FRIENDS OF SERAMPORE
The UK support group for one of the greatest and most historic of India's Christian institutions, which still has a vital and unique role to play.
FRIENDS OF SERAMPORE The UK support group for one of the greatest and most historic of India's Christian institutions, which still has a vital and unique role to play. |
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Extracts from the February 2004 newsletter...
We begin with extracts of a letter from the Principal in mid-December:
Warmest greetings from warm Serampore. The last month has
been quite hectic for us here. Let me give you the highlights: Nov.28 - We had a
celebration of the 175th year of the Royal Danish Charter. The Vice-Chairman
of the University Grants Commission was our Chief Guest.
( In an earlier letter the Principal mentioned the much enjoyed annual
match between students and staff, in which "the staff team graciously
conceded two goals to the students; I was prepared to join but did not
because there were others who were more fit to play"!) |
Accreditation by the University Grants Commission (the reference to the NAAC above) has been a major project for the Arts-Science Dept, aimed at enabling the college to offer post-graduate courses for Calcutta University degrees.
In January, we received an e-mail from the Principal which updates the above letter:
...I
acknowledge with thanks the receipt of your Cheque. It came at a time
when we badly need money. |
That cheque: we were in the
end able to send £2500 as in the previous year. This provided the salary
for one member of Theology staff, with a little over towards other expenses
as above, but we left ourselves with very little reserve as a buffer for future
years. Three donations during the year were in three figures - take those out,
and the figure would drop to £1400. We know that many of you would love
to be able to give more and that small amounts are often sacrificially given
and of great worth, but to all of you we make this appeal:
Subscriptions,
whether annual or one-off for life membership, do very little more than
cover the cost of secretarial expenses and of keeping you informed. Your
extra donations are all-important and you no doubt became members because
you realise the great significance of the college's work. Because the
college is inter-denominational, it is not the responsibility of any one
body. Please, please do all you can so that we may not only meet our commitments
in future (including the journal subscriptions) but also be able to send
substantially more. And we need new members, especially younger ones. We are preparing a new 'Invitation to Join' leaflet, intended for those who we know have visited or have some connection with Serampore — do ask for copies if you could use them.* |
In our last
newsletter we commented in connection with the doctoral research of one of the
Theology staff, 'What would William Carey have made of Peter Singh's subject
"The challenges of I.T. and the digital divide for the formulation of a
Cybertheology"?' This drew a fascinating response from one of our members:
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He brought to India leading edge technology - a steam
printer. He taught Indian craftsmen to maintain, repair and make copies
of the steam printer. He was so successful as a teacher that, when the
disastrous fire wrecked the printing hall, he was able to restart within
months.
He was so successful as a manager that when he died there was no let up in the printing press. In modern parlance, he had introduced working practices that were 'robust and durable'. Indeed, Carey had so much confidence in the staff that he launched two newspapers which had to be produced to deadlines Yet few, if any, of the staff were Christians. They worked for him because they appreciated the working environment he gave them. Carey
described the purpose of Serampore College in 1818 as to teach 'Indian
philosophy and western science. 'William Ward had been teaching western
science ever since he arrived and the Serampore printing house may have
been the first example of a deliberate policy of 'technology transfer.'
What a contrast with the 'official' British policy of keeping the technology
to themselves and making the colonials pay through the nose for it with
their raw materials. |
So,
a 21st century William Ward would certainly have gone with the very latest
Linux computer software; he would have implemented Unicode (the universal
computer alphabet that covers every known language) and he would have published
Carey's translations as well as his books on Indian flora and fauna and
forestry management on the Serampore website.
He would have trained Indians to maintain, repair and develop the hardware and software; he would have gone out into villages with solar panels, robust computers and a satellite link and taught villagers how to use the computer to connect via the satellite link to the Serampore website and all the teaching materials that Carey and Marsh man were making available. Carey
was aware of the work of the members of the Lunar Society, a group of
leading non-conformist scientists and thinkers, before he went to India.
He would have welcomed anyone who could provide him with the very latest
technology to use in the service of God and for the people of India. |
We would
add that Edward has just finished reading Sunil Chatterjee's John Clark Marshman
and found his achievements to be on the same scale as those of the founding
Trio themselves. Left as the only one to carry on the enormous responsibilities
they left behind (above all the college itself) he created the income necessary
to meet them by his literary labours (including production of the Friend of
India, which was eventually incorporated into the Statesman newspaper), his
paper mill (the first in India), his educational and law textbooks (one of which
was for years the civil code of India and 'probably the most profitable law
book ever published') and his official salary as Government Translator. On his
death he was said to have known as much about Indian affairs as if he had been
PA to four successive Viceroys. Oh, and he probably did more than any other
single pioneer for Indian Railways! He did also 'quarrel energetically in pamphlets
with everybody whose zeal or intelligence he deemed less than his own'!
Our website, www.friendsofserampore.org.uk has brought some interesting correspondence
but so far no new members. However, our hope that people searching the internet
for references to the college would become aware of us has certainly been fulfilled
- we have just checked "Serampore" on www.google.com and we are the
first item listed! Well done, Steve.
We close with warmest good wishes and greetings, and our prayer which we make with you all for God's blessing on the College in all its work and witness. And please don't forget that appeal:
Your
extra donations are all-important...Please do all you can.
Edward & Rosemary (Secretaries)
Full details
of income and expenditure are in the newsletter.
To become a member, click here.