The Three Wise Ones

I am grateful for the  gifts we enjoy and take for granted that of Health,  Family, livelihood, friends amongst  a long list.

This  year  in   matter of  a few weeks  between August and October 2019, I met  three persons and each of them made me reflect  and think about the blessings I have.

As a respect to their  privacy I shall not  disclose their  names  but perhaps since you may know  my  common friends  and could  figure them out, in which  case do say a prayer for them.

Edith  turned 91 recently and had expressed a desire to meet me.  I thought it was  special as I am of her many acquaintances and yet she chose me.   Edith, a spinster,   has been home bound since the last  few years due to various health  issues including the big C.  She also  experiences severe  pain in her arms almost every day. Even her food intake is restricted due to age. I managed to meet her the next  day after her birthday.  The  one room apartment  had many beautiful  flowers from the previous day. We just  sat and spoke to each other.  She was aware of Donald Trump and the state of our nation. Her mental agility was remarkable. Edith was a regular at the large cathedral  we used to attend as well. What struck me was however that even though she is unable to attend the  church services she keeps a portion of her offerings for each  week, including the special services she  misses.  Even though Edith  is in great pain,  her view was since she is alive, her life must be purposive. Her knowledge of  the Bible was amazing as Edith could  connect various promises of Jesus to her context.  I was also grateful she trusted me enough to disclose plans after her passing away.

Prior to any important event or  a  travel I rush to my barber  Karim, to trim my hair and beard. Karim who is about in his early forties has always been polite and professional and would not  speak unless spoken to.   We got speaking  this time  as I asked Karim how things were.  He narrated that it was only  4 months since he lost his wife to an illness.  He has two children and he has to balance  between taking care of his children and managing his earnings. There was a tinge of grief in Karim’s  voice but yet,  the “ here and now “ is important.  Perhaps he would not have  told me had I not asked him.

I met my classmate from  college Sahil after almost 4 decades  after we graduated. We are of the same age. Some one  told me that he was he had a physical ailment  but I did not  think there could be any but that thought lingered and I did not  wish to believe it. I was visiting Mumbai as Sahil lives there  and told him  where I would be staying. Sahil immediately  said lets catch up and said he would come to meet me.  I was secretly happy as I thought  I heard wrongly about  his physical condition and when we met that evening nothing seemed apparent.   As classmates do,  we caught up about  old times and  what we  did after college we also discovered  common friends in each of our life’s journey. Sahil was the eldest of two sons in his family.  After a while the dialogue was about the  family and I learnt that  he lost his wife about 20 years ago and did not  remarry.  As we spoke he also told me that he lost his parents  and younger brother  over the last  few years.  Then taking courage I asked him about his health, when  he said  “ Yes Emmy, I have had minor health issue, due to Diabetes one of my foot has been amputated from the ankle” I did not know where to  look. Sahil had a resolute  smile and for him this was no setback.  In  fact he is a CEO  in a niche Logistics MNC and despite all his personal  setbacks he has been able to  turnaround  a loss making  India operations to become profitable and reliable, so much so that  his principals have asked him to  continue in this role and he does international travel as well. 

I treasure  the meetings with  Edith, Karim and Sahil and  claim my Christmas Gifts from those interactions.  For me the  these  Gifts  are  gratitude, resilience, and purpose. I suppose each of us  may  take away much from these narratives. In fact  I am grateful for the  gifts we enjoy and take for granted that of Health,  Family, livelihood, friends amongst  a long list. Wish you a very happy Christmas and a Blessed 2020.

Grace and Gratitude

Last week I had an event in the evening at office and a Bible study to attend. Both the events were followed by dinner. Nazarene, my wife, asked me, “Where will you have dinner today?”

While it took me a while to decide I also pondered over what Nazarene asked, and it suddenly hit me that question was in itself very profound. I had a choice of three places to have my dinner, the third being my home.  I thought of how blessed we were to be able to pick and choose where to eat.

I thought of two more questions on the subject during dinner that evening.

The second that came to my mind was, “What will you have for dinner today?” Many of us  have ample  choice of what can be put on our plates  things like choice of ingredients and  cuisine as well. There is a lot of food to eat.

