Skip to content Skip to navigation

Archbishop Menamparampil nominated for Journalism Award

By CM Paul |

Guwahati: The Indian Catholic Press Association (ICPA) will honour noted peace activist Archbishop Thomas Menamparampil, conferring its prestigious annual ‘Louis Careno Award for Excellence in journalism’ for his bold writings against communalism and fundamentalism that is gaining ground globally.

The Award will be conferred on the Archbishop by former Supreme Court judge Justice Kurien Joseph, during the 25th National Convention of Christian Journalists, organized by the ICPA, scheduled to be held in Delhi, on 29 February 2020. 

“Archbishop Menamparampil’s name is synonymous with peace, inter-community dialogue and social harmony. His incisive, thought-provoking writings on these subjects have broken new grounds,” says ICPA President Mr Ignatius Gonsalves.

Kochi based senior journalist Mr Gonsalves adds, “His razer-sharp analysis of socio-cultural and political issues, especially relating to North-East, have led to soul-searching debates and concrete peace initiatives.”

Besides being nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2011, former archbishop of Guwahati received “Ambassador for Peace” award from the International Human Rights Council, New Delhi on 9th December 2019.

Having spent a lion’s share of his life in the North-East, the Kerala-born 84 year old Archbishop’s writings reflect his deep understanding of the region’s cultural values and ethnic diversity. 

Editor of Indian Currents weekly and ICPA Secretary Capuchin Father Dr. Suresh Mathew says, “His articles are marked by scholarly insights and he minces no words in raising his voice against irrational, biased and unfair policies and decisions of the governments of all times.”

Archbishop Thomas was asked by Pope Benedict XVI to prepare the meditation prayers for Way of the Cross in 2009, which the Pope himself lead on Good Friday at the Roman Colosseum. He is the only Indian and second Asian to prepare the meditation prayers for the 'Way of the Cross' lead by the Holy Father. Salesian Cardinal Joseph Zen of Hong Kong had prepared the Way of the Cross for the pope in 2008.

Most of his early writings were talks he gave to his co-workers like A Path to Prayer, Let Your Light Shine, Thought on Evangelization, Never Grow Tired. His reflections on culture and its relationship with missionary work came to be published next, like The Challenge of Cultures, Cultures in the Context of Evangelization. His thoughts on social responsibility found expression in Towards a Sense of Responsibility, Becoming Peacemakers, Searching for Ways of Peace, Probity in Public life, The Whole of Creation Groans with Pain. In the face of varied expressions of Collective Anger in our times he wrote his Stored Anger which emphasizes the need for understanding ‘anger’ contextually and studying its causes respectfully and sympathetically,  and helping it to a positive conclusion. These books are among many more of his publications. 
 
He has written more than 150 scholarly articles in a variety of Indian and International journals including Vidya Jyoti, Third Millennium, Mission Today, In Christo, Tripod, Omnis Terra, World Mission, Worldwide Mission, Verbum.  Several of the papers he presented at international conferences in Universities in India, China and Africa have been published in the respective University magazines. Just recently he attended conferences in Universities in Slovenia, Egypt and Turkey on the themes like Inter-community Understanding, Healing of Historic Memories, Regeneration of Cultural Values. He insists that he has always sought more to be relevant than scholarly. But he says, he gets encouraging words from his readers, even from distant lands. 
 

Conferred annually on deserving individuals or institutions, Louis Careno Award for excellence in journalism is a joint venture of the Mumbai Province of the Salesians of Don Bosco and the Indian Catholic Association (ICPA), a Premier Organisation of Catholic journalists, Dailies and Periodicals in India founded in 1964 by Fr John Barrett, an American Jesuit, belonging to the Jesuit Patna Province. 

Fr José Luis Carreño (23 October 1905 - 29 May 1986) was a Spanish Salesian and pioneering missionary in India and the Philippines. Founder of the premier Indian institution Sacred Heart College, Tirupattur, Vellore, Tamilnadu Fr Carreno was a writer, poet, and musician. The 9th successor of Don Bosco, Rector Major of the Salesians, Fr Pascual Chavez Villanueva, called him as "the great missionary of India and of the Philippines in the footsteps of St. Francis Xavier."

