ECOLOGICAL AND SUSTAINABLE
EDUCATION – A CMI VISION FOR 2030
1. Common
Home in Christian Spiritual Tradition
A recent doctoral thesis in
English Literature by a Malayali nun (Rev. Sr Alphonsa FCC) studies the
Christian tradition of environmental sensitivity as seen through the Christian spiritual
literature - starting with the first book of the Bible to the writings of
modern saints like St. Theresa of Lisieux and other Christian authors through
the centuries. She presents a very rosy picture of the Christian literature,
almost proving that there has been a consistent ecological (under)current as
part of Christian spirituality throughout. However, the lived history of
Christian societies often diverged from this theological ideal.
Though the thesis proves a point,
an objective survey of human history, especially with the establishment of
Christianity as the official religion of many nations, reveals that human and
common home interface had been one of 'exploitation' of non-human elements as
resources for human material benefit, leading to endangerment and disappearance
of many species. It often lacked any reflection regarding the other
beings as fellow creatures, with humans as the crown of creation (Ps 8) having
the vocation and responsibility (call and command) to take care of them
as faithful stewards with the task to ‘till and keep’ (Gen. 2:15; LS 67).
A radical rethinking of Christian
life as a creation spirituality is seen with St. Francis's thinking and living
in the 12th century. However, that was more of an exception to the norm of
ruthless control and exploitative use of the earth's resources as the ones
given the mandate to 'be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and
subdue it...rule over ... every living creature...They will be yours for food'
(Gen 1:28-29). Whether it was the scriptural mandate that led to the
unbarred exploitation of the rest of the created world by humans (even of other
human populations by the invading dominant cultures to the extent of promoting the
slave trade), or whether that merely endorsed the human tendency for the same,
is debatable. Parallel to this Western trajectory, other civilizational
traditions evolved markedly different relationships with nature.
1. Human
Interface with the Common Home: Dominant Western Culture and Other Cultures
This culture of exploitation, which
historically evolved as a predominantly Christian-European industrial culture,
could be contrasted with the culture of indigenous communities across the
planet, which ensured that the rest of the creatures are not used wantonly,
using them rarely beyond the limits of their needs. Even very established
civilisations like that of India, as seen from the Indian scriptures
(Sanskrit-Hindu; Pali-Buddhist), indicate a culture of reverence and awe, and a
less invasive approach to utilising them as resources.
Two Vedic texts are indicative of
this spirit, though the majority of Indians might be unaware of them:
- "यत्ते
भूमे विखनामि क्षिप्रं तदपि
रोहतु | मा ते मर्म
विमृग्वरि मा ते हृदयमर्पिपम्
||"
- (yatte bhūme vikhanāmi kṣipraṃ tadapi rohatu | mā
te marma vimṛgvari mā te hṛdayamarpipam ||) (Atharva Veda
12.1.35)
- What of thee I dig out, let that quickly grow over,
Let me not hit thy vitals, or thy heart”.
While accepting the need to
extract from the planet, the action is accompanied by the prayer so that the
process may not be fatal, and that the wound or gap thus created may be healed
or filled soon with new growth.
ॐ द्यौः शान्तिरन्तरिक्षं शान्तिः
पृथिवी शान्तिरापः शान्तिरोषधयः शान्तिः ।
वनस्पतयः शान्तिर्विश्वेदेवाः शान्तिर्ब्रह्म शान्तिः
सर्वं शान्तिः शान्तिरेव शान्तिः सा मा शान्तिरेधि ॥
ॐ शान्तिः शान्तिः शान्तिः || (Atharva Veda
19:9:14-15)
This prayer seeks peace on all
realms of the common home - its atmosphere, earth, water, vegetation, energy
sources and in human subjects, almost implying the interconnectedness of all
beings for sustained peace!
Though the majority of the
Indians remained excluded from the knowledge mainstream, the dominant culture
of frugal living had percolated down to all realms, with the likely exception
of the very small minority of ruling and, in some cases, priestly classes.
