preview

My tryst with art dates back to my childhood. Dabbling in the school’s art room with a keen curiosity to learn anything coming my way, I aspired to pursue further studies in art history and painting at college level.  My work is symbolic in nature, inspired by the contemporary city life around me and its fast-paced nature where disparate elements seem to coexist. Age old architecture with Corinthian pillars and marble statues, a reminder of the British era of which Kolkata was once the capital, jostling for space alongside skyscrapers made of glass and steel. The architectural repertoire of the city, spanning its history in a single frame.

The other elements that populate my paintings are people and trees – people as crowds and yet with varied expressions and personalities; and trees, spanning more than a hundred years and unaffected by almost everything they have witnessed in their life span. The compositions hide within them houses, doorways, windows, foliage, leaves, trees and flowers – elements that we miss in the fast paced and crowded city life. These hidden elements are a reminder of how the city is accommodating mammoth growth, while retaining its basic spirit.

Deepshikha Khaitan

To read the entire article, click Subscribe

This excerpt from Surumi, a professional artist and alumna of Stella Maris College, Chennai, eloquently recounts her artistic journey. It unveils a path of self-discovery intertwined with the revelation of a trans-formative voice poised to impact the world. The images included are her original art works.

“How many hours did that take you to do?” This is probably the most common question I get asked when someone sees my art. People are always intrigued by the level of detail that creates each piece. It’s true. I rarely go beyond a 0.1mm thick pen, allowing me to capture even the finest details with precision. Strangely enough, I never really felt the need to keep track of the time it takes me to complete a piece. Perhaps it’s because my focus has always been on the process itself rather than the end result. I’ve never been conscious of my technique or the subject matter I choose to portray.

I have always been impulsive. I didn’t realize that is also my instinct. If something excited me, I would eagerly draw it. I didn’t overthink or analyze my choices. It was all about capturing what I felt compelled to express. I would sit down with a pen and a sheet of paper, and let the lines flow. The process was intuitive, almost like a natural extension of myself.

Surumi Mammootty

To read the entire article, click Subscribe

(In this article, Fr. Arnald Mahesh illustrates the dynamic influence of empowered women in the Church, drawing inspiration from his own mother and other living examples. Following cues from Catholic theology and the teachings of Pope Francis, he underscores the significance of ongoing debates surrounding women’s roles and their increasing emphasis within the church.)

That One Woman

One woman stands out for her extraordinary efforts in empowering not only herself but also her children, especially her daughters. She was a mother of ten children, seven of whom were girls. With unwavering support from her life partner, she dedicated herself to raising her children and ensuring that her daughters found empowerment. Education was the key tool she used to promote their growth. Despite regretting not securing a government job due to her parents’ rush to marry her off before she could finish her studies, she never confined herself to the home only. Instead, she explored various creative ways to contribute to the family income while raising her ten children. From running a small business making and selling idlis to managing a modest firewood shop (to mention a few), she involved her children in every aspect of family life.

Her journey was marked by immense challenges and struggles, yet she persevered, elevating her children to a notable social status. She embodied courage, hard work, commitment, familial bonds, friendship, love of God, and compassion for humanity, especially the poor. This woman of faith inspired three of her children to commit themselves to religious life. Her life exemplified how one can become a blessing to many by recognizing the abundant blessings of God. Among all the women I know, she stands tall as my HERoine, my beloved amma, late Mrs Josephine. Her greatest gift to me is my seven loving sisters, who continue to shape and inspire me with their lives and values. My family taught me the importance of viewing women with respect and dignity and showed me how to support and empower them whenever the opportunity arises.

Fr Arnald Mahesh SDB

To read the entire article, click Subscribe

(Cover Story Four, by Sr. Mudita, explores examples of women’s empowerment throughout history. These women emerge as pivotal agents of connectivity, solidarity, and renewal, birthing a new order of creation.)

Women have been gifted with the unique capacity to uphold the primacy of love in human life. Her very physiological structure is so designed, that it has “room for another” and an innate sensitivity to the goodness of the human being. Coined by Pope John Paul II in his Apostolic letter “Mulieris Dignitatem” in 1988, the term “feminine genius” celebrates this divine grace bestowed upon all women, regardless of whether they bear children physically or not.  Woman embodies the essence of perfect love, with the potential to birth anew. The ethereal bond she shares with “the other” resembles a divine lifeline. She epitomizes tenderness, mindful of her actions and their impact on others. Fashioned by the Creator, she embodies patience, kindness, forgiveness, tolerance, resilience, faithfulness, and unconditional giving, akin to Mother Earth. Women possess innate abilities to motivate, collaborate, and advance community interests. With strength, courage, and determination, they embrace learning, hard work, and leadership. Evolving to maintain peace and harmony, they are pacifying forces with healing touches and greater endurance. They bridge gaps between groups, fostering a broader, lasting vision for peace to flourish.

