My Pope

I remember the day Fr. Joseph Ratzinger was elected Pope. We’re before television awaiting Lord’s decision. There it came…. As white fumes hovered over Vatican City announcing Fr. Joseph Ratzinger’s name, our Professor Fr. Zacharias Kariyilakkulam sprang up from his Chair shouting for joy and his hands were up in the air. I was sad over the death of Pope John Paul II, still this image went deep into my heart and amazed me for a long time. I’d a strong filial love towards John Pau II. I never thought I could ever love the new Pope so dearly as I did Pope John Paul I,I until I read his speeches. They’re so touching and go deep into heart. It fills me with some new energy and inspires me. Now I feel the same of love towards our Holy Father Benedict XVI. Thank you Lord for the blessings you’ve showered on our Holy Father. Lord, bless our Holy Father

St. Thomas Day Celebration

My friend George, a familiar and inevitable face on such occasions is on the stage. He brings crazy things. This time he mimics a few illiterate grandparents on a pilgrimage to the holy tombs of St. Alphonsa and Bl. Kuriakkose Elias Chavara. We all, including teachers, parents and sisters slowly moved to the edge of our seats in anticipation.

Stopping by a shop that sells devotional articles, one of them asks for "STICKERs of St. Alphonsa and Bl. Chavara. "chavara achanteyum alphonsammayudeum nikkar undo" (Do you have nikkars-malayalam word for trousers-of St. Alphonsa and Bl. Chavara) We all burst into laughter. Hardly had he finished our parish priest stormed to the stage scolding George for using indecent language. Everybody sat in stunned silence. He wanted George to come over and apologize. Shivering like anything 8 year old George came over to the stage. Holding back his tears George said something in a feeble voice... Embarrassing moments...everybody looked bewildered.

Even now I can't recollect what happened later...

But George overcame all the emotional barriers..I don't how.

Water in Cup - A Mystery

This story dates back to 1985-86. I was a 3 year old boy, then.

It was the usual siesta time at our nursery school, now also Thodupuzha Municipality Community Hall. Once we all fell asleep, teachers left for their turn. As all plunged into deep sleep, there's an emergency. "I need to pee" Toilet was outside school building and all doors were closed. I was ashamed to wake my teachers up to say this. I searched for a possible outlet. No way. I went back to my place and tried to sleep. But pressure under my belly was mounting up and killing me.

My God...what to do? I need to pee.....I pressed my hands against my abdomen...I need to pee. I was about to pee in my shorts, as I came across two plastic cups on the window pane of our play room.

Got it...no more thoughts... I did it in one of them. Ohh...what a relief...I went back and continued sleeping.

Next day teachers were surprised to find water in one of the cups. How could there be water in a closed room. There was not even a single drop on the window pane or on the floor. They looked up to see if there was a broken tile, but no such chances.

They asked all of us to know if it was poured into by any us. “No” said all, including me.

Teachers were really curious to know what it was, so one of the teachers took the cup near to her nose. “Hmm…no smell”

Now she proceeded to taste it…ouch !!!......

”Hmm……slightly salty”, she whispered, followed by the other teacher…”ya..slightly”…..Oops…

I never let myself reveal this secret. This must still be remaining a mystery for them.

Tapioca grows under soil

As a small child I usually spent my summer vacation at my tharavadu. We usually had something heavy for our evening tea. On that particular evening grandmother thought of having tapioca. So she asked father's youngest brother to go and pluck some. But he didn't give ear to that. Every two minute grand mother asked him to get tapioca and there was hardly any response from him. Hearing all these I got irritated.

Soon I assumed the role of a responsible son. Standing on my toes I said, "Amme show me the tapioca plant, I will climb and shake tapioca down". Immediately there was a big laughter around. It was grand mother and aunties.

"Have I said some blunders"..........

As the sound of laughter grew I evaded the scene. Later I knew that tapioca grew under soil.....

