KUMAON BEAUTIES

Having spent eight years in a boarding school in the Kumaon Hills (at St Joseph’s College, Nainital), they act like a lodestone, beckoning me back every now and then. Whenever I vacation with my family in the Kumaon Hills we look for offbeat locations, where there is rich flora and fauna, and not too many pesky tourists. A high point of earlier trips was spotting a leopard as night fell near Almora (1997) and near Chaukori (2010). But the highlight of this year’s trip was spotting the elusive but exotic Himalayan Monal Pheasant near Munsiyari. It was a veritable explosion of vibrant hues; a crest like a peacock’s, an emerald green head, an orange red collar, parrot green on the nape of the neck, a bright purple body and a rufus tail. That night I could not sleep because I couldn’t identify the bird from “The Book of Indian Birds” by Salim Ali, India’s most illustrious ornithologist. Sensing my discomfiture, my daughter did a google on Himalayan pheasants, and asked me if it was the Monal? Indeed it was. It is the state bird of Uttarakhand and the national bird of Nepal, where it is called the Danfe. Before sighting the Monal, I had considered the Paradise Flycatcher, the Golden Oriole, the Cardinal and the Emerald Dove to be the most beautiful birds of India. Now I daresay that there is no Indian bird to match the Monal, for sheer beauty and vibrancy of colour. My father was a member of the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) and a subscriber to National Geographic magazine, way back in the 1950’s/ 60’s. He inculcated in us a love for birds and all of nature. At Sitlakhet, 1800 metres above sea level (masl) we discovered a small watercourse amid the charred pine forest. We saw some rare birds. On returning home I contacted Raju Kasambe and Nikhil Bhopale of the BNHS. They helped me to identify the White Throated Laughing Thrush (a babbler like bird with a swollen throat like those with a thyroid problem), the Black-headed Forktail (a drongo-like bird with a pronounced white V on its back), and the Nuthatch (which actually walks upside down on the branches of trees). At Munsiyari (2200 masl) we spotted the Pied Flycatcher Shrike (a black and white bird the size of a bulbul) and the Eurasian Jay (a black-whiskered fawn coloured bird the size of a myna). While descending from Munsiyari we chanced upon a brood of 8 Himalayan Vultures at a carcass, a rare sight. For those who came in late, vultures have almost disappeared from India, because they have been eating the carcasses of milch cattle that have been injected with milk-enhancing oxytocin; which in turn has rendered the vultures sterile. Today the vulture is a highly endangered species. Just imagine, if a drug can annihilate a carrion eating bird, then what will happen to delicate human beings who don’t know what they are ingesting? Sattal (1200 masl) is a bird watcher’s delight. Birds and water go together. There is no dearth of either. We were lucky to spot another Himalayan rarity, the Khaleej Pheasant (crimson red cheeks with a grey body and scimitar tail), rushing through the undergrowth. Birds we had seen before included the Yellow-billed Blue Magpie, the Paradise Flycatcher, the Verditer Flycatcher, the Green Barbet and the Blue Rockchat. While my wife and I were returning from an early morning sighting (we even saw some barking deer – kakar – as well) we bumped into a petite young lady hurrying along with a camera and zoom lens almost half her size! I couldn’t control my curiosity, as most bird watchers are senior citizens like myself! The lady wasn’t happy when I asked her if bird watching was her hobby. Was it a passion I asked, and she smiled. She was Dr Nitoo Das, an Asst Professor of English in Delhi. We later shared notes and she subsequently sent us some gorgeous pictures of the birds, taken with her powerful zoom. My wife, daughter and son are all avid nature enthusiasts. We were happy to meet a fellow traveller among all the “tourists”. People sometimes ask me, “Why do you take so much trouble for just a fleeting glimpse of something in the wild, when you can see it much better in the comfort of your home on Discovery Channel?” I have a standard reply. “ Which is better, curling up on the couch and reading a Mills & Boon romantic novel; or curling up with a romantic woman on the couch, even if it is just a touch or a glance?” Get it? Then get out and discover nature for yourself. It is truly romantic. * The write is a Kanpur based nature lover July 2012

WHO IS AFRAID OF THE LAITY?