Dr (Sr) Mudita Menona Sodder RSCJ

To read the entire article, click Subscribe

Once I was present at the evaluation of a course by a group of students.  The students were very outspoken and criticized almost everything about the course.  They had quite harsh words also against the way the director handled the course.  The director, who was chairing the evaluation, sat through the whole process patiently, listening attentively, occasionally pointing out some facts without trying to justify anything.  He was in control of himself, never lost his temper, did not talk down to anyone, and said what he had to say with an effective voice.  At the end of the session, I overheard one of the students, who was rather new, asking another student: “How could you be so forthright and critical?”  The other replied more or less in these terms, “We know the director.  He is soft-spoken but tough.  He can take any criticism and will not retaliate.  He is a man of honour who wishes the good of others.”  The director, in other words, was a meek person.

What is Meekness?

            Different dictionaries describe meekness as the quality of being quiet, gentle, moderate, mild, submissive, and unwilling to argue or express one’s opinions.  The word meekness as it is used in the Bible or in the statements of Jesus (Mt 5:5; 11:29) implies much more and has nuances that are not stressed in the modern-day descriptions.

            In Mt 11:29 Jesus says: “learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart” (NAB).  Many translations use the word “gentle” in the place of meek.  The original Greek word that is translated in English as “meek” or “gentle” is praus.  We do not enter into a detailed analysis of this word here.  But according to Biblical scholars this word may be better translated as being “temperate; exercising strength under control, demonstrating power without undue harshness.”  It has to do with being considerate and not being overly caught up with a sense of one’s self-importance.  It is the opposite of self-assertiveness and self-interest.  According to William Barclay, “There is gentleness in praus but behind the gentleness there is the strength of steel, for the supreme characteristic of the man who is praus is that he is the man who is under perfect control.  It is not a spineless gentleness, a sentimental fondness, a passive quietism.  It is a strength under control.”

Jose Kuttianimattathil, sdb

To read the entire article, click Subscribe

We need more feet washing Jesus’ (Jn:13.5) than hand washing Pontius Pilates (Mt:27.24).

It was in the year 2013 that we received the first Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii Gaudium by Pope Francis. Through this exhortation the Holy Father encouraged us to embark upon a new way of life marked by the joy that is born out of an encounter with the Jesus of the Gospel. And he assures us that with Christ, joy is constantly born anew and affirms that a joy which is shared is a joy ever new. 

Since then for the last ten years all the Apostolic Exhortations and Encyclicals of Pope Francis have been focusing on the joys, values and virtues of a Gospel way of life centered on Jesus the merciful Saviour, inviting us all to thank and praise God, and to learn from Jesus, to cultivate a loving and faithful, compassionate and caring heart that respects nature and all its creatures in our common home. The pope encourages us to be alive and active, giving thanks and praise to God and praying and forgiving like Jesus, so that we may know how to suffer with those who suffer, to rejoice with those who rejoice and be humble and Joyful like Jesus. Just a perusal glance at these documents makes it obvious that, all that is enshrined in them are the mind of Christ and the mind of the Church and are helpful in knowing God’s Will and doing it well.

Fr. Babu Jose Pamplany OFM

To read the entire article, click Subscribe

Religious life grapples with an array of challenges in the contemporary world, which reflect the seismic shifts in social, cultural, and technological landscapes that have up-heaved the established global order. The intricate and multifaceted context, characterized by secularization, pluralism, diversity, social media, evolving moral values, scandals, credibility issues, youth disengagement, political entanglement, economic pressures, and environmental concerns, intensifies the complexities faced by religious communities. This dynamic reality underscores the interplay between tradition and transformation, as age-old structures, values, and institutions adapt to the forces progressively secularizing religious life.

