An ambassador to the Youth !

Let me continue recollecting my thoughts about Mr L. T. Jeyachandran, whose recent heath concerns alerted me to share memories and experiences of the time he spent at Nagpur in the late sixties. It was Mr T.V. Thomas a student of S.F.S College, who first spoke to me about Jeya and invited me to come for a Bible study that he conducted for students after the Sunday morning service of the All Saints Church. I was hesitant to go although I was a church goer, but not regularly. T.V. introduced me to Jeya during the tea time after the church service. 

My first impression about Jeya was his spontaneity and cordiality,  with an interest to converse!  His surprise to see a native of Kerala state studying medicine in Maharashtra led him to share about his own background. He after his engineering course went on to do his masters in civil engineering, wanting to be a teacher in an engineering college. He shared about  his natural flair for teaching and befriending students. But he was equally interested to explore working in different parts of India because he was fascinated by people of different languages and culture.  In that half an hour of conversation before the Bible study, he came across to me as a charming and charismatic communicator with a versatile view of life and work. So I felt drawn to listen to his Bible study. 

His theme was the vision of Isaiah based on the 6th chapter of the book of Isaiah in the Old Testament of the Bible. He engaged a group of thirty five students for forty minutes sharing insights by connecting and associating with people and events from the Old Testament and New Testament books. He would read out verses. He also quoted Bible verses verbatim from his memory.  His sense of humour, some of which was pointed  on him made the listening easier and inspiring. His anecdotes and stories blended well with the theme that he was pursuing: "Whom shall I send? And who will go for us. Here am I send me"? (Isaiah 6:8). For me, it was all new to hear that God calls and humans can respond! 

Following the formal meeting a few of us stayed back to have conversations with Jeya. As it was lunch time he invited us for a Dosa meal at the Liberty restaurant opposite the All Saints Church. The conversation centred on how Jeya happened to 'know God's call' in his life. I forget the details of the conversation. He deliberately chose to appear for the Indian Engineering Service selection in order to work in different places in India as the job would offer transfers once in three to five years. His reason for this was his interest in staying in touch with young people, mainly college students. 

The nineteen sixties in India was a season of opportunities for students for college education. Many more professional colleges had come up after independence to offer training in Engineering, Medicine, and Business studies. It was also the time when the spill over of the hippie culture from the west was trickling into college life. Jeya being aware of the snare of a permissive life style, was keen to be a restraint by being actively in touch with students. For him the person and the message of Jesus of Nazareth was that counterculture that he felt  he was 'called to echo' to the student community. This long conversation was all about a vision that Jeya decided to pursue in his life. 

I went back cycling to the medical college after this conversation, pondering over what I heard. The persona of Jeya was appealing and his courteous and thoughtful manners touched me deeply. It initiated me to read the Bible to become familiar with the person and teachings of Jesus. I started with the gospel of St. John. 

By the middle of the week, I felt that more conversation was needed to follow on the theme of seeking after God to know the call. That was when Jeya came to the medical college hotel to visit one evening, which gave an unhurried time to get a sene of believing and following God. The sense of nearness that Jeya experienced in his relationship with God was evident and effusive. 

I got to know that almost every evening he had young people visiting him in his room to have personal conversations. 

During the next summer vacation when I came to my home for holidays, I was in a state of suspense about knowing God and following Him. A new building was coming up in the village opposite the school where I studied. I was told that it was for a new post office. I happened to meet two people speaking to each other about the good qualities of the executive engineer who was supervising the construction. They mentioned Jeyachandran in the conversation. I wondered whether it was Jeya of Nagpur I knew. It was so. They described this engineer as 'upright, efficient, and helpful'. That testimony about Jeya was another inspiration to  know more about the God about whom he often testified. 

I was only one among at least fifteen students who were similarly seeking to find this God what Jeya spoke about in his talks and conversations. 

Jeya was a good story teller as he was widely read. He would refer to biographies of people that had an inspirational appeal to young people. One anecdote that he mentioned once was from the life of C.T. Studd, a cricketer of repute in Britain, who later became a missionary to China. While he was in correspondence with his girl friend, whom he was considering to marry, C T Studd wrote that she ought to repeat to herself daily that 'She loved God dearer than Charlie'! Jeya was not yet married. But hearing this from him offered an insight about the expectations that he had about the person that he would marry.

There was warmth and gentleness in the way he associated with the student friends. He was clothed in humility and honesty! 

I feel grateful to have had an exposure to such a way of living in my mid twenties. 

M.C.Mathew (text and photo)

Living in the present !

