A contrast in purpose!

This is a sight along the sea front at Ernakulum close to each other. One modern building and another about one hundred years old. The contrasts between the two are many. Let me refer to just one of them- the purpose!

The tower clock at the centre provided the time for sailors and voyagers in the earlier days. It was the only tower clock along the beach front in those days.The building had a purpose for those who used it as well as for the strangers. It assisted the strangers and kept them informed of the shore and time. It was a custom built for the benefit of others. It existed for others as well.

The modern building above is a lovely place for its residence with provisions such as luxury boating for  its users and a holiday resorters.  It is an architectural beauty and enhances the sea front aesthetically. The building therefore merits compliments. Apart from this, what is in it for strangers, sailors and ordinary people who cannot afford to visit this luxury hotel! It exists for itself by and large.

It is necessary to ponder over this contrast. Do we exist for ourselves or exist for the benefits of others and every one else!

Both attitudes have strong philosophical foundations. 

The words of Jesus of Nazareth,’Love your neighbour as yourself’ is an invitation to be inclusive in our approach to life, living and learning! 

M.C.Mathew(text and photo)

Two years of blogging!

It was Anna’s prompting three years back that initiated me into this blogging habit. 

I look back at this experience with gratefulness and gladness. 

I feel good about three things:

I am learning to describe my thoughts. I have begun to think in association. As I use pictures and text, it has helped me to think connectedly, metaphorically and intuitively.

I have grown in some awareness of the thoughts that travel through my mind and am getting used to capturing them. As thoughts have a transient life span, it is necessary to discern them through vigilant attention. I am only at the beginning of  this journey ! 

I am surprised by my own thoughts! At the end of writing a blog, I realised how I ended differently from what I set out to do. I value this inspiration. I treasure this inner prompting to change the trend of thoughts ! It has been a surprise  to see my thoughts change and take a new form on many occasions. This change process encourages me that change is still a reality that I can long for even more!

I began this writing exercise three years back as a conversation with myself. But many have conversed with me through their calls and mails which have enthused me to continue this inner conversation.

Let me celebrate this anniversary by saying, you have accompanied me along this journey of self discovery!

M.C.Mathew(text and photo) 

Giants only challenge !

Malcolm Gladwell is an outstanding author, widely read especially after his best selling book, The Tipping Point.

In this book, David & Goliath, Malcolm makes a profound journey to uncover the 'hidden dynamics that shape the balance of power between the small and the mighty’.

David and Goliath, the Old Testament story of a battle, (I Samuel.17:1-58) where David the shepherd fell a well armoured giant, Goliath with a sling and stone, is the script around which he weaves insights and truths in an original and captivating form. 

This book is a narration and reflection on what happens when ordinary people confront giants. 

One giant I had to confront  about ten months back was my heart disease and the bypass surgery! I was almost frozen by fear when I accidentally discovered that I needed surgery. Until then, I had consoled myself to be needing only an angioplasty. 

Malcolm suggests in this book that ‘giants are not what we think they are’.

That is what happened to me before and after the surgery! The loving attention from Anna, Amy and Arpit, Aswathy and Anandit and hosts of friends eased the tension and anxiety. I felt carried and comforted.

Malcolm has this to say in his introduction to this book: ‘.. being an underdog can change people in ways that we often fail to appreciate; it can open doors and create opportunities and educate and enlighten and make possible what might otherwise seemed unthinkable’.

There is a prospect beyond every difficulty, which would form our character! There is art of battling giants!

M.C.Mathew(text and photo) 

A Little step !

As I watched the occupational therapist spend an hour or more in helping this child to sit and hold the ball,  it dawned on me that that there are many things which work against children who have increased tone in the muscles. Every movement becomes effortful and most children cannot accomplish what they set out to do as the movement would increase the tone of the muscles.  

It is one instance where a child cannot condition the body to do a task. So the therapist helps such children by moving in such a way that the gravity does not act on the muscles to increase the tone. So with  slow and sustained action and the proximal joint well supported, the movements are tried.  

When this child realised that he could actually reach and touch the ball, he suddenly got motivated to move in spite of the tone interfering it. For all of us watching this, it was a delight and surprise to see him accomplish this!

So much time spent to help a child accomplish a small step! In fact, Mother Teresa used to say, ‘let us do little things with great love’!

When a stranger carried my bag that I was struggling to lift from the car park to my office, I experienced the meaning of that saying!

M.C.Mathew(text and pjhoto)

Black pepper is initially green!

An overseas visitor, whom we took around in our garden noticed the pepper plant with tender pepper which were green to look at. Her question was why, we call it black pepper when it should be called green pepper! I have no clue why this is so then or now!

