We are all one in Jesus Christ but different in Jesus Christ

Listened to Rev.Vinod Victor, Vicar, CSI Cathedral Church, Trivandrum on 20.01.2013 inviting members of CSI Christ Church, Trivandrum to the Trivandrum Convention of CSI South Kerala Diocese. There was a poignant statement. "When we were children we had a United Sunday School where children from all denominations came together. Today that unity is no longer visible. Rev.Jacob Verghis and Rev. K K Koshy were our teachers. We were very happy that they were teaching us excellent values. We were shocked to learn later in life that they were different and had belonged to another diocese." Yes, the bane of Christianity has been the man made divisions. The divisiveness nurtured carefully by the desire of those who matter to seek their own agenda and their own gains has managed to keep Christians divided through ages. It will be apt to say that they have managed to keep Jesus Christ and the values He had taught out of the purview of Christians and Christianity. They teach us , "We are all one in Jesus Christ, but different in Jesus Christ." This is the riddle Christians will have to take head on, if they really wish to be true followers of Jesus Christ.

HOME MADE CAKES

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HEMA BUYS BANANA FRUIT

The expedition to Nagercoil behind her, Hema had gone on with her life in the usual fashion.  Ramu was not exactly amused by her escapade. He could not pardon her for her failure to look after Manish. Ramu, however, did not have the time to argue it out with Hema as he had been terribly busy with a few shipments where even day’s delay would have meant loss in millions.

It was a shock to Hema when the maid had casually announced on a Saturday that she would be unavailable on the following Sunday and Monday as she had to take her mother to the hospital. The culinary expertise of Hema had always been a matter of concern for Ramu. The family of four had been surviving solely on the food prepared by the maid. Hema was aware of the personal views of Ramu on her capabilities.

Hema decided that it was the right moment for asserting herself. She said she was going to do all the cooking at home in the absence of the maid. She had worked out a menu for breakfast, lunch and dinner for the two days. It was to be Puttu – Rice Cake – for breakfast with steamed Banana (ripe) –Ethakay – as side dish on Saturday.

Hema ventured out on that Friday to withdraw cash from her bank to purchase daily necessities for her self imposed assignment as the Chef.  Unfortunately her car had a flat tyre. She left the car in garage and took a bus to Palayam. Manish accompanied her. She withdrew Rs.3000.00 from the Bank. The purchases were made from the adjacent Connemara Market. The jute bag was overflowing. She thought it would be a good idea to keep the purse with cash– around Rs.2400.00 – deep inside the jute bag to outwit the pickpockets who frequent the buses in the city.

City buses are always crowded. It was half an hour’s ride to her place from Palayam. It meant half an hour of torture as she had to stand holding the Jute Bag and Manish with one hand and hold on to the iron bar tight as the bus went on its way. Hema did not realize  she had boarded an inter-state bus. She pleaded with a passenger who was lucky enough to manage a seat to hold her bag. The passenger had agreed with reluctance.

The conductor called out ‘Arasummoodu’. It shook Hema out of the reverie. She managed to get down from the bus with Manish even as the bell alerted the driver to proceed.  As the bus sped on it dawned on Hema that she had left the jute bag in the bus. She had to retrieve it.

Hema hired an autoricksha to go after the bus. She urged the driver to drive fast and catch up with the bus. Hema to her horror understood at last that it was futile to try to overtake the bus in an autoricksha after the chase went on for fifteen minutes. She asked the driver to turn back and take them to her house. The chase had cost her Rs.150.00.

At home, Ramu listened patiently to the misadventure. The next day Ramu with Hema called at the lost and found counter of the transport corporation. He was not hopeful that they would get back what had been lost. It was a pleasant surprise when they saw the jute bag at the counter. Another surprise was in store. The cash was intact. The person with whom Hema had entrusted the bag had handed it over to the conductor as he had alighted. He had stated that the lady who had entrusted it with him did not retrieve it.

DRIVING IN TRIVANDRUM ON 14TH JANUARY 2013

I was driving to Nanthencode to attend to my office at Devaswom Board Junction. As I entered the road in front of the Legislative Assembly from the fly over, I saw a commotion ahead. The traffic was heavy. I could not make out what was happening. I moved closer. I saw a badly damaged motor bike down on the road. There was a hold up. The vehicles behind the fallen bike stood still. There was a long line of vehicles in the two lanes. I was on the third lane. I could move ahead as there was no obstruction except broken pieces of glasses. A Police Officer in mufti signaled me to stop to enable somebody to cross the road apparently to help the fallen rider of the bike. I was allowed to proceed. I moved on. I could see parts of the bike strewn on the road. I had to switch over to the first lane to proceed to LMS  Junction and  Nathencode. As I changed the lane I saw a KSRTC Venad City Bus parked close to the Hanuman Temple. The bus was full of passengers. The driver was not in his enclosure. I presumed the bus must have hit the bike as it had switched from lane one to lane three. I did not see any blood on the road. It meant the rider was not injured fatally. There were two watch and ward staff and a Gun holding Police Officer at the gate of the Legislature Complex. I saw another traffic Police personnel running to the site of the accident. There was no way I could stop there.

