Saturday, March 27, 2010
Mindfull
If you ask me what remains forever in human mind then it’s only memories. They are inorganic yet verdant always. That is the paradox of a memory. It is a remnant of something, of someone. You want to erase them, you can’t imagine letting go off them. You just have to dive into the recesses of your thoughts...they hide there, ready to spring at you at any given time of your existence. They live there, or should I say, we enclose them in the deep trenches of our secret corners. When allowed they can change your mood. They can make you happy, sad, happy-sad, excited, regret and so on. They wield immense power. Many of our actions are motivated, stalled, propelled by our memories of something or the other. It is the secret power behind many of our actions. Memories enable us, or they disenable us; they empower us, they debilitate. They stay with us always. They surface at the most uncanny moments. They can surprise you. It is a bitter-sweet existence. It reminds us that we don’t have Alzheimer’s disease. It doesn’t herald its arrival. No one knows what can trigger the stream of consciousness. It can be just about anything...a word, a shout, a musical note, the movement of the fan, the smell of perfume, it could be a song.,,it could be Nothing that can spearhead a memory into action...it could be the emptiness of one’s heart, mind, soul..it could be boredom that could remind us of the times that were contrary to the present. Memories are creatures you hate; they are the adorable treasures you keep as the keepsakes of your heart...those that you will never trade for any wealth in the world...those that can never be displaced or replaced. They remain seated forever till we become someone else’s memory!!!
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Songs in the Night
(Wrote this article for the Souvenir published by the Sharjah CSI church in 2005)
On a cold December night, Graham Staines, an Australian missionary was returning home with his two junior school sons Philip and Timothy. He worked for the lepers and the downtrodden in the rural provinces of Orissa in India. Suddenly, a mob appeared. They stopped the van and set fire to it. Graham Staines and his little sons were burnt alive.
This shocking incident became the main news story in both the print and visual media. "Missionary and his sons burnt alive" shrieked the newspapers. On the front page of the newspapers was another small news item."I forgive them" it said. Those were the words of Mrs.Gladys Staines,the wife of Graham Staines.
The visual media showed the charred remains of the van and also the lamentation of the people whom Staines served.The TV news channels transmitted excerpts of the funeral service of the three Christian martyrs. During the funeral service, Gladys Staines and her 13-year old daughter Esther sang:
Because He lives, I can face tomorrow,
Because He lives all fear is gone,
Because I know, He holds the future
Life is worth the living just because He Lives!
In the darkest hour of their lives, it was a song of praise and faith which emanated out of lips of the mother-daughter duo. It was a song in the night! Though it might have seemed that God had forsaken them, they still reposed their trust in Him. Gladys and Esther were not cowed down by this great personal catastrophe. They travelled the length and breadth of India declaring their faith in God. They also continued the legacy of Graham Staines by reaching out to the poor and needy just as Staines did. Their response to the tragedy and their unwavering faith in God were eye-openers to all the slumbering-armchair Christians. Gladys and Esther, like the Psalmist," remembered their songs in the night"
“Songs in the night” means praising God even in the most sorrowful moments of our life. Paul, David and even Christ himself endured many hardships but they did not give up on God. Surely if it were one of us facing such sufferings, we would have stopped believing in the veracity of God. However, stalwarts like Shadrach, Mesach and Abednego said the following words when they were about to be thrown in the fiery furnace, "If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it and he will rescue us. But even if he does not, we want you to know, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have." The rest is history.
Shadrach, Mesach and Abednego’s response to sufferings led to a lot of people respecting their religion. Our responses to situations are a reflection of our relationship with God. Are we conscious that people are watching us to know about our God? Do our responses mirror our relationship with God? Do we thank and praise God even before our work is done? Do we face adversities with a song of praise on our lips?
