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Writers are seldom at a loss for words. Post Peshawar 16/12 I was shell shocked, and am still struggling to piece together my thoughts. No words suffice to condemn this carnage, described by some as beastly or insane. I beg to differ, because this is not animal behaviour, nor were the perpetrators of this crime…

(Ditties that seem to be the flavour this Christmas season) Silent Knight shining bright Despite 288 warriors upright He has not the might To address the house aright Oh what a pitiable sight! Jungle bells, jungle hell The yeoman does yell. The “others” will go to hell For all is now not swell When such…

This 11th October marks 50 years for the beginning of the Second Vatican Council (Vat II). It was the 21st such ecumenical council in the 2000 year odyssey of the Catholic Church. In 1969 I obtained a copy of the Vat II documents. For several years thereafter Vat II meant little to me, as I…

As a Gandhian, environmentalist and civic activist I am enthused by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Swach Bharat (Clean India) campaign. Even Modi’s harshest critics (count me in) must graciously concede that this time Namo has struck a chord that appeals to every concerned citizen of this great country. Almost a century ago Katherine Mayo, an…

Dr John Dayal is to be commended for a comprehensive article on Christian personal laws “In the True Christian Spirit” (IC 22nd September). However, some factual errors seem to have crept in, perhaps because he was not involved with the issues/ organizations in the early 1990’s. But I was. When I stood for National President…

The Mosaic Law of the Biblical Old Testament that advocated an eye for an eye was turned upside down in the New Testament with the Lord Jesus Christ asking his disciples to turn the other cheek. This dictum greatly influenced the non-violence preached by Mahatma Gandhi. Referring to the Mosaic Law Gandhiji had said that…

(“A Handful of Stardust” by Dr Roshan Jacob IAS, published by Wisdom Tree, Newdelhi; pages 82, price Rs 199/-) Poetry is something that emerges from both heart and mind, and sometimes merges with the soul. “A Handful of Stardust” by Dr Roshan Jacob IAS (36) falls in this genre. The thoughts expressed through verse are…

The article, “Holy Communion for Divorced  & Remarried “ by Cardinal Jorge Estevez of the Vatican, (July 2006) was indeed thought provoking.  Much of what I read provoked my dormant feelings of anger and disgust at the hypocrisy and insensitivity prevalent in the Catholic Church. Besides being married for 22 years (not very long) I…

(“The Naked Liberal, an Anthology of George Menezes”, edited by Selma Carvalho, published by Cinnamon Teal Publishing, Goa, pages 209, price Rs 295/-) Naked, liberal, George Menezes, Goa – enough to get most men salivating! The last time I saw a cover page of naked, liberal Goa it was when that “dirty old man” Khushwant…

According to the historians there are only about 400 Samaritans remaining today. They are referring to an ethnic group that was re-located in Samaria about 800 BC by the then king of Assyria. They were despised by the Jews, who considered themselves a “pure” race; while the Samarians were of mixed origin. Why such interest…