North East Catholic Research Forum

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In Their Shadow

Opinion | Articles | Chhotebhai |

Has the dust begun to settle or the temperature begun to rise, despite the advancing monsoon? This weather barometer is political not climatic. With the elections over, the Union Cabinet in place, the Speaker also elected and proceedings in the Lok Sa.....

The Hug of a Humbug!

Opinion | Articles | Cedric Prakash |

Few will not remember Judas Iscariot and the role he played in the betrayal of Jesus! For those who don’t know or don’t remember, these passages from Sacred Scripture will help put things in perspective: And while they were eating, he said, “Truly I .....

The Journey to my Vocation - Part I

Opinion | Articles | Benjamin Chang |

In the Footprint of Christ

While preparing for my Diaconate Ordination, I had ample time to recall about my vocation, my life... There is an inner urge to share something about my vocation with you all. I guess, it might help some people… My vocation is like any vocation that bega.....

Politics without Principle

Opinion | Articles | M L Satyan |

Many years back Mahatma Gandhi spoke about seven crimes. One of them is “Politics without principle”. We need to appreciate Gandhiji for brilliantly analysing the political scenario of his time as well as the future. After more than two-month-long electio.....

Statement of Concerned Catholics

Current Updates | Editorial Pick | Editorial team |

On Thursday 4 April 2024, Pope Francis in a very incisive message to the participants in the First Colloquium between the Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue and the Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions, held in the Vatican said, “We n.....

Voting, A Christian Duty

Opinion | Articles | Chhotebhai |

It’s that time of year when we head to the hustings for the great Indian tamasha, the Lok Sabha elections 2024. The present regime at the Centre is so confident of a third term in office that it has invited representatives from various world political par.....

Mantra for a stress-free life is ‘Just to leave it’

Opinion | Articles | M L Satyan |

We have been boasting of our science, technology, military and weapon power. Every country has been spending enormous amount of money for procuring arms, weapons and nuclear power. Our human pride, our imagined self-importance, status and money power, the.....

Under Attack from Hindutva Forces, 'Convent' Schools Fight for Survival

Opinion | Articles | John Dayal |

Well into the liberalised economic order, matrimonial advertisements in north Indian newspapers had parents of eligible men seeking brides who were fair, accomplished, homely and ‘convent educated’. The last qualification was an omnibus one, ensuring that.....

Let us be the Change that we want to see

Opinion | Articles | Benjamin Chang |

Christian Churches have played an important role in bringing people together from different walks of life as one people, as one Christian family. It is in the name of Jesus that we are able to acknowledge one another as our own brothers and sisters. It is.....

Step in to the World of Journalism and Mass Media

Education | College | NECARF Rep |

Niscort Media College

For those who aspire for the world of Mass media.....

Are we building an Indian Church or a Roman Church in India?

Opinion | Articles | M L Satyan |

Bishop Saupin

I am raising this question mainly in the backdrop of the recent installations of bishops and an Archbishop in some of the north Indian dioceses, especially in the tribal belt. It is indeed an "eye-soaring" experience when I look at the clergy with the Rom.....

Dogs & Gods of War

Opinion | Articles | Chhotebhai |

This is an alarmist headline. It is meant to be. It is inspired in part by the novel “Dogs of War” written 70 years ago by Fredrick Forsythe. But this article is not fiction, for truth is stranger than fiction. Polytheist religions have Gods of War. M.....

Electoral Bonds: Intimidate, Induce and Collect

Opinion | Articles | M L Satyan |

As per the Supreme Court’s order, the Election Commission uploaded the list of the donors of electoral bonds. Many political analysts and journalists studied the list and revealed the truth that most of the donors purchased electoral bonds for two major r.....

Time we speak up against divisive agenda

Opinion | Articles | Tom Mangattuthazhe |

My heart bleeds when some people with divisive intents talk of Christian missionaries being responsible for all the problems in our region – the North East India, because I am a missionary myself, a priest of the Catholic. I began my journey in the state .....

