MM Thomas Memorial Lecture 2010

MM Remembrance Get Together 2010

Date: Saturday 15 May 2010, 10.00 am

Venue: Pennamma Bhavanam, Amalloor, Manjady, Tiruvalla

We are coming together on Saturday, 15 May 2010 to celebrate the 94th birthday of Dr M.M. Thomas.

We will have Dr. Binayak Sen as our Chief Guest.

We invite you and family to join us on this occasion, to celebrate our fellowship and affirm our solidarity to the people in struggle. Kindly see the details as given below and keep May 15^th free. We request you to bring your contributions also, as our functioning depends on your financial support.

Thank you.

For the Tiruvalla Ecumenical Charitable Trust,

Rev. M. J. Joseph, Dr. Varughese George, Jomon Cheriyan James, T.M. Sathyan, Joy Joseph

Programme

10.00am: Opening Affirmation of Togetherness in Struggle

11.00am: Main Address by Dr. Binayak Sen:

State, Corporates and People:

War on People and Dalit - Adivasi Alienation

2.00 pm: Sharing by friends in the struggle

4.00 pm: Cultural Celebration

Women's Day Lecture

Celebrating the Interenational Women's Day (March 08 2009), Pennamma Bhavanam organised a public lecture in association with the Episcopal Jubilee Institute of Evangelism and the Kerala Council of Churches. The public lecture was delivered by Dr. Sr. Shalini Mulackel (Professor of Systematic Theology, Vidyajyoti Theological College, New Delhi).

The titile of the lecture was:

"TOWARDS A DALIT PENN THEOLOGY: FEMINIST THEOLOGY IN DIALOGUE WITH DALIT THEOLOGY"

Date: 09 March 2009, 2.30 pm

venue: AMM HAll, EJ Institute, Kompadi

The programme started with songs and prayer. The opening prayer was led by Smt. Saramma Eapen (Principal, Vanitha Mandiram). Shiju Sam Varughese (programme coordinator, Pennamma Bhavanam) delivered the welcome speech and in his talk he reported on the women's day workshop organised by pennammma bhavanam and KCC at Kottayam. In the presidential address Rev Dr. John Panicker (Principal, Episcopal Jubilee Insitute of Evangelism, Kompadi) emphasised the need for thinking together on women's issues. Dr. Sr. Shalini Mulackel delivered the lecture on the preconditions of a dalit womanist theology in the indian context and explained the salient features of the same as a contextual theology. The dalit penn theology is based on the dalit women's experiences, she pointed out. The lecture was followed by discussions. Sr shalini responded to the questions.

Rev Dr. C.P. Mathew (EJ Institute) gave the vote of thanks. More than 90 people attended the lecture.

Rev.Dr. John Panicker L. (Prinicipal, Episcopal Jubilee Institute of Evangelism, Kompadi)

Presidential Address
Dr. Sr. Shalini Mulackel (Professor, Vidyajyoti Theological College, New Delhi)
Lecture

The Audience

Programmes in JULY 2008

1. Ecumenical Forum
In the context of the controversy over the new SCERT textbooks, an ecumenical forum was launched to formulate a faith response to the same and so far three meetings were organised to discuss different aspects of the dispute. The forum will publish the papers presented on the issue as a booklet to reach a wider community.
2. Sister Mercy Kuttianil Remembrance Get-together
A get together was organised on 6 July 2008, 2 pm at the Pennamma Bhavanam, to commemorate late Sister Mercy Kuttianil, who was actively involved in the fish workers’ struggles in the 1980s and 90s. The memories of the peoples’ movements in the 1980s and 90s were shared by the participants and the need for collective action in the contemporary political context was affirmed.
3. Public Lecture: Demigods and Spirituality
With the intention of reaching out the wider public in Tiruvalla, we are organising public lectures on regular basis. The first public lecture was a faith response to the issue of demigods and the false spirituality that is rampant today. It was organised on 19 July 2008, 4pm, at the YMCA Hall, Tiruvalla. Bishop Thomas mar Athanasius delivered the lecture and the session was chaired by Rev. M.J. Joseph, the chairperson of the trust. More than sixty people attended the programme.
4. Film Viewers’ Collective
In association with the Literary Club of the Mar Thoma College, Tiruvalla, a collective of students who are interested in films was launched. The collective will meet on alternative weekends to watch and discuss films. The first meeting of the collective was on Saturday, 26 July 2008, and the Hindi feature film Tare Zameen Par was screened. 18 students are now members of the collective.
5. Pennamma Bhavanam goes Online

We have started a blog (http://www.pennammabhavanam.blogspot.com/) and an online discussion forum (pennammabhavanam@googlegroups.com) to be in constant touch with the global network of friends and well-wishers of Pennamma Bhavanam. We urge all of you to join the discussion forum and to visit the blog.