January 3 marks the 150th death anniversary of the martyrdom of Curiacos Elias Sachs, who was canonized by the Catholic Church in 2014. Chavara Achan was one of the foremost social reformers from Kerala, apart from being a saint he also made significant contributions to the growth of the Catholic Church in Kerala. It is no exaggeration to say that Chavara Achan was a progressive revolutionary who, a century and a half ago, planned and implemented several schemes to bring the downtrodden into the mainstream of society during the heyday of untouchability.
He focused on education. He understood that only through proper education a fundamental change could take place in society. To ensure proper education of the children, he didn't think twice and established churches in every parish. Children from all denominations were welcomed in these churches. It can be said that this step laid the foundation for educational progress in Kerala.
At the time when the Dalits didn't even have the freedom to walk, Achen not only granted admission to their children but also provided them with books, clothing and food. The service of lunch in schools, was a revolutionary move, for children who were arriving from home. Achen's revolutionary move and his farsighted thoughts have inspired modern society. He raised money for running the churches by disbanding the Pitiyari and by accepting the Dharma. In this memory, Pitiyari is still the main vow in the Mannanam Church.
Another social reform was the establishment of the Sanskrit School at Mannanam in 1846 when Sanskrit education was considered exclusive only to the Sovereign, it was made available for people from any caste or religion. His progressiveness can be identified when one considers that Achen led such activities at a time when the caste system was ruling in all its glory.
Chavara Achen is also the originator of modern vocational education. It is not enough just to learn the alphabet, it is suggested to learn the job as well. Everything from tailoring to cotton weaving and mat weaving was taught in these schools. Specific people were hired to train the construction and rope making of the chikirithadukku.
Even temples were started by Chavara Achan to give shelter to protect the orphans. The sub orphanage which he established at Kainakary, Kuttanad is the first orphanage in Kerala. When Achan first heard about printing in India, he started the Mannanath Press which turn out to be a great revolution in the field of printing. It was called St. Joseph's Press. Nasrani Deepika, started 16 years after Achen's death, was first printed in this press. This press still works today.
The main objective of this saint was to uplift the Dalit families. He devoted his life to this noble cause as he couldn't bear to see the great misery suffered by this section of society. He believed that the renewal of families was the basis for the betterment of society. To this end, his sarcastic remarks, entitled 'The Death of a Good Father', are still relevant today. It is a sign of secularism that this Christian pastor inspires every Malayalee.
Chavara Achan is the founder of CMI Sanyasa Sabha. It's a church operating in 30 countries. Educational institutions, including Christ University, are owned by them. Chavara Kuriakose Elias, who lived for 66 years, was a symbol of the social reforms that took place in Kerala.
The greatness of this priest is that in such a short period he was known not only as one of the great monks as well as also the founder of monasteries, ecclesiastical, social reformer, educator, and founder of printing. Born on February 10, 1805, in Kainakary, Alappuzha, Chavara Achan was ordained to the priesthood in 1829. In 1861, he became Vicar General of the Syrian Catholic Church. He died on January 3, 1871, at Koonammavu. His body was buried there.
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