New Life Biblical Seminary

Cheruvvakal, Ayoor, Kollam.

A seminar paper on: contribution of Arvind p nirmal for the establishment of Dalit Theology
in India
Submitted to: Rev. Josfin Raj Submitted by: Peter MJ (B.Th III)
1. Introduction
In this seminar paper, the present writer is going to deal with the contributions of Aravind p nirmal for the
establishment of Dalit theology in India.in this seminar paper we are going to interact with the life and
background and contributions of Aravind P nirmal.
1.1. The life and background of Arvind p nirmal
Arvind Paulus Nirmal was born on 9 May 1936 in Jalna, Maharashtra. His father was an ordained priest of
the Church of North India, and his mother Sonubai was a teacher. He spent his early years in Jalna, attending
school and went to college at Milind Mahavidyalaya in Aurangabad. After studying for his BD at UTC
Bangalore, he was ordained a priest in the Church of North India and he served as a rural pastor for several years
in the Jalna area, including at Kharpudi and Dahipuri villages. Before moving to Dahipuri, he would travel the
distance on his bicycle. He was again selected to do his M.Th (Masters in Theology) at UTC Bangalore, where
he then joined as a faculty, and teaching systematic theology during the period 1968-1981. 1He was one of the
most creative and original thinkers of contemporary Indian Christian theological scene. After his research at
oxford, he was taught theology at the UTC Bangalore for about 2 decades. He was also the head of the
department of Dalit theology at the Gurukul Lutheran College and Research Institute Madras. Before joining
Gurukul College, he served at the principal of theological college at pune. He has credit, a few books, book
reviews and numerous articles. His contribution to the emergence of the Dalit theology as the most original,
constructive and an outstanding contribution which has no comparison to date. Nirmal, in all his writings, calls
for a truly daring exploration and a bold thinking on most vital issues concerned with the emergence of a
contextual, relevant and authentic theology in India. The story point in Nirmal is that he refuses to accept
anything as ‘final’ in that entire he discusses. It is, for him heuristic exploration. Among the contemporary
Indian theologians, nirmal has emerged as a name to reckon with as Rajaratnam has rightly pointed out “it is
indeed due to this deep commitment to discover theology from the perspective of those on the base of history
that Nirmal is emerged as an outstanding Dalit theologian”. 2

1.2 The contribution of Arvind p nirmal

Any breakthrough in theology is associated with its daring pioneers. When one talks about Liberation theology,
the man associated with the epoch is Gustavo Guttirez while when one studies Black theology the name of James
Cone as a pioneer stands unparalleled. Similarly, when one discusses about Dalit theology, Dr. A. P. Nirmal
becomes synonymous to it. As we have seen there are many contributors of Dalit Theology M E Prabhakaran,
Vedanayagam Devasahayam and so on A.P. Nirmal and to analyze his theological categories. One needs to keep
in mind that Dalit theology emerged on the basis of a need where the Indian Christian theology and the emerging
liberation theology seemed inadequate to counter the problems of the religiously sanctioned practice of Caste. It
is in such a context that one needs to place the works of A.P Nirmal. The primary task of theology according to
Nirmal is to aid people; and the people who need to be aided in the Indian context, as identified by him are the
1
Https://www.revolvy.com/page/Arvind-P.-Nirmal?cr=1
2
Franklyn J. Balasundaram, Contemporary Asian Christian Theology (Delhi: ISPCK,1995),146.
Dalits. Informed by the vision of the New Man in Christ, he tried to be relevant in the Indian context by
articulating the Dalit theology. Let us now concentrate the theological categories of Dalit theology according to
A.P. Nirmal.

1.2.1 Pathos, the Basis of Dalit Theology

Nirmal defined Dalit Theology as a theology by, for and of an oppressed people: it is a people’s theology. In
doing Dalit Theology, he had taken the social and sociological dimensions seriously. Unlike the classical
Christian theology as the most adequate medium for communicating Christian theological truths, Nirmal
advocated the importance and the use of sociology. He said that Dalit theology is more concerned with peoples
and their life- life with all its absurdity, illogicality, inconsistency and incoherence. Dalit theology serves the
interests of Dalit people because they are an oppressed people. It does this by empowering them in their
liberation struggle.3Dalit theology is based on views from the “bottom” and also from the “inside”. Dalit
theological affirmations are grounded in people’s experiences. It is a theology from below and therefore it is
more interested in the horizontal relations than in the vertical revelations. Nirmal contended that  pathos was the
basis of Dalit theology.  Dalit theology affirms the basic unity between theology and practice, thought and
action. All knowing is praxeological, but then it affirms that pathos is prior to praxis. “To suffer is to know” and
Nirmal asserts that at the heart of dalit people’s experience is pathos or suffering. He contends that the dalits
know God in and through their suffering. So, for a Dalit theology pain or pathos is the beginning of knowledge.
It is in and through the pathos that the sufferers know God. This is because the sufferer in and through his/her
pathos knows that God participates in human pathos.4

