Entries from January 2007 ↓

What do you do when after 27 years years of married life, you wife suddenly decide to leave you and file in a divorce? That was the bomb that landed year ago, on one of the residents of IVAC with whom I had a meal yesterday. Suddenly he sunked into depression and his general health went wild. For all these years, he had diligently work non stop to raise his four children and suceeded to save up some wealth for this family and was looking towards to a retired cosy life. Later he discovered that his wife was leading a dissolute life for the last few years. He would not believe his ears. Treachery! On the recommendation of his sister who lived in India, he came to spend sometime at IVAC last year.

He is now back again in Mysore, a year passed the trauma. He has not entirely got over the situation but is definitely in better physical shape and mental health to face the forth coming battle to wage in court for the divorce. He is hopeful that his week stay will be benefiting his health and spirit.

Three of the children are today grown up and financially independent. The 4^th child, a daughter still living with him, should complete her high school studies this year, before proceeding to university in the next year.

Since his last year’s shock he has completely changed his lifestyle.He admits that he is now a different man and has lost his dynamism and joie de vivre! As an hotelier, he was a people person, caring always about others, now he has turned taciturn and unwilling to meet even his closest relatives.He is working towards renewing with his “joie de vivre”.

May I wish you “joie de vivre” fast my dear Arl…..

After spending over ten days at the center, undergoing the detox Ayurvedic treatments and a rejuvenating spell of a few days, time has come to say Good bye for Elizabeth & Ulrike. Since it is about a mind, body and soul therapy the interaction with the other residents may well be part of the sojourn. It was a favorable period to relax, recollect your senses and gather energy to go back to face your challenging world. I do recall how a little incident with another resident,disturbed the serenity of one of them, which caused her to skip a meal at the dinning hall. On their departing farewell,I was pleased to note that the incident was forgotten.

I must admit that I had very good interaction with these talented wonder women who are leaving a legacy to the world in their respective field. For one the creation of a HD TV and for the other her avant garde music. They brought new avenues to me with our sharing.  May God continue to bless them with such energy and determination….Bon vent….

Narada

The Hindu sage Narada started out on a pilgrimage to the temple of lord Vishnu. One night he stopped at a village and was given hospitality in the hut of a poor couple. Before he set out the next morning the man said to Narada, “You are going to Lord Vishnu. Ask him to give me and my wife a child, for it is many years now that we are childless.”

When Narada reached the temple, he said to the Lord, “that man and wife were kind to me. Be merciful to them grant them a child.” The lord replied, with an air of finality, “It is not in their destiny to have children.” So Narada performed his devotions and went back home.

Five years later, he set out on the same pilgrimage and stopped at the same village and was offered the same hospitality by the same couple. This time there were 2 little children playing at the entrance of the hut?

“Whose children are these?” asked Narada.

“Mine” said the man.

Narada was puzzled. The man went on, “soon after you left us 5 years ago, a holy mendicant came to our village. We put him up for the night. The next morning before departing, he blessed my wife and me..And the Lord gave us the gift of those two children.

When Narada heard this, he could not wait to get to the temple of Lord Vishnu again. And when he got there he shouted right from the entrance, “Did you not tell me that it was not in their destiny to have children?”

When the Lord heard this, he laughed aloud and said, “That must be the doing of a saint. Saints have power to change destiny.”

One is reminded of a wedding feast at which the mother of Jesus got him, through her prayers to work a miracle before his own destiny permitted it.

This story is to be read together with my previous posts…and my last Sunday’s reflexion. Thank you Anthony de Mello.

From my childhood, I had at all times heard my grandpa, Koung Koung talking about harmony and the just middle way.His “Confucius” up bringing could only direct him to such language. The search for “Harmony” in all matters was his life quest. Harmony in human relations is what I cherish and have taken from him. For him “justice” is equivalent to “harmony” for all. The now, under study since 2005, the Chinese Government under Mr. Hu is taking harmony as his diplomatic driver.

A recent commentary in the People’s Daily newspaper begins by saying that “2006 has been the first year for the Chinese government to implement its `harmonious-world-oriented’ diplomacy.” The article recognises that when Mr. Hu first formulated the theory in late 2005, it left “world public opinion perplexed, not knowing how to put it into practice.”

The harmony of the Yin and Yang and the search of the equilibrium of the five elements are the essential of Chinese-ness is n’t it?

The big question is How to bring about this harmonious world? I found reading an editorial of ” The Hindu”, the Chennai based newspaper a hint towards Mr.Hu ‘s rolling out actions to the world. This comment was most probably triggered by the brother like conversations that the Prime Minister of India had with the China’s number 1 at Cebu yesterday.The neighboring great countries of the future seem to be starting off a honey moon.