Editorial

Zubeen Garg unites people even in his death

Many ordinary people who are not connected to music and art might not have even heard of Zubeen Garg, despite being an iconic artist and a person who cared for others. However, after his unfortunate and untimely demise on September 19, 2025, social media.....

How serious are educational Institutions about the mental health of young people?

During the monsoon session of the Parliament in July 2025, Union Minister of State for Education Sukanta Majumdar informed the house that student suicide cases accounted for 7.6 per cent of all suicide cases reported across India in 2022, showing a slight.....

Religious Persecutions in the Land of Vivekananda and Gandhi

The dictionary meaning of ‘persecution’ reads as ‘unfair or cruel treatment based on race, religion, or political belief’. Therefore, persecution can occur through racial discrimination or political exploitation and is not necessarily limited to the relig.....

From a Murderer to a Pilgrim of Faith

Prior to June 27, 2025, not many people in this country and elsewhere would have heard of Chengu@Sudharsan@Chandu Hansda, who at the age of 13 turned into a murderer when he joined the mob that brutally burnt alive an Australian missionary, Graham Stewart.....

Ominous Signs and the Catholic response

India is a country that boasts staggering diversity—a colourful mix few in the world have the privilege of sharing. Since independence and the enactment of the constitution, freedom, liberty, and equality before the law has always been our treasured right.....

The New Pope and His Message

This time, 1.39 billion Catholics across the globe were fortunate to see the white smoke come out of the Sistine Chapel chimney on the second day as Cardinal Robert Prevost was elected by the cardinal conclave in the fourth round of voting, one less than .....

The Pope didn’t Sulk or Shun

The Vatican News released a video of Pope Francis extending Easter greetings to a multitude of people at St. Peter’s Square in Rome, which was one day before his final journey to the eternal world. A close look at that video reveals that the Holy Father w.....

The CBCI blinks yet again

The Catholic Bishops Conference of India (CBCI), regarded as a father figure by an estimated 23 million Catholics in this country, has yet again shown lack of wisdom while taking decision on crucial matters. While the organization may like to downplay som.....

Persecution as an Opportunity

The history of the church is replete with stories of persecution; the crucifixion of Christ itself being the greatest of all. Rome, where the Vatican, the supreme seat of the Pontiff, stands today, in fact was one of the foremost places where Christian pe.....

Weaving a Christian Relationship

His Holiness, the 14th Dalai Lama, in his book, Toward A True Kinship of Faith, wrote, “I have boundless respect for my Buddhist faith, but to see it within the context of its brother and sister religions has afforded me a vision of the grandeur and exten.....

We hope the Church Hierarchy is listening

According to the media report, the son of a pastor, Ramesh Baghel, has been prevented from burying the dead body of his late father in the village cemetery because some Hindutva activists from his village did not allow the burial to take place. He appeale.....

The Twin Pillars of the Catholic Church

Dealing with the differences between the laity and clergy, the two pillars of the church, is a perpetual problem for the Catholic Church. Though the problem is real and sometimes threatens to tear apart the cohesiveness of the synodal church, it has alway.....

Previous Articles

Woman and Child

Opinion | Articles | Desmond L. Kharmawphlang

The trudge from her hovel to the corner by the bus-stop would be covered in the time it took her to have her first mouthful of betel nut of the day, about say, 10 minutes. With her bag of bidis and cigarettes, plastic jars of shaved and pieced betel nuts .....

Upholding Gandhian Values of Truth, Justice and Nonviolence for Journalism Today!

Opinion | Articles | Cedric Prakash

It is good to be here at this the 29th Annual Convention of the Indian Catholic Press Association (ICPA). I wish to place on record my deep and sincere gratitude to the Executive Committee of the ICPA and all others concerned for giving me the joy and pri.....

The Messenger is Gone, but not the Message

Opinion | Articles | M L Satyan

After a very long period, God selected a modern, pro-poor Francis Assisi in the form of a pope to reform the church that was rusting. Definitely, he too had been seriously reflecting on the contrast between the wealthy Vatican and the acute poverty outsid.....