I kept watching the Mynah feeding delightfully at the feeding station in our garden, looking towards the camera in between. The clouds gathered and threatened to rain, which made the bird fly away to find its shelter. 

It became a symbolic experience to recollect how events can occur at least expected times to change our circumstances and comfort level. I had such an experience recently, which was sandwiched between delightful experiences. 

That is the pattern of the mosaic of life, living and learning!

I write while watching the wind and rain that followed the cloudy sky which is in the photo above. It subsumed the sunshine and nature's dance in the gentle cool breeze of the morning. This made me think that we live each day surrounded by a mixture of experiences. 

How important it is to live remembering the joyful and fulfilling experiences of each day, remembering that they refresh us and enliven us. 

It was while watching the photos of the sequence of feeding of the Mynah above, I sensed its delight and fullness of presence to make that occasion good enough! Its delight was in being present to the present. 

When the rain receded and the sun reappeared in the sky, three Mynahs arrived at the feeding station. That brought the celebrative mood of the avians into focus! The Bulbuls too arrived to be present to each other!

Oh, yes, the Mynahs and Bulbuls remind me of living in the present, which is real and experiential!

M.C.Mathew (text and photo)

Living the Calling-1

 

I recall the first meeting with Mr L. T. Jeyachandran of Indian Engineering service, after he led a Bible study for students on a Sunday morning at the Christa Mahila Sadan, in the All Saints Church campus, Nagpur in 1969. His warm handshake after the Bible study with a radiant smile on his face expressed a language of thoughtfulness, kindness and friendliness. It was during those Sunday Bible study, week after week and prayer meetings on Saturday evenings at the same place, I felt awakened to consider that being a medical student has a larger purpose than just training to be a doctor for a career path. I heard from him for the first time, phrases like, call of God, following Jesus, living for a purpose,  serving as a vocation and living an integrated life. 

On one occasion a few weeks after the first meeting with Jeya, I went to a pen shop to get a fountain pen, located at Sadar, only a walking distance away from the Christa Mahal Sadan. It was before the prayer meeting on a Saturday evening. I was in a hurry to get to the meeting. The shop keeper happened to share with me an experience of his brother, who was an engineer. His brother came across a senior engineer in his department, who was polite, thoughtful, caring and not corrupt. He told me that he came to All Saints Church on Sundays. He wondered if I knew him! 

The way Jeya was known and regarded, brought yet another impression about Jeya as a person with a mission in his life. 

A few weeks later, when he came to visit some of us at the Medical college hostel, cycling 10 kilometres from Dharampeth where he lived,  confirmed that he had a mission to befriend younger people in order to encourage and lead them to discover their purpose in life.   He, through sharing his personal experiences of his student life brought a new dimension of finding a purpose to life. That was how I got introduced to read the Scripture and consider the teachings of Jesus of Nazareth! 

Jeya lived a simple life, occupying a small apartment in a middle class colony. He was a bachelor at that time. He ate from a hotel close by to his flat, where he would take anyone who visited him in the evening for a meal and conversation. 

In those early days of contact with him, what inspired me was his ability to quote verses from the Bible appropriately and use the verses to bring inspiration and encouragement. He would quote verses from the Bible during prayer which made prayer time  a communion experience in God's presence. He conveyed to the students a message of a loving God in whom we can trust to feel guided and enabled. That was how he led some of us towards coming to a personal faith and to grow in the consciousness of God's abiding presence. 

I chose the photo of a rose bush in this blogpost because, the first Bible study that I attended, which he was leading was based on the gospel of John in the New Testament of the Bible, chapter 15. The verse he emphasised and expounded on was: "I am the vine and you are the branches; he who abides in me, and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me, you can do nothing"(v 5). His message was a loving invitation to welcome God's abiding presence in our lives. Beyond his gift of language, communication skills and ability to quote from his wide reading, what was explicit was the love and concern with which he addressed his listeners. His spoken language was bathed in love resonating gracefully in the listener's ears. 

His familiarity with the Bible left a deep impression within me. Seeing him live the message of the Bible in his personal life and in relationships, brought an inspiration for me to want to read the Scripture. I recall that as a good start in my  early twenties, when I was indulging in communist ideology by attending their cell group meetings.  

The several conversations with Jeya, some of which initiated me to consider studying medicine for a purpose of service were life changing. I felt pushed in to studying medicine by my parents and I carried a resentment towards my parents till I completed the preclinical studies. I had a dream to be a teacher like my parents. I also had an inkling to be a writer, but I did not have adequate literary skills to do that. My skills in English were most elementary. 

