Who gets to switch off?

Today is Earth Hour 2010 and people in India will switch off electricity during 8:30 P.M. - 9:30 P.M. This urge to switch off and even slow down is apt during lent and therefore is something which can be followed to the letter. Slowing down and switching off may sound awkward but is one of the most interesting of things we can follow as part of our lenten routine.

As we journey with Jesus into his time of passion, we are supposed to do so by leaving behind our possessions, money and power. But does it make sense to tell the poor to leave behind what they don’t have anyway? Jesus had a choice of deciding what he would do as he entered Jerusalem. This was because he had the luxury of choosing between the rich and the poor, the unreachable and the reachable and the extra ordinary and the ordinary. So Jesus chooses. He chooses not to make a grand, triumphant entry on a golden chariot, flying through the sky. He chooses rather a people’s approach, and passes through the crowds, accepting their ordinary branch offerings and smiling at their simplistic yet sincere expressions.

The church on the other hand fixes regulations on the poor members while the rich are left in the distant sky, in their own world. But isn’t it that only those who have, can give, only those who have their switches on, can switch off, only those who otherwise eat a lot can eat less? For the poor, this does not matter as they have always lived in darkness, so much that it is normal for them. They have never affected the environment and switched on. Their normal way of living is similar to Jesus’ entry, the grandeur being projected by its simplicity.

The Copenhagen summit in Dec 2009 brought forward some skewed suggestions. The developed countries were seen asking the developing nations to reduce their emissions and carbon foot print and own up to their responsibility. They were asked to switch off. But what about the hundreds of years of perpetual rape of fossil fuels and resources by developed countries? Who takes responsibility for this? As we switch off today we should be aware of those who have switched off everything in their natural existence. They are the ones to whom we should dedicate our switching off tonight. Hosanna! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!

The donkey says no

We are inching closer to celebrating Palm Sunday and any sermon on the day cannot forget the donkey on which Jesus made the triumphant entry into Jerusalem. Many preachers prefer to ask the congregation, “Are you willing to be the donkey on which Jesus had to travel?” We are engaged into an emotionally charged environment where we are faced with a choice between donkey and no donkey! If I have to travel whatever class so that I can be with my master, so be it. I will take the donkey!

So as some writers have pointed out I imagine myself as the donkey on which Jesus travelled. I reconstruct the entry. The children, women and men all throwing their clothes and spreading branches on the road. As Jesus enters placed on the donkey the commotion is huge and the people say, “Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord.” The donkey also feels a sense of the euphoria which has engulfed the scene. Maybe the donkey felt a rise in adrenalin in the midst of all the people and the shouts of joy and praise?

But what would have been the scene the next day when the donkey sans Jesus travels the same route, head held high and expecting the same praise and attention? Obviously people would have forgotten the donkey (It wouldn’t have been noticed anyway). As the donkey made its way one or the other men on the road would have beaten it and made it to go to the side.

I don’t mean any disrespect for the donkey. The donkey is a very hard working animal and teaches us many things. But when we put ourselves in the shoes of the donkey, we need to think of certain things. The symbolism of the donkey is one who serves the Lord and not the Lord himself. We cannot expect to be the Lord just because we served the Lord. It is a folly to leave the Lord and expect people to concentrate on us.

In the past couple of days India has seen the donkey speaking and trying to overshadow Jesus. Mulayam Singh Yadav started it by saying that women who contest Lok Sabha seats and come to parliament will be whistled at. I presume he expected that people in India would take him seriously but do we need to? Statements like that should be given the seriousness they deserve. None at all! The supreme court of India on the other hand gave a land mark judgement on live in relationships in India saying that there was nothing wrong with it. But all those who are carrying God on their shoulders now see themselves as God and take it upon themselves to deny freedom to others. So this judgement has also been questioned by the so called people playing God themselves.

