EVANA PICTURISES HER FRIEND

                                                       EVANA PICTURISES HER FRIEND

                                                           

 

WHO HAS THE FINAL WORD

 

2033 years ago, a man named Jesus, claimed the Jerusalem Temple for God.  The Temple was a large space with a central sanctuary and ancillary buildings. Pilgrims gathered there.

Jesus made a point when he acted against the business in sacrificial animals and against levying of a fee for supplications or prayers.

The Temple was the power base of Jerusalem's top priestly families. To them Jesus was a dangerous irritant. They considered him a loose cannon. An unstable maverick, they did not want him on their turf. They hated him for drawing crowds and disrupting the trade at the Temple. They were furious towards Jesus for the disturbance he caused in their  sedentary lives.

They acted with all their might against Jesus. And we have the blessed  Easter that succeeds the cruelties and sufferings of   the Good Friday.

The Jerusalem Temple is in our midst.

The posers are, "Where is the Church headed for, today?"

"And who has the final word here, the power brokers or the affluent  or Jesus?"

VINOD THE ELECTRICIAN

 

Vinod lay there in the general ward of the General Hospital, Trivandrum looking up at the ceiling. He pondered how he ended up on a hospital bed. He could see his Amma with tears flowing down her cheeks beside the bed. He asked her which day it was.  She replied it was Wednesday. Vinod said he thought it was Monday. 

Amma said it was on Monday he had fallen  off the ladder.  He remembered. He was fixing up the electrical wiring for a house under construction at Mangattukonam.  As he was nailing the cable, he had slipped. He didn't know what happened afterwards. Amma told him it was a fall from a height of eight feet. Fortunately he didn't break his bones. But there was concussion as he had landed head first. He was unconscious. The contractor from Pothencode had arranged his transfer to the General Hospital at once. That single act had saved Vinod's life. He had been in the ICU for two days. He was transferred to the general ward after he became conscious.

Vinod felt pain all over the body. The Sister who came to administer an injection told him it was to mitigate the pain. The doctor on the rounds told him he would have to take complete rest for two months after discharge from the hospital. He was told he would have to remain in the hospital for three more days.

In the evening that day the contractor, Ramesh visited him. Ramesh was happy Vinod had regained consciousness and that there had been no debilitating injuries. Ramesh quietly slipped Two thousand Rupees under the pillow and left, promising Vinod he would visit him the next day. But Ramesh never set foot in the hospital again. 

True to their word, the doctors discharged Vinod on the fourth day after he regained consciousness.

At home it was a slow grind. The pain was excruciating. Vinod's aged mother looked after him as best as she could. 

Though doctors had told him, he could go back to his work after two months, he had to stay off from work altogether for six months. Of course there was no money left. Vinod had to borrow heavily to make both ends meet.

As he had been quite good at his work, his clients had waited patiently for his return. 

There was no dearth of work when he resumed his duty.

Two years on, he managed to save some funds after paying off all the debts.

It was at this time, Vinod had taken a rush job in a two storied building. As he had always been a loner, there were no supporting electricians. But there was a timeline to beat. 

After the completion of wiring in the ground floor, Vinod went after the first floor. Here, he had to fix the concealed wiring on the exterior. It was a sight to watch. He stood at the highest step on the long ladder. Ever since his accident Vinod had always been careful. He would wear the Helmet. He would tie himself to the window bars with the other end tied around his waist. It was the  standard precaution all electricians had been taught to take though flouting it had been the standard norm. Since Vinod had learned his lesson the hard way he never dared to violate the norm.

As he had felt safe with the contraptions in place,and since it was very hot he had put away the Helmet for once.

Alas, as he stood on the top of the ladder with full concentration on the work, he didn't notice the climate cooling off. Suddenly, there was a heavy down pour. Any normal human being would climb down from that elevation as best as he could. But Vinod just couldn't do that. The knot that had secured him to the window bar was so tight he was unable to untie himself. from one  end or the other. Poor man, he had to stand their clinging on to the window bar for almost an hour, taking in the onslaught of the heavy downpour on himself. 

When the rain receded, Vinod managed to climb down after untying the knot. It was a lengthy process.  He could have cut it off if he had the knife with him. But he had only the screwdriver,the  nails  and the hammer with him.

Back at home he began  shivering in the night. He had a high fever. The next morning, he had to visit the hospital. He was admitted there at once as the fever didnot subside. It took a week for him to get well and get himself discharged.

As he had been laid up for more than a month, Vinod had to resort to heavy borrowing again to pay off the hospital bill and meet the expenses for the convalescence.

When he became well he resumed his work. But a bad cough was irritatiting him. The doctors on examination diagnosed it as an infection that could be  arrested with medicines. But they didnot bar him from carrying on with his work.

But Vinod told me as an abundant precaution, he was avoiding taking up work at houses that had little children to save them from catching any illness from him

What astounded me was the manner in which Vinod had related the turmoil he had been through on the two occasions. He was laughing it off. He did not curse his fate. 

