Unfinished: Fr. Manu’s Life
Manu Alphonse SJ (1949 -2018) is niet weg te denken uit de geschiedenis en het geheugen van CIMIC. We ontmoetten Manu voor het eerst in 1983 in Chennai – toen nog Madras, hoofdstad van de zuidelijke deelstaat Tamil Nadu. Hij was er in die tijd verantwoordelijk voor de katholieke nationale studentenbeweging in India die vooral prioriteit gaf aan dalitstudenten.
Binnen de Kerk en zelfs binnen de jezuïetengemeenschap speelde destijds het kastenverschil nog een zeer grote rol. Manu probeerde daar iets aan te doen. Hij was econoom en theoloog van opleiding. Alternatief economisch denken en theologisch vernieuwend ‘vrij’ denken waren twee bronnen waaruit hij de wijsheid haalde om jonge dalits én inheemse volken bij te staan.
We trokken samen de dorpen in opdat ik de situatie ‘in het veld’ zou leren kennen. Dat zijn we blijven doen tot zijn hart het – na een eerder hartfalen – in 2018 begaf.
Toen we vanaf 1994 CIMIC als opleiding in Mechelen mochten oprichten, participeerde hij van bij het begin en hij kwam ook met voorstellen. Hij begreep ten volle wat we hier wilden tot stand brengen: een interculturele dialoog in ons land, maar ook tussen continenten.
Manu kwam geregeld naar België om de studenten te informeren over de complexe toestanden in India, dat not at all shining was, in tegenstelling tot wat de toeristische industrie wou verkondigen.
Hij droomde ervan om in India ook een soort CIMIC op te richten, want hij vond dat India met zijn veelheid aan culturen, talen, religies, kasten en standen ook hoogdringend aan dialoog toe was. De democratie en haar instellingen waren constant in gevaar, en de identitaire kaart werd voortdurend getrokken door de nationalistische hindoeïstische partij BJP en zijn ‘culturele vleugel’ RSS, de beweging die Gandhi had vermoord.
Manu’s voorbeeld was Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar (1981-1956), de advocaat van dalit-origine die in de jaren vijftig voor de grondwet van India had gezorgd. Een grondwet die zowel voor Ambedkar als voor Manu nog verder moest worden ontwikkeld.
De BJP en de RSS zijn nu echter sterker dan ooit. De interculturele dialoog is verder weg dan ooit. De instellingen hebben het ontzettend moeilijk om de soms dictatoriale ingrepen van bovenaf te doorstaan.
Daarom is het hoopgevend dat zovele Indiërs Manu Alphonse niet zijn vergeten, en dat zijn ‘legacy’ concrete vormen aanneemt. Het (verborgen) CIMIC-luik is intussen nog niet helemaal weggedeemsterd. Manu’s compagnons de route – Sr. Clare en Fr. John F. Kumar – en een grote schare van zijn oud-studenten en oud-collega’s zetten zijn werk verder.
Getuige daarvan het onderstaand artikel van Bernard d’Sami, vriend van Manu, over het opzetten van scholarships in India en het verder ontwikkelen van Social Watch, dat Manu in de jaren negentig oprichtte en waarvan Fr. Kumar nu de directeur is. We missen hem zeer.
Marc Colpaert
A tiny drop in the mighty flow…
(January 2, 1949 to November 17, 2018)
Fr. Manuel Alphonse’s life has been celebrated last year 2022 and this year 2023 by three events.
One was on November 17th 2022 to commemorate his death anniversary. A new website has been launched to provide all information necessary on Scholarships (money given by the government for their education) for the SC and ST students to pursue their education.
Fr. Manu’s life has been one of committing himself to the empowerment of SC’s (Scheduled castes or Dalits – people who are crushed under the oppressive caste system) and he also worked for the ST’s (Scheduled Tribes are the indigenous people of India and Tamil Nadu) for their education and empowerment.
I. Three Scholarships have been in place introduced by the government of Tamil Nadu and all of them have been in practice/use at least for the last ten years. Through the launch of a website on his anniversary elaborate arrangements were made these scholarships known and efforts to spread the news so that many SC and ST students could avail of these scholarships.
First one is an Overseas Scholarship for a Dalit student to pursue his or her studies in a foreign university. It provides 30 lakhs (36,177 USD) (it includes travel, visa, tuition fee etc.) As of now ten students are pursuing their studies and it will be increased to twenty-five from this academic year 2023-24.
A state level (Tamil Nadu) scholarship of Rs. 1 lakh (1,222.82 USD) per academic year for 1500 students to pursue their doctoral studies leading to PhD is being given by the Tamil Nadu government and many SC and ST students are benefiting by this Scholarships.
Post-Matric scholarships are available for those students who go for colleges and professional institutions after their school final. This is availed by more than eight lakh students (SC’s and ST’s). Students also pursue their studies in Engineering and Medical education through these scholarships.
Complete details of these scholarships have been given in the newly launched website: https://www.swtn.org/swtn/Saandror-Aandror%20(SC-ST)%20Scholarship/800
II. Fr. Manu’s Endowment lecture was delivered on 12th December 2022 by Mr. P. Sainath, (author, journalist, Magasaysay /Awardee and founder-editor of People’s Archive of Rural India (PARI).
He spoke on his latest book published by the Penguin India ‘The Last Heroes – Foot Soldiers of Indian Freedom’. Some of the finest Dalit, women and Adivasi (indigenous people) freedom fighters who laid down their life for India’s independence were highlighted by him.
The youngest one who is alive is 95 and the oldest 105 years and without them it will be difficult to construct the story of India’s liberation movement. In sum and substance he pointed out that its ordinary people who gave their lives for the independence of this country. We should not forget them.
III. Manu’s greatest contribution has been the launch of Social Watch – Tamil Nadu in 2004. As it is stepping into 20th year a programme was organized on 16th of February 2023. Manu’s life has been completely dedicated to the cause of uplifting the Dalits and tribals. So he launched the ‘Social Watch of TN’ to work closely with the government in getting the benefits for the SC’s and ST’s.
He looked at the budget of the Union government of India and TN and in both he along with many others at the national level and in TN looked carefully at the ‘Special Component Plan’ (SCP) in order to see whether the money/allocation meant for the Dalits and adivasis in the special component plan has been spent for them or it did not reach them.
Lobbying and advocacy has been tools used by Manu with the Dalit and Adivasi legislators (both at the national and TN level) to create awareness and for a systematic planning on the SCP. Awareness and planning according to him will benefit Dalits and adivasis.
The programme was inaugurated by Dr. KP Ashwini, the newly appointed UN Special Rapporteur on Contemporary forms of Racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance.
She is the first Indian, Asian and a woman from Dalit community to occupy this position. She spelt out the discrimination that the Dalits are facing inside and outside the country and promised to take forward the strong awareness programmes and to use her mandate according to the special procedures of the UN Human Rights Council.
She plans to undertake country visits and use the communication effectively to highlight the discrimination that takes place all over the world.
These programmes were attended by many scholars, students, activists and movement leaders.
Dr. Bernard D’Sami
Lees verder (inhoud maart 2023)
