About
A life in Tamil letters and Christian scholarship.
Prof. Dr. Moses Michael Faraday served for many years as Head of the Department of Tamil and Dean of Arts at Madras Christian College, Chennai, completing a distinguished career in education and Tamil scholarship. He currently serves as Director of Literature for the Diocese of Chennai, Church of South India, and continues to contribute regularly to Christian media, including FEBA Radio and Nambikkai TV, as well as to mainstream media such as Chennai Radio and Podhigai TV.
He holds an M.Phil. on the works of the Christian poet Thanjai Vedanayaga Sastriyar, and a Ph.D. comparing Tamil Siddhar literature with the Bible. He has guided more than thirty M.Phil. students and eleven Ph.D. scholars, and is the author of more than ten books. He has travelled repeatedly to fifteen countries, including the USA, Canada, the UK, Israel, Singapore, Malaysia and Sri Lanka, for academic, ministry and Tamil-language work, and remains active as a religious speaker, poet, author, publisher, translator and literary researcher. He was recently honoured by the Government of Tamil Nadu with the Tamil Semmal award.
He is a gifted poet who was recognised with the rare honour of being listed in the “100 Tamil Poets of the 20th Century” by Palaniappa Brothers publishers.
The work
Five roles, one subject.
Author
Eleven titles of his own, in Tamil Christian poetry, literary commentary and research.
Publisher
Ten titles edited and brought into print through Kiruba Publishers.
Research Scholar
A doctorate comparing Siddha literature and the Bible.
Translator
Three works carried into Tamil.
Journalist
Writing and broadcasting across Tamil literary and Christian media.
Positions held
Where the work has been done.
- Head of the Department of Tamil, Madras Christian College, Chennai (former)
- Dean of Humanities, Madras Christian College, Chennai (former)
- Programming Consultant, Nambikkai Television Channel, a Goodnews Channel venture
- Key positions in literary and Christian organisations, including the World Christian Tamil Academy
- Recognised preacher in all denominational churches in India and abroad
Fields of work
Four areas, closely related.
Tamil Literature
Literary criticism and commentary, including sustained work on Thanjai Vedanayaga Sastriyar, and poetry recognised in a published survey of the century's Tamil poets.
Comparative Religion
The doctoral work comparing Siddha literature and the Bible, and the lecture tradition it sits in — including Robert Caldwell's Christianity and Hinduism, republished under his imprint.
Christian Theology
Preaching across denominations in India and abroad, and writing that carries theology into Tamil literary form.
Higher Education
Teaching and leadership at Madras Christian College as Head of Tamil and Dean of Humanities.
The books.
Eleven titles as author, three as translator, ten as editor and publisher.