filled to capacity which showed the great response from many intellectuals who gathered at Pune University from far and near, from other Universities as well as from the Colleges around. 

There were eminent speakers both from the Christian as well as from Pune University side. There were others from the field of Marathi literature itself.  From the Christian side the speakers and their themes of the talks were as follows:  Bishop Thomas Dabre (Bishop of Pune -  “Inauguration Talk”); Fr. Dr. Nelson Falcao, sdb (Main Talk of the Seminar on “Method and Principles of Inculturation and Inter-religious Dialogue in the Kristapurana”); Rev. Fr. Francis de Britto (“Bible and the Kristapurana”); Msgr. Francis Correia (“Shakespeare of the Konkan Land”); Rev. Fr. Caridade Drago, s.j. (“Indianisation in the Kristapurana); Dr. Cecilia Carvalho (“Language and Society in the Kristapurana”); Dr. Anupama Ujagare “(Kristapurana and Kristayan”).  The speakers from Pune University and others were: Prof. Dr. Kalyan Kale (Ex-HOD Marathi Dept. Pune University - “Various Editions of the Kristapurana”); Prof. Dr. Sadananda More (Prof. Philosophy Department, “Kristapurana: From Hindu Point-of-view”); Prof. Dr. Dilip Dhondge (Prof. at Satana University – “Linguistic Style in the Kristapurana”).

Prof. Dr. R.G. Jadhav, Marathi Literary critic and Ex-President of Marathi Sahitya Sammelan, affirmed that the Kristapurana has been a proper response to Indian tradition and culture.  He said that the Kristapurana cuts across all cultures, traditions and religions. Prof. Dr. Naganatha Kottapalle (Vice-Chancellor of Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Marathawada Vidyapeeth, Aurangabad) stated that the Kristapurana has been an invitation to openness, broad-mindedness and inter-religious dialogue. Prof. Dr. Sadananda More spoke of the Kristapurana as a Great Christian Biblical Epic which was expressed and interpreted in Hindu-Vaishnavaite tradition from the Christian Greco-Hebrew-Latin-Scholastic categories. The significant words of late Dr. S.G. Tulpule were quoted more than once:  “Without sliding out even a little bit from the basic truth in the Bible, putting an Eastern garb agreeable to he Hindu mind, and that also in poetic form, on to the life of Christ, was truly a difficult task.  But Stephens has done it.  He has kept to the language (bhasha), conduct (vritta), ideas (kalpana), imagination of poets (kavisanketa) and all other poetic forms (kavyange) in pure Marathi. The Deity inside is that of Jesus Christ, the temple is Hindu (‘Murti Khristaci, Mandira Hinduce’), such is the arrangement of this Purana.” 

The whole two-day Seminar ended on a heavenly note of Mukti-Moksha (salvation/liberation) reaching Vaikuntha (heaven). The various talks and discussion created an atmosphere of Sarva-Dharma-Samabhava (equality of all) and awakened the feeling of the personal responsibility and duty to respond faithfully and generously to Sva-Dharma (one’s own Religion) among all the participants. 

Fr Robert Pen sdb

AJANTA-ELLORA IS A ‘DIVYA DAAN’ TO ALL

AURANGABAD, NOVEMBER 20, 2010: The community of Divyadaan ventured out for an Educational Tour to the famous rock- cut temples at Ajanta and Ellora in Aurangabad on November 17 and November 18, 2010.  This tri-annual tour was the outcome of a lot of detailed planning and arrangement done very much in advance by Fr. Savio D’souza, the Rector of Divyadaan, Fr. Anton D’souza and Br. Jacob.

The confreres placed their mortal feet on the immortal Ellora caves after a five hour enjoyable journey.  After a brief introduction on the co-existence of the Buddhist, Jain and Hindu temples, the guide led us to witness the cut-in and cut-out rock structures of the perfectly chiseled shrines. The precision of the Buddhist temple and the largest monolith of the chariot-shaped Kailash temple with graceful sculptures of Hindu gods and goddesses elevated one’s being to marvel at the ingenuity of the people.  The community captured the eternal memories of the caves in their hearts and proceeded to the historic Daulatabad Fort. The guide gave a detailed history of the fort’s strategic location, the deep moat, the dark tunnels, the minaret and the city structure that reflected the intense expertise of the builders. After a wholesome lunch, the confreres moved on to enjoy the Panchakki – an ancient watermill used for grinding flour, and Bibi-Ka-Maqbara – a pale imitation of the Taj Mahal built by Aurangzeb’s son. The confreres spent their evening in the famous Siddharth garden and feasted over a sumptuous dinner at Br. Jacob’s residence. After felicitating Jacob’s parents and the other guests, the community members proceeded to spend the night at Holy Cross School, thanks to the Convent Sisters.

