Augustine Ralla Ram papers, circa 1947 -- 1959

Summary Information

Abstract

Augustine Ralla Ram was General Secretary of the Student Christian Movement of India, Burma, and Ceylon; Vice President of the World Student Christian Federation; Executive Secretary of the Uttar Pradesh Christian Council; and Editor of "The Christian Messenger," among other titles. The collection contains one book of tribute to Ram, a report, correspondence, and research and writings.

At a Glance

Bib ID:
4492546 View CLIO record
Creator(s):
Ram, Augustine Ralla, 1888-1957
Repository:
Burke Library at Union Theological Seminary
Physical Description:
0.25 linear feet (0.25 linear feet; 1 box)
Language(s):
English .
Access:

This collection is open for research.

Onsite storage.

Description

Scope and Contents

This collection contains a book of tribute entitled, "An Appreciation," by the Student Christian Movement of India, Burma, and Ceylon, for which Ram served as General Secretary from 1928 to 1947. In his 1955 "personal report" as Executive Secretary of the Uttar Pradesh Christian Council, Ram lists the many organizations he worked with and positions he held from 1953-1955. The first page of an undated letter describes a visit with the Metropolitan and details Ram's travel plans. Additional correspondence and research and writings are also included in this collection.

  • Augustine Ralla Ram papers, circa 1947 -- 1959

    This series contains a book of tribute entitled, "An Appreciation," by the Student Christian Movement of India, Burma, and Ceylon, for which Ram served as General Secretary from 1928 to 1947. In his 1955 "personal report" as Executive Secretary of the Uttar Pradesh Christian Council, Ram lists the many organizations he worked with and positions he held from 1953-1955. The first page of an undated letter describes a visit with the Metropolitan and details Ram's travel plans. Additional correspondence and research and writings are also included in this series.

Burke Library record group:

Missionary Research Library Archives: MRL3, South Asia

Arrangement

This collection is arranged in one chronological series.

Using the Collection

Conditions Governing Access

This collection is open for research.

Onsite storage.

Conditions Governing Use

Some material in this collection may be protected by copyright and other rights. Information concerning copyright, fair use, and reproduction requests can be consulted at Columbia's Copyright Advisory Office.

Preferred Citation

Item description, MRL3: Augustine Ralla Ram papers, circa 1947-1959, box #, folder #, The Burke Library at Union Theological Seminary, Columbia University in the City of New York.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Formerly part of the independent Missionary Research Library (MRL), these records were accessioned by the Burke Library at the time of the MRL's closure in 1976.

About the Finding Aid / Processing Information

Columbia University Libraries, Burke Library at Union Theological Seminary

Processing Information

Material was cataloged by Lynn A. Grove on 1988-07-18. Metal clips and staples were removed from materials and folded items were flattened. Materials were placed in new acid-free folders and boxes. Acidic items were separated from one another by interleaving with acid-free paper as needed. Any items in an advanced state of deterioration were placed in Mylar envelopes. The finding aid was created by Kristen Leigh Southworth and Brigette C. Kamsler in 2013 with the support of the Henry Luce Foundation, and edited by Leah Edelman in 2020.

Revision Description

2020-08-21 PDF converted to EAD and description updated by Leah Edelman.

Biographical / Historical

Augustine Ralla Ram was born on September 1, 1888, at Hoshiarpur in the Punjab. He was one of four children and the only son of Ralla Ram, an orthodox Brahmin priest who converted to Christianity, a faith he would pass on to his son Augustine. In 1911, Augustine graduated from Forman Christian College, and in 1915 he graduated from Saharanpur Theological Seminary. He served as a pastor in Allahabad for three years before traveling to Iraq and Persia to serve as a chaplain to Indian Christian forces. In 1919, he returned to India where he worked as both a church pastor and professor at Ewing Christian College. From 1923-1925, he took a leave of absence to travel and served as National President of the Christian Endeavor Executive Council. Ram was General Secretary of the Student Christian Movement of India, Burma, and Ceylon from 1928 to 1947, and Vice President of the World Student Christian Federation from 1932 to 1935, with which he traveled to Bulgaria, France, Germany, the Philippines, Java, and Malaya. In 1945 Ram received an honorary Doctor of Divinity from the College of Wooster in recognition of his service to the Church of Christ Ecumenical. He was elected as Moderator in the United Church of Northern India at the 1947 General Assembly. Ram became the Secretary of the Uttar Pradesh Christian Council in 1948, a position he held until 1956. He was also editor of "The Christian Messenger," and remained so until his death in 1957. Ram also served as Vice President of the North India Auxiliary of the All-India Central Committee of the Bible Society of India, Pakistan, and Ceylon, Secretary of the Provincial Committee of the National Missionary Society, Secretary of the Committee on the Study of Hinduism, Chairman of the Advisory Committee to the Rajpur Retreat and Study Center, and Superintendent of the School and Home for the Blind. He was also part of the Executive Committee of the National Christian Council and on its Committee on Public Affairs, and served on the sub-committee of the Unification of the Ministry for the Church Union Movement.

Subject Headings

The subject headings listed below are found in this collection. Links below allow searches for other collections at Columbia University, through CLIO, the catalog for Columbia University Libraries, and through ArchiveGRID, a catalog that allows users to search the holdings of multiple research libraries and archives.

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Name
Ram, Augustine Ralla, 1888-1957 CLIO Catalog ArchiveGRID
Place
India -- Religious life and customs CLIO Catalog ArchiveGRID
Subject
Christianity -- India CLIO Catalog ArchiveGRID