1.2.2  Dalit Theology and Methodological Exclusivism

Nirmal in outlining a Dalit theology calls for a methodological exclusivism. This does not mean community
exclusivism or that the Dalits must not be open to and receive help from all possible sources. What he means is
that all dominant theologies have a tendency to accommodate, include, assimilate, and finally conquer other
theologies. This is the danger that Dalit theology has to guard against.  Dalit theology is a counter theology and,
in order to play the role of a counter theology, Dalit theology must adopt a exclusivist stance and shut off the
encroaching influences of dominant theology. This methodological exclusivism, according to Nirmal, was
considered necessary for maintaining the distinctive identity of a Dalit theology.

 1.2.3 Dalit Theology, a Theology of Identity

Nirmal was of the opinion that all people’s theologies are really theologies of identity. Dalit theology, liberation
theology, Black theology, etc., are all theologies, which try to seek to express the distinctive identities of these
people. These people are denied their distinctive identities by their oppressors. In the case of the Dalits,
historically, it was the Brahmins who inflicted double injury on them. They subjugated the Dalits in order to
subjugate their labor. They denied them worshiping rights by using the exploitative doctrine of Karma samsara
make them believe that their status as Dalits was determined by their karma in their past lives.
            While the oppressors’ theologies are imposed on the oppressed as normative everywhere, in India, it is
the Brahmanical theological tradition which imposed itself upon the Dalit Christian majority, and therefore, the
question of the distinctive identity of Dalit theology is inseparably linked with the identity of the Dalit people.
But then one may ask, how are oppressor’s theologies forced upon the oppressed? Nirmal cites examples. He
opined that the suppression of the holistic tribal vision was done in the name of national integration and the
mainstream culture. The subjugation of the American Black theology by the theology developed by the Whites is

3
Nirmal, “Dialogue with Dalit Literature” in Towards a Dalit Theology, pp64-82/p.66, cited by, Franklyn J.
Balasundaram…, 161.
4
ARVIND P. NIRMAL, “Doing Theology from a Dalit Perspective,” p.142, cited by, Franklyn J. Balasundaram…, 161- 63.
another example to show that the oppressors’ theologies functions as normative and that they suppress and deny
identity to the oppressed people.5

1.2.4 Dalit Theology and History

Nirmal spoke about Dalit identity because the question of identity is the question of the concerned people’s roots
and their historical consciousness.6 History is important for Dalits. But the current prevailing historiography is
not their side because it demands historical sources, particularly written sources of archaeological findings. The
Dalit people have no written historical traditions. Their histories are oral histories based on historical traditions.
Dalits were a conquered people so much so that their history and culture have been systematically destroyed by
their conquerors. So Nirmal has been appealing for a historical scholarship that is interested in Dalit issues and
to accept oral traditions as “alternative historical sources.” He suggested that family histories of Dalit be
attempted. He also said that the rituals, rites and festivals of Dalits also need to be researched. He emphasizes
that Dalits and tribal are/were the original inhabitants of India and therefore their history and culture are not only
pre- Aryan but also pre- Dravidian. So, his contribution for a new historiography based on oral traditions is a
significant source for formulating a Dalit theology.7

1.2.5      Dalit Theology and Liberative Vision

It is not enough to identify the pathos and rewrite the history of the Dalits. Nirmal underlined that it is important
to see a transforming liberative social vision. He cited Dr B.R. Ambedkar’s liberative social vision, which was
based on the principles of liberty, equality and fraternity. Ambedkar’s vision, one needs to note, places man and
human dignity at the center of his philosophical and sociological thinking. His writings that are integral to the
Dalit Sahitya, are a protest against social inequality and social injustice. Thus, the basic theme in Dalit Sahitya is
total human liberation. 8 What one needs to realize is that Babasaheb Ambedkar and his writings were central to
the methodology of Nirmal.