A television series called “Little Britain” has a character called Carol Beer. She is shown working as a receptionist in a hospital and as a travel agent. She is very close to her computer and answers queries of people by tapping the computer and giving them a negative reply and then saying “computer says no.” Things which were taken for granted, things which were sure, things which were looking bright and hopeful are all cut off with three simple words… “Computer says no.” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HcHxiw9QIfc

As we enter into passion week, we place ourselves as the donkey upon which Jesus has to travel. But as soon as Jesus is out of the scene we try to become what we are not and in his absence take it upon ourselves to tell others what they are supposed to do. We tap into our computers and say, “computer says no”, wiping out the last strands of hope of the common people, from our self constructed peaks of safety and indestructibility!

Please, atleast a few crumbs today

For what seemed to be a cake walk, the drama has just started. Reservation for women in parliament in India has been on the agenda for quite some time now. This time it seemed things would go smoothly considering the fact that the numbers were in the affirmative. But what took place in the Rajya Sabha today is nothing short of an insult to the women of India. Members of two regional parties took to the well of the house, tearing up copies of the women’s reservation bill. They are seeking for a reservation within a reservation.

Matthew 15:21-28 showcases the predicament of the Canaanite woman who comes to Jesus for her daughter. Jesus’ disciples urge Jesus to do something because they are tired of the woman’s persistence. Jesus on the other hand says, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel” and “It is not fair to take the children’s food and throw to the dogs.” But the woman then says, “Even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from the masters’ table.” Jesus is astounded by the woman’s faith and tells her that she will get what she wants.

The plight of the Canaanite woman is similar to that of women in India. So close and yet so far! They have persisted for years to get what is rightfully theirs and yet they have been denied just that time after time. 33% in this sense is just crumbs as they should get a full 50% reservation. There will be advocates of the argument that let the women fight themselves up the ladder and let there be a reservation within a reservation. What this does is just deny even crumbs to women by showing them a great image of some great thing in the perceivable future!

The faith and persistence of the Canaanite woman is beyond comparison and as it teaches us a great lesson for this lent, it also reminds us of something which should be done. And this is the women’s reservation bill! The discussion on the bill has been adjourned to 9:00 A.M. March 9. Let us pray and lent ourselves for the women who have made us who we are and who have sacrificed everything for us and taught us what faith and persistence is all about.

Will I choose right this lent?

Choice is not just a matter of orientation and learning. It is a step which is profoundly and horribly difficult. Yet many think it is a given, a natural. What people don’t think about is that it matters ‘what to choose’ and not just to choose! This is the choice within the choice. We live in a work culture where we are pushed to the edge to make a choice and yet the choices we are given may not be the choices that are to be made.

The first Sunday inside of lent invites us into the world of Jesus in which being clean outside was as important or more important as being clean inside. Luke 5:12-16 gives the story of the leper who bows down before Jesus begging to be made clean. Jesus in turn is put in the predicament of bowing to societal pressure to clean on the outside. In the pressure situation of making a choice, he makes a choice within the choice. Although he could have well made the leper clean with a word, he chooses instead to stretch out his hand and touch the leper and say, “I do choose. Be made clean.” What is the difference, one may ask? Touch, touch.

Even today society has failed to engage with our scripture. In our rush to attain holiness we observe lent and pray, saying the magical words, but forget to observe the choice of making the magical touch. We abstain and think of what we should not, rather than getting involved and asking what we can? Lent could well be the time to reach out and touch rather than recoil into our shell.

We are a culture obsessed with celebrities. We crowd around film stars and even try to touch them. What is it that we hope for in the process? Are we going to be transformed in any way or is it just curiosity of what someone may feel like? Maybe we have made touch a weapon to touch when and where it is unwarranted and have conveniently forgotten our mandate to reach out and touch. Kerala has made touch an art through ayurveda with people flocking to the state for a divine massage. As Keralites fall head over heals to touch celebrities and guests the state is peppered with those who have even forgotten what it feels like to be touched (in the real sense of the word). God, it is so difficult to choose, and to choose right.

Being beautiful during lent

The picture of what is beautiful is a constructed one. Culture passes us through the rites of purification and injects the botox of beauty into the skins of our recognition. So we tick off one as beautiful and the other as ordinary and even ugly. Our obsession with outward beauty totally erases the importance of inward beauty.