The new day began with the Holy Eucharist which was offered as a thanksgiving for the Educational Tour and all the persons responsible for making it a success.  After expressing sentiments of gratitude to the Sisters, the community members headed for the world famous rock cut wonders at Ajanta caves.  The monks and artists of early Buddhism have put an amazing show of the rock formations, hammering out temples from top to bottom, sculptural embellishments, the exquisite murals, frescos and paintings that give an insight into the exuberance and talent that existed form ancient ages.

The remote sites of Ajanta and Ellora re-echo the architecture and spirituality of rich Indian culture. The co-existence of different faiths, the engineering skills of the artists and the awe-inspiring interiors of the caves help to appreciate and understand the vastness of ancient art. It is a national pride to have such ancient masterpieces of art and paintings in India. The saying is true ‘Old is Gold.’ This ancient heritage is a ‘Divya Daan’ to all future generations. The community members also enjoyed this bonding by praying together and sharing moments of oneness by singing songs and getting closer to one another. The confreres returned with grateful hearts and everlasting memories of ancient rich art. 

Cl. Bosco Carvalho sdb

NATIONAL CONVENTION OF ICYM

DIVYADAAN, NOVEMBER 2, 2010: The Indian Catholic Youth Movement (ICYM) Eighth National Convention was held at Shillong, the capital of Meghalaya from October 10, 2010 to October 17, 2010. The Nashik Diocese Youth Team was led by Fr Anton D’Souza sdb, the youth director of the Nashik diocese.

On the way to Guawathi the group had the opportunity to visit Mother Teresa’s home at Kolkata. Fr Anton celebrated Mass for the youth and inmates at the tomb of Mother Teresa. In Guawathi the Nashik diocesan youth were sent to Jovai diocese for the mission experience. The Convention began with an inaugural mass celebrated by Archbishop Dominic Jala of Shillong Diocese. The Convention witnessed more than two thousand youth representing hundred and fifty two dioceses. During the convention, there were many input sessions. The last day witnessed one lakh people who gathered at the Calvary for the Eucharist. It was presided by the Papal Nuncio.

Overall it was a very enriching experience for the youth of the Nashik diocese. They had an opportunity to mingle with other youth and learn form them to be true disciples of Jesus Christ.

Fr Anton D’Souza, sdb

‘GROW MORE’ 2010

Lonavla, November 1, 2010: The Don Bosco Scout and Guide Meet of the Maharashtra region, GRO MO 2010 commenced on October 31, 2010. Don Bosco Matunga; St. Dominic Savio, Andheri; Don Bosco Borivali; Don Bosco Nerul; Don Bosco Nashik; Don Bosco Savedi; Don Bosco Yerwada; Don Bosco Lonavala and Don Bosco Naigaon were the participants of this grand event.

It was a great joy to see the scouts and guides of the various schools well decked in their uniforms and enthusiastic to put their best feet forward for the camp. The scouts and guides along with their Scout Masters under the direction and the able guidance of Fr. Anthony Goyal, Fr. Lorenzo D’Souza and Fr. Glen Lowe pitched their tents in full earnest.

The ‘Friendship Games’ that followed enabled the scouts and guides to interact and get familiar with each other. The ‘Grand Inauguration’ for the GRO MO 2010 was held close to twilight. We were privileged to have in our midst Mr. B.I. Nagarale, the State Chief Commissioner for Bharat Scouts and Guides, Maharashtra and Fr. Edwin Calosso, in charge of Groups and Movements as the chief guests for the evening. The March Past, Prayer Service and ‘The Anthem Presentation’ on the theme - ‘Peace on Earth’ were the highlights of the event.

The day concluded with the ‘Theme Presentation’ by the various schools. Creativity, spontaneity, exuberance, precision and good oration by the participants ignited the event.

All in all the day was an excellent starter to the GROMO 2010. Fr. Ajoy Fernandes and the organizing committee deserve a pat on their backs.