4 T-Shirts @ Rs 120/-

It was during our Hyderabad trip that Sreejith, Sibin and Anush bought 4 T-shirts @ Rs 120. We had two hour shopping at Koti Bazar. There are so many street vendors around calling out tempting offers. My friends got stuck by one such an offer. 4 T-shirts at an attractive price, this was the offer. Initially it was Rs 300 for 4 T- shirts. My friends started bargaining. They brought down the price to 12o. They felt themselves at the top of the world. Raising their heads in pride they calculated- highly profitable deal. In their over confidence and enthusiasm they did not open and check the attractively packed T-shirts. Back in the hotel, they were shocked to see the T-shirts. One got an India Today and a collar of a T-shirt from one cover. Others got some local magazines and some pieces of T-shirt. However, to their relief there was one full T-shirt in every pack. But those T-shirts seemed like stolen from some tsunami relief camp. Infact Abhilash recognised his T-shirt from among them, the one he had given to some tsunami affected people. "Highly Profitable Deal"

Speech of APJ Abdul Kalam

"I have three visions for India. In 3000 years of our history, people from all over the world have come and invaded us, captured our lands, conquered us from Alexander onwards. The Greeks, the Turks, the Moguls, the Portuguese, the British, the French, the Dutch, all of them came and looted us, took over what was ours. Yet we have not done this to any other nation. We have not conquered anyone. We have not grabbed their land, their culture, their history and tried to enforce our way of life on them.

Why? Because, we respect the freedom of others.

That is why, my first vision is that of FREEDOM. I believe that India got its first vision of this in 1857, when we started the war of independence. It is this freedom that we must protect and nurture and build on. If we are not free, no one will respect us.

My second vision for India is DEVELOPMENT. For fifty years we have been adeveloping nation. It is time we see ourselves as a developed nation. We are among top 5 nations of the world in terms of GDP. We have 10 percent growth rate in most areas. Our poverty levels are falling. Our achievements are being globally recognized today. Yet we lack the self-confidence to see ourselves as a developed nation, self- reliant and self-assured.

Isn't this incorrect?

I have a third vision. India must stand-up to the world. Because I believe that, unless India stands up to the world, no one will respect us. Only STRENGTH respects strength. We must be strong not only as a military power but also as an economic power. Both must go hand-in-hand. My good fortune was to have worked with three great minds. Dr. Vikram Sarabhai of the Dept. of space, Professor Satish Dhawan, who succeeded him and Dr. Brahm Prakash, father of nuclear material. I was lucky to have worked with all three of them closely and consider this the great opportunity of my lifeI see four milestones in my career: Twenty years I spent in ISRO. I was given the opportunity to be the project director for India's first satellite launch vehicle, SLV3, the one that launched Rohini. These years played a very important role in my life of Scientist.

After my ISRO years, I joined DRDO and got a chance to be the part of India's guided missile program. It was my second bliss when Agni met its mission requirements in 1994. The Dept. of Atomic Energy and DRDO had this tremendous partnership in the recent nuclear tests, on May 11 and 13. This was the third bliss. The joy of participating with my team in these nuclear tests and proving to the world that India can make it, that we are no longer a developing nation but one of them. It made me feel very proud as an Indian, the fact that we have now developed for Agni a re-entry structure, for which we have developed this new material, a very light material called carbon-carbon.

One day an orthopedic surgeon from Nizam Institute of Medical Science visited my laboratory. He lifted the material and found it so light! Then he took me to his hospital and showed me his patients. There were these little girls and boys with heavy metallic calipers weighing over three Kg. each, dragging their feet around. He said to me: "Please remove the pain of my patients".In three weeks, we made these Floor reaction Orthosis 300-gram calipers and took them to the orthopedic center. The children didn't believe their eyes. From dragging around a 3 Kg load on their legs, they could now move around! Their parents had tears in their eyes. That was my fourth bliss!

Why is the media here so negative? Why are we in India so embarrassed to recognize our own strengths, our achievements? We are such a great nation. We have so many amazing success stories but we refuse to acknowledge them. Why? We are the first in milk production. We are number one in Remote sensing satellites. We are the second largest producer of wheat. We are the second largest producer of rice. Look at Dr. Sudarshan. He has transferred a tribal village into a self-sustaining, self-driving unit. There are millions of such achievements but our media is only obsessed in the bad news and failures and disasters. I was in Tel Aviv once, and I was reading the Israeli newspaper. It was the day after a lot of attacks and bombardments and deaths had taken place. The Hamas had struck. But the front page of the newspaper had the picture of a Jewish gentleman who in five years had transformed his desert into an orchid and a granary. It was this inspiring picture that everyone woke up to. The gory details of killings, bombardments, deaths, were inside in the newspaper, buried among other news. In India we only read about death, sickness, terrorism, crime. Why are we so NEGATIVE?

