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Embrace and accept yourself just as you are.
The process of acceptance has to extend beyond appearance to how you view the physical toll of your work.
Never feel insecure on your appearance.
Remind yourself, the downturn in appearance when you work hard with relentless effort, is not a flaw at all.
Mammootty narrates an experience.
Once he had bought a hearing aid for someone.
He used the gift briefly, but then discarded it. The reason was, he had never experienced sound before.
And it had terrified him.
The veteran actor adds, "Hearing is a blessing."
MAMMOOTTY
We understand the value of our own abilities like sight, hearing and sense of taste or smell only when we lose them.
Doing good, encouraging those who do good and opposing evil - these are the greatest things we can do on earth.
RANA DAGGUBATY, ACTOR, SPEAKS
I and we as a family have so much to pen on
J Daniel.
The association began when he married Animmamma.
Being Mummy's younger sister I had a special relationship with her.
I still remember her walking into our house at Munnar when she had visited the place. She was a student of UCCollege Aluva. The students from the College were on a tour.
She got down from the bus as the group was returning from Mattuppetty. There is a dam there. It was one of the wonders of Munnar at that time. It still is. I was thrilled to be with her. She had spent the night with us and left to join her group the next morning. Our house was below the road to Mattuppetty.
Every year Mummy used to visit Niranam and Animmamma was there to take care of me.
When she was married to JDaniel we were all there. It was at the Jerusalem Church. Niranam
I was in the primary school.
They had their first night at our Kumbalathu House that no longer is ours.
The next day JDaniel came out. He made friends with me and Leela. He was wearing a pyjama and a shirt of identical colour. It was the first time in my life I had seen such a dress. Didn't even know its name.
He quietly told us to address him 'Uncle.'
He became Uncle to us. He still is.
Though he is no more.
Babychayan, Mummy's twin brother, when he heard us addressing JDaniel as 'Uncle' showed aggressive displeasure. He had repeatedly told me to address him or to refer to him as Danichayan from my young age upto my marriage whenever we came across. Afterwards he gave up.
Uncle used to flood me with gifts whenever we were together at Niranam or when he had visited Munnar.
He was so wedded to Honavar and St.Thomas, he preferred to remain at Honavar. It was a relationship established in concrete.
It was the time teachers of Malayali origin were finding employment at Ethiopia.
Once Mummy in her ignorance and her deep desire to see her sister and her brother in law well settled in life had suggested that they both ought to make a beeline for Ethiopia.
Uncle quietly told her, he had no desire to leave Honavar, but he assured her he would never make Annie starve.
Mummy never returned to the topic
Once, I completed my MA, he took me as his own son.
Whatever I am today is solely due to the invigoration he had induced.
He had no need for that. He had his own four children. Those days the income they both generated was not enough for sustenance. Yet he took me under his wings. He ensured the blossoming of a nincompoop to an individual of substance.
Well I have much and much more to write. But I very well know that in these days of capsules, you would detest me for flooding the WhatsApp.
Today, I am happy all his children are doing well in life. I am happy they have been richly blessed by God with riches.
Uncle had firmly believed in God. His God looked after him well. God has listened to his prayers. I am happy his dear companion Annie and all his children have grown from those Honavar days to what they are today.
He cared much for his father in law and mother in law. When he came to know how they were suffering in their old age, he had sent Animmamma with a single mission. He told her to bring them over to Honavar.
And he looked after them. There is more to what he did there. But I prefer to go silent on that
Of course, as time has progressed, relationships are no longer close. Everyone is busy with their own lives. No one has the time to think of anyone else. It's the way of the world.
Riches come, vanish
They come again
They vanish again
The cycle goes on
But love stays
With us
But in the far corner of my mind everything is alive. They would remain like that as long as I am around.
I thank God for the wonderful relationship I had with Uncle.
I thank God he had sent JDaniel, my uncle to earth to fulfil God's vision and mission.
And I know he is a winner there.
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This post had evoked a few excellent responses.
The first was a phone call from Satyan J Kairana
who became the Principal of St Thomas a couple of years later.
He said the post was a true reflection of JDaniel and he was happy he could go through that.
Incidentally Satyan had won the President of India's award for the best teacher while he was in service.
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Quoting the second from Sheila Paul, eldest daughter of JDaniel
"Thank you Lalachayen for this beautiful account as a tribute to Pappa. I was not aware of some of the details and have only a vague memory of some. This is precious for all of us. ❤️ I always wonder how we all lived so very happily in that house in HNR , always welcoming extended families who visited us. It was such a joy for us when we had someone like you, Saji and some of our other cousins and their children stayed with us for a longer period. Those were the lovely care free days, made so by Pappa and Ammachi’s strong faith and trust in our Lord that - Lord will provide.🙏🏻 My siblings always remember that in our childhood, our parents always made sure that we felt that we were on top of the world ! 🙏🏻 Thank you for remembering Pappa so fondly on this day."
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The third is from a brilliant and highly competent person who has made it in the world
"Lalachayen,
Appreciate your post on Danichayen. He was a much loved person in the family. He also opened his house to me.
In all this praise, I fail to understand why a paragraph with negative connotation was dedicated to my father. It is out of place and unwarranted. Also fail to understand the irony of accepting Koshi Paul as Babychayen but having a problem with J Daniel becoming Danichayen.
Respectfully request every one on this group to refrain from talking negatively about anyone who has already gone on ahead of us.
Sorry if I offended you, but no rejoinder or justification is warranted."
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While I thanked Satyan J Kairana profusely over phone, I had sent a 'Thank you message' for the other two responses.
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There had been a fourth response as well.
It is from an eminent person who has done extremely well in life
"Pappa felt the use of uncle had a very distant western feel to it and trained us to address all his family as Mummy, Pappa, achayen, ammama and so on... that was his love for each member of his family which he wanted us to feel and convey too.
Danichayen loved each of us as his own, we spent quite a few summers with him at honnavar or hubli, wonderful times of joy and laughter.
Appachen and ammachi were with us in Hubli before Appachen went to be with the Lord, ammachi continued with us in Secunderabad too, much after Anish was born too, till she said she wants to go to honnavar. She lived for a year or so thereafter under the loving care of Danichayen and Animmama.
Truly exemplary and inspiring"
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I am indeed happy there have been frank responses.
That too from people of high intellect.
I am grateful for that
I look.forward to more and more responses.
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It prompted me to respond
"Dear Rajeevan,
