Making of the Encyclopaedia | Prof. George Menachery | Part 16

Saturday Evening Post

Making of the Encyclopaedia

From the Horse’s own Mouth

George Menachery

Sixteen

Moving a few steps away from the vision of the Rev. Sr. I opened the Directory’s section for New York at random as people open the bible sometimes. The first name that came into my sight was “Fordham University”. I knew that it was a Catholic institution.  So I decided to go there, come what may. One coloured person was walking towards the church office past me. I asked him how to go to the Fordham University. Without stopping he shouted “It’s up-town!”.  And he disappeared. The next person who came along was a white, and I asked him how to get to the Fordham University. He also did not stop. But he said, “Take the Subway” and pointed behind me. From reading many American detective novels I knew what the sub-way was. So I started walking in the direction he had indicated. But I did not see any sub-way station. Then I saw a girl approaching from the same side as the others. I asked her where the sub-way was. I looked in the direction she pointed but I could not see any station. Then I told her that I could not see any sub-way station. She must have understood that I was a total stranger and she told me to go downstairs at the opening in the ground with parapets at the side. When I reached the bottom of the staircase there was a cubicle where a coloured lady was selling tickets. I did not know what the price of the ticket would be and I had only one dollar and some cents left in my pocket. I said, “One ticket to Fordham University.” She smiled. Probably because as I understood later there was only one ticket or token for the sub-way and that with this ticket costing 35 cents (from the beginning of 1972-I was travelling in the US in April & May 1972) you can travel any distance in one direction. The ticket was a beautiful shining piece of metal, brass I think, with a “Y” hollowed out at the centre. When I visited the States in 1983-84 the token cost more ($0.90 I think) and the “Diamond Jubilee” token with a diamond shaped hole at the top was in use.  Yet again the price had gone up when I visited the US in 1993-94 ($ 1.25) and it was the “bulls-eye” brass token with a silver circle at the center that was in use. In 2005 when I was in the US for a seminar at the Concordia University there were no metal tokens but only electronic cards. Well, you put the token in the slot at the  revolving gate or turnstile and the gate will allow one person to enter the platform. So I entered the platform and I asked how to go to Fordham and I was told to get into the first train that came, which was a fast train, and to get down once I reach Fordham. There was a terrible rush as people were returning after their work. I squeezed myself into the compartment and was pressed on all sides by the crowd. I remembered the rush hour Bombay locals. Much of the way the train travelled underground, and in a few places it went at the ground level but nearing Fordham it became the L train or “Elevated” moving on rails fitted to elevated pillars. Finally I got down at Fordham. It was getting dark and cold. I was wearing my full suit but I did not have a waistcoat or vest or sweater or a good scarf to resist the chill. Hence after seeking directions of a totally woolen covered stranger I walked fast to the entrance of the University hostels. Meeting the warden I explained my plight and requested him to give me shelter for a night. He had the same appearance and fierce look of the parish priest of the Holy Cross church whom I had faced earlier. And he asked me whether I had written earlier for accommodation. I said that as I had to come away from India in a hurry I could not write. Then he said that he could not help me. I pointed out that as it was very cold outside and as I was expecting my (imaginary) friends only the next day I shall be much obliged if he could give me a place to sleep one night. He said in a voice of finality that nothing could be done. Crestfallen I was coming out of the warden’s office. Looking behind I saw that I was being followed by a young priest, the assistant warden, or so I thought. When we reached out of hearing of the warden he said, ”Let me try something”. He was a Vietnam veteran who had acted as the chaplain for American soldiers in Vietnam. He understood the problems and difficulties of people from Asia well. He led me to the door of one of the hostels and he told me that the supervisor of that hostel was a friend of his. He rang the bell many times but there was no response. Next he knocked on the door but to no avail. Finally he shouted the name of his friend from the garden, looking up at the first floor corridor. Again no results. Then he did something right out of a P. G. Wodehouse novel. He took a flowerpot from the garden and threw it up into the upstairs corridor where it fell down with a big thud and broke into pieces. Even in the midst of my worries and anxieties I could not resist the thought of efficient Baxter throwing flower pots through Lord Elmsworth’s window, “Say it with flower pots”. The flowerpot, as I said, landed upstairs. Straight away a voice came out “What’s that!” followed by the body of the friend. He looked down upon the Vietnam veteran and asked what he wanted. My benefactor told him that he wanted the friend to give some accommodation to me for the night. Without more ado the sleepy friend replied “Let him come up and sleep in the dormitory”. I thanked my benefactor and went up. It was a huge hall with tables and benches. There were note-books, pens and c. all over the place. The friend pointed generally towards the hall and told me to sleep anywhere I liked. And he disappeared. I slept fully dressed. Next morning I wanted to thank him and tell him that I was going. As in Kerala one might take one’s departure after informing the host I wanted to thank him. Also I wanted him to see that I had stolen nothing! But the person was not to be seen anywhere. Nobody cares for anything. Perhaps that was the American way!      