Even I couldn't contain my laughter as he drew the picture of himself hanging on to dear life in that heavy downpour. It made me admire him for his courage.

He maintained that turbulence was part of life and he had to accept whtever good and bad that came his way.

According to him  the inner peace he has is helping him  tackle the unexpected throughout his life.

Vinod. What a gem of a man!

Bunch of white roses at varied hours

 

                                             Bunch of white roses at varied hours - 

                                     morning at 9.15 am when the sun rays fell direct 

                                      and at 2.05 pm when the shadows lengthened

                                                                     

 

                                                                                   

                                                                                 

                                                                                 

                                                                                 

HDFC BANK

 

The Colonel, normally reticent, was in a conversational mood. We were going up on the lift at Aryanivas for breakfast. He volunteered the information that the shares of HDFC Bank were taking a sharp hit. We shrugged our shoulders. It was news to us. However it was explicit, the people of the country were alert.

The sudden exit of Atanu Chakraborty as non-executive chairman and independent director of HDFC Bank left the common man perplexed. The reasons adduced were not the polite euphimism, 'personal reasons or other commitments', but "certain happenings and practices within the bank over the past two years that are not in congruence with my personal values and ethics." 

Here, a few pertinent questions  are relevant. Why did the chairman wait for two years to act? What did he do when he found 'certain happenings and  practices within the bank not in congruence with his personal values and ethics,'  as he observed them in the first place? Did he bring them before the board? And if he did not trust the board, why were  the issues not placed before the regulator, RBI? It is an evident fact that the chairman was well versed in administration. The important positions  he had held earlier in the Government of India were all in the public domain

I feel this was unkind. If his concerns had warranted resignation they did warrant clarity. Ambiguity at the highest level erodes trust. By neither fully disclosing the issue nor remaining silent, the resignation risks the worst of both the worlds, reputational damage without accountability. Stepping down from the board of an important institution is not a decision to be taken lightly. One can easily exit a promoter led enterprise on personal disagreements. But here. the stakes were far higher.

The response  from RBI was swift. It sought to calm the markets. It was assured that there were no material concerns regarding the bank's governance and that its financial position was sound. But regulatory reassurance is not a substitute for transparency. 

It is obvious the chairman had erred in timing his resignation as well as walking off from  his job  making transparency the prime casualty  over the whole  sordid drama and ambiguity his trump card.

HDFC Bank is not merely India's largest private sector bank. It has been the gold standard of governance, prudence and execution. It commands a valuation built not just on performance, but on credibility.

HDFC Bank is among the three major banks identified by Reserve Bank of India (RBI) as Domestic Systemically Important Banks (D-SIBs), often called "too big to fail" institutions --State Bank of India (SBI), HDFC Bank, and ICICI Bank. These institutions are considered vital to the Indian economy due to their size, cross-jurisdictional activities, and interconnectedness. 

Perception is a reality in institutions of systemic importance. But markets are driven as much  by perception as by fact. And perception is shaped by what is said and what is left unsaid. 

When the non executive chairman of the institution flags ethical concerns, it touches confidence in India's financial architecture. 

The role of the independent director is not merely to dissent, but to ensure that dissent is recorded, debated and when necessary escalated. Resignation should be the last resort, not the first visible action.

Boardrooms are meant to be more contested, more accountable and ultimately more transparent. Governance is not just about compliance. It is about culture. If a chairman resigns on ethical grounds, it has to be delineated or substantiated.

Perhaps if the chairman had been from the banking sector itself, the situation would have been better managed

A formal review is essential to restore the credibility of the bank that has taken an unfortunate hit over the imbroglio.
........................................

Sourced in part from an article in Sunday Times of India of 22nd March 2026 by Lloyd Mathias.

EXQUISITE FLOWER FROM BEENA'S GARDEN AT THALAVADY

 

                               EXQUISITE FLOWER  FROM BEENA'S GARDEN AT THALAVADY

                                                                    

Lila brought the seeds from Thalavady. The seeds were sowed here. The seedling was transplanted. Lila looked after it tenderly.9

She was very happy when it blossomed into an exquisite flower.

SAIYD

 

We had watched Saiyd grow up. We were amazed at his perseverance and humility. He now holds a highly responsible position.

He did have his personal tragedies. But he has compartmentalized them.

He does his job conscientiously. He looks after his family well. 

He ensures that he shares with us, the sumptuous delicacies prepared at home on festivals.

From what we have gathered, the preparation of food to commemorate fesivals at his house is itself a festivity. The whole family - his father, his wife, his sister and whoever else are there at home join the collective drive. 

However they ensure, that even before they converge to consume the delicacies, it is shared with their friends and with people they respect.

Saiyd,  brought the gift to our place on 20thMarch2026, and conveyed to us the blessings of the festival. We reciprocated.

The delicacies were excellent. Top class.

I posted two WhatsApp messages to him expressing our gratitude.

