chhotebhai's Writings

  • 75 YEAR TWITCH

    Married men are supposed to suffer from the 40 year itch when, though hitched, they start looking for greener pastures. A body continues to twitch for sometime as the muscles and nerves relax. Does a nation also itch or twitch in the course of its history? India Today magazine tried to stitch together this itch…

  • WHOSE FAMILIES ARE THEY ANYWAY?

    This piece has been inspired by two recent events. This morning (4th July), I read that “nice guy” Amir Khan was divorcing Kiran Rao, his second wife, of over a decade.  The previous day I had read a Vatican News report by Devin Watkins that Pope Francis was convening the 10th edition of the World…

  • KANPUR STANDS WITH STAN

    The citizens of Kanpur stood as one under the banner “We Stand with Stan” at a commemoration cum commitment service held at St Patrick’s Church hall on 9th July. It was organised by the Kanpur Catholic Association (KCA), with the active collaboration of St Aloysius’ School. Due to Covid protocol the gathering was restricted, nevertheless…

  • CUSTODIANS OF WHAT TRADITION?

    The magician was dressed in .flowing robes. He had his back to the audience. He claimed to be an alchemist that could change lead into gold – transubstantiation. In between his secret mumbo-jumbo he would suddenly turn around to face his audience, raise his arms, with his index fingers touching the thumbs, as in a…

  • WEAPONIZING COMMUNION – DEMONIZING PEOPLE

    (A sequel to “Hello … Can you hear me?”) A middle aged man with a shock of dishevelled straw-yellow hair approached the altar of the cathedral in London, in wedding attire. He had been born a Catholic and subsequently joined the Anglican Church. He had been twice married and divorced, and now had a child…

  • HELLO … CAN YOU HEAR ME?

    “Ciao,questo e` Papa Francesco” (Hello, this is Pope Francis calling). “Aap jis number ko call kar rahe hain,vah kaphi samay se network coverage se bahar hai” (The number you are calling has been out of the network area for some time)! Pope Francis was desperately trying to get through to the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of…

Latest Comments

  1. The term ‘Laity’ (Greek word) that means the common man, devoid of knowledge or power, still holds good today in…

  2. Your play on the words scribe, scribble, scrabble and scramble is very apt and has neatly traced the route to…

  4. Thank you for this insightful piece. Your parallel between the biblical scribes and modern bureaucracies hits the nail on the…

  5. Quantum of sorrow appropriate title Just thinking of the trauma those Altar boys r going through