Fr Jayaseelan Savariarpitchai SDB

To read the entire article, click Subscribe

While studying Theology, I took the initiative to experience the pain that a beggar undergoes. For this purpose, I dressed myself as a beggar and sat on one of the busy footpaths of Pondicherry. It took nearly fifteen minutes to gather the courage to raise my hands and seek money from passersby, as I grappled with emotional pain and shame. Even though I spent an hour in that situation, unfortunately, no one offered me a coin. Seated on that footpath, I could sense the frustration, pain, hunger, and neglect that a beggar often endures. It is a reality that every encounter with the poor deepens our love and compassion for their struggles. In this context, the term ‘encounter’ is used to denote a casual or unexpected meeting with a person, thing or event that leads to a trans-formative experience for both parties involved.

Refrigerator Syndrome

What do we mean by the Refrigerator Syndrome in a religious community? It means that the atmosphere of the life in a community of a religious institute may create a ‘fake-spiritual ambience’ that seems very cool and comfortable like the ambience of a closed refrigerator. This is an ‘artificial coolness of religious life’ and those who live in this ‘comfort cool zone’ feel that they would be affected if they encounter the challenging realities of the poor and needy outside. Unfortunately, at times consecrated life misses or deliberately avoids opportunities to encounter the poor.

Fr Binny Mary Das

To read the entire article, click Subscribe

In my tenure as the principal of St. Xavier’s, a women’s college managed by my congregation, I encountered a unique situation involving a Muslim family seeking admission for their daughter. The young girl seemed reluctant, and upon inquiry, her mother explained that she preferred a mixed gender college nearby. However, her father insisted on her attending our institution run by sisters. Observing the girl’s hesitance, I expressed my concern, suggesting that if she were forced into an environment against her wishes, it might adversely impact her academic performance. Addressing her father, I emphasized the importance of granting children the freedom to choose their educational paths in this evolving era. It took considerable effort to convince the father, but eventually, he relented. As the family left my office, there was a palpable sense of peace. Just before departing, the daughter returned, took my hands, and expressed her gratitude. I encouraged her to excel in her studies and not to disappoint her parents. The outcome of this encounter remains unknown to me, but in that moment, a small victory for the autonomy of the young student was achieved.

Having been raised in a family of nine, where the insistence on a convent education was particularly emphasized by my father, all five girls, myself included, were enrolled in the renowned convent school of our city. Looking back, it is undeniable that the education we received at this esteemed institution played a pivotal role in shaping the successful and contented lives that all of us lead today. The impact of our convent schooling is perhaps most evident in the life choices made by my sister and me. Influenced by the disciplined atmosphere and the emphasis on spiritual matters, both of us decided to pursue a religious vocation, albeit in a different congregation. Today, we find immense happiness and contentment in our chosen paths, all stemming from the educational foundation laid in the convent school during our initial years. While my memories of school are enduring, they often revolve around the strict rules and punishments that characterized the environment. Teachers and nuns were figures to be feared, and the freedom for students to express themselves was notably limited. Despite the stringent atmosphere, the positive outcomes of our education are unmistakable in the fulfilling lives we lead.

Sr Shalini Xavier CTC

To read the entire article, click Subscribe

I had a meaningful experience at the Kuki Worship Centre in Byrathi, Bangalore, led by Rev. Lunmang Haokip. In response to the ethnic violence in Manipur, Rev. Haokip opened his church to shelter 300 internally displaced people from June 2023. It was during one of their Sunday noon gatherings that I, accompanied by some of our lay associates, went to meet the community. With utmost respect, they invited us to join in their fellowship and communion service. After the service, we entered into conversation about the refugee crisis and their adaptation to life in Bangalore.  Rev. Haokip, with remarkable courtesy, shared insights into their situation, emphasizing, “Our people do not like to be known as migrants or refugees but as internally displaced since we are within India.”  He went on to explain that many had found temporary placements in malls, shops, restaurants, hostels, and shelter homes. These individuals had experienced an abrupt loss of everything, rendering them in need of emotional and spiritual support more than material and financial assistance. As our conversation with Rev. Haokip and other Kuki community members deepened, a poignant message emerged: “The Catholic Bishop, clergy, and religious have done so much to reach out and they stood by us in these most critical times in Bangalore.” Their hope resonated strongly as they expressed a wish for such compassionate outreach to extend universally, stating, “We wish this happens everywhere wherever people suffer violence, hatred, and loss of dignity.”  Recognizing the sense of acceptance they felt, they expressed their readiness to join hands with us and celebrate Christmas meaningfully, aiming to bring more joy to their displaced brethren. This encounter marked the beginning of more conversations that transcended boundaries, creating a sense of unity rooted in shared humanity and a commitment to mutual support.

Sr. Anitha Precilla Lobo, SCB

To read the entire article, click Subscribe