in foreign countries Dr. P. V. Cherian

The term diaspora comes from the Greek word meaning to scatter abroad. People become scattered from their homeland to places across the globe keeping their cultural heritage, and in most groups, assimilating with the culture of the land. The Bible refers to the Diaspora of countless Jews scattered abroad. But the word is now used more generally to describe any large migration of refugees, language, or culture. The word diaspora in its original meaning is used first in the Bible to refer to the exiles in the Deuteronomic laws in the Septuagint (Latin) where it states, ἔσῃ ἐν διασπορᾷ ἐν πάσαις ταῖς βασιλείαις τῆς γῆς, esē en diaspora en pasais tais basileiais tēs gēs, translated to mean “thou shalt be a dispersion in all kingdoms of the earth” (Deuteronomy 28:25). Only in the Septuagint we find the word dispersion. However, the first usage of the word in New Testament is in John 7:33-35 when Jesus said, “for a little while longer I am with you, then I go to Him who sent Me,” the Jewish religious leaders wondered he was going to “the dispersion among the Greeks, and teach the Greeks.”

However, in the rest of the New Testament, the meaning of the Diaspora is more specifically to Jewish Christian converts who were spread out all over the Roman Empire rather than Jews in general. In Acts 8:1-4, we see persecuted Christians were dispersed (scattered) throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria” and those that were scattered went everywhere preaching the word.” Thus in true Biblical sense where the word origin is rooted, diaspora carries a sense of displacement of one’s homeland, being scattered to other parts of the world from his original home by exile or persecution. Yet, both carried their heritage, culture and faith in those places and Christians have spread the gospel in the past.

When applied to our native land India, the United Nations report that the largest Asian diaspora in the world is the Indian diaspora. The International Migrant Stock 2019, a dataset released by the Population Division of the United Nation’s Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA), provides the latest estimates of the number of international migrants by age, sex and origin for all countries and areas of the world. According to the report, India was the leading country of origin of international migrants in 2019 with a 17.5 million strong diaspora, according to new estimates released by the UN, which said the number of migrants globally reached an estimated 272 million. Kerala diaspora is among those Indian migrants. [1]

Kerala Diaspora is only a tiny portion of the larger Indian diaspora who are found all over the world. There are millions of non-resident Indians across the globe. The persons are either of Indian descent or born in India but migrated due to various reasons. The Republic of India estimates that over 31.2 million Indians reside in other countries. This figure means that India has the largest diaspora population in the world. Of the global population of Indians the United States has the highest number of Indians, and thus uniformly of Keralites also. However, I have an strong feeling that when we (Christians) refer to Kerala Diaspora or Malayali Diaspora, we mean Kerala Christian diaspora which is a misnomer because most statistics are referring to the total Indian diaspora or rarely the Kerala diaspora.

Be that as it may, before I can narrow it to Kerala Christian diaspora, we must know where the Indian diaspora are in the world of which we are part of, from which we must attempt to sieve out the Kerala Christians. We have a common saying among Malayalees that if someone can explore Chandran (Moon) or Mars for human habitation, they would sure find a Malayalee Kappikada or chayakada (coffeeshop or teashop) in those distant planets, attributing to their ability to migrate, the motivation and intuition of Keralites. Neither the United States mission of Mars Rover in 2012 nor the Apollo mission in 1969 to Moon did find a conducive environment for human habitation in either planets.

According to Kerala Migration Survey, 90% of Kerala Diaspora is in the Middle East Gulf region. Moreover, nearly 80% of the Indians living in Kuwait are from Kerala. The “Gulf Boom” refers to the mass migration of a large number of people from the Indian state of Kerala to the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) from 1972 to 1983.[4] Kerala Christians consists of a large percentage of the Keralites in the GCC countries of the Gulf region. The movement allowed many migrant workers from Kerala to the GCC states, which still continues, although in smaller numbers after the 2008 international financial crisis began to affect the GCC region. This initial wave of migration is usually referred to as the Kerala Gulf Boom. In 2010, the GCC states contained a total Keralite population of more than 3.5 million, who annually sent home a sum of around $6.81 billion ($US),[5] which is more than 15.13% of the total Remittance to India in 2008. In 2013 the remittance was more than 60,000 crore (600 billion) rupees.