When the Sanskrit tradition articulated such lofty sentiments, the vast
majority of society performed the function of making the earth productive,
leaving provisions for its rejuvenation. The indigenous communities followed a
pattern of sustenance bordering subsistent living by harvesting the abundance
of the Mother Earth, hardly ever taking more than what they needed.
2. Education
and Alienation from the Common Home – Indian Experience
It can be observed that the more
educated (in the conventional sense of the term) the more alienated the
individuals and community from the common home.
This can be very well observed in the Indian context.
3.1. Introduction of
Western education (early 19th century)
With Lord Macaulay’s Minute
on Education (1835) and the establishment of English-medium
institutions:
- Education in India, whatever its spread or status, shifted
from local knowledge (agriculture, crafts, Ayurveda,
philosophy) to Western science, literature, and rationalism.
- Practical, nature and faith linked learning was
replaced by bookish, abstract education.
- Manual labour and indigenous technologies were
devalued in favour of clerical, urban professions.
- The idea of “progress” became tied
to industrialisation and consumption, not harmony or balance.
A gradual cultural detachment
from traditional ecological wisdom and a rise in aspiration for Western-style
modernity and material comfort became mainstream thinking, with a swelling
educated middle class becoming the ambassadors of the new culture as the
beneficiaries of the new education system.
3.2. Economic and
lifestyle transitions
- Ashis Nandy (1983) shows how Western education
restructured Indian consciousness, leading to self-alienation and a
craving for Western lifestyles. It helped Indians enter colonial
bureaucracy and professional classes, drawing people away from village-based,
low-impact livelihoods.
- This encouraged urban migration, the
use of imported goods, and dependence on the cash economy.
- Handicrafts and handlooms declined,
while industrial goods rose, leading to ecological and social
disruption.
- Education created a mindset of comparison —
seeing the West as the model, leading to consumerist aspiration. Local
knowledge systems lost prestige; the “educated” became alienated
from the rhythms of the land. By the mid-20th century, economic
success became the new virtue, displacing contentment and
moderation.
- Madan (1997) and Varma (1998) discuss
how Western-educated Indians developed urban, consumption-oriented
lifestyles detached from rural realities. Frugality, a trait of the Indian
lifestyle, came to be seen as “backwardness”, while
abundance and ornamentation were linked to modernity.
3.3. Paradoxical outcomes
— reformers and revivalists
However, Western
education also produced critics of modern excess:
- Mahatma Gandhi, educated in Western law,
used that exposure to critique industrial civilisation (Hind Swaraj,
1909), advocating “simple living and high thinking” and
an education (Nai Talim) for skill-based
self-sufficiency (Iyer, 1973). Tagore’s Santiniketan and Aurobindo’s
philosophy (leading to the experimental commune in Auroville)
sought to blend scientific rationality with ecological and spiritual
rootedness.
- Thus, the same Western framework that disrupted
traditional sustainability also generated awareness and
intellectual tools to defend it.
- Since the late 20th century, the rise of environmental
movements and sustainability studies (ironically again influenced
by Western thought) is creating a slow rediscovery of the
significance of the traditional Indian frugality.
3. The
Ecological and Educational heritage of
the first Indigenous Christian Religious Society in India (CMI)
Against this background of
dominant Christian (western) culture with its 21st century critique
by Pope Francis, and the modern Indian development agenda influenced by Western
education imposed upon the Indian people, I would like to examine the CMI Christian
spiritual tradition of India. Now on the threshold of completing two centuries
as a 'spiritual movement', it is worth looking at the CMI heritage of
sustainable living.
Starting with Mannanam, CMIs held
a tradition of having a life dependent on the wise management of the land,
hardly ever treating it as a spiritual core, rather as a reasonable response to
the needs based on the culture of the time; at the best treating it as response
to the predicament to 'earn one's living by the sweat of one's brow' (Gen 3:19).