Making of the Encyclopaedia | Prof. George Menachery | Part 15

            Saturday Evening Post

Making of the Encyclopaedia

From the Horse’s own Mouth

George Menachery

Fifteen

Tehran and Geneva were the refueling stops in that 1972 trip. During the next trip the stops were Beirut and Paris. As the political climate in Iran and Lebanon changed Air India kept changing their refueling stations. As the plane was circling the airport at Tehran I was thrilled by the thousands of lights from the city which I watched from my window seat. Some hours before approaching Geneva I think the pilot flew the aircraft quite low so that passengers were able to get a glimpse of Michelangelo’s  Dome and Bernini’s Colonnade at the Vatican. This might have been during a different flight, I am not sure.

Finally I landed at the Kennedy International airport, New York around 3 p. m. I did not know what to do. I was told that the city was some two hours’ distance by bus. I looked at the board and got into an airport bus going to New York City Centre, after depositing my pieces of rather heavy luggage in the baggage area under the bus through the side opening.

I sat down near the window. As the bus moved the conductor began to go round collecting the fare. I did not know what the fare would be. I sat with bated breath. When I was asked for only four dollars and fifty cents I heaved a sigh of relief for that amount was well within my wallet’s scope. When I looked up I found the sky very dark. Having read a lot about industrial pollution in western cities I believed that this dark sky was a result of America’s industrial pollution. I felt great pity for the people who had to live under such conditions. After half an hour or so the bus stopped to let out two passengers. When I looked out through the open door I found that the sky was white and blue as in my own village in India. The dark colour I had seen was the colour of the enormous window glass. I felt quite ashamed for thinking otherwise. Probably the long journey and one’s false expectations about a brand new place must have played some trick on me.

Again the bus stopped once or twice and let out more passengers. Then the conductor came near me and enquired where I wanted to get down. I had no idea whatever and when the conductor asked me again I said “Near the church”. Which church, he asked. “Near that very big church,” I replied. You mean the 42^nd street church? “Yes,” I said. “The Holy Cross church?,” he repeated. “yes’” I answered. So the conductor dropped me near the huge 42^nd street Catholic church and placed the various items of my baggage on the paved footpath. I stood on the curb and looked around, wondering what to do next.

Across the street I saw the parish office. I decided to go there and ask for a night’s stay. When I entered the office I saw a Rev. Sr. arranging some books. I told her that I was from India, had landed only a few minutes back, and because my (quite imaginary) friends were not in the airport and that I expect them only on the morrow and hence I wish to have a night’s residence.  She looked frightened. She said that such things are not done there. Then I asked to see the parish priest. She was even more frightened and said that he is a strict person and that he might even call the police.

