The passing of the Emeritus Archbishop of Changanacherry Mar Joseph Powathil marks the end of an epoch that will leave its imprint upon the Syro Malabar Church and especially, the community of Changanacherry and Kerala at large. A deep thinker, courageous leader and above all a man of God, Mar Powathil set great value on personal relationships and nurtured friendships intently. As a go-between, I could witness the display of a close bond between him and the late Dr Scaria Zacharia, internationally renowned linguist, orator, Malayalam Professor in St Berchmans College, and Sree Sankara Sanskrit University. Both men have been part of the S B community whose presence leaves a great heritage of excellence S B can boast of.

I recall when in September 2015, Dr Scaria Zacharia was appointed Professor, Herman Gundert Chair at Tubingen University, Germany. Changanacherry citizens’ forum decided to organise a meeting to felicitate him in a newly constructed hall upstairs. Scaria Sir, being my guru and mentor, I got associated with the conduct of the meeting. As member of the organising committee, I was designated to invite HG Mar Joseph Powathil to the meeting. On appraising, the Secretary informed me that the Archbishop did not participate in functions held outside our institutions, and that he had difficulty climbing the stairs. When I visited him for the purpose, Mar Powathil recollected his association with ‘Scaria’, from his hostel days in the1960s and told us to leave the details with the Secretary. This gesture left us guessing in suspense: will or will not HG participate in the function? For our apprehension, there was an added reason, which is to be understood in terms of a prehistory, so to speak! The story is as follows.

The association between these two started in 1963, when Fr Joseph Powathil, was appointed Lecturer in dept of Economics of St Berchmans College, with the additional duty of the wardenship of St Joseph’s Hostel. Scaria Zacharia, from Edathua as a PUC student, was an inmate of the hostel. Thus their relationship commenced as the hostel warden and ward. Fr Powathil was also chaplain of AICUF (All India Catholic University Federation).Scaria, an active member, was elected secretary of AICUF, S B unit. In this capacity he did attend several National conferences of the AICUF. Graduating in Physics, Scaria changed over to the pursuit of literature, joining for masters in Malayalam. His gifts as a talented public speaker distinguished him on the campus and won the Sachivothama Shastiyabda Poorthy Memorial Gold medal for the best speaker instituted by Kerala University in 1968.The following year Scaria joined as faculty in the Dept of Malayalam. For a short period of three years, the former hosteler and his warden served as Colleagues in neighbouring departments.  

In 1972 Mar Powathil was consecrated the first Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Changanacherry which cut short his career at Oxford to return home to assume charge under Mar Antony Padiyara. When Scaria Zacharia married Marykutty on 19 November, 1972 Mar Powathil was the chief celebrant to bless the wedding.

1980-83 Scaria Zacharia took the lead along with Sri N V Krishna Warier in the Malayalam translation of the Bible, a project of Hosana Mount, Pala. From 1982 to 1984, Scaria Zacharia was appointed the first layman Secretary of the Pastoral Council of Changanacherry Archdiocese. During the period 1984-87 Scaria sir was Research Scholar at Kerala University under Faculty Improvement Programme of the UGC (FIP)earning his doctorate in 1992 on the topic A Grammatical Analysis of  Early Missionary Malayalam Prose Texts and the thesis was submitted in English. Known as a Bible scholar, he was a much sought after speaker at Christian functions.

Unearthing the documents of Dr Herman Gunderdt from Tubingen University in 1986, opened a new area of Indo German cooperation in the world of Malayalam linguistics and history, eventually earning Dr Scaria Zacharia the Alexander Von Humboldt fellowship at the said university.

At the behest of the Archbishop Mar Joseph Powathil, Dr Scaria Zacharia initiated the setting up of a discussion forum Maneesha in 1991. A few conferences were held, notable among them was the one on education, where four Vice Chancellors participated. In 1994, he left SB to join as Reader in Malayalam at the newly started Sree Sankara Sanskrit University, Kalady.

It is now a thing of the past though the controversy still plagues us in a certain way – the matter of the reformation of the Syro Malabar Liturgy. Prof Scaria Zacharia had a difference of opinion regarding the revision of Syro Malabar liturgy which Mar Powathil initiated and had strong convictions about.However Prof Scaria openly opposed the official position and did not hold back his opinions regarding this. In the popular imagination this might have created confusion though; I think this did not affect their friendship and mutual regard in any way. This was the background for the suspense in our mind on the participation of Mar Powathil at the meeting. I too thought that Mar Powathil may decline the invitation. However I was in for a surprise and a pleasant one at that.

Setting aside any inconvenience with regard to opinion or physical discomfort of any kind, Mar Powathil so gracefully accepted the invitation, did climb the stairs, inaugurated the meeting and delivered the benedictory speech. This cleared any doubt anyone had on the relationship that existed between the two. Later, when both of them were in a state of declining health, Mar Powathil participated in the meeting held (December 2019), to felicitate Dr Scaria Zacharia on completion of 50 years of teaching, in a recorded video message.

During the funeral of Dr Scaria Zacharia on19 October 2022, the message from the Emeritus Archbishop, Mar Joseph Powathil, was read out at the Cemetery Church of St Mary’s Cathedral, Changanacherry. I recall that the message mentioned that Scaria Zacharia had personally presented to him a copy of almost all the books he had published.

This is the tale of a sixty year bond that started as a Hostel warden and ward in S B campus, evolving over the years in a unique way transcending differences, of whatever kind, and setting before us a model of what genuine academicians, leaders and friends should be like. Salute to these immortals who will forever live in the shining heritage of Changanacherry and of course, that of St Berchmans.

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