They built land assets and while engaging in the ministry of the word in
various modes, made their engagement with the land earning a living by
that.
It synced well with the Carmelite
spirituality of 'orare et laborare' (literally, to pray and to labour),
implying a combination of contemplation and action, including cultivating the
land. Their monasteries always remained centres of biodiversity, fruit trees,
shade trees and areas demarcated for vegetables and paddy, making the term
'Carmel' (garden of God) a lived reality.
However, the reflection of the
material progress and consequent culture of India was seen within the CMI
circle as well - diversity had easily been substituted by monoculture, as that
appeared more affordable and lucrative. The development of CMI institutions had
led to the CMIs being more focused on educational and social welfare-oriented
institutions, and gradually moving away from the conventional engagement with
the land in the production of food. Even the floral biodiversity of the
campuses became more ornamental than sustainable (read, indigenous). The
movement from lived ecology to institutionalized education mirrors the broader
Christian journey from stewardship to managerial modernity.
The CMI educational institutions
in the post-1950s (post-independence period of India) registered remarkable
growth in terms of number and quality, and have been rated well for the same. However,
the ecological movement or education emerging in the late sixties and
mid-seventies did not find the CMI educational institutions becoming any
exception to the general lackadaisical response to this scenario by the
mainstream educational institutions. The middle of the 2010s saw CMI
institutions waking up to the demands of energy transition, safe food, etc.
Some institutions initiated efforts to tap renewable energy sources, generally
inspired by its economics, and some models or tokens in the direction of
biodiversity, organic farming, food production, etc., were also
initiated.
While Mitradham energy centre at
Chunangumvely launched as an extension centre of Sacred Heart College became a
model and pioneer in sustainable energy education (1997), Rajagiri College of
Social Sciences, through its extension services, established several replicable
models. Mundanmudy solar village (where 390 families were supported to have
solar energy for lighting and running water supply based on gravitational force
requiring no pumping - 1998), biodiversity register, wealth from waste
(vermicomposting) project leading to income generation, bio-gas unit to manage
domestic toilet and kitchen waste etc. Both Rajagiri and Sacred Heart campuses
were recognized with awards by the state government for their contributions in
biodiversity and energy management. Similar efforts in the direction of
community education were pioneered by the Social Service Centre of Preshita
province, Coimbatore at Palakkad.
4. The
Laudato Si Challenge for Education for Sustainability
The Catholic Church had been
making token utterances regarding the importance of a sustainable lifestyle as
a Christian duty from the time of Pope Paul VI, who is said to be the first
Pope to use the term 'ecological crisis'. He did use forceful language in
1971 in Octogesima Adveniens, warning that humanity "by an
ill-considered exploitation of nature," risks destroying it and becoming
"in turn the victim of this degradation."
Pope John Paul II, in his World
Peace Day message on January 1, 1990, called Christians to a life of 'Peace
with God the Creator, Peace with All of Creation'. He termed ecological
crisis as a 'moral crisis' leading to the 'uncontrolled exploitation of nature'
and destruction of 'the earth's varied forms of life'. He designated St.
Francis of Assisi as the patron saint of Ecologists in 1979. Pope
Benedict was called the Green Pope. In his encyclical Caritas in
Veritate (2009), he emphasised that the environment is part of
“integral human development” and established ecology as 'the grammar of
creation' through his teachings. He introduced solar panels in the Vatican,
leading to it being made 'carbon neutral' in 2008-09. However, the Church
mainstream never took it seriously as a matter of Christian education or
Christian spirituality. There were exceptions to it, and some exceptional
works were being accomplished by Catholic agencies, especially those in the
field of social development.
