KERALA'S MIGRATION STORY

 

Malayalis leaving Kerala is not new. Most of those leaving are Christians. That will one day make us a micro-minority here.

I asked an educationist about it. His answer stayed with me.

"Because Jesus's vision of the Kingdom of God is a universal vision, and therefore Christians tend to feel more at home wherever they go, even the remotest parts of the globe, as compared to other communities."

BINU ALEX
Rediff News
26.09.2026
Gujarat Vs Kerala: A Tale Of Two States

KHYRUNNISA. A, SPEAKS ON BOOKS AND ON WRITING, IMPARTS IDEAS FOR BUDDING WRITERS

Writing is hard work. You have to be persistent. 
Reading is the foundation of writing.                    

Keep reading. 

Keep updating yourselves.

Be observant.

Keep writing

You may not at once know what kind  of writing you are good at.                                                You may think you are going to write one thing.                                                                            You may later discover that your strength lies somewhere else.

Never give up because of rejection.

There should be books at home.
Lots of books.
A house without books is like a room without windows.

Research is vital for children's books.

Books are a source of knowledge for children.

The writer is responsible for what they tell them.

The New Indian Express - City - Thiruvananthapuram Express

26.09.2026

UNSOLICITED CALLS PUPORTED TO BE FROM PRAYER GROUPS

BEWARE

 UNSOLICITED CALLS PUPORTED TO BE FROM PRAYER GROUPS

Recently I have been receiving unsolicited calls from two phone numbers. A lady tells me on all occasions that it was from a prayer group. She enquired if I had any matters or issues that required their prayer support. 

My response on all occasions had been there was nothing.

Then she asked me whether I was a Christian.

I replied it was none of their business

Yesterday the person called again and said it was from a prayer group.

I asked, what they wanted.

She said, "Chetta (elder brother), we want nothing from you."

She said she wanted to convey  a munnariyippu (warning)

I replied I was disinterested.

I blocked the number

There was another call today. She said it was from a prayer group.

She said it was to enquire if there were any matters for prayer support.

I asked where this call was from 

She said, "Chetta, it is from Keralam."

I replied she should stop bothering me

I blocked that number too

They had at once sent a WhatsApp voice message from the first number I had blocked already

I didn't open it. Blocked it again

I checked True Caller

The first number            7902501949 name given is LUXY JOHN

The second number      9495548254 name given is LUXY LUXY

I have filed a complaint through Sanchar Saathi Portal.

They have acknowledged it

DR. THOMAS VARGHESE - NEURO SURGEON AT TRVANDRUM AND KOLLAM

When Dr. Thomas Varghese learned how Becka Jill Konnayil's father had survived a massive heart attcak he posted:

Lucky for her, her father survived. A few months back one of our church members had syncope and was pulseless. I detected it and the physician started CPR, he still comes to church! 

It’s a part of life some we can save, some we lose and a part of us dies with them. 

It’s both horrible and immensely satisfying…. We just pray the latter comes in often.

CANDICE WALKER - THE CUSTODIAN JOB CRAFTS

 Amy Wrzesniewski and Jane Duttonn, colleagues of Adam Grant, had found that in every line of work, there were people who became active architects of their own jobs.They rethink their roles through job crafting - changing their daily actions to better fit their values, interests and skills. One of the places Amy and Jane studied job crafting was in the University of Michigan health care system.

If you visited a certain floor of the hospital, it wouldn't be long before cancer patients told you how grateful they were for Candice Walker. Her mission was not only to protect their fragile immune systems - it was also to care for their fragile emotions. She called the chemotherapy centre, the House of Hope.

Candice was often the first one to console families when their loved ones were through treatment. She showed up with bagels and coffee. She would make patients laugh by telling stories about her cats drinking her milk or showing them that she had accidentally put on one brown sock and one blue sock. One day she saw a patient on the floor of an elevator writhing in pain and the staff members  nearby weren't sure what to do. Candice  immediately took charge, rushed the woman into a wheelchair and took her up in the elevator for urgent treatment. The patient later called her, 'my saviour.'

Candice Walker wasn't a doctor or a nurse. She wasn't a social worker.either. She was a custodian. Her official job was to keep the cancer centre clean.

Candice and her fellow custodians were all hired to do the same job. But some of them ended up rethinking their roles. One cleaner on a long term intensive care unit took it upon herself to regularly rearrange the paintings on the walls, hoping the change of scenery might spark some awareness among patients in comas.

When asked about, she said, "No, it's not part of my job, but it's a part of me."

Adam Grant
Think Again

CREATE A SUBCULTURE - FIND HAPPINESS

 Adam Grant, in 'Think Again' presents a student who had approached him for advice.

She had explained to him, when she chose Wharton, she had focussed too much on getting into the best school and too little on finding the best fit. She wished she had picked a college with a more carefree culture and a stronger sense of community. Now that she was clear on her values, she was considering a transfer to a school that would make her happier. 

A few weeks later she told Adam Grant that a moment in class had helped her rethink her plan. It wasn't the research on happiness they discussed, the values survey she took or the decision making activity they did.

It was a comedy sketch he showed her from 'Saturday Night Live' 

The scene stars Adam Sandler as a tour guide. In a mock commercial, advertising his company's Italian tours, he mentions that customer reviews sometimes expresses disappointment. He takes the opportunity to remind customers what a vacation can and can't do for them.

"There is a lot a vacation can do.. Help you to unwind. See some different looking squirrels. But it cannot fix deeper issues, like how you behave in group settings."

"We can take you on a hike. We can't turn you into someone who likes hiking."

"Remember, you are still gonna be  on vacation. If you are sad, where you are and then you get on a plane to Italy, the you in Italy will be the same sad you from before, just in a new place."

When we pursue happiness, we often start by changing our surroundings. We expect to find bliss in a warmer climate or a friendlier dorm. But any joy that those choices bring about is typically temporary.

Ernest Hemingway said, "You can't get away from yourself by moving from one place to another."

Our happiness depend more on what we do than where we are. It's our actions - not our surroundings - that bring us meaning and belonging.

The student decided not to seek a transfer.

Instead of where she went to school, she would rethink how she spent her time. 

She might not be able to change the culture of an entire insitution, but she could create a subculture. 

She started doing weekly coffee chats with classmates and invited the ones who shared her interests and values over for weekly tea sessions.

A few months later she reported that she has formed several close friendships and was thrilled with her decision to stay. 

The impact didn't stop there. Her tea gatherings became a tradition for welcoming students who felt out of place. Instead of transferring to a new community, they built their own community.

They weren't focussing on happiness. They were looking for contribution and connection

Adam Grant
Think Again

SEARCHING FOR MEANING

As we get older, we become more focussed on searching for meaning. We mostly find it in actions that benefit others. 

The test of meaningful work is to ask, "If this job doesn't exist, how much worse off would people be?"

It is near midlife this question often begins to loom large. At around this time, in both work and life, we feel we have more to give - and less to lose - and we are especially keen to share our knowledge and skills with the next generation. 

When people talk about the evolution of self esteem in their careers, the progression often appears like this:-

Phase 1.  I am not important
Phase 2.  I am important.
Phase 3.  I want to contribute to something important.

The sooner you get to Phase 3, the more impact you have and the more happiness you experience.

The message is, one should think about happiness less as a goal and more as a by-product of mastery and meaning.

John Stuart Mill, the philosopher's statement is worth mentioning here.

"Those only are happy, who have their minds fixed on some object other than their own happiness - on the happiness of others, on the improvement of mankind, even on some art or pursuit, followed not as a means, but as itself an ideal end. Aiming thus at something else, they find happiness by the way."

Adam Grant
Think Again