The Garden of Unitarian*Universalism Unit 9: India

Unitarianism in India

The Orchid

The Garden of Unitarian*Universalism (12/2005) by Melinda Sayavedra and Marilyn Walker may not be published or used in any sort of profit-making manner. It is solely for the use of individuals and congregations to learn about international Unitarians and Universalists. Copies of the material may be made for educational use or for use in worship. The entire curriculum may be viewed and downloaded by going to http://www.icuu.net/resources/curriculum.html This project is funded in part by the Fund for Unitarian Universalism. Every effort has been made to properly acknowledge and reference sources and to trace owners of copyrighted material. We regret any omission and will, upon written notice, make the necessary correction(s) in subsequent editions.

* The asterisk used in this curriculum in Unitarian*Universalism stands for “and/or” to include Unitarian, Universalist and Unitarian Universalist groups that are part of our international movement. The flower shape of the asterisk helps remind us that we are part of an ever-changing garden.

India p. 2

Unitarianism in India: The Orchid

Table of Contents for Unit 9

Preparing for this Unit p. 3 Session 1: History and Context/ Beliefs and Practices

Preparing for Session 1 p. 4 Facilitating Session 1 p. 4-5 Handout: A Native Flower p. 6-9

(with pre- and post-reading activities) Handout: Keep on Progressing p. 10-12

(with pre- and post-reading activities)

Session 2: Small Group Worship Preparing for Session 2 p. 13 Facilitating Session 2 p. 13 Handout: Small Group Worship - India p. 14

Harvesting: Additional Activities p. 15 The Tool Shed: References and Resources p. 16-17 Please note that if you are accessing The Garden of Unitarian*Universalism from the Internet, the Small Group Worship Order of Service is a separate document and must be downloaded separately http://www.icuu.net/resources/curriculum.html.

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Unitarianism in India: Preparing for this Unit

This unit is divided into two sessions. Session 1 covers the history and context of Unitarianism in India and the beliefs and practices of Khasi Unitarians. Session 2 is a Small Group Worship service in a covenant group format in honor of Unitarians in India.

Facilitators should look over the entire unit to be prepared and comfortable with the

material and the flow of the unit, and to decide which session(s) or parts of a session to cover, which activities to do, and how long to spend on each part.

For each session, facilitators should make copies of the readings and accompanying

questions and hand them out in advance of the meeting time, or ask group members to access the material online at http://www.icuu.net/resources/curriculum.html. This gives participants time to read and reflect on the material before sharing with the group.

The group or facilitator may choose one or more activities from the list under Harvesting

(p. 15) to do as a group after discussing the readings. These activities have been designed to honor other ways of learning, to create more informal ways to make connections with one another and to add variety to the group meetings.

Some groups may prefer to cover this unit in three meetings by focusing on the History and

Context at the first meeting, Beliefs and Practices at the second meeting and the Small Group Worship at the third meeting, depending on their time frame, how the class is set up (whether it is a weekly class, a workshop or a retreat), and the interests of the group. If this is the case, the group may want to include a Harvesting activity after both the first and second sessions. Some groups may prefer not to do the activities and just do the readings and accompanying questions for reflection and discussion. We have tried to allow for flexibility.

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Unitarianism in India

I. HISTORY AND CONTEXT/BELIEFS AND PRACTICES Preparing for Session 1 ___ Make copies and hand out in advance the article, A Native Flower (p. 6-9) and

accompanying pre-reading question, or have members read the material online at http://www.icuu.net/resources/curriculum.html.

___ Make copies and hand out the article, Keep on Progressing (p. 10-12) and accompanying post-reading question, in advance.

___ Make copies and hand out The Tool Shed: References and Resources (p. 16-17) in advance. ___ Choose, or have the group chose, in advance, one or more activities from Harvesting:

Additional Activities (p. 15) to do after your discussion. Prepare materials needed for the chosen activities.