Then came Pope Francis, and his
encyclical 'Laudato Si'. It was a 'glasnost' in the Church towards the reality
of environmental issues, ranging from global warming to climate change, always
having a reference to the suffering humans, especially the poor. In 2015
(June), this work stood as a light leading the world nations to the path of the
2030 goals for sustainable development (September 2015). The encyclical stands
out with a chapter devoted to Ecological education. While what Pope
Francis did was that of a comprehensive re-presentation of the ecological
thinking since the mid-60s, with an aligned re-reading of the Biblical texts,
he did manage to make the mainstream Church to start talking about the
ecological crisis and introduced insightful terms such as 'integral ecology'
and 'ecological conversion'. All the same, after 8 years, he realised
that this aspect has yet to get integrated into Catholic spirituality as he
expresses in Laudate Deum.
It is worth the while exploring
the key elements of 'ecological education' as proposed in Laudato Si (chapter
6).
5.1. Education for Sustainability and Human Solidarity
Laudato Si’ views education
as the seedbed of ecological conversion — a lifelong process that
reshapes our relationship with ourselves, nature, others, and God. The present
ecological crisis cannot be addressed by any single discipline.
- Holistic humanism and interdisciplinary
learning: “We urgently need a humanism capable of bringing
together the different fields of knowledge, including natural sciences, economics,
ethics and spirituality in the service of a more integral and integrating
vision” (LS 141). For this, education must integrate local
knowledge, cultural diversity, and community-based innovation in
addressing environmental challenges.
- Freedom for research: Continued, open
scientific inquiry is vital to understand ecological realities and develop
solutions (LS 140). Such integration promotes innovation
and entrepreneurship grounded in ethical and ecological
responsibility — creative solutions serving the common good rather
than profit alone.
5.2. Solidarity with Local
Cultures and Indigenous Cultures
Solidarity as an ecological
virtue: As Caritas in Veritate (2009) notes, “Every
violation of solidarity and civic friendship harms the environment.” Hence,
ecological education must form people for solidarity, cooperation, and
civic friendship. Such solidarity demands dialogue with local cultures:
- “A consumerist vision of human beings, encouraged
by the mechanisms of today’s globalized economy, has the effect of
levelling out differences” (LS 144). Imposing one
“dominant lifestyle linked to a single form of production” can easily
consume cultures which are on the periphery and may be as destructive as
damaging ecosystems themselves which may be culture-dependent (LS 145).
- This requires solidarity with indigenous
communities that teach that the land is sacred — a gift from God
and the ancestors that must be protected while lived upon (LS 146).
5.3. Education for the
Common Good and Intergenerational Solidarity
Education should form consciences
to recognize that the Earth is our common home, and that
sustainability involves justice between generations:
- “Sustainability and intergenerational solidarity
are inseparably linked” (LS 159).
- Education must help people to recognise the world
is a gift, not a possession. It must pose the question before
the learner: Do we hand it over richer or poorer? Our
dignity depends on this moral accountability (LS 159–161).
- The unsustainable pace of consumption and waste
“can only precipitate catastrophes… The effects of the present imbalance
can only be reduced by our decisive action, here and now” (LS 161).
Education must train the learners to start with their lifestyles, rightly
presented by the Indian Prime Minister as Mission LiFE (Lifestyle for
Environment – Pro-planet People - https://missionlife-moefcc.nic.in/aboutLiFE.php)
at COP26 in Glasgow in 2022.
Thus, education for
sustainability is education in responsibility, gratitude, and
hope — empowering individuals to act today for the well-being of
tomorrow.
5.4. Education to Counter
the Culture of Consumerism
Laudato Si’ identifies consumerism
and postmodern individualism as roots of the ecological crisis:
- “Mass man accepts the gadgets and technics forced
upon him… they are the forms of life itself” (Romano Guardini, cited
in LS 203).
- “The emptier a person’s heart is, the more he or
she needs things to buy, own and consume” (LS 204).
Education must therefore cultivate interior freedom — the
capacity to find joy in simplicity, not in possession.
