Saint Kuriakose Elias Chavara
Christ school was born out of the educational vision of St Kuriakose Elias Chavara (1805-1871), an educationalist and a social reformer of the nineteenth century South
India. Living at a time and place when and where even basic education was beyond the reach of ordinary people, St Kuriakose Chavara resolutely walked the path of knowledge. With his perseverance, he learnt multiple languages – Malayalam, Tamil, Syriac and Latin and acquired a working knowledge of even Portuguese and Italian. As a result, wisdom from different corners of the world flowed into him. Convinced that education is the best catalyst for social transformation, along with many initiatives, he founded a Sanskrit school for students from all sections of the society and a printing press, way back in the 1800’s. St. Chavara is also credited with many literary works. By the time he died in 1871, he had, along with the priests of the CMI congregation he founded, set in motion of a powerful movement for bringing the light of education to every citizen of our country, especially those in the margins of the society. Christ School is a venture aimed at carrying forward the Chavara legacy of social transformation through holistic education.
