Fishing

Customarily, this year too the monsoon saw the trolling ban. Fishing in motorised boat is controlled, to protect the fish environment and also for the safety of fisher folks.

Pictures of the Boats that are moored at the "KADAVU" of Vallarpadam.

PS: Kadavu(Malayalam) = Jetty

Vasco Da Gamma

Last month we celebrated the 525th anniversary of the arrival of Vasco Da Gamma. Without the Portuguese influence, there would not have been the Church at Vallarpadam and also many other churches in and around Kochi.

It make one wonder why Portuguese had such a strong faith in Mother Mary.  They had built a church and honored the faith and celebrated their resort in Mary in all the lands they have shored. 

It was one heck of a sailing which Vasco Da Gamma in his ship Sao Gabriel undertook along with the fleet he lead to reach India. The turks  have blocked the other route to India, and the Europeans were desperate to find another sea route to the East for trade. That is why he took the risk upon the command of his King John II of Portugal to find the spice route. 

To sail around of Cape of Good Hope at the southern tip of Africa was a nightmare. Only the severest of faith can help a man from despair and destruction. Such was the bad weather in the channel of Mozambique. It was the faith of Vasco Da Gamma and the other sailors and their resort to Mother Mary which helped them survive the ordeal and let them sail through the coasts of Mozambique, Mambosa and Milindi, from there all the way across the ocean to Calicut favoured by the current and the Monsoon. 

On May 28th, 1498, Vasco Da Gamma, stood in front of Zamudiri (Zamorin) not as a conqueror but with all the humility of a trader asking permission to trade in the King Zamorin's land. 

Rest is history.

The rains

The monsoon is here. Rains after a long summer. Whole day rains. 

Church was still crowded this morning. I enjoyed walking up my 15 minutes to the church holding an umberella, walking along the road with rain water flowing and ofcourse fresh dog shit :) . Rains can be messy. 

Picture from the church, the tiled building is our old school. 

Every body has to be ready for the monsoon, umberella, rubber slippers et al..

Lamps of life

I have been desperately trying to clear some exams for  a license which would give me more opportunity to work on history and in tourism. Ever since the program was announced by the authorities in February, I have kept aside everything and kept working for it. Unfortunately, the program has not moved much from the application stage. The authorities have extended the last date for application thrice. The lack of backup plan to survive has devastated me.

Often, the pressure of the situation blew me away. Most of the time making me even forget how to pray. During such timea, it takes a lot of effort to find comfort through spirituality as everything seems lost. Difficult indeed, but for ordinary folks like me, what else is the way to stay alive. Sooner or later comes back to my God.

Deliberately trying to stick to the ritual of lighting a lamp at dawn and at dusk is one of the ways, that ensure I offer my day and thought to God without fail. Lighting lamp has a big significance in our Hindu Tradition. In old testament, the way the arc of the covenant should be respected with light and lamps are detailed very clearly.

Personally, when we light a lamp we are offering to God all our emotions of the day, anxieties, joys and everything we have in flames to the Divine Creator, who is light himself. It gives me joy to contemplate on how Meenkashi Amma lighted lamps at the altar of Lady of Ransom centuries ago. She sure would have lighted a lot of lamps everyday.

May the light in our lives, burn brighter.

Our prayers are with all those who lost lives in Oklahoma twister and through other natural calamities all over the world.

Kindness and Mercy

When we offer our days and troubles at home and in life and count on His mercy and kindness, He opens door for us, from the very situations which we thought we will never get out, alive perhaps.

The experience of each day that way is an enriching lessons indeed.

Thank you God! for your kindness and mercy.

Bubbles

Even though the summer is raging and the land is dry, there is no decrease in the blood thirsty mosquitoes. They roam around and pester as and when they wish.

The problem is, I have to keep the Good Knight stuff on, even though it keeps the mosquitoes away it make me so tired in the morning, I miss my usual wake up time to reach church for mass on time.A week now, my schedules are all screwed up.

The day I went to buy this drink from the local stall at Kochi, I banged my head on their tin roof. I guess my eye sight is failing. :) Thank God, I was hit right between my eyes on the curve of the nose bridge. Yes it bled too. Had it been a little this way or that way, I could have seriously damaged my eyes.

Yes, that is life, anything can happen any time, a life turner, a life stopper, a life saver.

In good and bad, give us the heart to praise you Lord. In you we find solace. Without you we are just the bubble in the lemonade. Bust, anytime.

Happy Easter

HAPPY EASTER

The lent days and the recollection of the Passion of Christ helped me deal with my own life and its problems very much. Three distinct miracles added on to the re-assurance, that if we carry our Cross well, we will be comforted and guided through to victory. 

One of the miracle was so personally pleasing that it knocked me out emotionally with joy. It also made me open my eyes to the fact that, I am using only 10% of the chances and opportunities that God so lovingly bring to me.

The first miracle taught me, indeed it is us and the way we act under pressure, that save our situation, our day. For us to deal with a problem we need to have presence of mind. For us to keep the presence of mind we need to stay calm, not to be affected by the emotional aspect of the situation.

The rituals and practices help us a lot to stay put in the right way...Without it we go astray, our mind go here and there. Ligthing the lamp for God in the morning and evening is one of my most adored ritual. Well, about that, later. 

Wishing you all my friends, a Happy Easter. May you all have the grace and understanding to realize what is your cross and live it well. Good Luck and God bless.

PS: The picture is from Lady of Ransom, Vallarpadam.