K RAJEEVAN COMPLIMENTS THE WRITER

 On 1st February 2026,
the CSIMadhya Kerala Diocese  Treasury of Knowledge Literary Award  - 2025 

for the best book on Literature (General) 

was presented to ABRAHAM JACOB.

for  the book 

 A WALK THROUGH THE RAIN 

I forwarded the happy news to  K Rajeevan who had served as the SBI Pensioners' Association, Kerala

"What follows is pretty long.
It's on an award.
If you are interested, if you have the time and patience, please have a look. Or just ignore. 
For me, at my age 75 onto 76 it's a big thing. Especially when you are recognised that has never happened in life ever before. That too in the presence of a mammoth assemblage of people.
It was at Kottayam.
Baker Hill
It was a great emotional moment for me and as well as for my dear ones

Rajeevan replied

"My dear Abraham Jacob. 
I am immensely happy and feel proud about you for your remarkable achievement of being the recepient of the Award for best book on literature . My hearty congratulations to you. 
Long long before I had the opportunity to feel the pulse of your most     impressive  and  eloquent expressions in our  "companion". Hence  no surprise in this value addition. However, I sincerely feel that this should have reached you much much before. 
My special compliments for the Title of the book ' A walk through the rain '. 
Wishing you more and more laudable laurels in days ahead.
Regards 
Rajeevan"

It prompted me to respond 

"Dear Rajeevan,

Thank you for the compliments and reading me much earlier.
There are events in your life where things just happen out of the blue.
When the book was published, I never thought it would catch the attention of anyone at all. 
The award was beyond even my dreams.
The presentation was spectacular. Imagine the feelings when I accepted it in front of a mammoth assemblage of 10000 plus.
Later, the next Sunday, a friend at the Church queried, "How did you become a writer, the way you were into a world of figures whole of your life."
I must say life takes inexplicable turns.
36 editions of Companion had built my prowess in editing. I am grateful to you for entrusting me with the opportunity and for believing in me.
Each and every person I have met have taught me quite a lot. You are placed among the top in the list.
I keep on writing. My blog grows. Quality is what I stress. I edit several times before the blogs are published. Even then apprehension is within me.
It's like I closed  the introduction to the book - A writer will write. It's not for him to self-evaluate.
The Principal of the KUTSeminary was telling me that each of the articles was conveying a message.
And Rev Dr Santy S Paul,Faculty there, conveyed to me that  through what I write I was making people to walk with me.
As regards the title, the book has a poem with the title. The poem is a bit long
My brother after reading it was telling me, he felt he was walking through the rain.
Well, this has gone on for long. Beg your pardon for taking away your precious time.
I don't usually go off like this.
But we knew each other well. And we were good friends.
Perhaps it must have made me unleash.
Thank you once again for your message.
Regards to you and every one at home
Abraham

Traffic and Trivandrum Roads

 Trivandrum Roads/Traffic

We don't know what to make of the traffic on Triivandrum Roads. It's a mess everywhere. 

We pay the road tax for our vehicles. Naturally, we should be reciprocated with top class roads.

Instead we have apology of roads

You are held up everywhere. It'd be a surprise if there are no road blocks.

The dust on the roads pollute the air. People turn ill.

Hospitals are overcrowded.

Road rage is the new normal.

VIPs fly on the road. People are tormented to ensure ease of their flight.

MC Road and NH are examples of the efficiency of brilliant governance.

A road trip to Kollam that took one hour, now needs two and a half hours.

While you could reach Kottayam in three to three and a half hours earlier, it now needs five and a half hours.

We do not know we can have bypasses for the towns.

We are happy all trafiic is guided through the towns itself.

When the work on Venjaramood fly over began we forgot we needed service roads to divert the traffic.

We crawl there.

Now we spent hours together to transit through each town on the way. to Kottayam and beyond.

Will we ever have good roads?

CSI CHURCH OF SOUTH INDIA NEEDS NEHEMIAH

 

CSI CHURCH OF SOUTH INDIA NEEDS NEHEMIAH

When Babylonians invaded Judah, they carried the people off in exile, razed the city and destroyed the temple at Jerusalem. When the people returned after many years, they rebuilt the altar in the midst of the ruined temple to worship God. People, who remembered Solomonn’s original, spectacular temple, compared it with the new, rather pathetic looking replacement. 

They wept.

Similarly, when we look at the inadequacy of our own lives compared to the wonder of Jesus, we too might respond with tears.

