175th anniversary of Basel Mission in India celebrated

Christians in Karnataka celebrated the 175th anniversary of the arrival of Basel mission in India. The Basel missionary society operates around the world and arrived India on 12 February 1834.

A major focus for the mission was to create employment opportunities for the people of the area where each mission is located. To this end the society teaches printing, tile manufacturing, and weaving, and employs people in these fields.

Karnataka State Open University Vice-Chancellor Dr B A Vivek Rai, addressing people at the Karnataka Theological College said, Christianity is not merely a religion - it is a philosophy. "Ecumenism means having working space for different identities at different times," he was quoted saying.

He lauded the efforts of the missionary society which has refrained itself from the commercialisation of this present era, adding that it has impartially provided knowledge to all common men.

The dream of Mahatma Gandhi to promote home industries and small-scale industries to make rural population self-dependent has been achieved by the mission, he praised.

The mission was founded as the German Missionary Society in 1815. Members of the society come from many different Protestant denominations.