But that question initiated some thoughts in my mind! The names or descriptions we use can explain only part of the full story. We know only in part, although sometimes we tend to believe that we know it fully! 

The other truth that dawned on me was that, everything can change during its life time! The green pepper when dried becomes black! This change is a metaphor for the prospect for change resident in every human being.  An intense debating issue in the media recently is whether we should get rid of the capital punishment altogether and substitute it with life imprisonment so that every criminal is given a chance to change till the end! 

Listen to questions well and it can initiate us into a new awareness!

M.C.Mathew(text and photo) 

New arrivals!

I happened to pick up a book on Butterflies during my recent travel. The author gave a vivid introduction about ‘how to look for butterflies’! It is different from bird watching, where the chirping and visible movements can attract one’s attention.

The butterflies are best noticed in the mornings and just before the dusk. It is good to be around flowering plants during this time. They arrive only if the ambience is quiet. They like to be in the sunshine and therefore would hover around flowers which are open and exposed to sunshine. 

Since I began looking for them taking these cues, Anna and I seem to have noticed many more in an array of colours. 

The butterflies remind me of children who look for the butterflies in the garden and make every effort to catch them. A five years old child who got one had it sealed in a jar. His mother persuaded him to let it fly out. The bargain was that the mother would take photos of all the butterflies and have them framed to hang on the wall in his room. His mother told me, that it is her son who drew her attention to many butterflies in the garden!

We need an interest and heightened awareness to take note of what is taking place around. Many things compete for our attention and in this process little things escape our attention. Sometimes little things bring larger meaning to our lives!

M.C.Mathew(text and photo)

  

  

Ripe Nutmeg !

The season of nutmeg harvesting is on in our garden. This is how the fruit looks when it is ready for the harvest. 

The shell splits into two halves with the nut and its maize intact. The flower maize is usually bright red in colour and needs to be separated intact from the nut for drying in the sun. It send out an aroma when dried. 

The nut too needs drying till the seed inside is fully dry. When fully dried the seed would move inside the nut when shaken. 

The process of collecting the nutmeg and getting it through the different stages of preparation is time consuming, but for those interested in farming, it is the least of challenges!

During the six months since the nutmeg tree flowers and the ripe fruits are ready for harvesting, the farmer can wait patiently, without having to do anything to take care of it. 

It is this Jesus of Nazareth described in a parable about sowing and waiting. The farmer can wait for its fruits. This is a hopeful waiting not a stressful waiting!

Hope transforms our attitude!

M.C.Mathew(text and photo)

Visitors leave behind memories!

We have friends dropping in during the week ends to join with us in the experience living  in a rural setting. 

Anna and I pondered how we can  make the memories of these visits lasting ! We chose to let the visitors plant a fruit sapling!

Obey and Sheila from Ambilikkai were the first friends to plant a sapling!

One experience that most of us enjoy recollecting is friendly visits! This requires celebration and frequent recollections! Good memories bring inner well being and encouragement!

M.C.Mathew(text and photo)

Daffney becomes a reader!

Daffney seated on the chair looks at the books! She refused to vacate the chair even after several requests. Usually she can be primed to consent to our request with the offer of biscuit. This time that too failed. 

It is only after all of us left the room, and when she was left alone, she cared to move out!

I was astonished how even a dog has an instinct to imitate. Having studied child development over the years, I knew children can imitate or join in for  a make believe play!

But it is the first time, I noticed that pets can observe and choose to imitate. Daffney is used to watching me sit at this chair and browse through books. This time she did occupy the chair to get a thrill out of it!

There is something we can learn form pets as well, if only we are alert!     

M.C.Mathew(text and photo)

Life shortened!

It is common to see coconut trees showing some signs of plant diseases.  Farmers are constantly fighting this battle of pests and diseases. 

I have been noticing acres of coconut plantations coming up in different places in south India in the recent years. Several trees show signs of diseases without a warning and they  stop bearing the nuts over a short period of time. 

We have lost over fifty trees in our compound much before they reach half of their normal life span. 

One of the common causes of shortened life for humans in Tamil Nadu and Kerala states is road traffic accidents. 

A recent survey suggests that careless driving, drunken driving, driving at night without a break and ignoring traffic regulations are the common causes. They are preventable. And yet this tragedy continues unbated.

Why humans are death bent or prone to high risk behaviour!

I guess this is a question which needs serious exploration! A doctor  told me the other day, ‘humans feel that they have achieved dominion over all things’. But have they! 

We belong a generation of people who are drifting into despair and anxiety for many lose hope to live because of the travails of life. 

It is for this reason, the writer of the Proverbs calls for diligent attention and prudent living in chapter 27 verse 23: ‘know well the condition of your flocks and pay attention to your herds’. 