1.2.6       Historical Consciousness, the Source of Dalit Theology

As we have seen above, the historical Dalit consciousness is the primary datum of a Christian Dalit theology
according to Nirmal. But one may wonder what is Christian about Dalit theology? Nirmal opines that, “It is the
Dalitness which is Christian about Dalit theology.” In other words, the Christian for this theology is exclusively
the ‘Dalit’. What this exclusivism implies is the affirmation that the Triune God- the Father, the Son and the
Holy Spirit- is on the side of the Dalits and not of on the non-Dalits who are the oppressors. He thinks that the
Common Dalit experience of Christian Dalits along with the other Dalits will help shape a Christian Dalit
theology. But then what is the common Dalit experience that fosters a historical consciousness? What is unique
about Nirmal is that he uses his own experience as well as the experience of his Dalit mothers and fathers. His
Dalit fore parents were outcastes. The Dalits were and are always on the outskirts of the Indian village. The
historical Dalit consciousness in India depicts even greater and deeper pathos than is found in the Deuteronomic
creed as they could not unclean footprints, could not spit out their spittle, and could not learn Sanskrit. They
were not only “no people” but also “no humans”. They were the outcastes, the avarnas, people who were outside
the caste system, and not human. Nirmal explained this very powerfully. He said, “My Dalit mothers and sisters
were forbidden to wear any blouses and the sa Varnas feasted their eyes on their bare bosoms. The sa Varnas
denied my dalit ancestor any access to public wells and reservoirs. They denied him entry to their temples and
places of worship. That my friends, was my ancestor- mainly in Maharashtra.” 9

