Basel Society celebrates 200 years of service

 

Their contributions to northern Kerala is still remembered through the colleges, schools and other institutions. On October 9, the present members of Basel Mission in Kerala, celebrated the 200th year with various programmes.

 

The mission was to disseminate the message of Christ and to train local assistants.

 

While attempting to achieve the goal, the missionaries also involved in establishing schools and promotion of vernacular literature.

 

Not just in the educational sector, Basel Mission has set their foot on industries, and the Commonwealth Trust Limited is the living example.

 

“It was in the year 1842 the missionary took its formation in Kozhikode but years before they arrived here they camped at Thalassery. In the same year, they established Mananchira Comtrust. In 1909, they introduced the missionary’s first college in Malabar, which is now popularly known as Malabar Christian College,” said Fr Vinod Allem, a member of the missionary.

 

The multifarious activities of the mission that left an indelible mark on the socioeconomic map of Malabar are being remembered here in the next three days.

 

The mission has been credited with several literary and linguistic works including the first Malayalam dictionary by Hermann Gundert.

 

“The poor could not pursue their education and continued to be slaves of the landlords due to poverty and oppression at that time. So the mission with their utmost power established primary schools in all our churches,” he said.

 

Some of their institutions still existing in Malabar include the first school at Thalassery founded by Hermann Gundert in 1839 which was the first station of the mission in Malabar, BEM School.