*
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)
so good to see the struggle continue in good faith. my prayers are there for all of you who so admirably standing by The American College. i just wanted to express my admiration appreciation and my support in the struggle in getting The American College back to where it belongs.
ReplyDeleteDear Reuban and all my friends who follow this blog: There is nothing much one can do now except to accept the present situation and work carefully and systematically to achieve what we all wish to achieve. Nothing is lost as of now. I think what our Dr. Anbudurai is doing at present is correct. Going slowly and cautiously with lot of patience is the need of the hour. One should not be over acting. The experiences of the last four years tell us that justice canot be found with the help of outsiders (Courts / police etc). Justice has to be found within ourselves. Goodwill of all those working in the College at present is important. It may be wise for some of us retired persons to remain calm and give our blessings to those in the campus at present. Rajendra Pandian please excuse. VS
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