The seventh picture shows the flower on which its one foot was resting and how it got partially separated from the flower stalk, while the bird attempted to fly away. The Sunbird subsequently repositioned itself on an adjacent flower and the last three pictures show how the bird was comfortably perched on the stalk of another flower.
The flower which got separated by the weight of the bird is seen hanging in the last four pictures.
What is even more worth noting is how the flower which was upright drooped with the weight of the bird in the seventh photo.
The sunbird was shifting between a slippery and safety path.
I am not sure if most of us would choose a slippery path knowing that there is a high risk of loss!
In 1981, after the home call of our daughter Anita Susan when Anna and I were fairly sure that we ought to leave my faculty position in Child Health at the Christian Medical College, Vellore, to explore to establish a facility for the care of developmentally challenged children. The first response we received from our well wishers at that time was, 'avoid taking a slippery path'!
So we stayed on at Vellore for a few more months hoping that a door would be opened for us at CMC Vellore to be engaged with children with developmental,ntal needs. When that did not happen, we left to spend a year at the Christian Fellowship Hospital, Oddanchatram to prepare for beginning the charitable trust, ASHIRVAD Christian Concern for Child Care. That was how the Child Development Centre was started at Chennai in November, 1983.
We would enter into the fortieth year of ASHIRVAD in 2023 We have begun to think of turning the current year to prepare ourselves to think of ways of remembering the events and experiences of the forty years in a meaningful way.
It so happens that ASHIRVAD enters into the 25th year of partnership with the Christian Medical College, Vellore this year of starting he first developmental Paediatrics Unit in India in 1997, which saw the beginning of a post doctoral Fellowship training programme for Paediatricians in this specialty and the establishment of a PhD programme. This year is the 35th year of partnership with St Andre's Church, Egmore, Chennai to start the ASHA programme for children with developmental needs in its campus. It is now 30 years since starting the Early Learning Centre at Nagpur. It is also the tenth year since ASHIRVAD collaborated with the MOSC Medical College, Kolenchery to start the services of Developmental Paediatrics.
I confess that Anna and I felt in the first two years at Chennai when the Child Development Centre was in its gestational stage that we were walking a slippery path. We felt overwhelmed by inadequate training and limitation of facilities. The initiative of the Bible Medical Missionary Fellowship to sponsor us to go the Institute of Child Health in London in 1986 for a former training in Child Development and Rehabilitation gave us stability and direction we needed for the future. Subsequently the association with the Institute of Neurology at the Madras Medical College till 1997 consolidated the strength we needed to pursue developing this specialty of Developmental Paediatrics.
The opportunity of associating with the formation of the Evangelical Fellowship of India, being in the governing councils of the Christian Medical Colleges in Ludhiana and Vellore, Christian Medical Association of India, Emmanuel Hospital Association, Asha Kiran Hospital, Lamptaput, Christian Fellowship Hospital Oddanchatram, etc were special opportunities to be in touch with the net work of health care in India.
The Sunbird was seen being on a slippery path! It still found its nectar for its feed.
I wish that some of us who have been journeying on a slippery path would take encouragement in the fact that the slippery path seasonally is normal in the journey of life ! There is sufficient safety even while being on a slippery terrain, because living in such a terrain adds to fortitude and resilience.
I like how the first two verses of Ecclesiastes 11 reads, 'Cast your bread on the surface of the waters, for you will find it after many days. Divide your portion to seven, or even to eight, for you do not know what misfortune may occur on earth'. The fourth verse is even more inspiring;' He who watches the wind will not sow and he who looks at the cloud will not reap'.
It is normal to move from being in a safe setting to spend our life time in a purposeful way keeping he needs of others in our focus! The Sunbird found its nectar, so shall we would find our needs meet!
M.C.Mathew(text and photo)
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