As more and more people in the church find it difficult to observe lent (due to many reasons), new strategies are used by many to lure people into it. One such strategy is that observing lent is healthy and good for the body. This is true but whether this is why lent should be observed is a question which remains to be answered. Isn’t lent supposed to be a voluntary initiation into piety, humility and goodness to the other? Or is it a way to fight obesity and fat?

When we look around, we get the feeling of a slimmer and fitter world. Everything is getting slimmer and to get into the new cars we need to be slimmer as well. To avoid wasting fuel, there seems to be a call to be fighting fit and slim! So much that even airlines are thinking of charging double the amount to passengers who can’t fit into their small seats. The problem here is not just that a particular passenger is fat but also that the airline will have the trimmest seats so that they slim fit people into their scheme of things.

But obesity is a problem in India and in other parts of the world. So much that it causes diseases and makes the lives of people difficult. But what if we could get our children to play in parks (which is also hard to find these days!), instead of shoving popcorn into their hands and making them watch T.V.?, what if they could get a much normal diet in moderation rather than feeding them to the brim and then worrying about how they look?, what if we could make children comfortable with how they are rather than pressurising them to attain a size zero?

This social pressure gets the young and the old to the operation table, injecting stuff onto the skin to look young and staying away from food to attain that elusive perfect size. This being the case it would be wrong to associate lent with attaining a perfect body. Rather it is an effort to cleanse one’s inside, one’s soul (if I may say that).

One should get the priorities right before observing lent. Lent is not a time when we just cut our weight, lent is not a time to slim fit into a business plan, lent is not just a time to look good and healthy outside. Rather lent is a time to accept everyone as they are, lent is a time when we stop judging, lent is an opportunity to feel beautiful inside and make others feel the same way, lent is a time to be natural, normal and moderate.

Will you be my Valentine this lent?

Yesterday in church I preached about preparing for the great lent. But I also preached on Valentine’s day. Obviously one would immediately resent any relation between the two. I would agree that Valentine’s as it is celebrated now does not have much in common with lent. But before we come to an obvious conclusion, let us look at both separately.

The great lent in the Jacobite Syrian Orthodox church starts after the Sunday worship, with the wedding at Cana as the gospel reading. The lent actual starts after the evening prayer on the same day. We are initiated into the great lent with thoughts from the wedding at Cana, where Jesus turns water into wine to save the wedding attended by his mother Mary and his disciples. The act of Jesus suggests love, trust, mystery and satisfaction. The love for his mother and the love for the people makes Jesus intervene, although he himself says it is not yet his time. His mother Mary despite his disinterest maintains a deep and profound trust in him when she tells the helpers at the wedding to do as he says. What happens then is a total mystery, just as worship or qurbana is a mystery. The ordinary water turns into wine. How this happens is beyond us. Finally the chief steward tastes it and declares that it is so good. He goes on to say that usually the best is given at the beginning but in this case the best is saved for the last. The satisfaction is for those who have waited till the end!

Valentine’s day is a celebration in itself and is especially popular with young people. But the myth or even history about Valentine is quite different from what we see now. Sifting among the various stories, one which is believable is one in which the priest Valentine went against the emperor’s edict that young men should not marry because he wanted them to be in his army. The priest goes against this and encourages couples to get married. Truly by this account, it is a call to a life long commitment!

Valentine’s day now has become some kind of a pressure for girls and boys, men and women. The pressure of going out with someone and being a part of a cultural performance. But I wonder whether this is how it is meant to be. The church is helping to make people understand that love is a more permanent feature and not just some one off thing once a year. This is also why we can connect Valentine’s day and the great lent.

Of course this is not an attempt to impose something on to the younger generation. What they want to do is obviously their own decision. The church or priests like me cannot judge them based on this. But what we can do is to offer our interpretation of Valentine’s day. And at the end of it all, it won’t just be a one sided version of love and love between young couples only, but a more comprehensive definition of love and how this concept can help us. We can use the concept of Valentine’s day to understand, profess and spread love to not just young couples, but to all kinds of people, groups and dispensations. The love which is compassionate, involves trust, is a mystery and gives satisfaction for those who wait patiently.

