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{{Use Indian English|date=November 2015}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2015}}
{{Infobox clergy
| honorific_prefix = [[The Reverend]] [[Doctor (title)|Doctor]]
| name =Chetti Devasahayam, [[CBCNC]]
| honorific_suffix = [[D. D.]] ''[[Honoris Causa]]'' ([[Northern Baptist Theological Seminary|Northern]])
| image =
| bgcolour =
| imagesize =
| caption =
| pseudonym =
| birthname =
| birth_date = {{birth date|1913|10|6|df=y}}<ref name="Souvenir">C. L. Johnson (Edited), ''Canadian Baptist Mission 125-year's Jubilee Celebrations of Baptist Churches in Northern Circars'', Baptist Theological Seminary, Kakinada, 1999, pp.258–258 [http://www.worldcat.org/title/canadian-baptist-mission-125-years-jubilee-celebration-1874-1999-souvenir/oclc/433990749]</ref>
| birth_place = [[Kakinada]], Andhra Pradesh, India
| death_date = {{death date and age|1993|2|28|1913|10|16|df=y}}<ref name="Souvenir"/>
| death_place = [[Kolkata]], West Bengal, India
| occupation = Chaplain & Administrator
| nationality = [[Demographics of India|Indian]]
| ordained = 1943<ref name="Souvenir"/>
| education =
*[[B. Sc.]] ([[Andhra University|Andhra]]), 
*[[B. D.]] ([[Senate of Serampore College (University)|Serampore]]), 
*[[Th.M.|Th. M.]] ([[Northern Baptist Theological Seminary|Northern]]), 
| writings = 1974, ''The Role of Baptists in the Religious Future of India ''<ref>C. Devasahayam, ''The Role of Baptists in the Religious Future of India'', ''Baptist History and Heritage'', Volumes 10–11, Historical Commission of the SBC, 1975. [https://books.google.com/books?id=dw4tYryEO1MC&q=The+Role+of+Baptists+in+the+Religious+Future+of+India+devasahayam&dq=The+Role+of+Baptists+in+the+Religious+Future+of+India+devasahayam&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0CBsQ6AEwAGoVChMI_dOT09PxyAIVY3umCh3npQuI]</ref>
| alma_mater =
*CBM-McLaurin High School, Kakinada, Andhra Pradesh,
*Pithapuram Rajah College, Kakinada, A. P.,
*Serampore College, Serampore, West Bengal,
*Northern Baptist Theological Seminary, [[Lisle, Illinois]] (United States)
| church =[[Canadian Baptist Mission]]/[[Convention of Baptist Churches of Northern Circars]]<ref>''Foundations'', Volume 11, American Baptist Historical Society, 1968, p.325. [https://books.google.com/books?id=ZWnkAAAAMAAJ&q=chetti+devasahayam+serampore&dq=chetti+devasahayam+serampore&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0CBsQ6AEwAGoVChMIo-Sgs-7vyAIVIyimCh1tBwaU]</ref>
| offices_held =
*Visakha Field Supervisor, Krishna Field Minister, [[Convention of Baptist Churches of Northern Circars]] {{small|(1939–1960)}}
*[[Military Chaplain]], [[Royal Indian Navy]] {{small|(1942–1947)<ref name="Betty">[http://bettykaiser.blogspot.in/2008/04/inspirational-life-of-padma-chetti.html Betty Kaiser, ''Inspirational life of Padma Chetti'']</ref>}}
*[[Registrar (education)|Registrar]], [[Senate of Serampore College (University)]] {{small|(1960–1975)}}
*Pastor, Lower Circular Road Baptist Chapel, [[Kolkata]] {{small|(1968–1993<ref name="Betty"/>)}}
| parents =The Rev. [[Chetti Bhanumurthy]], CBCNC
| title = The Reverend Doctor
| footnotes =
}}

'''Chetti Devasahayam''' (6 October 1913 – 28 February 1993) was the Registrar of the nation's first University,<ref>[[Murli Manohar Joshi]], ''Higher Education in India Vision and Action, A paper presented at the UNESCO World Conference on Higher Education in the Twenty First Century, Paris'', 5–9 October 1998. Internet, accessed 22 August 2008. {{cite web |url=http://education.nic.in/unhighedu.asp |title=Department of Secondary&Higher Education |accessdate=2015-11-15 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120223010953/http://education.nic.in/unhighedu.asp |archivedate=23 February 2012 |df=dmy }}</ref> the [[Senate of Serampore College (University)]] who was in office from 1960 through 1975.<ref name="Senate">[http://senateofseramporecollege.edu.in/registrars-senate.html Senate of Serampore College (University), ''Registrars of the Senate''] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150919053347/http://www.senateofseramporecollege.edu.in/registrars-senate.html |date=19 September 2015 }}</ref> It was during Devasahayam's tenure at the University that ecumenism gave way to merger of seminaries and the formation of [[special purpose entity|special purpose entities]] throughout India. It was Devasahayam who gave the inaugural address when the [[Andhra Christian Theological College]] was formed in 1964 in [[Rajahmundry]].<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=gXvkAAAAMAAJ&q=baptist+theological+seminary+kakinada+serampore&dq=baptist+theological+seminary+kakinada+serampore&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0CCIQ6AEwAmoVChMI4NHC1M3xyAIVYxOmCh2OPA33 ''The Lutheran'', Volume 2, Lutheran Church in America, 1964, p.30]</ref>

