A spectacular sight

I watched milk boiling today in a vessel on slow gas fire. The boiling milk had formed a symmetrical dome of bubbles over the vessel and staying confined to the edge! What a sight!

M.C.Mathew(text and photo)

Full and empty!

Some stem are full of black pepper and few others have just a few! This is the a pattern in a black pepper plant.

This is the dual reality of life.

We live fully in some domains of our lives and live reduced in some other domains.

That is why regular self appraisal of our lives would help us to prepare us for fullness in our lives!

M.C.Mathew(text and photo)

Travelling experience !

Most people are in the upper deck of this boat. For some reason, people prefer to be in the upper deck. The visibility might be better from the upper deck. 

It is also possible that people congregate where there are more people. During a boat ride the guide normally is with the larger group.

There are some who would prefer to stay quiet during a travel to take in what is more than a guide might say or  a young married couple might want to be alone with each other.

What held my attention was the way the guide influenced our thoughts when we were in a boat ride recently.

He talked about the films shot in the different sites along the backwaters, film stars and the houses they own in that area, the business houses, luxury apartments, etc. He guided us to think in  particular way.

The media in India is guiding us to think in  particular way. The print and visual media have turned pro-government and force us to think in one particular way by giving flashes of news which facilitate this purpose.

When truth is distorted, one tends to shout louder to defend distortion lest the truth is found out.

We are travellers. The institution we belong to or our social fabric we are part of do influence our thinking.

But we are truth seekers in this journey of life. Truth often remains scattered and concealed.  Just as  advertisement is not the whole truth about a product, so the is news that we hear is not the whole truth.

Travel through lie to seek truth and live the truth!

M.C.Mathew(text and photo)

Waterbirds in the ploughed field.

The waterbirds flock when fields are ploughed. It would give them a feast  fish, shells, worms etc.

The waterbirds arrive sensing the odour the ploughing of the earth emits into the air. They sense the order even from a long distance.

This heightened sense of odour is their natural ability. It is also their survival instinct.

They dig for their food.

They wait for the ploughing of the field.

This is the phenomenon we often witness in nature. A activity to sow the seed becomes beneficial for the waterbirds to find their food.

When we do one good deed, it has many ripple effects.

The first picture of a bird waiting for the ripples of water to arrive with worms or fish is a telling sight of the ripple effect.

That is why Jesus of Nazareth was known to go about  doing good. One act of good deed produces multiple benefits for others.

M.C.Mathew(text and photo)

Wild and garden flowers!

The difference between the first photo of wild flowers and the orchid in our garden is hardly any. Both are colourful and look elegant.

The first plant grew p on its own in the hedge of our property and the second one grew up where we planted. 

The wild plants are at risk of getting destroyed during de-weeding. It also grows and spreads itself freely. It produces the flowers as it is its nature and would reappear in the same site even after it was removed during the de-weeding. It belongs to the earth and soil protects it even after the shoots and stems are removed.

The garden plant too has a similar story. The exception is that it needed a protected environment to grow. The soil conditions and temperature around are critical. They have their requirements of water and nutrients. They get looked after by the gardener.

I feel that the less advantaged in our society grow up like the wild plant, unprotected and unprovided. They are left to themselves, helpless, but survive because of their inherent resilience.

Yesterday, the story of an infant, stressed under the pressures of circumstances got me thinking even more. This infant was rescued on the third day by a children's home, born to an unwed mother, who abandoned the baby after birth. Now at one year, the infant has enormous neuro-developmental needs and the children's home is at a loss to plan for the adoption.

When I think of the future of this baby, it seems all the odds are against her further development.

The narration we heard from the two social workers who accompanied the baby, alerted us about the struggles they have to find necessary help for the baby because she is a girl and is developmentally challenged.

I wondered whether we were compassionate enough to the social workers in their efforts to be caring and providing for the baby. They carried an emotional heaviness that we could not respond to adequately. I hope they would come back to explore more clarity to plan for the baby!

M.C.Mathew(photo and text)

Cake and coffee !

Anna bakes chocolate cakes and serves at our get-togethers. 

During the recent get-together of foster students, the conversation shifted to cake and coffee. 

It is the burden of getting food ready for get-togethers which is perhaps one reason why the get-togethers are infrequent. 

Although get-togethers are for fellowship and food, I hope the dimension of fellowship would take precedence. 

It is when we meet with others, we become familiar with others. In fact the longing to meet with colleagues, friends, neighbours, visitors, etc. would be the beginning of sense of belonging.

The lonely existence that most of us slip into would make living monotonous.

Finding others and drawing them into the network of support is one way we learn to live relationally. All relationships grow when there is trustful communication in an atmosphere of acceptance.

