Fr Prashant Palackapillil retired from Sacred Heart College, Thevara, Ernakulum after years of leading that college to its present level of being an autonomous college with many distinctions in its profile. It is a college of reputation where students find their lives touched to live for a vocation. A professor of sociology, trained at Tata School of Sociology, Mumbai Fr Prashant excelled as a teacher, mentor, leader, and an innovator. He was known for his skills of making the college life a memorable experience for the faculty and students.
While all of those many features of Fr Prashant will be remembered, his farewell journey from the college to his residence in a hired cycle rickshaw would make history. He used to cycle to the college every day. Therefore it was an elevation from that status to have been sent off from the college in a manually pedalled rickshaw. The staff and students gifted him with a cycle for him to continue his chosen practice of mobility on retirement.
Only some people will remain distinguished even after they leave the positions of power and leadership which they held. Fr Prashant will remain in that category. I will look for an opportunity to interview him because his gesture to be taken back to his residence in a hired rickshaw reveals his mind set, rootedness and outlook to living with a purpose in life. I wish I would have an opportunity to interview this rickshaw owner too, because he too would have an opinion about his experience.
I remember relinquishing some positions of responsibilities during the last fifteen years. Every time that happened, it led me to another chapter in my life. Leaving a responsibility created freedom from the confines of that responsibility and a chair that bound or conditioned my behaviour. Sometimes others made me feel that it was a move from a position to an emptiness!
But seeing Fr Prashant take a ride home in a rickshaw make me feel that he left a position to embrace a world of realities where people struggle to live!
The ascendency to a position often makes people to aspire for a higher position because of which, the longing to climb the ladder drives some to be manipulative.
The last act of Jesus before His crucifixion was washing the feet of His disciples. It was a sacramental act because it was in the context of the last supper. Jesus left from the midst of His disciples after a season of active presence and leading. Jesus offered Himself to be arrested when Judas betrayed Him. The trial, and crucifixion and the resurrection followed the surrender of Jesus with no resistance.
When Fr Prashant allowed a rickshaw rider to take him to his residence, he was allowing himself to be in this noble tradition of His Master, who having served took leave of those whom he served, expressing symbolically the weakness and helplessness associated with it.
This to me is the pilgrim journey in life. It is from a position of power, visibility, authority and leadership we might be called to trying times to be tested to sense the authentic desire in life! If our vocation is to be a neighbour to others as in the Good Samaritan story, then we can do it from a hidden position! Loss of a position is a gain to live with more freedom and resolve to serve. It is those who practiced leading as serving, who would find this transition easy to adjust to.
To live with an inner vocation of serving quietly with the 'left hand not knowing what the right hand is doing' is the gospel tradition!
I ponder over this once again!
M.C.Mathew(text) Photo from the Times of India, Ernakulum edition, 1 May, 2021)
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