It was the constant rule over centuries to examine and declare a ‘Saint’ by the headquarters of all Churches of the world in the Christian Era only after a hundred years of the demise of a soul saved by Christ!
However, an ‘Indian’ Mother ( Teresa ) who grew from being a nun-sister to bring anointed a Saint within a few years of her demise from the mortal world raised many eyebrows among scholars of comparative religion as well as among non-Catholic followers of Christianity.
Likewise, many desi communists as also non-communist leaders were numbed with shock to watch the manner in which a South Indian chief minister had literally prostrated before the Pope on his trip to the Vatican although he had refused to bow in the sanctum sanctorum of one of the most famous temples of his home-State, Kerala.
Also sending waves of both disbelief and applause among different cross-sections of the region was how Father so – and – so was elevated in status by the Vatican!
Well, well, well…!
What is this special fascination for Kerala by the Roman ‘emperor’?
Nurses and Nuns. Nothing else.
Statistics speak for themselves. The data is in print and even online to a great extent. It will be no exaggeration to state that almost 95 percent of the walled ‘fiefdom of hierarchical theological Government’ is ‘manned’ by womenfolk hailing from Kerala (‘God’s own little country’, as bandied about by western buttressed tourism shops and publicity-outlets).
Imagine the state of this State – if only all these human resources were retained as capital by the Government of India with suitable avenues of employment opportunities being created for these singularly capable work-forces who are almost all clones of Florence Nightingale, that angel of nursing!
Nuns? Oh, they would be as well ‘nourished’ and happy if the National Civil Defense Authority and the para-units of the Indian armed forces were to provide them jobs. But, in order to do this godly act, it becomes necessary to reset the social make-up of the country by ushering in a uniform civil code as a result of which, the ‘one nation’ concept will overtake the demons called parochialism and partisanship attitude in open display.
Who has ever examined link documents of all vast tracts of church ‘private estates’ that were ‘granted’ by the forefathers of the torch-bearers of the present-day Church establishments in India (and, this includes dozens of denominations which have cropped up in the last seven decades)?
Who has not come across tussles and internal squabbles among members and factions of governing bodies of these religious organizations?
There is at least one sitting judge in the apex court who rose to that position only by dealing with disputes amongst churches and their followers (never ever dealt with any other type of litigation during his days of practice as an advocate)!
Such is the rampant use or misuse of the poor sociological policies adopted by successive governments of the country!
As the proverbial snake that eats its own tail, this saga of one-upmanship and the exodus of nuns and nurses from Kerala haunts the moon land of a ‘diverse, secular’ country.
Is Kerala the spot on the fair face of India? Is it a beauty spot; a mole or just the scar which becomes visible when all make-believe marketing-slogans come off?
Time to ponder. And, to wake up to the demographic crisis facing India!
Que sera sera?
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