“If we do not have a basis on which we can ground our struggle for rights and privileges, we cannot fully experience or enjoy our rights and freedoms,” was the note with which Rev Jacqueline Jothi called the attention of the women theologians drawn from North Tamil Nadu gathered in Chennai, to the significance of the Indian Constitution that guarantees our rights privileges and freedoms .
She asserted the need for women theologians to know our Constitution so that we can be more effective in our struggles for justice, not just for women, but all marginalised communities in India. We cannot protect or fight for the rights that we do not even know about. It is therefore imperative and urgent that women theologians in India take on the task of studying the Constitution with the same zeal with which we seek to study and understand the Bible.
On this 75th Constitution Day, women theologians gathered in Chennai for a meeting of ATTWI acknowledged the significant and visionary role of Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar in securing for us the freedoms we enjoy as citizens in this country. Rev Augustine Premraj, Secretary, Diocese of Madras, who was at the gathering spontaneously sang a Tamil song honouring our architect of the Constitution – Dr Ambedkar. Historically, it was pointed out that alongside the views of Dr Ambedkar, the views of Periyar on women’s rights had a significant impact on the quality of freedoms that women in Tamil Nadu enjoy today.
The Bishop-in-charge of the CSI Diocese of Madras, Rt Rev Sharma Nithyananda, together with the officer bearers of the diocese, Bishop Samuel Kennady of Arcot Lutheran Church, and Dr Songram Basumatary, Principal, Gurukul Lutheran Theological College and Research Institute, joined the gathering of women theologians of North Tamil Nadu in a solemn pledge reaffirming our commitment to protect any and all rights enshrined in the Constitution of India, and to secure all of it for the most vulnerable and marginalised.
This observance was part of the meeting of theologically trained women from the North Tamil Nadu region organised by the Tamil Nadu Regional Secretary, Dr Vethakani Vethanayagam and hosted by the CSI Diocese of Madras at CSI LITE campus Chennai from 25-26 November 2024
