THE POWER OF ONE MAN!

BY SUNNY THOMAS

How amazing is the vision of one man, who turned his personal tragedy into a blessing! When Dr P.P. Job, a world-renowned evangelist, lost his younger son Michael Job, a Prince Charming and a melodious singer, his answer to the tragedy was Michael Job Centre (MJC) that shelters, educates and career-launches the female child, orphaned or cast away. 

But good works do not prevent tragedies from happening. His elder son John Job, a Logistic Manager and a man of many-faceted personality,too, met with the same tragic fate of his brother. Instead of retiring into a fit of depression, Dr Job decided to redouble his efforts. Alas, Dr Job himself passed away a few months ago at Budapest while on a speaking mission. Now the burden of the mission and the brunt of the tragedy fell on Dr Mary Job, the courageous lady who is determined to carry forward the dream of her husband.

  

Nestled beside the famous Sulur Lake on a 30-acre plot stands MJC that houses four educational complexes – one for a management school soon to be, another for a media study centre with a mini TV studio and FM Radio station, while the complex for the College of Education for M.Ed. and B.Ed. courses and an Arts and Science College, and a full-fledged school from Kinder Garten to Standard XII are already on stream.

    

 Guess who came for dinner? Boby Chemmanur , a gold and jewellery exporter and philanthropist, spell-bound the 500-and-odd school children on New Year,  with a half-an-hour talk on Success Through Love. Navin Chawla’s book on Mother Teresa helped Boby turn a new leaf in life from the many pleasures he was experimenting with.  He runs an orphanage and old age home to give dignity to the cast-away of society. 

 

Where can leaders of NRIs conclave after Pravasi Summit 2013 but to Rajagiri Centre for Business Studies, known for its intellectual elan.  The garden campus that Dr Joseph Injodey , himself a Botanist and Dean,  designed  has a Leonardo da Vinci effect. And the visiting NRIs were profoundly impressed by the vision of Fr Antony Kariyil, Director of Rajagiri institutions. 

How can NRIs fast-track India’s development, especially in eliminating rural poverty? This was the theme of the Ninth International Conference of India Development  Coalition of America. Dr Mohan Jain, Founder President of IDCA and Dr Abraham Thomas, Founder President of GOPIO (Global Organisation of People of Indian Origin), were the moving spirit of the two-day conference.

Dr J. Alexander, former Chief Secretary and former Karnataka Cabinet minister, was the Chief Guest. His sessions were replete with anecdotes, some of them as memorable as himself: A professor of Philosophy pulled up a student for being hyper emotional on the death of his mother. Don’t you know the essence of philosophy is wisdom, and that a student of Philosophy should never get excited or emotionally disturbed? The student begged for two days’ leave to regain his equanimity. After two days, he turned up to find his professor getting angry with every single event. `Sir, what happened?’ asked the curious student. `I have an unbearable tooth ache,’ explained the Professor. `Sir, only two days ago, you told me …,’ reminded the student. Pat came the reply. `That is your mother, but this is my tooth.’  In essence, hypocrisy rules the planet!     

The saga of Dr H. Sudarshan’s life is one of adventure and supreme sacrifice, which got him a belated Padmashri  but not without being arrested for fighting for the rights of tribals. Born in a cowshed, his father died in his lap when he was just 12 years old. He had to watch helplessly his father’s death, not knowing what to do. There was no medical help near the vicinity. So Sudarshan decided to become a doctor and served the under-privileged the rest of his life. He was able to work in the Naxal and ULFA-dominated areas without being harmed, but once he was asked by a top bureaucrat, `How much money (bribe) will you give?’ When he said none, he was shunted out of the state. Corruption, not poverty, is India’s No. 1 enemy; poverty ranks only second or third.  

The cerebral speaker of the conference was Dr Raju Narayanaswamy, often called the Second Vivekananda. With a perfect blend of erudition and eloquence, Dr Swamy stole everyone’s heart. Replete with quotations in Sanskrit and English, he reminded of India’s rich culture, while speaking on the nitty-gritties of poverty alleviation programmes. An IAS officer from the Kerala cadre, he is a B.Tech from IIT Chennai, he was always the topper in all the exams he taken.           

Dr Sailesh Rao, author of Carbon Dharma and Executive Director of Climate Healers (US), gave a stellar presentation on the damage we are causing Planet Earth. Dr Rao advocated vegetarianism to minimise future ecological damage.    

Prof Jane E. Schukoske from Boston, now CEO of S. M. Seghal Foundation, Shukla Bose, CEO of Parikarma Humanity Foundation, Mr K.B. jinan, well-known educationist, were among the galaxy of speakers who have done commendable work in the field.  The conference is the culmination of two months’ hard work by Prof  Alex Joseph RCBS. 

Imagine the power of one man to change the world! We are talking about you – not them. When you realize the Leader in you and the enormous potential lying hidden inside you, change will happen. Let’s not blame the politician, the bureaucrat, and the policeman. Be the change yourself, and bring about the change you desire to see. India will change the way you want it to change. When the silent majority break their silence, the powers that be tremble! Speak out, and a million others will join you. Together, we will create a New India . Jai Hind!  

Courtesy: globalmediaschool.com

(This writer was at MJC and RCBS to witness the trends of change sweeping the country)