kurian's New Age Blog

A   'SAD'  DAY  In  Malayalam    films  and serials, old  mothers  and grandmothers  often say,  ''  My  only wish is to see my daughter/ grand daughter   given away in marriage to a  responsible young man  from a  reputed  family.''  In  old  Indian films, we used to see the heart-breaking  grief of the girls'  parents, when their daughter  left for the  bridegroom's  home. Such  sentiments  are not  displayed today, in films and in real  life. As  a  member  of the old generation, I  still  retain  the  old  sentiments  of  a  father. On  10th  July, 2014, I  experienced  the departure  of a  member of  my  family, to a  new home, and to the care of new 'in laws'. Her  name is  DMX  134 NW, my...

I  haven't   posted anything  since  30th June  because  I  was defeated by the freezing  cold  weather in  South Africa. Apart from the cold, the departure of  colourful birds, and the drying of  beautiful  flowers  augmented the  sense of  loss and defeat. Yes, 2014 is a year  of defeat, no matter  whether  one has achieved  personal  successes. This is because  most of us are shareholders  of the victory or defeat of  political  parties or  sports teams , of which we are supporters. Nobody  can be a 'nota' or  ' asadhu'  in these  turbulent times when the channels  bombard  us with in-depth analysis  of  everything ' live', no matter how trivial  the  matter  may be. First  came  the shock  defeat  of the Congress ( UPA?)  at the  parliamentary  elections ...

In  the  1970s, Nigeria  emerged  suddenly as the  economic powerhouse  of Africa, due to  the skyrocketing  price of  crude oil.The Nigerian  currency, Naira, became a strong  currency  to reckon with, vying  with the US  dollar  and the British  Pound. The  oil boom was  like a 'big bang', sending  money  waves that  attracted  job seekers  to  Nigeria. The  Nigerian government  launched an ambitious  development programme  which envisioned  progress  in the fields of  education, health, roads, etc. They  recruited   foreign  teachers, doctors, engineers and  technicians to  implement the  programme. In  addition to the expatriates  recruited  from overseas, there were others  who  travelled to Nigeria  to  get jobs.  Nigerians were very kind  and generous...

An  average  Malayalee  has  multiple  loyalties due to  international  connections, either as working or settled in  a foreign country , or by having beloved  ones working in foreign countries. Peace and stability globally is a great  concern  for Malayalees, because  any  turbulence  in a foreign country , where Malayalees  are  settled in large numbers , produce a ripple effect , causing  much anxiety  and heartbreak  in Kerala. For instance,many Malayalee  nurses  are trapped in Mosul, recently seized by  terrorists. About  40 Indian  workers have been kidnapped in Iraq. These developments  cause much concern in  India. Any  threat  to  peace and stability  causes  concern to  peace-loving  people around the world, because everybody is affected by the  threat of terrorist attacks....

            A  poem   for  Bakolobeng    students  April   25th   was  a memorable   day  at  Bakolobeng   Secondary   School for   many   reasons. It  was the  last working  day of the  month  due to  a  long   weekend and  extended  special  school  holidays. For  me and  for Mrs. Visser, the  Principal, it was  our  last day  in our  careers. By  a  lucky coincidence, it was  my birthday. I   heard  that  the teachers, students  and the School  Governing  Body members  had  planned  a  special assembly  to  honour us. I thought  that the assembly  was  after  lessons, but  they  wanted to ...

Nigeria's  president, Goodluck  Jonathan  and his  country  are going through  extremely   difficult  times, with daily bombings, massacres and attacks on  schools  devastating  the North East  of the country. Due to the  unfortunate  situation in Nigeria, it would be  worthwhile to delete ' Goodluck' from the president's  name, and  take it and  add it to where it fits most-Narendra   Modi, the new  Prime Minister of India. Good luck is shining  over  him, and  praises  are  showered on him. Even his detractors, stunned by his landslide victory, acknowledge  Modi's  immense  popularity. Modi's  election victory  is the result of  hard work, with a relentless  campaign  that took him to every nook and corner of the country. Apart from this, good luck favoured him. First, his party, the BJP  won a ma...

May  16th  marks the end of an era in Indian  history, ie the end of the rule by  the Nehru- Gandhi  family. The results were  shocking, freezing, emphatic, decisive, conclusive  and final. The ripples of the results will extend for a long time to come. In the post- results days , the political  rhetoric  and mudslinging  in Kerala  has intensified  after  a  month  of  lull, to such an extent that the people are already  fed up. So it's time to shelve  politics  till the next elections, when Narendra Modi  will  return to power  with a  reduced majority or return to Gujarat  empty-handed. The general  trend is to heap all your  anger and frustrations on the incumbent. *                     *          ...