NITIKA Don Bosco

The 1970s may be considered the Catechetical Decade of the Salesians in India. The Special General Chapter (SGC) came in 1972 to remind us that catechesis of young people was to be the first and foremost activity of our apostolate and called for a re-thinking and reorganizing of all other activities in terms of young people’s faith formation (Cfr. SGC 279). Giving God to young people, proclaiming Christ to them, is the very reason of our existence said the SGC. Following this, there was an all-out effort on the part of the provinces of India to qualify personnel and to set up structures to promote catechetical work. Catechetical Centres were set up, first in Calcutta (NITIKA) in 1976-77 and at Bangalore (KJC) in 1977. A National Salesian Catechetical Commission was formed, and steps initiated to launch a National Salesian Catechetical Centre too.
Catechetical seminars, exhibitions and training programmes were organized for the benefit of Salesians as well as other priests and religious in Calcutta, Chennai, Bangalore and other places. In June 1977, Fr. Pierre Babin of international fame from Paris delivered two lectures for the Salesians at Calcutta. The same month, Fr Anthony Alessi of the Salesian Catechetical Centre of Leumann-Turin spent two months in Calcutta to offer help in setting up the new Catechetical Centre there. The following year, Fr. Alessi came along with Bro. Mario Notario (photographer) from Valdocco, to help the Catechetical Centre in Calcutta.
On hearing about the efforts made by Calcutta Province in setting up a new Catechetical Centre, the Rector Major Fr. Ricceri wrote: “I am delighted. The Catechetical Centre is certainly a happy venture, so much Salesian. See to it that you prepare personnel for it, because it is not the gadgets which make the Centre apostolically effective, but the men who should be not merely capable, but first and foremost men of God.” In June 1980, a meeting of the All India Salesian Catechetical Commission was held in Calcutta to study the proposal of setting up a common Salesian Catechetical Centre for India. The proposed objectives of this Centre were the following:
i. Coordination of the catechetical activities among various provinces;
ii. Establishing contacts with ecclesiastical, national, and international centres and organizations;
iii. Study and research in the field of Catechetics;
iv. Formation of animators;
v. Production of audio-visual aids.
This Centre was to be staffed by a team of experts drawn from the various provinces of India. Though the proposal was accepted by the Salesian Provincial Conference of India, it did not take off as expected. Due to various difficulties, the idea was shelved and individual provinces went ahead, setting up their own centres.
In 1978, the Catechetical and Multimedia Centre at Calcutta was named NITIKA (Niti Shishka). The Centre is known for the excellent catechetical audio-visual aids it produces. In August 1983, NITIKA launched Catechetics India, a quarterly journal of Catechetics, carrying lesson plans, news and views, audio-visual aids, scholarly articles, and other special features. It continued to be the leading Catechetical review in the country.
How ever due to some unavoidable circumstances the journal remained dormant from the year 2014 through 2018. It was then relaunched in August 2018 but this time in a magazine form to reach out to the wider audience.
The revamped issue of Catechetics India has 12 sections, each of them suffixed with the word CAT, dealing with catechesis on the Bible, the latest Catholic teachings, liturgy, church icons, faith in family, film catechism, needs of youth and catechism of activity. The content of the magazine differs much from the earlier journal format. The resumed issue targets families and catechists.