Is my church a public monument?

Where does one learn the unforgettable lesson of sharing one’s resources with others? In one’s house…no. My first lessons of sharing what I have with others were learnt from my church. The countless sermons from esteemed and learned priests, the worship, the bits and pieces of advice I got from elderly people. Having been exposed to what good the church can offer, I realised that this is only one part of the church. As I grew up I realised that the church is as exclusive as it is inclusive. Small wonder that every church has its own people from a preferred setting coming together every week. Anyone outside this setting is not usually welcome wholeheartedly, although we say that everyone is welcome.

Different denominations follow different norms of profiling society and setting into a pattern wherein rich, poor, dalit, syrian, nadar, women and men comprise of the body check that people are forced to undergo before entering the holy sphere of the church. More than the number of people inside the church, I would say the church should actually be concerned about the number of people outside the church!

In Kerala the trend is to showcase our money and power by building huge churches which cost crores of rupees and are built over centuries of unclaimed history and life of the poor of the land. On the one hand, I cannot possibly out rightly condemn this because the church is the collective expression of a group of people. But on the other hand, many of these huge churches are not used to their optimum level and therefore only become the collective expression of a few rather than all. My own denomination has also gone through the experience of having churches closed down because of the rift between two groups within the Orthodox line of thought in India. Both groups lay claim to the churches and therefore the court finally has no other option but to close down the churches completely.

The concept of sharing that I have developed in my mind takes a beating time and again because I see and experience the reverse of that happening in front of my eyes. Is it totally irrelevant to discuss the idea of sharing church spaces among all denominations? This gives significant importance to the church as a place of all and brings people together instead of separating them. Kerala faces a similar pattern with regard to houses. Everyone wants to build a separate house surrounded by a boundary wall to protect it. We build our own private spaces and this has an adverse impact on the environment as well, as waterways and low lying areas are filled with the mud from mountainous regions and sand is smuggled from rivers to contribute to the ever increasing scale of construction in the state.

In effect the church also contributes to the destruction of our state and after constructing beaming towers we will all get together to discuss the degradation of the environment and our state. I don’t know if I can inspire my congregation to understand what real sharing and openness is? It is a practice to take young groups of students to public monuments where all kind of people get together. There we don’t ask people about their religion, caste or other preferences. We have a sense of pride that the monument belongs to all and that all of us have to take care of it. Can’t churches become public monuments? A place for all to congregate, relax and reflect?

Am I an Indian?

India has crossed sixty years of being declared a republic and it is an achievement which is laudable. Higher foreign exchange reserves, a relaxed economic policy which encourages foreign direct investment, several rockets deposited into space, an indigenous fighter plane, BPO’s (Business process outsourcing), mobile phone density, broadband and more infrastructure. The list can be broadened depending on one’s interests.

The development of our republic has also meant that we have meddled with the political spheres of our neighbouring countries. These have been active involvements like the Indian Peace Keeping Force going to Sri Lanka in the 1980’s and more subtle under the table interferences with other countries around us. With each year leading into our sixty we have come far away from what got us our independence: non-violence. Today we are judging ourselves with the potency of our violent nature and our arm twisting tactics.

All of us get goose bumps when we sing the Indian national anthem standing in attention under the tricolour flag with all respect and patriotism. But after the anthem the burden of our actions also catch up pretty soon. Half of our population is impoverished and hungry but we choose to increase our defence expenditure citing perceived threats in our immediate and distant background. Violence is coming out in various forms in our villages and cities, and women, children and the poor find themselves at the mercy of others. Yet we have taken a decision to guard our borders rather than guard against our own narrow mindedness!

I can be challenged on the front that India will soon be a super power and we need to flex our muscles and show the world just that. But does being a leader of the sub continent mean bombing and destroying the most or trying to save as many lives as possible? Do we deserve to celebrate the formation of our republic when we have come far, far away from the values with which it was formed? Will I be deemed a traitor if I question my own country? I guess we are reaching there although we already did have a short term experiment of it during the emergency in 1975.

