Nidhiry Mani Kathanar
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Nidhiry Mani Kathanar alias Fr. Emmanuel Nidhiri (1842 - 1904) was a colossus in the history of the Syrian Malabar Nasrani church in Kerala. He lead the community against a fearless fight against the European hegemony over the Nasrani Christians. He was the undisputed leader acceptable to the factions in Kerala church.He was an eminent educationalist, orator, organizer and a champion of ecumenism. He was the first Vicar General of Syro Malabar Catholic Church
[edit] Contributions
He was the founder and first editor of the first Malayalam daily Deepika. As Priest and Vicar of the Martha Mariam Kuravilangad church, he started the St.Mary's English school for boys in 1894. Former president of India, K. R. Narayanan matriculated from this school. He was instrumental in the founding of yet another newspaper, the Malayala Manorama. He was a polyglot who was at ease in 18 languages and was the moving spirit behind the Malayalee Memorial-one of the first steps in the social transformation of Kerala . He was the key figure in the opening up of Syro Malabar community to English education.
The ecumenical association, Nazrani Jathiaikya Sangham organized by Nidhiry Mani Kathanar and Mar Dionysius, the Syro-Malabar Orthodox metropolitan was one of the important happenings in Syrian Christians history. They acquired property at Kottayam for building a college in ca 1875. They planned for opening jointly colleges, schools, orphanages, library, bank etc. The project got aborted by the diplomatic approach of Carmelite apostolic delegate Aiuti who was afraid of unity among the Syrian Christians. It was the leadership of Nidhiry that fostered a unity among Syrian Catholics with in and with Jacobites.
It was with the fight of Syrian Catholics under the leadership of Nidhiry that freed them from Padroado jurisdiction paving the way for indigenous Bishops.
