INAKI WILLIAMS AND NICO WILLIAMS

 Iñaki and Nico Williams are a historic pair of brothers who play together for La Liga's Athletic Club in Bilbao, Spain.  Born to Ghanaian refugees who survived a harrowing, barefoot trek across the Sahara Desert, the siblings share a remarkably close bond but represent different national teams—Iñaki for Ghana and Nico for Spain. 

The Family's Sahara Journey

In the late 1990s, their parents, Felix and Maria, left Ghana on a perilous journey seeking a better life in Europe. While crossing the Sahara Desert, they were abandoned by the human traffickers and  were forced to walk through extreme, 50°C temperatures without shoes—a trek that cost many in their group their lives. Maria was pregnant with Iñaki at the time, and her survival is a testament to the family's resilience. 

After scaling a border fence into the Spanish enclave of Melilla, a lawyer advised them to claim they were fleeing the Liberian civil war to seek political asylum. The family was eventually relocated to Bilbao by a Catholic priest, who even baptized Iñaki and served as his godfather.

Rise to Football Stardom

Growing up in Pamplona and Bilbao, football served as a crucial outlet for the brothers. 

Felix did not let poverty drain his sons. He introduced football to them. The parents did not tell the children till they reached 18 years of age why Felix lived with incapacitated feet. The trek through Sahara  had  done it.

Iñaki Williams: The older brother (born in 1994), Iñaki joined Athletic Club's academy and became an iconic figure at the club. He famously set an all-time La Liga record by making over 250 consecutive appearances for the club, a streak that earned him immense respect. 

Nico Williams: The younger brother (born in 2002), Nico, who is often called "Williams Jr.," also rose through the ranks at Athletic Bilbao. He is celebrated for his incredible pace, creativity, and explosive wing play, becoming a crucial player on the world stage.

A Family Divided on the International Stage

While the brothers play side-by-side for Athletic Club—even combining to assist each other's goals in crucial Copa del Rey victories—they made the unique decision to represent different countries internationally. Iñaki chose to switch his international allegiance to Ghana in 2022 to represent his parents' homeland, while Nico rapidly rose through the youth ranks to become a star forward for the Spanish senior national team. 

DOES THIS STRIKE A CHORD SOMEWHERE?

 

That dishonesty and prayers coexist in places of worship, seems routine to us. We are confronted with allegations that the very people entrusted with serving the religious organisation may have misappropriated  its assets. This is not a routine scam on the generally accepted morality scale that come to light every day. 

Now corruption is no longer a moral failure. It is a life skill. To many, religiosity and morality are one and the same.  They are not. As it is,.a person can perform elaborate rituals,donate generously, attend all functions and still behave dishonestly in everyday life. 

Ethics has no place here. Lack of integrity is compensated by liberal donations, even as the money flows in through dishonest means. Organisations are helmed by the greedy lacking character. The existence of corruption elsewhere does not justify corruption within an organisation by insiders entrusted with serving it. 

The lesson is that no institution should rely solely on trust. When the Bank of Cochin Ltd was taken over by State Bank of India, the primary lesson taught to the former's employees who were absorbed by the latter was 'never conduct your work on trust alone.' 

It is a lesson for life. 

One of the recurring mistakes today is that we assume certain people who lead us  are beyond temptation. Human beings are human beings. Accountability has to matter. If not, any group with enough money, influence and freedom from scrutiny would implode the system. For the majority, when they indulge in corruption, it is plausible, not shocking.

We have become a society that's become comfortable looking the other way. When the leaders damage the organisation through corruption and dishonesty, the long hours they spend over prayers and rituals become worthless. What matters is how honestly you conduct yourself when nobody is watching and what choices you make when wrongdoing would be the easiest.  

 

NATURE'S BOUQUETS

                                                        JULY OVER THE YEARS

                                                    NATURE'S BOUQUETS

THE FOOTBALL THAT WENT TO SPACE TWICE

 In a recent issue of the Malyala Manorama newspaper there had been an article in Malayalam on the Football that went to  space twice. I was transfixed. Like everyone else on earth I had watched the astronauts waving and striding into the Challenger capsule for the launch. It was a perfect launch. Then it was an explosion, fire and disintegration. We were shocked. We were stricken by overwhelming grief.  We could only cry. The images stay with us forever. Even if we willed it, they would not desert us. Life is just like that, it was a painful revelation. 

Unfortunately the newspaper went missing soon after I read it. I felt disappointed. Undaunted, I searched the web. There it was, in English. 

Let me share it.

The "football that went to space twice" is a poignant, historic soccer ball carried by astronaut Ellison Onizuka aboard the Space Shuttle Challenger. After surviving the 1986 disaster, it was recovered from the ocean, returned to Earth, and years later taken to the International Space Station by his daughter's principal.The incredible journey of the Clear Lake High School soccer ball is a story of tragedy, endurance, and a touching tribute:

The First Launch (1986):

Before boarding the Space Shuttle Challenger, NASA astronaut Ellison Onizuka was gifted a soccer ball by his daughter Janelle and her teammates at Clear Lake High School in Houston. Onizuka brought the ball aboard as a personal item, but the mission ended in tragedy when the shuttle broke apart shortly after liftoff.

The Miraculous Recovery

Against all odds, the soccer ball was found among the floating debris in the Atlantic Ocean by the U.S. Coast Guard and returned to Onizuka's family. His widow, Lorna Onizuka, later returned the tattered and autographed ball to the high school, where it sat hidden behind trophies for years.