Was Jesus afraid, or reluctant to empower his disciples? Did he not rather say that anyone who believed in him would infact “perform even greater works” (Jn 14:12) than himself? Jesus empowered his disciples; he did not feel threatened by them. The explanation lies in the same farewell discourse, “I am in the Father and the Father is in me … it is the Father living in me who is doing his works” (Jn 14:10). Thereby hangs a tale. Why is the Indian church hierarchy so afraid of a strong, enlightened and united laity? This has again become more evident in the opposition to the proposed Lay Synod being organised by the All India Catholic Union (AICU). St John again provides the answer. “In love there is no room for fear, but perfect love drives out fear … and whoever is afraid has not come to perfection in love” (1 Jn 4:18). I have been actively involved in the lay apostolate for the last 43 years, and can say with certitude that the clergy and hierarchy are intrinsically afraid of empowering and enlightening the laity. They feel threatened. If they have nothing to hide then why are they afraid? It is 47 years since the Second Vatican Council ended in 1965. There have been 47x52 = 2444 Sunday sermons since then. I throw an open challenge. How many of these sermons referred to the role and rights of the laity in the Church? Most lay organisations are under the direct control of the hierarchy. The AICU and its affiliated Catholic Associations are the only autonomous lay organisations, as provided for in the Latin Code of Canon Law of 1983 (cf Can 323). Unfortunately there is no such provision for “Private Associations of Christ’s Faithful’ in the Oriental Code of Canon Law of 1990. But self-seeking or spineless lay leaders tend to sacrifice their autonomy to curry favour with the all-powerful hierarchy. Vatican II’s “Dogmatic Constitution of the Church” (LG) was a course correction for the church. Chapter IV articulates the rights and role of the laity, both within and outside the church (LG 30-38). The Latin Code of Canon Law (LC) also has specific provisions for the laity to express its views and expectations (cf LC 212:3, 229, 231). Again, the Oriental Code does not have any such provisions. Is this one of the reasons why the ancient, apostolic, Oriental churches of Kerala have less autonomy for the laity than the Latin church? Since bishops, priests and religious of Kerala origin are the vast majority in India, they are the de facto controllers of the church. Could this be a contributory factor to the infantile and servile status of the laity? As for the proposed Lay Synod, what is so threatening about it? The word “synod” comes from the Greek “sunodos”, which etymologically means, “walking together”. According to the Collins dictionary it has the acquired meaning of “any council, especially for discussion”. Significantly, the word is not found in the Bible, hence it is a mere man-made term. Nobody has a monopoly over such a word, or its usage. If a group of sadhus or university professors were to call a synod, could the Catholic hierarchy object to it? Ironically, here again the LC provides for a Synod of Bishops (342-346) and a Diocesan Synod (460-463), but there is no mention of a synod in the Oriental Code. These omissions are significant and should not be lost on us. In the Christian context, a synod is not just of walking together, but of walking with the Lord, as on the road to Emmaus. The disciples were discussing current affairs (Lk 24:14), when Jesus joined them (Lk 24:16), explained the scriptures (Lk 24:27), opened their eyes (Lk 24:31) and their hearts burned with zeal (Lk 24:32). A significant sequence of events. This is what the Lay Synod is supposed to be. It is meant to be an exercise in discernment to, to know “what the Spirit is saying to the churches” (Rev 3:22). It should contextualise our faith in the modern world. It should address genuine lay concerns like its autonomy in temporal affairs, participatory structures and accountability in the church’s functioning, and the entire gamut of sexual ethics, family planning etc. As I have said before, it is unfair for celibate old males in boardrooms to decide what young couples should do, or not do, in their bedrooms. The church should welcome the Lay Synod. But it is afraid, because its priorities are not in consonance with God the Father, but from father parish priest, who usually dictates terms, and has his own concerns. Fear, as St John has shown us, is symptomatic of an absence of love, in this case pastoral love. Pastors have now become masters! The laity has distinguished itself in temporal affairs. We even have a Catholic candidate for the President of India. We have had Chiefs of the Army, Navy and Airforce, Governors, Ambassadors and Supreme Court Judges. How many of these worthies have been found worthy of a position of authority in the Catholic Church? It is only when they are in office that bishops go to them seeking favours. After retirement, they fall out of favour! Whether or not the AICU is able to pull off a real Lay Synod, it is incumbent on the laity of India and its leaders, to revolutionise, reform and renew the Catholic Church that we love. For love casts out fear, even of rejection. Else the laity, for fear of reprimand or rejection, will continue in its infantile and servile role of pray, pay and obey, Vatican II and Canon Law notwithstanding. * The writer is a former National President of the AICU JULY 2012