13 June 2009

Quarter life but NO crisis!

I am supposed to post this on June1st 2009 when i turned a remarkable leaf in my life. I turned 25!We have silver jubilee celebrations for every orgs,companies,movements but no one is inclined to celebrate 25 years of life!:)I think its a miracle that I complete 25 years in this turbulent world where more people die of road accidents than disease,natural catastrophes strike every other day,planes disappear,trains collide not to mention the communal riots which is an annual event now in India.You can be killed for being a christian,a hindu or a muslim,a black or a white,a low caste or a high caste,being rich or being poor,being congress or being BJP.There is absolutely no guarantee to your life.If we apply probability theory(to be frank i don't know how to apply this!)to life ,the chance of survival is very less!

Amidst all this chaos and anarchy and lesser probability of life there is hope,hope that never dies out,hope that leads you to a serene and joyful life,hope of greater things to come,hope that ultimately love wins over hatred.For me this hope is God.I am grateful to God as I turn 25 for giving me a purpose in life and guiding me each moment through his Spirit. I would take this opportunity to thank my parents,my beloved sister,my bro-in-law,little john,my relatives,my friends,my church members,priests,nuns,teachers,neighbours and above all my Jesus Youth family who all had a fair share in shaping me. I salute them today for what I am now.

Rediscovering Blogosphere!

I started blogging around 6 months back. I never used to read any articles about blogging or any blogs till one year back. I was not aware of this powerful tool nor its reach. I thought it a waste of time partially because i failed to understand the basic difference between a website and a blog! I started blogging as a means to express myself even if no one is listening:)I am an amateur writer if you agree that writing reports, speeches and mc scripts amount to creative writing! So obviously when i started blogging i started writing as i used to - frank,open and in detail.

Now last week i was asked to give an introduction to e-world to a group of youngsters who were attending a Jesus Youth national campus leaders training at alwaye. I did a bit of homework and came to understand that what I am writing as blogs doesn't fit the category of blogging. My writing style is lengthy which is strictly against the short and brief posts critical to blog audience. Blog was such a hit because it fits the current life situation-fast,brief but highly professional in content. No wonder even actors,politicians turn to blogging to express their views.

In my search i came to know the difference between a website and a blog, a personal blog and a professional blog,the concept of group blog and 10 ways to improve our blogging.I am pasting it down here for those who are new to blogging like me:

Ten tips that help with blog writing.

1. Make your opinion known

2. Link like crazy

3. Write less

4. 250 Words is enough

5. Make Headlines snappy

6. Include Bullet point lists

7. Make your posts easy to scan

8. Be consistent with your style

9. Litter the post with keywords

10. Edit your post

Oops...!My current posting has also became lengthy!I have still got a long way to go in blogosphere.It will be unfair if I don't mention CNN-IBN blogs in their site which used to be my lifeline during my boring office days and which created an interest in me towards blogs.Thanks IBNlive.com:)

08 May 2009

Mission@Miraj

Having a cup of tea in a marati village and distributing HIV awareness pamphlets at the junction was not the kind of break I expected after my return from hyderabad to trivandrum.But it turned out to be one of the most beautiful experince in my life,witnessing the stuggles and poignance of life as i travelled through miraj,talsandhe & kodoli in maharashtra.

The program was initiated by the JY National Campus Team named as Social outreach camp from Apr 21-27 '09 with 20 participants from the mumbai campus ministry.I was called into help the program team to guide the camp.Counting the 6days it took for me to travel to n fro,it was a journey of over 2 weeks through kerala,karnataka & Maharastra.En route I got opportunity to spend time with my best friend sandeep on his bday and also with his mom after 3 long yrs.Local boy from plamoodu- Varun was my host in Bang!

The program was designed in such a way that it inculdes 3 components- Spiritual,Missionary & Personal.Spiritual component includes sessions,grp study etc on bible,sacraments etc.Missionary component includes Village Visits,Skits in parishes,Street play etc.Personal includes helping out the needs of the place where we stay in this case being amala ashram for 4 days & dilasa for 3days.