The Second Journey (2017): 

Decades later, astronaut Shane Kimbrough, whose own children attended the same Clear Lake High School, was preparing for a mission to the International Space Station (ISS). He requested permission to take the ball back into space on behalf of the school. The ball officially went to space for a second time, serving as a powerful tribute to Onizuka's legacy.

Returning Home

After completing its second historic spaceflight, the ball was brought back to Earth by Kimbrough and permanently returned to the Onizuka family and the high school.

PART OF GOD AND ONE WITH HIM

 

From the moment we are born, our first and primary relationship is with our parents.

Through them, we become related to siblings, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, and many others. These relationships are not of our making. They come with our birth. Thus, whether we like or dislike them, own or disown them, they continue to exist. 

Relationships with friends and spouses are formed (inorganic formation) and can therefore be broken. Our relationship with our parents, however, lasts only during our lives..

Who is truly related to us in our life? Which relationship is the fundamental and the absolute one?

It is our relationship with God. I am a part and He is the whole. I am an individual  and He is the total. 

Can the part exist without the whole? How intimately is a part related to the whole? Is a part ever separated from the whole?

Upanishads describe God as the Virat Purush, Cosmic Being and every individual as part of God. 

While we are aware that the universe is made up of the five elements, space, air, water, fire and earth, are not individual bodies, made of the five elements, part of the totality of the five elements?

We are indeed an aggregate of these elements. 

There are countless waves in the ocean. Each wave is born in the ocean, exists in it, and subsides into it. Its relationship with other waves is temporary. But its relationship with the ocean is primary and absolute. 

Likewise we are all a part of God and one with him. How can we ignore this eternal relationship?

The Mundaka Upanishad offers a beautiful metaphor.

In a tree like body, two birds who are friends, dwell. One is God and the other is the individual.. The individual keeps pecking at sweet and sour fruits, alternating between happiness and unhappiness. Helplessly caught in the conflicts and confusions of life, it looks up to its God-friend and becomes truly happy.

Relationships bind us. We suffer because we seek support from those who are helpless and who are dependent elsewhere. We feel burdened by responsibilities. We are attached to possessions. We are worried about our children. We are hurt by rejection and insult. It happens like that because we forget that relatives and relationships are only relative - not absolute. We do not have to renounce worldly relationships to reiterate our relationship with God. 

When we realise it, we understand that not only do we belong to God, but so does everyone else - equally, totally and absolutely.  The awareness divinises all worldly relationships.

When we ignore our relationship with God, we suffer. 

How can I feel helpless when I am aware of God's support? How can I feel insecure when I am under the protection of the omnipotent? How can I feel lonely when I am always in His embrace?

Our relationship with God is binding forever.  It is the product of listening to and understanding the scripture and through the grace of God. The relationship is at once primary and absolute.

When the individual  through ignorance feels he is separated from the omnipotent, God nourishes him with the knowledge that  He never abandons him. He guides him through thick and thin.

You become one with God

Swami Tejomayananda of Chinmaya Mission in The Times of india of 30 June 2026 -          The Relationship Nobody Talks About - (slightly edited)

 

  

VIKING ROW

 THE STORY OF THE VIKING ROW

Norway had beaten Brazil 2 - 1 in the World Cup football tournament 2026.

At the close of the match the Norway team sat on the pitch. A drum was placed there on the ground. Erling Haaland who scored  both the goals began rhythmically beating the drum.The team rowed forth and back. The large crowd of supporters of Norway did the same on the stands.

It was inspiring. It was beautiful. It was the Viking Row.

I came across an article in English, The Story of the Viking Row, in the Malayala Manorama of 11th July 2026. It was lucid.

Placing it here:

Long ago, the Vikings ruled the northern seas of Europe..Thes brave explorers travelled to distant lands without modern engines or GPS. Their most remarkable invention was the Viking longship.

Viking longships were masterpieces of ancient engineering. They were built with overlapping wood to make them light and flexible. This allowed the ships to ride over rough ocean waves. Crucially, they had a very shallow bottom.

A longship could float in as little as one metre of water, so it could sail up shallow rivers or land directly on beaches. When there was no wind, the crew rowed together to a steady, rhythmic beat. 

In the summer of 2026, this ancient history suddenly became a massive global trend. During the 2026 FIFA World Cup, Norway made a historic run in the tournament. Their fans stole the show by turning this ancient rowing motion into a stadium celebration called the "Viking Row."

To do the Viking row thousands of fans sit together on the ground. They lean back and pretend to pull giant oars while shouting "Ro!" (the Norwegian word for row) to a fast drumbeat. The trend quickly spread beyond World Cup stadiums and across social media.

Today, when school students do the Viking Row, they are recreating a piece of living history.

It reminds us how rhythm, teamwork and determination helped ancient explorers conquer the seas.

KYLIAN MBAPPE

 KYLIAN MBAPPE

Greats keep growing. Conjuring magic and moves.Inventing and reinventing. Inspiring. Putting society and sport in a perfect syphony of dreams and fulfilment.

A horizon opening onto new frontiers. He is the adjective for the beautiful game. Football. 

He has matured, trading efficiency to become executioner.Except that in his case, efficiency is also elegant. He creates space and finds the net with the support of Michael Olise and Desire Doue. He was elegant completing a hat-trick in the final 10 minutes. He was elegant, but also brutally effective.. He was mesmerising. He was a bundle of energy. 

Mbappe has spent the past month producing exquisite performance leaving the world gasping for breath. It has been breathless and beautiful.

People have realised that this effectiveness of execution, built on intelligence and embellishment with elegance transcends football.

It has a universal appeal.

Subodh Ghildiyal in The  Times of india of 12 July 2026