Vive l’harmonie des nations!

Réflexion Dominicale

A lire  le texte ,la première fois j’ai trouvé dure la réponse de Jésus. L’Evangéliste St. Jean cite verbatim « Femme, que me veux-tu ? Mon heure n’est pas encore venue ». C’est quand même sa mère qui lui parle ?

Au delà d’être le fils de sa mère,IL est son Dieu. Je revois après dans la réponse, le rappel de Il est le Dieu fait homme. Il tient a ce moment là, une double capacité : Dieu et fils de Marie.

La demande d’une créature dans le cas de notre Sainte Vierge ne semble pas être appropriée dans l’heure. Comme nos demandes à Dieu ne sont pas toujours appropriées.

Est-ce que Jésus nous met il a l’épreuve sa créature ? Peut-être bien.

Voyons comment a fait notre Sainte Vierge Marie : « Faites tout ce qu’il vous dira ». Par ce biais, elle insiste et fait comme si le Seigneur accèdera à sa demande. Est ce une insolence ou une foi et confiance sans question, dans la bonté du Seigneur ? Elle aurait eu la grosse tête si il n’y avait  pas eu de miracle. Elle n’y avait même pas pensé que cela ne serait pas arrivé. Elle avait misé banco sur sa foi en Dieu.

Quelle leçon pour moi Seigneur ? Oui je te demande ma guérison sans vraiment insister qu’elle se réalise. Et où est ma foi inébranlable dans ta bonté ?

Bonne Sainte Vierge, toi qui a parcouru cette voie, je te demande d’intercéder pour moi et de me guider dans ma supplication. O Seigneur,Toi qui connais mon manque de Foi, pardon ! Et je t’en supplie guéris moi.

C’est ma prière en ce jour des noces de Cana !

J’étais enthousiasmé de lire le livre de Jacques Attali : « une brevet histoire de l’avenir ». Un  ouvrage de prospective, ou il appréhende le futur de la societe « hyper ».

Ce pavé de 420 pages se lit très facilement. Il n’a tenu en haleine et je l’ai dévore en quelques jours. Merci à Elizabeth Markevitch qui m’a passé son livre.

 

Jacques Attali, au dernier chapitre, prescrit quelques actions réformatrices à la France pour se  positionner par rapport aux changements de la ‘9eme forme de  l’ordre marchand’ surtout dans le sillage des  présidentielles.

 

 

L’auteur m’a permis de vivre et suivre les différentes formes de l’ordre marchand depuis que l’homme est homme. Le parcours de l’Homo sapiens vers notre siècle est vu sous un regard evolutif, sous des  filtres,temps en temps, humain, historique ou social ou geopolitique ou encore politique  et ceci contraste  avec le regard paleo-anthropologique que m’avait donne Pascal Picq il y a quelques années.

Sans conteste, le savoir partagé et l’étendu du travail fourni m’ont  bien enrichi. Je vous recommande de lire l’ouvrage vous les nouveaux nomades.

Et Maurice,notre patrie cherie dans tout cela?

 

I was happily surprised to see in front of the treatment rooms where I was led to this morning,this beautiful design made on the door step. Made of colored sand,delicately drawn to adorn the entrance, I was told ,it was called a Rangoli. My curious instinct was immediately aroused. Soon after my massage and herb bath I immediately went for more information on Rangoli which,I found out, is a traditional Art form widely spread in rural India particularly in the south. Rangoli which is colorful, serves to welcome guests and put them in the appropriate mood as they cross your doorstep.Made from colored sand or rice they give the creator of the Rangoli great liberty of expression and improvisation in form and texture.

I had wish that this art be taken on board by Mauritians as a heritage of our mother India origin country of the vast majority of our population. Would it be possible to organise a national Rangoli contest on some appropriate Indian Festival day,like Sankranti (14 Jan) or Pongal(15 Jan) as called in the Southern Dravidian language?

I like this religio-philosophical definition. Like Hindu and Buddhist Mandalas, the reason for using powder or sand as a medium for creating Rangoli (and its resulting fragility) is sometimes thought to be a metaphor for the impermanence of life and maya.
Yes, this year I shall be feasting Pongal in Mysore. Day of worship of cattle and crop, Mysore will be dressed in its best attire I am told. The town will be decorated in beautiful colors even the errant cows will be painted!EllaBella will be exchanged and given to all guests.You may want to try out a Pongal sweet recipe!
I am so pleased to discover & deepen my skimpy knowledge of the rich and centuries old Indian Culture.

