In December 2007 many Assyrians and Indians will be remembering with pride the consecration of a 29 year old Metropolitan as the Metropolitan of Malabar & India. That event took place in the Patriarchal Cathedral of Mar Shallitha in Kochanes in the mountains of Kurdistan in Turkey in December 1907.

In February 1908 this young Archbishop reached Trichur in South India. The young Archbishop learned Malayalam language and wrote books in that language. He developed friendship with Hindus and Muslims. He supported the freedom struggle in India. Being a foreigner he had influence in the Royal Palace of the Maharajah of Cochin as well as with the British authorities. The Archbishop of Canterbury in England had arranged for his coming to India as the head of this ancient church.

His friendship with the British Resident of Travancore and Cochin states as well as the Governor of Madras did not deter him from supporting the struggle for independence of India.

Today the tomb of Mar Timotheus Metropolitan in Trichur (next to Marth Mariam Cathedral, the oldest church in Trichur) is visited by people of many faiths. Many believe that miracles are happening around his tomb. Mrs.Indira Gandhi when she was President of the Mahila Congress in 1954 placed wreath on this tomb. Many believers come and pray at this tomb for all sorts of blessings. Mar Timotheus brought name and fame to Trichur by his exemplary life of prayer.

Since he worked and died in Trichur many people who know of Mar Timotheus feel that he should be honoured. Mar Timotheus Memorial Orphanage, Kalathode, Mar Timotheus Charitable Hospital, Mar Timotheus Birth Centenary Technical Training Centre, Pallikulam Rd, the Conference Centre in Pallikulam Road etc are some of the institutions built in his memory. The schools started by him in 1927 have grown. The Chaldean Syrian Higher Secondary School, Mar Timotheus High School etc are the fruits of his long dedicated service to India.

It is not easy to assess the great contributions this young archbishop made to the church. On May 1st his memorial dinner is attended by a large crowd of people irrespective of caste or creed.

His contact with the struggle for National Independence began with the interview of Mar Timotheus with the Rev. C.F. Andrews, Principal of St. Stephen’s College, Delhi who had identified himself with the freedom struggle under the leadership of Mahatma Gandhi.

As a result of the riot in Trichur, the Hindus and Christians were viewing one another in a very unfriendly manner. Mar Timotheus tried to establish friendly relations between these two communities. But his attempts did not bear fruit. Finally these Hindus brought the Reverend C.F. Andrews to Trichur hoping that his meditation would help the reconciliation between the Hindus and the Christians.

On 28 January 1922 the Rev. C.F. Andrews reached Trichur and had a meeting with the representatives of both the communities. Mar Timotheus sent an invitation to the Rev. C.F. Andrews to meet him on that day.

I am informed that you are coming to Trichur today. Though personally unknown to each other, I believe that we have much in common. I should therefore like to take advantage of his opportunity to your acquaintance in person. I was just going to Madras: but stayed here with the object of seeing you. Will you therefore take the trouble to call here some time this evening after your meeting is over?

After the meeting the English clergyman met Mar Timotheus and requested him to postpone his proposed visit to Madras. On 30 January 1922 Mar Timotheus wrote to the wife of the Bishop of Madras, Mrs. Whitehead.

Now the Rev. C.F. Andrews is brought here by the Hindus themselves who seem to be as eager as the Christians to come to an agreement. Mr. Andrews and I had a talk over the matter and as a result, I am implored to stay a few days more to bring a meeting of the rival parties which being arranged for to a successful issue.

After six days the Metropolitan himself felt that it was necessary to deny the reporting the Swarajya. He wrote a letter to seven prominent English papers including the Swarajya dated 2 May 1922.

I was surprised to read in some Madras Dailies, and Cochin Weeklies, a berate misrepresentation concerning a mere passing reference I made to Mahatma Gandhi in the course of my sermon last Good Friday. I take no interest in politics; but I had occasion to know from reliable sources that Mahatma Gandhi is a man of exceptional goodness and honesty and that he practices most of the virtues taught by our Lord in His sermon in the Mount.I referred to him as such by way of an illustration in my sermon, and asked my hearers, that “If the life, teachings and sufferings of our Lord could so Irresistibly appeal to the heart of a Hindu like Mahatma Gandhi, as to make lead a Christian life, how much we Christians are bound to be Christ-like in our lives, by practicing all Christian virtues to their perfection? “This only what I had said and I wonder how it could be misunderstood. At any rate, the report which appeared in the papers is entirely false and misleading and I therefore do hereby contradict it in my own name.

