B. V. Subbamma

B. V. Subbamma (1 July 1925 - 12 January 2009) was an indigenous scholar, Indian theologian and a member of the Association of Theologically Trained Women of India. She spoke Telugu and English. Subbamma was a practicing vegetarian.
History
Subbamma was born to Smt. Bathineni Seshamma and Sri Bathineni Veeraiah in Bodipalem in Guntur District. She attended the Lutheran school in Bodipalem and later studied at the Government High School in Peddanandipadu and then at the Andhra-Christian College, Guntur for pre-university studies. N. T. Rama Rao and Victor Premasagar were contemporaries of Dr. Subbamma.
Subbamma studied the degrees of Bachelor of Arts (1947) and Bachelor of Education through the Andhra-Christian College and St. Joseph's College of Education in Guntur after which she served as a teacher in one of the Lutheran Schools around Guntur.
The Church Historian K. L. Richardson writes that during the years 1956-1960, the Andhra Evangelical Lutheran Church sent nine individuals to North America for higher studies. Subbamma was one among those nine who was sent to the New York Theological Seminary (then known as the Biblical Seminary), New York where she studied M.A. in Education during the academic year 1957-1958. After returning to India, she also pursued Bachelor of Divinity as an external candidate through the Andhra Christian Theological College then located in Rajahmundry and completed it by 1968. The thesis submitted to the in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the B. D. degree was entitled The Mission of the Church in Andhra Pradesh - A Critical Evaluation..
Subbamma was sent by her Church society again to North America in the academic year 1969-1970 where she pursued M. A. in Missions from the Fuller Theological Seminary, Pasadena. In the continuing academic year 1970-1971, she enrolled at the Wittenberg University (Hamma School of Theology), Springfield to pursue a Ph. D. in Missions.
Contribution
Subbamma's course of work was pre-determined by her B. D. thesis submitted to the entitled The Mission of the Church in Andhra Pradesh - A Critical Evaluation..
Victor Premasagar, then a faculty member at the Andhra Christian Theological College in Rajahmundry notes that Subbamma was one who boldly experimented in expression of Christian faith and practice through the rich Indian cultural ethos and having a passion to proclaim the Gospel using indigenous forms of story-telling through burra katha and singing songs by bhajans.
Bible Women Programme
Soon after returning from the New York Theological Seminary, her Church assigned her the Principalship of the Charlotte Swenson Memorial Bible Training School located in the Lutheran Seminary Campus in Rajahmundry. Victor Premasagar observes that this Propaedeutic Bible Training School trained many young women in Bible courses.
Christian Ashrams
Subbamma initiated Ashrams in the Andhra Evangelical Lutheran Church and set up the first Ashram in the Bible Training School in Rajahmundry. Victor Premasagar who also lived in Rajahmundry during that time says that the Church was practically caught by surprise looking at the families of inquirers who came in
bullock carts and set their own kitchens under the shade of the trees akin to jathara's and begin a day-long programme of burra katha, bhajan and messages by the faculty of ACTC and then her own story of conversion. Subbamma touched many people with the power of the Gospel inculcating deep devotion and passion for the Lord.
Features of the Ashrams initiated by Subbamma as noted by Victor Premasagar:
* No permanent structures or residences for the Ashram programmes were built. Several persons had earlier built Ashrams in Tirupatur, Tamil Nadu, Satal Ashram in Uttar Pradesh and other places. Subbamma had the courage to transform such age-old static structures into dyanamic programmes which could be conducted anywhere with people themselves coming and participating.
* The Ashrams were self-supporting and indigenous in all its practices and worship patterns.
* They were organised for devout women who brought their husband and children also to the Ashram programmes. It was not the usual Christian programme. Men folk were also attracted to participate in such ashram meetings and learned about Christ.
* The Ashrams encouraged Indian symbols and postures in worship and liturgy. Subbamma also used to be sensitive and did not disturb the regular Sunday worship as per the Lutheran liturgy.
Leadership
* Lutheran World Federation, Geneva
Subbamma served on international forums providing leadership. She was a member of the Executive Committee of the Lutheran World Federation, Geneva from 1977-1984. Subbamma also attended the fiftieth anniversary of the founding of the LWF in Hong Kong in 1997. Subbamma was recognised by the LWF as one who did pioneering work in her respective country.
* Institute for Ecumenical Research, Strasbourg
Subbamma was on the Board of Trustees of the Institute for Ecumenical Research, Strasbourg providing leadership to this Institute bringing together a team of Theologians from many nations.
* Association of Theologically Trained Women of India
The ATTWI, founded in 1979, is a body of Women Theologians of India liaising with Church bodies for equal participation of women in Church. Although Subbamma herself was ordained much later in her life, she provided leadership to this body who voted her to its Vice-Presidentship by electing her in 1997.
Hurdles
The Andhra Evangelical Lutheran Church could have ordained Subbamma much earlier but Church leaders fearing her leadership kept the issue of Women's Ordination altogether aside.
Honours
India's first University, the in West Bengal took Subbamma as a member on its Senate. In fact, Subbamma was the first woman Senator of the .
Later in the year 1994, Subbamma was conferred a Doctor of Divinity, honoris causa by the University.
Retirement and death
Subbamma retired in the year 1985 but continued to render services through the United Evangelical Lutheran Churches in India (UELCI), Chennai. Although she settled down in Guntur, she continued to be involved in holistic ministry serving the beggars and the needy with the help of her niece Dr. C. Lalitha, a medical doctor by profession.
On 12 January 2009 Subbamma died in Guntur.

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