The third question that floated in my mind was, “Is there dinner today?” In many homes this is a question that is more of a rule than an exception. People struggling to put two square meals together, or breadwinners  trying very hard to provide for their families.

Many years ago  one evening Nazarene and I drove around to  give away some leftover food. We found an elderly lady near a railway gate and gave her the  packet. Her spontaneous response on receiving  the packet was “ Thank you very much sir, God Bless you.” She  had not even seen the cold food yet she was brimming over with gratitude unconditionally.

I realise that each of these questions come from a different orbit  we are in our  lives. We may not  have answers as well however our attitude could be one of Grace, Responsibility or Gratitude.

Marching into 2018 with Delight and Gratitude

A lot has been said  about airlines this  past year with decibels and trolls taking  centre stage.

As we  close the year I wish to recall to incidents one which delighted me and the other warmed my heart with  gratitude.

I was on a late evening  flight  from Trivandrum to Pune to  accommodate  business meetings at Trivandrum. It was scheduled to leave at 2150 hrs and I had a comfortable aisle seat somewhere in the middle of the aircraft.  I was concerned about  missing my connecting flight with the  same airline when the  staff assured me that the same  aircraft would take  me to  Pune.

At Bangalore, I was one amongst the few through travellers and in a short while the aircraft was almost filled up. Much to my satisfaction, we had an on-time departure for Pune. Once we were  airborne and the food service was in full swing, the  passenger seated on the  aisle next to me suddenly belched loudly. I sensed what was about to come and took out the air sickness bag but alas! I wasn’t quick enough. He showered his seat and floor with the food he had eaten earlier,  One of the flight attendants ushered him away to the closet to assist him

In  a  few minutes the senior-most flight attendant arrived, surveyed the  scene, and enquired after me as well.  She quickly went back and returned with gear to handle such situations.  She  put some granules which she explained to me that would  absorb all the  wetness quickly. The area was covered with  tissue thereafter. She also  sprayed some  perfume around the  area to prevent smells from interfering with our  journey.  Since I was closest to this scene of action,  she offered me a seat middle seat in one of the front rows and escorted me there. What touched me was the ease  this  Senior took charge and  went about her task seemingly nonchalantly.  She could have offered some ‘on the job training‘  to one of her junior crewmates, but chose to lead by serving.  I am delighted by the  leading  lady  and on-board staff of  6E 445 of Indigo  on the flight of  10/12/2017.

But that isn’t all. Here’s another pleasant experience, even more recent than what I just described.

We went to  Bhubaneswar  earlier this  week. I have to take some medicines to counter some of the lifestyle issues I face.  I took a pill on the flight. I failed to  immediately put back my  medicine pouch into the  bag. We checked the seat pockets before  deplaning and found everything in order. On reaching our place of stay I discovered the loss of my pouch. While I located a chemist and  purchased what was needed,  I felt bad for my loss. A few days later, before leaving Bhubaneswar, I went to the  airline reservation counter and asked about my  medicine pouch.  The staff was alert and asked me to describe my possession which I did. In  a minute he found it in the cupboard of the office and gave it to me.  I showed him my boarding  pass and  he mentioned that they  found it  3 rows ahead and actually contacted the passengers seated over there.  They do have a process to help forgetful  passengers unite with their  things. This is a ‘thank you’ to the crew of Go Air G8 244 of 27^th December and  Ground Staff of  Go Air at Bhubaneswar Airport.

I think these silent workers are building the brand equity of these airlines.

It is lovely to enter 2018 with  a feeling of Delight and gratitude.

Emmanuel David  December 31^st 2017

Good Friday Meditations at Christ Church

I had the Blessed opportunity to lead on the meditations on the words of Jesus from from the Cross at the Christ Church on Good Friday ( 14th April 2017) along with Rev. John Silas.

I spoke on the First Word- Father Forgive them that they know what they are doing.

The Fourth Word - My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?

The Fifth Word - I Thirst and

The Seventh Word - Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.

Rev Silas spoke on the Second Word - Today you will be with me in paradise.