We all sing. We can at least vouch to be "Bathroom singers". We sing praises when we are joyful. But the bible reiterates about praising God during tempestuous times. Upon scrutinizing the lives of the biblical heroes, we realize that they became "heroes of faith" or "a cloud of witnesses" because of their faith in God. They did not stop praising God when the going was tough. Therefore" God was not ashamed to be called as their God"-Hebrews11:16.
Christ exhorts us to worship and praise God in truth and spirit. We cannot let our "mood swings", "job", "studies"," tuitions", ”coaching classes” affect our relationship with God. When we praise God in the gloomiest times of our life, we are re-affirming our faith in the omniscience and omnipotence of God. The interesting paradox, however, is that we can produce melody in trying circumstances only if we have faith. Therefore the bottomline is we can sing "songs in the night" only if we trust god.
Stress, tensions, work pressure ,traffic jams, lack of security etc are a part of our daily existence. But God is capable of transforming our sufferings and "mourning into gladness"(jeremiah31:13).Habakkuk3:17-18 says: "Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my saviour." We ought to be able to replicate the same sentiment, ie. rejoice and praise god even when things are not fine with us.
On a cold December night, Graham Staines, an Australian missionary was returning home with his two junior school sons Philip and Timothy. He worked for the lepers and the downtrodden in the rural provinces of Orissa in India. Suddenly, a mob appeared. They stopped the van and set fire to it. Graham Staines and his little sons were burnt alive.
This shocking incident became the main news story in both the print and visual media. "Missionary and his sons burnt alive" shrieked the newspapers. On the front page of the newspapers was another small news item."I forgive them" it said. Those were the words of Mrs.Gladys Staines,the wife of Graham Staines.
The visual media showed the charred remains of the van and also the lamentation of the people whom Staines served.The TV news channels transmitted excerpts of the funeral service of the three Christian martyrs. During the funeral service, Gladys Staines and her 13-year old daughter Esther sang:
Because He lives, I can face tomorrow,
Because He lives all fear is gone,
Because I know, He holds the future
Life is worth the living just because He Lives!
In the darkest hour of their lives, it was a song of praise and faith which emanated out of lips of the mother-daughter duo. It was a song in the night! Though it might have seemed that God had forsaken them, they still reposed their trust in Him. Gladys and Esther were not cowed down by this great personal catastrophe. They travelled the length and breadth of India declaring their faith in God. They also continued the legacy of Graham Staines by reaching out to the poor and needy just as Staines did. Their response to the tragedy and their unwavering faith in God were eye-openers to all the slumbering-armchair Christians. Gladys and Esther, like the Psalmist," remembered their songs in the night"
“Songs in the night” means praising God even in the most sorrowful moments of our life. Paul, David and even Christ himself endured many hardships but they did not give up on God. Surely if it were one of us facing such sufferings, we would have stopped believing in the veracity of God. However, stalwarts like Shadrach, Mesach and Abednego said the following words when they were about to be thrown in the fiery furnace, "If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it and he will rescue us. But even if he does not, we want you to know, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have." The rest is history.
Shadrach, Mesach and Abednego’s response to sufferings led to a lot of people respecting their religion. Our responses to situations are a reflection of our relationship with God. Are we conscious that people are watching us to know about our God? Do our responses mirror our relationship with God? Do we thank and praise God even before our work is done? Do we face adversities with a song of praise on our lips?
We all sing. We can at least vouch to be "Bathroom singers". We sing praises when we are joyful. But the bible reiterates about praising God during tempestuous times. Upon scrutinizing the lives of the biblical heroes, we realize that they became "heroes of faith" or "a cloud of witnesses" because of their faith in God. They did not stop praising God when the going was tough. Therefore" God was not ashamed to be called as their God"-Hebrews11:16.
Christ exhorts us to worship and praise God in truth and spirit. We cannot let our "mood swings", "job", "studies"," tuitions", ”coaching classes” affect our relationship with God. When we praise God in the gloomiest times of our life, we are re-affirming our faith in the omniscience and omnipotence of God. The interesting paradox, however, is that we can produce melody in trying circumstances only if we have faith. Therefore the bottomline is we can sing "songs in the night" only if we trust god.