They are here:

Huma Qureshi

in 

Trivandrum Times 

21.03.2026

Times of India

Eid is a feeling, not just a festival

It isn't merely a festival. It's a feeing. It's a ritual of togetherness. It's a general reminder of all that truly matters.

It's sharing with friends, family, people around you, your community, and perhaps people who are less privileged than you are. 

Ramzan is a month when we do a lot of things - whether it's iftar or just sharing whatever we're eating and opening our table out to friends and others.

I think it's a very important part of who we are as a family. 

I have a bunch of friends whom I don't even have to invite. If it's  Eid, they'll just come home.

The relationship is not just with me, but also with my family and mother. They want to have my mother's home cooked food.

We often foget to take a moment, pause and be genuinely grateful for what we have in our daily life.

There is so much in life that we have to constantly be grateful for. 

The human mind likes to wander towards negative things. 

But when you have so much abundance around you, please make sure you have a lot of gratitude for the blessings you have been endowed with.
............................

Dear Saiyd, 

Thank you for sharing with us what you had at home.

They were all excellent.

Our gratitude to all at home who had tirelessly toiled to make it happen.

Apart from filling us, the food had conveyed so much of love and affection

To be frank, we relished everything - the food, the love and the affection.

May God bless you all abundantly

Regards

Uncle and Aunty

YUZVENDRA CHAHAL CRICKETER GOES CANDID

 

BEING BETTER THAN YESTERDAY

Yazvendra Chahal, leg spinner, who has been in the Indian Cricket team goes candid on his ambitions and his resurgence. He admits he had been through a tough previous year marked by injuries and illness. He says, though the time away from cricket had tested him both physically and mentally, he is entering the new season with a renewed purpose.

He reveals, "Last year wasn't easy. But with the support of my family, friends and the Punjab team's management, I've come through it. I'm feeling much better now."

He has revamped himself.

To rebuild himself and to underline his commitment to peak performance, he has made several lifestyle changes.

He has given up alcohol, focussed on better sleep, improved his diet and committed himself to consistent Gym work.

He affirms, "I want to keep improving each year. I may not promise specific results, but I'll give everything I have, on and off the field."

There has been in evidence a mental reset.

At present he goes by, "This is about being better than yesterday."

What matters to him now is, helping the youngsters, supporting his teammates and giving off his best. He bats for collective strength over indvidual brilliance.

Success, according to him, comes through teamwork, where every one contributes to the utmost.

Yazvendra Chahal articulates and solidly emphasises  the most essential features for leading a  successful life

 It is valid for each individual, valid at our homes, valid at  the work front and valid  everywhere.

Yes, when we fail or fall, we have to revamp ourselves. We may have to go in for lifestyle changes. You have to constantly  improve. You will have to give your hundred percent to accomplish the tasks on hand. And please do not refrain from developing the  juniors or those who are not on par. 

Your mantra has to be, you are going to perform  better  today than yesterday. 

You will have to encourage your team members to believe in collective strength.  Here each one performs his part to the utmost. It enables the team to taste success with ease. 

 I believe it is time we paid heed to Yazvendra Chahal because what he has drawn from his own life has credibility.
.............................................

Sourced from an article on Yazvendra Chahal  in Times of India of 20th March 2026 in part.

EVANA THE BEAUTIFUL GIRLS PARTLY FINISHED

                                      EVANA  THE BEAUTIFUL GIRLS  PARTLY FINISHED

                                                   

 

QUACKS

                                                                       

           We have, here, a news clipping from Times of India  of 19th March 2026.

                                                                      

                                                         

Botched tooth extraction kills woman in Bihar

Why are people gullible? Don't people ever learn?

In the good old days, it was ignorance, that had been our bane. In the current context too much awareness causes our downfall.

How can the quacks get away with what they illegally indulge in.  It could only mean they have worthy abettors. The sell off of the gullible is mutually beneficial to the abettors as well as the quacks. People suffer. People die. Unnecessarily. No one bothers.

To counter this callousness, reorientation of the people  from the grassroot level is essential. It would save them from exploitation by the quacks and their abettors. 

ARRESTING PHENOMENAL SLIDES

 

It was a moment to relish, when the Kerala cricket team entered the final of the Ranji Trophy Cricket tournament, last year. It was the first time for them. They had demolished several heavyweights on that journey. In the final, perhaps it might have been nerves, or perhaps the eventual winners, Vidarbha, were far superior. Kerala could finish only as the Runners up.

Historically in the earlier editions, Kerala never had been in contention. In fact they were punching bags for the rest of India.

What is surprising is that a team, that had proved is mettle so well last year, could not cross the league format in this year. They could beat Goa alone. 

Winning and losing are part of life, part of sport and part of the game everywhere. 

The Times of India of 19th March 2026, has presented a deep analysis on the failure of the Kerala Cricket team in the current year.                                                                      

The article sums up that the regression was on several counts.  The preparation was without clarity.  There was no  long term planning.  The domestic journey has never followed a linear trajectory. 