Third Word - Behold your son: behold your mother and the

Sixth Word - It is Finished.

Preparing for my meditations was over the last few weeks helped me internalize the passion of Christ and the words He spoke and to reaffirm my own Faith.

In addition to the service, Rev. Silas also placed 12 symbols of Good Friday in the Church for the congregation to to look at and experience during the service, Eg there were palm leaves, dice, a crown of thorns, really long nails and a heavy hammer, betrayal money and a rooster ( this was prepared by Nazarene David as he could not source any in toy shops and getting a real one would have had it crowing during the service). All members walked through the church looked at the symbols, held them, felt them and got a glimpse of what went through 2000 years ago.

In addition to the above symbols there was a large cross in the vestry ( side room of the church). Along side the cross was some paper, small nails and a hammer. Here the members symbolically wrote down on a paper what their short comings and sins they wished to overcome and hammered this paper in to this wooden cross. It was a solemn act of penitence and nailing it on the cross. Soon the bare cross was dotted with several pieces of paper nailed on to it. Personally for me the act of nailing my sin and shortcoming was not easy. The very act of driving the nail in to the cross sent shivers into me and hopefully would be my conscience keeper.

Liberty Rests On The Foundation Of Responsibility

The days that led up to my first day at college were filled with a lot of preparation and anticipation.  I had  gotten two new trousers and shirts tailored. Stationery options were reviewed too. I had taken extra photos for my concessional bus and train passes, which needed to be purchased. My college was in the suburbs of Chennai, which meant a 30-kilometre train journey just one way.  The institution itself was legendary and honour rolls boasted of some of the alumni who featured as the who's-who in the country. The 350-acre wooded  campus with co-educational residential facilities was a delight to be in, though I was to be a day boarder. I wondered about all these things  and anticipated how college would be.

The night before my first day, my parents sat me down in our three-roomed house and  told me they were happy that I was going to college. As my mother looked at me lovingly, my father said, “Son, tomorrow you leave home for college and we wish for you to study well.  We are aware of the temptations present there on the campus, like smoking, drinking or  drugs but we trust you. You are our son and you will choose wisely and be responsible. However, you are also free to do what you like and if things don’t  work out well, remember that we as your parents will always love you”

What was told to me that evening was not just a few words of wisdom but also a promise of trust and unconditional love. Even after four decades, that little heart-to-heart chat is still vivid in my mind. Those same words came alive recently when my daughter Esther  chatted with me on Whatsapp one late evening when she was in Amsterdam. This is how it went:

Esther:  Dad, today my friends and I went to pub in Rotterdam and most of my classmates ordered alcohol. It was the first time they tried it out. They insisted that I should have some too.

Me:  Okay  (At this point I was curious about what was to come next)

Esther:  I said no, but they told me that no one would find out.

Me: Go on, Es.

Esther: Well, I stood my ground and didn't have any.

Me: I am proud of you, my darling.

September 2016 USA Pic Emmanuel

What was imparted to me by my parents has been passed on. In our youth, we have several avenues to make choices; some good and some bad. Some are life-threatening, while 

others are not so. My father’s words once again echoed in my mind when I visited the U.S.A a few months ago. I saw the Statue of Liberty in New York City, and what a sight it was! Seeing the Statue of Liberty in real life is something different. It’s a massive structure that is so big, it had to be transported in several pieces before it could be erected as one. We  always look at the  Statue of Liberty and crave for freedom to do things in the ways we wish to. Gazing up, I noticed that Lady Liberty stretches out towards the sky while remaining grounded on a strong foundation. It has weathered many a storm and wind because of its foundation.

That evening Esther and I concluded that the Statue of Liberty is what it is because it is built on the Foundation of Responsibility. In that same manner, the freedom that we humans crave for  must be rooted in responsibility for our actions and their effects.

How do your eyes Look?

"When eyes talk to eyes

The entire world stands still."

So wrote a young poet named Ajey Pai K last year.

In fact, many poets and singers have eulogised eyes as being captivating and mesmerising.

My world stood still for a while when I was asked “Tell us how do your eyes look?” by a young gent.