We spent the first 4 days in amala ashram in talsandhe which is founded and run by Fr.Benny MST.In the first day we spent for our own spiritual preparation through introduction,confessions & Holy Mass.The second day onwards Fr.Benny was conducting a retreat for a group of 50 people from mumbai which inculdes both young as well as grown up people and even kids!We were conducting the praise & worship,action songs everyday morning.In between we did many skits,some in the group took sessions for the retreatants while outside few of us were helping in the kitchen,garden work etc.At the end of each day after the retreat is over,Fr.Benny will take us for village visits.Its been a gud experience to see their homes,talk to them through translators(some of us in the grp knew marati) and to pray for them.Even in their poor conditions they were very happy and praising God for all the blessings.It was really an eye opener for me to thank God always in all circumstances of my life and also to realize how blessed I am!On the final day we introduced JY to the grp,we had developed a bond with the young people in the grp that they spent lot of time with us after the retreat is over before leaving.I took a showel in my hand mayb after 8-10 years and worked in the garden for laying pipe!Oouch..i still have the cramps!

On 5th day bidding farewell to amala ashram we started for dilasa- the care centre for HIV +ve patients at Miraj.We were staying with Fr.Sabu there at his residence while girls stayed at dilasa.We conducted some action songs for them and also interacted with them.The kids were always with us so much joyful and fascinated by our group.The kids as you can see in the pics in the sidebar at the left of the blog are all oprhans by now as their parents succumbed to death by AIDS.Looking at their faces the same question came to my mind as the disciples asked Jesus-For whose sins are they suffering like this???Jesus replied-"Its not because of anyones sins but for the plan of God to be made perfect".The patients come their to take ART to improve their resitance and to back to their normal life once they recover.After sometime again they get affected by some infection and come back.This cycle continues until their death!Depending on their individual strenght,food they take etc their life span may vary from 30-40 yrs.The sangli region where this place is situated is one of the most affected places in India.They have identified around 10000 adults and 3000 children who are HIV+ve in this region.On the 6th day we conducted an HIV awareness street play at busstand and Gandhichowk with the help of dilasa field workers.It was the first time experience for most of us to come out to the open area and too in a different culture and atmosphere to conduct something of this sort.At the end of the first play,we got a strong critic in the form of a drunken doctor tried to question our wisdom of challenging the attitude of society towards aids patients.We quickly left for the next place:)

We spent the final day evaluatiing and collating in charts our experinces of the past 6 days and then for some funtime in ambedhkar park at miraj.Looking back I feel so much blessed by God to have got this opportunity to reach out to people even in a very meagre scale and thereby to appreciate more about my life-for it happens when you travel a lot!!!

07 May 2009

Mr Shashi Vs Dr.Shashi

Phd holder from a famous university in US,over 25yrs of diplomatic experience in UN.Retired as UnderSecretary General of UN.Lost the post of Secretary General of UN by one vote(guess who did that?).

Doesn't at any day sound like finding these lines in the ciriculam vitae of a potential lok sabha candidate of Independent India.But it seems the wheel is turning in favour of India Inc after more than 60yrs.After all the hoopla of developed nation in 2020,youth engaging in politics and qualified politicians doing the rounds of newspapers for years,finally we have a candidate who fits the right bill.He is qualified,infact damn qualified!He is young...yep 53 is young age in Indian politics considering the nanogernerians & octogenerians fighting the elections.He has a vision of a making trivandrum his constituency a global city.

But if you believe that the entire city is enthusiastic about his candidature,then you are gona join a minority of people like me.More than enthusiastic at his decision to step into the shabby space of Indian politics where money & muscle power rule the roost,I eagerly discussed his winning chance with many malayalis especially his voter base of trivadnrum.Having lived in triavdnrum for over 20yrs now I am well aware of the citys problems and also have many friends out here who share the same pain of watching a stagnant city which remains largely undeveloped over the span of 20yrs.

Based on the responses from the many malayalis I am presenting the 2 shashis through the eyes of an average voter.One is Mr.Shashi & the other is Dr.Shashi.