We are responsible for the welfare of others as well. How can we create an awareness about safe driving practices! I wish congregations of the Churches would take this as a mission! Safe driving is good for everyone!

M.C.Mathew(text and photo)

A full River

It is only during the monsoon rains, the Periyar rive is now full from side to side. During the rest of the year there is a running stream in the centre of the river bed. A river without water is an ugly sight and tells a lot about irresponsible human behaviour!

I lived at the bank of the same river for one year when I was a student at the Union Christian College in 1964, during which time the river looked full through out the year. During the monsoon the water level went up by about three feet or so.

Most of the rivers in the state of Kerala show a tendency towards decline in the level of running water. The water transport is on the decline. The water is polluted that river fish find the water toxic. The sand mining from  the river bed continues unbated, often clandestinely! There are times when the wells on the river plateau  run dry affecting the lives of people for irrigation and drinking water. 

I have a suspicion that we would be hit badly by scarcity of water. 

I did an experiment. While applying soap on the hands during washing of the hands, if I were to close the tap, I can manage washing hands with three to four litres of water. If I let the tap run during applying soap, the water used was 20 litres. Also, in most of the places the water is not recycled or harvested. 

I wonder whether we would practice saving water and preserve the water store of the earth! 

M.C.Mathew(text and photo).

A message and messenger!

This was a poster at a badminton match held between faculty and students in a medical college to create awareness about children who are differently abled.

Tis poster drew my attention for three reasons. The child in the wheel chair was portrayed as  releasing a pigeon, symbolising her wish for wellness and goodness for all people around her.  It is a spontaneous gesture revealing the largeness of her heart, although she has many hurdles to come across because insensitivity of others to her special needs. 

Secondly her message is a call for change at two levels. She is calling people to live mindfully and altruistically to reach out to others. Secondly, it is to live more gratefully and responsibly in this connected world where what one does affect others. 

The third special thing which appealed to me is about this picture was the colour synchronisation the painter used for the picture. While the child and the bird are in black, the background is in radiant colours. I was most fascinated by this- the painter is hopeful of the environment begin able to respond to the message from the child and this is the optimism which is at the centre of his thought. 

We live in a society which has the potential to change. It is because of this reason, each of us shall continue to do good! We spread the goodness when we do not get tired by well-doing!

M.C.Mathew(text and photo)  

Meanings of a conversation!

I have a habit of recalling the way a conversation took place in a group setting. Let me share done experience.

This group of students were strategising before a badminton match. Each one had an opinion and was well stated. The player paid attention to each of these ideas and said that he too had similar ideas. He thanked them profusely for their thoughts and for their presence to watch him play!There was hardly any argument about the feasibility or the effect of any of the strategies. Instead there was appreciation for every thought and a gratefulness  for their  presence!

We are sometimes driven by the desire to analyse an opinion rather than stay with the opinion! It is by mulling over or pondering over, we get the full extent of the relevance of the opinion! An opinion can appear to be affirmative, critical or disturbing.  We can interpret it in any way!

A friend who visited us mentioned to us that the cottage we live is in  a scenic spot and can offer an ideal setting for rest and reflection! That opinion after three months of our stay here sounded unreal to us then. However almost everyone who visited us in the last eighteen months mentioned the same.

Over a period of time, what sounded as unreal evolved to be more real over a period of time! 

We can receive an opinion however divergent it may be from our opinion. In receiving it, we are opening the door of possibilities. Every opinion has a gestational period before it can strike us to be significant.

Every person in sharing an opinion with us is sharing a perception, based on his or her insights and information! Every person needs to be valued. 

This would avoid unnecessary arguments, confrontations and clashes! Every conversation is of value. It is for us to make it to be so!

M.C.Mathew(text and photo)  

A way forward !

I was waiting for the refreshment to be served at the outdoor dining area during the afternoon tea break of  a conference. As soon as the refreshment was served, few monkeys came charging from the nearby tree to grab the paper plates from the table. While the catering staff went after them, one monkey came from the other side and took away a plate. It went to the next compound and sat under the shade of a tree to eat the refreshment.

This lone monkey was away from the rest. It used the opportunity to steal the food when the staff was distracted by the other monkeys. 

There is always a way to go forward! 

One of the occupations of children during the monsoon season is to catch fish in the running stream. As the rivers overflow and drain water into smaller streams, fish escape to move downstream. Often the adults use nets and fish traps to catch fish. Children used a large bed sheet to lift the fish from the water. The adults who were fishing upstream and the children who were fishing down stream gathered fish, although the adults had lot more. 

One of the children told me at the end of this hour long exercise that we were practicing the skills of brain storming and lateral thinking, which was taught to them in the civics class.

