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)
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