I was shocked by what I had seen.

I took the turn to Nathencode at Museum Junction. It is always bumper to bumper traffic at that point. I saw a scooter rider overtake my car at that curve and cutting across to stop at the gate of Nilgiris on my left. I wondered why the person did not follow me and slowed down where he wanted to stop.

I reached Nanthencode Junction. I had to circle the round about to move on to my destination. As I was circling two bikes came from YMR to proceed to Museum. The one on the right stopped to let me through. The other did not and edged ahead. I slowed down to let him through. I was aghast to find another bike, the rider did not wear the helmet and a young woman was riding pillion, coming down from the opposite direction in the wrong track instead of circling the round about. The bike that was edging ahead somehow was stopped by the rider with inches to spare. Scared, I braked at once. The car stopped inches behind the bike. A multiple collision was averted. The bike that violated  traffic regulations went happily on its way. I saw the young woman mumble sorry to the startled rider. 

I thanked God for saving all of us from disaster.

HEMA BUYS PROVISIONS AT A BARGAIN

Hema was an enterprising woman. Her family never wanted her to go for employment.

The family was rich. Ramu, her husband, was managing his own investment firm.

Hema gave birth to two sons within four years of their marriage. The children demanded her full attention as they grew up.  When the children went to the school, Hema found to her consternation that she had nothing to do at home after the departure of Ramu and the children in the morning. She was not a good cook. Her maid did all the chores at home.

In order to do away with the lethargy she was getting herself into she began to look for opportunities in the job portals. She was a post graduate in management. A management institute had a place for her and she had readily accepted the position. The pay was good. Ramu did not object as he was aware that Hema needed some distraction. The students and the teachers at the institute respected her for her knowledge and skill. Hema was very happy that she was at last doing something worthwhile.

Nagercoil in Tamilnadu was well known in Trivandrum for the bargain it had offered for provisions. If Rice was costing Rs.20.00 a Kilogram at Trivandrum it was available for Rs.14.00 at Nagercoil. Similar was the story for all other items of daily requirement in a household. Meenakshi, Hema’s closest friend at the institute had always been narrating the savings she was making through her purchases from Nagercoil. Travel to and from Nagercoil was not difficult as there were a couple of passenger trains from morning till evening between the two cities.

Hema wanted to do a Meenakshi. She decided to go to Nagercoil with Meenakshi to take advantage of the bargain. She took her son Manish along.

At Nagercoil, Meenakshi purchased all her requirements for a month. Hema was amazed at the savings Meenakshi made. Hema bought 5 kilograms of rice. She said she would purchase in bulk at their next visit. They transported the goods to the railway station in an autoricksha.

There was a long queue at the railway station. As she reached the counter Hema found her purse missing. She remembered she had left the purse on the table of the vendor when she had purchased rice. She had Rs.5000.00 in the purse.  She had panicked.  Meenakshi assured her that the vendor is honest. She offered to return to the shop and get the purse back. As Manish was restless Meenakshi took him along.

Hema waited at the Railway Platform for the return of Menenakshi and Manish with the packets around her. Suddenly she found the rake arriving at the Platform. As she knew that her friend and son would be back soon, Hema boarded the train with the luggage. She forgot  she did not have the ticket. The train was on right time and it left the station for Trivandrum.

Hema found herself amidst a group of deaf and dumb students. The animated manner in which they were communicating with each other was a revelation to her. She was closely observing them.  It did not occur to her that the train was moving fast or that Meenakshi and Manish had not boarded the train.  

Nagercoil to Trivandrum is a short journey. As the train stopped at Trivandrum, Hema to her horror understood her predicament. She was without her son. She had no money. She could not go home without her son. She could not make an exit as she had no ticket.

Hema somehow managed to get all the packets out before the train left the station.. She sat there on the platform with luggage around her.

The vendor at Nagercoil was honest as Meenakshi had predicted. He had handed over the purse intact. As Meenakshi and Manish had reached the Platform, they saw the train leaving the station. Hema and the packets were not there. Meenakshi guessed  Hema  must have boarded the train. But there was a hitch. The train that had left was the last train for the day.

Meenakshi had always been resourceful. She took Manish to the Bus Station. They boarded a Bus to Trivandrum. The Bus reached its destination two hours after the train had reached the city. As Meenakshi and Hema were bosom friends Meenakshi knew for certain that Hema would be waiting at the Platform.

The moment Hema saw Manish with Meenakshi she forgot herself and hugged them both with joy. 

