If not in life...

Came back this evening from the funeral of Fr Pasala Jojappa, a novitiate batchmate of mine, who later joined the diocese of Nalgonda. He died under mysterious circumstances and things are too shady even for one to speculate.  However, the good that happened today, at least for me, was that I got to meet my Gunadala aspirantate and novitiate batchmates.  Most of them I am meeting after 20 to 23 years!  It was great to meet them.

Of the batch of 14 novices, way back in 1995, five of us are Salesians (4 Priests and me), one already in heaven, one laid to rest today and the rest are all married and settled down in life. Today Anil, Shantha, Kasu and William were absent.  The rest of us were all there: Anand, Kishore, Rayappa, Rajkumar and Thomas.

We stayed back after the funeral just to stand around and recall our days in Gunadala and Manoharabad.  We still remembered our nicknames and pet names.  Finally before leaving the village, we once again called on the family.  Most of us were not in touch with the family but all the same they invited us inside the house when we informed that we were a batch once upon a time.  We did spend some quality time with the mother, sister and a relative (a Priest).  Some intimate details about his death and the circumstances around the same too were shared in this close-knit gathering.

If not in life, his death brought us together.

RIP: Pasala

With the boys at Chandur

Am at Chandur, the place where I began my novitiate 14 years ago. Oh boy, it is today a very different place. I haven't been to this place since then. So coming here and seeing all the difference is very refreshing. For one, the old shed (our dormitory) is still there - though it now being used as a carpentry shed. Our chapel, Fr VT John's room, our study hall are all gone - pulled down. I also remembered Shantha's funny giggle all through the Mass in the inaugural retreat, watching the ruins of what was once our chapel. The trees for one are really huge now. They give a totally different 'shade' to the whole house now. It is good to see Chandur green and fresh. The fields and football court are still the same. Of course, the Shrine is new (to me). A courtesy visit to the Salesian Sisters (my maiden trip) showed that the town remains EXACTLY the same!! I cannot understand how they managed to keep it the same.

This being the first time I am out with Fr Noel as his helper for the Visitation, I'm just taking it slow. I wait for his signal, if he wishes me to be around or if he wants me to intervene. Nice to hear all the good being done and the efforts being made. Makes you feel part of the house and mission. Had to really resist the temptation of vocally showing my appreciation for their hardwork.

Best of the day: Spent time chatting with the boarders for nearly an hour. It was lovely talking to them in Telugu and in their own lingo! The other thing which did not strike me then, but struck me profoundly when Fr Noel mentioned it in his goodnight, was that my presence and interaction with the boys was a real attempt at vocation promotion, that too for Salesian Brotherhood.

I am glad too that the senior boys remember Mariadas who spent with them just a month, last year around this time. He has a real knack of getting around these boys. No wonder his heart is in Chandur.