Prominent Figures of the Kerala Church-70
Dr. E.P. Antony
E.P. Antony, a versatile talent, was born on April 27, 1927, in Ernakulam as the fourth child of Lonan Pillai and Elizabeth.
While studying in the 8th grade at St. Albert’s High School, he participated in the Quit India Movement in 1942, leading to his suspension from classes and organizing protests. Following a protest meeting at Azad Maidan on August 9, 1942, he became one of the first to face a lathi charge in the Kochi state. After the arrests of leaders like Panampilly Govindamenon, P.K. Devar, and Chavara Parameswaran, he also took part in the ensuing stone-pelting.
The next day, following a conversation between Police Inspector George and the headmaster, those who participated in the procession and were present at Azad Maidan were dismissed from school and ordered to leave the Kochi state within 24 hours. Senior leaders managed to escape by joining the army.
Due to the kindness of Inspector George, a neighbor, and the recommendation of his relative, Inspector Vacko, he wrote letters of apology to the police station and the headmaster since he was only 15 years old. He promised to leave the area immediately after passing the SSLC exam and spent 15 days in punishment outside of class. After completing the SSLC exam, he joined the Indian Air Force three days before turning 17.
From a young age, he aspired to be highly educated, which he gradually achieved through private studies. He passed his Intermediate from Madras University and obtained a B.A. with double majors in History and Political Science from Punjab University. In 1962, he earned a second-class M.A. in History from Pune University. In 1963, he passed in Political Science with a second rank and received first place in the Public Administration paper, earning a gold medal.
After 20 years of service, he retired from the Air Force in 1964. As a pilot, he flew various aircraft, including heavy bombers and reconnaissance planes, and remarkably survived numerous dangers. After leaving the Air Force, he began a new life as a teacher.
In 1964, he started his educational career at St. Vincent’s High School in Pune, teaching English and Social Studies. While teaching, he completed his B.Ed. from Pune’s Tilak College of Education in 1965. That same year, he began teaching at the Department of Social Science at St. Paul’s College in Kalamassery.
In 1968, he served as the leader of an educational workshop at the Kerala Regional Seminar “Today’s Church.” Notable education experts, including Monsignors Kalassery, Kaniyamburam, and Shevalier L.M. Paily, selected the younger Antony as the leader. He was a member of both the seminar’s executive committee and steering committee and served as the convenor of the Publicity Committee. In 1969, he presented a paper on education in troubled Kerala at the seminar “The Church in Today’s India” in Bangalore, receiving significant recognition for his work. He remained actively involved in the seminar and was selected for the National Advisory Council of CBCI, serving until 1976.
In 1970, he earned an international diploma (D.U.N.I.U) in United Nations and International Understanding with distinction from the World Federation of United Nations Associations in Geneva.
In 1972, he obtained a graduate diploma in journalism from Bharatiya Vidyabhavan. From 1966 to 1968, he worked as a part-time teacher at St. Albert’s College and taught telecommunication engineering. He also served as an examiner and chief examiner for Kerala University. While in the Indian Air Force in Pune, he was the founding secretary of the Catholic Association in Pune, and later became its president.
In 1967, he worked to establish the Catholic Association of the Archdiocese of Varapuzha. In 1971, he was appointed the first organizing secretary of the Catholic Union of India. As organizing secretary, he established Catholic associations in various dioceses in Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Karnataka. In 1972, he founded the Kerala Latin Catholic Association and served as its founding general secretary.
When the Kerala government attempted to nationalize minority colleges in 1972, he discussed with A.K.C.C. President Adv. E.M. Joseph to plan protest actions, leading to a significant movement. Clergy and the entire Christian community in Kerala united to protect minority rights. The NSS (Nair Service Society) also collaborated with Christians. The protest was robust, resulting in all private colleges being closed for three months. Marches and protest meetings shook Kerala’s political landscape.
A nine-member committee led the protest actions, with Antony as a member. There was concern that the educational sector in Kerala might stagnate. Weeks of discussions with the Kerala Cabinet failed. Understanding the seriousness of potential issues for minorities, Prime Minister Indira Gandhi invited the protest leaders to Delhi. Representing the NSS was Kalyat Velayudhan Nair, Father Vallamattam, the secretary of the private college managers’ association, and E.P. Antony representing the minorities.
After three days of discussions with the concerned ministers, they returned with significant success following discussions with the Prime Minister on the fourth day. In 1972, he was elected president of the Kerala Catholic Teachers’ Guild. In 1973, he became the first chairman of the educational commission of the Catholic Union of India and later the chairman of the Vigilance Commission.
In 1974, he was instrumental in forming the Kerala Backward Community Federation and was elected its founding general secretary. This federation consisted of 33 organizations, including S.N.D.P. and the Muslim League. In 1975, he was elected vice president of the Catholic Union of India at a conference in Kolkata. In June 1975, he was appointed a member of the Kerala Public Service Commission, marking the end of all his activities, and he resigned from all positions.
After retiring from the Public Service Commission, from 1984 to 1987, Antony served at the invitation of the Bishop of Nagaland to establish the North East Resource Center. He conducted an in-depth study on the social, economic, cultural, political, and religious development of the Naga people, visiting 3,000 families for this research.
In 1995, the Supreme Court appointed Antony as a one-man commission to investigate whether bonded labor practices existed in Kerala. The report submitted after nine months of study was accepted by the Supreme Court.
Antony has served as the secretary of the Kerala History Association and as the working president of the Siriri Improvement Forum. He is also the founding president of the Padivattom Residents Association and the Ernakulam District Air Force Association’s Senior Citizen Union.
He was a member of the Commission on Bonded and Piled Labor, alongside former President Gyani Zail Singh, former Prime Minister V.P. Singh, Swami Agnivesh, and Justice V.R. Krishna Iyer. He has been a member of the Bonded Liberation Trust of India, the Church History Association of India, the History Congress of India, and the Political Science Association of India.
Mr. Antony has authored several books in English and Malayalam and has written numerous articles. His works include A Handbook of Civics, Marital Heritage of Latin Catholics, Grant Shev. L.M. Paily, The History of Latin Catholics in Kerala, and Latin Catholics of Kerala. He has also contributed chapters to the book Latin Catholics published by the Kerala History Association and to Christian Heritage of Kerala and the Indian Christian Directory.
Antony’s papers presented at various conferences are noteworthy. In 1996, he presented on the role of clergy and religious in building a welfare state at Dharmaram College in Bangalore and discussed “Christianity in India” at the International Catholic Journalists Seminar in Ernakulam. He has presented papers on topics such as the Synod of History of Quilon, Judiciary and Human Rights, and Nagaland Hunters and Liver Cookies at various meetings of the Kerala History Association.
In 1991, Antony was elected as a fellow of the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland. In 1997, he was also elected as a fellow of the Royal Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland, the world’s foremost organization for anthropologists. Dr. Antony’s paper on the ‘Aada’ community in Nagaland was submitted to the University of Cambridge for the benefit of further researchers. During this submission, he was exempted from the requirement of having two fellow recommendations. His paper is currently kept by Professor Alan Macfarlane at Cambridge University. Antony is one of the few Indians who is a fellow of this organization, which is under the patronage of the Duke of Gloucester.
Antony was a member of the Maharashtra Elephants Football Team from 1952 to 1956 and served as a captain in the Indian Air Force’s Pune Division. He has demonstrated exceptional talent in short-distance athletic competitions. A selected member of the British Philatelic Association, which operates from London, Antony also served as the secretary of the Cochin Philatelic Society.