___ Invite members to bring items from India to display. ___ Arrive early to set up your room. You may want to use a plaid cloth to cover your chalice

table. ___ Set up a chalice. Have matches handy. ___ Bring a map or globe on which you can locate Chennai/Madras and the Khasi Hills. ___ Display an orchid and/or a photo of orchids. ___ Have Indian folk music or music by an Indian musician such as Ravi Shankar playing in the

background. ___ Make copies of handouts for the next session you plan to cover. ___ Look over the instructions for facilitating the session to be prepared and comfortable with

the material and the flow of the session.

Facilitating Session 1 1. Welcome participants and invite those with items to display to put them out on a table,

perhaps next to the chalice. 2. Chalice lighting: God is our Father-Mother. All people are his children. Both males and

females like brothers and sisters, be they rich or poor. – Hajom Kissor Singh, Khasi Unitarian. 3. Check-In/Announcements:

Give everyone in the room an opportunity to tell their names and a high or low point of their week. Make announcements about today’s session and upcoming sessions as needed. Choose an additional activity from Harvesting (p. 15) for next time, if appropriate. Distribute handouts for the next session you plan to cover.

4. Locate Chennai/Madras and the Khasi Hills on a map or globe. 5. Allow members to quickly and silently reread the articles and look over their notes. 6. Ask members to share their answers to the exercise, (Tilling, p. 6). What other images do they

have of India? Were they surprised to learn that the Khasis are quite different from many of the images they have of India and its people?

7. Ask members to tell what “Keep on Progressing” means to them (Hoeing, p. 12). 8. Ask members to share other ideas and questions they had from the articles. 9. When discussion has wound down, extinguish the chalice: Let all truths we have heard abide

in us so that our lives may be worth living. – Anonymous, Khasi Hills, India (adapted).

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11. Gather for your Additional Activity from Harvesting (p. 15), if your group decided to: the

Partner Church game, cooking, planning a social action project, making a collage and bulletin board display, listening to the travel experiences of others – whatever you and your group have chosen to do.

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Unitarianism in India: The Orchid

Handout: A Native Flower

Tilling Make a check mark next to the words that best describe your image of India and its people. Add your own ideas to the list.

___ vegetarianism ___ plaid clothing ___ saris ___ Hinduism ___ the Flaming Chalice ___ Ganesh, the Elephant God ___ spicy curries ___ Sunday church services

Planting Now read the article on the history and context of Unitarianism in India.

A Native Flower

Like the orchids that grow plentifully in the area, Unitarianism has found favorable conditions for germination in the Khasi Hills. Within a radius of 50 miles in the highlands of northeast India live 98 percent (over 9000 people) of the country’s Unitarians. (A small but important community of Tamil Unitarians exists in Chennai, formerly Madras, India. It traces its history back to 1795, when a Tamil man returned to Madras after being taken to England as a slave, having taken the name, William Roberts, and the religion, Unitarianism. (See The Tool Shed: References and Resources, p. 16.)

To understand the development of Unitarianism in northeast India it is important to understand the environment in which it took root. The northeastern states of India are separated from the rest of India by the country Bangladesh. Little is known about the early Khasi people. They were a matrilineal tribal people who came to India from Southeast Asia and settled in the upland center of Meghalaya, the mountainous northeastern most part of India where Jaintia and Khasi Hills meet. The Khasis are one of numerous tribes in the region that have never been Hindu or Muslim but have always retained their own indigenous religion, Ka Niam Khasi. Before the British came in the 1800s, there were three major tribes in Meghalaya: Khasi, Garo, and Jaintia. All had independent tribal governments and traditional native religions. The Khasi speak Cherrapunjii, a dialect of the Mon-Khmer language of the Austro-Asiatic family which had no written component in India until the 1840s.

The Khasi culture differs dramatically from typical images of continental India, their culture and ethnic background being more akin to southeast Asia. They are not vegetarians, they do not typically cook with spicy curries, and they do not wear saris. In fact, a visit to the Khasi Hills will leave you with the image of a marketplace filled with nuts, bananas, papayas, pineapples, vegetables of all kinds and animals, both dead and alive, for sale, and of men, women, and

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children wrapped in shawls made of woolen tartan plaids, remnants of the Scottish influence (Van Leer, 2004).

