Abstract
The name Cuttat does not seem to appear often in current dialogue literature in spite of the key role which he played in getting Hindu-Christian dialogue in India on the way. Dr. J.A. Cuttat, son of a wealthy Swiss banker, had been professor of philosophy at the Sorbonne before being called to serve as Ambassador of Switzerland to India. His appointment had much to do with his own interests. He had been an avid student of Indian thought for many years and quickly established a personal friendship with Jawaharlal Nehru and, to a lesser degree, with Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan. As he told it, it was the study of Indian philosophy, especially of Vedanta, which brought him, after a period of agnosticism, to a deepened understanding and appreciation of Christianity. His Christianity was ecumenical in the widest possible sense. Soon after his arrival in India he began contacting Christian clergy interested in an encounter with Indian religions and held a first meeting in Almora in 1961 with a group of about fifteen Christians from a variety of denominations.
Recommended Citation
Klostermaier, Klaus
(1989)
"Jacques-Albert Buttat, a Pioneer of Hindu-Christian Dialogue,"
Journal of Hindu-Christian Studies:
Vol. 2, Article 6.
Available at: https://doi.org/10.7825/2164-6279.1015