Percentage Kerala Diaspora By Religion

Not known 633

Table of Non Resident Indians (NRIs) abroad in the countries listed. These do not include second or third generation children of original NRIs, because they are citizens in the respective countries. Most of the younger generations who are citizens in these countries like their Indian or Kerala heritage, but they are citizens of US, UK or other countries. Of the Total Indian diaspora, I have tabulated the Keralites and their percentage in the two right columns. These are data according to Indian census data of 2011, the latest available, [2,3] as well as from Indian Diaspora Council.org, Wikipedia.org, and United Nation’s Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN-DESA). Additionally, Keralites are present in countries like, Finland, Austria, Japan, and Israel,

According to Kerala Migration Survey, 90% of Kerala Diaspora is in the Middle East Gulf region. Moreover, nearly 80% of the Indians living in Kuwait are from Kerala. The “Gulf Boom” refers to the mass migration of a large number of people from the Indian state of Kerala to the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) from 1972 to 1983.[4] Kerala Christians consists of a large percentage of the Keralites in the GCC countries of the Gulf region. The movement allowed many migrant workers from Kerala to the GCC states, which still continues, although in smaller numbers after the 2008 international financial crisis began to affect the GCC region. This initial wave of migration is usually referred to as the Kerala Gulf Boom. In 2010, the GCC states contained a total Keralite population of more than 3.5 million, who annually sent home a sum of around $6.81 billion ($US),[5] which is more than 15.13% of the total Remittance to India in 2008. In 2013 the remittance was more than 60,000 crore (600 billion) rupees.

Kerala Christians traditionally were called Nazarani Christians, a name accorded by the rulers of ancient Travancore, as they were followers of Jesus of Nazareth. Later they were called Syrian Christians in view of the Syriac (classical form of Aramaic) liturgy used in church services since the early days of Christianity in India. Among the Kerala (Malayalee) diaspora, Hindus are the highest number (54.73%), followed by Islam (26.56%) and Christians at (18.38%). [6] These are the latest numbers available for expatriate of Keralites globally. Most are permanent residents or working on temporary visas. According to Immigration world report, Indians are the second-largest group of immigrants in the United States of America.

There are more than four million Indian Americans in the USA. Many come here with the aim of eventually becoming American citizens but they each bring with them a part of their regional culture, heritage, and practice their faith. To get an estimate of the Kerala Christians, each church must take an enumeration of their members and keep a database in their diocesan headquarters. Having served the Diocese as the Associate Secretary from 1982-1990, I have calculated that at present there would be close to 65,000 Mar Thoma Christians in the Diocese of North America & Europe. That brings me to explain the

Humanity is God’s diaspora on earth. When God elected Abraham to develop a faith community in the pagan land of Canaan, one of the covenantal blessings given to him was “And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed” (Genesis 12:3). Also, man became a living being only by the breath of God. The breath of God is the Spirit of God, and therefore man’s soul bears the image of God (Genesis 2:7) “Then God blessed them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth” (Genesis 1:28). The same blessing was given to Noah, after the entire population of ten generations from Adam to Noah was destroyed by the great flood. The generations that were destroyed included both the Cainite and Sethian origins. Then the world was repopulated through Noah’s descendants and the present world everywhere are filled with the descendants of Shem, Ham and Japheth. I have traced the genealogy of the world population and the tribal head of each ethnic group as described in two recent books. [7,8]

Since humanity is brought to life by God’s breath, we must know that we are on earth but not of earth. The first faith community God established through Abraham, the Jewish nation was scattered throughout the world, though by conquest and exile by other nations, but by the foreknowledge of God, for the purpose of spreading the Word of God throughout the world. Thus, the Latin phrase “Missio Dei.” Missio Dei can be translated the “mission of God,” or the “sending of God.” It is a concept, which has become increasingly important in missiology, and in understanding the mission of the church since the beginning of the 20th century as proposed by scholars like David Bosch and Lesslie Newbigin.

