At 102, blind UK woman is the oldest Girl Guide. A 102 year old visually impaired British woman is now the country’s oldest Girl Guide, a media report said. Betty Lowe joined Girl Guides volunteers aged 11 in 1919. And, in the finest Guides tradition she does a regular good turn by spending a few hours washing up at Salford Royal Hospital canteen and chatting to patients. – Times of India – 14th September 2010.
When I read the above report in the said paper, it got me thinking of this wonderful movement called Girl Guides and my participation in the same. Later when I Googled to refurbish my memory about the salient features of the movement, I realized that the movement began in 1910, thus making this the Centenary year. I consider this a humble tribute to this great movement which has taught me so many things and has also given me some great times in my youth.
At 102 if Betty Lowe who is visually impaired can continue to be a true Girl Guide, it just speaks volumes of the impact the Guiding movement must have had in her life. I cannot talk or write of myself in the same league as her or of other great leaders of the movement who devoted their time and energies doing the things the movement taught them and imparting the same to the younger generations. However in some way, I think I am still a Girl Guide as in every action I do I make sure that I never go against the Guide Promise which is – 1. To do one’s duty to God and to one’s country,
2. To help other people at all times, and
3. To obey the Guide Laws.
Over the years the Laws have rusted from my memory however the gist is well ingrained in me and even if I were to deviate, I think I end up having a restless feeling for days to come.
Girl Guides was part of my school life. I joined the movement in the year 1967 when I was in the sixth standard. I wouldn’t say that our school could boast of a big unit; however we did have enough students and Mrs. Chandran was our Guides Teacher. My patrol was named Aster and the other patrols had similar names of flowers rarely seen in India. I think this is something to do with our school in that era when everything was Anglicised. I guess that was fine for after all the Movement had its origin in the UK. On joining I became a Tenderfoot Guide and was in that category for almost year. This was a time when we learnt all the wonderful Guiding songs and on the whole had some fun time after school on all Wednesdays. Slowly skills were taught to us and in a prescribed time frame, I became a Second Class guide. Thus apart from my Guide Emblem and my Patrol Emblem, I had the Second Class Guide Emblem sewn on my sleeve. By now I knew all the knots like the reef knot, the sheep shank, the sheet bend, the bowline, clove hitch so on and so forth. The rope which was part of our gear became a play thing and we competed among ourselves in becoming a pro. The Morse code was taught and with the help of flags we could communicate. We also learnt to get a fire going and had some wonderful time learning cooking. Collecting twigs and making the fire was a group activity and so too was the cooking that ensued. There was no competition involved and this made the whole activity pure and simple fun.
I became serious about my Guiding and never missed a class or a camp. Camps were fun with so many meaningful day time activities and always ended on a high note with the campfire around which we showed cased all our music and dance talents. Any knowledge gained was tested and on completion ended in a badge. Thus the zest began to collect badges. In the meantime classes were also conducted in First Aid and Home Nursing by the St. John’s Ambulance and on qualifying we were presented with a certificate and the relevant badges. Slowly or was it in quick succession, I got qualified to be a First Class Guide. The next aim was to become a President’s Guide, the highest honour for any Guide and I worked for it. Thus at the age of 14 years, I achieved this feat and on the 11th of November 1971, received the certificate from Shri V. V. Giri the then President of India. I would definitely call this one of the highlights of my life. Being in the Mughal Gardens of the Rashtrapati Bhavan was a dream come true. The build up to the trip was in itself exhilarating. We had a pre camp at the Wesley High School, Royapettah, were the freshers in the movement came to us and asked for advice. We were treated and looked upon as high end achievers. Looking back I think the experience was scintillating.
It is indeed sad to note that the Movement is in wane in India. There are hardly any schools in Chennai which promote Guiding and Scouting. I wonder why the people in authority have shunned this wonderful activity from their curriculum. The focus just seems to be on individual activities and the sense of competition has become all pervasive. It is truly disheartening because the child of today is not really prepared to face the reality that the world has to offer. A small discomfort and they are ready to jump out of the system. I have seen this happen among young kids as well as graduates and post graduates. I wonder how the kids of today would react if they were to go to a Jamboree where thousands of children live in next to a primitive condition. Then I wonder if such Jamborees still exist. I consider myself lucky to have gone to Mumbai in 1970 to attend a Jamboree. At 13, it seemed then that we were out in the big world all on our own. We managed extremely well on the basic meals offered and on the most basic of accommodations that was available. No kid from our background would even want to venture into such a scenario now. How will they survive without their fancy gadgets and even fancier attitudes? I wonder as to who is to be blamed - Is it the school system for not instilling in them the values that really matter or the parents for over protecting the child and dancing to all their whims and fancies?
I wish some responsible authorities would get to read this blog, for apart from being a Tribute, it is also a request to schools to revive this Movement. The results would be wonderful for I can be sure that they will have as students not only geniuses (as is the trend these days) but also good children who have in them the urge to do good and to be worthy citizens in their later life. The end result would be generations of children and adults who would always follow the Motto – Be Prepared.
