How long? a song by 'Petra'

We have sung our songs of victory

We have prayed to you for rain

We have cried your compassion To renew the land again

Now we're standing in your presence More hungry than before

Now we're on your steps of mercy and we're knocking at your door

How long Before you drench the barren land

How long Before we see a righteous man

How long Before your name is lifted high

How long Before the weeping turns to songs of joy Lord,

we know your heart is broken By the evil that you see

And you've stayed your hand of judgment

For your plan to set men free

But the land is still in darkness

And we've fled from what is right

And we've failed the silent children Who will never see the light

But I know a day is coming When the deaf will hear his voice

When the blind will see the savior, And the lame will leap for joy

When a widow finds a husband Who will always love his bride

And the orphan finds a father Who will never leave her side

How long Before your glory lights the skies

How long Before your radiance lifts our eyes

How long Before your fragrance fills the air

How long Before the earth resounds with songs of joy

The Man who Showed Me the World

I was a mediocre student. I did not score high in my Higher Secondary examination. So I did not get into technical courses, engineering and Medical Sciences which are considered to be the Buzz words in education in the psyche of Middle Class Parents in my country. Thank God! My mother was not so compulsive about me choosing any of them. I got admitted into one of the reputed colleges in South India, the American College, Madurai. My marks did not get me admission there. My identity as a Christian got me a seat there in the Department of Physics. I love physics. I thought I should become an Astro-Physicist. Hahahaha... but studied politics in the Department of Physics...People from the Department of Physics and Chemistry would understand what I am trying to say. This distracted me from studies and made me concentrate on extra curricular activites. My participation in the college football team got me 5 arrears in the first semester (none of them in Physics but in ancillaries) and made my situation even worse. I was not able to clear them and that made me study Physics another year with my juniors. That was the most embarrassing part in my life. Mom had to tell a lie to everybody she met in the market on sunday mornings that I was doing something and not a guy who was worthless. That made me feel really bad. So I became a social outcast. finally completed my degree after much struggle with numbers. After completing the degree, I had to choose between MBA and MCA. These are the two buzz words for those who failed to get into BE or MBBS. My second class mark in Physics did not get me a seat in those technical courses. I was totally insane and remained bump on a log. One of my well wishers (Mr. Abraham) suggested me to go for MSW. When I expressed my interest on that particular Post Graduate programme there was a war at home. I am not blaming my mother for that incident. It is the surrounding and a fantasy the world of IT has created in the minds of the aspiring middle class parents. IT made a normal word called PLACEMENT used by most of the people in India now. I can relate 'IT' with ID mentioned by famous psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud. ID is a term derived from the Latin word 'IT' which means 'Savagic' or 'raw' and totally based on instinct. Most of the IT people, I mean the Hardcore technos ( not all, there are exceptions) I have encountered are highly instinctual, with an instinct to survive and to an extent nerds. I may be wrong.
Let me come back to the story. I appeared for the entrance and was ranked ninth out of 103 appeared. I realised that I missed something in life all these days. That was the most happiest moment in my life. All the people I encountered in the Department were so kind and they were trying to make me dig out the qualities in me. That is where I came to know meaning of the word called the attitude - how do i perceive the Social World around me? I realised that there is something, I would say a force behind that wonderful team of faculty. Then I saw that force in the form of a man. A man who knows the real meaning of life, faster and more accurate than a super computer in decision making, meaning of real leadership, dynamic, very young in spirit, and a very great scholar. He is none other than the Principal and the Secretary of a 127 year old institution Dr. T. Chinnaraj Joseph Jaikumar. He is the man who showed me the world. I would like to quote Robert Frost's lines to explain my experience.

"Two roads diverged in a wood, and I -
I took the less one traveled by,
And that made all the difference"

I would like to add something more to it. I met Dr. TCJ in the road less traveled by and that made the difference. He is the one who taught me values that are essential for life. If I had not studied MSW in the American College, I would have been a student with Pro-market ideas, insensitive to inequalities happening in the world around me. I am thankful to God for that blessing. He introduced me to the scholars and theorists like Karl Marx, Giddens, Weber and other famous personalities in the field of Sociology, Economics and Political Science during the period of my postgraduate study. For me he is a totality of all the scholars. 'Do not study for marks, Study for life'. A quote Dr. TCJ used to tell me when I was a student. That sounded different to me. First time in my life I heard a professor talking about not giving importance to marks. He is not a boring person like the other teachers and professors(not all... may be in science) I have encountered. They live their life in an usual professorial way by trying to be away from human beings and gives a 'hey..'who the hell are you ? Stay away from me and my BOOKS and machines' kind of a cold stare. In a word, they can be called as NERD.
I never studied for marks in my PG. I studied for my life. Education was not a bitter experience for me during the period of my Post Graduate education, rather it was the time where I was on my best. It is because of the knowledge, the real knowledge i gained from the best teacher i have ever seen. For me Dr. TCJ is an example for all the things I read about life in most inspiring books like the alchemist by Paulo Coelho, the Secret by Rhonda Byrne and so on. I can see in him the qualities needed for life mentioned by MAX EHRMANN in his famous poem about life the Desiderata. If I start listing down the things I learnt from him, pages wont be enough. I always pray to GOD that he should be with Dr.TCJ in his wonderful mission and give him the choicest blessing. He is great yet humble. I am proud to be your student Sir!