The native Khasi religion was neither Hindu nor Muslim and had no temples or churches, holy books or ministers. It was, according to tradition, a religion based on the belief in one formless living god (UBlei) who was omnipotent, omnipresent, and omniscient. They considered it a sacrilege to symbolize God or to picture God in any shape or form. The religion taught that through service to others, one serves God. At the same time they believed in gods and goddesses of rivers, streams, jungles, etc. Their religion was based on conciliating good, evil and ancestor spirits through animal sacrifices to these gods and goddesses. The indigenous Khasi religion is still practiced by many in the region. But whether Christian, Unitarian or Ka Niam Khasi, religion was (and remains) inseparable from all that happens in their lives. The Reverend John Rex tells us that religion is passed on within the home “through a complex traditional system of family, clan, tribal organization, and governance” (Rex, 2001).

In 1835 the British imperialists built a road through the northeast region of India and made it part of the Indian state of Assam. With the arrival of the British came waves of Christian missionaries – the largest group being the Welsh Calvinists. By the early 1840s they had written the Khasi language using Roman (Western) letters and had translated the Bible into Khasi. It was not long thereafter that they opened missionary schools and created a monopoly in education. Rex points out that “with a written language tied to the imposition of colonial government, the only way for tribal people to progress was to learn to read and write by attending missionary school and enduring proselytizing” (Rex, 2001). By 1887 Christianity had established a stronghold in northeast India and had launched a large-scale evangelical movement.

This period of Indian history must be seen as a remarkable period for the Khasis. Though Christianity insinuated itself rapidly throughout India, it provided a means for the development of Khasi prose, poetry, and song as well as stimulating thought on religious and spiritual matters. Christianity was soon followed by the arrival of scientific humanism and rationalistic ideas which further stimulated thought and questioning (Marbaniang, 2002). Also factoring into the broader context of the time were the 19th century social and religious reform movements which reached as far east as Shillong and Cherrapunjii in Meghalaya. Many among the reformers were Brahmos, members of a liberal Hindu movement believing in monotheism and dedicated to eliminating social abuses in India.

It was into this culture that the founder of Khasi Unitarianism was born in 1865. Hajom Kissor Singh was the eldest of two sons born into a family that followed the Khasi traditional religion. Singh was well-read, inquisitive and even in his childhood, showed interest in spiritual and religious matters. He and his brother attended missionary school and at age 15 Singh converted to the Reformed faith of the Welsh missionaries.

Singh’s inquiring mind propelled him to continuous study and questioning of spiritual and religious ideas and led him to become disenchanted with his adopted Calvinistic faith. He observed that the Welsh missionaries had done away with the superstitions, fear of demons, and sacrifices integral to the Khasi tribal religion only to replace them with a fear of hell. He concluded from his independent search for truth and meaning that there was no basis for belief in the Trinity or for the Calvinist preoccupation with sin, hellfire and damnation. The missionaries’ message of election, damnation and salvation – by belonging to a certain church and professing a certain creed – was, reasoned Singh, incompatible with the teachings of Jesus as he read them for himself in the Gospels (Marbaniang, 2002).

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“He felt further that the (Calvinistic) message, based as it was on fear, was not the one that

would redeem his people, fear-ridden as they were by their own primitive demon-haunted, pre-Christian religion” (Marbaniang, 2002). It was Singh’s belief that the power in the teachings of Jesus would save them from their own fears and give them a new sense of dignity as members of the human race (Marbaniang, 2002). The heart of the Gospels is found in the message of divine love. This love casts out fear, overcomes evil with good, and recognizes the essential divinity and potential splendor of the human spirit. Unable to persuade his fellow Christians that the essence of Christianity was to be found in Jesus’s way of life and values rather than in a scheme of salvation by blood or by faith, Singh broke away to seek “the true religion of Jesus, the love of God” (Lavan, 2001).

Finding a spiritual home in neither the traditional Khasi religion nor in the religion of the missionaries, Singh continued his study and his questioning, inviting conversations with others about his nascent beliefs. Drawing on traditions from both the Christian and tribal religions, he formed a “new” religion which he called a Religion of One God (“Ka Niam Mane Weiblei”). Singh’s new religion was created at a time when Christian missionaries were making inroads in these northeastern highlands, undermining, criticizing, disparaging and threatening traditional Khasi culture and religion – an interesting climate for a new religion to take root.