‘Always a foreigner’ was the words uttered to me by Nargis and her sister Nazlee yesterday. Both of them are now residents in London UK and may be British citizens for all intent & purposes. Yet, much like nomads they seem to belong to no land. Both sisters were born in Lamu near Mombassa Kenya of parents who themselves children of migrants from Kutch, Gujarat, India. Their family names were “Panju” which indicated their origin. Their forefathers were probably moved to Kenya under economic and social compulsion earlier in the last century. Even from Kutch where they were supposed to have come from they cannot find any trace of origin nor of identity. No parents, relatives and ties were to be found in Kutch. For the memories of the family, they only knew that they originated from there, which is confirmed by the language they spoke. Are they condemned to be without family identity source and to be foreigner where ever they go?

In India, even now they feel themselves to be a foreigner. Having lived in the United Kingdom for over 30 years they are definitely not in their homeland: the habits, accents and language are so much different.

Even in London were they live they are foreigners. Pakis or Indians they would be called.

Forced migration got them to move from their country of birth and where they grew up. Foreigners again they were in East Africa.

They just do not belong!

Funnily enough, “Always a foreigner” could answer some aspects to the discussions of Eddy Young’s blog set aflame with much passion since the start of the year under the title: What does it mean to be a Mauritian. “Where do we belong?” would be a more appropriate question. I believe that it is not the document or citizenship document that makes you a Mauritian: at heart where do you belong?

Would a Chinese, African, French or Indian at heart living in Mauritius be a Mauritian? No, they will always be a foreigner! Only those who “belong”, those who accept, cherish and espouse our beloved country and continue to work for its future are worthy to be called Mauritians.

Mind you, I am not in favor of the melting pot analogy to describe the Mauritian society. I prefer the Fruit Salad analogy where each fruit whilst being still distinct enhances the flavors the salad which by the way, may well contain in its self some of the jam made up of the combination of the different fruits.

I like to think that in Mauritius I am no foreigner! Because I belong.

Jean Michel Billaut blogger par excellence who I had the chance to meet last year at a conference is visiting Mauritius on the 14 February 2007. A retired banker ,now turn into a champion of making access to the internet at high speed to the world as a right is worth listening to. He does not go about his quest as a radical with  a single minded ideology, to the contrary, he proposes creative and practical solutions to provide internet connectivity at lowest cost possible if not free to the public. Just as air is free, right access to drinking water, freedom of speech, freedom of movement, access to education are fundamentals that must be provided to any citizen of the world, J M Billaut wages that internet access comes just after these rights once the economy of a country reaches a level.

His dream is to make the region of Pau in France a premier location which will become world accessible through the internet connections at very high speed for free or at a very low cost. His region could then with its infrastructure, bloom in activities, today unimaginable for its development and the welfare of the population living there. He travels all over the world to push his ideas and I feel that we should rally a wide audience to pick on his ideas and use it for Mauritius, ourDream  cyber island.Do read his blog for more details.
I intend to organize a meeting of the  Mauritian bloggers and all those who are interested to listen to J M Billaut’s idea of shunting the distances between territories,which geographically are today termed as far, to be electronically near. He would also talk about his views of the technology of the future and how to be prepared as a country or nation not to miss the boat.

Likewise, I feel so near to you dear Mauritian bloggers though seated presently,in my room in Mysore India. Thanks to my wireless  internet 24 hours internet connection.
Would those interested drop in a commentary to enable me to arrange for the meeting.

Namaste from Mysore

Sont arrivées cette semaine de Ile de la Réunion, Madame Appavou, sa fille Indira et sa petite fille de 5 ans. Elles sont venues recommandée par une parente qui a trouve les soins dispensées par le centre avait été bénéfique pour elle l’année dernière. Madame Appavou est la sÅ“ur de notre Appavou, propriétaire des hôtels du même nom a l’île Maurice. Elle semblait être très fragile après le long voyage. Les changements de lieu et de température ne sont pas bon pour son asthme qu’elle souffre depuis pas mal d’années. Elle a besoin de repos et qui sait les soins pourraient porter un soulagement permanent?

J’étais heureux d avoir pu être utile en agissant comme traducteur pour nos amis de la Réunion qui ne parle pas très bien Anglais. La langue de sourds pour exprimer des termes de santé n’est certainement pas évidente! Petite fleur fanée se fait une meilleure santé. Pourquoi pas?

Ote la Réunion!Au mieux de ma possibilte j’ai essaye d’égayer notre petite fillette de 5 ans qui est très timide par mes chants réunionnais de mon répertoire limite.