==Studies==
After scholastic studies at the CBM-McLaurin High School in [[Kakinada]], Devasahayam enrolled for graduate studies from 1931–1933<ref name="Souvenir"/> at the [[Pithapuram]] Rajah College in [[Kakinada]] from where he obtained a degree in Sciences leading to the award of Bachelor of Science ([[BSc]]) by the [[Andhra University]]. For ministerial formation, Devasahayam studied from 1936<ref name="Directory">[[S. J. Samartha]], [[M. P. John]] (Compiled), ''Directory of students 1910-1967'', Serampore College (Theology Department), Serampore, 1967, p.10.</ref>–1939<ref name="Souvenir"/> at [[Serampore College]], [[Serampore]] as a candidate of the [[Canadian Baptist Mission]]/[[Convention of Baptist Churches of Northern Circars]] at the [[Serampore College]], [[Serampore]].

In Fall 1955,<ref name="Souvenir"/> Devasahayam was sent by his Church Society for upgrading his academics at the [[Northern Baptist Theological Seminary]], [[Lombard, Illinois]] where he enrolled for a postgraduate course in [[Master of Theology]] ([[Th.M.]]) completing it by May 1956.

==Christian work==


After Devasahayam's ministerial studies at [[Serampore College]], he was assigned pastoral roles in rural areas where there were hardly any Christians and much like the Baptist heritage, he was left to himself to build up congregations.<ref name="Souvenir"/> From 1939 to 1942, he was Visakha Field Supervisor of the [[Canadian Baptist Mission]].

At the height of the [[World War II]], Devasahayam was asked to serve in the [[Royal Indian Navy]] as a [[Military Chaplain]].<ref name="Betty"/> Devasahayam was [[Military Chaplain]] from 1942 through 1947 and returned to Church ministry.<ref name="Souvenir"/>

He returned to the Church Society in 1947 and subsequently ministered in parishes of [[Convention of Baptist Churches of Northern Circars]] from 1947<ref>{{cite book|first1=Kenneth|last1=Knight|first2=Shirley|last2=Knight|title=The Seed Holds the Tree: A Story of India and the Kingdom of God|year=2009|pages=125–126|isbn=9780986476600|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=W5MtAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA344}}</ref> as Krishna Field Minister stationed at [[Avanigadda]].<ref>C. Devasahayam's book review on T. C. Witney, ''Amos'' in ''Indian Journal of Theology'' 6.4 (Oct – Dec. 1957), 147–155. [http://biblicalstudies.org.uk/pdf/ijt/06-4_147.pdf]</ref> During an overseas missionary visit to Canada in 1951, Devasahayam addressed a missionary meeting in Canada where many came from [[Okanagan]], [[Kaleden, British Columbia|Kaleden]], [[Peachland]], [[Kelowna]], and [[Vernon, British Columbia|Vernon]].<ref>{{cite book|title=Year Book of the Baptist Union of Western Canada 1951–1952|publisher=Baptist Union of Western Canada|year=1951|pages=13, 113 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=umXkAAAAMAAJ}}</ref>

== University and Chapel ==
In 1960,<ref>{{cite book|title=Baptist Yearbook|publisher=Baptist Convention of Ontario and Quebec|year=1959|page=165|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gXvkAAAAMAAJ}}</ref> Devasahayam was appointed Registrar<ref name="Serampore">{{cite book|author=Serampore College|title=The story of Serampore and its college|publisher=Council of Serampore College|orig-year=1961|edition=4th|year=2005|pages=129–137|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=e_QEAQAAIAAJ}}</ref> of the nation's first University. As Registrar, Devasahayam was also a member of the Council of [[Senate of Serampore College (University)|Senate of Serampore College]].<ref name="Serampore"/>

While performing his duties at the university, Devasahayam was an honorary pastor at Lower Circular Road Baptist Chapel in [[Kolkata]], the chapel founded by [[William Carey (missionary)|William Carey]]. Devasahayam used to pastor the church from 1968 onwards and became a full-time<ref name="Souvenir"/> Pastor of the Chapel in 1975,<ref name="Betty"/> but it was not until 1978 that he resigned from the university.<ref name="Serampore"/>

Devasahayam was visiting professor at his alma mater, the [[Northern Baptist Theological Seminary]]<ref name="Cluster">[https://archive.org/stream/announcements1974chic/announcements1974chic_djvu.txt ''The Chicago Cluster of Theological Schools'', 1974–1975]</ref> during 1974–1975.
{{S-start}}
{{S-aca}}
{{Succession box
| before=William Stewart 1954–1959<ref name="Senate"/>| title=Registrar, [[Senate of Serampore College (University)|Senate of Serampore College]]|after=[[J. T. Krogh]] 1975–1978<ref name="Senate"/>
| years=1960–1975<ref name="Senate"/>}}
{{s-end}}

==References==
{{reflist|colwidth=30em}}

{{authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Devasahayam, Chetti}}

[[Category:20th-century Indian Christian clergy]]
[[Category:Telugu people]]
[[Category:Christian clergy from Andhra Pradesh]]
[[Category:Indian Christian theologians]]
[[Category:Indian Baptist missionaries]]
[[Category:Senate of Serampore College (University) alumni]]
[[Category:Senate of Serampore College (University) faculty]]
[[Category:Military chaplains]]
[[Category:Royal Indian Navy officers]]
[[Category:20th-century Baptist ministers]]

Chetti Devasahayam - Revision history

Bot at 05:06, 24 October 2022