Another question: Why are we, as a nation, so obsessed with foreign things? We want foreign TVs, we want foreign shirts. We want foreign technology. Why this obsession with everything imported. Do we not realize that self-respect comes with self-reliance?

I was in Hyderabad giving this lecture, when a 14 year old girl asked me for my autograph. I asked her what her goal in life is. She replied: I want to live in a developed India. For her, you and I will have to build this developed India. You must proclaim, "India is not an under-developed nation; it is a highly developed nation".

Allow me to come back with a vengeance. Do you have 10 minutes? Got 10 minutes for your country? If yes, then read on, otherwise choice is yours. YOU say that our government is inefficient. YOU say that our laws are too old. YOU say that the municipality does not pick up the garbage. YOU say that the phones don't work, the railways are a joke. The airline is the worst in the world. Mails never reach their destinations. YOU say that our country has been fed to the dogs and is in the absolute pits. YOU say, say and say. What do you do about it? Take a person on his way to Singapore. Give him a name- YOURS. Give him a face - YOURS. YOU walk out of the airport and you are at your International best. In Singapore you don't throw cigarette butts on the roads or eat in the stores. YOU are as proud of their Underground links as they are. You pay $5 (approx. Rs. 220) to drive through Orchard Road (equivalent of Mahim Causeway or Pedder Road) between 5 PM and 8 PM. YOU come back to the parking lot to punch your parking ticket, if you have over stayed in a restaurant or a shopping mall irrespective of your status identity. In Singapore you don't say anything. DO YOU? YOU wouldn't dare to eat in public during Ramadan, in Dubai. YOU would not dare to go out without your head covered in Jeddah. YOU would not dare to buy an employee of the telephone exchange in London at 10 pounds (Rs. 650) a month to, "see to it that my STD and ISD calls are billed to someone else." YOU would not dare to speed beyond 55 mph (88 km/h) in Washington and then tell the traffic cop, "Jaanta hai main kaun hoon (Do you know who I am?). I am so and so's son. Take your two bucks and get lost." YOU wouldn't chuck an empty coconut shell anywhere other than the garbage pail on the beaches in Australia and New Zealand. Why don't YOU spit Paan on the streets of Tokyo? Why don't YOU use examination jockeys or buy fake certificates in Boston??? We are still talking of the same YOU. YOU, who can respect and conform to a foreign system in other countries, but cannot in your own! You, who will throw papers and cigarettes on the road the moment you touch Indian ground!! If you can be an involved and appreciative citizen in an alien country, why cannot you be the same here in India?

Once in an interview, the famous Ex-municipal Commissioner of Bombay, Mr. Tinaikar, had a point to make. "Rich people's dogs are walked on the streets to leave their affluent droppings all over the place," he said. "And then the same people turn around to criticize and blame the authorities for inefficiency and dirty pavements. What do they expect the officers to do? Go down with a broom every time their dog feels the pressure in his bowels? In America every dog owner has to clean up after his pet has done the job. Same in Japan. Will the Indian citizen do that here?" He's right. We go to the polls to choose a government and after that forfeit all responsibility. We sit back wanting to be pampered and expect the government to do every thing for us whilst our contribution is totally negative. We expect the government to clean up but we are not going to stop chucking garbage all over the place, nor are we going to stop to pick up a stray piece of paper and throw it in the bin. We expect the railways to provide clean bathrooms, but we are not going to learn the proper use of bathrooms. We want Indian Airlines and Air India to provide the best of food and toiletries, but we are not going to stop pilfering at the least opportunity. This applies even to the staff who is known not to pass on the service to the public. When it comes to burning social issues like those related to women, dowry, girl child and others, we make loud drawing room protestations and continue to do the reverse at home. Our excuse? "It's the whole system which has to change, how will it matter if I alone forego my sons' rights to a dowry?"

So who's going to change the system?

What does a system consist of? Very conveniently for us it consists of our neighbours, other households, other cities, other communities and the government. But definitely not me and YOU. When it comes to us actually making a positive contribution to the system, we lock ourselves along with our families into a safe cocoon and look into the distance, at countries far away and wait for a Mr. Clean to come along & work miracles for us with a majestic sweep of his hand or we leave the country and run away. Like lazy cowards hounded by our fears we run to America to bask in their glory and praise their system. When New York becomes insecure, we run to England. When England experiences unemployment, we take the next flight out to the Gulf. When the Gulf is war struck, we demand to be rescued and brought home by the Indian government. Everybody is out to abuse and rape the country. Nobody thinks of feeding the system. Our conscience is mortgaged to money.