While we were talking the priest walked in from inside. He was a huge person with a fierce look. But I had to say my say. I said what I had already told the Rev. Sr. and even showed my return ticket to India and the letters of recommendation from the Cardinal. But he was not impressed and said that no accommodation could be given. Then I asked him to allow me to keep my baggage there for one night. At long last he growled, “Keep it here for twenty-four hours. If you do not come and take them away I will throw them into the street.” I had to agree. When he had gone back inside, the Sr. told me that he would really do what he had threatened to do. I requested her to do what she could to keep my baggage safe. And I asked her for the address of her office so that I could come back there the next day. She told me that it was easy to locate the office as it was right in front of the Port Authority Terminal on 42^nd Street between the 8^th and 9^th Avenues. I took pen and paper from my bag and jotted down the address. I forgot to write down the phone number and she also failed to mention it. Then, not having an inkling of what to do next I took out from my bag a copy of the American Catholic Directory which my father’s pen friend had sent him. I don’t think it was the current one, but any way. I stepped out into America.

                           

Making of the Encyclopaedia | Prof. George Menachery | Part 14

           Saturday Evening Post

Making of the Encyclopaedia

From the Horse’s own Mouth

George Menachery

Fourteen

It was one of Air India’s newly acquired “Emperor” class aircrafts that I boarded from Santa Cruz to New York. It was Emperor Asoka I think. The huge Boing 747 plane could carry 400 passengers. As there were many nurses and their families, mostly from India and especially from Kerala, and others employed in the U. S. on the planes they were always full. The aircraft was of the height of a three-storey building. Looking at its tail it looked to me like a skyscraper.  Inside the plane all was luxury, even in the economy class. Travelling in the economy class I had opted for a window seat as I thought it would allow me to see the sites of the cities and monuments on the ground as the plane took off and landed. Then the hostess came round with the usual cup of juice. She was gorgeously attired in a shining Indian silk sari. And of course there were the ubiquitous attendants in the airline’s famous Maharaja costume and cap. Soon after the take-off another hostess made the rounds distributing earphones. There were four audio channels available on the socket fitted to the seat handle bringing Hindustani, Indian Classical, Western, and – wonder of wonders -Malayalam music and songs, especially by Yesudas. This last was a gesture for the large number of Malayalee nurses and their families, I suppose. But the price charged as rent for the earphones was US $ 2.65! I rented a pair which reduced my capital to $ 6.35. To land in New York with just $ 6.35 for an envisaged stay of two months! I have often wondered what prompted me to do such foolish things. It can be written off as another trace of the Micawber touch “Something will turn up”. But seriously, I thought that it was the way providence gets its designs executed, even the  smallest ones. All the great inventors and discoverers, and reformers of the world leaped into their risky activities because of a strong irrational urge or passion in them, I believe, prompted by Divine Providence perhaps.

The finger-licking items on the continental menu I had chosen on that flight haunts me even today. And in the 24 hour journey they served two breakfasts, two lunches, and two dinners at least. Ever since, those wonderful dishes remained a major attraction to travel. But nowadays airlines have desisted from serving such sumptuous and tasty meals, and even when one gets a delicious meal one has to pay extra for it through the nose.

Making of the Encyclopaedia | Prof. George Menachery | Part 13

          Saturday Evening Post

Making of the Encyclopaedia

From the Horse’s own Mouth

George Menachery

Thirteen

As I mentioned earlier it was Fr. M. M. Balaguer s.j. who under the energetic patronage of H. Em. Valerian Cardinal Gracias organized the 38^th International Bombay Congress. As part of the Congress there were meetings of all international Catholic organisations including the Pax Romana. The Newman Association of India , the senior wing of Pax Romana in India also had its National Conference and General Body meeting in Bombay during the Congress. I was elected national vice-president of the Newman Association on this occasion.  This post gave me the opportunity to visit many Newman Circles in various cities of India which provided me with a greater understanding of the Indian Church and especially its Unity in Variety. This  exposure proved to be of immense value when I had to compile the Encyclopaedia with detailed and exhaustive information on the Church in different States of the country.

May I give a few excerpts from Fr. Balaguer’s articles in the Encyclopaedia on the Congress and the Papal visit:

“The visit of Pope Paul VI to Bombay on the occasion of the 38th International Eucharistic Congress was unique on the following three counts: (1) It was the first visit of a Pope to an International Eucharistic Congress, and after his visit to the Holy Land, the first made to any country abroad; (2) It was the first personal contact ever made by any Pope with millions and millions of non-Christians; (3) It was the visit of a foreign dignitary to receive from the people of India the wildest expressions of their deeply felt joyous welcome.