It was through conversations with Jeya, I felt gradually introduced to consider practice of medicine as a 'calling' to care for people at their vulnerable time of need. That 'education' I received through the conversations led me from an unsettlement to studying the medical subjects with greater attention and diligence. I felt surprised how my academic grade improved when learning became a 'calling'! 

Jeya was frequently invited to speak at meetings both at Nagpur and other places. He had a special ability to connect with younger people. He used his skills in music and singing, playing piano and well informed social and political world view, to engage young people into an apologetic conversations. It was awe inspiring to listen to Jeya when he touched upon matters related to life style. The western habits of indulgent life style following the hippie cultural impact, were creeping into student lives. He lifted our thoughts to a higher level of pursuit from merely seeking after pleasure, which he often well illustrated from the wisdom literature from the book of Ecclesiastes in the Bible.  

It was while he was at Nagpur he got married to Esther and some of us were able to attend the wedding at Sagar. To see Jeya move on in life was a delight to watch because he had a found a companion in life who shared his wave length in calling and life style. 

The second opportunity to have more close contact with Jeya was when he was located at Chennai in the mid nineteen eighties after retirement, to pursue the apologetic approach to engage young people in personal spirituality. His teaching sessions and conversations carried wisdom and depth that he became a sought after speaker nationally and overseas. Anna and I lived in Chennai at that time engaged in the activities of ASHIRVAD Child Development Centre.

Anna and I were disturbed to hear last week that Jeya needs medical attention for an illness. We carry Jeya and Esther in our thoughts.

I have many more memories of conversation with Jeya. I thought I would begin with the initial season of contact with him in this post. 

Looking back, I recall that Jeya became a pathfinder, introducing me to pursue a purpose of service in the practice of medicine. Jeya lived his calling as a reminder to many to 'abide in God' ! 

M.C.Mathew(text and photo)

 

We become ourselves through others!

The flowers in our garden have a drenched look due to regular rainy days in the last two weeks. They lack the brilliance and radiance of the winter days. A 'washed out look' was what one child of eight years  described it, during his visit to the  garden! The flowers are 'drained' of their  usual colour and vigour in the rain. 

I faced such a 'low spirit' within me on account of a demanding situation last week. To be vulnerable is a normal experience. But it is possible to remain inwardly alive amidst the stress of a difficult situations. 

I got in touch with people three times more than what I normally do on a Sunday with messages and a photo of a flower from our garden. I had responses appreciating the message and flower! That brought an inward aliveness and took away the heaviness that was lingering upon my soul.  

I experienced something of Ubuntu, which Archbishop Desmond Tutu popularised through his talks and writings, which when translated from a tribal language in Africa is, "I am because we are ".

Each of us becomes more or beyond of ourselves when we meaningfully relate to others around us. 

Jesus of Nazareth calling out for Zaccheus who was on a tree to see Jesus of Nazareth, came down when called by Jesus. Moved by the kind attention Jesus offered him as against others who would not create space for him to Jesus, because of which he had to climb a tree, made confession to give half of his possessions to the poor and repay any one fourfold whom he defrauded! It was because of Jesus, Zacchaeus became a whole person, freed from his acquisitive and possessive journey to be wealthy! (Luke 19: 1-19).

We are surrounded by 'neighbours' who have the ability to upbuild our lives in gentle and affirming ways. It is when we feel vulnerable or drained within, we ought to be reaching out to turn our vulnerability  into a gainful and redeeming experience. It is others who can carry us forward when we feel fallen or disheartened! It is the alert mother with outstretched hands, who waits to receive the falling infant while attempting to walk! That reassures the infant to be wanting to walk! 

We become who we can be through others! No wonder Jesus quoted the second commandment, 'Love your neighbour as yourself'! Often it is others who become our path finders when waylaid by difficult situations! 

I feel enthused by the thought that even the drenched flowers looking dull, carry a message of enlivenment !

M.C.Mathew(text and photo)

A symbol of hope!

I send this flower bunch from our garden, to all students who are affected by the recurrent question papers leak in the NEET examination, which affected the prospects of some students to be chosen for medical studies! 

Anna and I feel with you and as you congregate in New Delhi and other capital cities in India to make your grief known to those in authority. 

As there is a bud in the flower bunch above, which is a symbol of hope  we too live in hope wishing you better days ahead of  you!

M.C.Mathew (text and photo)

Towards peace for all !

As these flowers greeted me today at daybreak, I was occupied with thoughts on people enduring hardships on account of war in Iran, Middle East, Lebanon, and Ukraine. People endure loss, grief and despair! 

These flowers reminded me of the human calling to bring light, truth, wellness and hope to all around us. 