Cl. Evangelo D’Souza sdb

ACPI MEET ON TRADTION AND INNOVATION

DIYVADAAN, OCTOBER 30, 2010: The Thirty fifth annual meeting of ACPI (Association of Christian Philsophers of India) was held at Carmel Vidya Niketan, Pakhal village,  Faridabad Dt., Hariyana from October 23 to October 27, 2010 to reflect on the theme “Tradition and Innovation: Philosophical Rootedness and Openness. On behalf of Divyadaan Institute, Frs.  Ivo Coelho, Aloysius Hemrom and Robert Pen participated in it. It was a gathering of intellectuals that reflected on tradition and innovativeness as the complementary and interrelatedness dimension of life.

The meeting began with a well organized function for the release of the two volumes ACPI Encyclopedia of Philosophy that took place on October 23 in the Auditorium of Father Agnel School, Gautam Nagar, New Delhi. In the presence of various dignitaries and officials His Eminence Cardinal Telesphore P. Toppo, Archbishop of Ranchi released it by giving the first copy to the chief guest His Lordship Justice Sree Markandey Katju, Supreme Court of India. During the function the ACPI book on Violence and Its Victims: A Challenge to Philosophizing in the Indian Context which contained ACPI papers presented at Anugraha, Dindigul,Tamilnadu, India in October 2009 and edited by Fr. Ivo Coelho, was also released at the hand of Dr. Maulana Wahiduddin Khan, an Islamic Scholar and a  Padma Bhusan Awardee.

The second phase of the ACPI meet began on October 23 in the evening at Carmal Vidya Niketan during which seventeen papers were presented by eminent scholars in the presence of sixty three philosophers across India. The papers were divided into three categories such as Philosophical Foundations, Religious Application and Social Critique. Fr. Ivo Coelho presented a paper entitled “Tradition-Innovation-Dynamics in Christianity” while Fr. Robert Pen gave an exposition on “Tradition-Innovation-Dynamics in Habermas’ Theory of Communicative Action”.

In the light of the theme the gathering also reflected on the Indian Christian Philosophizing.  Accordingly they expressed that the term ‘Indian’ constitutes a geographically bound political grouping, whereas ‘Christian’ stands for a religious grouping.  ‘Indian Christian’ however did not constitute two groups but ‘one’ group with a twofold ‘rootedness’. The members felt that innovation in Indian Christian Philosophizing has to be well rooted in the givenness of Indian Christian tradition. If not it can give rise to mere novelty in thinking without any stability and depth. They concluded that Indian Christian philosophizing has to be a philosophizing with a difference.  This difference of innovative philosophizing with solidity and width can come about only in so far as it is carried out from the depth of Indian Christian tradition.

Fr Robert Pen sdb

FILM APPRECIATION COURSE HELD IN DIVYADAAN

DIVYADAAN, OCTOBER 16, 2010: The Mass media has enveloped all walks of life. The human person, in his search for meaning, has intertwined himself/herself into this web of inter-subjective communication through the mass media. Yet the media is not self-revelatory. It has to be understood and grasped. It has to be deciphered and solved. In this process of understanding and deciphering the media and its effects, the brothers from Divyadaan, Salesian Institute of Philosophy participated in a two day course on Film Appreciation conducted by Rev. Fr. Robert Pen, sdb.

The course dealt with feature films and its effects. The brothers during the course viewed various blockbuster films and critically evaluated them. The first session saw the students discuss ‘The Rules of How to Discuss a Film’. The students systematically understood that in a critical evaluation of a movie one must understand 1) The production particulars 2) The Plot 3) The techniques involved 4) The Sociological theme and 5) The Educational relevance. The students further, through a video presentation, understood that a feature film takes over a year or a year and half to complete and that the feature film is not single continuous stream of movements but is made up of different ‘edited shots’. The brothers then through the next two days viewed different films and evaluated them. The evaluation of the feature films was done at two levels: the individual and the group level. During the evaluation the students had to first critically evaluate a film. The evaluation would then continue as the students were divided into groups of six and discussed their findings.

During the concluding evaluation the students expressed their gratitude for getting an opportunity to attend a course of such magnitude. They found this course useful as it would help them evaluate and understand feature films in new light especially during their practical training in the coming years. This would in turn help their boys to understand the ramifications of the media and thus counter its effects on their lives. 