“Pope Paul’s encounter with the people of India was described as “love at first sight on both sides”. From the moment he appeared at the door of the aircraft, and stretching out his hands in an embrace that excluded none he folded them in a gracious Namaste, to the other moment of his departure when he declared “Here We leave our heart! We feel Ourself to share in a moral citizenship with this land, which We will ever love”, Pope and people felt mutually held in love and deeply bound together, in their respect for God, concern for social justice, and promotion of world peace.

“The aims of the Pope’s visit were clearly revealed in his short speech at the Fiumicino airport before emplaning for Bombay:

““Our journey”, he said, “as it has been very well understood by all, has no other aim than that of paying homage to Christ, Our Lord, the Immortal King of centuries and of peoples, on the occasion of the International Eucharistic Congress that gathers adoring crowds from the world over in the city of Bombay. Ours is besides a journey of peace and of love, aiming at tighter bonds of mutual understanding and friendship of all peoples....., again Ours is a journey of friendship and brotherliness, that gives Us the longed-for occasion of knowing from close quarters an immense people that enjoys Our great esteem...” (From the article on the Papal Visit in the Encyclopaedia.)

Some excerpts from Fr.Balaguer’s article in the Encyclopaedia on the Eucharstic Congress:

“The 38th International Eucharistic Congress was held in Bombay from November 28th to December 6th 1964. Preceded by painstaking preparations of over two years, controlled by an organization of more than 500 persons, and assisted by the whole hearted co-operation of the Civil Authorities and the good will of the Christian and non-Christian public, the Congress, held under the personal direction and ultimate responsibility of Valerian Cardinal Gracias, Archbishop of Bombay, was universally acclaimed

as eminently successful and the most outstanding religious event in the recent history of India.

“Three facts made the Bombay Congress unique among such Congresses: (1) that it took place during the period of the Second Vatican Council; (2) that it was held in a country and city where the population was overwhelmingly non-Christian; and  (3) that it was the first International Eucharistic Congress ever attended in person by the Holy Father.

“Among the Congress characteristics more generally admired one could mention the following: the Sacramental structure into which the main liturgical services were planned; the genuine piety of our Indian Catholics; the friendliness and co-operation of the non-Christian authorities and public; and the happy blend of efficient organization and deeply spiritual tone of the whole Congress.”

Some of the acquaintances I made during the Congress were quite helpful in the Making of the Encyclopaedia and my post as the National Vice-President of the Newman Association procured me an invitation to the Bogota Eucharistic Congress of 1968 from the US Pax Romana. I might also mention here that this 1968 invitation from the US which I carried with me when I visited the States in 1972 served as an Open Sesame on many occasions.

Making of the Encyclopaedia | Prof. George Menachery | Part 12

         Saturday Evening Post

Making of the Encyclopaedia

From the Horse’s own Mouth

George Menachery

Twelve

At this point I thought of taking stock of the articles received up to now. My mother’s wooden box for garments – Mundu Petti – which every Syrian Christian bride brings with her to her husband’s house after marriage was my filing cabinet. If a good quantity of articles had been received it was time to apply for leave from the college for a few months and stay in Madras to proofread and supervise  the printing.  In those days there was no transfer of composed articles to and fro by electronic mail and one had to be physically present near the press to go through the composed pages and make corrections.

There were two groups of articles at hand. The great majority were articles commissioned by us, contributed by writers we had contacted, complete with end notes and bibliographies and secondly there were some articles to be reproduced from existing sources. For example the articles by Dr. Placid Podipara were all from books he had permitted us to use freely. Similarly some articles were from The Malabar Church, Symposium in honour of Rev. Placid Podipara, published from Rome. Or the account of Marco Polo about the tomb of Apostle Thomas at Mylapore  and the miracles connected with it from “Travels of Marco polo,”  Yule  ed. by Cordier.

And I was awaiting many of the large number of research-based, systematic, objective, and comprehensive articles that I had commissioned from various well-known scholars.