Mr.Shashi

According to people Mr.Shashi is a foreigner to TVM or in formal terms an NRI who dont have any relation to the city.He started living in the city just 3 months ago.How can he understand the problems of the city.He is not a politician,he doent know anythng about politics.This is just a publicity stunt.He will not win from here.He will not be able to do anything for the city.He should have run from RajyaSabha like Manmohan Singh if he is that keen.He was a bitter critic of Congress and Sonia Gandhi till he got ticket.Puppet of US,sponsored by CocoCola company & the list goes on...

Dr.Sashi

An elite diplomat of the United Nations.Have developed contacts with almost all Heads of states and governments of the world.Climbed the ladder of diplomacy through 25yrs to miss the top post by inches.Author of 12 books out of which many are bestsellers.Regular columnist in major dailies acorss the world.Son of the soil.Young,experienced and has got a clear vision of making tvm a global city by twining it with another major city in a developed country.Strong Independed views on all issues(which prompted him to criticise even Sonia Gandhi).Possible Cabinet minister for foriegn affairs if Congress govt comes back at the centre.

My Verdict

Whether the above alegations are true or not.Whether hes gona win this election or not.One thing is sure hes gona change the way professionals and young white collared people of India are gona think about Indian Politics.He would have gone to work as the head of some major multinational company earning lakhs of salary.Rather he choose to bear the brunt of these petty politicians,fight with them for a ticket to contest(how else he would become a minister other than join a national party?)wear mundu(for me,the most difficult part..hehe),say malayalam and seek votes in this scorching heat.For these people who lament that he cant do anythng for the city since hes not from here,i ask them wisdom in placing civil service personels in totally different land to lead important projects?Its a public secret that beaurocrats lead the country behind the illiterate politicians.They almost work in totally different land and different culture.But inpsite of all these we have hundreds of success stories of able IAS officiers around the nation.Developement and vision comes from experience and thoughts(education)not by playing petty politics and conducting harthals.

Its hight time people of trivandrum realize this truth alteast now else the city is gona remain the same even after 50yrs and people like us can take pride that Old is Gold!Even i am not sure if hes gona change anything in this city after winning or if he becomes the foreign minister-(he will rarely get time to come here then!)But i can be sure of one thing- there is alteast one qualified minister(after kalam & manmohan) out there to lead the developing India of 110 crore!No marks for guessing where my vote went this time as I wait anxiously for the count down on May16.

His official website:- http://www.shashitharoor.com/
His election website:- http://www.shashitharoor.in/

04 March 2009

In Search of God



The entrepreneurial spirit ignited during the tata jagirityatra during dec mid to jan mid slowly gave away to the actual spirit-the holy spirit towards the end of jan.Blessings 09-a youth gathering initiated by Jesus Youth saw arnd 330 youth from different parts of hydcoming together for 3 days from Jan23-26.The program was the outcome of a longstandingdream of JYs in hyd infact every JY around the world- to introduce the youth to Jesus and help them estabish a personal relationship with him.This is done in a youthful way through poweful sessions by leading speakers,action songs, theatre presentations,prayer service,presentations,videos etc etc.The event made one thing very clear-every person esp young people is in search of something to fill that void in their hearts-many of them realised the truth that only Jesus can fill that void in their life!

The second week of feb saw myself resting in a beautiful hilly area in the northern part of kerala in a district called kozhikode.If i was facilitating the meeting between the young & Jesus in blessings in hyd,the spirit brought me here to renew my relationship with him.Completely cut-off from the world which means my cell phone was switched off and ofcourse no access to net!,i was able to spend time in prayer most of the time for 5days.It sort of helped me to ease the burden off my back,get refreshed in his presence,set my priorities straight,know his will for my future and take off to the world waiting outside fully energised.I landed up there flapping and took off from there gliding!

