Report of the Interfaith Round Table on
Disability held on 25th August 2016 at Tamilnadu Theological
Seminary
The National Council of
Churches in India - Indian Disability Ecumenical Accompaniment (NCCI – IDEA)
and World Vision India joined the Tamilnadu Theological Seminary, Tamilnadu
Christian Council, Engage Disability, Christian Service Agency, Church of South
India – Diocese of Madurai–Ramnad and the Madurai Interfaith Initiative
in organizing an ‘Interfaith Round Table on Disability’ on 25th
August 2016 at Tamilnadu Theological Seminary, Madurai on the theme “Faith
Journey Together Towards Inclusive Communities’.
70 faith
practitioners from different faith backgrounds including clerics, lay leaders, students
of theology, philosophy, secular studies, research scholars, theological and
secular educators, social and development workers and representatives from
different interfaith initiatives participated in this round table representing
the major faiths including Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, Dalit,
Folk and also Secular Ideologies.
The round table started
with a Buddhist prayer by monks. Rev. Dr. Kanagu Nelson welcomed the gathering.
The Coordinators shared greetings from Rt. Rev. Dr. M Joseph, Bishop CSI Diocese
of Madurai – Ramnad and Dr. Esther Kathiroli, Secretary Tamilnadu Christian
Council. Rev. Dr. David Rajendran, Principal, Tamilnadu Theological
Seminary, inaugurated the Round Table by joining different faith
representatives in lighting the ‘kuthu vilakku’. Rev. R. Christopher Rajkumar
(NCCI) and Dr. Christopher Baskaran (World Vision India) shared greetings from NCCI and World Vision and introduced the round table.
Rev. Dr. David
Rajendran, in his inaugural address informed the participants that the entire Christian world is getting ready to commemorate 500 years of Martin
Luther’s Reformation in 2017. 500 years ago the ‘reformation movement’ questioned
and countered the oppressive and discriminating faith practices of that time
and the reformation helped the adherents to get away from oppressive components
in their faith journey. He further called upon the faith communities
to work towards reformation in contemporary times in order to promote and uphold inclusive
society through our spiritualties, faith expressions and religious practices, and to completely eliminate and eradicate oppressive and discriminating practices
in our societies by expanding the inclusive realm to all the religiously,
socially, culturally and historically excluded communities including ‘People
with Disabilities’ (PWDs).
