Pavu Ashan

Pavu Ashan was born in 1879 in Mullasseri of Chavakkadu in Malabar district of Kerala. Since he belonged to a very devout and well-known Roman Catholic family, right from the childhood he was instructed in all rituals of his church, and he did follow all of them with great devotion.

His teenage years were a time of great spiritual revival in the state of Kerala, and thus though his own mother church never instructed him in any of the fundamentals of the Scriptures, he heard the gospel when he was 18 and accepted the Lord as his personal saviour. The consequent change in him alarmed his Catholic relatives for whom anything except Catholicism was horror of horrors and outright anathema. They labeled him a "Protestant" which was a byword for people in his society.

Since that was a close-knit society, everyone needed many kinds of help from others. The relatives used this to pressurize Pavu. In addition to teasing and mocking him, they also forbade the barber from giving him a haircut or shave, and the clothes-washer from washing anything for him. Since modern facilities of shaving and washing clothes were not available, and since that was the age of white cotton clothes (not many coloured clothes, no synthetics at all), these created great hardships for him. Not satisfied, the Catholic leaders persecuted him and his family in all possible ways, which is difficult for a person living in the twenty-first century to understand.

So great was the persecution and public humiliation that Pavu Ashan and family decided to relocate to a place called Kunnamkulam. Again this was a difficult move in the then close- knit Kerala society. In the new place he took up job as a teacher, and that's what gave him the nickname Ashan (Teacher). Here he came in contact with Mr. V. Nagal, a German Basel Mission missionary-turned reformer, who eventually became associated with the Brethren movement in India. After being baptized by Mr. Nagal, Pavu Ashan became all the more active in spreading the gospel and in ministering to the sick.

Pavu Ashan found himself increasingly involved in Christian ministry, so after much waiting upon the Lord he resigned from his job and entered full-time Christian ministry by faith. Mr. Nagal was excited by this development, and together they preached the gospel in a large number of places. This also became a time for the Ashan to learn the scriptures from Mr. Nagal.

After a few years of ministry in Kunnamkulam, Ashan moved to Trichur, and subsequently to Paravoor. After these fruitful ministries, he moved back to Kunnamkulam in 1915. From there his ministry did extend to places like Coimbatore, Madras, Pollachi, Palakkad, Kochi, and old Travancore. All these years his generosity and spirit of hospitality touched a large number, and many of them found Christ through his ministry.

Ashan became quite sick towards the close of his life, but even his bed became a pulpit and many heard the gospel and many were strengthened in their faith. Eventually he had to Trichur for better physical care at the instance of his children. Here he spent a few months, and he used even that period for sharing the gospel and consoling people. Finally on the 2nd of January in 1947 he was promoted to glory.

Observation: Pavu Ashan was uniquely gifted in many ways. For example, he had a special talent for person-to-person ministry. Thus whether during travels, during social events, or any other occasion for meeting people, he would present the gospel to individuals in a manner that was most effective. Perhaps none surpassed him in this particular ability. At the same time, the way he exuded love and respect for others was remarkable. People continue to remember everywhere that he lived, though he left for the heavenly abode decades ago.

The persecution and defamation that he had to undergo for the sake of the gospel were numerous, and difficult even to perceive in our generation. Yet he accepted all that with patience and joy because he knew his call, and he who had given him this call.

He was a family-oriented man. At the same time, he was a strict disciplinarian and severely rebuked and even punished his children even for small mistakes. He used to remind them that the children of an evangelist should live in such a way that none dare raise their fingers against their father.

Of the many children of Ashan, Mr. K. P. Samuel who was employed in Calcutta (Kolkatta) for decades is the most widely known. He spent his retirement years in Trichur, and had a very acceptable ministry among young and old alike. He passed away some time before this essay was compiled.