AS I See It

SORRY, THIS IS MY TAKE ON FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION

Valson Thampu Freedom of expression is a major concern today. Speech and action are basic to being human. Speech distinguishes us from animals. In Greek thought, speech was a greater attribute of heroes than action. A worthy hero was one who not only acted mightily, but cannot spoke memorably. Even today, every handbook on leadership […]

THE INAUGURATION OF THE NEW PARLIAMENT -A Christian Perspective

Valson Thampu Some are mystified, the rest intrigued, by the way Modi chose to inaugurate the New Parliament building. I belong to neither category. My calling is to reflect on events and motifs independently, and share the emerging insights. Why did Modi choose to have this inauguration saturated with monarchic nuances and ritualistic overtones? Various […]

THE CHURCH FOR TODAY AND TOMORROW

Valson Thampu Remember the notice on the forehead of the Nativity Narrative: ‘There was no room in the inn’? That banner sat in brooding silence grinning at the Holy Babe in Bethlehem. This seemingly matter-of-fact detail points, in the larger context, to a perennial truth. Institutions, including the church, that function ‘inn-like’, will have no […]

THE SPIRITUAL DUTY TO UNDERSTAND

Valson Thampu Discernment is one of the gifts of the Holy Spirit, though it is rarely mentioned and hardly valued by us as Christians. We covet dramatic and profitable gifts like healing, speaking in tongues, and prophecy. We discount the need for understanding and discernment. It is necessary to wonder why. The secular counterpart to […]

THE OTHER SIDE OF THE WAR ON CORRUPTION

Valson Thampu There seems to be a curious parallel between the war on terror and the war on corruption underway in our country. Both presuppose faith in the efficacy of might. Consider the war on terror. The perversity of terrorism is that it reposes faith in violence alone. The war on terror too does likewise. […]

The Thorn in a Thamara

Valson Thampu It is sensible to evaluate the seductions of immediacy from a long-term perspective. Those who marry the spirit of the times become widowers in the next. What seems advantageous and smart in the present, that is to say, becomes a future liability. The logic for this is easy to see. To act under […]

Modi, Hospitality, And The Easter Question

Valson Thampu At the time of writing this, Prime Minister Modi is reported as intending to visit the Sacred Heart Cathedral in New Delhi on the occasion of Easter. It is a welcome gesture of good will. On the face of it, there is no occasion better than Easter to undertake it. The Christian community […]

AN UNSOLICITED ADVICE TO RAHUL GANDHI

Valson Thampu I fear for Rahul, though I am not a camp follower of the Congress. I fear that he is going the Stan Swamy way. It is all right to grand-stand one’s commitment to truth and democracy in India. I am not prejudiced enough to suspect Rahul’s sincerity of purpose. But a question arises […]

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Youth taught to use social media to become Good Samaritans

Pakistan’s oldest priest passes away at 97