Valentines day saw me rushing back to trivandrum for my dear nephew John's baptism.If thebirthday makes him part of human family,baptism makes him part of the catholic family.InPopes words it is the initiation of the holy spirit on a person which will be completed by confirmation and renewed each time by the Holy Mass.It was a time to catch up with relatives before they vanish off from tat part of my brain which often gets memory refresh!Snaps of the event have all come out well and now making a splash in orkut land.John is the cute guy arnd in town now:)

Barely 3 days later i find myself in nagpur gng to take a session to a grp of young people about God's love and prayer life.If you are a person wondering how the spirit works in this time of the world,i would say this is how he works.Totally unplanned ;unprepared & unexpected-tats how life goes on if u giv it to God!But I promise u will njoy it much more than the life driven completely by ur plans!The spirit inspired me to introduce to those young minds a God who loves them unconditionaly irespective of their multitude of sins;ignorance & dont care attitutde!A God who waits on them patiently till they take that plunge to listen to him;a God who cares for them in their deepest agonies!

The below text is a favourite of mine:

I asked God for strength that i might achieve,
I was made weak that i might learn humbly to obey.
I asked for health that i might do great things,
I was given infirmity that i might do great things.
I asked for riches that i might be happy,
I was given poverty that i might be wise.
I asked for power that i might have the praise of men,
I was given weakness that i might feel the need of God.
I asked for all things that i might enjoy life.
I was given life that i might enjoy all things.
I got nothing I asked for,but everything I had hoped for.
Almost despite myself,my unspoken prayers were answered.
I am,among all men,most richly blessed.



19 January 2009

Yaaron Chalo!


Tata Jagriti Yatra 08 was an all India train journey organized by Jagriti Sewa Sansthan, Mumbai sponored by the Tata group from Dec24 08 to Jan11 09.The theme of the journey is "awakening the entrepreneurial spirit". The Yatra consists of 350 youth from all over India chosen through a rigorous online selection process. The Yatra covered 13 cities & 18 role models in 18days in a special private train in an effort to capture the entrepreneurial spirit of Young India!

We visited social enterprises,purely commercial ones,spiritual initiatives which had grown to enterprises...social activists who made successful initiatives..villages,mega cities..tourists places,so on & so forth.The special train was fitted with 2 bogies of AC chair car with LCD screen,sound system & video cameras to capture all sessions happening in the train while on the move.A special detachable bogie converted as shower room was a special attraction.A pantry car with catering staff was travelling fulltime with the train to provide the 400 people with food.A media team consisting of reporters from all main dailies was also travelling to report the events along with blogging & internet facilities provided in the train to update the jagriti blog on a day to day basis.

CNBC TV 18 media debates was another key element of the journey.6 episodes were shot at 6 locations during the journey each based a theme related to the Yatra's spirit.The Power of One,Yes WE Can,poverty to prosperity,spirit of entrepreneurship were some of the themes of the debates with eminent panelists one of them being Rajdeep Sardesai in the Delhi episode.

The places & role models visited:

1.Mumbai

Lijjad Papad
Dabbawallas

2.Trivandrum

Technopark
Thanal

3.Kanyakumari

Vivekanda Rock
Vivekanda Mission
CNBC episode 1

4.Puduchery

Aurobindo Eye Care
Auroville

5.Chennai

Ms Swaminathan Foundation
Kuttambakam Village,Mr.Elango
CNBC episode 2

6.Bangalore

AWAKE
TIDE,SELCO,Jagoore Campaign
Art of Living

7.Hyderabad

Naandi Foundation
CNBC Episode 3

8.Bhuvansehwar

GramVikas,Mr,Joe Madiath

9.Jamshedpur

Tata Steel
CNBC episode 4

10.Lucknow

Imambara visit
SEWA

11.Delhi

Goonj,Mr.Anshu Gupta
CNBC episode 5

12.Rajastan

Tilonia,Mr.Bunker Roy

13.Gujarat

Milma Visit(cancelled)
CNBC episode 6

The spirit of the yatra is captured in the theme song by Prasoon Joshi of TZP fame

Kuch badal raha kuch badlege
Tab badlega jab badalenge
kuch dekha hai kuch dekhenge
kuch likha hai kuch likedenge
Yaaron Chalo,Badalne Ki Rut hai
Yaaron Chalo,Badalne Ki Rut hai

  • Listen to the full song at www.jagritiyatra.com
  • Watch the video at:
http://www.livemint.com/2009/01/18222500/Lessons-in-development.html
  • Read the blog at: http://2008.jagritiyatra.com/index.php/eng/Yatri-Blog