5
Nirmal, “struggles for Identity Among The Oppressed/Marginalized”, UTC scholars’ Forum of contemporary issues,
1991,mimeo,p.4, cited by, Franklyn J. Balasundaram, Contemporary Asian Christian Theology (Delhi: ISPCK,1995),163.
6
```````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````Nirmal, “Towards a Christian Theology,”p.130, Cited by, J.A.
David Onesimu, Constructing Dalit Theology for Dalit Liberation (Delhi: ISPCK, 2012), 111.
7
Nirmal, “Towards a Christian Theology,”p.77, cited by, Franklyn J. Balasundaram, Contemporary Asian Christian
Theology (Delhi: ISPCK, 1995), 164.
8
Ibid., 165.
Dalit historical consciousness is a story of afflictions, bondage, the harsh treatment and the toil and tears of the
Dalits. This is just not a past experience of Dalit foreparents, but it is also a present reality which is rooted in
their psyche and in society. He says that Dalits should be aware of their historical Dalit experience. “We are not
just Dalits, we are Christian Dalits. Our exodus from Hinduism to Christianity or rather to Jesus Christ is a
valuable experience. It has enabled us to recognize our Dalitness and also the Dalitness of Jesus of Nazareth and
the Dalitness of His father and our God.”10

1.2.7      The Dalit God

Let us now turn our attention to Nirmal’s understanding of God. He raises two important questions with regard
to the understanding of God: what kind of God are we talking about? What kind of divinity does Dalit theology
envision? He observes that the exodus of Christian Dalits in India meant the rejection of the non-Dalit deities.
The God to whom the Dalits turned, the God whom Jesus Christ revealed is a Dalit God. He is a servant. A God
who serves. Who can reject this Dalit God? This God is in midst of the liberation struggle of the Dalits of India.
The God, whom Jesus Christ revealed and the prophets of the Old Testament spoke, is a Dalit God. 11

1.2.8     The Dalit Jesus of the Gospels

Who is the Jesus that we talk about in Dalit theology? Nirmal has read the Gospels with Dalit eye and from a
Dalit perspective. He recaps for us some of the features of Jesus’ Dalitness, which is a great contribution towards
Dalit Christology. He says that among the ancestors of Dalit Jesus, there are a few names that should
scandalize/shock us (Matthew 1:1-17). They are Tamar, the daughter-in-law Judah, who outwitted her father-in-
law by sleeping with him and conceiving by him a child(Gen. 38: 1-30); Rahab the harlot who helped the
Israelite spies (Joshua 2: 1-12); king Solomon who was an illegitimate Child of David. These minute details of
Jesus’ ancestry suggest his Dalit conditions. He was also a “carpenter’s son”, whose father’s profession was
looked down upon.  Further Jesus used the title “Son of Man”. While this title is used in three different ways, the
second way in which the Son of Man is used is indicative of Jesus’ present sufferings and imminent death. These
sayings speak of Son of Man as encountering rejection, mockery, contempt, suffering and final death. (Mark 8:
31; 9:12; 10:45). He underwent these dalit experience as the example of all Dalits. This Dalit Jesus of the gospels
is totally identified with the Dalits of his day (Mark 2: 15-16). He is accused of eating and drinking with
publicans, tax collectors and sinners of His day. He loved and cared for Samaritans, the Dalits of his day. The
Dalit Jesus of the Nazareth Manifesto in the Gospel according to Luke, speaks about for him his liberation is
meant. The two illustrations he uses indicate that the liberation he is talking about is meant for the Dalits and not
for non-Dalits: the reference to Zarephath, is the widow in Sidon to whom Elijah was sent, though there were
many widows in Israel; and it was only Namaan, the Syrian, the leper, whom Elisha cleansed. Thus the Dalits
were set out against ‘Israel’. Convinced of this, Nirmal proclaims: The Gospel that Jesus brought was the Gospel
for the Dalits and not for non-Dalits nor for Israel. The Nazareth manifesto really a Manifesto for the Dalits. 12
   Further, the Dalit Jesus’ attempt to cleanse the temple (Mark 11: 15-19) is a very important highlight for Dalit
theology. Here Nirmal says that Jesus the messianic king restores to the Gentiles their religious rights. This he
sees in the context of Dalits who had to struggle for temple entry rights. The Dalit Indians know what it means to
be denied the right to pray and worship. In His act of restoration of the Gentiles’ right to worship, we see a
prefiguration of the vindication of the Indian Dalit struggle for their prayer and worship rights. Above all these,
it is the cross of Dalit Jesus that attracts Nirmal very much. Jesus on the Cross, was the broken, the crushed, the
trampled, the torn- Jesus here was the Dalit in the fullest possible meaning of that term. Jesus cry of dereliction
9
Ibid., 166. See also, Josfin Raj S.B, Inclusive Christ and Broken People (New Delhi: Christian World
Imprints,2018),123.
10
Nirmal, “Towards a Christian Theology,” compiled by, Wati Longchar, Contextual Theology (Kolkata: SCEPTRE,2013),
130.
11
Ibid., 130,131.
12
Nirmal, (Ed.), A Reader in Dalit Theology, Department of Dalit Theology,(Chennai: Gurukulam Lutheran Theological
College and Research Institute,1989)63, Cited by, Franklyn J. Balasundaram, Contemporary Asian Christian Theology
(Delhi: ISPCK,1995),168,169.
on the cross shows how the son of God feels God forsaken. 13 That feeling of being God forsaken is the heart of
Dalit experience and Dalit consciousness in India. It is the Dalitness of the divinity and humanity that the cross
of Jesus symbolizes.

1.2.9        The Dalit Pneumatology

Nirmal has not worked this out in detail. This is in a way is his weakness. However he makes use of metaphors
and images to bring out the beneficial activity of the Holy Spirit. He refers to the story of the valley of the dry
bones in Ezekiel 37. The important question which this passage raises is: Can these bones live? The bones refer
