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Before you take an important decision, do you consult others? Whom do you tend to consult? Your parents? Friends? People who think like you? Only your own age group?

What have you learnt from these consultations? Did you make better decisions after consultation? Were you happy and satisfied that you talked things over with this particular person? Or, did his/her advice and suggestions prove to be inappropriate or inadequate?

Let us look at some of the most basic facts about human life.

When we are born, we are the most helpless creatures. Cats and dogs and donkeys and doves are far more independent at the start of life than we are. We depend on others for everything—except the basic biological responses, like, breathing, sucking, chewing, digesting food and excretion.

Everything else? We need to learn. To move, to walk, to talk, to keep a glass in our hand, to recognize people, and the far more complex activities, such as reading, writing, remembering what we hear and see, to cook, to drive, to heal wounds, …

In any of these areas, we depended on others.

When we fell sick, we were treated at home or taken to a doctor. To develop our mind, we learnt to read and write. We went to a special place called school.

And so on.

We learn from others all through life.

We are helped by others every single day.

I did not invent or make the computer I am typing with, nor the phone I use to contact dear ones. I benefit from others’ creativity—in travel, in medication, in the clothes I wear and the furniture I use.

Fr Joe Mannath SDB

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5th September is Teachers’ Day in India. All of us joyfully and gratefully remember our own teachers and other teachers all over our country. From an early age, we are drawn to or influenced by various teachers at home or at school. There are many kinds of teachers – some are truly dedicated to their students, while others just wait for the salary, some for the tuition at home, and others for the students in and outside the campus. Amid these differences, there are teachers who inspire us to discover our true selves. This day transforms into more than just Teachers’ Day; it becomes a Teach Us Day, reminding us of those who guide us towards self-discovery.

Learning is crucial for intelligence and intellect to flourish. It is a symbiotic process – one entity learns while another imparts knowledge. Our entire upbringing is based on the mutual relationship between learning and teaching, a fundamental part of our daily lives.  In Sanskrit, the term for teacher is guru, where “gu” signifies “one who dispels” and “ru” means darkness. A teacher, therefore, guides us out of ignorance into light. To evolve beyond our inherent limitations, a teacher is essential. As September arrives, students gear up to honor and express gratitude to their teachers, marking the cherished occasion of Teachers’ Day.

Richard Mascarenhas SJ

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“This is my beloved Son; listen to Him.” These divine words resonate with the purpose of revealing the significance of Jesus in our lives. They embody encouragement, acceptance, and the path to personal growth, making a difference in our world.  Listening plays an important role in learning and it is one of the skills in counselling.  I remember my professor saying, ‘Be attentive in my class.  If you listen well, you need not strain much’. Indeed, active listening is the ability to receive, interpret and integrate messages in our day-to-day living.

However, the art of listening demands deliberate effort, time, energy, and patience. It is a conscious act that I’ve personally harnessed to foster self-awareness. As a formator, listening attentively to the challenges and struggles of my charges, I’ve discovered that when parallels exist between their experiences and mine, a process of purification unfolds, guiding me toward improved self management. Hence, through effective listening to others we learn to balance ourselves.

St. James, in his epistle, implores us to ‘be quick to listen,’ urging us to employ our senses in understanding our surroundings. He adds ‘be slow to speak,’ highlighting the value of interpreting what we’ve absorbed. This art of effective listening is also essential for developing relationships serving as a catalyst for problem resolution.  In essence, the heavenly injunction to listen to the Son, combined with the virtues of active listening, encapsulates the profound connection between understanding, personal growth, and harmonious interactions.

Reflecting upon this theme, I sense the necessity for three distinct modes of listening to infuse purpose into my existence.

Sr Benny D’Cunha UFS

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On 9^th August (2023) night, a class 12 Schedule Caste student Chinnadurai, and his 13-year-old sister Chandraselvi were attacked with sickles inside their home at Nanguneri, Tamil Nadu’s Tirunelveli district by three of Chhinnadurai’s schoolmates, hours after complaining to the headmaster against them. The victims are students of a government-aided school in Valliyoor. Chinnadurai was subjected to casteist harassment at school by the other students of class 11 and 12. He was asked to buy cigarettes and snacks by them and was also regularly bullied. Chinnadurai complained of harassment to his parents and had refused to attend school for a week before he was attacked. His mother Ambikapathi took him to school and informed his teacher about what had happened.

The teacher then called the harassers and warned them saying that action would be taken against them if they continued this behaviour. After the class hours on 9^th August, the angered harassers confronted Chinnadurai on his way back home and warned him of dire consequences for complaining to the headmaster. Around 10.30 pm on the same day, the three dominant caste students barged into the victim’s home and started attacking him with sickles. Hearing the mayhem, Chandraselvi who went to protect her brother, too, was hacked by them. When some neighbours rushed to their house on hearing their cry for help, the attackers fled the spot. The siblings were rushed to the Nanguneri government hospital with bleeding injuries and later to the Tirunelveli Medical College Hospital.

