MM Thomas - Life, Legacy and Theology

THEOLOGY OF MADATHILPARAMPIL MAMMEN THOMAS
The other difference I observed was that in the early seventies MM was a modernist who
believed in technology driven development. He said: We first have to pollute a bit more in
order to produce enough to distribute. Twenty years later he had become much more of
an ecologist.
Which of his thoughts have influenced you most?
GD I was very moved by the way he struggled with the quest for personhood in
community. He knew that individualism was not really an option. But for transforming
communities from all their casteism, patriarchy and communalism, it was necessary to
address the problem of structural sin. For this, spirituality for combat was required. But in
order not to turn totalitarian in the process, MM emphasized the suffering servant as
opposed to the conquering king of colonial history. [Rachel: See the chapter in my
book about the "Suffering" Servant. Today I would add, that "Conqueror and
Sufferer condition each other", "Victimizers exist as long as self-victimizers exist"]
I could resonate with this trend of thought very well. In his old age, MM became a great
supporter of social movements and was very close to the NAPM which became very
active in the mid nineties. I still miss him very much.
What was your response to the Emergency 1975-1977? How do you see this period
looking back on it today?
GD When the Emergency was declared in the summer of 1975, we happened to be in
Europe. Our period with CISRS, which had extended over three years, was over and we
were waiting for our working visa to join TTS. Suddenly there was this headline in the
Boulevard Press: “Most powerful woman in the world arrests hundreds of men in their
beds”. We got a terrible shock because we thought this was the end of our visa. But
funny enough we got them very fast, because the administration had become more
efficient. We came back to TTS in October 1975. We noticed that the progressive forces
were divided in their assessment of the Emergency, as the CPI was supporting it, while
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