to Israel, but it is under Dalit consciousness- dead, dry and lifeless. The Holy Spirit revives them, gives them
life, unifies them and makes them an army. Nirmal says, “For us Dalits then, the Spirit is the life giver, unifier
and the empowered for the liberation struggle of Indian Dalits. But in our Dalit experiences, He is our comforter.
He groans along with us in our sufferings.” 14We need to be aware that Nirmal highlighted the empowering role
Holy Spirit and the other aspects were not paid attention to. But within the scope of Dalit theology this focus is
justifiable.

1.3 Dalit theology a description

In Arvind P. Nirmal’s opinion, “Christian Dalit theology will be produced by Dalits. It will be based on their
own Dalit experiences, their own sufferings, their own aspirations and their own hope. It will narrate the story of
their pathos and their protest against the socio-economic injustices they have been subjugated to throughout
history. It will anticipate liberation which is meaningful to them.” 15 Nirmal admits that his way of theologizing
is a Dalit perspective and he is open to other ways of theologizing from the Dalit standpoint. However, all
should take into consideration the particular experience of the Dalits (who are denied their essential humanity
through untouchability) in their theologizing.16

1.4 The obsession of Indian Christian Theology with “Brahminic Tradition”

One of the Dalit theologians, Arvind P. Nirmal appreciates the pioneering work in Indian Christian theology in
the following words:
To speak in terms of the traditional Indian categories Indian Christian Theology, following the Brahminic
tradition, has trodden the jnana marga, the bhakti marga and the karma marga. In Brahma Bandhav
Upaddhyaya, we have a brilliant theologian who attempted a synthesis of Sankara’s advaita Vedanta and
Christian theology. In Bishop A. J. Appasamy, we had a bhakti Margi theologian who tried to synthesize
Ramanuja’s Vishista Advaita with Christian theology. In M. M. Thomas we have a theologian who has
contributed to theological anthropology at the international level and who laid the foundation for a more active
theological involvement in India - the karma marga. In Chenchiah, we find an attempt to synthesize Christian
theology with Sri Aurobindo’s “Integral Yoga. 17 Nevertheless, Nirmal critically raises the question whether this
kind of Indian Christian theology will ever have a mass appeal. In his words: Broadly speaking, Indian Christian

13
A. P. Nirmal, “Towards a Christian Dalit Theology,” In A Reader in Dalit Theology, Edited by Aravind P. Nirmal (Madras:
Gurukulam Lutheran Theological College and Research Institute, nd), 225, Cited by Josfin Raj S.B, Inclusive Christ and
Broken People (New Delhi: Christian World Imprints,2018),86.
14
“A reader”, p. 69-70, cited by, Franklyn J. Balasundaram., p.170.
15
ARVIND P. NIRMAL, “Towards A Christian Dalit Theology,” pp. 58-59.
16
ARVIND P. NIRMAL, “Doing Theology from a Dalit Perspective,” in ARVIND P. NIRMAL, ed., A Reader in Dalit Theology
(Madras: Gurukul, 1991) p. 139.
17
ARVIND P. NIRMAL, “Heuristic Explorations,”(Madras: Gurukul, 1990) pp 139-40 , Cited by, James Massey, Need of A
Dalit Theological Expression, Edited by, M.P. Joseph, confronting Life: Theology Out of the Context(Delhi:
ISPCK,1995),198.
theology in the past has tried to work out its theological systems in terms of either Advaita Vedanta or Vishista
Advaita.
Most of the contributions to Indian Christian Theology in the past came from the (upper) caste converts to
Christianity. The result has been that Indian Christian Theology has perpetuated within itself what I prefer to call
the “Brahminic” tradition. This tradition has further perpetuated intuition-interiority oriented approach to the
theological task in India. One wonders whether this kind of Indian Christian theology will ever have a mass
appeal.18
In Nirmal’s opinion, from the early days of India’s ecumenical involvement (involvement with other religions),
it has concerned itself with the “problem” of other faiths. Out of this ecumenical involvement emerged the
concern for dialogues with other faiths and this concern continues to be taken seriously. But this concern again
has contributed to “Indian Christian theology’s obsession with the Brahminic tradition.”
This obsession is based on the presupposition that Indian culture is the Brahminical Hindu culture and neglected
the popular religion and culture. The Brahminical culture has been the dominant culture that marginalized the
cultures of the Dalits and the Adivasis (indigenous peoples). Moreover, the intuition-interiority approach of this
approach failed to pay attention to the unjust social, economic, political and patriarchal structures that oppress
the vast majority of the lower castes and women. Besides, it had no time or feeling to reflect theologically on the
sufferings and struggles of the Dalit converts who formed the vast majority of the Indian Church.

Conclusion
Aravind P Nirmal is an Indian Christian theologian who contributed a lot for the development of the Indian
Christian theology particularly for the out casted and downtrodden people who are rejected and oppressed ion
the society. His writings and contributions gave voice for the voiceless people who are suffering under the noise
of the predominant. As a real theologian, Nirmal offered his talents for the literary contributions so that many
who were Dalits and oppressed could be comforted at explanation of Nirmal about Jesus as a Dalit person who
lives takes care of the whole people community.
Bibliography

Balasundaram Franklyn J. Contemporary Asian Christian Theology. Delhi: ISPCK, 1995.

Joseph M .P. Confronting Life: Theology Out of the Context. Delhi: ISPCK, 1995.

Longchar Wati. Contextual Theology. Kolkata: SCEPTRE, 2013.

Onesimu David J.A. Constructing Dalit Theology for Dalit Liberation. Delhi: ISPCK, 2012.

Raj Josfin S.B. Inclusive Christ and Broken People. New Delhi: Christian World Imprints, 2018.

Webliography

https://www.revolvy.com/page/Arvind-P.-Nirmal?cr=1

18
Ibid.