Showers of Blessing

It is quite interesting to observe how it rains in some places and not in some other; a few minutes before we began our journey, the sky was dark, and we were sure it would pour quite heavily. Therefore we preponed our journey, so that we might not be caught by the rain. But some half an hour later, the rain was nowhere to be seen. As we got out of the city, we came across dry ground, and not a drop of water was there. Where has the rain gone, and why did it not rain here? I was asking myself. How is it nature is so insensitive to the suffering and pain of the people? We cannot force the rain to come down on a particular place and not another. Maybe that is a grace in disguise.

Fortunately rain is something that one cannot make claim over, and no one can hoard it in the godowns, storerooms and warehouses. Luckily rain cannot be bought and sold in the open market; it is not yet a commodity which can be auctioned, and handed over to the highest bidder. Is it not something beautiful that some of the most beautiful things on earth are beyond the reach and control of the human beings – the rain, the shine, the moonlight, the movement of the winds and pressures, the movement of the sun and the moon, the growth of plants, the inner dynamics of the human body and mind. Thank God, no one can put a copyright to the monsoon rains.

Though much of the natural resources had been at the disposal of humanity, God had not given control over these resources, which are far more significant and noteworthy, than the minerals, water, and the natural resources, such as the flora and fauna. I cannot imagine what the situation on earth would be if someone had a copyright over rain and the air we breathe, and we would have been paying through our nose to even to breathe and to get wet in the first rains of the season. Now we know that God is a wise person, who knew that if the human beings were to have control over these, they would have made a mess of them, and therefore he decided not to let them mess with his great gifts.

The many attempts of scientists and technicians to bring down artificial rain have met with utter failure; human beings have learned that there are at least a few things in the universe, where they do not have the last word, and have to turn to the great power. Sometimes it may appear that the poor peasants and farmers get far too little rain than the people who are responsible for desertification and deforestation; but if we look at the phenomenon carefully, we would realize that it is not the case always. There might be rare exceptions, but by and large, nature is far more generous to the poor than to those who can afford to go without it.

Rain has been one of the signs of God’s blessing from time immemorial, and even today simple people consider it a special blessing of God, and without his mercy, we may not have rain for months and even years. This is one of the prerogatives of God, and we can get it only from him, and there is no shortcut to receiving this gift. The first drops of rain are considered to contain the sweetness of the heavens, and they are believed to contain healing power – scientifically, the first rains contain minerals which have the capacity to bring healing and wholeness to persons. Today I pray for this rain to the Lord of the rains, to shower his blessings on the people who yearn for it.

Partying on Poverty

The menu was not all that appetizing, and the smell of the dishes was not all that inviting, and yet the partying lot were huddled together to make the best dishes possible out of the least that was available. The menu list did not run in to pages, but just a few in number, but that did not matter to the family which had gathered, big and small, young and old, to celebrate their togetherness. It was like a stillness dawning after a stormy night, and they were sure that every stormy weather had brought them together and strengthened their bond and fellowship, and the "party" was merely an excuse.

The family which had been struggling to get out of the poverty which had been imposed on it, could hardly take a few steps before they are drawn back to the very spot they had been languishing for years. If they begin to blame others, there would be no end. The first and the most important culprit would be God, who had imposed such a privation that they had to struggle to have even one square meal; who had taken away the breadwinner at a very young age, and the young mother had to struggle to bring up her children, educate them, and get them married, and support them even after their marriage, when the marriage did not go too well.

The best image that comes to my mind when I think of this family partying on their poverty, is the story of the "stone soup". These poor senior members of the family brought their mite, the best from their privation, but they were full of joy to contribute their best to make this party memorable one. They are not going to think about their poverty, what they do not have, but are going to capitalize on what they do possess, the comfort and strength of the company of one another, and this was their greatest asset, and they had come to feel this beneath their bones.

When families are well off, they do not feel the need to get together occasionally to strengthen their bonding; they believe that the money and comfort they enjoy were good enough to assure them of a better days to come; the bonding with other family members, relations, and friends is not so essential for them to get going. That is the tragedy of the neo-riche, and there would come a time in their lives too, when they would be forced to seek after their lost family roots and find succor in them. For the poor and have-not it is a joy and way of life to come together and share their lot, but for the rich and the haves, it may become a socio-cultural necessity.

I feel partying on poverty can be one of the greatest moments of celebration in the life of a family, who have nothing to share, but their pain and suffering. They have nothing to offer to one another, than their shoulders to lean on. They have nothing to contribute to the party, but their own share of sob stories and painful memories. This party is sure to strengthen the bonding of the family, and no storm and cyclone can ever take the little pleasures and joy they enjoy. Today I take my hats off to this family partying on their poverty, and I only hope more and more families may bring in their poverty and party on them, so that their bonding may be strengthened day after day.

The Road not Taken

There is a sense of guilt as I pass by dozens of cars stopping by a prestigious convent school close to our house, to drop girls attending this school. Looking at the cars, one cannot be mistaken that most of the girls of this school come from the “top cream” of the society, and the people who manage the school are proud to educate these students, who might in future take leadership roles in the country! But I would be blatantly wrong if I were to brand only this nuns-run school and spare the schools run by our own congregation in the city! There is an unprecedented rush to admit boys into our school; and the first choice of any well-off parents, business persons, government servants, and political leaders is to seek admission in our school for boys and of counterpart Sisters’ school for girls.

Sometimes I ask myself, is this for which we have been specially called – to educate the rich and the powerful in society, who have all the money and influence to buy the best of education in the country? Where is our preferential option for the poor? I understand we console ourselves saying that we have certain per centage of the seats each year reserved for the economically backward, and certain number of seats for dalits and tribals. But can we justify running school for the most moneyed people in the city, while our special call to be prophetic voices might imply we do something else? I feel deep within, we forget our prophetic voices, or carpet them, and continue to run schools which may bring us both money and good results.

Very few religious congregations dared to close down their first class English medium schools and start vernacular language schools for the children of lower income groups, and for the socially neglected and marginalized groups. There are a hundred and one problems in running schools for the poor, especially in a metropolitan city; the students are sure to become a liability, and the school is bound to incur heavy loss and may even face bankruptcy; there will be uproar among the people who had been availing our generous service all these years; we might get miserable results, and the discipline may be at stake, and the school may become quite unmanageable! These are the fears which inhibit us from taking a positive step forward to look beyond our noses.

It is unfortunate that we do not look at the education of many neglected sectors of the society; say for instance, have we ever thought out the education of the thousands of children living on the roads and slums? The children of rickshaw pullers, the domestic workers, the manual laborers of the corporation who clean our streets, even before we wake up from sleep; the vegetable vendors, the hawkers! If we care for these neglected groups of people, who may never taste the kind of education we impart in our schools. I appreciate the efforts of the convent school closeby, which has given shelter to street children to reside on the terrace of their school, and have made them avail the English medium education to them.

It is a challenging task to close down the top schools that we are running in the heart of the city, but can we not think of opening some other schools where we would reverse the admission criteria? Here are some of the criteria that I would think would make a difference : the parents do not have a house of their own (i.e. living in a one room rented house), the parents have no job security, their combined income is below rupees 5,000 per month (needs to be verified physically), daily laborers, people who do not have an almirah to keep their clothes, and no bank accounts, who do not possess any vehicles, not even a two-wheeler, who go to work even on Sundays, who do not have any savings for future… It is a challenge, but if we cannot accept the challenge, then who will?