AUSTRALIA - POLICE HANDLES A MAJOR ACCIDENT CAUSING NO HARDSHIP

Sunil and Deepa visited us yesterday. We were meeting each other after a very long time. Sunil is from our native place. His father ran a Tea Shop across the road in front of our house. The family had difficult days as the income was not enough to sustain a family of four. Sreekant was the elder brother. Their mother was a very practical woman. She encouraged the two boys to go for education as much as they could. Even in those days education was a costly affair. She had supplemented the family income through lending money her husband made from the Tea Shop. Banks and money lending institutions had not reached the village at that period in history. The rate of interest was high. But the poor people who had no access to credit facilities, found the arrangement handy. They never had to run to organizations afar to meet their immediate requirements.

It was a surprise to the villagers when Srikant secured admission in an Engineering College. More surprises were in store. As he completed his course he found a job easily through campus placement. The family bond was strong. Srikant took the responsibility of looking after Sunil’s education. Sunil was a brilliant student. It was no surprise to his teachers when Sunil passed his Chartered Accountancy - C.A - examination with a high rank. Soon after the results were published an investment firm in Singapore offered a placement to Sunil. It was readily accepted.

The brothers had married. In course of time both of them had two children each. Srikant was employed in Dubai. After a few years in Singapore, Sunil with his wife Deepa and children Arvind and   Parvathy migrated to Australia. The placement in Australia was far better than the one he had in Singapore. It was a pleasant surprise when Australia granted them citizenship. The first thing Sunil did after settling down was to look for an opportunity for his brother in Australia. Fortunately he could locate a position. Srikant and his family are Australian citizens today. 

Sunil and Deepa were discussing life in their adopted country. They were happy they had migrated to Australia. It was pretty tough in the initial days. Soon they could merge with the stream of life there. Their children have wonderful opportunities they never had in their childhood.

We were horrified when Sunil narrated an accident he had been involved in. Sunil had a Honda Jazz hatchback. He was waiting at a traffic signal to move from a highway to a parallel road. Just as he began to proceed when the signal turned green an SUV charged in at a high speed violating the red signal. The SUV crashed against the door of the driver.  The Honda Jazz was a total wreck. Sunil still does not know how he had survived the accident. He suffered no injuries. However the lone passenger he had with him in the front seat suffered an injury. He was wounded by the metal part of the seat belt.

The manner in which the Police had handled the situation was exemplary. They had cordoned off the two vehicles. They were courteous. They did not use any kind of abusive language. They asked Sunil whether he was alright. They served coffee to calm their nerves. Sunil and his friend were moved to a hospital at once. They were allowed to go home after the doctors had done a thorough check up. Sunil’s friend was given medical attention and treatment. The SUV was driven by a young driver who was obviously inebriated. The accident had a sobering effect on him. He was in shock that necessitated the attention of the Psychiatrist.

Sunil never forgets the nightmare. He emphatically states that it is God’s will that had kept him alive. 

YOU HAVE TO BE KIND TO CHILDREN

Sunil and Deepa visited us yesterday. We were meeting each other after a very long time. Sunil is from our native place. His father ran a Tea Shop across the road in front of our house. The family had difficult days as the income was not enough to sustain a family of four. Sreekant was the elder brother. Their mother was a very practical woman. She encouraged the two boys to go for education as much as they could. Even in those days education was a costly affair. She had supplemented the family income through lending money her husband made from the Tea Shop. Banks and money lending institutions had not reached the village at that period in history. The rate of interest was high. But the poor people who had no access to credit facilities, found the arrangement handy. They never had to run to organizations afar to meet their immediate requirements.

It was a surprise to the villagers when Srikant secured admission in an Engineering College. More surprises were in store. As he completed his course he found a job easily through campus placement. The family bond was strong. Srikant took the responsibility of looking after Sunil’s education. Sunil was a brilliant student. It was no surprise to his teachers when Sunil passed his Chartered Accountancy - C.A - examination with a high rank. Soon after the results were published an investment firm in Singapore offered a placement to Sunil. It was readily accepted.

The brothers had married. In course of time both of them had two children each. Srikant was employed in Dubai. After a few years in Singapore, Sunil with his wife Deepa and children Arvind and   Parvathy migrated to Australia. The placement in Australia was far better than the one he had in Singapore. It was a pleasant surprise when Australia granted them citizenship.

Sunil and Deepa were discussing their life in Australia. Arvind is now fourteen and he is proving himself good in his studies. He is excellent Public Relations. Parvathy is nine. According to them Parvathy is very smart. Like all children of her age she needs a bit of prodding to concentrate in her studies. At times Deepa becomes frustrated and would threaten her that the matter would be reported to her dad when he comes home in the evening.  As Sunil reaches home after a tiring day at the office, Parvathy would run up to him and ask him, “Dad, how was your day at the office?” Poor Sunil would get to know what had happened between the mother and the daughter some time later. The sweet question from the girl would dissipate the anger in the mother and the father.

When the school conducts examinations Parvathy occasionally lags behind in Mathematics. Her refrain would be,” Well, I had a bad day in Maths today.”

Deepa rarely scolds Parvathy. Whenever it happens Parvathy would respond, “Well, you have to be kind to children.”

We had a memorable evening together. We could not listen to more as Deepa had to board her flight to Australia.