Monday, July 9, 2012

AN OPEN APPEAL




*



AN OPEN APPEAL 

TO THE CHAIRMAN, THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF

THE AMERICAN COLLEGE
                                             

                                                                                                                                       July 09, 2012


Dear Dr.Riesz:

Greetings to you!

We hope you are aware of the recent developments in the American College issue. As we know an agreement has been signed between Dr.P.R. Anbudurai (the Principal-in-Charge as appointed by the Governing Council of the college) and the Moderator of the CSI who is presently the Chairman of the Governing Council. Other signatories to the aforesaid deal are Dr.Chinnaraj Joseph, Former Principal and Secretary, Dr. Davamani Christober, who falsely claims himself to be the present Principal and Secretary, and one Dr. Chelladurai from the Madurai Kamaraj University who has been acting as a facilitator at the behest of the Moderator.

The very first article of the agreement claims that this college is “belonging to the Church of South India (Diocese of Madurai-Ramnad)”. This phrase, as you know, with its layers of implication, is a blatant and outrageous lie which will have far reaching and unacceptable consequences, if left unchallenged. Dr. Anbudurai tells that he signed the paper as he was assured by the lawyer that this paper had no legal validity. Besides, he also says, as the leader of the struggle and ‘administration on exile’, he had to take chances as he could not wait to get the management staff reinstated. We know how admirably Dr.Anbudurai was leading the struggle even in impossible conditions: non-cooperation, subversion, and betrayal from different quarters. Nevertheless, it is unacceptable that he signed the paper in question unilaterally, without consulting any of those he represented, and also unhelpful that he delays convening the Governing Council to discuss the issue.

In this context, as we are working on getting the council convened at the earliest, we also deem it fit to request the Trustees—the founders and donors of the college—to make it known to the parties concerned and even to the public on a “TO WHOMSOEVER IT MAY CONCERN” basis (it may be possible through a press-release as the struggle progresses) that the claim of the CSI Moderator is blatantly false. We, as those who are part of the struggle for winning back the freedom and sovereignty of the college, together with its traditional management and administration, remember with gratitude how candidly Dr. Charles Ryerson and you alongside Dr. Carl Jacobson of the Oberlin Shansi Association have condemned the unscrupulous aggression of the church. And you, even at a personal level, have been consistently raising your voice against it till this day. We greatly appreciate that. The same way, we earnestly request you—the Chairman of the Board of Trustees—to correspond with the Moderator and other signatories and point out: IT IS FALSE AND ILLEGAL TO CLAIM THAT THE AMERICAN COLLEGE IS “belonging to the Church of South India”.


We thank you.

Regards,
D. Samuel Lawrence
G. Sam George
M. Rajendra Pandian
(Former Members of the Governing Council)

Wednesday, July 4, 2012

AN APPEAL TO THE AMERICAN TRUSTEES

*

Prof. RAJENDRA PANDIAN appeals ..........

Besides appealing to the Governing Council I think we can also urge the stakeholders abroad to think about doing whatever is possible to contain the situation. We need to place it before them as a strong plea—Prof.DSL may recall that we discussed it months ago. 
Our friends overseas have not been secretive about their support to the college as it is originally theirs: they are the founders of the college and the donors of its property.  Even if they are not involved in “micromanaging” the college on its every day affairs this is the most exigent hour when the Council members may need their backing. Like how they have been reacting on the blogs against this encroachment from the CSI they can also work to make their voice heard by these land-grabbers, their colluders and others concerned.
 I recall how the late Bishop rather naively remarked in a Council meeting that he hadn’t heard of anything like the Board of Trustees until they wrote to him from the US asking about the commotion that erupted following the appointment of Dr.Chinnaraj Joseph as Principal. We must ensure that the Trustees as an important constituency of stake holders of this college is known to and reckoned with by the government and the courts of law. Their view and will on the issue should be made available to the individuals and agencies involved in the resolution. As a step toward that the Board may officially correspond with the brokers of the dubious deal and make it known that they cannot rob Peter to pay Paul.


*