Nidhiry Mani Kathanar - Contributions

Contributions

• Education : Mani Kathanar was one of the key figure in the opening up English education in Kerala. He played an instramental role in opening English education to the Syrian Catholics Community. He advised Catholic parishes to sell their crucifixes made of gold and silver and to invest the amount in starting schools. As Priest and Vicar of the Martha Mariam Kuravilangad church, he started the St.Mary's English school for boys in 1894. Former president of India, K. R. Narayanan matriculated from this school.

• Media : Nidhiry was the founder and first editor of the first Malayalam daily Deepika. He was instrumental in the founding of yet another newspaper, the Malayala Manorama.

• Social Reforms : He was the moving spirit behind the Malayalee Memorial-one of the first steps in the social transformation of Kerala in 1891. Following the formation of the Travancore Legislative Council in 1888, the Malayali Memorial, a memorandum bearing the signatures of over 10,000 people, including a sprinkling of Ezhavas, Christians, and Muslims was submitted to the Maharaja Sri Moolam Thirunal. This was as a result of the emergence of a Tamil Brahmin monopoly of policy positions in government and the subsequent decline of the caste groups from within Kerala.

• Poet and Writer : Mani Kathanar was a polyglot who was at ease in 18 languages. He has written number of poems and is the author of three Malayalam books.

• Ecumenicalism : The ecumenical association, Nazrani Jathiaikya Sangham organized by Nidhiry Mani Kathanar and Mar Dionysius, the Jacobite Syrian Christian ChurchMetropolitan was one of the important happenings in Syrian Christians history. They acquired property at Kottayam for building a college in ca 1875. They planned for opening jointly colleges, schools, orphanages, library, bank etc. The project got aborted by the diplomatic approach of Carmelite apostolic delegate Aiuti who was afraid of unity among the Syrian Christians. It was the leadership of Nidhiry that fostered a unity among Syrian Catholics with in and with Jacobites.

• Apologist of faith : He led the community against a fearless fight against the European hegemony over the Nasrani Christians. It was with the fight of Syrian Catholics under the leadership of Nidhiry that freed them from Padroado jurisdiction paving the way for indigenous Bishops.

• Historian :He has also authored number of church history books and was in the forefront in upholding the Chaldean patrimony of the Syro Malabar Church.