Arnos Pāthiri: Pioneer Indologist & the Forerunner of Kerala Renaissance (2015)
James Puliurumpil.
This biography provides a seven-part study of Johann Ernst Hanxleden (1681– 1732), known in India as Arnos Pāthiri, who significantly influenced Kerala’s cultural and social history. A German Jesuit missionary, Hanxleden is celebrated for his contributions to Malayalam and Sanskrit languages, making him a key figure in Indology. His work introduced Indian culture to the modern world and enriched various disciplines in India, including linguistics and archaeology.
Born near Osnabrück, Germany, Hanxleden joined the Jesuits while studying philosophy. Inspired by Jesuit Wilhelm Weber, he joined the Jesuit mission in Malabar, India. Hanxleden left home in 1699, traveling with Weber and another Jesuit, Wilhelm Meyr. They journeyed across Europe and the Middle East, arriving in Surat in December 1700. After completing his novitiate in Goa, Hanxleden reached the Jesuit Seminary at Sampaloor in Thrissur, Kerala. While preparing for priesthood, he dedicated himself to learning Malayalam and Syriac, the liturgical language of the Syrian Christians of Malabar.
Ordained in 1706, Hanxleden’s missionary life included studies of Sanskrit, Malayalam, Latin, Syriac, Portuguese, and Tamil. He studied with local Sanskrit scholars in Palayoor, becoming the first European Sanskrit scholar and Indologist. He built the Velur Church and served other local churches. Hanxleden died of a snakebite at 51. His remains were later moved to Velur, where he is commemorated with a museum and a heritage church. Hanxleden is honored as a landmark figure in Kerala’s cultural and literary history.
He produced pioneering grammar books in Sanskrit and Malayalam, compiled the first Malayalam lexicon and wrote poetry. His celebrated classic, Puthen Pāna, was the first introduction to the Bible in Malayalam and became a part of Kerala’s Christian lore, traditionally sung during Passion Week. His Grammatica Grandonica is the first Sanskrit grammar study by a European. Hanxleden’s extensive writings on Indian epics showcase his deep knowledge of the subject.
The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness (2024)
Jonathan Haidt
In this four-part book, leading American social psychologist Jonathan Haidt explores the impact of social media on young minds, attributing the recent surge in mental illness to the digital culture of the past two decades. Focusing mainly on American society, Haidt’s insights are relevant globally, highlighting the dangers of screen addiction among the young. He argues that the shift from play-based childhood to touch-screen entertainment has adversely affected mental health, increasing self-harm and suicide rates.
Haidt critiques the convenience of parents allowing children to use cell phones, which leads to physical and mental passivity, social withdrawal, and weakened character development. He stresses that technology, often seen as a blessing, can also be a curse.
The first chapter links the rise of anxiety and depression in Gen Z (born after 1995) to two main factors: the decline of play-based childhood due to parental over-protection and the advent of smartphones with limitless social media access. This “Great Rewiring of Childhood” has left children overprotected in the real world and under-protected online.
Haidt offers practical advice for reversing this damage, including: 1. Encouraging outdoor play without adult supervision. 2. Embedding children in stable, real-world communities. 3. Delaying the introduction of smartphones and social media accounts. 4. Implementing legislative measures to raise the age of “internet adulthood.” The book calls for collective action from parents, governments, schools, and tech companies to provide a healthier childhood for the growing generation.
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