Stand Together

There are some books that are eagerly awaited for since they are officially announced, for me Ken Follett’s latest work The Evening And The Morning is one of such book - mainly because I love the Kingsbridge series and was excited to read the prequel to The Pillars Of The Earth . The Good The book is an intense read and has the typical Ken Follett brand characters, in whose stories you are invested emotionally right from the start. The main protagonists are larger than life and always on the side of the good and to match them, are villains who are powerful and always seem to win. If you are familiar with Ken Follett’s work, you will recognise the pattern of the long suffering and righteous heros and heroines, overcoming intensely hateful and hideous villains and everyone’s story ending with the villains being destroyed, sometimes because of Karma and not because the heros or heroines finally got a chance to vindicate themselves. (One villain dies naturally but in pain.) The sto...

  The sun shined bright red even in the dark, on her mother’s forehead. She loved the glow that came from it and how it calmed her during a stormy night, such as this one, especially, since the sea could swallow them all. The small room at the edge of the world that they lived in had its moments. There were times when the sea would blow a calming breeze towards them and there were times when the tide would enter their home, threatening to weaken the make-shift foundations. There were also times when she laughed, as a child would, and there were times when she would experience pain she didn’t understand or know where it came from. The moments of pain were strange but familiar, like an enemy who you knew well but you don’t know either. Even in those moments, the bright red sun on her mother’s forehead calmed her, but it was the worry on her father’s face that made her anxious. Her parents had named her Angel at birth, but a year later, they changed it to Banhi, an uncommon word f...

"Do not judge, or you too will be judged.” Mathew 7:1 As a human being, my natural disposition is to judge others. When I am aware that I’m being judgmental, I recall the above verse and it helps me shift my thoughts to something positive. It has been many years since I have spent such a long time in India and interacted with so many fellow Christians in Hyderabad . A lot of these people are new to me and its fine. Many of these people adopted Christianity as adults and call themselves “born again Christians” (when you voluntarily chose the faith, you’re born again as a new person). Their faith is important to them and they want to share it far and wide. I share my faith with them as well. They are happy with our conversations until they discover that I have been a Christian since birth. This changes everything – including what they talk about to me and how they talk to me. I’m suddenly spammed by preachy messages – I’m judged for many things, especially for not being Christia...

This article has information I may have missed in my previous post Repatriation to Hyderabad . I traveled to Hyderabad, India from Johannesburg, South Africa on a repatriation charter flight organised by the India Club in Johannesburg On the Day Travel All passengers will be asked to assemble at a designated location, where you will register. You will each be assigned to a bus and the bus number will be communicated to you before the day of travel. In the bus you may be provided with masks, gloves, sanitisers and lunch. You may also be given a Govt. of India form, please ask for three such forms per person as you will need to submit these at your destination airport. At O R Tambo International Airport When your bus reaches the airport, you will each be given a Department of Home Affairs  (DHA), South Africa, form to fill, before you get off the bus. All your luggage will the be lined up outside the airport and you will be asked to locate your luggage and leave your cabin ...

I traveled to Hyderabad on 21-22 June 2020, from Johannesburg, South Africa, on a repatriation-chartered flight organised by India Club South Africa , the  High Commission of India and Satguru Travels . This was not a Vande Bharat Mission flight. If you, like me, are forced to book your tickets through Satguru Travels, there is information in this article that will reduce some travel induced stress. No matter what quarantine options Satguru Travels offer you, you will be given better options at Hyderabad Airport. Now, let’s begin… When Your Flight Lands Have lots of patience. When your flight lands in Hyderabad, stay in your seat as the airport staff will distribute the necessary forms you need to fill while you’re still in the plane. Fill the forms with a clear handwriting when still in the plane. This is the clever thing to do and ensures smooth processing. You will be asked to fill two forms and three copies of each of the two forms, which is six forms per passenger,...

My first memory is that of a hot summer day, when I walked among the green fields in the village, where there was always plenty. In that fond memory, I am clearly not alone, there are other children and some adults, all sitting under a massive tree and resting. What a stark contrast to the construction site where I lay bricks and concrete now. It is another hot day but Mumbai’s humidity makes it unbearable. The sun catches the silver ring on one of my fingers and I am reminded of Mamatha and the tree under which I teased her for putting the ring on my finger. There was so much greenery and I never appreciated it. The nostalgia helps me through the day and allows me to hope that I can return to the green fields when my job at the construction site is done – return home, at least for a few days of rest. Mid-March It is just mid-March, but the heat and humidity already affect me. I am dehydrated and yet I need to work to send money home. I am worried. What worries me are the stories a...

Most nights I lie awake thinking of all the stories I read in the day, of women and children being prosecuted and abused, and how I could do nothing to help them. Last night I lay awake thinking about the days when I didn’t have to struggle with such thoughts. The only time I didn’t have such thoughts is when I was in primary school. As always, one thought lead to another and I began to marvel at the fact that my school was run only by women – a diverse group of catholic nuns and women teachers. I spent 12 years at St. Ann’s High School Tarnaka, from the age of 3 to 14 – the foundation years of my life, and I spent them in the company of girls from different backgrounds, all of us being educated by the same set of empowered nuns and teachers. I had taken for granted their ability to run a school of about 3000 girls, because they always made it look so effortless. Today, as a working professional, I realise, what a mammoth undertaking it is to successfully run a large school and ensur...