John Sadananda

Bishop Emeritus John S. Sadananda (born 24 September 1949) was the Master of Serampore College (University), the nation's first University ) with degree-granting authority validated by a Danish Charter and ratified by the Government of West Bengal.

Sadananda was appointed as the Master of the University in 2010. As an academic, Sadananda had been a Senator of the University from 1993 onwards since the time he was appointed as Principal of the Karnataka Theological College which has been an affiliated institution of the University. From 2006 to 2011, Sadananda had been President of the University.

In ecclesiastical matters, Sadananda was the fifth Bishop in Karnataka Southern Diocese of the Church of South India occupying the Cathedra placed in CSI-Shanthi Cathedral, Mangalore from 2009 University in 1965, the very year of the formation of the institution under the Principalship of Robert Scheuermeier taking a Licentiate in Theology in 1968 awarded by the Serampore College (University) led by its Registrar, C. Devasahayam. After a one-year ministerial period, he was ordained as a Deacon in 1969 by which time the Basel Evangelical Mission unionized itself into the Church of South India During his two-year period at the Seminary in Bangalore, although a graduate student, Sadananda evinced keen interest in the Sacred Scriptures and the ancient Biblical languages which caught the attention of the Old Testament Scholar, E. C. John as well as the postgraduate students specialising in Old Testament, G. Solomon, A. P. Chacko, Basil Rebera, G. Babu Rao, Nitoy Achümi, S. J. Theodore, and Timotheas Hembrom. As part of the University requirements, Sadananda wrote his graduate thesis drawing parallels between the Book of Proverbs and the proverbial collections in Kannada which the Old Testament Teacher G. Babu Rao highlighted in one of his works.

Sadananda's graduate companions included Sydney Salins, Christopher Asir, P. Surya Prakash, D. Dhanaraj and others. During the final year of his study in Bangalore, the Old Testament Scholar, Gerhard Wehmeier joined the College enriching the interest in Old Testament studies and Sadananda submitted a thesis entitled A Comparative Study of the Form and Content of the Book of Proverbs and of Sarvajna Vachanagalu done under the supervision of the Old Testament Scholar G. M. Butterworth. at the Serampore College, Serampore where incidentally the Commemoration Mass was conducted by G. Babu Rao at the CNI-St. Olave's Church, Serampore.

Postgraduate Sadananda also pursued a postgraduate degree from the University of Mysore taking a Master of Arts in Kannada. for pursuing doctoral studies in Church History. to the University of Hamburg. While Gladstone, Dhanaraj and Babu Rao were in Hamburg in the northern part of Germany, Sadananda was at Göttingen in the central part but was able to meet G. Babu Rao during the biannual Kirchentag that took place at Hannover in 1983.

Ecclesiastical career

Pastoral ministry From 1968 to 1970, Sadananda pastored parishes of the erstwhile Basel Evangelical Mission which already joined the newly trifurcated Diocese of Mysore. 1985, The Concept of Partnership: A response to Rev. Robert Scheuermeier, 1989, Theology by the People - An Old Testament Perspective, 2001, Equipping the People of God, 2006, Mission perspectives and Search for an Ecclesiology, 2006, Peace and justice-commitment for Sahodaya and Sarvodaya,

Honours In 2015, the Board of Theological Education of the Senate of Serampore College published a festschrift in honour of Sadananda edited by Wati Longchar and P. Mohan Larbeer with essays written by friends and colleagues of Sadananda.