Thomas Aykara

Thomas Aykara CMI

Born:   23 January 1937

Nationality: Indian

Status: Catholic Religious  Priest

Profession: Professor of Philosophy and Comparative Religion

Thomas Aykara is the Rector of Dharmaram College in Bengaluru, India. He is a Catholic priest of the Syro-Malabar Church. He joined the Carmelites of Mary Immaculate (CMI) congregation, St. Joseph’s Province Kottayam in 1954. He is a philosopher, theologian and religious. He is an eminent scholar, excellent teacher, recognized author and insightful thinker. Several academic centres of great important and imaginative intellectual initiative in India and abroad originated through the genius and creative mind of Thomas Aykara.

Content ·        Birth and Family ·        Education ·        Later Career ·        Teaching Experience ·        Academic Initiatives and New Institutes/Centres ·        Publications ·        New CMI Constitution

1. Birth and Family

Thomas Aykara is born to Joseph and Elisabeth on 23-01-1937 in Mutholy, Palai, Kottayam district in Kerala, India. His siblings are Philip, Kuruvila, Joseph, Sr. Alphrida CMC, Annakutty, Sr. Gailsw CMC, Mariyakutty, Sr. Josita CMC.

2. Education

He completed his SSLC from St Antony High School Mutholy. He joined the Carmelites of Mary Immaculate (CMI) congregation, St. Joseph’s Province Kottayam in 1954. He studied Latin, Syriac and English languages. He received a Licentiate in Philosophy and a Licentiate in Theology from Jnana Deepa Vidya-Peeth, Pontifical Atheneum, in Pune, India. He was sent to the Catolique de Louvain University, Belgium in 1966, where he persuaded his PhD in Philosophy on Alfred Schutz, a German Philosopher, in 1970, under the guidance of Jean Ladriere.  Afterwards, he was sent to the Oxford University, UK, in 1970, where he persuaded a PhD in Theology on Cosmic Consciousness: A Study on Sri Aurobindo and Teilhard De Chardin under the guidance of John Macquarrie, in 1975.

3. Later Career

Thomas Aykara made his first religious profession on 16-5-1957 and was ordained on 6-4-1964. He was the Prior General of the CMI congregation and Vice-Chancellor of Dharmaram Vidya Kshetram from 1978-1984. He was the Provincial of St. Joseph’s Province Kottayam from 1984-1987. He also served DVK as its President from 1991-1997. During this period he made seven main endowments by making a trust, namely, Bishop Jonas Thaliath Endowment Lectures Fund, Dharma Endowment Lectures Fund, Fund for Library, Fund for PG Students, Fr. Pried Lectures Fund, Fr. Roger Memorial Fund, and Biblical Studies Fund. He was appointed as the Managing Editor of Deepika newspaper, the earliest daily newspaper of Kerala. Later, he served as the Chairman and Director of Rashtra Deepika Company Ltd. during 1989-2001. He was appointed the Director of Centre for the Study of World Religions (CSWR), Bengaluru, India, in 1975-78. He became the National President of the Conference of Religious India (CRI), in 1978-83. In 1978-82, he was the State President of Kerala Conference of Major Superiors (KCMS) and also founder President of the Syro-Malabar Religious Conference (SMRC). He was the member of National Governing Body, Indian Newspaper Society since 1988-97. He was the member of International Federation of Catholic University since 1991-97. In 2011, he became the Rector of Dharmaram College.

4. Teaching Experience

He was a teacher at Dharmaram, Bengaluru, India (1965-67, 1975-78, 1990-97). He also taught in Darsana Institute of Philosophy, Wardha, India (1984-85,1990) .

He taught various theological subjects at CRI Brothers’ Theology Institute, Bengaluru (1990). Earlier, he taught at the University of Oxford (1973-74) and the University of St. Thomas (Angelicum), Rome (1998-2002).

5. Academic Initiatives and New Institutes/Centres

1. Journal of Dharma, a Research Quarterly, Published by Dharma Research Association, Bengaluru, 1974.

2. Centre for the Study of world Religions (CSWR), Bengaluru, India, 1971.

3. Centre for Indian and Inter Religious Studies (CIIS), Rome, 1977.

4. Darsana Cultural Centre, Kottayam, Kerala, India, 1984.

5. Vinayasadana (One year Diploma Course informative Spirituality), at Dharmaram Vidya Kshetram, Bengaluru, India, 1992.

6. Sakshatkkara, Centre for the Spiritual Realization (CSR), Pariyaram, Kerala, 1979.

7. Darsana Institute of Philosophy, Wardha, M.S., India, 1982.

8. Rashtra Deepika Company Ltd., Kottayam, 1989.

9. Dharma Endowment Lectures, Faculty of Philosophy, DVK, 1993.

10. Bishop Jonas Thaliath Memorial Lectures, Faculty of Theology, DVK, Bengaluru, 1994.

11. Regional Theologate, Bhopal, 1983.

12. Anudhavana, First Mission Novitiate at Mancherial (AP) 1982.

13. Purchase, Developing Starting of St. Kuriakose Elias Chavara Shrine at Kainakari, 1983.

14. Sevasadan, CMI Transit House at Malad East, Bombay, 1980.

15. Dharma Nivas, New CMI Center in New Jersey, USA, 1981.

16. Purchase New Flat in Rome, 1981.

17. CMI Centre in Bonn, Friesdorf, Germany, 1981.

18. Collaborated in the purchase of the Second Flat in Rome, 1998.

Publications

Books

1. Meeting of Religions, (ed.) Dharmaram publications, Centre for Indian and Inter-Religious Studies, Rome, 1978.

2. Living Flame: Church of St. Thomas in India. St. Joseph's Press, Mannanam, 1986. It is a book about the Church of St. Thomas in India and deals with history, problems, hope, liturgy, etc., of the St. Thomas Christians.

3. Phenomenology of the Social World.

4. Cosmic Consciousness: A Comparative Study on Teilhard de Chardin and Sri Aurobindo, 1992. It is a comparative cosmic consciousness study of Sri Aurobindo and Teilhard. They are the two eminent exponents of the east and west respectively.

5. Mission of the Church in India Today: Challenges and Changes.

6. Missiology for the Third Millennium, 1994. It is a collection of twenty four articles about Bishop Januarius, the first bishop of Chanda dioceses, edited by Thomas Aykara.

Articles

1. "Theologizing versus Living" in Unique and Universal, edited by Dr. Chethimattam, Dharmaram Publications, Bangalore, 1972.

2. "Phenomenology Yesterday and Today" in Darsanam, ed. by Dr. Nambiaparambil, Janatha Books, Thevara, 1970.

3. "Prophetic Role of Religious Life Today" in Samarpitha, 1981.

4. "Inculturation and Formation" Dominican Asram, Dec. 1993.

Autobiography

Njan Knda CMI Sabha. 

He wrote several other short articles and papers published in vernacular. He presented a number of papers at national and International Conferences.

New CMI Constitution

Fr. Thomas Aykara as the Prior General gave leadership to get the new constitution; it was prepared under his leadership and he presided over all the four renewal chapters, nineteen sessions, and five hundred and nineteen settings of the renewal Synaxis, which was finally approved by the Holy See (Rome) on 4 January 1984.