Skimming through the list of chief guests http://www.icbse.org/2010/01/list-of-chief-guests-to-india-from-1990.html for the republic day function over the years, one country is evidently missing- Pakistan. Even though they are our direct neighbour and we share many things in common, they are kept at a distance when it comes to matters that count in our country. A small token of this was the IPL snub http://www.business-standard.com/india/news/ipl-snub-pinches-pak-cricketers-hard/383490/ that the Pakistani cricketers got. Picture this: How would we feel if we had a neighbour who is doing reasonably well, who ignores us, snubs us, humiliates us, thinks we are dumb, and threatens us with their guns and missiles? Every inch of our self respect would make us fight this neighbour. I guess this is what is happening with Pakistan and India. Our actions have led to conflict in the region rather than peace being brokered.

The Jang group and Times of India initiative ‘Aman ki asha’ (destination peace) http://www1.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/amankiasharticleshow/msid-5454035,prtpage-1.cms is an initiative which is trying to express the voices from Pakistan and India. These voices agree with each other on the existing tensions but see the scope for better relations as well.

The initiative should be from the Indian side. If we consider ourselves bigger, we should do what leaders are supposed to do. We have to allow Pakistan to express herself rather than trying to crush any such move. We should stop dictating and start respecting our neighbour and develop trust. This republic day, many will ask- are you an Indian? If I can come to terms with my neighbours and allow them to live just as I hope to, I can then say with a sincere heart- yes I am.

I refuse to speak

Maharashtra has done it again. After the Shiv Sena and MNS arm twisting of the state, the Congress government has joined the queue quoting a motor vehicle law which it seems was always in existence. Cab drivers henceforth will only get a license to ply their vehicles if they know to speak Marathi, the local language. The Congress has done some back peddling after some fire spitting by the English language media. But this issue is far from over.

It’s not only a question of Maharashtra. Other states in India also bring up this issue whenever it suits them. Speaking in defence of the recent order, it is no problem when a government says that there is one language which exists and this is the primary language of the land. It can also be said that nothing stops a government in taking steps of encouraging the use of a particular language. Steps which do not use force or compulsion.

On the other hand can anyone be forced to speak anything at all? As it is the constitutional right of all to speak, so is it the right of everyone in India not to speak. This is the right to refuse. As all the speakers debate on which language to use, we should spare a thought for those who cannot speak at all. These are those who cannot speak because of a physical disability or those who cannot speak because they are never given an opportunity or space to speak. And here we are talking about which language to speak!

Can we give a state specific language for those who cannot express themselves in words. What language is sign language? Who are those who cannot speak? If we go along with the present scheme of things, they would qualify as the stateless people. Should they then also be denied jobs because they can’t speak? Every single human expression and non-expression qualifies as a language. This cannot be taken over by any government or law. It is the natural expression of any human being.

New year and the power of no

We are still very much in the fervour and flavour of the new year 2010 and it makes pure sense to gung-ho with the things which need to be discussed however weird they may seem to the naked eye. In 2010 technology in all its variants will be blamed again for causing disruption in the lives of people and ruining families. Lives will be lived online and though it wont lead to empty streets, people will complain about the lack of time and the feeble existence of life. We wont have time to meet each other and even keep in touch with our inner selves.

We love a punching bag, don’t we? And in this case it is new media technology. We will know what our friends and family on facebook, orkut and twitter are doing but we wont know what people in our house are doing! True to an extent but who is to blame? I wonder whether in 2010 we will be punching into thin air because the punching bag wont be there to take our punches?

As a priest, it is important to come to terms with life in all its fullness, technology included. Can I preach from the pulpit that my congregation is aloof from me because of something I cant control? Or should I look to myself to see what is happening today? A priest/bishop in Kerala (and I have come to understand that this happens in all denominations) is under severe time pressure. We have to perform according to the needs and expectations of people. We have to attend umpteen programs in a single day and it doesn’t matter whether we actually even know what we are doing by the time we are half through. The physical and mental exhaustion is put aside and we perform the great Indian rope trick, of course in the absence of a rope. After the offline world we have to enter the online world and perform again.

