2. The Position of Syrian Christianity among Other Religious Groups in India
The Ipe family in The God of Small Things is a descendant of a well-known Syrian Christian priest, Reverend E. John Ipe. The Reverend was known by the local
people as Punnyan Kanj or The Little Blessed One p. 12. The story of how he is blessed by the Patriach of Antioch the sovereign head of Syrian Christian Church
himself becomes the village’s urban legend. This story legitimates his position as a Priest in his later life, as well as the family’s position among the society.
Christianity in India, especially Syrian Christianity in Keralla where the novel is set, has a long history in the subcontinent. The Church has helped shaping the
Indian culture, from the ancient time to the contemporary. According to Jesuit missionary, Frederick V. Moore, S. J. in his book Christians in India, Christianity in
India is diverse since the country is vast and the religion has been there long enough to pass the test of time 8.
The special thing about Christianity in India is that it is believed to be initially delivered there by one of the Twelve Apostles, St. Thomas, who is also known as
Didymus the Twin. Moore especially noted that in what was then the State of Keralla, the very place where Roy’s novel takes place as the setting, St. Thomas had gained
the most success in his mission 10. In his notes, Moore tries to locate India in the historical map of ancient
Christian Missionary as follows: Meanwhile the main effort of Christian preaching turned inevitably
away from India to the West. Since Palestine, where Christianity
arose, was part of the Roman Empire, it was the conversion of that Empire that became its absorbing concern. Later, the barbarian hordes
of Northern Europe had to be evangelised [sic]. Then Christianity itself split into Eastern and Western Churches. Islam arose and swept
through the Fertile Crescent of Europe and the Christians of India. It was not till the advent of the Portuguese in the 16th century that the
next wave of Christian missionary effort was felt in India 10-11.
Therefore, there was two significant moments of Christian missionary in India: a St. Thomas’s missionary: the ancient one whose lack of textual records
makes the story of it near mythological, but the number of its believers and its significance in the history of Indian Christianity is unquestionable; b Portuguese
missionary: the one that comes with colonization, as one part of the Gold-Glory- Gospel aspects. Since the 16th century, India became a fertile soil for European
missionary. St. Thomas’ missionary created the first batch of Syrian Christianity,
including the conversion of the Brahmans along the Malabar Coast. The Ipe family in Roy’s novel is the descendant of these Brahmans. Meanwhile, the Portuguese
missionary converted many members of the lowest caste that embraces Christianity to escape the scourge of Untouchability. These poor converts also got routine ransom of
food from the church, and therefore called as Rice Christians. Velutha Paapen, with whom Ammu has an affair, is a descendant of these Rice Christians.
Moore also noted that conversion to Christianity did not involve them in a loss of caste 14. Christian missionary usually adapts the local custom and synchronize it
with their ideology. For example, Italian Jesuit, Roberto de Nobili adapted Hindu to the way of life and considered it as a positive enriching element to the local way of
Christianity. De Nobili approached the most influential Brahmins and ensured them that converting to Christianity will not abolish the privilege of their caste. Therefore,
although they are no longer Hindu, the converts still preserve the notion of caste and its ancestry-based stratification.
In terms of education, Christians maintain leading learning institutions that also accept non-Christian students. According to Moore, Christian schools and
colleges are noted by high class Indians due to their high academic standards and highly qualified teaching staffs. Christian institutions are also often at the top of local
leagues. Furthermore, Christian institutions also put stress on moral instruction, respect for religion, and strict discipline 39.
3. Women in India
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