None of us need to get stuck permanently! There is a way forward, if we can pause, reflect, consult and dialogue! There is larger wisdom within us- it is for us to discover. That is why some thrive in spite of difficulties because the difficulties bring the best out o them! God is our enabler in difficult circumstances!

M.C.Mathew(text and photo) 

Sight and Optic!

At a picnic spot, these brothers took turn to watch the garden through the binoculars. Their father too used it. So it was not just a a toy.

As Anna and I watched these children, they were captured by the difference in the magnification and clarity of the objects they watched with and without the binoculars. They seemed to be in a mood of wonder and surprise as long as we were able to watch them. The binocular provided them with a new quality to their viewing. 

Our viewing  is augmented by our attention, focus, interest and pre-existing information on what we watch. It is the same eyes which process all the visual impulses, but how the eyes process are governed by the higher order functions of attention, interest and earlier knowledge of the object viewed. In that sense, sight is not just eye-dependent alone. Sight is qualified by our mood, enthusiasm, learning intent, curiosity, etc. 

What is a greater pre-determinant for  good quality sight! What influences our sight most! Our optic.

Each of us a unique optic-  how and what we see. This is influenced by our childhood experiences.

A friend who visited us sometime back did not notice the rose flowers in the garden, while he noticed the others. The rose flowers were conspicuously visible. When I asked, whether he liked the rose flowers as well, he mentioned that he did not like the rose flowers because the plant has thorns. He remembers that his mother had to take out a thorn of a rose bush from his finger. It was intensely painful. Since then he had an aversion for the rose flower. An even that happened forty years ago limits his sight. His ugly experience became the optic through which he looked at the rose flowers. 

A lot of our behaviour is rooted in our experiences of childhood. They colour our optic !

Most of us would need ongoing revision of our optic! When a friend called me on phone last week, the first thought that rushed to my mind was a difficult conversation we had sometime back. I needed a moment or two to be freed from that thought to continue that conversation in a pleasant manner! I was not aware how upset I was still, even after the lapse of two years! Now I have begun another journey of inner reconciliation.

Our inner world determines our optic-how we see, hear, discern and respond!

M.C.Mathew(text and photo)   

Turning a challenge to an opportunity!

One of the difficult creative activities which children with Cerebral Palsy find is singing. The co-ordination of the oro-facio-laryngeal muscles is vital for articulation, phonation and tuneful synchronisation.

When I heard this child sing at an evening event at the Christian Medical College, Vellore, I was taken back. I had heard such children sing only occasionally.

What was outstanding about her was her radiant smile and gentle manners which transcended her difficulties. She sat with difficulty and held the microphone with some effort. None of it was noticeable when she sang. 

She sang a song of thanksgiving and hope. That too was a surprise to the audience. The applause and the standing ovation she received at the end of her performance was a tribute to her resilience and not just a response to her melodious singing. According to her mother, she is diligent in practice before she sings in public.

I was recovering at that time from my heart surgery. I have had some challenges to face in terms of adapting to a new life style, the first being to shed some weight. Seeing her cope with challenges of movement, co-ordination, articulation, learning, etc. I became aware of the indomitable spirit within her.  

Life offers an opportunity and challenge to each of us. None of us has arrived where we are by an easy passage through life. We have been formed by our circumstances to live and to respond to the opportunities in life. 

An adolescent boy told me yesterday, that he has been struggling to read well on his own from the age of six years. He has dyslexia. He is the lead player in foot ball, cricket and basket ball in his school. He turned his challenge to an opportunity. 

M.C.Mathew(text and photo)

          

Another way of knowing!

We are familiar with bird watching and most of us know a lot about it !

As Anna and I live in a village with thick vegetations all around it common for us to hear the birds and not see them, even if we make an effort. I have not been familiar with bird songs. I met a bird lover who gave me some tips about identifying birds form their songs. 

The first suggestion he made was to wait at the spot as soon as we spot a  bird and get to listen to its chirping, call or song. 

I followed that advice and stopped often during my walks. It is easier to get started with  few birds and identify the birds from their song.

There is something interesting about this practice. It has brought to my attention another way of knowing the birds. 

There are different ways of knowing each other. We may be used to knowing people by their qualification, position, skills, leadership…etc. But they have a hidden personal side to their lives. Discovering it would bring surprises and enlarge our understanding of others!

An adolescent boy is known to his friends and teachers as poor in his class room learning. But he is the one who reads the news paper to a visually impaired senior citizen in his neighbourhood and help him  with his shopping and house keeping. 

M.C.Mathew(text and photo)

   

Lawn turns green !

The monsoon rains in our place is unceasing in its fury and downpour. It makes our cottage moist and damp. The electronic equipment do not function optimally in such a climate. It is an effort to protect the camera and lenses from fungal invasion.