Christian Mission: Holding up the Mirror of Truth

Opinion | People's Edit | Ladislaus Louis D'Souza

"Missionary work is not something that is reserved for a select few individuals. It is the vocation of all Christians,” says Father Ambrose Pichaimuthu, National Director, Pontifical Mission Organizations. If one could cite a single concrete example of th.....

Easter: The life of God's Spirit within us

Opinion | People's Edit | Myron J Pereira

Easter, like Christmas, is full of symbols — empty tombs with angels around, soldiers falling down helplessly, eggs, lilies, empty crosses on the Calvary hill. Why is this so? Whenever we touch a truth too intense for words, we use symbols. We cry, we dan.....

NERYC sponsored Youth Convention in Imphal

Current Updates | NE Brief | NECARF Rep

NERYC sponsored Youth Convention in Imphal The fourth edition of Indian Catholic Youth Movement (ICYM) North East, was co-hosted by North East Regional Youth Commission (NERYC) and the Manipur Catholic Youth Organisation (MCYO) from October 22 to 26 at t.....

Ka Ram-ew: A Khasi Folktale about Mother Earth

Current Updates | Culture | Philip Lyngdoh

On the 24th of May 2015, Holy Father, Pope Francis, gave to us and the world his epic encyclical, "Laudato Si՛, mi Signore՛" - "Praise be to you, my Lord". Those were actually words from the Canticle of the Creatures of St. Francis of Assisi where the gen.....

School drop-out rate is a serious concern

Opinion | Articles | M L Satyan

I had an opportunity to work with Functional Vocational Training and Research Society (FVTRS) from 2008 to 2014. The focus group of FVTRS was always school dropout students. Local NGOs became partners of FVTRS to provide skill training to school dropout s.....

NECCOD brings out a Calendar for 2021

Current Updates | NE Brief | NECARF Rep

In a simple ceremony following the NECCOD monthly Mass on November 1, 2020, a Calendar for 2021 was released on by Rev. Fr. Vijay Baretto, Chaplin of NECCOD, in the Archdiocese of Delhi, at the Sacred Heart Cathedral. The attractive Calendar, with select.....

Many Faces of Child abuse

Opinion | Articles | M L Satyan

Many Faces of Child abuse A few days ago, I was traveling by a taxi in Bengaluru. At a major traffic signal, I noticed a middle-aged woman on the footpath carrying a young baby on her shoulder. The child was quiet. As soon as there was red signal, all .....

Our Culture and the Gospel Encounter

Opinion | People's Edit | Joseph M Thohrii

Introduction Since early human civilisations, there has always been feeling of awe towards the supernatural being, and human beings had always been curious and interested to understand this phenomenon and wanted to relate life to this reality or being. I.....

Current Updates

An MSMHC Nun from Mizoram did the North East Proud

NE Brief | NECARF Rep |

Sr Rose Paite

October 14, 2025: Sr Rose Paite, an MSMHC nun from Mizoram, received the prestigious National Award from the Catholic Mental Health Ministry (CMHM) at the World Mental Health Day Conference in Kerala. The prestigious award was handed over to the recipie.....

Cardinal Victor Manuel Fernandez’s address

Editorial Pick | Editorial team |

Synodality: Why No, and Why Yes Some have hoped that our new pope would ease up a little on this matter of synodality. Instead, Pope Leo has expressed a strong desire to continue along the path of synodality. For example: “Synodality becomes a mindset, .....

North East Catholic Community of Delhi puts up a Glittering show

NE Brief | NECARF Rep |

Mr Lalduhoma and Archbishop Anil J T Couto, with other dignataries

The North East Catholic Committee of Delhi (NECCOD) accorded a warm welcome to their new members who had joined them in the Delhi NCR region with spiritual and a social gathering worthy of the colours mix of the region they come from. This was the 33rd oc.....