- It should lead the learners to accept “Purchasing
is always a moral – and not simply economic – act” (LS 206);
and going further to engage in the unavoidable act of consumption as a spiritual act tinged with a spirit
of sacrifice, as enunciated in the ancient Sanskrit wisdom tradition of
Isa Upanishad:
Īśāvāsyam
idaṃ sarvaṃ yat kiñca jagatyāṃ jagat,
tena tyaktena bhuñjīthā mā gṛdhaḥ kasyasvid dhanam (Isa Upanishad 1:1)
“All this —
whatever exists in this changing universe — is pervaded by the Lord.
Enjoy (or protect) it with renunciation.
Do not covet, for whose is wealth, really?”
5.5. Education for
Ecological Citizenship
Laudato Si’ proposes
a broad vision of ecological education that:
- Begins with scientific information,
leading to moral and spiritual awareness.
- Critiques myths of modernity:
individualism, instant gratification of needs, unlimited progress,
unregulated markets, and utilitarian thinking.
- Promotes harmony within ourselves, with
others, with nature, and with God (LS 210).
It calls for forming simple habits
of care:
“Avoiding the use of plastic and
paper, reducing water consumption, separating refuse, cooking only what can be
consumed… planting trees… reusing something instead of immediately discarding
it, when done for the right reasons, can be an act of love” (LS 211).
The Mission LiFE presents a set of such simple habits under energy, water,
food, waste management - single-use plastic, e-waste, bio-waste, etc.
Education must lead beyond
“information” to habits and virtue, forming ecological
citizens who act out of love and responsibility towards every member
of one’s Common Home (vasudhaiva kutumbakam – the earth indeed is the
family).
5.6. Spaces and Agents of
Ecological Education
Ecological formation is a shared
task of family, school, media, community, and Church (LS 213–214):
- Family — the “first platform” of
environmental education, nurturing gratitude and moderation and learning
to live accommodating others.
- Schools & Universities — learning
the fundamentals of environmental education, and practices and attitudes
that lead to sustainable lifestyles, developing aesthetic appreciation of
the world around, fostering interdisciplinarity in research and innovation
in problem solving, and a sense of moral responsibility.
- Political institutions — to promote
awareness and accountability, but also to nurture self-discipline
and moral motivation through sound policies and community education.
- Pope Francis says, “Good education plants seeds
when we are young, and these continue to bear fruit throughout life”(LS 213).
Such education of the people to form ecological citizens with changed lifestyles,
even through consumer movements and boycotts, can exert “healthy
pressure” on power structures (LS 206), as has been
amply demonstrated by the Indian independence movement.
5.7. Aesthetic and
Spiritual Formation
Pope Francis includes Churches
and seminaries as spaces for aesthetic and spiritual formation — to
form the people in “responsible simplicity of life, grateful contemplation of
God’s world, and concern for the poor and the environment” (LS 214). It implies:
- On-going catechesis of the community - appreciating the human position as
embodied, and thus being part of the physical environment, and having
responsibility for its care and conservation for future generations, “not
optional or secondary” but integral to a life of virtue (LS 217).
- An education ensuring aesthetic sensitivity and
spiritual depth (LS 215–217) with the ability “to
admire beauty in the world around us” that fosters protection and
reverence, and for “deep enjoyment free of obsession for consumption” (LS 222)
leading to the biblical wisdom that “less is more” (contentment
devoid of exploitative accumulation of goods).
- Catechesis must teach that being protectors of
creation is Gratitude, gratuitousness, and compassion (LS 220)
help us relish our communion with all beings.
- Training of candidates for priesthood and religious
life as ministers who would be leaders of a Christian spirituality that
extends to human relations with other human beings (especially the poor),
and other beings of the Common Home.
- Creating platforms for people of other faiths and
people who profess to have no faith in God or religion, where the reality
of the Common Home and its sustainability could be a starting point for
collective and collaborative action.