This correspondence created some comments in the official circles as well as in the Christian circles. It was a time when the Christian Bishops were considered to be not very enthusiastic about the movement for the independence of India. But it was prophetic courage that compelled Mar Timotheus to speak in favour of Mahatma Gandhi as early as 1922. Mar Timotheus openly declared his desire to spend more time in Wardha ashram OF Mahatma Gandhi.

When Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru was visiting Trichur on Friday, May 29, 1931 on his return from Ceylon with his family, he visited the Metropolitan’s Palace and had tea with Mar Timotheus. It was Mahatma Gandhi who advised Jawaharlal Nehru to meet with Mar Timotheus Metropolitan. Mr. Nehru and his wife Kamala along with their only daughter Indira (later Prime Minister) were received By Mar Timotheus along with the local secretary of the Indian National Congress, Mr. Kurur Nilakantan Nampooridhiripad. Although the interview was very brief, Nehru was very much impressed by the personality of Mar Timotheus.

After his return to Lucknow Jawaharlal Nehru wrote to the Congress Secretary at Trichur requesting for a photograph of Mar Timotheus. A photo with mitre and crozier was sent to Nehru. He replied that he did not want such an official photograph. He preferred the simple man without mitre and crozier. He described that man as divinity personified. Therefore a simple photograph autographed by Mar Timotheus was sent to Mr. Nehru and he was delighted.

Concerning this visit Jawaharlal Nehru wrote in his autobiography as follows:

We also visited, along the backwaters of Malabar some of the towns inhabited chiefly

by Christians belonging to the Syrian Churches. Few people realize that Christianity came to India as early as the first century after Christ, long before Europe turned to it; and established a firm in South India. Although these Christians have their religious head in Antioch or somewhere in Syria, their Christianity is practically indigenous and has few outside contacts.

To my surprise, we also came across a colony of Nestorians in the South; I was told by their bishop that there was ten thousand of them. I had laboured under the impression the Nestorians had long been absorbed in other sects, and I did not know that they had ever flourished in India. But I was told that at one time they had a fairly large following in India, extending as far north as Benares.

( Jawaharlal Nehru: An Auto Biography with Musings on recent events in India. New edition containing an additional chapter five years later. The Bodley Head,London 1958 ,pages 273-4 )

In his book Letters to a Daughter he writes in his letter of 1932 Jawaharlal writes, ”Indu, do you remember that last year we visited the Nestorian bishop in Trichur.?”

Because of the controversy it raised in 1922. Mar Timotheus did not make many statements about Gandhiji. He wanted to know more about him. In January 1932 Kurur Nilakanda Nampooththiripad, Secretary of the Congress party who accompanied Jawaharlal Nehru and family and during their visit of Mar Timotheus, wrote the following letter which speaks of the interest Mar Timotheus showed in reading the autobiography and such other books about Mahatma Gandhiji..

Thank you for the return of the first volume of Mahatma Gandhiji’s Autobiography. I shall be very glad to send you the second volume. But I am sorry I am not able to do today as the book has to be obtained from a friend. I shall send it as early as possible. But I am glad to send you another book about Mahatmaji. I am sure you will find it interesting. The author is our Andrews. You can leisurely go through the book and return. I have been longing to see you for the last so many days. But you know the times are changed and I am so very busy with our work that I am hardly able to spare time. Yet I shall be calling on you one of these days.

Mar Timotheus wanted to meet Mahatma Gandhi during Gandhi’s visit to Trichur in January 1934. To his great joy Mar Timotheus received a letter from Mr.Kurur N. Nampoodiripad, The Congress secretary wrote.

“I am glad to inform you that Mahatmaji is glad to have an interview with you. The time is fixed between 2.30 and 3 p.m. “

This interview created a great impression to Mahatma Gandhi about this foreign bishop. Because Mar Timotheus refused to sit in the lone chair in the room where Mahatma Gandhi was seated on the floor. Mar Timotheus squatted on the floor like Mahatma Gandhi. Mar Timotheus told Mahatma Gandhi that he too was an Asiatic like Gandhi. If there were two chairs in that room they could both sit on chairs. Mar Timotheus was wearing a cassock made of Khadi (home-spun cloth).Mar Timotheus told Gandhi that he supported the struggle for freedom of the Indian people.

The British authorities asked for explanation from Mar Timotheus for his behaviour in support of Gandhi, who was the enemy of the British Government. Mar Timotheus remained strong in his support of the struggle of Indians for independence.

It was unfortunate that Mar Timotheus passed away on 30 April 1945 before he could see the Independent India. Archbishop Mar Timotheus will be in minds of many people as a foreigner who supported the independence of India.

Compiled by Mar Aprem Metropolitan, Trichur, Kerala, India.