The meeting times often becomes alcohol times on many occasions. Cake and coffee is legitimately a better option because all conversations would be more realistic, sober and consciously regulated.

M.C.Mathew(text and photo)

A game with a message!

Thomas and Samuel demonstrated this game of creating bubbles from soap solution during the foster get-together.

Every time the bubble burst they went on to create another one.

Bubbles are transient, but one can make it bigger by skilfully blowing into it.

It invited more to participate and demonstrate the skilful way of creating bubbles.

They did not give up. They put in their efforts even more enthusiastically when it appeared difficult.

They demonstrated perseverance and creative exploration.

It is a message- efforts would bear fruits.

M.C.Mathew(text and photo)

A fallen tree!

A fallen tree gets cut into pieces for using its timber for furniture and the rest of it for wood fire.

The tree which remained a home for birds and squirrels and provided shelter and bloomed seasonally is no more in its site.

Its presence and years of history gets forgotten after it is used up.

It came to my consciousness that if all the trees before they are felled or trimmed can be photographed,  their memories can be recollected. To have all the photographs of the garden with the past and present plants and trees is one way of remembering them and giving importance to them as valuable part of the environment. 

I shall do that from now on! 

M.C.Mathew (text and photo)

Early Signs of surviving Spittle Bug !

After three weeks of attention to 'send away' the Spittle bugs to to other plants without using insecticides, we have leaves, buds and flowers free of them! Washing the plants with hose pipe has done the trick!

For over a month the leaves, buds and flowers were under attack as in the photo below!

A learning lesson to protect the plants from the invaders without destroying the invaders!

M.C.Mathew (text and photo)

Garden visitors!

Birds, squirrels and cats are regular visitors to our garden.

The squirrels are fond of fruits that they can chew. The birds pick on fruits that are fleshy. The cats are scavengers  in the backyard. 

It is a habit of the squirrels to bite on all the about to ripen fruits in a tree so that they can claim it for themselves. This first claim they make entitles them to have the fruits for themselves. I have watched squirrels chasing the barbets away.

Most people who are possessive of the fruits in their garden would use transparent plastic pouches to cover the raw fruits to keep the fruits for themselves. If that is not done we would get only partially eaten fruits.

This is a dilemma. We do not gather papaya fruits from one of the three trees in our garden to allow squirrels and birds to feed on them. But it does not seem to help because they have no respect for our needs.

This is the difference between humans and avians. Humans can train themselves to become mindful of others but avians are conditioned to live in fear because of which they develop a self preserving instinct.

What a sad state of affairs when humans behave in a self preserving way!

I listen to the political leaders sometimes on TV shows. The present political party whose government is at New Delhi seems to think that the majority they have in the parliament gives them the right to do most things that suit their ideology. The latest in their economic policy is to sell the profit making government owned public undertakings to the private sector! They are indebted to the private sector because it is the donations which come to the party from the private sector which sustains them. This political party has used to their benefit the weakness of the opposition parties to create an alternative narrative of governance. 

The instinct of grabbing with no respect for others is not a human behaviour. It comes from elsewhere.

When I watch the intense lobbying that is going on in Britain on account of Brexit and the impeachment inquiry in the USA against the president, what is evident is the pursuit of self preservation by dominating others.

The human calling is for self giving with utmost regards for others. Others are not our enemies but neighbours!

M.C.Mathew(text and photo)

A meadow with one cow!

It was after three weeks that I took a walk after sunrise today. I was restricted because of keratitis in my eyes.

I sighted some birds. What was special was sighting this cow in the meadow beside a stream. I was fascinated by the large white mark on its face. While I was photographing the cow, a passerby said that 'it is a special cow which gives about ten litres of milk a day. Not many cows have a prominent white mark  on its face'. As he kept talking about cows, I realised how the cattle farming has suffered a big loss in rural areas due to lack of open space.  There are industrial or residential complexes competing for land space in the rural areas, which denies cattle to have open space for grazing. 

So from cattle farming, the rural community has moved to have dairy farms and sell the milk in the co-operative societies which are located in the rural areas. Some people have cows or buffalos in a stable adjacent to their house, not more than five in number usually. Some people jointly hold large stables for fifty or so animals. 

What came home to me as I listened to the story of this elderly person from his experience with cattle farming for thirty years, is his utter disappointment with the cattle feed industry which escalated the cost of the feed and reduced the quality of the feed. The government who offers financial subsidy to these industries do not seem to bother about the cost or quality of the feed. He recalled how the poor quality of cattle feed reduced the milk production because of which some follow the illegal practice of administering hormone injection before milking the animal to get more milk. 

Every story pertaining to  rural life has many twists and turns. 

Watching this single cow instead of a herd of them in the meadow told me a lot about the fast changing scene in rural areas!

No wonder rural distress is a crisis situation. I wonder if it receives the due attention it deserves! 

