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Prabhakar Christopher Benjamin Balaram (10 July 1906 – 17 January 1968) was an Indianbishop ofThe Methodist Church (USA), elected in 1965.
Benjamin (as he was known) was born 10 July 1906 in Hyderabad, India. Hisancestors had been of apriestly caste. However, he had a remarkably dedicatedChristian mother. On one occasion, at a special service held soon after his birth, his mother (then only sixteen) made an offering. She put into an envelope all the money she had, writing on the outside:"I offer to the Lord these three rupeesand my son."
Balaram was an apt student. He studiedengineering at theUniversity of Edinburgh, with additional study in Denmark. He was chosen by theMethodist Episcopal Church as a Crusade Scholar, going onto further higher education in the United States. Completing hisB.A. degree,Phi Beta Kappa, he went on to complete hisMaster's degree at theUniversity of Pittsburgh.
Upon the completion of these educational pursuits, Balaram returned to India. He was enlisted by Bishop Pickett for development work, both urban and villageChristian work. Over the course of his career, Rev. Balaram served in a variety of positions, becoming a widely acknowledgedreligious leader, especially in education andsocial work.
Rev. Balaram was elected to theepiscopacy by the Central Conference ofSouth Asia at the Central Conference meeting in January 1965. He was assigned to theLucknowepiscopal area.
Bishop Balaram was known as a highly creative person, full of ideas. Very articulate and winsome, he won many friends for India wherever he went. For instance, he was an intimate friend of Bishop Mathews for over thirty years.
Balaram also personally knew many of the political leaders of the newly independent India. He was able to help offset any damaging effect of the image of that day that the Indian Christian Church and community were in someway "foreign."
Balaram died from aheart attack on 17 January 1968. He was buried in Lucknow.