Several priests and bishops I have talked to agree to a common thing. There is nothing they can do about it. Its out of our hands! But maybe that is again only one part of the problem. The other is the fear and inability to say no. Even if we end up being late for programs and hold up weddings, we wont just say no. The only time a no would surface is when I am saying this. No, many would protest. We cant say no!

Ian Fleming came out with his novel Dr. No in 1958 and later it was made into the first James Bond movie in 1962, starring Sean Connery. The villain Dr. No could have got his name because he rejects something and he is to be rejected by the audience as well. No is more of a rejection of yes and therefore something negative and not positive.

This routine continues even now. Obviously priests/bishops and anyone for that matter would not like to be associated with a character like Dr. No and with the no negativism. The problem then lies not in inventions and new forms of communication but in the inherent human behaviour to appear nice and good. But appearing nice/good need not lead to doing something nice/good eventually. 2010 will also bear the weight of the expectations of people mutually on saying yes, with those who will be bold enough to say no being ostracized and decorated with the not too well meaning 'Dr. No'. Poor Dr. No!

Knowing who you are.

The beginning of a year also poses the difficult question of what to start writing on. For obvious reasons, the beginning of the year post will be scrutinized. Many will start with resolutions and promises and what they see are the challenges for the new year. For me, the new year is as much important as the years that have passed by. The years which have presented me with rich experiences through various people and channels. Thus the new year and the years gone by present me with the challenge of knowing “who I am.”

I can blurt out a volley of resolutions, some of which I might do, some which I will repeat the next year and others which will always be inscribed in the hall of fame of resolutions. I hate resolutions anyway, so I won’t go the common path but will take a deviation down a dusty path which is not even on my map. Call it a rush of adrenalin, insanity, a sense of adventure. But maybe I don’t want to take the neat looking road of certainty but would want to toy with a bit of uncertainty.

Knowing who we are and what we want to do are supposed to go hand in hand. But there are several of us who end up doing (working) what we don’t like. Circumstances and the need of the hour are responsible for this as several of us do not have the luxury of doing what we like to do. We do try hard to convince ourselves that we have figured out things for ourselves and we know what is good. But the new year is also a time when we could be hit by a bolt of realisation that maybe we haven’t hit the bulls eye, atleast not yet.

I wanted to be a pilot (like most kids) when I was young. My neighbour friends even called me for games where we would play being in an aeroplane and played roles to fit the scene. As soon as I had to see a doctor, my thoughts shifted to being one myself. That didn’t last long as I dreamt of being a taxi driver, a mechanic, an IAS officer, a police man, a teacher, a mime artist, an actor and what not. Every week or month was a different phase of life, when the dream and need for achievement would be re examined and re fixed. This avatar could not be placed in one bracket.

Coming through all this I still don’t know who I am. I know what people call me. I am an achen or priest in Kerala and am expected to fulfil some roles which someone has fixed. After all the role plays of young I am again put into a role play which I am expected to perform. Any deviance from the original plot is not always seen as a stroke of genius, but misbehaviour and disobedience. But I guess the job that I have is also a mix of all the role plays I did when I was young. It’s a mixture of euphoria, excitement and disappointment in varying degrees.

This new year there are no resolutions. This new year 2010 is about learning who I am, over and over again. It’s a time of stepping into the shoes of various people, in various roles and understanding what the role is about. It’s the time when I will have to say ‘cut’ if I am not doing justice to my role. It’s a year to listen and learn from other people so that I find myself out from the billions of others around me. Happy 2010.

I’m lovin’ it!!!

Mcdonalds has already managed to swamp India with the I’m lovin’ it slogan. Good one to place the emphasis on what they claim to be finger licking, smacking good treats of fast food. Depending on which side of the fence one is, one will end up (loving) liking it or not loving (not liking) it. But our positive perceptions about ourselves obviously only offer the option to like and not dislike. Life on the fast lane is indeed finger fast, be it licking one’s finger or banging the laptop with one’s fingers. We seem to have the time only for finger specific decisions.