M.C.Mathew(M.C.Mathew)

Flowers !

The first picture is a flower and buds with some leaves on their stem and the latter two flowers have only remnant of the leaves. The caterpillars eat the leaves first and then go on to eat the flowers.

During the last few weeks, my 'Project Monsoon' involved rescuing the flowers before they are consumed by the caterpillars. I rarely have succeeded the getting the flowers with the leaves. 

The flowers in a vase do not look fresh or stay fresh as they already suffered form the invasion of the caterpillars.

It is a competitive world where contrasting interests come to play. For the caterpillar it is quest to complete its life cycle. For me, my dream for rose plants is to blossom with flowers. As of now, both interests are compromised. Neither caterpillars get the flowers nor do I get the flowers fresh! 

This is a theme worth looking at! 

The government of India is pursuing a citizen's registry in the North Eastern States after it was done in Assam. Of course many foreigners would be identified. But most of them are naturalised at par with native citizens over the years. Now after twenty, thirty or forty years or more, we unsettle them and make them unauthorised migrants. This is partisan view of things because most of the naturalised residents are from minority communities. So those from the minority communities feel threatened and targeted!

The government of India unsettles the naturalised citizens and the create another category of people who have no nationhood. They would not be welcome in their parent country after several decades. They are not welcome in India either. The contrast is between government's intent and yet another threatened displacement of people. 

Who should be generous here! To me it should be the government of India. India invaded East Pakistan and created Bangla Desh. People from East Pakistan migrated during the war across the borders. Since then, India and Pakistan are bitter enemies. There was a freedom movement led by late Mujib Rehman in East Pakistan to become independent of Pakistan and India supported it. Now we oppose those who migrated! That is where there is a dichotomy. 

It is India's interference in East Pakistan which created the migration of a few millions to India. Now years later, we are about to disinherit them! 

Caterpillars and I have contrasting interests. But now we seem to have reached a compromise. They can have the leaves and I will have the flowers.

I wish government of India too would come to a position of compromise! Humanity transcends nationality and religion! I wish the government India would come settle for a humane response!

My Project Monsoon is succeeding. Th caterpillars have spared this bush of rose. Since the respite from monsoon they have moved on to other leaves! So they do not need the rose plant.

People migrate for better prospects. Should not India be a friendly neighbour sharing its resources with less advantaged countries in our neighbourhood!


M.C.Mathew ( text and photo)

Folded petals!

I find the flowers battered by rain in our garden.

The earliest sign of impending damage to a flower is the appearance of folding of petals.

Since I noticed flowers loosen gather petals in a day or so which otherwise would last for five or more days, I have gathered the flowers to keep them in vases. As usual flowers last five or more days fresh.

Yesterday during a conversation with a senior colleague at work, I discovered that there are some symptoms of weariness that some fo us have accumulated recently due to some changes in the staffing!

This week is the fifth week in succession when the full compliment of staff has not been present to engage our daily rhythm! 

When I take leave, it does inconvenience others. If I take leave others have to do extra work. I became aware of this even more while looking at the stress the rose petals suffer from,  due to continuous rain! 

I felt that my colleagues have stretched themselves leading to some of them going home late. 

I felt compelled to reflect on this! It is all about paying attention to life and living! When that is looked after there is a new energy level! 

Flowers thrive when protected. 

I realised that I have a responsibility to protect my colleagues! I am only sorry that it dawned on me only now!

M.C.Mathew(text and photo)

Two new projection facility !

We have wall mounted LCD projector in the common room and and a LCD Television screen in the conference cum Library room. It woeful make a huge difference to our academic sessions form now on. We would have now a better view of eh videos of children we review during our clinical discussions. 

The wall mounted LCD projector was given by the institution and the TV screen was a contribution from Anna. 

The way we got this as surprise gifts at a time we longed to have better projection facility brought much encouragement to us at a time, when we are faced with the stress of a colleague leaving us and two others getting ready to leave us following their marriage.  

We are grateful to Dr Diwakar, the Dean and Anna for their generous gifts!

M.C.Mathew(text and photo)

In between rain !

During the last three days, when it was raining almost continuously, I looked for the short spells to walk into the garden. 

All around our cottage has been silent without any bird calls as the birds woeful have moved on to safer shelters to protect themselves from rain.

To find this tree pie having a sunbath during the short spell of respite from rain, was a refreshing sight! 

This bird was an 'Outlier' different from other birds. This bird moved out of its safe hiding to sunlight even when it was threatening to rain. Some birders say that birds have a premonition of the impending weather condition. They sense rain, storm and cyclone and move away to safe place well ahead of time. 

So if we see birds back it is a good sign of better weather.

But in ten minutes after I spotted this bird, the weather became cloudy and a drizzle and begun. 

