This 11th October marks 50 years for the beginning of the Second Vatican Council (Vat II). It was the 21st such ecumenical council in the 2000 year odyssey of the Catholic Church. In 1969 I obtained a copy of the Vat II documents. For several years thereafter Vat II meant little to me, as I…

As a Gandhian, environmentalist and civic activist I am enthused by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Swach Bharat (Clean India) campaign. Even Modi’s harshest critics (count me in) must graciously concede that this time Namo has struck a chord that appeals to every concerned citizen of this great country. Almost a century ago Katherine Mayo, an…

Dr John Dayal is to be commended for a comprehensive article on Christian personal laws “In the True Christian Spirit” (IC 22nd September). However, some factual errors seem to have crept in, perhaps because he was not involved with the issues/ organizations in the early 1990’s. But I was. When I stood for National President…

The Mosaic Law of the Biblical Old Testament that advocated an eye for an eye was turned upside down in the New Testament with the Lord Jesus Christ asking his disciples to turn the other cheek. This dictum greatly influenced the non-violence preached by Mahatma Gandhi. Referring to the Mosaic Law Gandhiji had said that…

(“A Handful of Stardust” by Dr Roshan Jacob IAS, published by Wisdom Tree, Newdelhi; pages 82, price Rs 199/-) Poetry is something that emerges from both heart and mind, and sometimes merges with the soul. “A Handful of Stardust” by Dr Roshan Jacob IAS (36) falls in this genre. The thoughts expressed through verse are…

The article, “Holy Communion for Divorced  & Remarried “ by Cardinal Jorge Estevez of the Vatican, (July 2006) was indeed thought provoking.  Much of what I read provoked my dormant feelings of anger and disgust at the hypocrisy and insensitivity prevalent in the Catholic Church. Besides being married for 22 years (not very long) I…