India is always in the limelight of controversy. The scope and characters are decided by the mainline media and we follow it with baited breath, only to forget it when the media drops the story for lack of interest and TRP (Television rating point). Protest and comments have to fulfil the time deadlines as otherwise they lack the punch they have to deliver.

On the other hand civil society in the form of non-governmental organizations and special interests groups fighting injustice and mismanagement encourage us to raise our voices against the wrong that we see and experience. But in a society which is being converted into a finger society (be it forefinger or middle finger), do we actually have the space to bring out our true views and feelings?

Take the case of a social networking site like facebook. For every note that someone posts we are given the option to comment or ‘like.’ The finger somehow goes for the like option than for the comment option. There could be aspects of the note that we differ on or would like to provide additional information, but we rather choose to do the easy thing. The mcdonalds I’m lovin’ it gets converted into the I’m likin’ it.

The bone of contention would be that we have time for two options only. To love and not love, to like and not like. Anything in between, anything which could mean a bit more time and effort is put on hold and left there. This is the noose of democracy which hangs menacingly over us. We feel we have the freedom to do everything, but do we really? We think it is ‘time’ that makes us finger specific individuals, but is it? We imagine that we can turn around anything and make it conducive to our needs, but can we?

Being complete for Christmas???

Kripayal jaatha- guhayilamarnone
Pazhthuniyal-le potheyapettone deva… daya cheythedeeneme

(Verses from the sung liturgy for Christmas in the Syrian Orthodox church; A lose translation would be ‘the one born in the cave, the one wrapped in bands of cloth/ in tatters/ waste cloth, have mercy on us.’)

The pressure to do well, especially in the midst of a recession hit economy is supposed to bring out the best in every individual. So much that we are asked to become close to perfect and in essence complete women and men. The work more, earn more and spend more connection works perfectly in an economy which seeks to drive growth.

The Raymond suiting advertisement picks the concept of completeness and uses it to its advantage with the slogan “Raymond, the complete man.” Men are of course shown what will make the difference for them. A fabric which can turn around things for the better. The complete fabric, with the smooth touch, leading our fingers over it and making us feel something special.

The concept of completeness is also present in various religions and Christianity as well. So much that festival after festival is one which brings out this concept of richness, completeness, fullness and happiness. Christmas being an important date in the calendar of Christians is also on the top of celebrations by the Christian community around the world. In Kerala we compete with each other to decorate our houses and churches, burn fire crackers worth a lot of money and even contribute to the government exchequer by saying cheers.

Obviously one cannot prevent people from expressing their joy at the commemoration of the birth of their saviour. But our saviour Jesus Christ does not fit the description of our celebration. The child was wrapped in waste cloth and born homeless. And yet in this incompleteness is born a saviour unto his people. Who then are we celebrating? Ourselves?, our money and fame?, our happiness caused by the bitterness experienced by the unseen and unheard? The dichotomy is placed between the suit and the waste cloth, the palace and the cave (manger), the rulers and the shepherds. Oh one wrapped in waste cloth, have mercy on us!

D for idiocracy

A bill to make voting compulsory? Modi has outdone himself in the quest of bringing draconian laws onto an unsuspecting and susceptible public. Along with the countless oppositions, there are also voices of support, a prominent one being Lalu Prasad Yadav, who introduced the 'efficient' cattle class concept in the Indian Railways with an additional side berth which he said would bring in additional revenue, even if the people could barely fit in to the berth! But can anything be compulsory in a democracy? Yes, safeguarding of the public, based on existing laws and the good will of the people can be termed as something which is compulsory in a democracy. But in a state like Gujarat ruled by an autocrat like its chief minister Narendra Modi, who literally got away with the murder of hundreds of people in his state, the wind is blowing in the wrong direction again.

