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)