Orchids in the Khasi Hills grow on trees, mossy rocks and on the ground, getting the nutrients they need to thrive in a variety of ways – from soil, from insects, and from decaying leaves that fall among the root masses. The same can be said of the development of Unitarianism in the Khasi Hills. Singh’s new religion thrived by taking nutrients from both the tribal customs and from Christianity. Singh maintained the core of the Khasi traditional belief system including the covenant requiring Khasis to follow a code of clan behavior in all personal, family, clan and tribal matters, but omitted beliefs and practices such as the reading of omens and animal sacrifice. Singh’s religion of one God provided many Christian elements to Khasi religion as it had been practiced: churches, a liturgy, Sunday services, and group worship (Rex, 2001). And yet the new religion was neither the tribal religion nor Calvinism, just as the orchid and its nutrient sources are not the same. Due to the seed of free inquiry and reason, Singh’s religion blossomed into a flower quite separate from its hosts.

When in his early 20s, Singh learned from a Brahmo convert that he was not alone in his belief in one beneficent God. Jope Solomon told him that in Calcutta there was an American Unitarian minister, Rev. George Appleton Dall, who held beliefs like his own. There ensued an eager exchange of letters and through those and the writings of William Ellery Channing (which Mr. Dall had sent him), Singh discovered that there were many others, called Unitarians, who shared his faith. He thereafter called his faith “Ka Niam Unitarian” (The Unitarian Religion).

Singh did not immediately start a society of Unitarians but, as would have been the tradition, began by gathering friends into his home for religious discussions. Until his untimely death in 1886, Dall continued to write and send Unitarian publications to Singh. Singh was bereft at Dall’s death and worried that without his friend and mentor he would not be able to continue his work. “I confess that I have got great light from him,” he wrote in his diary; “I hope to further the cause of Unitarians in the Khasi Hills but now that my helper has died it will be very difficult to do this alone” (Lavan 2001).

But he was not alone. It wasn’t long before Singh was in regular communication with Jabez T. Sunderland, editor of the Unitarian Magazine, the publication of the American Unitarian Association. Sunderland became a source of major assistance to the Khasi Unitarians. Funds he

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solicited for them were used to print copies of Singh’s book A Book of Services and Hymns in the Khasi Language in 1892.

On September 18, 1887, an anniversary date Khasi Unitarians still celebrate, Hajom Kissor Singh led his first church service in his home. One woman and two men joined as the first members of this new church. By 1899, under Singh’s leadership, Khasi Unitarians numbered 214 with average attendance at services of 148. Although the state of Meghalaya, where the Khasi Hills are located, is primarily Christian (Unitarians make up only one percent of the population), today the Khasi and Jaintia Hills Unitarian Union includes thirty-two scattered congregations in Meghalaya and Assam with a growing membership of over 9,000 people; quite a land of orchids! Almost all these churches maintain non-sectarian pre-primary schools for the children in the village. There is a quarterly newsletter published by the Unitarian Union.

In 1987, though separated by hundreds of miles and very different cultures, the Khasi Unitarians and the Christian Unitarian Church of Chennai joined to form the Indian Council of Unitarian Churches. Since its infancy Khasi Unitarians have maintained relationships with Unitarians around the world, first through the International Association for Religious Freedom (IARF) and then through ongoing connections with the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) and the British Unitarians, and now through the International Council of Unitarians and Universalists (ICUU) which was founded in 1995 (Rex, 2001). Extending its outreach further, the Khasi Unitarians hosted an ICUU-sponsored international youth conference in 2003.

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India p.10 Beliefs and Practices

The Orchid: Unitarianism in India

Handout: Keep on Progressing

Keep on Progressing

Though Hajom Kissor Singh, the founder of Unitarianism in the Khasi Hills, was never ordained, he devoted his life to preaching, starting churches, and growing the religion he started. He provided strong leadership and by example set the precedent for lay-led rather than clergy-led services. Today, ministers in the Unitarian Union are called Church Visitors. Each is responsible for 3-5 congregations. Church Visitors are usually unpaid volunteers with some special training. Efforts are underway to develop standardized training for Church Visitors.

