Ancient Christianity in India

The story of Christianity in India is fascinating, and I may have mentioned, my great-grand-dad has also published a book on this topic, which I have a copy of. It is written in a quaint Victorian sort of English, which was how the language was in the early 1900s. My great-grand-dad. K.G. Shesha Aiyer, was Chief Justice of Travancore and was a close associate of C.P. Ramaswamy Iyer, who was Dewan of Travancore.  His house was in a place called Thekkad in Trivananthapuram.

 

There is some debate about the exact time of arrival of Christianity in India. The folklore places it at 52 AD with Saint Thomas. But I was talking to some physicians from the Christian Medical College, Vellore, recently, and they showed me papers that argue that the arrival was a century or two later. Regardless, an original version of early Christianity arrived and existed in India 13-1500 years before the arrival of the Vasco de Gama and subsequent aggressive Catholic proselytization which was largely a tool to assist colonization.

 

What is important is that the early Christians ("Syrian Christians") were welcomed by the Hindu population and were very Christian in faith but very Hindu in their customs and culture, even observing the caste hierarchy, marriage, birth and several death rituals. There was no tension between the Christian and Hindu communities and they peacefully coexisted. Ironically, the arrival of Catholicism from Portugal and later from Ireland, created tensions between the old and new Christians, with the latter forcing India's "Syrian Christians" to shift to Latin and to give up their "pagan ways". 

 

A theology scholar once told me that "If you want to understand the true teachings of the historical Jesus, you need to study the early Christian fellowships in Syria, Egypt, Greece, Russia, India". Another expert said, "Christianity started in the Middle-east as a fellowship, became politics in Europe, and has become marketing in America."

 

Venkat

 

PS: Islam also first arrived in Kerala through peaceful ways, and it was only centuries later when the Islamic invaders (colonizers) started using the faith for political purposes did the aggression and tensions begin. The point cannot be lost that aggressive proselytization and politicization of any faith is dangerous.

Tolerance - is it a product of structure or of culture?

Copenhagen, 7 August 2017

Tolerance - is it a product of structure or of culture?

Denmark clearly functions as a tolerant society. But from talking to folks here and from observation, it... appears that the tolerance is very much a product of structure. People and society are very tolerant as long as individuals follow the "rules" and stay within the established "norm". For example, any deviation from the rule is quickly pointed out. If a biker innocently breaks a rule, a few people on the road remind him/her firmly (almost rudely). Sides of stairs to a swimming pool are marked "wet side" and "dry side", and I ended up using the wrong side as I needed to hold the rails on the right side. I was told I am breaking the rule! Same with elevators.

My friends here tell me that the normally polite behavior changes when people drink and then conversations can get profane and rude. I have not seen this part. In many ways, Danish society and its normative rule-driven personality reminds me of a Japan or a Germany or a Singapore. Tolerance in daily life seems largely a product of structure. What happens then if rules and structure established for a certain context (homogenous population, industrial economy, etc) get challenged due to changes? Will structure change or fight to retain status quo? Is there also another route to tolerance, one more innate and culturally created with less rules and laws that can flexibly accommodate to change in a dynamic adaptive way?

Why is Hinduism so Complex?

Somebody asked me why Hinduism was so complex and in what ways Hindu belief structure differed from the Abrahamic faiths.  This was the list I created: 

There are some basic differences in the belief system and structure between the Indian religions and the Abrahamic ones, notably: 

1. Hindu belief starts from an early agnostic position of accepting uncertainty. This is very evident in the Nasadiyasukta hymn of creation in the Rig Veda, Chapter 10.
2. The Hindu concept of “Ultimate truth” or “Brahman” is formless, abstract, non-personal, inclusive of the existent and nonexistent, and thus allows even an atheist to relate to. It is a non-deistic concept.
3. The early Hindu conceptualization of time and space is very different in that:  time is viewed in incredibly longer scales (almost close to estimations from modern physics), cycles of creation/destruction, space is viewed as expansive and not fixed, inclusive of the existent (matter) and non-existent (non-matter).
4. Everything in the universe, including all life, is viewed as “divine” or “good” innately, not as “sinners needing salvation”
5. Ethical code is not prescribed, but left to each individual to figure out based on their stage of evolution and own sense of their “Dharma”.
6. Path to enlightenment is again left to the individual to choose from among various approaches – Devotion, Knowledge, Work.
7. There is no common requirement across the traditions to adhere to any set of rules other than “follow your own Dharma”
8. The authors of the earliest scriptures are not known, and even early on, a vast array of scriptures (Vedas), counter-scriptures (Nastikas), and arguments (Upanishads) arose. Over time, these grew even more chaotically with the Puranas, the Yoga Sutras, and the main epics, Ramayana, Mahabharata
9. There is no one prophet or head, but numerous, so very decentralized by definition.
10. Has allowed embracing of multiple beliefs within its own fold (agnostic, atheistic, nontheistic, monotheistic, personal god, polytheism, animism, nature worship are all accepted as fine and not in conflict)

When you think of the above 10 items, it does allow for much greater complexity and less structure or uniformity – which is why I think the Indian system is very complex.

