A humble plea to the Orthodox Leadership.

The rift between the Malankara Orthodox Church and the Syrian Orthodox Church (Jacobites) in Kerala and elsewhere in the world is getting murkier and murkier after each passing day. Even though the Supreme Court ruled in favour of the 1934 constitution, hoping that the priests would find a permanent, peaceful solution, acceptable to both parties, not in favour of any church, the Malankara Orthodox Church takes it as their victory. Before God is there victory or defeat ??

None of the Malankara Orthodox church leaders has come forward to issue a detailed statement of the stand of the church in this rift other than stating that the verdict of the SC has to be followed. But is the Orthodox church following it in the right spirit that was desired by the Supreme Court, taking the other side also into confidence and working to bring permanent peace, not eternal rivalry and further split. Has the Orthodox church taken the initiative to offer peaceful negotiations and discussions with an aim to solve the rift, not to prolong it.

Justice Benjamin Koshy (retd.) has this observation to ensure peace. It reflects probably the thinking of the silent majority from both sides...instead of going on talking about the past, let’s think about present and future.... 👇👇

Quote:
As soon as July 3 judgement came I have stated in many forums that by discussion we can implement the judgement  and that will be more easy and speedy than execution of judgement by force.   Implementation of judgement by discussion bring permanent peace. Since now all unclear points in earlier judgement were clarified  there is no scope for further dispute. But if we execute the judgement a small group may break away and they may establish churches nearby and it will be a permanent head ache and it will continue for generations to come. When I say discussion, it is not for giving more powers to patriarch or for diluting 1934 constitution or Spreme court judgement but for speedy implementation of judgement in a peaceful manner in a Christian spirit. What to do with the priests and bishops etc can be sorted out in discussion in a mutually agreeable manner. Winning side should invite for discussion   

Majority of our members want peace and unity and not division of the church. By no means we should not take a stand for dividing the church by compelling a group to form another church. We cannot go away from the cannon we produced and marked. Let Holy Spirit lead us to unity and peace in our church   Anti Christian advises cannot be accepted.   Now all political parties, media’s, churches and other religions are against us. If we offered discussion and they want to deviate from judgement, result would have been different. Advocates and certain leaders may want the dispute to be continued, it is for their existence. The other side is doing very criminal activities due to desperation. Barring fanatics and those who are living by this dispute, everyone want settlement without diluting the principles. For discussions government or outside interference is not required. There are mature bishops and leaders on both sides. I request every body to pray for peace and unity in the church.  : unquote

Second posting of Justice Koshy in response to few comments..👇👇

Quote:
Even now we can discuss with out a third party.   Settlement is difficult if there is undue delay & we should not refuse discussions.  I am sure that unity is possible by the grace of our loving God. Believe in His powers. Nothing is impossible for Him. Our attitude only makes the difference. My experience as an advocate for 27 years and experience as Chief Justice for 14 years and 7 years in quasi judicial capacity as chairman of applet tribunal for “prevention of money launderers act and confiscation of property of economic offenders and narcotic act” and human rights commission are evidence.  I am sure that even now settlement is possible with out diluting Supreme Court judgement.
Unquote.

My added explanation to substantiate Justice Koshy's stand. Is worldly justice same as heavenly justice ? Just because it involves land and buildings which were built up or donated by the laity, do the priests have such an over-riding say in the church's materialistic affairs ? Can the materialistic issues of the church be decided by the clergy, who are just keepers of the assets prepared or donated by the laity. One senior intellectual in the society questioned the rights of the clergy to decide the fate of these assets donated by the laity.

How Christ-like it is ? Is this what Christ preached in this world ? During these times, what are the Christian lessons our head priests including Bawa are giving to our growing youngsters ? What are the Christian values these high priests exhibit through their lives than one of senseless and sinful opulence, plenitude, luxury and affluence ? What sacred, devotional, divine lessons do our spiritual leaders convey through their lives to these youngsters ?

