Santhosh's ramblings

I came across these stories when I was traveling in some of our project locations in North Bihar recently. P was a young teenage girl growing up in one of the MD tola of a North Bihar village. She, like any girl of her age had her aspirations of a life with her “ideal man” and spent time dreaming about the same. But little did she realize that life would turn out different for her soon. A man in his mid-thirties introduced to parents by her chacha, was proposed for marriage to her, which was agreed upon for a bride price of 50,000/-. She had not much choice in the matter. Money was the deciding factor. What they were getting was more than what some others had received. And this was not unusual, others from their village had gone through these kinds of alliances earlier. The man was from nearby state of UP, and the chacha was close to the village Pradhan from a higher caste, (AC) who had connections with Netas. Chacha was respected as one of the few from their caste who had studied...

Sitting through a lessons learnt workshop of EHA HIV AIDS Project (Project Orchid) it was heartening to know that their involvement has led to empowering many marginalized communities. How does a Christian Community involvement – the ideal - should look like? Our role as individuals and organizations would be to facilitate people to “ come together ” or “ community building ” in communities. Most of the communities though there are various groups, there is no actual feeling of togetherness or community. This building of relationships and community creation has to be an on-going work and process till communities become “ caring ” and “ compassionate ” with each other. This happens only through on going “ capacity building ” both for coming together and taking up specific issues of concern as they identify. As we interact with communities, we need to cover “critical mass ” and key groups who need to be catered to. The coverage has to be such that, key indicators of health and or de...

Am I a shareholder in my father’s house? Like the younger son, who felt he was a shareholder and was restless till he got his share, am I not also restless? The restlessness did not end with receiving his part of the inheritance. With inner restlessness he kept running. Till he ran out of energy to run. He was a rightful shareholder, and was potentially right in wanting his shares. But issue was his not what he wanted but what he was struggling with. His relationship with his father as a shareholder instead of being a son. Am I like a slave in my father’s house? Like the elder one who was also restless. He was restless, not because he wanted his rights, but he was full of strong feeling of resentment. Resentment emerging out of a deeper inner issue of identity again. He saw himself as a slave in his father’s house. And when there was a party going on in his father’s house, his true inner identify came out. He was good at masking his true identity with busy work and involvement in ...

Brain Drain is - brains drained out of the context where brain is required to retain “value drain”; “compassion drain”; “credibility drain”; and “perseverance drain”. This is a physical movement out of the context where these brains are required and there is a need for facilitating retention.   Brain Drain happens out a “philosophical drain” a “Mission drain”. A drain of purpose, the purpose of why we are in health care, or why we have been given the privilege of being in health care. This is an intellectual movement – a movement from one way of thinking to another way of thinking. Why does “Mission Drain” occur? Because there is a “vision drain”. Loss of big picture, loss of the grand narrative the “Big Brain” behind the small brains we have or the micro brains we have. That loss of the inner spiritual perspective is what leads to external intellectual and physical brain drains. Why does this Brian Drain happen? Due to lack of a brains which are role models. This lack...

“Men of Issachar were 200 men who understood the times and knew what they should be doing” – they lived in the early years of the Nation of Israel.   The post independence era of India, produced many such  “Men of Issachar's”. The need to respond to the various challenges facing the new born nation, or nation in its childhood and adolescence, institutions, organizations and movements were created, to provide compassionate care, holistic education and people building,  and to take forward the “Great Commission” and “Great Commandment”. Creating “new wine” and “new wineskins” of institutions and movements, these men mobilized people around these “dreams” they dreamt.   Today, we reap the results of these men. The organization I am part of, the church I attend, the school my children went to are few examples, from our own family life. Look around, you will see many such examples.   50 to 60 years have passed. The context has changed. What was one count...

Catching up… I read this in a blog - “The speaker at one of our Women’s conferences told the story about an American on safari. He had the natives marching almost day and night to reach his hunting destination in the African bush. On the fourth morning, the Bushmen refused to move. Instead, they relaxed in the shade of a tree and stayed there long into the morning. The American hunter was incredulous and exasperated. He grew angrier as the minutes ticked by on his watch, and he finally exploded. "This is an absolute waste of my valuable time. Can someone tell me what's going on here?" The translator looked at him with surprise and replied, "Well, they are just waiting for their soul to catch up with their body.” Another blog – “was telling me the story of an Australian Aborigine who, after his first ever car trip, felt the need to sit down on the ground.  When asked why, he said “I am waiting for my soul to catch up.” Human kind, much before technology and mod...

Before I get new spectacles, I thought I might go through my collection of what I already have. I have one of “ Rational and Logical thinking ”. This is what I use on a regular basis. Like Pilate, who had to use his trained mind to decide whether to let Jesus go free or arrest him, based on what His logic told him, I need this spectacles on a regular basis. Though some times like Pilate’s wife, my wife and others might ask me to take away this spectacles, I often do not, because this is the one I am comfortable with most. … This also has an additional glasses I can put on and take out. The add-ons of “ Governance, management and policies” – the things which I am expected to be custodian of. What I am paid for….Pilate also had the same issue – he had to be the protector of the Empire’s interests…I have my own empires to protect…. Then there is one which I seldom use (Or I think I seldom use) – spectacles of preserving my position, power and roles , which I think is God giv...