But as we look out into the front and side yard, we have a breathtaking view. The green hue to the vegetations, the rains bring immediately after the summer is distinct and refreshing. It is the grass which shows that special hue more than any of the trees. 

With the rains, some flowering plants are in bloom. This brings in the butterflies. When there is  pause, I walk around the garden looking for the butterflies. Anna and I noticed butterflies in blue, white, crimson and orange, for the first time in the last eighteen months. 

We are missing the birds. The Magpie family is around. Daffney barks and chases the hens who used to wander into the compound. Now they too bypass us. 

The in between sunshine for few minutes is most refreshing. Now I understand how the British habitually talk about the weather, because, they have more of cold spells than bright sunshine ! There is nothing like sunshine, because it lights up nature to its created glory!

To live is to be aware of the gains and losses! 

Even a change of weather brings gains and losses! Yet in each of it there is a meaning, purpose and fullness. 

As we plucked the first pine apple from the garden today, we feel that the earth is welcoming us with its fruit! This gives us a sense of belonging!

M.C. Mathew(text and photo) 

   

Move to stay fit!

The focus is on health and life style changes in public health. The diseases linked to a stressful life are  on the increase. 

I spend about six hours or more during the day sitting and working! This has been so for the last forty five years.

When I visited the Physical Medicine department at the Christian Medical College twenty five years ago, Dr. Suranjan Bhattacharji, the head of the department invited me to join a fifteen minutes of body exercises, which the staff performed together, at the beginning of each working day. He mentioned to me that he encouraged the staff to do static and dynamic exercises during the day on other occasions as well. He was already aware of the need of movement to optimise healthy living.

Now the emphasis on movement comes from well proven research.

The incessant rains recently have interrupted our five kilometre walk each day. Anna and I got our domestic workers to make a walking track through our property. Twenty rounds along the walking track would equal the distance that we used to walk. 

I have also got used to walking on two occasions along the corridor of the hospital twice a day, which takes fifteen minutes each time. I find it refreshing and feel good at the end of it. 

Move to stay well- this was introduced to us by Dr. Hans Burki through the exercises regimen Feldencras  advocated. Slow movement by paying attention to what is happening through each movement helps to integrate the body and mind which actually promotes attention and awareness.

Stay well so that we can prepare ourselves to experience fullness of life!

M.C.Mathew(text and photo)

      

Hope that stays!

Every morning this Magpie sits on this tank where we breed fish in the hope of catching one! Although this cement tank is adjacent to the Kennel where Daffney keeps a watch over the predators, Daffney has got used to this daily visitor and is silent during its search for the fish. Its beak is too large to go through the wire net covering the tank. 

One day, I removed the cover and waited for trey Magpie to come. It sensed a trap and stayed on the tree top till I closed the tank with its cover. I saw it sitting on the net after a while in the hope of getting its prey.

Magpie never gives up and comes every morning for the last one year!

Yesterday, a student reminded me of the dream of the Argentinians to win the FIFA world cup after 16 years since Maradona won it for them with a goal, which he referred to as the ‘hand of God, to counter the criticism, that he pushed the ball with his hand unnoticed by the umpire! 

Hope keeps us active, alert and aspiring. 

A medical student told me today that he was keen to apply for the Rhode scholarship to study molecular genetics in Oxford. That has been his longing since he joined the medical school. 

The domestic worker who works for us would like his two children study engineering or computer science. They have a long way to go as they are only in the middle school. 

I wish, we would be a generation of people with hope and vision! It will be antidote to self resignation or surrendering to the destiny!

M.C.Mathew (text and photo)

Inviting for interaction!

Daffney most entertaining when visitors are around!

The other day, when we let her out in to the lawn with her ball for her usual play time, she changed her game plan to invite us to play with her. She would normally fetch the ball when we throw it and give it to us to throw again. This time, she refused to give it to us and would keep the ball just in front of her and wait for us to reach out to take it. When we move to take the ball, she would mouth the ball and run   and wait for us to catch up her. Anandit was determined to catch up with her. Once or twice he succeeded. Daffney had a hilarious time, so did we, watching her giving a miss to an athletic Anandit. She settled down to play only after she had her full share of fun!

I had an equally revealing experience the next day at work. An infant of eleven months would drop the rattle to the ground, as soon as her mother took it and gave to her. After a while when she seemed tired to do it, the infant would make loud sounds to continue this game. Mother gave in only to give up again. The infant settled down only after a colleague turned it to a peek-a- boo game and made her crawl to find the hidden rattle. 

Both these events point to a common inherent passion- interaction!

All of us wait for an opportunity to interact with others. When we went to sell the nutmeg from our farm, although suspicious of his dubious way to downgrade the product to give lesser price, I was occupied by his impressive sale talk. Although there is a risk of being carried away by the opinions and comments of others, all of us still long for interaction with others. 