The departure of Jalaj Saxena had created a void that that had stripped the side of control, balance and experience during clutch moments. Although the work ethic of MD Nidheesh was impeccable, there had been no one to back him. 

Kerala did reach the summit last year. But they forgot that once you reach there, you have to stay there, sustain the success and build on the momentum. 

Kerala's task for the future is cut out. They have to build something sturdier to endure the grind of the Ranji season.

Transpose this into our own lives or our own offices or our own work situations.

How or why do we do well? Or how or why do we do badly, is a question we have to ask ourselves. If we keep our eyes open, we have the answer before us.

It is the team effort that brings in success. The departure of a stalwart, though painful, may affect the texture momentarily, but efficiency lies in restoration of the teams's stature at the earliest. A one man show is not enough either. Backing up is crucial. 

Recalibrate ourselves in our journey of life, is the essence.

THE LOVELY DWELLING PLACE

 

THE LOVELY DWELLING PLACE OF THE LORD

IT IS THE PLACE WHERE THE SPARROW,

THE TIMID,

INSIGNIFICANT

OR OVERLOOKED 

FIND WELCOME

WHERE EVERYBODY 

SEARCHING FOR TRUTH

CAN GAIN ACCESS

WISDOM

 

IF KNOWLEDGE 

IS POWER

KNOWING WHAT WE 

DON'T KNOW

IS WISDOM

THE PURPOSE OF LEARNING

THE PURPOSE OF LEARNING 

IS NOT TO AFFIRM 

OUR BELIEFS

IT IS TO

EVOLVE OUR BELIEFS

ROSES BLOOM NATURE KNOWS BEST

                                                                      ROSES BLOOM

                                                                NATURE KNOWS BEST

                                             LOOK AT THE COMBINATION OF COLOURS
     
                                                                          STRIKING

 

MESSAGE IN MY WHATSAPP AND THE REPLY

I received the following message in my WhatsApp recently

The official system for the public to submit complaints and suggestions is available 24/7. We guarantee a response within 48 hours. പൊതുജനങ്ങളുടെ പരാതികളും നിർദ്ദേശങ്ങളും അറിയിക്കാനുള്ള ഔദ്യോഗിക സംവിധാനം 24 മണിക്കൂറും സജ്ജമാണ്. 48 മണിക്കൂറിനുള്ളിൽ മറുപടി ഉറപ്പ്. Contact Details | ബന്ധപ്പെടേണ്ട വിവരങ്ങൾ: Toll-Free / WhatsApp Message: 18004256789 WhatsApp Call: whatsappcall.cmwithme.in (Free from all countries | എല്ലാ രാജ്യത്തുനിന്നും സൗജന്യം) Do you have any matters to bring to the Chief Minister's attention? മുഖ്യമന്ത്രിയുടെ ശ്രദ്ധയിൽപ്പെടുത്തുവാൻ നിങ്ങൾക്ക് എന്തെങ്കിലും വിഷയങ്ങൾ ഉണ്ടോ?

I replied

YES/ഉണ്ട്

And wrote:

The Pettah Oruvathilkotta road is nearing completion.  It may become fully functional in about 9 months, I perceive, the way things are moving.

Grateful to you for widening the road.

We know vehicles will be zooming past once it is completed

Here, I feel there had been a lacuna in whittling down the width of the road from the original 22metres to 14 metres.

What we hear is, we don't know if it's true, there had been opposition to the land acquisition for 22 metres width. Then someone high visited the place. He asked to mark a point in the middle of road. He asked to measure 7metres to both the sides of the road and had said that much widening alone is necessary. The road is now 14 metres.

But having witnessed development in the arterial roads of Trivandrum in the past 20 years,  my perception is that this 14metre road will have to be widened further to 22 metres or more as this road would turn out to be the topmost arterial road in Trivandrum in 20 years. 

I know very well your temperament for development. I know very well you wouldn't have agreed for the whittling down of the original plan and perhaps with your vision you would have made it even a little more wider than the original plan

Further it is high time the rail overbridge at Pettah is widened. As it is the bridge is the bottleneck to traffic.

I know no one else can bring it to fruition.

And we need a fly over at Pettah Junction to ease the traffic towards the city and the airport.

For me, I am 75 going on 76. I just hope I will be able to see what I have mentioned become real in my lifetime.

To my dearest companion

 

To my dearest companion

"Right from the day I met you till this day of my life, thank you so very much for being by my side, loving me for who I am and being absolutely true and honest to me no matter what I was to the outside world. Seeing my best side, seeing my worst side, you have seen it all and still stood strong by me. Thank you for understanding me and building our family. 

Thank you for wishing and dreaming with the same passion and intensity as I did to come good.

Thank you  dearest, my companion over all the tumultuous 48 years and more."

TRUST AND FAITH

 

Don't act on hope. 

Act  on trust and faith.