All that we, as ordinary pilgrims on earth, is left with, is to pray for wisdom for the rulers of the nations and live in hope that justice and peace would come to pass soon! 

M.C.Mathew(text and photo)

Movement and behaviour !

I had an opportunity last week to watch the bird movements and behaviour on a cloudy morning in our garden and at the feeding station.

The four Mynah birds from being together dispersed to perch in different branches in the nutmeg tree adjacent to the feeding station. One Mynah gravitated towards the feeding station followed by another. Finally only one was left waiting at the feeding station. Its soft bird call was just audible from our door steps. 

I have had an experience of being closely associated with a decision making process on an important issue during the last week end.  The group involved in the decision making process chose a particular path that gave me an impression that the group was swayed by the strong opinion of one or two people. 

That became an example of the effect of an imposing opinion on evolving a collective decision. This reminded me of the confirmation bias in collective decision making process- a tendency to "to search for, interpret, favour, and recall information in a way that aligns with your pre-existing beliefs or opinions. It is an unconscious mental short cut where people unconsciously prioritise supporting evidence while ignoring or discrediting facts that contradict their views". (Encyclopaedia Britannica). This gets expressed as biased search, biased interpretation, and biased memory. 

In every day life, I having watched a left handed creative person, might propose that left handed people are more creative ignoring the fact that there are many right handed people who are equally or more creative. I remember exploring this bias once in a class of hundred medical students. Among the five in that group who were habitual left handers, none was into drawing or paper craft or design or sculpturing, although five out of nine(55.56%) had advanced musical skills. Out of the remaining who were regular right handers, forty percent had creative skills and thirty two percent had musical skills. This one exercise helped me to believe in the possibility of confirmation bias that shifts decisions towards one side when presented by those who dominate with a strong opinion. The possibility of confirmation bias is concealed by favouring a particular decision. 

Having experienced something similar to the confirmation bias in a decision making process at the week end, I recalled the behaviour of the Mynah birds above. Only two out of the four came to the feeding station. The other two decided to continue the morning flight ritual. How unreasonable it would be for me to infer that the two birds who did not visit the feeding station were not hungry! They might had other justifiable reasons to fly away. They night not have been hungry or hungry but wanting to find food elsewhere ! 

We can make our opinions stronger to make them appealing and to appear to be logical, although they are not fully factual!  Having experienced such a situation, where bias had an influence, I wondered how much I stay open minded in my conversations and decision making process in a group setting! 

One incident of decision making process recorded in the gospel of John,  chapter 8, verses 1-11, where Jesus of Nazareth transcended a confirmation bias came to my mind. Jesus was in the temple in the morning teaching those who came to him. The scribes and Pharisees brought a woman caught in adultery, asking Jesus, "Now in the Law,  Moses commanded us to stone such woman, what then you say"? Jesus having stooped down and written on the ground with his fingers, straightened up and said to them: "He who is without sin among you, let him be the first to throw a stone at her". Having said this Jesus stooped down to write on the ground. Having heard this people left once by one till Jesus and the woman were left alone. Jesus turned to the woman and said, "Neither do I condemn you, go your way. From now on sin no more".

Jesus opened the minds of the scribes and pharisees to have a closer inward look at their lives and recall their sinfulness. Till Jesus turned their attention to themselves, the scribes and Pharisees were influenced by the confirmation bias. They saw the 'speck in the other's eyes and did not notice the log in their eyes'. 

What intrigued me was the silence Jesus practiced by writing on the ground, before Jesus pronounced His verdict and after that. That was the silence of discernment. Jesus moved away from the turbulence of accusation to the heart of His mission- forgiveness and compassion. He transcended beyond the confirmation bias of the people around. At the temple apart from the scribes and Pharisees, there were many people coming to Jesus to listen to Him. They too were at the risk of being influenced by the law of Moses, the scribes and pharisees quoted to condemn and stone a woman for adultery. Jesus brought His mission of compassion, forgiveness and healing to become the inner ambience of all decision making processes !

I like the way, how Jesus was quoted in John's gospel in 8:31, 32: "If you abide in my word, then you are truly disciples of Mine and you shall know the truth and truth shall make you free".

To be forbearing and enduring in all situations, even when a confirmation bias overtakes decision making, and to grow in compassionate and forgiving attitude is the journey path towards becoming truthful and seeking after the truth ! Abiding in God is the path for becoming truthful. The week-end experience brought an inner  journey experience of insight and consolation, where, 'let go' and 'let be' can become soulful way of living!

I recall this with confession and gratitude, because, each day offers a readiness journey to remain relational mindfully of others in a gracious and appreciative way! 

M.C.Mathew(text and photo)