So speak that we can encourage, refresh and upbuild others with our words and non-verbal communication!  Let us respond to others with openness and cheerfulness because we can be made to be whole only through interaction!

 To be in meaningful interaction with others is a calling!  

M.C.Mathew(photo and text)

A call that inspires!

I listened to a moving story of Drs Shoba and Naveen last week in a meeting at Bangalore (seen standing in this photo, email: siloameh@yahoo.com) where some concerned about the future of the mission hospitals in India, held a consultation with the Moderator of Church of South India, initiated by the Christian Medical College, Vellore and Bangalore Baptist hospital.

Shoba and Naveen, working at Madanapallee in the Telengana region with an NGO started by them, was invited by the local Bishop of Church of South india a year back, to revive the 102 years old Madanapalle Mission Hospital. They having served their sponsorship obligation in this hospital and feeling disturbed by the decline of the hospital decided to respond to this invitation. 

Naveen an Orthopaedician and Shoba an ophthalmologist got started by  renovating the building, getting essential equipment for the laboratory and diagnostic services and enthusing the handful of staff left in the hospital, to transform the place into a place of welcome for patients. They have had debts to pay to restart the pharmacy and the laboratory. They and their friends contributed towards this. They received some respite from the government to pay the pending provident funds due to the government, which the church offered to pay. They were surprised by the goodwill from the people of the town, although the hospital is surrounded by other nursing homes. The cheer and response of the local people made then continue the efforts to make it into a community hospital.

After a year, the hospital is fast recovering and is already into its next phase of expansion. 

What moved me is the cheer and enthusiasm with which Shoba and Naveen spoke about their experience. They motivated us by their story to believe that some hospitals struggling to exist, situated in needy areas too have the prospects of renewal if there are people with a sense of calling and purpose at the leadership. 

Well done, Shoba and Naveen. Yours is a story of God’s faithfulness and your responsiveness to God’s promptings in your lives. 

We shall walk with you in your calling, because you show the way for rest of us!

M.C.Mathew(text and photo)

Boys in medical training!

In a  batch of 100 medical students, the girls outnumber the boys.  Seeing this group of boys in the class, I became aware of its implications.This has been a phenomenon in the last five or so years in some medical colleges

It is most heartening that many girls choose the training to become doctors. In fact many women choose now a days other specialties than Obstetrics and Gynaecology or Paediatrics for their post-graduate training. That too is welcome, because it highlights the entrepreneur spirit in women. I feel that medical profession need men and women in equal proportion because they bring different soft skills to the profession.

I feel concerned that boys choose other career paths than medicine in the recent years. While talking to a student preparing for entrance examination to the IIT, I discovered an underlying perception which have affected the boys from choosing the option of studying medicine. They find a quicker successful career path by studying engineering, commerce, business management, fashion technology, hospitality, etc. There is an assured attractive income at a younger age in these professions. 

That made me wonder whether medical professional is no more a noble profession inviting young men to pursue  a life of service and commitment for the cause of well begin for all. If the medical profession becomes devoid of the spirit of service, self-giving, caring, thoughtful ways to support people in physical, emotional an social needs, then it shall get lose its charm and appeal. 

It is altruism, doing good and serving with love,  which used to inspire young men to this profession. Has this profession become different from what it used to be! Have the young men, got enticed by other options because other competing interests and values! 

Let me salute the boys who choose to study medicine inspire of the trend against it!

M.C.Mathew(text and photo)      

Trim before breaking away!

Every time I see a branch of a tree broken away in stormy rain, I wonder whether we have delayed in trimming the tree to protect it form such accidents!

Every tree grows searching for its own space. The tree bends and reaches out to the source of sunlight during which process it loses its own balance. It can spread itself too much on one side in search of sunlight that its gravitational weight is too much on one side. Sometimes some branches are too weak to sustain itself in the wind, because of inner decay. Some branches get too heavy when it has to bear fruits such as mangoes, jackfruit etc. 

Whatever  may be cause for branches to be wrenched from the tree, it is because of delayed trimming. 

Trimming or pruning as Jesus of Nazareth referred to while speaking about the vine and branches in the gospel of St. John chapter 15, is part of good stewardship in gardening. All trees need to receive that physical formatting that would allow it to grow proportionately and evenly balanced.

Yesterday, one family came with a teenage boy who is addicted to TV viewing. He is disproportionate in his choice and selection. He has failed and is struggling with making up. His parents confess that they allowed this to happen by neglect. 

One effective contribution we can offer to children is to recognise their ‘imbalances’ early enough and help them to be sound in character and conduct. There are pages that report crime of young people in the newspapers and most stories refer to indifference or neglect of parents!