When you act on trust and faith, 

You don't lose out.

ACTOR TRISHA

 

A microphone doesn't make a comment intelligent. Or humorous.

It just makes stupidity louder.

Crude words without knowledge say more about the speaker 

Than the persons they're aimed at.

Actor Trisha

SUCCESSFUL MODERN FAMILY LIFE

 

The structure and architecture of successful modern family life is quiet simple.

It is never a towering performance by any single individual, but several small ones.

Success no longer rests on  one or two shoulders.

Someone simply arrives at the right moment.

Does the right thing. Another, the next day. Yet another the day after. 

The string lengthens without interruption.

Victory is assembled from fragments. 

Success belongs to nobody. And to everybody. 

Glory is not reserved for the chosen few. 

Greatness depends on doing  the right thing exactly at the right moment

SOLIPSIST

 

SOLIPSIST

A solipsist is someone who adheres to the philosophical theory of solipsism, which posits that only one's own mind and consciousness are certain to exist. It is the extreme view that the external world, including other people, cannot be known or proven, existing only as projections of the self. 

Key Aspects of a Solipsist Perspective:

Definition: Derived from Latin sōlus ("alone") and ipse ("self"), it is the belief that the self is all that can be known to exist.

Epistemological Basis: Solipsists argue that because they only have direct access to their own mental states, they cannot rationally verify the existence of anything else.

Psychological/Behavioral Usage: In a broader, less philosophical sense, a solipsist is someone excessively self-centered or focused solely on their own perspective, interests, and subjective experience.

Difference from Selfishness: Unlike selfishness, which implies a moral judgment of not sharing, solipsistic suggests a complete intellectual or perceptual inability to account for the reality of others. 

Contextual Usage:

Philosophy: It serves as a thought experiment in skepticism, challenging the existence of reality outside of consciousness.

Everyday Life: Describing someone as a solipsist implies they act as if they are the only person who matters or exists.

THREE QUOTES IMBIBED IN ME

 

Three quotes that touched me - imbibed in me - became the guiding principles in my life. 

I tried to put that into the lives of my wife and sons. No idea how far I have succeeded. 

About my wife. She had been brought up by her parents well.

Only thing was, she was never allowed to evolve herself. The parents always maintained, she was incapable without their interception and involvement.. When we became one, I could understand that because my upbringing was similar. Not blaming anyone as it was the practice across most of the families, those days

I made an effort to release her from that bondage. The transformation was electric. She discovered herself

Back to the quotes

One

Be the best wherever you are

Abraham Lincoln 

Once, my sweeper said he was sad he was only a sweeper. I told him it was because he had let go the opportunities that came his way. Showed him the quote. Told him to be the best sweeper first. And see the rest. He did as suggested. 

Later I heard, he became a clerk. - of course I had done my best in equipping him with the right tools

Two

The Ford Motors, when they started off at Maramalainagar, had inscribed six words at the most visible place in the facility.

CAN DO

WILL DO

MUST DO

I started thinking

CAN DO

Can do meant, you can, but  you will not do it

WILL DO

Will do meant, you will, but you may or may not do it and even if you do it, you will do it at your own sweet little time and that will be equivalent to nothing better than a negative outcome

MUST DO

Must do is the phase where you  finally decide you have to do it.

You have no way out.

You accomplish

In fact you force yourself to go after the seemingly impossible and perform to the fullest, at times stretching the elasticity to almost close to breaking point.

You win.

But the winners never gloat over the stupendous achievement.

They go after the next challenge waiting in the line.

That's MUST DO for you

Three

 I found it in a book Ammachi was reading. She was a voracious reader. Lila's mother. A phenomenal dental surgeon.

The book was from the Mills and Boon stable.

Those days people used to comment derisively of the Mills and Boon books and its lakhs and lakhs of women admirers.

But a casual glance was the revelation of my life

"TWO LOOK THROUGH THE SAME BARS,

ONE SEES MUD,

ONE STARS."

It startled me. 

I introspected.

I could see that I was the one who saw MUD always.

I understood people around me had similar views. Look for the MUD was the common criteria those days.

When you are born these are not in you. Later as you grow up, the family, the people around you and the environment itself make you subscribe and conform to the negativity. It's impossible to counter that. If ever you attempt it you are ridiculed and labelled REBEL. 

Rebels are not allowed to reach anywhere in the society.

Safest is to remain subservient

But I started to attempt to correct myself. Everything has to begin at home. I can't assert I have succeeded wholly, but I can affirm there has been a partial amendment to my life, in my life. 

I often wonder where I would have been if what has happened to me had occurred at the very beginning.

But I have discovered that to become what I am I had to be put through the paces I have been through.

You can't run away from whatever that had been preordained.

But I now try to go by the six simple words.

