What gives

Monica was wheeled into the out-patient in a stretcher,taken to the orthopaedics OPD where Mathew after examining her promptly called us up and handed her over to us.She was a fifteen year old child with a 0 power in her lower limbs with a bladder and bowel involvement.Some aspects of her sensation were still intact.She had a history of having had fever a week ago following which she had rapidly become paralysed waist down.She also had a confusing picture of some degenerative changes in the spine.However,MRI and a second opinion from a radiologist in Dehradun confirmed a diagnosis of Transverse myelites.The first thing that struck me when I visited her the next morning was her cheerful face.It touched my heart to see a child so obviously incapacitated giving me an ear to ear smile .I mentally made a note that I would take some time to talk to her and share the gospel with her.The power in both the lower limbs was grade 0/5-that did not stop her from giving me the grin.We started her on...

Was on my way back from Mumbai,had a day in hand in Delhi.Was doing the round of the guest houses to book one for my cousins who were in town,managed to sprain my ankle. This is become a norm for me.My ankle haS been unstable eversince I chose to wear the white boot in the traffic in Delhi when I was ten.I was in it for a whole month.Went under the wheel of a newly married sardar who was still in his honeymoon haze in defence colony in Delhi.Incidently, my eyes were on the window of a bookshop,while my two sisters walked along with me on the side-walk.I decided to step down instinctively while I watched the white ambassador slowly climb onto my leg.This is India,so the car was immediately surrounded.The agitated man parked his car on my leg.I thought it was crushed but by God's grace it was just the shoe which was torn and I did have a bad sprain to while my winter vacation on and a legacy which keeps taking me back to that winter so many years ago. I have become quite a veteran ...

Have been travelling a bit around the country.Every where you go,the hot topic on board is Anna Hazare.I am an altruistic person by nature.Especially over the past several years I have been rapidly observing myself going soft.I was at it picking up a few necessities with Sheba in Mumbai when I saw a procession moving along the road with lit candles and placards ...........I was touched to see the mood behind it all.Atleast it was uplifting to see the youngsters at it...they seem to be moving along fine. I ,for one, have not been convinced by this movement.I may be biased but I have had difficulty accepting the entire process at face value. We have in the recent times seen a host of political figures ,during their tenure, in the government going behind bars for corruption...unheard of in India...would not even have thought it possible a few years back when people used to flaunt obvious misappropriation of power while the civil society used to watch from the sidelines in muted horror ...

We've been asked to write an essay of 200 words illustrating the similarity between people and rain.I have decided to change it to rain and people in Mumbai. One similarity that imediately strikes me today, even as I struggle past the traffic trying to catch that elusive auto to Thane ,on a day when there is a bus-strike ,is that there is plenty of both in Mumbai. They are unmanageable,fickle,poring out of every nook and corner,trying to make the best of every little space Mumbai has for them.They have no respect for order,is perhaps a headache for municipality and is just everywhere. Much like the rain in Mumbai,it's people are un-predictable as well.A posh car stops in the middle of a busy,wet and flooded traffic and agrees to drive us to our nearest stop.One would have to think twice before trying out such antiques in other cities. It's business time as usual for both in Mumbai.You flow along with them,you go along with them because that's Mumbai for you ,the ra...

Life has been happening around me .Listening to some lovely taped messages from the Christ Community Church somewhere in the US.The worship sessions are uplifting.Trying to work out my own time with God,but the problem with listening to too many messages is that we forget to get our own communication with God clear.This morning I was listening to one of the sermons titled 'The Judas heart'-It spoke to me..... The message was based on the palm sunday,Jesus' triumphant entry into Jerusalem...how all the Jews were hailing him as a messiah and welcoming him and the very next moment in their fickle demeanour ,campaigning his crucification.The author was relating his own story about how some years ago while they were attending a sunday service all the while to the church,they argued their way and just as they reached the church premise they were all chirpy anticipating a refreshing time of worship.A refreshing time of worship they did have, they walked out of the church bouyant ...

Just laid my hands on God's generals.One of my residents recommended it and especially arranged to get it for me from her temporary settlement in Dehra.Have not opened it as yet but am looking forward to reading it. Opened my house for the exchange students and two medicoes come for a visit to HCH,courtesy EMFI.Pasta was on the menu.We ultimately had a Newzealander and two english people hard on the stove giving us three different versions of pasta,with white sauce,tomatoe purie and cheese.Had a cool cucumber salad,ready made kababs,chicken curry and mint leaves to accompany it.It was quite a crowd with two english girls,one english man,one newzealander,one german lady,one canadian lady,two khasi boys and me.....I wasn't sure how it was going to work out but it did.The food turned out to be lovely,a friend bought some ice-cream for the dessert.However,the plum to the pudding was when we started singing with a guitar for accompaniement...suddenly the barriers were down and ever...

Today one of the staffs who had seen Babita hobbling towards the hospital in alprax haze...was telling us about it. She could barely stand on her feet but she was rushing with what little bearing she had,mumbling to herself..."I am going to Jesus!". Lord Jesus,we can never meet the standards of your divinity,love and care but what a tremendous compliment she has paid the hospital and the organisation. What a great responsibilty you have placed on our shoulders!! How many of our hearts and lives are the meeting place of Jesus for the broken and lost?