Constanzo Beschi

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Constanzo Beschi, also known under his Tamil name of Vīramāmunivar (Tamil: வீரமாமுனிவர்) or Constantine Joseph Beschi (in English) (8 November 1680, Castiglione delle Stiviere, Mantova, Italy - 4 February 1747, Ambazhakad, Kerala, India) was an Italian Jesuit priest, Missionary in South-India, and renowned poet in the Tamil language.

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[edit] Early years and formation

Born in a place very close to the family castle of Aloysius Gonzaga (Castiglione delle Stiviere), Beschi got his secondary education in the Jesuit High School of Mantova. After becoming a Jesuit he was trained in Ravenna and Bologna from where he requested, and obtained, from Superior General Michelangelo Tamburini the permission to be sent to the Madurai mission in South-India. Sailing from Lisbon he reached Goa in October 1710, from where he proceeded immediately to South-India. He arrived in Madurai in May 1711.

[edit] In Tamil Nadu (Madurai Mission)

During the six first years, and though his work centered on a place close to Tiruchirapalli (Elakurichi) he visited several important centers such as Tirunelveli, Ramanathaparam, Thanjavur and of course Madurai, in order to learn the Tamil language. He met with persecution in 1714-15, and escaped a death sentence thanks to the influence of a Hindu friend. The hostility of local kings prevented him to visit Christian communities. This gave him more time to master the difficult Tamil language in which he soon showed an astonishing proficiency. Thus he discovered that he would be a ‘missionary of the pen’.

[edit] Inculturation

Inspired by what was done in China Beschi adopted an Indian life style and introduced a touch of Hindu esthetics even in the Christian statuary. Similarly the two churches he built (Poondi Matha Basilica, at Konankupuram, and Elakurichi) in their architectonic lines, are inspired by Hindu temples. Both are now Catholic pilgrimage centers. He made himself a 'sannyasi' (Indian ascetic) and adopted their saffron coloured dress. His facility in making friendship, along with his cultural competence and obvious religious commitment gave him much influence which he used in order to protect Christians against exploitation and persecution. He is said to have baptized 12.000 people. He worked in the Thanjavur area till 1738 and settled in 1740 on the Coromandel coast where he remained till the end of his life.

[edit] Master of Tamil Literature

Even though he was primarily a missionary, he is also known, in a broader circle, as one of the classical writers of Tamil literature. Besides composing a literary Tamil grammar, he also wrote a grammar for the common use of Tamil - the first to do so - which earned him the title of Father of Tamil prose. He compiled several Tamil dictionaries: among them the quadruple lexicon containing words, synonyms, categories of words, and rhymes; a Tamil-Latin and Latin-Tamil-Portuguese dictionary.

His greatest poetical work is the Thembavani (the Unfading Garland), an extraordinary epic poem - 3615 stanzas long - on Salvation history and the life of Jesus Christ which is considered a classic of Tamil literature. He also wrote a prabandham (verses) called Kavalur Kalambagam, a grammatical treatise Thonnool, and Vedhiyar Ozukkam and Paramarthaguru.

In prose he left us polemical writings against the Lutheran missionaries and didactic religious books for the instruction of Catholics. He prepared a vademecum for newly arrived missionaries.

[edit] A Man of Dialogue

Local traditions abound of stories of Beschi challenging Hindu ascetics and wining debates over them. Yet his Thembavani is proof that he had a positive approach to Hinduism, as he often uses phrases, ideas and myths characteristic of Hinduism. The same spirit of dialogue and admiration for the Tamil culture led him to translate and explain in Latin the famous Thirukkural epic poem of Thiruvalluvar (1730). This Latin work was an eye-opener for European intellectuals, discovering truth and beauty in a totally non-Christian environment.

[edit] Recognition

Beschi was no doubt one of the best known XVIIIth century Jesuits in Tamil Nadu. In 1968 the city of Madras (now Chennai) erected a statue of Beschi on the avenue bordering the sea, as a recognition for his contribution to the Tamil language and literature.

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  • Besse, L.: Fr.Beschi: his times and his writings, Trichinolopy, 1918.
  • Giachi, G.: L'India divenna la sua terra, Milan. 1981.
  • Sorrentino, A:: L'altra perla dell'India, Bologna, 1980.


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