SEE THE STARS, NOT THE MUD

I can't say I am an outright success. But it doesn't prevent me from trying to be that

Gitanjali 35 Rabindranath Tagore

 

POEM

Gitanjali 35

Rabindranath Tagore

Published in 1901

Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high;

Where knowledge is free;

Where the world has not been broken up into fragments by narrow domestic walls;

Where words come out from the depth of truth;

Where tireless striving stretches its arms towards perfection;

Where the clear stream of reason has not lost its way into the dreary desert sand of dead habit;

Where the mind is led forward by thee into ever-widening thought and action

Into that heaven of freedom, my Father,

 let my country awake.

BETTY REMINISCES ABOUT D ZACHARIA FROM PHILADELPHIA

                                         

Tribute to D Zacharia Our Beloved Valyapapa

Today our hearts are filled with sorrow as we say goodbye to our beloved Valyapapa, my father’s eldest brother. His passing has left a deep emptiness in our family—one that words can hardly express. Yet even in this grief, we thank God for the precious life he lived and the countless ways he loved and cared for all of us.

Valyapapa was not just the eldest among nine siblings; he was the heart that held the entire family together. He carried the responsibility of the family with quiet strength and deep love. He made sure that none of us went astray  and that we always remembered the values we were raised with. For all of us, he was a guide, a constant source of wisdom.

Above all, he was a true Christian. His faith was sincere and unwavering. His prayers were powerful, and many of us have personally felt the strength of those prayers in our lives. When Valyapapa prayed, you could sense the depth of his faith and his love for the Lord.

There is an incident from his youth, which I remember often quoted in my father's sermons, that beautifully reflects the depth of his faith. Once, a Pentecostal pastor told him that he had seen a vision in which a coffin was being brought out of his house, suggesting that he might die young. Valyapapa’s response revealed the strength of his faith. He calmly said that he had already decided to live and die for Christ. If Christ wished to take him then, he would only be glad, because it meant he would be with the Lord sooner. That unwavering faith shaped the way he lived the rest of his life.

Family meant everything to Valyapapa. He strongly believed that families should stay united. He insisted on regular family gatherings, and those gatherings were never just social occasions. They always included a prayer fellowship and what we lovingly called the “Valyapapa session.” During those moments, he would remind us of how our family survived difficult times during Appachan and Ammachi’s days, and how we must honor their legacy by living with strong Christian values. He cared deeply about how we lived—how we dressed, how we behaved, and most importantly, how close we were walking with Christ.

I will never forget one particular moment that shows the kind of person he was. On the day we were leaving for the United States, I called him early that morning just to inform him that we were traveling and asked him to pray for us. But Valyapapa did something extraordinary. Instead of simply praying from home, he traveled all the way to Kottayam just to see us, pray for us in person, and send us off with his blessing. That was the kind of love he had—he never did things halfway. His care was always personal, sacrificial, and full of prayer.

During my pregnancy, when I was bedridden in the hospital, his love and concern became even more evident. Almost every day he would come to visit, bringing food from home. When he learned that I liked biriyani, he made sure that it was prepared and brought to me with such care. Those moments of kindness meant more than words can say. In a time when I was weak and struggling, his presence brought comfort and strength.

Valyapapa was also a homeopathic doctor, and for many of us he was the first person we turned to whenever we needed treatment. His medicines were never just medicines—they were given with prayer, concern, and love. Even after we moved away, we continued seeking his guidance and medicines for our family, even for my son Jithin. We always believed that along with the medicine came his prayers and blessings.

His compassion extended far beyond our family. He ran the Bethesda Hospital in Thumpamon, dedicating his life to caring for the sick and the elderly. Many elderly people who had no one to care for them found love and dignity under his care. He would often take their soiled clothes home and wash them himself, serving them with a humility and compassion that many of their own children did not show. For him, serving the helpless was part of serving Christ.

His concern for the next generation was equally remarkable. At the VBS programs of Nallanikunnu CSI Church, he made sure that children received healthy refreshments. He believed that caring for children included caring for their health. So he and Mummy would prepare healthy snacks like kozhukkatta, boiled eggs, milk, and other nourishing food for the VBS children.

Valyapapa’s life was also filled with many acts of social service. He helped build houses for the homeless, supported ministry for the blind, and sponsored orphans in Parkal. These are only a few examples of the many quiet acts of kindness he carried out without seeking recognition.

Valyapapa was a man of integrity, strong values, and deep compassion. He lived his life serving others, guiding his family, and trusting God in all things. His love was practical, sincere, and constant. He didn’t just speak about faith and family—he lived it every single day.

Today we feel the pain of losing someone so precious to us. The space he filled in our lives and in our family is irreplaceable. Yet we take comfort in knowing that he has finished his race faithfully and has gone to the eternal rest prepared for him by the Lord he loved and served.

Valyapapa’s prayers, his love, his guidance, and his example will continue to live in our hearts. His life has left a legacy that will guide our family for generations.

We will miss him deeply. But we will always remember him with love, gratitude, and honor.

Valyapapa, your love shaped our family, your prayers strengthened our lives, and your memory will remain in our hearts forever.