Home prayers, spiritual guidance from parents are the only means we can handhold our youngsters. We never discuss the factional rift at home because we know how shameful and disgraceful it is. The Orthodox church and it's overtly materialistic spiritual leadership have failed our youngsters, we should all bow our heads in shame..

Since 3 July 2017, whenever the Jacobites have come for talks and negotiations, we have flatly refused any negotiation at all. 29 months are over we are still busy, slowly annexing the empty concrete structures called churches without any believers,  throwing away all Jesus' principles of love, forgiveness.. In the meantime, the Jacobites have already started negotiations with the Catholics for a possible merger, and starting a group called Jacobite Catholics ..

The general understanding with our people is that our priests and high priests don't practice what they preach of love, understanding, forgiveness etc ... This is the issue our youngsters cannot  understand. How can our priests be such hypocritical ? Double standards, a set of standards for the laity and another set of standards for the clergy..

As of my information, we do not yet have a copy of the original 1934 constitution. If by some bad luck, some aspect of the invisible 1934 constitution is misinterpreted by law and court takes a new stand asking us to give our churches to Puthencruz group, how will it feel like? 

Any intelligent leader would have gone for negotiations with the responsive and malleable Jacobites who were under pressure and ensure a peaceful, respectable and enduring resolution of the case.

Honourable discussions are a must, not just court verdicts, for such issues like faith, belief etc.. Even UN does it in the General Assembly and Security Council, countries do it between ambassadors .. what is our problem  ? Why can't we, being victors, at least call them for a meeting ? Foolish obstinacy 😥

The fact that is often conveniently overlooked is that the forefathers of Jacobites too have helped to build the church as much as ours, when all of us were Thoma Christians for 2000 years. We all share the same ancestry and rich history. anybody knowledgeable of church history of 2000 years would realise how futile and senseless it is to harp on post 20th century when the richness of Indian Orthodoxy is the history of 1900 years ? How can we suddenly, one fine morning, forget our rich common ancestry and dispossess them and throw them out ? Really unfair, isin't it ?

Throwing all virtuous Christian values to the wind, while the doves in the Orthodox church want a peaceful, amicable, non-belligerent, placatory, respectable solution to this issue, the hawks look to humiliate, discredit and smear our Jacobite brethren and want to finish off the rich common shared Orthodox traditions once for all. How unfortunate 😢 ..

Can't we give peace one last chance, not seven or seventy times .. 🙏🙏 We want to stay united, not divided .. Educated, sincere, knowledgeable individuals both from the clergy and laity from both sides need to sit across the table and find a spiritual, God-bearing solution, laced with love, understanding, forgiveness and compassion to this intense crisis that has hit the most ancient Christians of the world ..

I am reminded of this famous quote by the late Russian litterateur, the 1970 Literature Nobel Prize winner, Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn -

“It's an universal law – intolerance is the first sign of an inadequate education. An ill-educated person behaves with arrogant impatience, whereas truly profound education breeds humility.” 

The Malankara Orthodo Church has educated leaders but presently it is in the hands of certain ill-educated, short sighted leaders who are keen on taking it to its eventual disintegration.

George..

How to have an active brain and an active life ?

Some months back I happened to visit my professors at IIT Mumbai as I happened to be in Mumbai from Bangalore for a couple of days on some personal work. I was taken aback to see, Prof. Uday Gaitonde of Mechanical Engineering Department getting adept at using his left hand to move the mouse while he was typing with both his hands. His efficiency at work had drastically improved.When I asked him how come he has changed his working style, he told me how he keeps both hemispheres of the brain active.

Creative intellectual activities keep your brain active

Immediately after that visit I had penned this blog (click here..).  In the next four to five years humans would have mastered how to tinker with the genes in the human body that ensures longevity of human life. We would live on an average upto 120 years. Though the thought was initially shocking, it is going to be a truth of life, we all need to be preparing for that.

Longevity of life is interesting and beneficial if one is healthy, ie. a healthy mind in a healthy body. A healthy mind is an active and occupied mind, occupied in productive and creative pursuits. Age may tire out the body, but the mind can keep it active and young.