“Education in environmental
responsibility can encourage ways of acting which directly and significantly
affect the world around us” (LS 211).
Laudato Si’ envisions education
for sustainability as a conversion of the heart and
imagination — moving from consumerism to communion, from isolation to
solidarity, and from exploitation to stewardship. It unites science,
ethics, culture, and spirituality in forming persons who live
gratefully, act responsibly, and hand over to future generations a more
habitable and humane world.
In this way, Laudato Si’
presents ecological education as the moral heart of sustainable development,
anticipating and complementing the secular vision soon formalized in the SDGs.
5. The
Challenge of 2030 Goals of Sustainability - SDG 4 - Education for Sustainable
Development (ESD)
It is heartening to note that the
vision of the Church revealed through this official teaching is very much in
alignment with the aspirations of the secular world articulated in the light of
scientific and economic calculations. It is not certain whether the emergence
of both these documents in 2015 was a mere coincidence or if Pope Francis had
anticipated such needs in the COP21.
It is pertinent here to examine
the global consensus achieved in this regard with the landmark Paris climate
change summit of 2015. Among the 17 global goals in the direction of
sustainable development accepted by the world nations, the fourth is: Ensure
inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning
opportunities for all. It has seven
targets as given below:
SDG 4.1. Primary &
Secondary Education: By 2030, ensure that all girls and boys complete free,
equitable and quality primary and secondary education leading to relevant and
effective learning outcomes
SDG 4.2. Early Childhood: By
2030, ensure that all girls and boys have access to quality early childhood
development, care and pre-primary education so that they are ready for primary
education
SDG 4.3. Equal Access to TVET
& Higher Education: By 2030, ensure equal access for all women and men
to affordable and quality technical, vocational and tertiary education,
including university.
SDG 4.4. By 2030,
substantially increase the number of youth and adults with relevant technical
and vocational skills for employment, decent jobs and entrepreneurship.
SDG 4.5. Equity and
Inclusion: By 2030, eliminate gender disparities and ensure equal access
to education and training for vulnerable groups
SDG 4.6. Literacy and
Numeracy: By 2030, en.sure that all youth and a substantial proportion of
adults achieve literacy and numeracy.
SDG 4.7. Education for
Sustainable Development & Global Citizenship: By 2030, ensure that all
learners acquire knowledge and skills needed to promote sustainable
development, including:
• education for sustainable development (ESD) and sustainable lifestyles;
• human rights;
• gender equality;
• promotion of peace and non-violence;
• global citizenship;
• appreciation of cultural diversity and of culture’s contribution to
sustainable development.
Indicators: SDG 4.7.1 – Extent to which (a) global
citizenship education and (b) education for sustainable development are
mainstreamed at all levels in:
(a) national education policies;
(b) curricula;
(c) teacher education; and
(d) student assessment.
Three additional targets are
listed as 4.a. (infrastructure and learning environment), 4.b. (scholarships as
part of development assistance) and 4.c. (availability of qualified teachers). These are targets which each of the
institutions in the field of education (basic and higher) ought to examine and
ensure that quality is ensured, maintained and possibilities of improvement is
sought.
SDG 4.7 stands as the secular
articulation of the very educational vision Laudato Si’ calls for. The
lead agencies that support monitoring and implementation of this agenda are UNESCO
(custodian agency), UNEP, and UNFPA, which could serve as a bridge between the
secular and religio-spiritual platforms to ensure and enhance the common good.
The challenge now is to translate
these commitments into everyday pedagogical and institutional practice. In this
context, the CMI vision and practice can be transformed as an instructive
example.
6. The
CMI Pro-active green vision - The CMI Environment
Policy 2022
It is a matter of gladness and
pride that the 195-year-old Carmelites of Mary Immaculate (CMI), with a
recognisable footprint on the field of education (in India), have taken
cognisance of the environmental challenges and have adopted the concern for the
common home as a major challenge in their life and ministry. This led to the
2020 policy statement to have 12 items of cross-cutting significance related to
ecological challenges facing the world to be addressed through CMI formation,
lifestyle and ministry (Chapter 3).