NEIRBC Gets a new Education Commission Team

Editorial Pick | Editorial team |

Guwahati, June 25, 2025 – The Northeast Bishops Council’s Commission for Education has appointed a new leadership team, with Fr. Dr. Paul Pudussery, a Holy Cross priest, taking the helm. This transition marks the third leadership handover since the commis.....

Francis’s Bottle Craft: Miniature Homes in Glasses

Editorial Pick | Editorial team |

The Miniature Artist of Sikkim

In a quiet corner of Sikkim’s Lingzey, Gairigaon, an artist has been creating entire worlds inside bottles—one intricate house at a time. Meet Mr Francis Rai, the man behind Francis Bottle Crafts, whose passion for miniature architecture has turned into b.....

Convenor of ICF writes open letters to four Indian Cardinals

Editorial Pick | Editorial team |

In an open letter to Cardinal Filipe Neri Ferrao, Cardinal Baselios Mar Cleemis, Cardinal Antony Poola, and Cardinal George Koovakad, Chhotebhai, the Convenor of the Indian Catholic Forum, wrote that the Catholic community in India is proud of them, that.....

Opinion

Called 'To Mission'

Articles | Cedric Prakash |

‘The Mission’, is a 1986 British period drama film, about the experiences of a Jesuit missionary in 18th-century South America. The film is a rather complex one, though compelling and spiritually stirring. In essence, it is about the stand, which the Span.....

Christianity and the Contemporary Naga Society

Articles | Jonas Yanthan |

Religion has tremendous impact on people and ultimately the society. The truth is believers act and behave in the way each individual or society believes. We know that bad theology and shallow belief system can turn believers into mediocre or fanatic peop.....

Religions are Commercialized

Articles | M L Satyan |

Just recently I hired an autorickshaw in Bengaluru. While traveling in the autorickshaw I noticed a printed caption above the driver’s seat. It read: “Price the Lord”. My mind said that there is a typo. The word “Praise” has been wrongly spelt as “Price”......

The Capacity of Human Brain to Retain Data on Social Contacts

Articles | Isaac Harold Gomes |

Picture of Human Brain

We humans are social creatures and therefore we need ‘social bonds’ to survive on earth. However, our brains have their limits to sustain countless contacts. According to researchers our brains can effectively store a maximum of 150 relationships in our .....

The Three Idiots of Ladakh

Articles | Chhotebhai |

The block buster Amir Khan movie “Three Idiots” is to some degree inspired by Sonam Wangchuk of Ladakh, the same person whom the Government has now arrested under the draconian National Security Act and lodged in far away Jodhpur jail. Ironically, till re.....

On Living the Legacy of Fr. Stan Swamy

Articles | Cedric Prakash |

Fr Sten Swamy

Late evening of 8 October 2020, Fr Stan Swamy was summoned from ‘Bagaicha’ in Ranchi (the Social Centre he founded in 2006 and where he lived) by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) officials, to their local headquarters in Ranchi city. He was immed.....

Education

Job Fair in Don Bosco Kohima

College | NECARF Rep |

Job Fair Notice

For kind attention of young boys and girls who are interested in getting recruited in different Comnpaies......

Step in to the World of Journalism and Mass Media

College | NECARF Rep |

Niscort Media College

For those who aspire for the world of Mass media.....

Avail Early Bird Discount in Media Studies

College | NECARF Rep |

Admission Notice

NISCORT, one of the Premier Media Colleges in the National Capital area, announces admission for several graduate and post-graduate level courses in Media studies. Interested students may visit www.niscort.com for details......

NISCORT Announces three different courses in Journalism and Mass Communication

College | NECARF Rep |

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For those Interested in Journalism studies, the above affordable courses comes as a boon.....

NICORT Media College Announces Short Courses in Media fields

College | NECARF Rep |

Annoucment

NICORT Media College Announces Short Courses in Media fields.....

For those interested to make a Career in Mass Media and Journalism, NISCORT provides the opportunity

College | NECARF Rep |

NISCORT opens Admissions for Course in Mass Media and Journalism

NISCORT opens Admissions for Course in Mass Media and Journalism.....

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