The best way to keep our brain active is to start using both hemispheres of the brain, ie. both our hands for the daily chores. The left hand keeps our right hemisphere of the brain active and the right hand ensures the left hemisphere gets all the stimuli. Excessive use of the right hand puts the left hemisphere of brain to more use and the right hemisphere to disuse, making it a hot candidate for Alzheimer's disease in future.

Compulsorily engage in some physical activity daily

How many of us know that continuous stress actually shrinks our brain. It is in our best interests to develop healthy habits of life that can help keep our mind active and rejuvenated. I happened to listen to an interesting TED talk by Elizabeth Amini on how to keep one's brain young, the points mentioned are interesting and inspiring too.

1. Walk at least for 30 minutes , 5 times a week. Most of us lead sedentary lives keeping our minds and brains active,

2. Engage in mind engaging games and activities like cross word puzzles, Sudoku etc on a daily basis to keep your brain cells active

3. Avoid poisons to the human body like excess alcohol, smoking etc.. 

4. Be a socially active person engaging in social reunions, social engagements, volunteering activities, catching up with friends etc..

5. Having a purpose / direction / cause in life and working to attain it.

6. Relax / meditation/ yoga / reading books whenever one get time to relax the brain cells

Yoga / meditation - medicine for body and soul

7. Partner with a doctor focusing on whole body health using preventive medicine, exercises etc. than active chemical medication etc.

8. Protect your head - that's the most critical part of your body and possibly the most delicately placed part. Don't text while driving..

9. Follow the Mediterranean diet - 7-10 servings of fruits / vegetables daily, include fish, nuts, beans, legumes etc in your daily diet regularly. Take good natural supplements like cheese, curd etc..

10. Maintain and follow a positive outlook on life. Forgive and forget .. We are just travelers here. Nothing is ours and we are not going to take anything with us. Loss and gain is part of life. Enjoy and experience it, never lose your peace of mind over it.

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Mayo Clinic advice for a young, healthy and active brain ..

Mayo Clinic is one of the most helpful preventive medicine centres of the world which is famous for its numerous medical departments.(click here for an interesting video). They have listed ten points that can help our brians active and young.

Catch up with friends, engage in some activity

1. Socialise more - increase your circle of friends and social contacts and try to meethem more frequently

2. Keep moving - avoid sedentary activities like sitting a a place for more than an hour, keep moving your buttocks..

3. Take a class to learn something new - it renews brains connections and helps establish new ones

4. Eat plenty of plants and fruits and healthy fat like Olive oil (cocnut oil is not mentioned)

5. Get enough sleep and rest daily, minimum of 7-8 hours daily to help rejuvenate and revitalise your body for a new day of exciting actions and thoughts..

6. Train the brain to take on new challenges to improve mental sharpness

Play around with young people, care for them ..

7. Quit smoking to reduce risk of cognitive diseases like poor learning, perception, memory and problem solving

8. Manage stress by relaxing often to ward off depression, fear, anxiety etc..

9. Protect the head to prevent concussions that can harm later on in life.

10. Keep blood pressure in check, what's bad for heart is equally bad for the brain.

The last and final advice I can give the elders is to move and enjoy the company of youngsters. Mingle with them, it definitely takes years off your life. 

Here is a very useful and interesting link to Mayo Clinic's 50 health tips... (click here..)

George..

IESE Barcelona ..

The IESE Barcelona campus ..

It was good to learn a few weeks back that Easaw George (Jobin) got selected and was joining IESE Spain in Sept. '20 for an MBA. His long wait to complete employment of four to five years and a decent GMAT score (though average GMAT at IESE is 686) of 710 has finally paid dividends.

Was surprised to find that IESE Barcelona Spain has been ranked among the top 10 Bschools of the world at global rank 10 and the second in Europe for 2019 (click here for the link..). However, the 2018 ranking shows IESE at global rank 6 and Europe rank 1. 

