August 2, 2008

Kerala House 3 Jantar Mantar Road New Delhi 110 001

Honorable Justice, Shri Cyriac Joseph, Justice of the Supreme Court of
India, Mr. Amit Kant I.A. S, Special Commissioner, Kerala House,
Members of the Media,

Let me begin by expressing my gratitude to a few people who have made
this event possible. I would like to thank first of all the Government
of Kerala for its collaboration on this venture. The idea of
collaboration emerged during a conversation with Dr. Venu, I.A.S, the
Secretary of Kerala Tourism, during his visit to New York. Dr. Venu
saw the first edit of the film and thought it would make Kerala more
intimate to an international audience, adding one more dimension to
the famous Tourism logo: “God’s own Country.” After further
discussions with Mr. Sivasankar, I.A.S, Director of Kerala Tourism,
the Govt. decided to give permission to use the Tourism Logo and take
responsibility to organize this release function in Delhi. I thank
Dr. Venu and Mr. Sivasankar for their efforts. I also thank
Mr. Mohanan, Deputy Director of Kerala Tourism, for making the local
arrangements for the release function.

This film was in the process of making in the last fifteen
years. There were two different experiences that went into the
creation of the concept. Both happened during the first six months of
my cultural disjuncture in the big city of New York. My first friend
in New York, Robert (I respectfully withhold his last name) was a
brilliant young man of Jewish faith. We attended a course on the Music
of the Middle East. Robert was curious about India. One day Robert
asked me a question: “so, Joseph, what is your real Indian name?”
There were a few moments of silence after which I gave him a blank
look. It never occurred to me that my name was not Indian. The
underlying presumption was that India is a Hindu country and that I
changed my name in order to go to America. The second experience
happened just a few days later.  I was having a telephone conversation
with another friend, Dr. Joseph Aquilina, a medical doctor of Maltese
origin who made it in America. Dr. Aquilina had read extensively about
India. He asked me from Saginaw, Michigan, how I was feeling in New
York. I said that I did not have many friends and that I was feeling
lonely. Without missing a beat, he said: “Joseph, there is no reason
you should feel lonely; you have the Mahabharat.” There were a few
moments of silence on my side. Did he say Mahabharat? Or Maha Bharat?
Did he intend the pun? Did he say that I had the Mahabharat? The
phrase played on my mind for several months.  It lifted up my
spirits. Both these conversations prompted me to choose the area of my
research: Christian music of India. The research was in fact a
re-search of my own identity. This film is an extension of one of the
chapters of doctoral dissertation and forthcoming book. I dedicated my
doctoral dissertation to Dr. Aquilana for reminding me that wherever I
live, I shall always be a part of the Mahabharat.

This film is for Robert, my first friend in New York who challenged my
identity as an Indian Christian. This film is for numerous people
outside Kerala who are not aware of the many layers of history and the
cultural complexity of this tiny state on the southwest coast. This
film is for Katherine Moorehouse, my first doctoral student at the
University of Maryland, who has traveled all the way to do field work
in Kerala. This film is for many future students like Katherine who
will do research on Christian music of India. This film is for Ajay
Appadan, the young actor in this film, and youngsters like him born
and raised outside India who at one point or the other will encounter
questions on identity. And finally, this film is for my friend and
philosopher Dr. Joseph Aquilina who reminded me that I have the
Mahabharat, that I am part of the Maha Bharat. My Maha Bharat has more
than a billion chapters, and Christianity is one of them.

Om Jagat jyothi Yesu Bhagavan
Nawya sanathana thawasatyaroopam 
Bhuwil jwalikkum prabha jeevanaalam 
Om jagat jyothi namo namo

JAI HIND