Akok Amer
Pastor, Impur Baptist Church
There are many good hospitals in India and one among the excellent hospitals which I’ve ever come across is the Christian Medical College and Hospital in Vellore. Twenty years ago when I came to Vellore for a treatment, I noticed it as a small town centred for healing with few hotels and lodges for the patient. The roads were small then with the railway station connecting to the small town.
Young evangelical clergymen of twenty members from different churches under ABAM travelled to Vellore for a short term therapeutic counselling at the Dr. Prashantham Instituted for Counselling Psychology (PIC) under Christian Counselling Centre accredited by Martin Luther Christian University. The program was initiated by ABAM and perhaps we were told that our team is the 24th batch ever since the program started for ABAM in partnership with the CCC. It was worth learning and listening to a prominent senior psychologist Dr. B. J. Prashantham from a psychological perspective in doing counselling. The methodology of teaching was purely practical in teaching and above all took us to the CMC hospital visiting the wards and counselling the patients.
On the lighter side of understanding, counselling to us is taken for granted and least bothered subject for the development of a person, family or the community health in other words, the social peace and harmony. However, it is primarily the particular relationship between people that leads to healing, growth and change. We do have lot of personal hurts in our body, mind and soul, so also with our social and religious values of life. What we’ve learned from Dr. Prashantham with regard to mental health consist of three attitudes: First, the apocalyptic attitude to history, it means that no matter what I do, we are moving towards doom and destruction. The second is messianic attitude, which means, whether we do anything or not, everything is going to be all right. The third attitude is the prophetic attitude, which means that we as a human beings the crown of the centred order, have also been given the responsibility and a challenge to administer the all-important resources of this planet in a way that would bring happiness to all, to bring peace to all God’s children irrespective of race, religion, caste, community, nationality etc.
The core understanding of solidarity irrespective of faiths and races is best exemplified here in Vellore. The community living in harmony, the workplace becomes the worship centre of respect, the sirens that we here every passing minute is not a siren of vvips travelling but the transport of the patients to the hospitals. The people in general are so humble with low profile representation despite of their reputed services and personalities. The Vellore fort in Tamil Nadu is rich and complex built in 1566 by Chinna Bommi Nayak and Thimma Nayak. The fort that withstood a siege by Hyder Ali. A place where Tipu Sultan’s family and the last king of Sri Lanka were kept as prisoners during British rule. Today, inside the fort we see the tall religious harmony standing peacdefully with Jalakanteswarar Hindu temple, the Christian St. John’s Church (1848) and a Muslim mosque built adjacent to each other. The beauty of the fort with temple, church and Mosque are maintained by the Archaeological Survey of India. Another lesson we’ve learnt from them is, everyone respect everyone. As a good citizen of the country we should also learn the peaceful nature of their life.
The administration of the CMC is much respected to learn that there are approximately 11,000 employees under one administrative head for 8 campuses. One of the unique features of the institutions is the department of chaplaincy which is present at the patients’ side to offer support and morale, an important aspect in times of hopelessness. It was an astonishing moment for us to see all faiths coming together to worship in Christian manner. The issue of conversion and non conversion is not the subject here. What focuses most is the prayer of hope and the divine healing. What we as a Christian lack most is the absence of Christ in us. Our visiting lecture was a director of counselling centre from Vellore Institute of technology Dr. Prabhu Christopher once an atheist challenged the preachers carrying bible in our hand while going for preaching. This to him, was just a societal act of expression. But he said, the bible or the scripture should be in us, Christ message should reflect in us even without carrying the Bible in our hand. Is that not a reversal teaching to our meta-modernism Christians?
Counselling here is instituted in hospitals, educational institutions, juvenile centres, police cadres, prisons, administrators, nursing centres and religious centres all for the cause of healing, growth and peace of the community, family and individuals. It is called the city of healing because the of the enormous health centre and hub of medical facilities, religious harmony that bring all faith together, social equality, peaceful environment and humble leaders who associates with every section of people without prejudices. The Government of Tamil Nadu and the surrounding states adapted the importance of counselling and arrange counselling programs for the bureaucrats and the law makers here at the Counselling centre. It was worth taking a short term counselling. Thanks to Dr. Prashantham, Rev. Swapna and Mr Lipok Jamir (chaplain Vellore). We also wish that every church, government and NGO’s take initiative to built better relationship between people that lead to healing of our land, for the growth and bring changes. Certainly with such imperative implications we want our state witness heaven here on earth.