ICPA also annually awards best journalism in Hindi and Journalism for SC/ST rights. These will be announced by next month.

Add new comment

Random Stories

Recruitment in armed forces

15 May 2013 - 11:39pm | Abdul Gani
Union Ministry of Home Affairs will conduct special recruitment drives in the month of May-June, 2013 in the border districts of Assam for Category-Constable/GD posts. These special recruitment...

Shoot out in Guwahati: 1 dead

28 Jul 2010 - 4:20am | editor
One person died, another injured as a police constable unleashed terror among the members of his family in Guwahati on Tuesday. The incident took place at Lotakota area in the city. It was at around...

Extraordinary ID Cards to Northeast Students in Delhi

29 Jun 2012 - 8:42pm | Swapnil Khound
Delhi Police will provides 5 special access ID cards to the entire student legislative body of each state of Northeast. Dharmendra Kumar, the Special Commissioner (law and order), has also guaranteed...

Govt Closes Shutter of Cotton Mill

17 May 2012 - 12:03am | Ritupallab Saikia
At the time when the state govt. is raising slogans about drastic change in the industrial sector of the state with great emphasis on establishment of Engineering Colleges, Polytechnics in every...

Other Contents by Author

Bandel prior’s Good Friday message stresses forgiveness, tolerance

Bandel: The prior of the oldest Catholic church in eastern India has called people to forgive others and tolerate each other “as a practical way” to form a community of peace and harmony. “Whatever be our religion or culture, forgiveness, the hallmark of Good Friday, is the only path to co-existence and peaceful living,” says Father T L Francis, head priest of Marian shrine at Bandel in Hooghly district. The church was established by Portuguese missionaries in 1599 on the banks of Hooghly River, some 60 km northwest of Kolkata. The 63-year-old prior spoke to pilgrims to the shrine as the Church began the Holy Week when Christians commemorate events related the last days of Jesus Christ....

Research Scholars’ Workshop held

A group of scholars from North Bengal came together to present their research projects and discuss it with experts and fellow academicians at a day long program held at Salesian College Siliguri Campus (SCSC), 18 March 2017. This was 16th Annual Research Scholars’ Workshop initiated by Principal of Salesian College Sonada (SCS) & SCSC Dr George Thadathil and organised by Salesian Research Centre Siliguri.Nine Research scholars from 5 colleges of NBU and Sikkim University along with some 20 plus academicians participated in the research scholars’ workshop.Associate Professor, Department of Commerce, North Bengal University (NBU) Dr. Debasis Bhattacharya was the resource person at the...

Hill College initiates study on Darjeeling, Eastern Himalayas

Salesian College Sonada (estd 1938) is holding an international inter-disciplinary conference on Darjeeling and the Eastern Himalayas: A Multidisciplinary Approach from 14th to 15th March 2017. Of 60 abstracts received 48 papers are being presented in three parallel and technical sessions. Sikkim Central University Vice Chancellor Prof Tanka Bahadur Subba, inaugurated the conference, and Director of Himalayan Study Centre at North Bengal University Prof Karubaki Datta delivered the key note address. Resource persons, scholars and participants from India, Bangladesh, Nepal and Bhutan are participating in the two day seminar. “This is also a forum for scholars of the region to meet and...

Nanotechnology conference at ADBU

Assam Don Bosco University School of Technology has taken lead to organize an international conference in giving importance to research in the field of nanotechnology to appreciate and further promote efforts of nanotechnological advancements and applications in the Northeast India. Nanotechnology ("nanotech") is manipulation of matter on an atomic, molecular, and supramolecular scale with at least one dimension sized from 1 to 100 nanometers. The conference is jointly organized by Assam Don Bosco University School of Technology at its Azara Campus in Guwahati in collaboration with the Sustainable Nanotechnology Organization (SNO) of USA, a worldwide professional society comprised of...

