Healthy hearts

I came across this particular news item in the BBC today.  The scientists herein claim that they have found the healthiest hearts in the whole world. They belong to a Bolivian tribe named Tismane (pronounced chee-man-yee).  It describes their diet and physical routine and attributes their healthy hearts mainly to these: healthy diet and plenty of physical activity.  Read the full article here.

However, the article does, in passing, mention of their positive outlook and social life, as one of the influences in recording a healthy heart.  What struck me most of the photos embedded, was that these people were poor and typically tribal.  Being close to nature and following principles in line with the environment is a great value.  The integral life that they naturally live is not a remedy but reason for their well-being. Contentment and living close to nature are truly two great elements of a noble life.  Most of us in the urban life, eat and then exercise to burn the calories of what is eaten!  Our focus is mostly on diet and exercise.  Their focus is on life.  

Strategic Planning: Skill or values

While we listened to a couple of young people  (two ladies, a tribal, a migrant, and a student) and their take on growth and development, I couldn't but take note of one word which practically all of them used, often repeatedly!

 ... mainstream

Most of those who spoke were not from Bangalore but all of them explicitly stated that they'd settle down in Bangalore itself.

I could not resist the itch and asked the assembly thereafter:
Are we Salesians comfortable with someone, especially a tribal youth, rural youth, calling urban life and lifestyle “mainstream”? Young people move out of their rural, tribal settings for education is fine. But are we fine with them never turning back to their origins… fascinated and comfortable with the city life? I understand some youngsters staying back in the city after the completion of their education or learning a skill. But most?? What exactly have we done with them? Educated them or Urbanised them? More profoundly, made them better human beings or smart technicians/educated professionals?

From another perspective: Get young people out of their living context in the name of offering them education/skill and then they get so acclimatized to the city that they prefer to stay back, making them migrants. Are we playing both ways while speaking of or reaching out to the 'migrants'?

We offer the young an education, a skill but do we also offer them values? If we do so, what exactly are those values? Do those values impact society or are they something so personal that the impact does not go beyond the self?

Willing to pay the price

I watched Yeh Jawaani hai deewani today. Not as sensational as I expected it to be, but quite insightful all the same.  The movie is not surely not for the regular day-to-mouth guys but for those with possibilities of living their dreams comes true, already assured - at least financially!

In life we need to give up something in order to earn or gain something. We need to leave a place to reach another. We simply cannot have everything of everything without giving up something, often that what we love most at one point or the other.  Now what decides the mode of our life is where our focus lies, once this fact is learnt (either the regular way or the hard way).  Where exactly do we focus?  On what's given up or what one is chasing after?

So here's my final take on the characters and their attitudes towards life...

• One who really does not value what he or she is striving after or has not deemed it worthy enough to leave behind something of worth, and is still pursuing the new line, is either a wreck or an assured failure.  
• One who does not know the worth of what he or she is leaving behind, does not also know the worthiness or the uselessness of what he or she is chasing after now.  
• One who mourns and not cherishes what he or she has to leave behind will always be unhappy, even if he or she would achieve their goal.  
• Blessed is he or she who cherishes the past and hopes for the future with an open mind and heart... even if he does not succeed, he or she will always be happy and enthusiastic about life.

Last word... happiness means different things to different people. It can also mean different things to the same person at different times. Maturity is nothing but knowing the latter! 

Faith, Hope and Charity: Vehicle recovered!

Exactly 10 days ago, our four-wheeler was stolen. People kept asking me if there was any news about the vehicle ever since. I really had no hopes, whatsoever. I was only striving for the insurance money! Today evening the Police called me to say that they secured the vehicle. Of course, in their own shady style, no one was apprehended! But it was a good experience spending 7 hrs in the police station, listening to their vague description of how they traced the stolen vehicle - in fact they never told me anything worthwhile! Even otherwise it was worth an experience chatting with them, listening to their interrogation style, their sharp lookout for the DCP (who happened to arrive just as we reached for an inspection), their "respect" for the higher ups, their documentation procedures and of course, when there was no one else in the room, there were the mice running all along the walls of the narrow rooms. Goes without saying that I had to grease their palms too. In Maliekal's language it would be: They ask without asking! Well at the end of the day (now it is already morning), the vehicle is back in our garage: perfectly intact except for the number plates and the side stickers!

Ultimately today it was a triumph of Venkat's (our driver) faith, my hope that they would release the vehicle today and perfect "charity" for the policemen! Praise be to God!

Seeing things anew

Yesterday I had a lovely day with Ms Carola. Last evening when I took her out to show something of Hyderabad, I was pleasantly surprised that she liked her visit to my home (we just dropped in for a couple of minutes only). I was also surprised when I took her to Basera for the meals. She loved the meals and had a good helping! I've never seen any foreigner eat so much, and that too on her second visit to India! She must have truly enjoyed her meal... hopefully! But it was the conversation and exchange of ideas that we had over the table during meals that was the best part of the day.

Another interesting aspect of spending time with those from another place is the way they look at things and when they ask questions about something they do not understand or seem baffled about, I begin to see things, literally. Like yesterday, I really SAW, the number of muslim women going around in their hijab - that too a variety of ways (some covering their whole face, some leaving space only for theie eyes to be seen, others their whole face open, some wearing only the scarf round the face - that too, so many of them!!) Not that I had not seen them earlier but some of these things never struck me... until Carola was asking questions.

Well, so much for getting used to life and all its richness!!

Liturgy, pulpit and sound

Yesterday was the first time I attended the Chrism mass in the Diocese, that too in St Mary's (the first time I'm entering the campus - though I was born and brought up in Hyderabad itself!!). Anyhow, the Mass itself was very beautifully organised. The liturgy was very well prepared and conducted. No confusion, delays, running about.... the sound system was clear, sufficient lights and well-behaved crowds (of course, those youth group members were there walking up and down doing nothing and when there was work, there were only some small girls to guide and direct the crowds - those with the badges were not seen at all!). Attending the Mass, confirmed by belief as to how important and meaningful it is when the liturgy is well prepared and smoothly conducted. It really creates a spiritual ambiance.

The real drawback was the sermon - real blunt saw. I wonder why don't people understand that you just cannot keep talking because you are on the pulpit. That is a real moment to touch the hearts of people, so many of them, eager and willing. And there comes one with such crap that it either goes above the head or is so stupid that it makes no sense! The preacher certainly has all the ingredients of becoming a Bishop!

Then there is the sound... not of the traffic but of the speakers. Such huge speakers blasting the volume so that not just those in the campus but even those in the railway station - 5 kms away - were forced to attend the Mass! This one craze I really don't understand. I thought it was a disease only of those in Andhra. But last year for Willy's marriage in Mangalore, things were the same! So I guess, I'm the odd man. All the same, I don't think it is sensible to blast the volume more than what is required. It makes us look uncivilized and goes against sensitivity to the general public.

Life in a metro...

Going to Ramanthapur by bus was a good experience - besides the thrill of going by bus just like good old days!!! Luckily I did not manage to get a seat, or else I'd surely have fallen asleep! While standing I was looking out of the window at the passing shops and displays and posh, neon lit city that Hyderabad has evolved to be. After a while I noticed that those standing around me too were looking out just like me. But not with the same intention. I was looking out like Socrates doing window shopping to see and enjoy things and say, how many things he can joyfully live without. Written large on the faces of those around me was: Just one entry! Perhaps, their yearning was to enter those posh shopping malls, try on some of those clothes displayed in the glass case, sit at those eateries with a cup of something... just once at least!