Jobin was waiting for good four years to get the necessary experience to be able to apply to these top schools. My CET colleague Vaidy whose son studied in HEC Paris, which was at rank 13 last year catapulted itself to #3 globally in 2019 as per the Economist list.

When the IESE representative visited Bangalore in Oct 2018, here is the report of the meeting which I attended with Jobin. 

Click here for IESE report of it's European and global rankings for 2019.. (click here for 2018 global rankings..)

Wishing that everything goes well for Easaw.

george..

CET is 80 today ..

College of Engineering, Trivandrum, my alma mater is turning 80 today. Established by the Maharaja of Travancore in 1939, this year on July 3, CET is celebrating the 80th year of existence on planet earth.

CET is the third oldest in South India after Guindy Engineering College (1794), Tata Institute (now IISc, 1908) .. 

Every year on an average about 1000 students walk through it's portals and as per a conservative estimate it has almost 80,000 alumni spread across the world. 

Wishing the Institute all good wishes to play a major role in nation building and help the youngsters of the country in attaining their lofty goals for the country and the world at large.

George..

Modi's 2019 Cloud Theory ..

Indian Prime Minister has been adding many firsts to his credit. Some may see these are rubbish, some may say these are gems, but I would say they are innocent barbs from a 12 Plus candidate.

The situation goes to a TV interview Mopdi gave to a journalist. Modi does not give news conferences, instead he only meets journalists indepemdently ad aks them to ask questions as per pre finalised content and time cconstraints.

Old - timers say Some habits die hard !!

The same is the problem of Modi that whenever he gets a chance he makes to see to it that he redirects the whloe focus of the discussion to himself and his policies.

ge,,

Nationalistic sentiments and election time ..

It is really interesting to see during election time in India when some parties claim nationalism as their birthright and give chits to parties and individuals on who is patriotic and nationalist, with the unwritten understanding that the people who give this seal are the only traders of nationalism in the country and no others have any right to this. This is part of the majoritarian approach to fascism we are witnessing now.

Anybody in the country has to get the final seal of nationalism and patriotism from these pseudo-nationalists who deal in nationalism for their petty interests in regaining the political control of the land and to engage in corruption like the Rafale deal..

Its election time and in India we see Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) starting their branding operations of the opposition political parties as to whether they are nationalists or not.

My frank question is who has given these individuals this right to brand others ? Do they think they are right from the heaven and can hoodwink people and the electorate of their infallibility, trying to convince them into giving them the chance to rule the country once again ?

george..

Sad day for Christchurch ..

A once peaceful place has suddenly turned horrible ..

The shooting by the 28 year old Australian citizen Benton Tarrant in a Christchurch mosque killing almost 40 NZ citizens was shocking . Benton Tarrant live streamed the video from a helmet mounted camera .. 

If the shooter felt he was losing job and living opportunity to the migrants entering NZ, he is an Australian, he conveniently or out of sheer ignorance forgets that his parents also were at one time the hated migrants.

These hated migrants killed the native Maories of NZ or the indigenous native Australians and ungraciously and illegitimately grabbed their land and opportunities ...  It is this realisation that can bring an end to such hate crimes. 

The original natives of Australia and NZ were too kind hearted, good, gracious and hospitable to allow these monster settlers to stay back .. The memories of past 

Devil personified ..
How did he have very strange experiences
which changed his mental makeup ?

Going through the news reports (click here for Washington Post reports), it is clearly evident those are hate killings.

It is indeed shocking. It is also a reminder to the white and right wing chauvinists from around the world that ultra-nationalism is only for the dumb headed. It may get them cheap publicity and a few votes but the damage they are doing on humanity is too damning ..

President Trump of US is the other proponent of similar dumb right wing ideology from the western world and this is but a sad reminder of the future Trump and his politics of hate hold for the people from other parts of the world.

Let this incident be a soft reminder to Trump that his policy of hatred and discrimination will only make the world a sad place for the whole of humanity. He is taking humanity decades, if not centuries back in our march to civility ..

George .