Sunday is the day of worship for Unitarians in the Khasi Hills. This day of worship begins at 7:00 AM when the children gather for the Children’s Worship service which they conduct themselves. Children’s Worship is followed at 10:30 by Sunday School classes.

Worship for all begins at 1:30 in the afternoon. Each service is comprised of readings, hymns, prayers and a sermon given by a member of the congregation who is the service leader for the day. The evening is spent in “home service” which begins at 6:30 PM. A different family hosts the service each week. On Wednesday nights there is a special service and Saturday night services are held for and led by young people.

Sunday school classes use lesson plans which are the same for all Khasi Unitarian churches and which are in some measure based upon The Book of Brief Questions about Unitarianism, written by Hajom Kissor Singh and his colleague U Robin Roy. The Unitarian Union is currently working to improve teaching methods and to expand curriculum materials in Sunday schools.

In The Book of Brief Questions about Unitarianism Singh defined Khasi Unitarianism in terms of duty to God, to fellow humans and to oneself. John Rex outlines Brief Questions in the following way: “[it is] divided into six chapters that are intended to give instruction in the Khasi Unitarian faith. The first two chapters deal with the subject of God, and these are considered essential training for children. Three of the middle chapters deal with duty: our duty to God, fellow humans and ourselves, making it clear that Unitarianism, as with the tribal Khasi religion, is a dutiful religion. The final chapter deals with sin, which is defined as not doing one’s duty or going against the commands of God” (Rex, 2001).

Unitarianism does not build its movement on creeds or dogmas, but on the continuing search for truth and understanding. Of prime importance, then, is the use of reason and conscience. Therefore this faith must be seen and experienced as a dynamic faith, adapting to changes brought about through discovery and new experiences.

The principles of Unitarian faith in India that sustain this dynamic, strong community of believers are as follows:

UBlei - There is only one ever-loving God who creates and sustains the universe. As we are all God’s children it is our duty and responsibility to “cultivate universal human brotherhood, love and peace. We are also to promote concord and harmony and go hand in hand with science” (Marbaniang, 2002).

A committed belief in the forgiveness and the love of God overlies all. As American minister Eva S. Hochgraf (who lived and worshipped with the Khasi Unitarians for five months), informs us that this is not the western Judeo-Christian

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concept of God, but their own original tribal understanding of God – a mother-father, creative, nurturing, ever-present force of love in their world.

God’s word is not only found in Biblical scripture and holy books but can be found in the universe itself which is God’s creation and in all things created which are his words. Significant to the belief in God is the Khasi Unitarian belief in the Fatherhood and Motherhood of God. This concept is deeply rooted in traditional Khasi culture and faith which is matrilineal and commands Khasis to know maternal and paternal relations and follow a strict clan behavior (Van Leer, 2004).

Jesus is seen not as the actual son of God but as a great teacher and a leader to follow. His two teachings were to love God and to love fellow humans.

The Bible was written by God-searching people and has both truths and errors in it. Holy books from other religions can help gain a better understanding of God. But for Khasi Unitarians the words of God are not confined to holy books. Truth is not static but ever-evolving (Van Leer, 2004).

Heaven and hell are not geographic locations but states of being here on earth, states of mind and states of the soul. Salvation depends on our character and how we live this life. “Live a good life, spreading the love of God and you will experience heaven. Live a life of doing wrong, and your life will be hell” (Hochgraf, 2001).

In the service of humankind we strive to be kind and honest, causing harm to none. The chief concern of humankind is the present, Khasi Unitarian Plielad Lyngdoh tells us. “It is seen as our duty to make this world and ourselves the very best we can become. Humankind is erring and floundering but always aspiring” (Lynghdoh, 2002).

The flaming chalice is a symbol of Unitarianism used lavishly in the Khasi Hills: atop buildings, in windows, on gates, even knit into sweaters. In illustrations it is frequently seen with the phrase (adopted by Singh), “To Nangroi” (TOO-nahng-ROY) which means “Keep on Progressing” – a simple command but one which demands a lot from those who wish to follow it.

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Hoeing As a religious affirmation, what does “Keep on Progressing” mean to you?