Not an isolated event. Incidents such as this not only make us raise our eyebrows but it also spurs us to question our education system. In the first page of every Tamil Nadu school text book, the following dictum is printed: “Untouchability is a Sin; Untouchability is a Crime; Untouchability is Inhuman.” Although we learned this maxim by heart over the years, we have failed to understand the meaning of it let alone practising it. Since we have got used to this axiom for several years, it has become a cliché – a part of our mind yet failed to touch our hearts. The Nanguneri issue is one tangible sign – albeit not an isolated one – of our failure to imbibe this great truth.

Fr Arnald Mahesh SDB

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The art of listening and learning makes a great teacher. However, all types of listening and learning may not make the best teacher. A genuine teacher chooses the content of listening and learning that holds on to universal moral principles. If not, a ‘fake teacher’ with unauthentic values may be created. In other words, all cannot become teachers, since teaching is the sacred responsibility of handing over the insights of sacred listening and learning. Then, the question arises, ‘can a person who wants to highlight his or her own selfish and relative ideologies (like a corrupt politician or a religious fundamentalist) become a teacher’? No. Even though many claim to teach or instruct others, all are not teachers since they may not desire the common good of the society based on the values of humanity.

A genuine teacher not only does ‘verbal teaching’ but also ‘lives out one’s teaching’. We are familiar with the dictum, “an ounce of practice is worth more than tonnes of preaching.” One of the best examples of those who practiced their teaching is Jesus Himself. He ‘listened and learned’ from the Father and demonstrated his ‘love teaching’ on the cross, giving his own life. Therefore, the art of listening and learning from the ‘Teacher LOVE’ is essential to become a genuine teacher in the present times. One of the narratives in the New Testament that highlights the importance of ‘listening and learning’ is the passage about ‘Bethany School’ (cf. Luke 10:38-42), a School that was not affected by the ‘virus of fake propaganda’. What do we mean by ‘Bethany School’ here? Bethany is recorded in the New Testament as a small village in Judaea. It is in Bethany that the house of the siblings Mary, Martha and Lazarus was situated. Symbolically, if we consider the house of Bethany as a School – Jesus as teacher, Mary and Martha as students – what are the insights we get? Since everyone, in one way or the other, teaches the other, the insights from the ‘Bethany School’ would give birth in us a genuine teacher. The lessons we learn are clearer from the expansion of the seven alphabets of the name ‘BETHANY’.

Fr Dr Binny Marydas

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गुरुर्ब्रह्मा गुरुर्विष्णुः गुरुर्देवो महेश्वरः ।

गुरुः साक्षात् परं ब्रह्म तस्मै श्री गुरुवे नमः ॥

(Gururbrahmā gururviṣṇuḥ gururdevo maheśvaraḥ

Guruḥ sākṣāt paraṃ-brahma tasmai śrī guruve namaḥ)

Indian philosophy teaches us that a teacher is in the place of God. This shloka from the Skanda Purana can be translated as follows: “The teacher is God; the teacher is self-revealing ever-consciousness. May that teacher be praised!” Our Lord Jesus was called ‘teacher’. His teachings weren’t mere facts and logic, but faith and liberation. But as He described, “A prophet is not without respect except in his own hometown and among his own people” (Mk 6:4), he was crucified. The teacher is that new-age prophet who enlightens minds so that they shine in the world and dispel the darkness around; the darkness of ignorance and malice. Many prophetic men and women are subject to criticism and others to persecution and condemnation.

There are plenty of images that we have heard about teachers: a fire that kindles other fires, a candle that consumes itself in order to dispel darkness, etc. However, what is the use if all this is just ‘thinking’ and not ‘acting? If there is a dichotomy in our words and deeds, then we are nothing but a noisy gong. We need to ponder whether we require teachers like Dronacharya of the Mahabharata, who refused Ekalavya as a student only because of his caste, or teachers like Jesus Christ and Lord Buddha who went against the stereotypical thinking existing in their respective times in order to cleanse society of evil.

Sch. Denver A. Pushpam, SJ

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Around 32 years ago, I had a memorable encounter outside my village office cum residence. A local street cleaner, slightly drunk, posed a thought-provoking question: “Is a 5-paise pottu (forehead sticker) more valuable or a 50 rupee chappal (footwear)?” Intrigued, I admitted my ignorance. He shared his perspective, playfully teasing me for while inferring that I might be educated, but he, a drunkard, had the answer. “Though the pottu costs just 5 paise, we place it on our foreheads. On the other hand, even though the chappal costs 50 rupees, we wear it beneath our feet.”  This incident deeply impacted me, unveiling a deeper understanding of our cultural values. As a social worker in villages, I initially thought that I had much to teach. However, I learned countless human values by listening to and acknowledging the wisdom of ordinary people. One close friend, who never attended school, left me with a valuable lesson. During one of our exchanges in Tamil, he said, Maathi yosi (think differently) urging me to break free from conventional methods and biased mental frameworks for seeking solutions. This insight, stemming from an unassuming individual, has become a wellspring of wisdom. Our mutual learning continues, as he values my teachings while I find his perspective on intricate issues remarkably astute.

