Christians in India have declared July 3rd to be the First Indian Christian Day. While the day was intended to commemorate the life of Saint Thomas the Apostle, the First Indian Christian Day proclamation was initiated to highlight that Christianity is not a foreign faith in India.
According to Asia News, the event is supported by members of many faiths, and it is scheduled for the feast day of Saint Thomas the Apostle who is regarded as the country's first evangelist. In addition, the International Christian Concern (ICC) that Saint Thomas was executed in 72 AD in the Tamil Nadu state of India, which is where the story of his martyrdom is traditionally believed to have taken place.
The purpose of the gathering is to contradict the notion of Hindu radicals that Christianity is a foreign religion in India.
"By marking it in 2021 and every year henceforth, we, as followers of the Lord Jesus, can preserve our identity within India's cultural heritage, while uniting with all those who wish to celebrate it, irrespective of language, custom, creed, region or religion," said the event's advocate in a statement to the news outlet.
Additionally, the organizers also plan "to launch a Decade of Celebration (2021-2030) to honour the 2,000th anniversary of the earthly mission of the Lord Jesus Christ whose teaching and principles of life have helped shape and transform India and the world."
Speaking for the Catholic Bishops' Conference of India (CBCI), Fr. Babu Joseph commented that making Saint Thomas's feast day the official Indian Christian Day is a step towards resolving the apparent differences on the subject of how Saint Thomas came to India.
Fr Joseph also hopes that UNESCO will provide the churches some recognition and publish some academic articles that emphasize Christianity's accomplishments in India's history.
He stated that Christianity will have a significant place in "Indian history and ethos" because of this. More importantly, he believes that "in light of attempts by some right-wing organisation to create the impression that Christianity is foreign to India, it is necessary to highlight its antiquity in the country."
"Christianity is part and parcel of Indian history for the last 2,000 years and has given birth to many indigenised forms of Christian life. Any effort to undo this great civilisational contribution is tantamount to negating the very foundation of India itself," he said.
According to Herald Malaysia, this will be the first time in history when all different Christian denominations from all across India as well as Indian Christians living outside of India gather to mark "Indian Christian Day."
According to The Quint, a conference on May 22 that included several important Christian clergy in India, such as Archbishop of Delhi, Anil Couta, had agreed on the idea of an ICD (Indian Christian Day)
Furthermore, the outlet reported that ICD is in part a reaction to the 2015 assaults on Christian churches in Delhi and Baba Ramdev's offensive rant against Indian Medical Association President Dr. JA Jayalal. He was accused of trying to persuade medical students and doctors to embrace Christianity.