We owe it to children to 'trim' their behaviour on time so that they have a character that is wholesome!   

Students become teachers!

There are surprises when one is in the company of younger people!

I was to give my last lecture on growth and development to the pre-final batch of medical students yesterday. As I walked into the lecture hall there was a loud applause and I was drawn towards the black board, which had a display on ‘celebrating childhood’, all prepared and displayed voluntarily by the students to recall some of the issues we touched upon while referring to childhood and the developmental transformation that takes place in children. 

We began the series with students preparing a power point presentation of about 20 students from the class, by showing their photographs of infancy along with their current photos, which was a hilarious beginning. That was a moment of awareness for the students that they too have grown and developed. So studying about growth and development was something that was also part of their experience. This brought in enthusiasm and appreciation of the developmental process as a continuum. They learned something about themselves while studying the subject. 

It was the first series of lectures I had taken, since Anna and I joined this medical college eighteen months back. 

I was touched by the warmth of the students and their spontaneity. During the last five sessions, we had students reciting poetry which they composed about childhood; showing pictures which they drew to express memories of their childhood and of course the presentation yesterday of their celebration of childhood. 

I am glad to have met this batch of students and feel encouraged by their creative approach to learning. I felt at home in the company of future physicians, who carry a heart to feel while they learn with their mind. I have been enriched by this inspirational encounter with the batch of 2011 of MOSC Medical college!  

Students are our teachers of truths beyond subject matter!

M.C.Mathew(text and photo)  

Magpie Robin and Mongoose !

I stopped my brisk walk to listen to the song of the Magpie Robin and capture it singing. The male bird was most likely singing to attract a female for mating from the tone and regularity of its love song! Beneath the tree, I watched a movement across the road. It was a Mongoose on its prowl. It too stopped at the middle of the road as if to listen to the  bird. It moved further only after the bird paused. When the bore resumed to it stopped again! However this was interrupted by the arrival of a two wheeler on the road.

I continued my walk thinking about this reciprocity- singing and listening!  The Robin was singing away for its pleasure and the Mongoose paused  for the pleasure of listening!  

Do I listen for the pleasure of it! When a mother listens to her baby making the first intelligible sounds around four months, she waits and listens intently! When a baby makes the first speech like sounds by nine months or so, the parents listen  delightfully. When a baby utters the first word by twelve months or so, it is even more special. 

Speaking and listening are rhythmic reciprocal acts.

It is this which creates a communicating atmosphere and builds relationship. A child who visited me recently told me, that, ‘you have been talking to my parents for long. Now  talk to me. I have also something to tell you’. After the conversation with that child privately, I realised how keen he was to talk to me about his picnic to the beach, the previous week with his class at play school.

Most of us have to pause physically and mentally if we have to listen! It is in the pause we can welcome others and be relational!

M.C.Mathew(text and photo)

From a drop of water to plenty!

It has been common to see during the summer this year birds flocking to water sources.We have had our bird bath, exhausted of water by mid day during the summer. 

Now that the monsoon rain has arrived we have the opposite of this.-water everywhere! 

However this contrast has something to tell us about life itself.

We live in our environment-its wellness is bestowed upon us. Humans seem to go after making all the plans for their prosperity that the  the environment gets used for this purpose.

Not much of development is nature centric. The first time I became aware of the value of check dam was in 1969, when I visited Christian Fellowship Hospital, Oddanchatram in Tamil Nadu. Late Dr. A K Tharien showed me an effort of the hospital to replenish ground water by storing the rain water in a masonry dam. The wells in the hospital campus which used to be dry in summer had just enough water during summer following this effort. 

It is mandatory in Tamil Nadu that all newly built houses have water conservation and rain water harvesting. 

A recent commendable initiative by a leading newspaper in the state of Kerala was to spread the message of ‘cover for the earth’ by encouraging people to plant one tree on the World environment day, on 5th of June. 

When we live on what the earth gives us, it is our obligation to give back to the earth, which is our reserve of resources.  

M.C.Mathew(text and photo)

A time for everything!

Every time I find an infant of about nine months, reaching out to a toy and place it in his or her mouth, I am least surprised. It is the natural instinct of babies at that age. But by 18 months, most babies are used to playing with toys and it is less common for them to prefer to mouth toys, although some would still mouth toys when not meaningfully occupied.

There is an justifiable time or season for most things. 

There is a time to work, eat, play, study, sleep etc. in the chronology of the day.

Yesterday, a child, who is seven years of age,  who came to visit me mentioned that it is difficult to get up in the morning on time to go to school and he feels sleepy during class hours. He goes to bed only around 11 pm regularly. 

I frequently hear from parents about tiredness, listlessness, distractibility, who are awake till late in the night. 