Harvesting Has your group decided to do any of the Additional Activities from Harvesting (p. 15) following the discussion of the reading? If so, prepare any materials you might need.

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Unitarianism in India

II. SMALL GROUP WORSHIP

Preparing for Session 2 ___ Make copies and hand out in advance Small Group Worship – India (p. 13), or have

members read the material online at http://www.icuu.net/resources/curriculum.html. ___ Make copies of the handouts for the next session you plan to cover. These will be handed

out when you meet for Session 2, Small Group Worship. ___ Download and copy the Order of Service for the Small Group Worship – Unitarianism in

India which is a separate file, http://www.icuu.net/resources/curriculum.html. ___ Choose, or have the group choose, in advance, one or more activities from Harvesting:

Additional Activities (p. 15) to do after your Small Group Worship service, if appropriate. Prepare materials needed for the chosen activities.

___ Invite members to bring items from India to display at the Small Group Worship service. ___ Look over the instructions for facilitating the session and the Order of Service to be prepared

and comfortable with the material and the flow of the session.

Facilitating Session 3 Small Group Worship is designed to be a worshipful time for self-reflection and for connecting with one another. The Small Group Worship for India is based on a covenant group format which is now being used at many international U*U meetings and conferences. (See Thandeka, 2002 in references). After creating the space and preparing the materials, simply follow the Order of Service.

Space ___ Arrive early to set up your room. Create a worship space that is different from how the space

usually looks. ___ Set up a chalice. Have matches handy. A plaid tablecloth would be appropriate. ___ Display an orchid and/or a photo of orchids. ___ Have Indian music such as the music of Ravi Shankar playing in the background. ___ Invite members to display items from India next to the chalice. Order of Service If you haven’t already, download, copy and have available the Order of

Service for the Small Group Worship. It has been designed to be printed or photocopied front to back and folded. Read through it carefully so you can lead it comfortably.

Songs If you are not familiar with a chosen hymn or don’t have the music for it, feel free to substitute a different hymn that has a similar theme.

Preliminaries This is a time to make announcements and to ask for volunteers to help with the Small Group Worship tasks. If you are using this curriculum in a retreat or workshop setting and will be following the group worship with one of the additional activities listed in Harvesting (p. 15), you may want to announce your agenda and what you need from the group.

After the Service Distribute handouts for your next meeting if appropriate. If you haven’t done so already, you may want to make plans to do one of the activities listed in this unit (See Harvesting, p. 15) following this Small Group Worship. There are many to choose from including playing the Partner Church Game about Khasi Unitarians.

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Handout: Small Group Worship – India After you have read the articles and reflected on Unitarianism in India, you are ready to share in Small Group Worship.

Small Group Worship Your facilitator will download and have ready the Order of Service for the Small Group Worship Service – India http://www.icuu.net/resources/curriculum.html. Bring an item from India, if you have one, to display at the service. The Small Group Worship for India is based on a covenant group format that is now being used at many international U*U meetings and conferences. (See Thandeka, 2002 in references). There is no article to accompany the Small Group Worship service, only an Order of Service which is a separate file and will be downloaded and copied by the facilitator. While participating in the Small Group Worship, listen deeply to the words of hymns, prayers and readings. Listen deeply to the words of others in your group as feelings and ideas are shared with one another.

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Harvesting: Additional Activities Below are activities that you might want to do later as a group or at home with family and friends. 1. According to Khasi Unitarian belief, “The chief concern of humankind is the present.” What

are your thoughts on this outlook? Plan a social action project for your group or congregation that reflects this concern of the present. You might organize a food drive, collect personal care items, volunteer at a soup kitchen, clean up a public beach or park, raise funds for a charity.

2. Play “Partners! In Khasi Hills.” This game can be downloaded from the Unitarian Universalist

Partner Church web site: www.uua.org/uupcc/re/introductions/khasi-hills-lesson-plan.htm. While this was originally created for use with young people, adults will enjoy it as well.

3. Illustrate or dramatize one or more of the stories of famous Indian Unitarians or of British

Unitarian women who chose to work in India from McEvoy, D. (2003). Credo International: Voices of Religious Liberalism from Around the World. Del Mar, CA: Humanunity Press, pages 125- 140. You can divide into smaller groups, each group working with part of the story, and then get back together to share the illustrations or dramatizations.