Betty
(Daughter of Rev. Jacob Daniel, younger brother of D Zacharia))

Betty is Dr. Betty Elsa Jacob, w/o Rev. Sandeep Jacob and Asst Professor, Dept. of English, CMS College, Kottayam, currently on leave)

PINK ROSE THRUSTS ITSELF AMIDST THE SPLENDOUR OF COLOURS

 

                  PINK ROSE THRUSTS ITSELF AMIDST THE SPLENDOUR OF COLOURS

                                                                  

WHITE ROSE

 

                                                                WHITE ROSE

          

 

                                                                                   

 

                                                                                 

                    

PDA PUBLIC DISPLAY OF AFFECTION

 

PDA  PUBLIC DISPLAY OF AFFECTION

Mohua Das  writes in Sunday Times of India of 15th March 2026

Excerpts 

New love produces a sort of giddiness that convinces its participants, the world has briefly vanished.

How much PDA is too much PDA is the question.

Too much intimacy in public is frowned upon by the hierarchy of outrage in india.
Indians do not mind westerners hugging their partners publicly, but moral thunder strikes at its loudest when Indians indulge in it.

It is said India is a country where public urination causes less alarm than kissing in public.

The digital juries in this country have codified PDA as,
"Anything beyond a hug, peck on the cheek or holding hands." 

Another adopts the grandmother's rule of thumb,

"If you wouldn't want your grandmother to see it, keep it to yourself."

The measuring rod is surprisingly technical.

Handholding is widely acceptable.

Arms around the waist, borderline.

A quick hello - goodbye kiss passes muster

Smooch is red alert

If one is still intent on rules, we can rely on the grandmother's test,

"If she doesn't faint, it's probably fine."

Then there is the four second rule,

"A kiss longer than four seconds begins to make the observers self conscious."

There is a security advice too,

"If the kiss lasts long enough for someone to steal your wallet, it is probably too long."

In India, make believe is fine. Anything more tends to cause palpitations.

Here the rule of romance in public are elastic.

Here, the couples in parks and beaches are asked to keep two feet distance.

All the same, there has been no slow down in the explosion of population, 

even if Indians are barred from PDA or even kissing in public.

Many Indians had grown up in homes never seeing their parents holding hands or 

displaying affection in public.

This is the country where "westernised boldness" triggers a frenzy.

Moreover a kiss on the cheek is considered obscene here.

If a couple lounges somewhere in the open, it is the breach of morality.

The arch conservatives among Indians that comprise the majority, fret about the example PDA might set for their school going children. It is the natural parental concern.

But through PDA, if people behave less like the upright and more like the young who are deliriously happy, there is absolutely nothing wrong with PDA.

TO SUCCEED

 

TO SUCCEED

You have to be constantly experimenting

You should never be predictable

You must do out of the box things

You should do things differently

All the time

There is no medicine like victory

It's a tonic that energises you

The memories stay with you forever

It helps subsequent generations

The younger generation observes you

And they get inspired

By what you accomplish

Celebration of success 

In its immediate afterglow

Is not the collapse of 

A civilisation

At its best or worst

The successful would

Briefly 

Look human

CHOOSE SERVANTHOOD OVER POWER

 

Humanity has an inbuilt foolishness and disarray. The desire to make good a visual statement of one's achievements, wealth or status seems to have been  hardwired into human beings. The palatial buildings that come up everywhere try to outcompete the other in size, ostentatiousness and vanity. It extends to business establishments, educational institutions, hospitals and even places of worship.

They are erected as a demonstration of someone's wealth and ambition. No doubt they are all aesthetically marvellous.

It suggests that the story of babel is as fresh today as it ever had been.

The sole antidote is Jesus Christ.

He is the one, who chose servanthood over power.

Jesus touches the sick, washes dirty feet and steps over the barriers of race and language. He opens wide his arms to embrace all people.

Unfortunately, many who follow Jesus today are after assets and power alone. They don't know they are derailing the true mission of Jesus Christ.

IMMORTAL WORDS OF A FAMOUS FILM ACTOR

 

This is something I came across in the net. It was fairly long. All I have done is, taking photos of the relevant parts and placing them here.

It is in Malayalam, my mother tongue. It is spoken in the State of Kerala in India.

Underneath the two photos, we have its translation in English

                                                                              

                                                                           

You never expect anything would go wrong with you. That's what you normally think. You believe you are the centre of the world. I understood I was a disposable for the  first time when I fell ill. You know very well what to do or think when a member of your family or a friend falls ill. But you don't know what to do when it happens to you. A host of people would be sympathetic. They really wish to know what has happened to you.  They are shocked.

As for me, life had been proceeding fast. However,the pause key suddenly whirred. The blood pressure had gone up. There was calcification around the heart. The kidneys were failing. All these were pointers to 70% chances of a paralysis or a hemorrhage. There was a 30% chance for fatality as well. It was my films that had taught me to override all impediments and rise up as a true hero everywhere. But it shocked me beyond salvation when my ailment was diagnosed.