Cl. Leon Rodrigues

Towards A New Economic Order

Divyadaan, Nashik, 9^th – 11^th September: This year the annual academic seminar at Divyadaan was an International Seminar titled, ‘Towards a New Economic Order’. The Chief Speaker of the seminar was Dr Philip McShane, a world renowned scholar in the thought of Fr Bernard Lonergan. The aim of this seminar was to analyze a new perspective of looking at Economics both local and global. The seminar was held for three consecutive days with four sessions per day. There were two introductory guest speakers namely: Prof. Agnelo Menezes, the head of the economics department in St Xavier’s College, Mumbai; and Dr Bachav from the economics department of KTHM College, Nashik.

The seminar began with an Inaugural Prayer Service and introductory speeches which were given by Fr Ivo Coelho, Prof. Agnelo and Dr Bachav. Fr Ivo introduced the Chief Speaker of the Seminar Dr Philip McShane. He specified that for Lonergan the goal of economics was not money but an achieved and improved standard of living for everyone.

Prof. Agnelo spoke about looking at the darker side of Indian Economics. He aimed at an economics that was not a cocoon for the rich but an economics of the downtrodden. Dr Bachav condemned the lack of implementation in today’s economics and also stressed that economic policies should be according to our capacities to handle.

Dr Philip then took us through the day explaining the flaws about the present economic diagrams and presenting to all a new diagram which for him explained the workings of the economy in a better way.

On the second day Dr Philip introduced the emergence of money in the economy. He then went to specify the role of banks as helping to redistribute money and keep it in circulation. He further specified the role of innovations and the surge that comes along with it.

On the third day Dr Philip spent time in presenting a global picture of the new economics and also answering questions that were coming up from the participants. He championed the important role of education in this task for a new economic order. For him studying the dynamics of economy was a study of the dynamics of oneself.

The day ended with a valedictory function with responses given by Mrs Dakshayini Madangopal, a social worker working with the Salesians of Don Bosco; Cl. Denver D’Silva, a student representative; and Fr Ivo Coelho, a lecturer in Divyadaan. The Seminar ended with a vote of thanks given by Fr Savio D’Souza., the rector of Divyadaan.

Cl. Clarence Martis and Cl. Denver Dsilva

REFLECTION ON THE SEMINAR: TOWARDS A NEW ECONOMIC ORDER

‘Objectivity is the fruit of Subjective Authenticity’ this particular statement is robbed from Bernard Lonergan’s Insight .This fascinated me as I was reading Dr Philip McShane’s article in the Divyadaan Journal and Economics For Everyone and still fancied me and my thoughts when I was driven into this seminar: Towards A New Economic Order. Now why do I drag this phrase of Lonergan’s here? Its because to start or rather proceed into moving towards an economic order one needs to launch deep into oneself, for me, as an anchor for the ship and then no matter what the waves, or what the currents are, it remains steady and grounded therefore doesn’t even take a chance of sinking, imagine this scene and apply it innovatively against the background of your own economics and see for yourself what insights you sight.

I will leave you with this here and jump into the backward reading of this phrase, ‘The fruit of Subjective Authenticity is Objectivity.’ This is in a simple way although with limited knowledge and with a weak foundation, I interpret this whole issue or event of moving towards A New Economic Order. What comes to my mind is a question – What is Economics for you, a cup of tea/coffee/cold drink/hard drink or a glass of water or whatever you think is for you. Why is it that which you think it is?

In order to set fire within, you must run after the What is the What? Or rather What is the Whating? Pushing this forward we would reach somewhere and it would involve a lot of mucking around endlessly. Take for instance, the football; only after a lot of kicks it reaches the goal. Let your thinking though imagine economics as an egg – What is an egg? Why is an egg an egg? What difference does it bring in the world, the world of those who produce it and of those who consume it? in the economical language. The basic consumer and the surplus consumer

This is puzzling enough for you and me, to think of economics or rather a new economic order and the complexity yet, simple order. To build, this order systematically but still in a disordered way. It may take eternity or may be not eternity to putting pieces of this bit of economics into one such established economy.

With the necessary conditions disposed or exposed to our intelligibility gives a taste of reality as to what is economy made of? The presupposition of demand-supply, consumer-producer, saving-investments, taking into the consideration of these (flows) taken into account and those skipped my mind. There is a possible need to deepen into these flows and get into dynamics that gets us and our thinking thought in making sense, or perhaps some sense, dawning to dim rays of light that flashes our thinking tank.