4. Before your next group meeting, search the Internet for more information about NE India, the

Khasi Hills, and Khasi Unitarians. Collect facts, photos and images to bring to the next meeting for a collage or poster designed by the group. Display your finished product on a bulletin board in your church or fellowship.

5. Khasi Unitarians have a religious affirmation “To Nangroi” which means “Keep on

Progressing.” Come up with a phrase that would serve as a religious affirmation for you or for your congregation. Design a chalice symbol to go with your affirmation.

6. Design a worship service for your congregation in honor of Khasi Unitarians. 7. Prepare a Northeast Indian dinner. There are many recipes on the Internet. You can find some

at: http://www.recipesource.com/ethnic/europe/india/indexall.html http://recipes.indiaserver.com/north-indian-recipes.html.

8. Find out more about the history of Unitarians in Madras/Chennai. See McEvoy, D. (2003).

Credo International: Voices of Religious Liberalism from Around the World. Del Mar, CA: Humanunity Press, p. 125- 128. British and American Unitarians declined to send missionaries to Madras when a Unitarian group was first developing there in the early 1800s which was a great frustration to Moodelliar Vellzha (William Roberts). Discuss the notion of Unitarian missionaries in the past and today.

9. If members of your group have lived in, traveled in or had personal experience with India, set

aside time when they can share what they know with the group. 10. Your own ideas.

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The Tool Shed: References and Additional Resources

General Assembly of Unitarian and Free Christian Churches. (2004). Unitarians Worldwide: India. Retrieved March 28, 2004 from http://www.unitarian.org.uk/worldwide_p-r.htm

Hochgraf, Eva S. (Sept. 30, 2001). Journey to the Khasi Hills. A sermon. Retrieved April 15, 2004 from http://www.uuaa.org/sermons/sermons_Eva.htm

India Meghalaya Information. (n.d.) Retrieved April 15, 2004 from http://www.1upindia.com/states/meghalaya/

International Council of Unitarian and Universalists. (2004). Unitarian Church of India. Retrieved March 28, 2004 from www.icuu.net.

Lavan, Spencer. (Sept. 4, 2001). Hajom Kissor Singh. A sermon. Retrieved April 15, 2004 from http://www.cvuus.org

Lavanhar, M. (June/July 1995). “Unitarians of India.” UU World. Also quoted in sermon by Rev. Johanna Nichols. See reference below.

Lyngdoh, Plielad (2002). “Unitarian Theology in India” A Global Conversation: Unitarian/Universalism at the Dawn of the 21st Century. (p. 156-162). Prague: International Council of Unitarians and Universalists.

Marbaniang, P. G. (2002). “Unitarianism in Northeast India” in A Global Conversation: Unitarian/Universalism at the Dawn of the 21st Century. (p. 252-264). Prague: International Council of Unitarians and Universalists.

McEvoy, D. (2003). Credo International: Voices of Religious Liberalism from Around the World. Del Mar, CA: Humanunity Press.

Nichols, Johanna (Nov. 4, 2001). Unitarians of India. A sermon. Retrieved April 15, 2004 from http://www.cvuus.org/sermons

Northeast India Unitarian Union Homepage: http://www.uunei.com

Pariat, D. (2002). “Chennai (Madras), India.” A Global Conversation: Unitarian/Universalism at the Dawn of the 21st Century. (p. 228-230). Prague: International Council of Unitarians and Universalists.

Partner Church Council at http://www.uua.org/uupcc/

Rex, J. (March 2001). “Khasi Unitarians of India.” Quest. Available from www.uua.org/clf/quest/archives2001.html www.uua.org/uuhs/duub/articles/hajomkissorsingh.html

Rex, J. (n.d.). A Big Picture of our Faith. Retrieved April 15, 2004 from www.communitylink.gopbi.com

“Society-Khasi.” (n.d.). Retrieved April 15, 2004 from http://lucy.ukc.ac.uk/EthnoAtlas/Hmar/Cult_dir/Culture.7852

India p.17

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