Dear Indians, The article is highly thought inductive, calls for a great deal of introspection and pricks one's conscience too.... I am echoing J. F. Kennedy's words to his fellow Americans to relate to Indians.....

"ASK WHAT WE CAN DO FOR INDIA AND DO WHAT HAS TO BE ONE TO MAKE INDIA WHAT AMERICA AND OTHER WESTERN COUNTRIES ARE TODAY"

Let's do what India needs from us.

Thank You

APJ Abdul Kalam (Former president of India)

Days at Nataraja Gurukula Banglore

On the eve of March 2 we landed on the soil of Nataraja Gurukula with our hearts full of excitement and anxiety. Mr. Sreenivas, one of the instructors welcomed us to the Gurukula. It was like a semi-forest. There were some huts and we occupied them. Since the floor was simply mud we had to spread the plastic sheets we were carrying. This was almost like a tent. Since we were tired we took food and retired for sleep.

The next morning we woke up early, before the sun. We were eager to know what the coming days had kept for us. Some of us tried out the physical training obstacles kept there. Suddenly a whistle blew and we gathered in the ground nearby. Now we were divided into four groups and each group was named after a peak of the Himalayas. After giving some information about the schedule and about the discipline to be followed we moved for the breakfast. Though the food served was vegetarian it was exceptionally tasty, and was really like a boon for us who were fed up with the tasteless food of our college canteen, thanks to the cooks. Since it was the first day of our camp, there was not much to do but just walked through the forest. Before we began our exploration captains hoisted flags bearing the symbol of Nataraja Gurukula. We started off taking water bottles and caps and with our faces whitened with the sun screen lotion to escape the scorching heat of the midday sun. After a while, we reached in front of a rock with a small crack, slightly big enough for a person to crawl through. The fatty ones had to struggle since they got stuck here and there. The next hurdle was cave exploration. The entrance was a small ditch. The instructors gave directions as how to get down, where to hold and which leg should be placed where and so on. Soon the active boys took charge of giving directions and helping others enter the cave. It was some 10 ft deep. Walking through it, we were led to the exit of the cave. It was trying to come out because we had to move between two rocks, while having grips on the small cracks on the rocks. It took more than one hour to complete the cave exploration. Back at camp we drank mango juice and parted for rest. After the sumptuous lunch we had some time for a short sleep. In the afternoon there was an instruction session where Swamini Mala the chief instructor of Gurukuala gave a brief introduction to the Gurukula, Guru Freddie the founder of Gurukula and and to the activities of Gurukula. Then Mr. Murugappa, Sreenivas and Swamini Momili gave instructions on climbing rocks and trekking. We were also introduced to various equipments used in climbing rocks and descending rocks. They gave demonstrations of climbing and descending rocks. Also, they taught various knots to be used while climbing and descending the rocks. Evening time was given playing volley ball. At 7, there was a short documentary film on Gurukula and then a film of Charlie Chaplin. By 8.30 we took supper and went to sleep.

Second day began with physical exercises. During the obstacles overcoming session there occured an accident. Razibin, while jumping over some pebbles slipped down and got dislocated his ankle. Razibin became extremely happy because was afraid of doing many of the items. It was an opportunity for him to skip the whole programme. But the instructors didnot allow him to take rest, instead with a bandage on his leg, he was forced to do all the items others did. Dislocated ankle combined with his fear posed serious threat to the performance of the other members of his group. For others he gave enough stuff to burst into laughter. His cry for help while asceding and descending hills-"Eda Pidikkeda" (hold me) - still resonates in my ears. He but claimed that he was a member of NCC. Alas!!!!!!!

As we were finishing off our physical training session, there came a surprise guest, a deer. But hearing our shouting it ran off. After the breakfast it was practice on rock climbing. All the instructors accompanies us and gave instructions on how to walk through rock and how to move ahead and how to place hands on the rock and so on. There were numerous exercises. Some were easy and some others were difficult. Some got scratches here and there in their attempt to climb rocks. In the afternoon we were taken to a big hill, from where they gave an idea of surrounding. Since the following day was for day navigation, map reading and handling compass were taught to us. In the evening, before the supper there was again a Charlie Chaplin movie.