Stress, tensions, work pressure ,traffic jams, lack of security etc are a part of our daily existence. But God is capable of transforming our sufferings and "mourning into gladness"(jeremiah31:13).Habakkuk3:17-18 says: "Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my saviour." We ought to be able to replicate the same sentiment, ie. rejoice and praise god even when things are not fine with us.
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
The sisterhood
A smile that is what I recall of that baby. A sweet-knowing smile that she gave me while lying in swaddling clothes. She still has that charming and disarming smile. Now she is no-longer that baby. She is the baby-girl-woman now. The apple of our dad’s eyes. The Kunju of our Mum. Our bacha for ever. Our beloved chuklumaav. Our sister. My sister. Mine and Renu’s. Reena!
An avid believer in the power of the one who turned water into wine. She vouches by the Jewish Carpenter. Always acknowledges the impact of this carpenter. His art as the master carpenter of her life is undeniable. She celebrates his goodness through music. She is the modern Mary and all generations shall call her Blessed. The Cross of the Carpenter is her favourite symbol. She is the quintessential cross-bearer, not her’s alone, but others’ crosses too.
Elizabeth Fry. Does that name ring a bell? Ms. Fry was an English prison reformer, social reformer and, a Christian philanthropist. Who would have ever thought that the 19th century reformer could have instilled some life-altering values in an eighth grade girl? Reena did not win any prize in that elocution competition. She however, won an ambition – a passion to undergird the cause of the prisoners.
A new chapter unfolds; a new world waits with open arms to embrace her. It’s an eyeful to watch her persevere to transform her dreams into reality. I have confidence and confidence alone. That has been Reena Mary Maria’s Song. She is marching to Vienna. Bhandup to Vienna. Wow! People asked what good could come out of Bethlehem. Well what good could have come out of Bhandup!! B.E.S. English High School. Central Government Servants Quarters aka C-Sector. The Water Tank. The Guava Trees. Bhandup East, Bhandup West, Bhandup Gaon!!! We even came to be known as The Bhandup Sisters.
Time to bid adieu to Bhandup has arrived. The hills of Vienna beckon and they are alive with the Sound of Music. Hope Vienna will enable you to strum new chords which will reverberate ,rejuvenate and revolutionise your world. May your world be free from prison bars always. May you surmount all impediments and always fly up high.
An avid believer in the power of the one who turned water into wine. She vouches by the Jewish Carpenter. Always acknowledges the impact of this carpenter. His art as the master carpenter of her life is undeniable. She celebrates his goodness through music. She is the modern Mary and all generations shall call her Blessed. The Cross of the Carpenter is her favourite symbol. She is the quintessential cross-bearer, not her’s alone, but others’ crosses too.
Elizabeth Fry. Does that name ring a bell? Ms. Fry was an English prison reformer, social reformer and, a Christian philanthropist. Who would have ever thought that the 19th century reformer could have instilled some life-altering values in an eighth grade girl? Reena did not win any prize in that elocution competition. She however, won an ambition – a passion to undergird the cause of the prisoners.
A new chapter unfolds; a new world waits with open arms to embrace her. It’s an eyeful to watch her persevere to transform her dreams into reality. I have confidence and confidence alone. That has been Reena Mary Maria’s Song. She is marching to Vienna. Bhandup to Vienna. Wow! People asked what good could come out of Bethlehem. Well what good could have come out of Bhandup!! B.E.S. English High School. Central Government Servants Quarters aka C-Sector. The Water Tank. The Guava Trees. Bhandup East, Bhandup West, Bhandup Gaon!!! We even came to be known as The Bhandup Sisters.
Time to bid adieu to Bhandup has arrived. The hills of Vienna beckon and they are alive with the Sound of Music. Hope Vienna will enable you to strum new chords which will reverberate ,rejuvenate and revolutionise your world. May your world be free from prison bars always. May you surmount all impediments and always fly up high.
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