Luminous Footprints

Lancy Lobo, a Jesuit, has served as the Director of the Centre for Social Studies, Surat, later was the founder and director of the Centre for Culture and Development, Vadodara. He was an International Visiting Fellow (Georgetown University, Washington, DC). He has authored, co-authored, and co-edited 30 books and scores of mimeographs and articles. Currently, he is Research Director at the Indian Social Institute, Delhi.Denzil Fernandes, a Jesuit has served as the Executive Director of Indian Social Institute, New Delhi, and Editor of the quarterly social science journal Social Action from 2015 to 2023. From June 2024, he is serving as Professor at Indian Social Institute, Bengaluru. He was conferred the Delhi Minorities Commission Human Rights Award 2019 for his work on human, civil and minority rights in India.

‘This excellent book is a balanced and perceptive account of the Christian presence and impact on India. Tracing the different forms of Christianity in India, it highlights their influence in different spheres of national life and shows the depth and degree of contribution a minority of 2.3% has made. It challenges the current attempt to popularise and act on the Hindutva based definition of India and its people. It rightly urges the country to return to the far more convincing view of India as an open minded and open hearted society, generously welcoming all its people. I recommend the book to all interested in India and in global minority politics.’—Professor Bhikhu Parekh, House of Lords, London, UK.‘Luminous Footprints: Christian Impact on India, is an eloquent testimony to the enormous contribution of Christians to India's development. This book is being published in the context of the increasing attacks on Indian Christians by Hindu extremists. This intolerance and violence threaten to undermine the enormous work being done, especially by the Catholic church, on India’s road to development, especially in the areas of education and health.’—Nandita Haksar, Human rights activist and Author‘Christians see themselves as Indians first, their religious identity taking a secondary place. The forces of Hindutva oppose them because, being based on high levels of social and gender inequality, the majority of the population of Hindus are excluded and deprived due to the caste system. Drawing on Jesus' teachings and practices, Missionaries seek to bring about equality but end up becoming a thorn in the flesh for the Hindutva forces who falsely claim to be Hindus. I would strongly recommend that this book be widely disseminated in society at large, especially among those seeking to understand the interrelationship between power, religion, and nation-building.’—Amit Mitra, Independent Researcher‘The book chronicles the magnificent contributions of Christian communities and individuals in promoting education, healthcare, and nation-building. It demonstrates their adaptation to the local ethos, linguistic assimilation, and contribution to inter-religious engagement in promoting peace, harmony, and development. Inspired by Christian values of love and compassion, the book presents a unique assemblage of activities and practices that reflect the actual values of fraternity enshrined in India’s Constitution.’—R.B.Bhagat, Former Professor and Head, International Institute for Population Sciences, Mumbai

• List of Figures. Foreword. Preface and Acknowledgements. List of Abbreviations 1. Introduction 2. Education 3. Health and Social Welfare 4. Scientific and Economic Development 5. Political, Administrative and Professional Services 6. Language, Literature, Art and Culture 7. Christian Encounter with Other Religions 8. Conclusion. References. Index