SOCIAL

BUILDING YOUTH AS THE BEST

The diocese of Poona declared ‘Holy Cross Youth’ Dapodi Parish as ‘The Best Youth of the Year’ that surprised me the most in this academic year. I, with all my heart, am happy to be the animator of the youth. It is learning and leading experience to work and to walk with the youth.

          It was said: Youth is not useless, but used less. It is partially true for some extent in many circumstances.  Yet, my youth have broken the saying and traced a new era to be the best in the diocese. Youth are industrious, multi-talented, committed, innovative, adventurous, humorous, charismatic, dynamic, lively, courageous, enthusiastic, expressive, open-minded, playful, powerful, ambitious and friendly. The Holy Cross Youth used their gifts and talents constructively to bring glory to God. My youth, with help of the parish priest and the faithful, organized many events that make the entire Parish proud. The events are as follow: football tournament, material help to the flood affected Kerala, Vianney Sunday, parent’s day, children’s day, flower stall, world youth day, crib competition etc… The diocese recognized the marvelous work of our youth and awarded, on 17 February, 2019, as ‘The Best Youth of the Diocese’ on the occasion of The Diocesan Youth Day.

I continue to encourage the youth by a quote from the ‘sound of the music’: Climb every mountain, search high and low. Follow every byway, every path you know. Climb every mountain, ford every stream. Follow every rainbow, till you find your dream. A dream that will need all the love you can give every day of your life for as long as you live.

WRITTEN ON 17 FEBRUARY, 2019 FOR SSS INDIA AND WAS PUBLISHED

 FLOOD RELIEF WORK IN KERALA

            Indeed, I am glad to be a volunteer for the Flood Relief Work in Kerala. I, along with the other volunteers, worked in the surroundings of Panamaram, Wayanad district, Kerala. With its mist clad peaks, pristine forests and coffee plantations, Wayanad always had an amazing beauty everywhere. Many hills, which defined the district, have been left scarred  after being hit by 242 geological events including landslides and land subsidence disfiguring slopes and making large tracts of land unstable.

        I had seen the tears of the affected people from the deep of their being. The damage has left deep scars in the minds of the people who survived the nature's fury and many now fear to live there. What is most worrying is the large number of land subsidence or sinking or settling of land due to loss of sub-surface support, which destroyed homes and caused long cracks on hill slopes. Roads have been swept away at many places and trees uprooted causing widespread damage to property and crops. People were scattered everywhere.

          In the midst of suffering, people believed in God still. One the other hand, a few people questioned the existence of God . . . Why this disaster for us? what wrong we have done? and where is God?People had nothing, neither food nor money, to fill their stomachs. It was the first duty to distribute basic necessary things to the affected people. We proceeded cleaning the affected homes and public places.  They needed the temporary homes as they lost their homes completely. With all the abilities and efforts, we had put up temporary huts for them. One of the days, while doing the relief work, A. R. AJAY KUMAR IAS, the district collector of Wayanad, visited the surroundings of Panamaram and witnessed the work we initiated. He, sincerely, appreciated the good work we were doing for those people. Literally, people were in tears for the genuine love that we had showed them.

             “Serve the LORD with gladness” (Psalm 100:2) says the Psalmist. I found joy in the service to our fellow brethren.  I had seen Jesus in the affected people. I deeply felt that I had served Jesus.

 THIS IS WRITTEN FOR THE SSS INDIA AND WAS PUBLISHED IN NOVEMBER, 2018. 

 

 AWAITING JOURNEY FOR OUR NATION 

Journey is an act of travelling from one place to another with a purpose. Awaiting journey is that we long for many days, years and decades to see something anew in our nation. Let us look forward, put hands together and walk hand in hand, to bring that day alive. Let us all work for a day . . .

A day of dignity for all

A day of equality for all

A day of security for all

A day of serenity for all

     A citizen with simplicity

     A citizen with humility

     A citizen with sincerity

     A citizen with fraternity

A leader with love

A leader with vision

A leader with service

A leader with action

     A nation of betterment

     A nation of commitment

     A nation of encouragement

     A nation of contentment

THIS WAS WRITTEN FOR J D V TIMES AND PUBLISHED IN THE MONTH OF FEBRUARY, 2016