Alex Thannippara CMI

Fr. Alex Thannippara CMI (born 18 May 1942) is a Professor Emeritus since October 2008 at Dharmaram Vidya Kshetram, Bengaluru, teaching Indian philosophy, Sanskrit, German language, and Indian Christian theology.

CONTENTS

1. Birth and Education

2. Later Career

3. Bibliography

BIRTH AND EDUCATION

Alex Thannippara was born on 18 may 1942 in Anickadu, Kerala, India. After completing his secondary school education in 1958 from NSS High School, Anickadu, he joined the Carmelites of Mary Immaculate (CMI) congregation in 1959. He made his first profession in 1962 and continued second year of his novitiate. Then, in 1963, he was sent to Dharmaram College for philosophical studies; after completing his three years of philosophical (BPh) studies, he made his final profession in 1965. After completing one year Sanskrit course and three years of theological studies he was ordained as a priest on 3 January 1971. Very next year he completed his fourth year theology and received BTh. Later, he completed a Diploma in Sanskrit and did his MA in Sanskrit in the same at the University of Pune in 1975. In 1978 he went to the University of Regensburg, Germany, for doctoral studies and did his researches under Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger; although it was interrupted in 1984 when Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger left for Rome as the Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith, in 1989 he restarted his doctoral researches and completed it under the direction of Prof. DDR Hans Waldenfels SJ at the University of Bonn, Germany. During this period of research in Germany, he became very fluent in German language.

APPOINTMENTS

After completing MA in Sanskrit, he was appointed teacher of Indian philosophy and Sanskrit at Dharmaram Vidya Kshetram. During the interval between doctoral research, that is, from 1984 to 1989, he continued to serve Dharmaram Vidya Kshetram. After completing doctoral research, he taught at Darsana Institute of Philosophy, Wardha, Maharashtra (1991-1992). From 1992 to 1998 he was the Rector of the Institute. For the next four years he was the Novice Master at Anudhavana Mission Novitiate, Mancherial, Andhra Pradesh. From 2002 to 2005 he served as the Procurator General of the CMI Congregation in Rome, Director of Chavara Institute of Indian and Interreligious Studies in Rome, Professor of Comparative Religion at the University of St. Thomas (Angelicum) in Rome, and a member of the Union of Superior Generals’ Council for Interreligious Dialogue. In 2005, he was elected the Provincial of Mar Thoma Province of Carmelites of Mary Immaculate of Chanda and he served there till 2008. Then onwards he was the Professor Emeritus at Dharmaram Vidya Kshetram. He specialized in comparative religion, especially between Christianity and Hinduism. Along with his teaching, he is serves also as Spiritual Director at Dharmaram College as well as a lay prayer group in Bengaluru.

PARTICIPATION IN CONFERENCES

He is one of the regular participants of the annual gathering of the Students of Pope Benedict XVI. According to him, “it is the gathering of all who did Doctorate under him, when he was professor at different Universities in Germany. After he became Pope, it takes place every year at the papal Summer Residence at Castlegandolfo. Every year they take a relevant theological topic for our discussion, in which the Holy Father very actively participates.” In one of the gatherings, Dr. Alex presented a paper on “Hindu-Christian Encounter in India” in German language. In 2014, they discussed on Vatican Council II: Between Innovation and Tradition in which he presented a paper on “Renewal of Religious life in India after Vatican II.”

VISION

Dr Alex Thannippara is a man of noble vision and convictions about life as well as various fields of life. “Philosophy should not remain merely an intellectual exercise; it should be related to concrete life situations and everyday problems of life,” he says about philosophy. According to him, theology should be open, especially to the multi-cultural, multi-religious, social, economic and dalit context of India. As living in a largest democratic nation, he also has certain convictions on politics. He says: “our politicians should become less selfish, less corrupt and less caste-oriented. They should keep the common good, especially the good of the marginalized and oppressed above everything else. Their model should be the self-sacrificing attitude of Mahatma Gandhi.” About spirituality, he says that it should be really authentic and personal, and not external and mechanical.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

1.  Articles on (1) Ahimsā (2) Ātman (3) Avatāra (4) Brahman (5) Darshana (6) Dharma I-II (7)Hinduistische Philosophie (8) Jñāna (9) Kalpa (10) Kult/Gottesverehrung IV (11) Manas (12) Mantra (13) Māyā (14) Moksha (15) Mudrā (16) Nirvāṇa I-II (17) Offenbarung III (18) Opfer V (19) Rishi (20) Rūpa (21) Samsāra I-II (22) Sannyāsin (23) Shakti/Shāktismus (24) Siddhi (25) Smriti (26) Vedanta and (27) Yoga in German in Lexikon der Religionen (Encyclopaedia of Religions), edited by Hans Waldenfels. Herder: Freiburg, Basel, Wien, 1988.

2.   “Iṡvara and Christ: Reflections on an Indian Christology” in New Horizons of Indian Christian Living: A Festschrift in Honour of Prof. Dr. Vadakethala Francis Vineeth CMI, ed. Saju Chackalackal, 299-324. Bengaluru: Vidyavanam Publications, 2009.

3. “Priesthood in the Indian Religions,” Asian Horizons3, 2 (December 2009), 44-61.

4.  “Jñānam”  ACPI Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Bangalore: Asian Trading Corporation, 2010.