Santhosh's ramblings

Morning visit to the care program for people infected and affected by HIV, and other individuals from marginalized communities, was soul-uplifting, as it usually is. Listening to the women who were being empowered through a tailoring project was both challenging and encouraging. It was challenging to hear the struggles faced by some of these HIV-positive and other marginalized women. However, it was encouraging to see how the team had thought reflectively about what could make a difference in the lives of these women who had no other options. All of this was motivated by love for these people. Still, there was a worry looming in the background - with the changing context of our nation, would this demonstration of love and compassion continue into the future? After all, the program was founded by a faith-based organization. The team was troubled by the potential reactive responses from those in power in our nation - could it hamper the support to these lives? (Those who want the product...

The quotes and content in this article has been taken from the first section of the book “When None Sees” Copyright © 1992, 2000 by The Trinity Forum   Recently, in a meeting of friends (baby boomers, to be precise), an ongoing discussion revolved around the loss of character in political circles. As a generation raised during an era of character-driven political discourses, we feel a responsibility to act. I don't hear the younger generation discussing these matters much. Yet, I recall when I was young, looking down on my parents' generation, hearing them lament about how good things were in their time. And now, it seems, it's our turn to do the same.   However, reading the book mentioned above reminded me that such discussions have persisted throughout history. If a Roman emperor from the AD 160s could write, "Waste no more time arguing what a good man should be. Be one," perhaps baby boomers or elders would have been discussing the same matters back then. A sob...

Am I a web-aholic? See below some data from a global cohort.  The modified CAGE questionnaire ( https://americanaddictioncenters.org/alcoholism-treatment/cage-questionnaire-assessment ) C – Cutting Down A – Annoyance by Criticism G – Guilty Feeling E – Eye-openers Has time on gadgets become so accepted that this does not bother others? Watch out this space for more dis-aggregated data - are Baby boomers more addicted than Gen Z? 

It was early 70s. A batch of young boys grew up together over 6 years. A complex group of young boys who soon are together to be young men. People from various religion, life backgrounds, thought processes and desires and plan. Differences aside we grew together agreeing to disagree but agreeably. Moving away from each other in 1976, to pursue their dreams for life. The batch of 76.  47 years down the line, the batch still the remains the batch of 76. We have grown in girth and BMIs. More knowledgeable and probably wise too. Many have made it well in life. Some may not feel that about themselves but have contributed much to the society.  We remain the batch of 76, with many differences between us. Some frantically political, some apolitical, some deeply religious, others agnostic, some retired and enjoying retired like others still busy in their business of life. Some need spirits to keep the machines running, others prefer a spiritless life. Some with BP’s (Literally) others ...

In my home state, there is a morning ritual in every house. Open the obituary page and see who has passed on the previous day. This page is specific for each region of the state and updated each day. During my younger days, this covered only half a page. Now it goes over into almost two pages. I am not sure if this is an indication of increasing morality rates since this state has the highest life expectancy or that more people are using these services. A friend reminded me - this whole state is an old age home. I was talking to a 98 year old uncle who is physically and mentally very stable. His only regret is that he can’t read this page due to decreasing eye sight.   This brought a realisation. In such connected communities reminders of death and mortality are always there if you open up news papers.  I was reminded of a book written by L S Dugdale published during covid season on “the lost art of dying”. She talks about how our culture has overly medicalized death and how d...

It was Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, who wrote this is  The Gulag Archipelago 1918–1956 .  “The line separating good and evil passes not through states, nor between classes, nor between political parties either -- but right through every human heart -- and through all human hearts. This line shifts. Inside us, it oscillates with the years. And even within hearts overwhelmed by evil, one small bridgehead of good is retained”  A man who experienced evil at hand of the powers of his nation.  And C S Lewis wrote “We never find out the strength of the evil impulse inside us until we try to fight it…. Elsewhere he wrote - “Good and evil both increase at compound interest. That is why the little decisions you and I make every day are of such infinite importance. The smallest good act today is the capture of a strategic point from which, a few months later, you may be able to go on to victories you never dreamed of. An apparently trivial indulgence in lust or anger today is the lo...

IDPs (Internally Displaced People) - a technical term to give some “respect” to displaced people. Such technical terms give some legitimacy to the common man for ignoring these numbers. Intentionally or by ignorance. Things that are too technical are not worth spending too much of time thinking about.    But if you really look at these IDPs, a large percentage of these are “Intentionally Displaced People” by the powers that be for larger agenda’s which we will never come to know in our generation. History and media being in the hands of the powers that be, we in our generation might only hear what the powers want us to hear. The truth might never reach our ears.   If you talk to some of these displaced people, internally or intentionally, whatever way you want to see it, they are “homeless”. But we would never include them in homeless because that will skew our data and statistics!    Humanity and leadership have developed ways of technicalizing these terms and ...