EVANA'S BUTTERFLY FINDS A PLACE IN HER SCHOOL'S MAGAZINE

 

                        EVANA'S BUTTERFLY FINDS A PLACE IN HER SCHOOL'S MAGAZINE

                                                                          

                                                                              

                                                                       

  

AARYAN'S OBSERVATIONS AND WHAT FOLLOWED

 

Aaron, 14 years, Anoop's son , had lent  the book, 'A Walk Through The Rain,' to his classmate Aaryan. Anoop is our elder son. Both Aaron and Aaryan are in the ICSE, 8th Standard, at the St.Thomas Residential School. Mukkola, Trivandrum. 

Here is his review or his observations he had forwarded through Aaron

                              The author wrote:

Abraham Jacob

9447253532                                                                                       14th March 2026

Dear Aaryan,

I am indeed happy to receive your letter conveyed through Aaron, my grandson.

Monei or Son, I don't know how to express my gratitude for the beautiful letter that has articulated your observations on my book. You did mention, your handwriting is not that good. To me it looked fine, in fact better than mine. Legible too.

As regards the vocabulary, it didn't happen overnight. It was built over the years. I know yours will be much better as you grow up.

Now for the ideas in the book. They just occurred. It's a sum total of my experiences, good and bad, what I have read, what I have seen and what i have come across. The book is a collection of my blog posts, when it was 160 strong, 3 years ago. The posts now number 845.

I keep on penning.

One of the latest is, 'How I Learn'.

The post is just 4 words.

"I LISTEN, I LEARN"

Your comment on 'ideas' makes me zoom.

It's just what we all have in our minds; but I take the liberty to put them on paper.

Let me part with a suggestion. Do well in life. There is nothing insurmountable. It's our own mind that pulls us back

May god bless yoi

Regards,

sd/-

Abraham Jacob

                                                                    

Saji is a member of Christ Church. He and his wife sing in the Choir.

He was formerly DGM, SBI.

He stays across the main road in front of  the KUT Seminary campus, Kannammoola, Trivandrum

On Sunday, 15th March 2026, after the worship at the Church, I forwarded the wonderful feedback from Aaryan, to Saji

It elicited a reply from him and another response from me. They are here.

"Read both the letters."

"As we discussed at the church portico, it's quite impressive that a present day teenager could pen such a letter. I never thought so. I had lost hope in the current generation but still some flicker of hope is there. Thanks for forwarding."

My response.

 "God created heaven and earth.

He knew how to run it from that time onwards.

He has done it over centuries.

He'll never let go.

That's why we have boys like Aaryan

To take us and the world forward on His terms.

I praise God for giving Aaryan to us, to the world.

We have hope

We have future

There.

Like you had aptly put it

That's the glimmer of hope"

Rev. Santy S Paul: 

Thanks for forwarding these updates dear sir.

I was indeed excited to see the letter  to you from such a young reader and the sincere reply by the author.

The way in which Aaryan connected the content of the book to nation building ("to implement your ideas to reformation") is especially commendable. 

I am sure these are most gratifying moments of an author that prompts to express him/ herself more and more.

Good wishes sir

Shara quipped

What are the odds of two friends having both their names start with Aar.

And I replied

One in several billions!!!

When speech development takes the slow lane

 

We were concerned when Elvin at 18 months lagged in speech development. A friend advised us to be patient. According to her some children were like that.

I wrote to her recently

Elvin turned two on 13March2026.

We held a lunch get-together on 14thMarch to celebrate. It was confined to close relatives. His maternal grandparents joined us travelling all the way from Kadammanitta.

It was a happy experience.

In the evening, at the close of family prayer time, he joined everyone blurting out 'Amen,' that marks the conclusion.

The past couple of days he had been talking in his own language that he alone could decipher. But in between Amma and Appa comes out occasionally.

When I related speech development was slow to my younger brother, his response was, Elvin's father also had been like that.

But those were the days we both were on a mad race and where personal matters had always faded away into insignificance.

And no one had bothered about such trivial issues either those days.

It was your genuine concern for the child that made me  put the foot down and and decree a cooling period till he reached three as advised by Dr. Abraham, the richly experienced Paediatrician.

The child shows a high level of intelligence. He indulges in activities we suggest. He displays his affection vehemently. He runs around. The vision and hearing are sharp. Looks up at the faint sound when someone opens the gate. Displays his emotions. He conveys in his own way what he wants and he manages to land that.

I just wonder what would have happened if your advice hadn't come at the right moment.

Managing children is ok. But managing the mother who is much concerned is indeed  a tough proposition as her concern is genuine.

FLOWERS FOR ME SAVE ALL THE FLOWERS FOR ME

                                      FLOWERS FOR ME SAVE ALL THE FLOWERS FOR ME

                                         BUSHES FOR ME SAVE ALL THE BUSHES FOR ME