Pretty simple question, is it not? It depends on who asks you and the challenge it poses in framing your response.

I was thanking the group of visually impaired persons at the Salvation Army Hostel for Blind after they sang and greeted me for my birthday today.

Probably curiosity got the better of this young person to ask me what he did and I realised my response was nothing but clumsy.

As a family we decided to visit this Salvation Army Hostel for Blind to observe my birthday.  A call to our grocer ensured essentials be packed in a jiffy and placed in our car. We reached the venue effortlessly thanks to Google Maps.

We thought, perhaps we will give the items and leave. Capt. Nirmala, the lady-in-charge, asked Nazarene what the purpose of our visit was earlier in the day, so when we reached, we were told all the inmates were waiting to interact with us.

We found them all sitting quietly in the foyer.  Capt. Suhas, the chaplain, introduced us and the group sang a song of Blessings after which Capt.  Suhas prayed for all of us. We found that Capt. Nirmala and her team were very sincere in their efforts to keep the inmates comfortable. However, they have limited resources and will be  happy to receive spontaneous  unconditional  support  which can be in the form of food stuff, linen, clothes or beds.

As we left the place Nazarene, my wife, remarked that it is so easy to reach out and touch the lives of those who are less privileged than us. Esther and Rakshan, our children, were ideating on how to sustain such initiatives.

I am grateful to God for the gift of sight and immense possibilities of that gift for those who are endowed with it.  In fact the question has made me reflect over the evening on the many blessings I have since my birth.

I was not inclined to take pictures or the proverbial selfies as I knew I could never show the picture these gents.  I am using my words to share my insights I received from those who are visually impaired.

July 23, 2016

The Unseen are Important

A couple of years ago, I was visiting Rio Di Janeiro with a friend, a few days after Easter and I happened to visit the empty Sambadrome. I was able to soak in the atmosphere, standing in the centre of the runway with galleries on either side, imagining how it would have been when the carnival was on.

You will appreciate that a few days before Ash Wednesday, Brazil hosts one of the most spectacular carnivals in the world, the Samba Parade. To imagine that a few weeks earlier, this same place was chock-a-block with about a 100,000 people, was a kind of unbelievable. The carnival is the culmination of a year-long preparation of various samba schools who display their skills and abilities in dance, choreography and music.

The Samba schools concept is an interesting method of harnessing the energy of youth in a creative pursuit. I was told that these Samba schools can have anywhere upwards of 3000 – 4000 young persons. They prepare their act carefully every year and have several rehearsals.  Finally, they are on show at the carnival in all their splendour. Usually, their whole performance is on a colourful float which moves along the 700 meter runway on the Sambadrome, and on each day of the carnival, approximately four samba schools display their performance one after another in sequence. It’s one of the most colourful performances anywhere, and most of you might have seen it live on television over the past few days as well.

The parades  are judged on various aspects like creativity, dance, choreography as well as their timing. The timing  is of utmost importance for  if they do not maintain time, each school loses marks… and ultimately the top honours. So who ensures that all these dancers, drummers, trumpeters and others adhere to the time?

One would assume that it could be anyone among the artistes, the creative director, or even the musicians, but the fact could not be farther from the truth.

Consider that the colourful floats have to cover the distance of 700 meters and be out of the Sambadrome within 75 minutes. The floats are beautifully but heavily decorated and have to be physically put in motion. It’s not as simple as it sounds, as the floats have to be pulled by men inside it – trouble is, they cannot see outside due to the heavy decorations. They work in unison with the music, maintaining time and leave the Sambadrome within the stipulated time. The success of the whole school depends on the efforts of these people who do not know what is happening outside, and who are just not visible to the outside world. 

Amidst all the pomp and gaiety, it’s so easy to forget or even ignore the immense contribution these unseen heroes contribute to the success of this pageant, but in the middle of all the din, tens of thousands of revellers cheering, colourful costumes, loud music, singing, dancing… these unseen people do what they are allocated to do, and ultimately in the success of the Samba school.

As the carnival comes to a close this year too, we should perhaps pause and say thank you  to those who are unseeen  yet important in making our  performances  and life  better..