Day three was for day navigation. Each group was given compass, direction and landmarks. There were two stations, where we had to report. From the first station we got direction for the second destination. Each team was allotted three hours to complete the navigation and all the teams completed within the time frame. We really enjoyed our trip with compass. We experienced what we have seen only in some movies and AXN shows. It was really thrilling to travel through the wilderness. A doctor from Banglore came in the afternoon to give classes on first aid. In the 2 hour class he gave ideas on how to handle difficult situations like managing snake bite, physical injuries and carrying a wounded person and so on. As usual there was a film in the evening- Mount Everest.

Fourth day was one the most thrilling days of the camp. The day kept for jummering, (descending a rock), rappling (rock climbing using jummer) and river crossing. The instructors gave demonstrations of each item. Every thing was done group wise so as to keep our energy up. It was frightening in the beginning, but soon it gave way to the enthusiasm of our spirited youthfulness. Finally instructors had to stop us from repeating all these items. As we were 36 in number we could not finish it. So some teams could do some items only on the following day. The film was 'Bear'

On the fifth day we did some rock climbing practice. Then for two day we were going to stay outside our camp. After lunch we set off from our camp to a hill some 10 kilometers away from our camp. We were carrying food for two days with us and all the utensils to cook food. We were really in a thrilling mood until we reach at the foot of huge hill which very steep. We stood breathless there. Instructors we did not leave us. They called us one by one and asked to climb. Some how we managed to climb that hill. Then moving a bit from the top of that hill we set camp and started preparations to cook food. Some went to collect firewood, while others cut vegetables. Since many are facing the challenge of cooking the food for the first time, many new dishes came out. To say, unfortunate was the fate of Everest group. Eby Paul was in charge of cooking food. Mishap was that rice went out of water and it was no longer eatable. Finally the team member had to depend on the mercy of other groups to satisfy their hunger.

In the night we there was fire place and assigned one from each group to keep the fire going. As we were camping in an open space, some were realy afraid. Meanwhile Askar had a small chat with a boy of that locality and got an information that there was a bear around. The whole night he kept awake howling and disturbing others so that, he thought he could keep away the bear.

Next morning we answered to the call of the nature in Western style, but instead of tissue paper we had only tender leaves of some wild plants. Morning session was for jummering. This time it was from a very big rock. This time also it took time for us to manage the situation. Finally all did in thrilling spirits. Another unforgettable experience was the cave exploration in the afternoon. The cave was very dark even during midday. We were not able to see the one who was next to us. It was not possible to see the way also. Though we had torches with us, we were not permitted to light our way. Each touched the body of the one going ahead and blindly followed him. It was really unforgettable. It was also the day of night navigation. This time groups were merged to form two groups. The destination was a "W" shaped hill, some 10 km away from our camp and deadline for reaching that hill was 1 O' clock. By 7 the first group started and after fifteen minutes the second group. Descending the hill where we standing was a herculean task. It consumed more than 30 minutes. As it was night we had no other go other than to resort to the compass for our direction. Fortunately we saw the landmarks shown to us. From there we asked the way to place. But it was big hill. As were about relax thinking we were at the destination, we with much grief made out that it was the next hill, which is our destination. There way actually no way to get there. So we had to make our way. Finally by 12.45 we reached our destination and spread our sheets and started sleeping. The other team lost their way. All the night they were wandering around and climbed almost all the hills around this particular hill. Finally by 6 O' clock they reached the spot. Immediately they heard 'pack up, pack up". We got down the hill and prepared breakfast. Since the Gurukula was 15 kilometer away from there and most us were very tired after the whole night's walk, we arranged a bus to go to the Gurukula.

Now it's time to leave the Gurukula. There was a evaluation of the camp. The instructors express their happiness since we could complete the camp successfully. They were also happy because all were safe. All through the camp they were insisting on safety. "Safety first", Murugappa never got tired of repeating this. During the rappling and jummering sessions they were always there to ensure our safety. All of us shared our experiences with the instructors. It was physically and mentally refreshing for us. It instilled some new self-confidence and enthusiasm in us. With a broken heart we said goodbye to the Gurukula.