Nehemiah prayed, “Turn their insults back on their own heads. Do not cover up their guilt or blot out their sins from your sight, for they have thrown insults.’’

Nehemiah was challenged to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. In one of the most amazing accounts of leadership, perseverance and courage Nehemiah rallies the people to rebuild the walls in just 52 days.

Obviously, rebuilding of the walls meant that the city security would be enhanced. Those who had benefitted from the rather lax security that prevailed up until this point, in that they were able to come and plunder the city any time they felt like doing so, were less than thrilled that the work was progressing swiftly.

Sanballat and Tobiah are derisive of the attempts to rebuild the walls. They are contemptuous of the Israelites’ efforts in this regard because their criminal livelihood is threatened. They respond to the threat by trying to make it as hard as possible for the work to proceed.

While we understand that CSI is fragile, we should always remember that CSI on the right track will not be celebrated by everybody. And there are even those for whom CSI on the right track will be a threat.

Opposition to CSI on the right track is real. We have our own Sanballats and Tobiahs, who come and plunder CSI any time they feel like doing so.

Nehemiah shows us the way:

Pray and leave the opponents in God’s hand. 

Continue the work.

Please do not be distracted.

When we are ridiculed or opposed, leave the issue in God’s hands.  

Leave room for God to act.

 

 

PALLIATIVE CARE THAT SHOULD NOT BE

 

Palliative Care that should not be 

This is a real story. But names are changed for privacy.

Mathew and Susan belonged to Kumbanad. They were neighbours. They were of identical age. They had attended school and college together. They were thick friends. Their families, much earlier, had decided to unite them in marriage once they found employment.

In this land where jobs were few and difficult to come by, Mathew and Susan were lucky enough to be appointed as clerks in the Postal Department  as  Clerks at Kottayam. A year after their appointment, the families got together and conducted their marriage as envisaged.

Everything went on well.  Mathew and Susan managed to purchase a house at Devalokam after staying in a rented house for three years. They had two sons in this period.

As time moved on Mathew's father, Alexander, became ill. He needed advanced treatment. As it was available at Kottayam alone and not at Kumbanad, they  brought both the father and the  mother to stay with them.

While the treatment was going on for his father, tragedy struck.  Mathew's mother suddenly had a heart attack. Unfortunately she succumbed to it. 

Now Mathew and Susan had a difficult time. They had to attend to their jobs. They had their children at the school. And there was Mathew's father who needed a male home nurse as he could not move around by himself. 

Mathew, with the help of an agency, was able to locate a male home nurse, Sabu.

Sabu said he would do the job at Rs.20000.00 per month provided the family provided him food.

There was no other go. 

Mathew agreed.

Sabu came and began to look after the ailing father of Mathew.

Initially the arrangement worked out well. Alexander was happy with the service by Sabu.

Later on, Sabu became aggressive. He began ill treating  Alexander. 

Sabu would set the AC at 18 degree even as he could see Alexander was shivering. He would not provide Alexander with hot water to drink to help him withstand the extreme temperature. 

Alexander quietly suffered. He did not convey the difficulties he had faced to Mathew or Susan. As Alexander had to be carried to the bathroom, Sabu had thretened him that he would be throwing him down sharply to the bed if he had said even a word about how he was being ill treated to Mathew or Susan.

Alexander knew very well if Sabu was dismissed, it would be difficult for Mathew and Susan to locate a replacement. As Alexander was in need of constant care, he knew either Mathew or Susan would have to give up their job to look after  him. As he loved them, he did not want to add misery to their lives.

Like every good thing coming to an end,   every bad thing will have to come to an end.

One day Susan returned from the office  a little earlier as she had a splitting head ache. At home she found a shivering Alexander and a Sabu in deep slumber with the AC temperature at the lowest. She just couldn't believe it. They had been under the impression Sabu was looking after Alexander very well. She probed. Alexander couldn't hold back any longer. 

Susan phoned Mathew. She asked him to come at once. 

Sabu was full of regret. He said he would look after Alexander well.thereafter.

Mathew made up his mind. He complained to the agency. They at once recalled Sabu and arranged a replacement. They assured the replacement won't create any mischief.

Fortunately the replacement was good. He took good care of Alexander till he breathed his last after three years.

 

This is the story two girls

 

This is the story two girls

The first one is an MSc Biochemistry, aged 38, with a 14 year old son

She is well eduacted. She had an English medium school education

Her husband is a teacher in a private school

She works as a health inspector in a Municipality in Central Kerala for which the  qualification prescribed is a pass in SSLC.  She got the job because she is  an SSLC pass. We can see that her PG degree and  her 7 years in the College were a waste. 