So, what could be the reason behind such a law, if it were to be passed and accepted across the board? The reason given is that this could lead to the restoring of a dead electoral system in which voting has come down drastically over the last many years. Urban areas have out done rural areas in showing disinterest and lack of motivation to get out of their houses and cast their votes. There have been discussions earlier on what could be done to reverse the trend and how to make the voter come to the polling booth and cast her/his vote. But should this be the way of getting the voter interested in politics or should we explore other ways?

Being a priest I can’t help but thinking of how religions and churches especially take and use the reality of democracy in their own settings. Dictats are given out to church members that they will be punished if they err from the official line and that they have to follow the rules laid down by the various churches down to the last letter (It is another matter whether anyone actually follows anything when it comes to rules in the church??!!). This in churches which are supposed to be public platforms where people can come to and express their hurt and dissent!

Dissent and protest in society is not a sign that things are going to come to an end and therefore the leadership has to crack the whip to prevent things from going out of hand. Dissent and protest rather are the legitimate rights of people who are otherwise not given a chance to express themselves. Jesus by being born in a manger and not a palace becomes part of this dissent and protest and this act is supported by the shepherds and the wise men. By making church attendance compulsory we take away the legitimate right of people to say they disagree. By making voting compulsory we again take away the legitimate right of people to protest against the system of politics and against the candidates who set themselves up. Just as raising ones voice is protest, staying quiet and not doing something is also protest.

Modi is working against this right of the people. He is stifling protest and taking away what little remains for the religious minorities in Gujarat. If he or any other politician is interested in increasing public participation during elections, then there are other ways to do it, starting from conscientization of people to the freedom of people to enter and be part of the electoral process. A leader is one who has to read the sentiments of her/his people, not someone who imposes sentiments onto them. This bill, if ever to be taken seriously has to be discussed, debated and left to the people of this country to decide on. Modi represents only one such group of people and not the people of Gujarat and the people of India!

The Goan mismatch

The recent speech in the Rajya Sabha by a Congress party member of parliament from Goa, Shantaram Naik, on the rape and murder of a British teenager and the more recent rape of a Russian woman has indeed thrown up a few questions on the intention of the Congress government when it comes to the rights of women. The promise of the president of India on the commitment of the UPA government to bring in reservation for women in parliament within 100 days of the government is lying undisturbed in some remote cupboard in some god forsaken place. But the great explanation by the Congress MP from Goa on the nuances of rape has rubbed salt on the wounds which have been unattended to all this while.

What the honourable member has conveniently forgotten is the many hidden manifestations of rape which never come to light. In his ignorance he has sought to lead this country and its people through the path of retarded growth. All he could bring up in the valuable time allotted in parliament was what could be classified as rape and what could be classified as bringing upon rape due to the behaviour of a woman.

What then would be the undressing of a woman by a man in his mind and having thoughts of committing an act of violence against her? The bible says that if one does this, one has already committed what can be termed a sin. Yet the minister brings the flimsiest of arguments to suggest that women should be careful and not do things that will make men rape them! It is confusing that such leaders choose to disappear when acts of rape and violence are committed by men against women during riots, communal violence and war. In what way did the women lead the men into raping them at these times?

It is time for the Congress to get its act together. This incident has shown that nothing much changes even if a country has a woman president, a woman speaker in parliament and a woman party leader. A member of the same party chooses none less than the parliament to voice views which betray his own take on the subject. The pain is not because of what he said but because the Congress party refuses to take responsibility or action against the concerned person.

The Congress MP has given an image of how women are seen in India.
1. They are commodities owned by men. 2. They do not have a say in their own affairs. 3. Women can be classified as Goddesses on the one hand and sluts on the other. Sluts deserve the treatment they receive from the men of this country. 4. Women from other countries are treated even worse. They are seen as free minds who want to have sex with any man they see on the road. If they protest, they are labeled as drug addicts, loose characters, and maniacs. 5. Women are sluts and men who have a go at any woman are machos and what they do is essentially good. 6. Women have to safeguard the name of the family while men can go out and have a good time.

The troubles and challenges we face are not in Pakistan or China or in Europe. The challenges lie right here, in our minds!