Some postpone sleeping to finish work that is pending. 

Most of us go through the day without paying attention to the sleep debt we accumulate by sleeping late. The average time  children need for sleep is eight to ten hours, the younger children needing more time and older children needing less. Most adults too would need around six to seven hours of sleep. 

When this sleep rhythm is not practiced, there is sleep deprivation which is responsible for  declining  in efficiency, alertness and wellness. In fact irresistible micro sleep which falls upon us at inappropriate times such as while driving, performing a surgery, attending a lecture, etc is a sign of sleep deprivation. 

We cannot be well and stay refreshed if we accumulate sleep debt. The week ends are good times to replenish our sleep deprivation and begin the week refreshed.

The rhythm of day and night is given to us; it is necessary to honour that rhythm.   

M.C.Mathew(photo and text)     

Parental attention!

I noticed this Koel resting on the wire netting on the veranda of a passage connecting the two buildings in a hospital. I noticed the bird staying at the place for too long, as if it is watching over something. While returning along the same passage, the bird was still there! That is when I noticed its mate coming in with food between its beaks and flying into a hole on the wall. I could vaguely hear some rustling and chirping sounds suggesting that there were some offsprings in the ‘nest’.

A mother watches over her little one. The avians are mo exception! The humans have a tendency to withdraw from the proximity to the little one after a few weeks of the arrival of the baby in order to return to work. But avians watch over the little ones till the parent birds feel confident about their flying skills. The young birds would leave their parent nest to pair with other birds. This is an interesting phenomena to watch.

As I walked back from this place I pondered over this instinct to care for the little ones. It is not species specific, but universal. However, humans seem to give lesser importance now to it as parenting perspectives have changed in the last thirty years or so.

I feel that many young couple would benefit from parenting counselling. Our children are entrusted to us. Therefore we have a responsibility of stewardship. I hope we would be willing to take a cue from the liberalised child care leave which the government of India currently offers  up to one year.

I believe that what our children need most when they are young is loving attention for their moral formation!

M.C.Mathew(text an photo) 

Making children design their play!

This tree house, in a camp site where adults, families and retreatants come regularly for week ends, took me by  surprise. It  had a non-professional touch, which made me suspect that it might have been made by unskilled workers.

The story of this tree house suggests a prolonged gestational period. 

When a few middle school going children came to the campus along with their parents, they showed an interest to climb trees which prompted the care taker to offer to  make a tree house for them. During the two days they stayed at the campus, they erected the poles and made some scaffolding to support the the base. It took another three batches of students, who came during the next six months to complete this to this shape.

I watched children at the tree house having their picnic lunch and spending time watching birds with their binoculars.It looked bit risky for children to climb the ladder, but they did climb under supervision!

It is fascinating to observe that children can be directed to plan for their play. Often children are impulsive and impromptu when it comes to plan for their leisure time. As they do not always invent creative things, they end up gravitating towards the play station, computer games., TV viewing, etc. It is by default that these patters are formed.

If we are ready with a plan for each evening for their play activity, most children would follow pursuing something creative, original and informative. If we let them loose with no supervision, they would soon find themselves getting addicted to the easy options!

Parents have a responsibility to creatively pursue developing multiple interests in children lest they become stereotypical by following the pattern of the majority of their friends.

A child is a resource; he or she needs an opportunity to express! We owe it to them to create it!

M.C.Mathew (text and photo)   

From instincts to habits!

Daffney who is now 18 moths of age, would closely guard anything when she was younger, especially  toys given to her for play. She would keep them in her mouth and would not let go even if we showed interest to play with her. No amount of chasing her or instructing her would make her change her mind. 

Since we have been on a ‘training’ path with her, she is adorably different in her responses. This picture of her watching over her multicoloured ball was a constant sight then; now she would let us throw the ball to her and she would fetch it to be thrown farther for her to run after it. 

I was wondering how this instinct has changed over the last six months! It all started with all of us including the visitors doing the same set of exercises to train her. She became ready to move away from her instincts to habits.

An instinct is a self driven desire or passion. Anna and I watch every day on our way to the hospital, scores of people waiting outside a bar to open at 8.30 am. It is an instinct for alcohol that drives them every day. 

This instinct is subject to our choice and willingness to change! A senior doctor who was used to having several pegs of alcohol everyday for twenty-five years or so decided to stop his habit of smoking and drinking, when he was in the hospital for an illness, on the suggestion of friends and treating physicians. There was an intense struggle and a transition period of vulnerability! This was a movement from being instinct driven to a new habit formation!

All instincts can be overcome! We need to choose the habits we want to welcome in our lives. A medical student told me that ever since he stopped watching movies every day, he discovered his skills  painting! What is a habit we want to embrace! 

M.C.Mathew(text and photo)