 

 

United States of Poor Health: Reflections on Fourth of July 2018

United States of Poor Health: Reflections on Fourth of July 2018


            Exactly this day 242 years ago, with the signing of the “Declaration of Independence”, a young and idealistic Republic was founded with the premise that “All men are created equal” and are endowed with the “unalienable rights” of Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. It is worth taking stock of the current state of health of this rather remarkable country, which has so believed in its exceptionalism.


            As I write this, as part of the celebration, 285 million pounds of fireworks, costing over a billion dollars will light up the skies, temporarily raising airborne pollution by about 42% - hardly a responsible statement against one of the biggest threats of this century – Climate Warming.

Amidst these Fourth of July celebrations, nearly 700 people will head to hospital Emergency Rooms with fire injuries, and about seven may die. While these seven unnatural deaths are seven too many, the nation’s annual toll from gun violence presents a truly shocking picture: 61,331 gun incidents, 344 mass shootings, 31,197 injuries, 15,549 gun-related deaths of whom 737 are children aged 0-11 years and 3232 are teenagers aged 12-17 years. (Gun Violence Archive, 2017)  The US leads the world with the highest number of people incarcerated – nearly, 2.3 million people are in jails, the majority presumed innocent, and some race minority groups disproportionately represented. (Prison Policy Initiative) 

While almost all of the countries of the world are experiencing rapidly increasing life expectancy, the US for two years in a row has experienced a decline in life expectancy.  The shocking news is that the population most affected by this trend of declining life expectancy is adult White males. Factors such as the Opioid and substance abuse epidemic, poor mental health, homicides and suicides seem to be driving these excess deaths. Furthermore, the gaps in life expectancy between the richest and poorest Americans is now over 14 years – with the poorest in the US having life expectancy similar to people in Malawi. The US with 26.4 female deaths per 100,000 live births has the highest maternal mortality rate among all rich countries, and is among a handful of countries worldwide where maternal mortality rates are increasing.

More than two-thirds of Americans are overweight or obese, and yet, diet continues to be dominated by commercial forces favoring fast food, high corn, high-sugar, and heavy meat consumption.  Americans gorged nearly 100 billion pounds of red meat in 2017. Each year, nearly 20 billion Hot Dogs are eaten, almost 155 million on Fourth of July alone when the nation merrily indulges in celebratory picnics and barbecues, quite oblivious to the health and environmental effects of heavy meat consumption.

            For a country that has achieved so much in its brief history, the current state of health presents grave threats. Despite spending over 17% of its GDP on healthcare, the country’s health, on average, is among the poorest across all high-income countries. Furthermore, vast disparities in health persist and expand: the poorest counties have 8-10 fold rates of cardiovascular mortality and diabetes incidence compared to the richest counties in the country. Only a fraction of these variations is explained by healthcare factors, while sociopolitical factors, such as poverty, unemployment, crime, explain the largest proportion of health disparities. According to the Economist, in the 2016 US Presidential elections, the strongest area-level predictor of voter preference was poor health, even after accounting for demography, race, income, and unemployment. The areas with the poorest health voted for the candidate who won.  Presidential candidate Trump in 2016 blamed immigrants for causing White unemployment and used that message to win votes. Yet, counties with high immigrant populations have low unemployment and poverty rates, and generally better health for all Americans.


            This Fourth of July, Americans need to wake up from their illusion of exceptionalism, and face the facts of the country’s declining health in all seriousness.  That would be true patriotism.

Getting Ready for College…………it is only the beginning and not the end.

(Presentation at Nrupatunka Kannada Koota Atlanta, 31 March 2018)

K.M. Venkat Narayan

 

Dear Young Students:

My name is Venkat Narayan, and I am a professor at Emory University and direct the Emory Global Diabetes Research Center there.

If you are looking for a cookbook or algorithm on how to get into college, I really do not have one. In fact, I do not think anyone could possibly have a cookbook, and if they say they do, I suggest you do not follow it. What I am offering you is some very general broad thoughts, largely based on my reflections.

