Henry Heras
Henry Heras (11 September 1888, Barcelona, Spain - 14 December 1955, Bombay, India) was a Spanish Jesuit priest, Archeologist and Historian in India.
Formation and Studies
After becoming a Jesuit in 1904, Heras followed the usual course of Jesuit priestly formation in Spain: 3 years of Philosophy in Tortosa, 3 years of teaching History in Orihuela, and the theological course in Sarria at the end of which he was ordained a Catholic priest (1920).
Historian in India
On arrival in India (1922) he was appointed to teach History at St Xavier's College, Bombay. He chose to teach Indian History "because he wanted to study it..." This became his favorite subject and field of competence. But he was also, and primarily a guide: he wrote a little book on historical methodology, The Writing of History that was compulsory reading for his students. He founded the Indian Historical Research Institute (1926) that produced a galaxy of Historians and Indologists: Frank Moraes, Dr Keny, and others. The institute was later renamed Heras Institute of Indian History and Culture[1].
Proto-Historian and Archeologist
From 1935 on he turned his attention to the newly excavated archeological sites of Mohenjo-Daro and Harappa: he was particularly keen on deciphering the inscriptions of the so called 'Indus Valley Civilization'. He wrote numerous articles on the topic, summing up finally his research in what will remain his master piece: Studies in Proto-Indo-Mediterranean Culture (1953) in which he proposed a solution to the mysterious script of Mohenjo-Daro, and established cultural links between the Indus Valley Civilization and the Sumerian-Egyptian civilization. Though the deciphering he proposed is not yet fully convincing it is "gaining ever greater acceptance by the specialists" (as wrote A.L. Basham)[2]
Other activities and achievements
Heras is also the founder of the Bombay Historical Society and was also actively involved in the Indian Historical Records Commission, Indian History Congress and the International Congress of Historical Sciences. Being totally identified with the culture of the country he chose to become an Indian citizen as soon as was possible after the independence of 1947.
The same admiration for Indian culture led him to encourage Christian artists to adopt Indian forms of art and symbols in order to express Christian themes. In painting he enthused Angelo Fonseca, Olympic Rodrigues, et al. In architecture he was personally involved in drawing the plans of the cathedral of Belgaum. He conducted an exhibition on Indian Christian Art for the Holy year of 1950 in Rome. He is acknowledged to be the Father of Christian Indian Art.
Recognition
in 1981, the Indian postal department issued a stamp in his honor on which he is portrayed alongside a Mohenjo-Daro tablet.
Important Works
- The Writing of History, Madras, 1926.
- The Aravida Dynasty of Vijayanagara, Madras, 1927.
- Beginning of Vijayanagara History, Bombay, 1929.
- The Conversion Policy of the Jesuits in India, Bombay, 1933.
- Studies in Pallava History, Madras, 1933.
- Studies in Proto-Indo-Mediterranean Culture, 1955.
Bibliography
- CORREIA-AFONSO, J. (ed): Henry Heras, the Scholar and his Work, Bombay, 1976.
- BALAGUER, Melchior: Fr Henry Heras (1888-1955), in Jesuits in India: in Historical Perspective, Macao, 1992, pp. 297-300.