Indian Church to bring out Indianized form of Bible

(June 14, 2010) An illustrated Bible with Indian characters and sceneries is being planned for release next month. “This is a Bible made in India, by Indians and for Indians,” said Fr George Chathanattil of the Society of St. Paul, which is in charge of publishing the Bible written in English. The Indianized form of the Bible will show Mother Mary wearing a sari and a ‘bindi’(dot) on her forehead and her husband Saint Joseph in a loincloth and a turban, reported The Telegraph newspaper. The illustrated Bible will also be annotated with the commentary that runs side by side with the original biblical text making references to Mother Teresa and Mahatma Gandhi and quoting from Hindu texts and Rabindranath Tagore. The commentary repeatedly refers to Hindu concepts to convey biblical teachings. It contains verses from the Ramayan and the Mahabharat. Fr George said that they want to make people feel at home with the Bible. “When one hears one’s own cultural expressions, it is easier for the Indian Christian community to understand the Bible,” he explained. The new Bible will have 27 themed pictures, essentially Indian, such as a family living in a slum in the shadow of a skyscraper, with a portrait of Mother Teresa in the background. The Society of St Paul had carried out a test launch last year with an early version of the new Bible and found the response amazing. Initially, it plans to print 50,000 copies for distribution.