Learning – a mutual process

In rural areas, various individuals, from social workers and educators to religious figures and community leaders, are often seen as teachers. On the other hand, ordinary people like farmers, laborers, children, and youth are typically cast as learners. However, assuming exclusive teaching rights and expecting unquestioning agreement can lead to conflicts and strained relationships. While those striving for rural development have valuable qualities and resources, the people they aim to assist also possess intentions, insights, and resources of their own. For effective and comprehensive rural development, it is crucial to establish a harmonious synergy between these two groups. This involves recognizing the dual roles of both teacher and student, embracing a continuous process of mutual learning and growth. Successful outcomes in our development mission stem from respecting the contributions and capabilities of all stakeholders involved.

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 Many wonder why the government is proposing a Uniform Civil Code (UCC) now, amidst pressing issues like unemployment, inflation, communal tensions, poverty, women’s safety concerns, human trafficking, tribal unrest, and corruption. Seemingly UCC seems to be a conspiracy to eliminate the minority communities and impose Hinduism. The common human is apprehensive about the  adverse effects of UCC on the citizens of India in the following areas:

Freedom of religion is a Constitutional Right: In a Democratic Republic like India citizens have the  Constitutional right to practice and propagate any religion as enshrined  in   Articles 25 to 30 of the Constitution.  Under UCC the minority communities like Muslims, Sikhs, Christians, Budhists, Jains, SC, ST, OBC, Dalits, and the marginalised will be restricted to practice their religions freely.

Tribal land cannot be sold to non tribals: More than 20 crore Tribals in India are the original settlers of the land. Tribals and land are two sides of the same coin. They cannot be separated from each other. According to CNTA (Chotanagpur Tenancy Act) 1908 and SPTA(Santhal Pargana Tenancy Act) 1876 Tribals cannot sell their land to  non tribals. Tribal land cannot be taken away by any fraudulent means by non tribals. UCC will dislodge tribals from their  land.

Alexander Birsai Ekka SJ

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Scheduled for October 2023, the Synod on Synodality is perhaps the most closely watched event in the life of the Church, comparable in significance to the Second Vatican Council. The idea of ‘synodality’ has been in circulation for over two years now. Yet many religious are still asking what it really means and more essentially what it means for them.

With the global convocation of this synod on synodality, Pope Francis set in motion an unparalleled consultative process on change, unlike anything the world has witnessed before. The most recent instance the Church said it was going to make changes was back in 1965 at the Second Vatican Council. The puzzling question is why no meaningful changes occurred then despite the pressing need for them.

Sr. Joan Chittister OSB believes that the two thousand plus bishops around the world who attended the Second Vatican Council “voted yes for all of its documents, but once back on home soil, many simply ignored them.” This is where the present synod on synodality sets itself apart. This time, through the insight of Pope Francis, there was a clear intent to involve the entire Church and laity themselves in the process of shaping the agenda even before the synod was convened.

While Synods of bishops have been around for over fifty years, it is Pope Francis who has made them into focal points of his more co-creative approach of leadership, thus transforming them from being ceremonial ‘rubber stamp’ gatherings. Under his leadership, notable synods have been convened on various significant themes, including family matters (in 2014 and 2015), youth engagement (in 2018), and the encompassing challenges of the pan-Amazon region (in 2019).

Br. Sunil Britto CFC

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When we think of financial administration of a registered society, we don’t mean just administering finance; rather it is much wider than the finance; it includes the organizational structure, officials and their roles, Governing Body, financial policy, monitoring, audit, reporting, record keeping, etc. Here is an attempt to understand the role of each of these in financial administration.

1. Organizational set-up: We run all our institutions and activities under the umbrella of a registered society. This is to say that all our institutions and activities are run as units of the registered society. Thus, the registered society is the owner of all these institutions and activities and that one income tax return is filed consolidating the accounts of all units. The return is filed in the name of the registered society, using the society’s PAN. If so, the income and expenditure of all units is the income and expenditure of the society and the society may use the income of all its units for any of its units, but in line with its objectives. Till last year, we were free to give donations to any registered society with similar objectives and with 12A within the Province or Diocese and the entire amount donated could be taken as application of income for the income tax purpose and treated tax exempt. But no more. From April 2023, only 85% of the donated amount could be taken as application of income, making the balance 15% as accumulation under section 11(2) or as taxable income. As a way out of this problem, we can re-organize our organizational set-up of each society. We can regroup our institutions and activities under each society in such a way that each society has financially well to-do and dependent institutions too, so that we can claim 100% utilization (application of income) for the entire amount spent on any unit within the society’s structure. Besides, where possible, we can take the purchase bills of the revenue expenditure directly in the name of the society which wants to support its sister organizations under another registered society.

Fr Alex G SJ

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