Sunday, September 19, 2010
Saturday, September 18, 2010
Septuplets
Mine is the last name in a list that contains only seven names. However this in no way makes me sad, for on the other hand I am extremely happy that I am one among the septuplets. To me it is a very privileged list; a list for which I am willing to jump the toughest of hurdles. The truth is that, the privilege came to me with ease and this I consider GOD sent. But then how can it be otherwise? Definitely God has everything to do with this list for after all if not for Him the list would not exist. I have become one among the seven trustees of a temple in my home town of Mankave, Calicut. The temple has been with the Variyath family for a very long time. Much as I tried to trace its beginning, I was left clueless and totally in the dark. Tracing the history of the temple would have in a way enabled me to trace the history of our Tharavad, (my maternal family) as this temple has been on our property for as long as anyone can remember.
The earliest memories I have in relation with this temple is from my early childhood. The memories are not of having seen the temple or worshipping there. It had to do with having the “theertham” from the temple and of applying the sandalwood paste that was brought daily by my Great Uncle. As a child the image I had formed of my Great Uncle was that of an ascetic. He would come to his sister’s (my maternal grandmother) house in the early hours of the morning his whole body smeared with the holy ash, and have in his hand a container with the theertham and a plantain leaf with the sandalwood paste and flowers. This would be a daily routine. He had his own Puja under the staircase and to us kids, he lived on another plane. It was after some years that I got to know the source of that theertham and his affinity to the said temple.
During my just concluded trip to Calicut, I got an opportunity to speak to my aunt and uncle and it was from them that I learnt that until about 60 years ago, the property on which the temple stands was out of reach for most people. It was densely wooded and an ideal place for miscreants and vagabonds to inhabit. The temple was there but no one dared to go and pray. It was at that juncture that my Grand Uncle decided that he had to do something about the temple and thus began his daily worship. Being a man of very limited means, there was only this much he could do. He made sure that the minimum routines of a temple were performed. This routine continued till his demise in the mid seventies. I could almost say that it was my Grand Uncle who single handedly made the temple a place of worship again. His relationship with the temple was a symbiotic one. Other than giving him mental peace, his routine served as the best antidote for his high blood sugar. The climb to the top of the hill for worship twice a day was definitely the best exercise any doctor could prescribe. He had, prior to his involvement with the temple been admitted with severe diabetes and had even gone into a state of coma. The reason he survived this coma, could well have been to give a rebirth to the Thennamkunnu Shiva Kshetram.
The Eighties saw the temple fall into the hands of an outside Trust for want of family members to take care of the same. Thus for almost two decades the temple was in the control of outsiders. Little was done and the only celebration was the annual Shiva Rathri. Much as we all made sure that we made offerings there, it was just a very paltry sum with regards to maintaining a temple. After some time, the managing Trust lost interest in the temple. The chief reason I guess could be the almost nil income from the premises and the lack of participation from the people of the area. Sometime in the late nineties, members of the family began to renew their interest in getting the temple back from the Trust. I think the interest peaked in keeping with the times, for that was the period when people of all faiths began going back to the CREATOR. Thus it became a matter of great importance to the members of the Variyath clan to have the temple back in their custody. Even at this point my role in the whole affair was absolutely zero. I was however aware of all the happenings, for how could it be otherwise!! During the annual school/college vacation, (which was only to Mankave) a day would not pass without a mention being made of the temple. Added to that, my mother had so much of faith in the presiding Deity and thus every event at home saw an offering being made to the Thennamkunnu Shivan.
In the meantime, the temple which stood on 70cents of land had been encroached by settlers on all sides and in the bargain had lost about 20 precious cents of land. Seeing the pathetic state of affairs, a few of the family members, garnered all the courage and strength and by the beginning of the new century began to correspond with The Trust and finally after five years of running up and down the length of God’s Own Country, got the temple back in the custody of the family.
The temple is once again ours and the onus is on us to see that things move well. Most members of the family have contributed in earnest and work on resurrecting the temple has begun. The sanctum sanctorum is nearing completion. Like other temples in Kerala, wood is extensively being used and this in turn definitely gives it a majestic look. The two disadvantages of using wood are that the work is slow and the cost is prohibitive. However the family has decided to go the full length and thus there will be no cutting corners. The people in the vicinity seeing the earnest work and the progress being made, have started showing interest in the happenings of the temple. The footfalls have increased, which in itself is a very good sign. Some of them have also made contributions in cash and kind. I was indeed lucky to witness the installation of the “Thaligakudam”/”Kumbam” atop the Sanctum Sanctorum during my recent visit.