And I now began to feel the pinch. Optimistically I had told the Cardinal that I had set aside sufficient money to see me through the work of gathering the material and printing the work. But when I started visiting various places in and outside Kerala to meet the scholars, to take and collect photographs, and in search of books, and began to purchase the large number of reference volumes needed I began to feel the pinch. The problem of funds became acute once I paid a rather large deposit with the B. N. K. Press. True, that deposit I made at the beginning, helped to build the total confidence of the management of the press and they abstained from bothering me with any demands for further payments until the printing was far advanced. But there were many other payments to be made. I announced a pre-publication scheme which brought in a little money, but quite meager. Then it was that somebody suggested that if I could go to the United States and promote the book at the universities and other libraries I could procure the price of a number of copies. It was also suggested that a visit to some of the funding agencies and ecclesiastical authorities there would go a long way to solve my financial problems. I did not have any experience in such matters but because the persons who encouraged me in this matter were knowledgeable persons I decided to give it a try. I had not ventured out of India till then. And the Government of India was allowing foreign exchange for Rs. one hundred only for a person travelling outside India. It was my habit of jumping at a chance rashly and unthinkingly combined with my natural overconfidence, optimism, and the need of the hour that prompted me to undertake this hazardous venture.

My father had two good pen-friends in the U.S. Those ladies were regularly sending used books to my father which had benefitted me immensely. Once in a while they used to send some small gifts to father and he also used to send some Indian trinkets or small sculptures to them. Their letters, all in very good handwriting, and sharing details of their family and life, somehow gave father the idea that they were very rich. Hence when I decided to go to the U. S. he gave me their addresses, and letters of introduction assuring me that they would help me. This was one factor that emboldened me to undertake this long journey with very little cash in hand. Later on I often remembered D'Artagnan being sent off by his father with the yellow pony and a letter of introduction to Monsieur de Treville.

But what really gave me heart to proceed were two letters that His Eminence Joseph Cardinal Parecattil gave me, one to Msgr. Rauch the General Secretary of the United States Council of Bishops, and two, to the director of the U. S. organization for the propagation of the faith in New York. Armed with these I set out with just U. S. $ nine in my pocket. Many have said that I have something of Charles Dickens’s Wilkins Micawber of David Copperfield in me with the optimistic belief that "something will turn up." As I already had to borrow the price of my ticket from a cousin I had nothing more than the 100 rupees for the nine dollars left with me after booking the railway ticket to Bombay from where I was to take off. My sense of pride did not allow me to borrow some dollars from Church people who were having dollars with them. This attitude of pride also stood in the way of my taking money from well-wishers abroad during my journeys even when they offered some money without my asking for it because I felt that I should take help only from properly and legally established sources. Thus I refused the taking of collections at two masses at which I was invited to speak about the Kerala Church. Even during conversations with ecclesiastical dignitaries and directors of funding agencies who were impressed by me and the Encyclopaedia project and were very favorable this reluctance to “beg” prevented me from asking for help that was drastically needed. This reluctance was a characteristic I had unknowingly inherited from my proud grandparents and relatives who all gave too much importance to what is called Tharavaditham which could be roughly translated as family pride or prestige.  They were ever unwilling to swallow their pride and ask for any help from anybody whatsoever. Something like the Cunninghams of To Kill a Mockingbird, though they were rather rich by local standards. Dr. P. K. Gopalakrisnan, Member-Secretary of Kerala Planning Board and Special Secretary of Planning and Economic Affairs of the Government of Kerala, once described members of my maternal family, the Alappat Palathingals of Kattur, as having not only family pride (Abhimanam) but over-pride (Durabhimanam).

Well, I finally set out on my first ever journey outside the country and that too to the farthest country possible, Thrissur and New York being 8,400 miles or 13600 km. apart. At Bombay I stayed with my sister Rosamma and her husband Francis who was a Guard in the Western Railway. Together with my brother in law I went to pay a visit to His Eminence Valerian Cardinal Gracias who remembered me well from the National Seminar and who promptly gave me a written appreciation of my new project.

