The Jesuits, or members of the Society of Jesus, are driven by the motto: “Walk with the poor, the outcasts of the world, those whose dignity has been violated, in a mission of reconciliation and justice”. But Constantine Joseph Beschi, the Italian Jesuit missionary and Tamil scholar, known as Veeramamunivar, had also maintained a close friendship with Chanda Sahib, the Nawab of the Carnatic. He had even acted as his Dewan.
While views differ on the subject, the first biography of Veeramamunivar in Tamil written by A. Muttusami Pillei, manager of the College of Fort Saint George and Moonshee (secretary) to the Tamil Translator to Government, confirms the friendship. Though Muttusami Pillei had begun his work on the biography in 1822, it was published only in 1843, three years after he died.
“On his [Veeramamunivar] first visit, Chundah Saib conferred on him the surname, Ismattee Sannyasi, indicating his excellence as a religious devotee, and presented him with a palankeen [palanquin] inlaid with ivory, in which his grandfather, Sadoolah Khan, used to write,” according to the book, of which English translation was released by Emerald Publishers recently.
