Bishop Most Rev. S. Vasanthakumar | Remaining Humble | Retaining Goodness | Living Simple | Giving Back | Challenging the threats | Global TV

Posted on: May 6, 2025

Life is a journey between Karma and Dharma; Bishop Most Rev. S. Vasanthakumar.

NV Paulose, Chairman, Global TV +91 98441 82044

Life, in its purest essence, is a journey. It is a sacred passage where Karma and Dharma intersect, collide, and sometimes even contradict. We should build our lives as an embodiment of service to the concept of humanity. The attempt should be to give back as much possible towards all that we receive from the universe from birth to death; or even before and after. Keeping this delicate balance is the message that we can take from the life of Bishop Most Rev. S. Vasanthakumar.

• The Legacy of Bishop Most Rev. S. Vasanthakumar

In his story, we witness a man rising through ecclesiastical ranks; with a soul wrestling with duty, justice, pain, and redemption; anchored always in the twin currents of action at the best and righteousness to the core.

Bishop Vasanthakumar is a spiritual voyager, a moral compass in troubled times and a servant leader who walked into spaces most feared to tread. Whether in the villages of Karnataka or on national platforms, he held fast to the conviction that faith without action is dead and action without faith is deadly. His life is the living testament to that truth. Do the best and to the maximum possible.

His life presents a reflective chapter woven with transformative moments from those whose lives were touched by his purest intentions. At its core, it explores how one man lived at the intersection of Karma; the realm of action and consequence, and Dharma; the call to righteousness and duty.

Through struggle and silence, through victories both public and personal, Bishop Vasanthakumar taught us that spiritual leadership is not about control, but courage. It is about standing in the gap between suffering and salvation. As you journey through his stories, you will find a remarkable man and get an inspiration to reflect, examine and redesign your path between Karma and Dharma.

First Turning Point in life; Lessons from a Village Teacher

Before the robes of the bishop, before the pulpit and the public addresses, before the long years of service and struggle, there was a village; and a teacher.

In that quiet village, tucked away from the noise of cities and the complexities of academia, young Vasantha Kumar walked to a modest school every day. The school had only one teacher. Four classes were taught in rotation. The system was simple; almost too simple, but it was brilliant in its own way.

The teacher began with the fourth standard, gave them instructions, and then moved to the third, and so on. The older children taught the younger ones in her absence, not out of obligation, but because they were trusted.

It wasn’t just a school. It was a community of learners, a small republic of mutual respect and shared curiosity. That, the Bishop recalls, was his first encounter with leadership and mentorship. It laid the foundation for how he would understand empowerment: not as something handed down, but something passed on through trust and shared responsibility. Real force behind this transformative experience was the teacher; a woman who, though lacking in institutional fame, was generations ahead in pedagogical vision. She didn’t just teach from textbooks. She opened the classroom to the world.

“Go out,” she would say, “and collect leaves from different trees. Identify them. Learn their names.” Another day, she’d say, “Pick up stones. Notice their colors. Their texture. What do they remind you of?” She transformed education into an exploration of nature, life, and meaning. Her radical approach didn’t stop at learning. It extended into social transformation. The village was, like many others, divided along lines of caste and creed; Lingayats, Kurubas, Adi Kannadiga families, and Christians. But in her classroom, there was no segregation.

“Sit together,” she would insist. “You are one.”

These were not mere words. They were seeds planted deep in young minds. Seeds of equality, unity, and compassion; values that no exam could measure, but which life would later demand. The children absorbed it all; equality at the lunch mat, solidarity in homework help, kindness in how they referred to one another. There was no division between “us” and “them.” There was only “we.”

Years later, when that teacher passed away at her daughter’s home in Bangalore, the village boy she once taught had become the Bishop of Bangalore. Upon receiving the news, he halted his official journey and called the family.

“Please wait,” he said. “Don’t bury her until I arrive.” He returned, not as a bishop, but as a student, and performed her final rites with reverence and gratitude. That moment, he often says, was not about ritual. It was about honouring a life that had shaped his own. “That was the first turning point of my life,” he says. “There are many others. But this one gave me my foundation.”

He never forgot her. In every annual gathering of the 1,300 teachers across diocesan schools, he tells her story. “This,” he tells the educators, “is the kind of teacher I want you to become. Education is not merely teaching 2+2=4. It is shaping a person. Teaching a child to accept others. To build a better society.”

Education should be one that rejects discrimination, embraces unity, and finds meaning not just in textbooks; but in life. You cannot preach Christ and practice caste.  Bishop Most Rev. S. Vasanthakumar is very clear about his policies on human wellbeing and humanity as such. “The cross, for him, is a symbol of suffering and resurrection. You cannot remain in Good Friday when Easter is promised. We don’t have to shout; we just have to live in a way that no one can ignore our worth. That is his leadership mantra. “Even a suffering,” he often says, “was a call. Not a curse. It made me who I am.”

“I feel satisfied. I have done everything I could within my capacity. I brought reforms within the Church. I stood for what mattered.” These words reflect the deep conviction of Bishop Most Rev. S. Vasanthakumar, a leader shaped not only by theology but by lived values of justice, compassion, and inclusion. Throughout his ecclesiastical journey, he sought to bring about genuine transformation; one that went beyond rituals and reached into the heart of society.

