About Two Mothers

With Bishop Swing, Mary Swing and Rita Semele at Santa Clara University

It is not Mother's Day, yet I would like to write a note on these two mothers who are with Bishop Bill Swing and myself. Any man would draw a blank, however big his dreams are, if his better half is a block on his way, and vice versa. Bishop Swing founded the URI and is still steering this Global Initiative from the front and there is Mary, always on his side with a beaming smile. Her smile speaks volumes.  All of us know how much she struggled during the brief period of unsound health, and there is hardly any one in URI circles who has not prayed for her in those days. They have a long way to go, as the Cosmic Over Soul has assigned them greater responsibilities to be fulfilled.

Rita Semel, the second mother in the picture was the first Global Council Chairperson of URI, who continued in office for many years. She played an exemplary role in binding multi-farious Faiths together and I often wondered at the ease with which she chaired the GC sessions, which is not an easy sailing always. We bow down to you Rita. We have learned a lot from you.

I am we'll aware of the fact that we have so many fathers and mothers in the URI President's Council who make this extraordinary Movement possible. It was sheer joy to meet most  of them yesterday at the banquet and we are all grateful to you for presenting us again an unforgettable evening. Thanks to all who  joined hands to help realising this.

Together let us weave the web of URI, for the wellness of the Earth and all living beings.

Abraham Karickam

Mrs. Deepa Tankachan receiving best teacher award from Rt. Rev. Dr. Euyakim Mar Coorilos Episcopa

Distribution of tree saplings at KIPS as part of Environmental Day Programme

Delhi became first kerosene-free city in India

The Delhi Government on 17 June 2014 announced that the national capital has become the first 'kerosene-free city' in the country.

• This was achieved after implementation of the Delhi: A Kerosene-Free Scheme launched in 2012 under which no subsidized kerosene were being issued in Delhi.
• The scheme was launched in 2012 in collaboration with three Oil Marketing Companies and Union Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas for which Delhi Government had incurred an expenditure of Rs 62 crores.
• Under the scheme, free gas connections along with LPG filled cylinders, two burner gas stove, regulator and suraksha pipe were issued to the Jhuggi Ration Card (JRC), Below Poverty Line (BPL) and Antodaya Ann Yojana (AAY) ration card holders who were using kerosene oil for cooking.

C Radhakrishnan selected for Moortidevi Award

Eminent Malayalam writer C. Radhakrishnan has been selected for theprestigious Moortidevi Award for 2013 for his novel “Theekkadal Katanhu Thirumadhuram”.

• He has been selected for his novel Theekkadal Katanhu Thirumadhuram.
• The novel is a biographical account of Thunchat Ramaanujan Ezhuthachan, the person who is regarded as the father of Malayalamlanguage.
• The Moortidevi Award is an annual literary award in India presented by the Bharatiya Jnanpith organization.
• Moortidevi Award carries a cash prize of Rs.4 lakh, a plaque and a statue of goddess Saraswati.

KIPS KARICKAM- at the Roman Colosseum

It is a miracle of Trust

These adults who come to Taize Community in France, will at some stage perform that miracle, Which  I experienced in Rome during my first visit in 1988 January. We were doing our graduate school in Bossey Ecumenical Institute, Switzerland. They were closing for 10 days due to Christmas holidays. I spent one week in England and then came to Rome to attend a Taize meeting. And the number of participants were forty thousand! Meeting was for three days. I remember Pope John Paul II and brother Roger embracing each other in the St. Peter' s Basilica.

The miracle was that all  of  these 40,000 people were accommodated in families in Rome. People of Rome opened their houses for us, who were totally strangers for them. That is trust. I was with a family, who knew no word in English, but they gave me everything I wanted. Later they invited a relative, who was a student at Oxford, to help know one another a bit.

Taize conducts meeting all over the world, and the style is the same. We did the same in Madras two times later. If we can build trust, we can win over the hearts and minds of people, who are essentially good. This year Taize is going to Prague and the result will be the same.

Abraham Karickam