At this point, although a point placed in the air, hope your are coming to a certain awareness and realization of all that has been read by you. It doesn’t matter whether you marvel at the language and call this, What StUpIdity !! Or Is this fellow mAd or perhaps –Look at this person making a fool of his self!!

Yes, you may be right in speaking your mind to yourself or to the other while you have been reading.

The reason, may not be a reason itself but the economics to which we are married, and make love to, or kiss and hug everyday of our lives, maybe a wrong bride for us – a fundamental mistake of giving birth to mishap economy for the future and thus living an inauthentic subjectivity which bears a rotten fruit of objectivity.

I am not inviting you now to uproot the tree of life and divorce the bride, to whom one has given all love, but do think and feel for the future by already enacting in this: the present.

I hope this Step, of stepping a step, step by step towards – A New Economic Order has been a step stepping towards the inward and the outside of the self.

We are the diagram of Economics, the New Economics and are left with the Homes Of Wonder – simply by asking the HOW.

Therefore take time now in thinking and understanding and stay with this thinking thought. 

Cl. Romero D' Souza SDB

FIRST CHOICE SERVICE STATION INAUGURATED AT NASHIK

11 th August: The Ninth workstation of First Choice Mahindra Services Ltd., the first of its type in the Nashik region, was inaugurated yesterday in the august presence of Rev. Fr. Provincial, Fr. Michael Fernandes sdb, Mr. Rajeev Dubey, President (HR, After Market and Cooperate Services) Member of the Group Management Board, Mahindra and Mahindra Ltd., Mr. R. Subramani, CEO, Mahindra First Choice Services Ltd. and Mr. D.K. Sinha, Head-Netword Development.

The function began with the esteemed guests being invited into the premises. There the whole gathering was led into understanding the ‘why’ of creating a workshop of such refined quality. Mr. Dubey in his speech spoke about the magnitude of the work done by a multinational like Mahindra and Mahindra Ltd. in the social sector. He mentioned that the company held dearly to its heart the thought of giving back to the country what it had received from it in the past. He said that the company dreamt of making India bigger and better, an India of tomorrow. The company, he said, was people, planet and profit friendly and towards this the company geared its plans and goals. Rev. Fr. Provincial in his talk emphasized the role of the Salesians of Don Bosco in the upliftment of the poor and abandoned youth. He felt that a joint venture of this stature would really be profitable to both the young as well as its employers.

After this, a general tour of the workshop was undertaken and the logistics of the First Choice centre was explained to the dignitaries. The ceremony ended with a word of thanks and appreciation. All those present were enthused with this project which now gears itself profit boys of the Wada-Mokhada region. The company promises to train six hundred boys annually.

CL. Leon Rodrigues, sdb

DANCING TO THE TUNES OF A TIMELESS MUSICAL

August 3, 2010: The Community of Divyadaan staged the musical ‘The Prodigal Son’ written and composed by Lawrence Waddy in the Divyadaan Auditorium. Music was the theme for the evening. This Musical night began with the band. The brothers, under the able guidance of Mr. Bosco Monsorate, played the pieces The Crusader and Feelings.

The core of the night’s performance was the staging of the Musical ‘The Prodigal Son’. This musical is an adaptation from the Gospel parable of ‘The Lost Son’ narrated by Jesus (Lk 15: 11 - 31) which highlights the quality of the good shepherd. A crisp yet a meaningful performance ensured that the audience was spellbound and captivated. The audience truly appreciated the efforts of the brothers and acknowledged their performance. Mr. Merwin, a parishner who had been involved in the staging of the play a decade ago, stated that Divyadaan had been a centre of cultural performances during the past two decades. He felt that the brothers had really put in their best and were really good in the performance.

The brothers felt that the play was the most welcomed event in the life of the community. One thing that struck them was the fact that the entire community was involved in its production. They felt that the play was a wonderful time for community building. A load of talent was unearthed and a synergy was felt. The story of the Prodigal Son and its performance has left a lasting impression on the minds of all in the community.

The shows, held on July 31 and August 1, 2010, were attended by a total of about five hundred and fifty people from all over the city. The Musical was directed by the Assistants Brs. Leon and Jacob. The whole event was co-ordinated by Fr Felix Fernandes,

sdb