INDIA: Some 200,000 people yesterday attended the opening of the Maramon Convention in Kerala, billed as the world’s largest Christian congregation. Reverend C.K. Mathew, general secretary of the Mar Thoma Evangelist Association that organizes the convention, told ucanews.com today that they expect around 3 million people for the annual event that ends on February 20. The association is the missionary wing of the Mar Thoma Church, a reformed faction of India’s Orthodox Church. The convention began 116 years ago on the banks of River Pamba in the southern Indian state to revive Christian faith through spiritual discourses. This year it has chosen the theme, “Where are You? Where is your brother?” “This year, there is special session for women and a campaign against social evils,” Reverend Mathew said. IB13277.1641