One of the most remarkable episodes in the bishop’s public life came when Taralabalu Swamiji invited him to speak before a gathering of more than 25,000 people at Palace Grounds. Rather than speak exclusively about Christ, Bishop Vasanthakumar chose to center his message on Basavanna, the great 12th-century reformer. He eloquently narrated how Basavanna envisioned a just and equal society, one that transcended caste, status, and prejudice; a vision remarkably aligned with Christ’s own message.

In response, Taralabalu Swamiji offered a deeply respectful tribute of his own. He spoke about Jesus Christ, not from a place of religious boundary but from a shared moral platform. Quoting the Sermon on the Mount, the Swamiji highlighted how the teachings of Jesus paralleled Basavanna’s in spirit; both pointing toward love, peace, and righteousness. In that moment, Bishop Vasanthakumar and the Swamiji embodied the essence of interfaith harmony: a dialogue not of conversion, but of convergence around universal values.

Such openness to unity had its roots in the early life of Bishop Vasanthakumar, in a modest village classroom where a teacher once told her students, “Sit together. You are one.” That teacher broke all social norms of segregation. She made the children sit together irrespective of caste; whether Lingayat, Kuruba, Adikarnataka, or Christian. She emphasized learning through nature, empathy, and inclusion. The seeds of pluralism were sown in that soil; nurturing a young mind that would one day lead with the same spirit.

It was this formative influence that continued to guide Bishop Most Rev. S. Vasanthakumar throughout his life. He never forgot that early call to equality and community. Later, as a Church leader overseeing hundreds of schools and teachers, he would recount this very story during orientation sessions, urging educators to become transformational figures; not just dispensers of facts, but shapers of humanity. For him, education and faith were both tools to build a society grounded in acceptance, dignity, and mutual respect.

A Peaceful Goodbye: The Power of Care in the Final Moments

Bishop Most Rev. S. Vasanthakumar fondly recalls an experience from his days as a pastor in Bangalore, one that left a profound impact on him. It was during the Christmas season when he and his church team were going door to door, singing carols and spreading festive cheer. They reached a modest home in Munereddy Pallya, a photo of Lord Ayyappa hung high on the wall.

Every house, only two carols, one Bible reading, one prayer, and then one wish. That’s all. Nothing more than that. Even if the family asked, asked for more, you are not going to sing.

The mother, frail and suffering from cancer, was seated at the center of the room, praying quietly. The son, seeing the pain in her eyes, requested the team for one more song after they had finished their usual two. Despite the routine, something moved the pastor deeply. The son, with a pleading expression, asked for another carol for his mother’s sake. The lady had been writhing in pain throughout the carol service, yet she remained focused on her prayer. Pastor Vasanthakumar, sensing the weight of the request, gave his consent and they sang a third carol.

When the third song was over, the lady, who was wriggling with pain till then, requested for one more song. My people were really looking at me.  In a loud voice, I said, sing. We sang, and I prayed.

“In Christmas season, every day we used to go to different areas. Days later, as I was reflecting on the events, an unexplainable pull made me revisit that small house.”  

He set out quietly, without his clerical dress, hoping to find out more about the woman he had prayed for. When he arrived, It was difficult for him to locate the house. Just as he was about to leave, the young man who had invited him to their home ran up to him. With urgency in his voice, he explained that the woman had passed away the very next day, but she had passed peacefully. The news hit Bishop Vasanthakumar deeply. It was a bittersweet moment for him, but he was comforted by the thought that the mother had found peace in her final moments, something she had longed for throughout her illness.

Lessons of Leadership and Patience: Reflections by Chetan Rajuratna

Chetan Rajuratna, Principal of Hebich, Mangalore, reflecting on his time with Bishop Most Rev. S. Vasanthakumar, shares the lasting impact his uncle had on him. “I still follow the lessons I learned from my uncle,” he says, noting the discipline and wisdom imparted by the Bishop. “He was never late to office or to meetings. I remember how, even for a 9:30 a.m. schedule, he would be downstairs by 8:30, calmly sipping his coffee.” Chetan recalls how his uncle managed the complexities of the Central Diocese, which had its own unique set of challenges. “Managing the Central Diocese, which had its own complex dynamics compared to the Northern and Southern ones, he displayed remarkable composure and leadership,”

“He never reacted immediately but listened deeply before responding,” says Chetan. His uncle’s approach to life was grounded in patience and understanding. “He used to say, ‘Don’t jump and fight; first understand the situation,’ and I still see his fingers moving when he calculated things quietly before speaking with clarity and authority.” Chetan carries these lessons with him in his personal and professional life to this day.

Message for the Youth from Bishop Most Rev. S. Vasanthakumar:

“Dear young minds, always remember to be true to yourself and stay grounded in the values that shape your character. Life will present you with numerous opportunities, and it is crucial to recognize that you have received much from society. Your task now is to give back, in whatever way you can; whether through small, everyday actions or significant contributions that can transform lives. Never forget that your true success is not measured by personal gain, but by the positive impact you leave on others and the world around you.

Remember the lesson taught by your elders, especially those who have shaped you along the way. It’s not about how far you’ve come, but about how much you’ve shared with others. Education and values learned from people who cared can propel you forward, just as they did for those who came before you. Let the vision of a better society, rooted in service and kindness, guide your path.