Saints, musical fountain await visitors to historic Bengal Church

Several first time visual treats await visitors to 417 year old Marian shrine on the banks of Hooghly River in Bandel 40 kms north of Kolkata. The West Bengal Tourism Development Corporation (WBTDC) has announced special tour packages, including a visit to historic Marian shrine Bandel Church and Mother Teresa House for visiting tourists to mark the ongoing festive season – Christmas and New Year. A special chartered bus would take tourists on a tour to the well-known church of Kolkata on the evening of December 24.On a visit to Bandel shrine during the Christmas season over 100,000 visitors of all religious beliefs are expected to see larger than life size statues of popular Christian...

NE India’s first college radio starts broadcast

“It is indeed a proud moment for me and for the entire North Bengal University (NBU) family as we launch the first college community radio under NBU as well as entire West Bengal,” said Under Graduate Secretary of North Bengal University Dr Nupur Das speaking on behalf of NBU at the launch of Radio Salesian 90.8 FM - Voice of the Hills - at Salesian College Sonada (SCS). Bishop Stephen Lepcha of Darjeeling along with Sub-Divisional Magistrate of Darjeeling Mr Aavik Chatterjee, NBU representative Dr Nupur Das and several other community representatives joined the launch of Radio Salesian, on 8th December 2016 at a colourful function.   Mr Chatterjee encouraged the college fraternity...

Jesuit-Salesian study notes development induced displacement in Sikkim

A major study on displacement of peoples in Sikkim was released at a 3-day International Seminar on “North East: Peoples, Power and Perspectives” held at Sikkim Central University, Tadong.At the inaugural session of the seminar on 24 November 2016, Vice Chancellor, Prof. T.B. Subba released the Jesuit-Salesian authored book Teesta on the Run: Development-Induced Displacement in Sikkim, 1975-2010. The study lists some 65,000 people in Sikkim are victims of development induced displacement, i.e. more than 10 per cent of the entire population of the state. The statistics for development induced displaced population for the entire country numbers more than 65 million people. The...

Student leads hacking workshop

A cyber security expert B. Tech student teamed up with a cyber security analyst to conduct a two day workshop on ethical hacking, 15-16 October.The department of Computer Science & Engineering and Information Technology of Assam Don Bosco University (ADBU) organised the two day event christened BoscoHack -2016 at its Azara campus. The resource persons were, Mr Lakshya Jyoti Borah, co-founder and chief technology officer of Gratia Technology Private Ltd and Mr Indrajeet Bhuyan, a 2nd year ADBU B. Tech student.“It was really a good experience to be able to teach more than 120 students from different institutions of the region and outside,” says Mr Indrajeet Bhuyan who developed smallest...

Poor man’s nano technology in Assam

A nano technology scientist from Assam on a summer tour of five top American universities has garnered interest of the scientific community and harnessed support for research projects as well as collaboration for international conference in January 2017. Head of the Department of Electronics & Communication Engineering of Assam Don Bosco University (ADBU) Prof. Sunandan Baruah visited Stanford University, North Dakota State University, Minnesota State University, University of Missouri and Columbia University. In each, he gave presentations and had meetings with faculty members and department chairs. Prof Baruah from Guwahati spent a week at North Dakota State University (NDSU) which...

Consultation on ending violence against children

The Vice Chancellor of Assam Don Bosco University (ADBU), Dr Stephen Mavely inaugurated a two day National Children’s Consultation on Ending Violence Against Children, organized by NACG-EVAC India (National Action & Coordination Group for Ending Violence Against Children), in collaboration with Don Bosco University and UNICEF, on 21 June 2016 at the Azara Campus of the University. Forty six children from 11 different states with 20 chaperons are participating in the two-day consultation. Explaining the rationale behind the Consultation, Dr. Chiranjeeb Kakoty, Director, North East Society for the Promotion of Youth & Masses, said, “This Consultation has been organized with...