For Christians, the true meaning of Diaspora should be “send by God” or “scattered by God” to carry out his mission on earth. It is in this concept the word “deo” for God is used in the Gospels and Acts as well as in the Epistles. In Colossians Paul says “that God would open to us a door to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am also in chains (4:3) as well as in his epistle to Timothy, “For which I suffer trouble as an evil doer, even to the point of chains, but the Word of God is not chained ( 2 Tim. 2:9).

Kerala Christian Diaspora as shown in the Table above, are scattered everywhere, though a minority. Most of us went to foreign countries in search of higher education, better living, earnings, and quality of life. Apostles also earned their living by working whatever they could— without means of earning none of us can survive. Paul was a tentmaker by trade, and he used his earnings making tents to support himself, and for the support of other

poor people while he was spreading the mystery of Christ. Paul met Priscilla and Aquila in Corinth who were fellow workers with him who practiced the trade of tent making to support them (Acts 18:1-4).

The question I have for Kerala Diaspora Christians in any denomination is, are we “send by God” to spread the Good News of the kingdom of God and mystery of Christ in the respective global spots God placed us? Do we know that we are not of this world? What affirmation we have for that? Just before Jesus was betrayed and arrested, he prayed “While I was with them in the world, I kept them in Your name. Those whom You gave Me I have kept; and none of them is lost except the son of perdition, that the Scripture might be fulfilled. But now I come to You, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have My joy fulfilled in themselves.I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world” (John 17:12-16, emphasis added). Apostle Paul captured on this truth and reminded us “But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ” (Philippians 3:20).

Based on this theological meaning of the diaspora, as a scientist who spent fifty years in teaching and research, and as a theologian, human being should not have taxonomic name Homo sapiens. Homo in Latin means man and sapiens means wise or astute, or wise man. Evolutionists consider us a little more wiser than apes and chimps, the primate group to which they classified humanity. But the Scriptures teaches that God made man a little lower than the angels; yet he crowned us with glory and honor (Hebrews.2:7), and heirs and coheirs with Christ in the heavenly realms (Romans 8: 17). Therefore, our taxonomic name in my view should be Homo deospora, meaning “God’s scattered human beings” on earth to carry out Missio Dei, spreading the Mystery of Christ and the salvation through Him. Amen! 1. https://economictimes. indiatimes.com/nri/nrisin-news/at-17-5-million-indian-diaspora-largestin-the-world-un-report/articleshow/71179163. cms?. Accessed October 4, 2022.

2. Census India. Accessed from the Original (May 13, 2010 PDF, web.archive.org) on October 12, 2022.

3. Indian Express (September 17, 2014). Kerala Migration Survey 201

4. 4. State’s Youths still fly abroad for livelihood. Accessed on October 12, 2022.

5. Gulf Dream: For Indians The Golden Beaches Still gleam, Malayala Manorama Year Book, 1990.

6. Govind, Biju (19 August 2008). GCC residency cap may force lakhs to return. Move to limit period of stay for non-professionals. The Hindu. August 19, 2008. Accessed October 10, 2022.

7. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malayali. Accessed

October 10, 2022.

8. Plammoottil V. Cherian (2019). Promised land:

Whose Land, Whose Promise, Who shall Inherit? pp. 669.. ISBN 978-1-64300-991-9.

9. Plammoottil V. Cherian (2023). Finishing the

Race. Socio-Theological Reasons of Despair and

Confusion of Nations. ISBN Paperback ISBN: 979-8-88644-858-0; Hardcover ISBN: 979-888644-860-3.

*Dr. P. V. Cherian is a retired professor of Life Sciences, and a researcher of medical sciences who has a great interest in the truth of science and with his theological understanding, he relates world events, scientific discoveries and cosmological changes with Biblical prophecies that are being fulfilled. He published articles and books stressing emphatically that science proves God in action in the affairs of the world, nations and individuals. He has authored ten books. He served as the Associate Secretary of the Diocese of North America and Europe, and now lives in Buffalo Grove, Illinois, USA and a member of Chicago Mar Thoma Church.