Monday, May 14, 2007

The Idukki Diary: Understanding the Challenges of Idukki Diocese

The Idukki Diary: Understanding the Challenges of Idukki Diocese

Idukki diocese is one among the 25 dioceses of the Indian Orthodox
Church (IOC). Formed in 1982, the IOC's Idukki dream saw a great
momentum in its early days during the time of H.G. Barnabas thirumeni.
Today, even though the diocese is celebrating its 25th year of
existence, it always had the ill fame of being the 'most financially
backward diocese'. It's hard to imagine that IOC which is known for
its mission and reaching out culture would have such a diocese and 25
years of its attempts to elevate it has seen a slower than expected
success rate.

One of the main reasons of its backwardness is the lack of awareness
among the people about the challenges faced by the people of Idukki
and its diocese.

In the recent times, there have been serious efforts to bring
awareness among the people about the challenges of Idukki. This series
is indebted to the Orthodox herald (OH) and the ICON forum for
kindling our curiosity to understand the challenges of Idukki. The
Orthodox herald article 'Karuna thedunna devalayangal' was probably
the starting point of the modern media awareness of the harsh
realities of Idukki diocese. In addition to the OH initiatives, ICON
has made true strides in bringing the issues of Idukki Diocese to
light. Thanks to all the writers and readers of ICON for reaching out
to the needs of Idukki.

This series is an attempt to build on these awareness initiatives to
bring the challenges of Idukki diocese closer to us. Most of the data
is based on the information from the local people, clergy and the
metropolitan of Idukki diocese. I realize that the sample of people
interviewed for the data is extremely small, and hence if I overlook
view points or present incorrect information/comments or inferences,
please feel free to correct me (with references) as I am open to
learning the facts.

All articles will be tagged with prefix TID (The Idukki Diary). In
addition to the ICON archives, the series will be available at
http://idukkidiocese.blogspot.com/

In addition to the awareness, the prayers of many, the presence of a
strong administration under the leadership of H.G Augen Mar Dionysius
(the current metropolitan of Idukki diocese) and the helping hand of
many churches across the globe, there has been a revitalized effort by
IOC to address the challenges of Idukki diocese. While this is a great
start after a break, the momentum must continue. Our ultimate goal
must be to erase the ill fame tag of 'the most financially backward
diocese' and replace it with 'Idukki diocese: the IOC success story'.

To be continued…

Next Article: TID-2: History, Geography, Economics and our Perception of Idukki

Thanks,
Rajesh Vargheese
http://www.stgregoriosaustin.org/

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