My own personal experience: I grew up in India, where opportunities in those days were rather limited.  I was admitted to what is supposedly a top-ranking medical school in India, St. John’s Medical College in Bangalore. Very soon after starting medicine, I began to realize that the routine of medical school did not inspire me, and my aptitude was more in subjects like mathematics, philosophy, literature, history. Anyway, I struggled through medical school unhappily, enjoyed being a clinical doctor, but was not satisfied, and even considered quitting and doing law or English literature or biomedical engineering. Finally, I discovered epidemiology and medical research, and have had a wonderful and very productive career as a physician-scientist, not something my medical school professors could have advised.

Two years ago, I had the privilege of personally witnessing the process my daughter followed.  She went about making her own independent decision somewhat unconventionally and avoided the traps of peer pressure or other cookbook considerations.  She had offers at Harvard, Columbia, University of Chicago, Emory Woodruff Scholars, Georgia Tech Honors, and Carnegie-Mellon, and ended up picking University of Chicago, as she felt that school suited her academic needs and personality best.

Over the years, I have met many people who were perfect students, did all the right things, and ended up in careers they have found unfulfilling. Equally, I have met many people who were not exactly great students, had confused paths, but ended up in places and in careers that suited them and made them happy.

My reason for telling you all this is to highlight to you that the world of college before you is your Oyster. A simple or easy path that a cookbook can guide you to does not exist. It is very personal.

The transition from school to college is an important one. School was very structured, you were under your parents wraps, and you did what perfect students are generally expected to do. College is different. It is the start of your journey to independence. It is the beginning of a process where you begin to define yourself. It is a personal adventure with risks and rewards.

What is important is that you follow your passion. That is what is important. Your passion and your identity. You need to reflect on what motivates you, what gives you joy and sense of fulfillment, where your strengths and aptitude lie, what you see yourself as wanting to be. This should be the basis of deciding on your area of your study and your college selection. This reflection and conversation with yourself is the true part of “readiness for college”, not any cookbook formula. Do not be swayed by what your parents want you to do or what your peers pressure you to do. It is about YOU, that unique YOU. Find it and live it to the fullest.

The reason to go to college is to learn to think and to arm yourself with the weapons of the mind. These are important to acquire. You need to develop curiosity and be willing to step out of your comfort zone, stretch yourself, experience new places and things, try to understand what you see and experience.  You need to be always skeptical. Question dogma and question authority. Do not take anything on face value. You need to cultivate openness. Think of new experiences, read widely, explore areas outside your normal interests, meet new people, travel, learn history, and develop perspective. These are all the invisible life skills that no cookbook can teach you.

Nothing that you do out of genuine passion and curiosity will go waste. Some things may not seem immediately relevant or useful, but over time, all of these experiences and skills and perspectives come in handy, and things will fit and fall in place even without you knowing. People will tell you that you need a career plan. A wise person once told me that what is important is not a career plan, but a career and life philosophy. That is what you need to cultivate, a life philosophy. This is a journey, not a destination.

Remember that the world before you is changing rapidly. With globalization and technology, the change is going to be rapid. Many jobs of today will disappear, but many new jobs that we do not even know of will appear. This means you need to stay current, stay adaptive, and develop life skills that give you resilience and continuous learning. That is what is “readiness for college” and “readiness for life”.

You need to stay engaged. Involve yourself in civic activities. Involve yourself in politics. Think of causes larger than your own immediate concerns. Think of how you can contribute to that larger cause. Imagine a world you want to see and help create it.

As Steve Jobs said, “Stay hungry, stay foolish”.  Be bold and courageous.

College is not the end, but just the beginning. So, treat it as part of your growth, not as a cookbook-guided destination. 

Of course, you need to focus on some specifics to get you get into the college of your choice and into the subject of your choice. This involves knowing what you want. Yes, GPA and scores matter, but you do not need perfect scores. You just need good scores. You need to show that you have challenged yourself. You do not need to kill yourself with endless number of APs.  Your college essays matter. These essays should reflect your passion, your curiosity, your sense of humor, your breath, and not be trite or contrived.  Research about the colleges you are interested in and show in your statement why you want to go there. Make sure you mention some knowledge about the place and about specific faculty or aspects of that college. You need some good references. You need to show your involvement in extra-curricular activities, but these should reflect seriousness, not just something that you did to check the box.

Ultimately, do remember that the world you will inherit will be vastly different from the world you are in now. College entry is a beginning, not an end. Follow your passion. There are rich opportunities and options ahead. Enjoy your life and contribute.