All the progress mentioned above happened before the Trust was officially formed. With the “Valiaveettil Variyath Thennamkunnu Kshethram Trust” becoming a registered body, the septuplets have a lot of work to do. With only me living outside of Kerala, I will have to work that extra bit to show that I am worthy of my place. Since Mankave is just eleven hours away from Chennai, I have offered to be there whenever needed. My contention is that, if my Grand Uncle with nothing but sheer will power could give the family a place of worship, then why can’t we, as his descendants, with definitely more at our disposal, finish in a fitting manner what he humbly started. So it is definitely wake up time for the Septuplets - Krishnakumar, Susheela, Gangadharan, Lakshmi, Vasantha, Mohan and Usha for they have miles to go before they sleep and miles to go before they sleep!!!
The earliest memories I have in relation with this temple is from my early childhood. The memories are not of having seen the temple or worshipping there. It had to do with having the “theertham” from the temple and of applying the sandalwood paste that was brought daily by my Great Uncle. As a child the image I had formed of my Great Uncle was that of an ascetic. He would come to his sister’s (my maternal grandmother) house in the early hours of the morning his whole body smeared with the holy ash, and have in his hand a container with the theertham and a plantain leaf with the sandalwood paste and flowers. This would be a daily routine. He had his own Puja under the staircase and to us kids, he lived on another plane. It was after some years that I got to know the source of that theertham and his affinity to the said temple.
During my just concluded trip to Calicut, I got an opportunity to speak to my aunt and uncle and it was from them that I learnt that until about 60 years ago, the property on which the temple stands was out of reach for most people. It was densely wooded and an ideal place for miscreants and vagabonds to inhabit. The temple was there but no one dared to go and pray. It was at that juncture that my Grand Uncle decided that he had to do something about the temple and thus began his daily worship. Being a man of very limited means, there was only this much he could do. He made sure that the minimum routines of a temple were performed. This routine continued till his demise in the mid seventies. I could almost say that it was my Grand Uncle who single handedly made the temple a place of worship again. His relationship with the temple was a symbiotic one. Other than giving him mental peace, his routine served as the best antidote for his high blood sugar. The climb to the top of the hill for worship twice a day was definitely the best exercise any doctor could prescribe. He had, prior to his involvement with the temple been admitted with severe diabetes and had even gone into a state of coma. The reason he survived this coma, could well have been to give a rebirth to the Thennamkunnu Shiva Kshetram.
The Eighties saw the temple fall into the hands of an outside Trust for want of family members to take care of the same. Thus for almost two decades the temple was in the control of outsiders. Little was done and the only celebration was the annual Shiva Rathri. Much as we all made sure that we made offerings there, it was just a very paltry sum with regards to maintaining a temple. After some time, the managing Trust lost interest in the temple. The chief reason I guess could be the almost nil income from the premises and the lack of participation from the people of the area. Sometime in the late nineties, members of the family began to renew their interest in getting the temple back from the Trust. I think the interest peaked in keeping with the times, for that was the period when people of all faiths began going back to the CREATOR. Thus it became a matter of great importance to the members of the Variyath clan to have the temple back in their custody. Even at this point my role in the whole affair was absolutely zero. I was however aware of all the happenings, for how could it be otherwise!! During the annual school/college vacation, (which was only to Mankave) a day would not pass without a mention being made of the temple. Added to that, my mother had so much of faith in the presiding Deity and thus every event at home saw an offering being made to the Thennamkunnu Shivan.
In the meantime, the temple which stood on 70cents of land had been encroached by settlers on all sides and in the bargain had lost about 20 precious cents of land. Seeing the pathetic state of affairs, a few of the family members, garnered all the courage and strength and by the beginning of the new century began to correspond with The Trust and finally after five years of running up and down the length of God’s Own Country, got the temple back in the custody of the family.
The temple is once again ours and the onus is on us to see that things move well. Most members of the family have contributed in earnest and work on resurrecting the temple has begun. The sanctum sanctorum is nearing completion. Like other temples in Kerala, wood is extensively being used and this in turn definitely gives it a majestic look. The two disadvantages of using wood are that the work is slow and the cost is prohibitive. However the family has decided to go the full length and thus there will be no cutting corners. The people in the vicinity seeing the earnest work and the progress being made, have started showing interest in the happenings of the temple. The footfalls have increased, which in itself is a very good sign. Some of them have also made contributions in cash and kind. I was indeed lucky to witness the installation of the “Thaligakudam”/”Kumbam” atop the Sanctum Sanctorum during my recent visit.
All the progress mentioned above happened before the Trust was officially formed. With the “Valiaveettil Variyath Thennamkunnu Kshethram Trust” becoming a registered body, the septuplets have a lot of work to do. With only me living outside of Kerala, I will have to work that extra bit to show that I am worthy of my place. Since Mankave is just eleven hours away from Chennai, I have offered to be there whenever needed. My contention is that, if my Grand Uncle with nothing but sheer will power could give the family a place of worship, then why can’t we, as his descendants, with definitely more at our disposal, finish in a fitting manner what he humbly started. So it is definitely wake up time for the Septuplets - Krishnakumar, Susheela, Gangadharan, Lakshmi, Vasantha, Mohan and Usha for they have miles to go before they sleep and miles to go before they sleep!!!
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