Further, it describes the
features expected in a CMI – member or trainee or institution – to be recognised
as GREEN (chapter 4) and provides strategies to arrive at these ideals within
the structure of the organisation (chapter 5).
The annexures provide a checklist to make assessment of these aspects
quantifiable (Annexure 1).
A random assessment in this
regard reveals that efforts to spread awareness have taken place in the course
of the past four years, and replicable models have been created in certain
domains. There have a been a few institutions which have done pioneering work
in this regard and have been recognized by the state. However, there is immense
scope for further action, and if the CMIs deem themselves to be leaders in the
field of education, much more radical steps have to be adopted to resonate the
spirit of Laudato Si and targets for sustainability (SDG) as reflected in the
CMI Environment Policy.
With its wide network of over 500
schools and around 50 HEIs, including two universities, 4 engineering colleges,
1 medical college and several institutions and centres for social and cultural
development, the CMIs, as the oldest existing indigenous Christian organisation
of India, are to take up the challenge to give a Christian leadership for the
nation in the direction of sustainability.
The most important aspect is to
perceive and accept education for sustainable development as a vital component,
interrelated to all other domains, irrespective of the field – candidate
formation, theological education, secular education (beginning with early
childhood care through higher, technical, professional and research levels) and
community (pastoral) education (religious and neighbourhood) (LS 141, 213, 217).
Other aspects to be taken up
in this regard could be:
Setting a common minimum agenda
applicable to all CMI institutions which themselves form part of ESD – e.g.,
waste minimisation, waste segregation and effective waste management; rain
water harvesting, efforts to increase and maintain biodiversity of the
campuses, and documenting the same of the campus and the neighbourhood,
creating eco-friendly neighbourhoods as extension programme, etc.
Incorporation of sustainability
aspects in terms of graduate attributes and learner outcomes to be
incrementally attained through the basic education stage have to be identified
and articulated by the individual institutions, and support for the same to be
provided by the provincial or general departments.
Forging collaboration with other
organisations and seeking affiliation or recognition under the allied schemes
by the state and international bodies like UNESCO (adopting the Green School
model envisaged by UNESCO).
7. Concluding: I feel glad that the CMI ecological
vision enshrined in its environmental policy operationalises Laudato Si’ and
SDG 4.7 with adoptable measures making campuses educative, the curriculum tuned
to sustainability and CMI formation leading to awakening the spiritual core.
Thus, CMI institutions, rooted in
India’s cultural soil and the Carmelite tradition, stand poised to embody the
integral ecology envisioned in Laudato Si’ and the sustainability goals of SDG
4. In doing so, the CMI tradition re-affirms that faith-based education, when
rooted in cultural wisdom and ecological consciousness, can serve as a bridge
between spirituality and sustainability.
References
CMI Environment Policy. (2022).
Francis, Pope. (2015). Laudato
Si.
Iyer, Raghavan. (1973). The
Moral and Political Thought of Mahatma Gandhi
Madan, T.N. (1997). Modern Myths, Locked Minds: Secularism and
Fundamentalism in India
Nandy, Ashis. (1983). The
Intimate Enemy: Loss and Recovery of Self under Colonialism
Varma, Pavan K. (1998). The
Great Indian Middle Class.
The Great Institution Builder: It was he who established Viswajyothi as a CMI school of some reckoning (at least, that is my reading, though, in no way do I discount the great contributions of Fr Jose Alukal and Fr Joy Kilikunnel). Sacred Heart CMI Public School at Thevara, I think, was again if not fully, partly his initiative, while he was the prior of the monastery. I learn that even Jeevass School owes it to him for its existence. The new college Viswajyothi, was again a testimony of his institution builder trait I think. That is phenomenal! 
