Kuriakose Elias Chavara’s achievements make him immortal - as a priest, scholar, social reformer and pioneer. In a distinctive assemblage of well-thought-out articles by renowned persons from diverse spheres of the civil society, the role of the esteemed seer in awakening the mass consciousness of Kerala towards social reformation is highlighted in this voluminous publication. Besides, the reader is acquainted, through a rare collection of letters, exquisite paintings and definitive sketches, with the trajectory of the life of Chavara who lived in 19th century Kerala, and how he guided his flock to a social order that upheld the tenets of inclusion and justice. Chavara combined a life of action and contemplation. He was a pioneer on many fronts. He was a littèrateur, a torchbearer in the theatre movement, a frontiersman of mass literacy initiatives including setting up of a Sanskrit school for the masses, a promoter of novelty who introduced print technology and successfully operated a press. He was also an environmental conservationist. He was a true secularist and nationalist whose activities reached every section of society irrespective of caste, creed or religion. He was a harbinger of the change that the society of his times was waiting for, and he successfully infused into Christianity the spirit of Indian culture. Chavara was a quintessential humanist and believed that spiritualism manifested itself through faith, hope and charity. This sentiment was amply revealed through his activities and writings. His was the highest degree of spirituality, and the style that was manifested was one of grandeur. In what can be described as the first of its kind, this exhaustive volume, in a highly systematic manner, initiates the reader on almost every aspect of the now canonized priest’s life. The book would be of interest not only to the general reader hitherto unfamiliar with the multifaceted persona of Chavara, but also social scientists and researchers. Contents: A Sign From Above: The Life of Kuriakose Elias Chavara (Maleeha Raghaviah and Mellanie Marquez Shibu) Part 1: Thoughts, Spirituality and Social Action of Chavara Chavara: The Solitary Star of Excellence (M T Vasudevan Nair) • The Man Who Shaped Kerala’s Modernity (M G S Narayanan) • Saint Chavara: Multi-Dimensional Revolutionary (M P Veerendra Kumar) • Chavara: A Golden Feather in India’s Cap (Oommen Chandy) • A Different Saint (Paul Zacharia) • The Saint Who Walked Ahead of His Time (John Paul) • As Chavara Sowed, So Kerala Reaped (Ramesh Chennithala) • A Civil Society for Malayalis (K S Radhakrishnan) • He Who Moved Mountains (V Sukumaran) • Chavara’s Plantain Pith Revolution (P K Rajasekharan) • Chavara: The Cultural Intermediary (Scaria Zacharia) • The Mannanam Press: Ingenuity at Its Peak (Maleeha Raghaviah) • The Leader of Syrian Catholics (P Govinda Pillai) • Education Reaches the Masses (Maleeha Raghaviah) • Chavara’s Food Security Network (Maleeha Raghaviah) • To Live in Joy and Die in Peace (Benoy Jacob) • Indianization (A Sreedhara Menon) • A Secular Realization of Religious Consciousness (Ajay P Mangat) • Committed Secularist (Maleeha Raghaviah) • Chavara’s Attainment (M K Sanu) • A Rare Gem, Indeed (Maleeha Raghaviah) • Chavara: An Architect of the 19th Century (C K Ramachandran) • The Saint Who Made the Desert Bloom (Perumbadavam Sreedharan) • Hallmark of a Karmayogi (N Gopalakrishnan) • Light on the Burnt Horizon (Kabita Mukhopadhyay) • Linking Faiths (Ma Atmajyoti Ananda) • Daring to Dream (Renitha Raveendran) • Chavara: The Environment Conservationist (Maleeha Raghaviah) • The Breathing Clay (John Mannarathara) • A Multi-faceted Genius (Sebastian Paul) • The Boon of Talent (M Thomas Mathew) • Chavara’s Inclusive Academy (Mellanie Marquez Shibu) • Kuriakose Elias Chavara: Integral and Inclusive Education (Saju Chackalackal) • Carrying the Legacy Forward (Paul Achandy) • Architect of Modernity: The Man Who Held the Masses to His Heart (P S Sreedharan Pillai) • The Cultural Sustenance that Went Unrecorded (Thomas Jacob) Part 2: Chavara’s Writings Writings of Saint Chavara (Sebastian Poonoly) • Poetic Environs (Kalpetta Narayanan) • Writings to Aid Meditation (Joseph Mundassery) • Atmanutapam: A Literary Landmark (M P Beena) • Atmanutapam: Writing With a Higher Aim (Meena Panikker) • On Reading an Old Work (D Babu Paul) • Mothering Heights (M Gopinath) • The Map of Mother (John Mannarathara) • Spiritual Poem Nonpareil (Maleeha Raghaviah) • Martyrdom of Anastasia: Celebrating a Brave Woman (Renitha Raveendran) • Philosophy of Death (P P Sreedharanunni) • Death in Chavara Poems (P K Rajasekharan) • Poetic Treatment of Death (Renitha Raveendran) • Milestones in the History of Malayalam Drama (Kavalam Narayana Panicker) • Theatre Awakening in Monasteries (K Sreekumar) • Redrawing the Map of Malayalam Drama (M Gopinath) • Chavara: The Chronicler (Mellanie Marquez Shibu) • The Master Letter Writer (Maleeha Raghaviah) • In Friendship with God (Mellanie Marquez Shibu) • Directives for Families: A Sociological Approach (Hafiz Mohammed) • Invaluable Insight (Aarti C Rajaratnam) • A Saint’s Vision of a Model Family (Maleeha Raghaviah) • The Portrait of a Noble Family (Renitha Raveendran) • This Page Shall Not Perish (Subhash Chandran) • A New Code for Economic Justice (K K N Kurup) • Synergy of Saintly People: Tribute to Chavara’s Associates (M Gopinath) Part 3: Saints, Sages and Satsangs Saints and Sages (Cyriac Kanichai) • The Saints: A Cloud Of Witnesses (Mellanie Marquez Shibu) • In Giving, Receive Happiness (A P J Abdul Kalam) • The Saint Who Put Her Soul to the Flames of Suffering (John Mannarathara) • Saint Euphrasia: A Paragon of Spiritual Empowerment (M Gopinath) Part 4: Monastery: A Place of Spirituality and Solitude Monastic Orders in Other Religions (Maleeha Raghaviah) • Monasteries of Hermits and Monks (Mellanie Marquez Shibu) Appendices • Documents • A Selection of Chavara’s Writings • Speeches • Homily of His Holiness (John Paul II) • Father Chavara Represents Indian Christianity at Its Best (R Venkataraman) • Fr Chavara, the Pride of Humankind (P Ramachandran) • Selfless Service Leads to a Great Nation (A P J Abdul Kalam) • Homily of Pope Francis • Address of Pope Francis • Address of the Prime Minister • Bibliography • Writers’ Profile • Editorial Board • Artists’ and Photographers’ Profile • Acknowledgement.