The chief architects of the National Seminar Church in India Today were His Eminence Cardinal Gracias and Fr. Balaguer s.j. as they were also earlier the chief organizers of the very successful 38^th Eucharistic Congress at Bombay in 1964 attended by Pope Paul VI which was the occasion of the first ever Pope visiting India. Three events which gave direction to the post-Vatican II Christianity in India were all of them engineered by Fr. Balaegur s.j. under the enlightening patronage of the great Cardinal Valerian Gracias of Bombay. A word about that bye and bye.

At the National Seminar I was in the Group for Communications Media. After the first two days or so of deliberations in the individual groups four groups each were pooled together for collective discussions on the topics of the four groups. My group was combined with the Family Life Group and two other groups. These combined groups had around one hundred and fifty participants each. The leaders of the Family Life Group had a resolution soliciting the Holy Father to grant permission to the Indian laity to use artificial birth control methods including the use of contraceptives considering the population problem of the country and the “anguish of the couples”. This resolution had the full support of Cardinal Gracias, I was told, and he was eager to see the move succeed. As perhaps an immature young conservative Catholic intellectual I was strongly against the move and fought the resolution tooth and nail. And a good portion of the participants were leaning towards my own views. I as usual was sitting on a back bench and whenever I got up to speak His Eminence with his great height and towering personality was standing beside me, some thought to discourage me and make me desist from attacking the resolution. But the young fool that I was I continued unabated my criticism of the move. The resolution was finally passed in a much amended version, now couched in somewhat ambiguous words. During one of the intervals Fr. Jose Muricken s.j. principal of the Trivandrum Loyola college of Social Sciences approached me to make me change my stand. He said that people with more than two children should never oppose such a resolution. I said that, true, I have already two children in the three years of our marriage and we were expecting a third child soon, but I said that using contraceptives was going against the divine plan, as taught me by my theologian friends and teachers. Fr. Muricken was very angry indeed.

Then in the plenary session where all the six hundred odd participants were present the same resolution was brought forward by the Family Life Group. Many opposed it and I was one of the most vociferous speakers against the resolution. The resolution was passed with the movers assuring the house that the controversial parts of the resolution would be deleted. During the last session I had gone up the first floor of the hall where a large number of scribes were taking down every word mentioned below. There were also machines which recorded the speeches which were being sent up from the ground floor. This was something novel at the time. While I was watching these machines I heard the secretary of the Family Life Group presenting the modified resolution. After recapping the discussion he went on to say in the resolution, ”Therefore we the faithful of India request the Holy Father to grant India dispensation to use contraceptives…”etc. I ran down the steps of the Dharmaram auditorium and using the first available mike I said that the secretary was going against his own word to remove all controversial matters and was in a way cheating the participants by presenting the resolution more or less in the rejected words. Many eminent doctors and famous reformers in the Family Life Group criticized  my behavior. Then Fr. Patrick De Souza the General Secretary of the Organizing Committee of the Seminar who was chairing the plenary session got up on the stage where he was sitting and said that the secretary of the Family Life Group was going against the sense of the house which had earlier rejected the appeal to the Holy Father to permit contraceptives. Some Family Life groupers shouted that it was improper on the part of Fr. De Souza to participate in the discussion from the stage. Straight away he got down from the podium and grabbing one of the mikes repeated his objection to the altering of the previous decision of the assembly in this underhanded way. Finally all references to artificial family planning and contraceptives had to be removed from the Group’s resolution.

I was immensely grateful for this unlooked for support from an unexpected quarter. I later learned that Fr. De Souza in conversation with some office-bearers spoke in  appreciation of my courageous stand . Soon after the Seminar he was elevated to the post of Bishop of Varanasi. For almost half a century after the seminar he used to send me Christmas cards every year regularly. I had an opportunity to renew our acquaintance in the course of the Varanasi CBCI Conference decades later.

Well, I was narrating that on the eve of my departure for New York, Cardinal Gracias most graciously gave me a written appreciation of the Encyclopaedia project. He was still true to his vision which had prompted him to pioneer the Bombay International Eucharistic Congress and Papal Visit of 1964 and the National Seminar, 1968-69.