The in between times are valuable times just as it was for this bird to dry its wet feather coat in sunshine!

I have a growing consciousness to protect the in between time from becoming just a  'waiting time', but make it as an 'occupied time' ! 

I find using the in between times to reflect over what is over and orient towards what is to come. I find this a valuable exercise to increase the sense of presence without distractions or 'hang over' of what is over.

The inner rhythm of recollection and reflection is a redeeming activity to grow in becoming fully present!

M.C.Mathew (text and photo)

50th Hospital day, 2019

There are many sports, games and cultural  events taking place in connection with the golden jubilee hospital day on 15th September, 2019 at MOSC Medical college Hospital.

I went to watch the 'step climbing' event which gave me a fright as I saw people ascend and descend steps in great speed.

I found watching the badminton games sobering. I marvelled at the kinaesthetic and artistic skills the players displayed. It was a display of high calibre of skills of the players. Well done!

It was an occasion many people whom I do not meet otherwise.

M.C.Mathew(text and photo) 

A spider

My camera accidentally captured this spider and its web at a distance, while I was focussing with the telephoto lens to sight a bird.

Even after a heavy down pour the web and the spider survived.

There are some awe inspiring secrets in nature!

M.C.Mathew (text and photo)

Still and restful!

I watched this dragon fly resting on a slender leaf, from which a drop of water was hanging! During the fifteen minutes I observed this curious sight, the water drop was still hanging from the tip of the leaf. 

For a drop of water to fall, very little movement was enough. But the dragon fly was still! 

It is the habit of dragon flies to stay still on the surfaces they rest for a long time. Its habit of stillness is its second nature. 

The bodily behaviour of stillness is the way to move into the stillness of mind, which is often referred to as meditation. 

The habit of stillness is a virtue, which enables one to live with a sense of presence and attentiveness. The interior silence springs form the habit of stillness of body and mind.

M.C.Mathew(text and photo)

A hanging leaf !

I watched this leaf hanging from its stem today, as it was rotating in clockwise and anticlockwise directions in the wind.  When it turned it revealed more than what was evident from watching just one surface of the leaf. But for the breeze I would not have noticed the leaf. It was the sight of the dancing movement that captured my attention. At first sight, it was just a leaf. But these three photographs reveal that a leaf too can have different visual effect. 

The first impression is only a preliminary impression of what we hear, see or think. That is often superficial and limited. The first impression can only be tentative or subjective. And it does not represent the whole.

How does one get used to exploring the whole before we form our opinions! 

I have been sued to reading four newspapers most days of the week for several years now. Often the editorials in the newspapers discuss important current events in the society. The editorials often give a flair of many shades of opinion on the topic under discussion. Sometimes another newspaper might discuss even more giving further insights. 

The current information about the daily happenings in Jammu and Kashmir after the state has been bifurcated and article 370 dismantled, is one sided. The media and the government seem to suggest that people live normally. But stray reports from various sources give us a contrary picture.  

People have a fascination to think and promote one sided version fo a story. 

To me this leaf, suspended in the air, gave me an opportunity to appreciate the wisdom in being open to look for truth beyond what I am already aware of!

M.C.Mathew(text and photo)

Hedge plant !

This linear row of hedge pants at the one border of our garden come to life  during the post monsoon season with brilliant flowers that last for days. 

They are small but stand out because of their bright colours. 

What is at the edge is often considered to be an 'outlier', not so important. 

But there might be some distinct features about the outlier too. 

For six months or so these plants are with our flowers. During the rest of the year, they are at their best.  

What strikes me about this plant is that one can multiply them by planting its stem. It sprouts quickly and flowers thereafter. When broken from its original stem it does not die devoid of nutrition. But it comes to life, finding its nutrition from the earth when planted in a new place. 

It does not suffer when displaced from its source. When displaced it gives new life.

I met with a family yesterday who had to vacate their home due to flooding and during their stay in a shelter camp for a week, they seemed to find some friends whose kindness moved them. They came empty handed to the shelter home and were provided by couple of other families with all what they needed during that grieving time. Two families who came to visit them too lavishly showed acts of kindness. 

Listening to this gave me a sense of the 'fruit' of displacement- new friendships and orbit of relationships.

We suffer from disappointments and difficulties. I was trapped in one such experience yesterday. I struggled a lot with a fear within me over the sudden change in the circumstances related to a particular offer of help I had made. As I kept pondering over this, the renewed life this hedge plants find when broken and placed in the soil, came to me as a comfort. It overcomes the stress of change from its usual place and brings new life by sprouting from the soil.

A new circumstance is for growth. A new challenge is for revival of hope and trust in the resources within. It might be the beginning of something better than the former! 

M.C.Mathew (text and photo)