Meena Mangalathil:

Don't worry that children never listen to you. Worry that they are always watching you. Honourable Judges, Respected Teachers And My Dear Friends. I am here before you to speak a few words about “My Role Model”. My role model is my father. My father, Mr.____________________________ is a business man, a very simple, soft spoken, kind, straightforward and loving man. He is more like a friend to me than a father. I could share anything and everything with him. I have never heard him say a harsh word to anybody. He is the pivot of my family. Though he is a busy man, he always has time for my mother, sister and myself. He has never broken a promise. You would like to know, why I chose my dad as my role model./ This incident happened years back,/ it was in class I./ The occasion,/ the School Annual Day celebration/ – My very very special day/. I was selected for speech,/ the very first speech in front of the whole school and their family./ I had no fear/ because my father had promised

I have heard about selfless love with Jesus Christ and great saints. But in this day and age, its a rarity which I cannot even comprehend to think. Now the person who was selfless was my dad's friend's children. I last met them some 24 years back. Myself or my family had no contact with them resulting in an unattended relationship and for us life flowed without any thought of them. They were just our friendly past. Yesterday I accidentally met these people. They didn't recognize us but I did (luckily). Anyway, we introduced ourselves and their elation at meeting us was mind boggling and I was thinking, "Isn't it a bit queer". But still I was happy at least they recognized us by name. Now to one of the persons I met, her name is Celine. She is not a person who is overly gushy type, very silent and unobtrusive in character. Do you know what she did? She helped to keep the memory of my dad's grave intact. Yeah, I know, you didn't understand. Now, the

Today, I felt sad, the reason, one of my nieces is getting married. I know, your eyebrows are raised. But if it was just a normal marriage, like a girl meeting boy or vice versa, whether love marriage or arranged marriage, then it was OK, but my niece was a nun, had taken her final vows and from there, she abandoned her vows and returned back home. And I asked the reason for this decision, her mother was all tears, saying she was starved and the food they gave was old and stale, etc...etc.... And not only that, she didn’t do it alone. She was accompanied by two other nuns. So this happened because of the ill treatment in the convent. This same situation arose when one of my colleagues resigned from job. He was really appreciated in his work place. So I was a bit surprised when he quit. I asked, why he quit and the reason really got me unglued. You might want to know, what it was, right? Well, he said, “All are taking leave and I had to do night duty for a week consecutively and i

Yesterday I saw fear face to face. Its not an easy moment. But I liked that experience, you know, that is how I knew that I had fear within me. When I look back to my life I have found that there is not a single moment without fear. Then how come, I was able to survive? Simple!!!!! By looking at myself, I have no role in my birth, growth, daily happenings and all these happened without my being aware. Then why am I frightened? For nothing. Then why waste my fear for nothing? So I just didn't allow my fear to take over. But yesterday it took over. I was in a beach, though I live near the beach, compared to my beach, the beach I was facing was like a huge elephant near an ant. So when huge waves which are ready to gobble up the whole place rise, I really felt like fleeing, but I tried to control my mind and I sat there facing it for half an hour, seeing the uprising and the disintegration of these giant waves within the span of mere seconds. I felt like laughing at my stup

Today I met a person who collected rosaries (not literally met, I saw him on television).He collected different types of rosaries starting from his grandfather. It was a journey, which he elaborted so vividly, that each had a unique place in his heart with a story to tell. So while I was hearing it, I felt odd because I had no collection to boast of or did I? This made me thinking. Everyone had some sort of collection, stamps, coins, antiques, tea pots, precious stones, pictures, paintings, books, etc. Then I came to think of myself, what's wrong with me? I have something missing as not to feel collecting something. Then I knew why? There was a time when I had stamp collection, medal collection, coin collection & 3D card collection and I did it with such vigour that I had a vast collection, but all of it was taken from me, either by my siblings, friends & neighbours. You know, when we have to give what we have collected just like that, without anything to hold, except tha

Today while I was in church, I was lucky to get a place exactly under the fan. So I was happy and very much spiritual. Now you might be thinking why I am saying all these. Its just that I heard the Bible reading. Oops Sorry!!! I know, your brows are raised, but its true. So after the reading, we had the prayer of Faith (I believe in God....). For me that prayer has a special significance. Its like a Personal Anthem. I feel very proud of it when I recite. So I was reciting it from the very bottom of my heart with great passion and there is a part where it states that "I believe in Jesus Christ, His only Son our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary." At that time, something struck me, something like an opening of a new information and a new message came to me. Adam was born without any parent. He was given life by Creator alone, for a purpose to be united with God. He just blew away all of that and Jesus was also born in the same way, created

There is one sad thing that hogs everyone’s life at one point or other, mistrust. I had been in that brunt for many a times that I have lost count. You might ask, how? Well, I was a boarder from very small, which means from kindergartren. You know, it was an age, when my things became public property. I didn’t have any stationery to say as my own. I had to beg every other hour for a pencil or eraser or a sharpener. And the result, Meena has nothing. I didn’t mind, until when trouble started brewing when others too lost their things. If someone lose something they immediately put the blame on me. And I a kindergarten student had only one answer, “ I didn’t take.” It was true. I cannot keep my own things, then how can I manage to keep other’s things. Anyway, no one believed except my dad, who said, “Whatever you say, I believe because you are my blood.” Well, I thought he was meaning the father – daughter relationship. But in fact, it was just something out of everyones’ comprehensio