She became health inspector after getting through a course recognised by the Govt. Her job is to visit houses and ensure everything is clean everywhere. Her first question everywhere is, is there a dog. She steps in when the reply is negative. She enquires if  is there anyone here with fever. She conveys that dengue is prevalent everywhere. She asks  whether the house has any plants inside and whether there are little pools of water that breed mosquitoes. 

Then she advises how to carry on without contracting any infectious disease. 

Job over she leaves 

The second is an Engineer.  She is a pass out from LBS Trivandrum.  She works in a Bank.as a clerk.  She must be around 35.

Her husband, an engineering graduate is employed in another bank as a clerk.

They have a seven year old girl who attends a premium school. 

She says she joined the bank because she couldn't find a job as an engineer. 

She concludes, "You don't get a job in the field you are trained."

This is the bane of  Kerala.  Jobs are few. Your qualification does not provide you the job for which you are trained. 

 

PERMANENT SEATS

 

PERMANAENT SEATS

Christ Church on The Ridge in Shimla is the historic church known for having specifically designated, permanent seats for the Viceroy/Governor-General/ Commander in Chief during the British Raj. The name plates are stiill there. Consecrated in 1857, it served the Anglican community in the summer capital, with its prominent location highlighting its importance to colonial leadership. As the second oldest church in North India, it served as a primary place of worship for the British elite. Designed by Colonel J.T. Boileau in the Neo-Gothic style, it is known for its stained-glass windows and prominent bell tower. Situated near the town's centre (The Ridge), it was central to social life in the summer capital. 

 

The Church we attend has a large membership.

Every week Worship is conducted there in four languages - Tamil, English, Malayalam and Hindi

The English Worship is attended by a large number of people. Many of them are retired officials, who had been employed outside Kerala for the greater part of their lives. Then we have the people who have settled down in Trivandrum after their stint abroad or in other states in India . Please add to that people who have migrated to Trivandrum on the demands of their jobs or for the convenience the city offered. Another attraction is the convenient timing that enables the worshippers to proceed for their engagements after the conclusion of the Worship. 

The beauty of the worship in English is many who attend the Worship have fixed seats on the pews. You can see them occupying the very same seat, week after week, month after month, year after year. They dislike anyone else occupying their seat. They'd somehow manage to push the poacher out and regain their seat. No one would grudge their antics as they are all aged and contribute magnanimously to the projects initiated by the Church.

Once, the occupant of a permanent seat had fallen ill. He had to be admitted to a premium Hospital. His seat had fallen vacant in his absence. 

Since he had very good relations with most of the people at the Church, several of his friends had visited him at  the hospital. 

When one of his close friends had called on him, he enquired what had happened to his own seat at the Church. He wanted to know whether it had been taken over by anyone else. The friend assured him that the seat was very safe as he himself has occupied it to prevent anyone else from appropriating it. He said he was praying fervently for his friend's discharge from the hospital hale and hearty.   He assured that his friend could have his permanent seat back when he returned. 

It was a big relief for the invalid. He soon regained his health and was back at his own place in the Church.

However, the seat arrangements go haywire when the Church holds combined worships on special occasions. The permanent seat holders desist from attending the worship on those days as they know they may not be able to hold on to their own seats on those days. But as their faith is staunch, they ensure that their enforced absence does not contribute to a fall in the revenue of the Church as the Church manages its financial challenges with the help of the handsome contributions from those high end believers. They would send in their contributions through money transfers or though their friends who attend the worship. 

And once the order is restored they would be back at their own seats.

That keeps everyone happy.

Today, the 29th December 2025

 

It's 6 am now. 

Today, the 29th December 2025, brings alive the memories and events of the day 48 years ago. They are vivid. Each second is etched in my mind. It will stay there forever.

 It was the 29th December 1977. 

The date of Wedding.

Papa, like he always did, called everyone to converge for the morning prayer.

The day began.

As the house was overflowing with relatives who had descended to participate in the wedding, we all sat on mats spread around. Except of course Mummy, who sat on the lone chair. Stricken with brain tumor and  partial paralysis that struck her and all of us out of the blue, it was a big relief when the treatment at CMC Vellore restored her functions to near normalcy. Though we thought everything was normal, time was running short for her.

Blissfully we were unaware.

Prayer over, the events were fast paced.