By George Cheriyan
Jaipur, July 5, 2024: At the age of 21, in June 1984, I started my journey in the not-for-profit social sector, dedicating my life for serving society, and contributing towards providing better quality of the life for the marginalized and subaltern sections.
Political and ideological Inspiration
Shifting to Tiruvalla for my college education had given me an opportunity to involve in the post-emergency socialist movement. I entered politics opposing emergency, during the fag end of emergency in 1976-1977, and became part of the JP movement.
I entered politics through the Vidyarti Janatadal in 1978, and thereafter became a member of Janata Party and later Janata Dal. I was active in intellectual forums like Lohia Vichara Vedi. I took part in the Bharath Yatra undertaken by former Prime Minister Chandra Shekhar in 1983. I still remain part of the socialist movement, though not active in party politics.
I got the opportunity to meet M. M. Thomas, former president of the Central Committee of World Council of Churches-WCC (1968-1975), who later became the governor of Nagaland (1990-1992), who was a significant figure in the field of liberation theology, and his theological reflections were deeply rooted in the context of social struggle and humanization.
I was a frequent visitor to his house in Tiruvalla, and interacted with him. His advice to remain as a critical opposition throughout life, not just as a political space, but rather as an ideological position, still influences and guides me.
While all the youngsters were attracted by jobs in the Middle East in the 70s and 80s, the above mentioned political and ideological orientation influenced me to remain in the social sector in our own country.
Ecumenical Voyage
I started my journey, as a secretary with the Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA), served at the YMCA Kerala region as Zonal Secretary during 1984-1985, and later worked with the Trivandrum YMCA during 1987-1989, in-charge of the community development projects at various locations.
I joined Kerala Council of Churches as the associate director of Ecumenical Development Training Programme, served during 1989-1994. These trainings, helped 100s of church youth to better understand the problems of society, biblical response to it, and ways to address those issues, and knowing about the wider ecumenism.
During this period, I met Medha Patkar in September 1993 in her office at Vadodara, Gujarat, and visited Narmada Valley, supporting the Narmada Bachao Andolan. I invited her to visit Kerala, which she accepted it and visited the state the first time a bit later.
I left Kerala in 1994, joining Ecumenical Christian Centre (ECC), Bengaluru when I was 32, and served as the associate director (1994-1999). ECC’s primary concern is to empower people from different faith communities to lead harmonious life with dignity. I organized a number of national conferences of contemporary relevance. After a brief stint with United Theological College, Bengaluru as the senior administrative officer, during 1999-2001, I left the ecumenical field.
During 1994-2001, I got an opportunity to be involved with the Association of Christian Institutes for Social Concern in Asia under the WCC, served as the Editor of the association’s publications, and edited several books such as “Globalization: A Challenge to the Church.
Shifting to North India
In April 2001, I shifted to a secular platform and moved to North India. I served as the director the Schumacher Institute of Appropriate Technology and Rural Development, based in Lucknow. The appropriate technology center was established by E F Schumacher, the author of the famous book, ‘Small is Beautiful’. The institute was concerned with reversing the urban drift and revitalizing the villages, and I had given a new energy to the institute being the Director.
Continued involvement with CSOs
Shifting to Jaipur, I worked as the director of CUTS (Consumer Unity & Trust Society) International, which is an Indian origin international public policy research and consumer advocacy organization headquartered in Jaipur, for 20 years from November 2003 and oversaw the grassroots activities in Rajasthan. During this period, I was elected to the Council of Consumers International (2015-2019), UK.
I am the founding secretary and honorary director of Center for Environment and Sustainable Development India (CESDI), established in 1993, a national NGO having special consultative status with UN-ECOSOC and accredited with UNEP and UN-ESCAP. Since May 2023, I am also the honorary working president of Consumers Protection Association, Agartala, Tripura.
Representations
At present, I am a member of Scientific Board of Competere based in Italy, Rome, and a member of the Global Think Tank on Sustainable Consumption of the Swedish Society for Nature Conservation, Stockholm. In April, I was nominated a member of the Consumer Complaints Council of Advertising Standards Council of India, which deals with unfair trade practices and misleading advertisements.
Oversees journeys
I have global exposure from traveling to 37 countries, and have experience in consulting for bilateral and multilateral agencies.
I made presentations at World Bank headquarters in Washington DC,
I visited Algeria in March 2002, at the end of civil war, on the invitation from the president of Algeria for an UN event, in the midst of threat from Islamic militants. On the day of return I experienced several bomb blasts in Algiers. We were taken directly to the tarmac, to board the flight.
On invitation from the government of Spain, I spoke at the World Conference on Wetlands, and was a delegate of the CoP 8 on Wetlands (Ramsar), held in Valencia, Spain in Nov. 2002.
By the end of the Jasmine Revolution in Tunisia, and the uprising in many of the Arab countries, I visited Cairo, Egypt in May 2013 as part of the ‘High Power World Bank Mission’ and interacted with representatives from seven Arab countries, and gave advice while re-starting.
In July 2013, during visit to Kampala, Uganda, made a trip to the old Entebbe Airport, which was the scene of a hostage rescue operation by Israel, dubbed as ‘Operation Entebbe’, in 1976 during the regime of Idi Amin, then president of Uganda, which brought back memories.
Visited Sana’a, Yemen in March 2014 as part of the World Bank Mission, just before the civil war broke out, and addressed the first Civil Society Summit.
International Recognition
I was awarded the prestigious Rodha Karpatkin International Consumer Award by the American Council on Consumer Interests, for contributions to the welfare of consumers on the international stage as an internationally renowned consumer leader, in the annual conference of the council held in Portland, Oregon, in 2013. I was the first Indian to receive this award.