Speech for Sr Maria Rosa

Rough text of the Welcome Address at the ACHS Reunion in Bandra Jan 2nd, 2009

When I first told my classmates that I was to come and speak here this evening, they told me no one would understand my accent. Then they asked if they could all come join me on stage !!

Over the past 12 months I have had the opportunity to reconnect with several of my classmates from around the world, several of whom I had not seen in 35 years. The thing that struck me is that each and every one of them is an absolutely incredible woman. They are daughters, sisters, mothers, homemakers and career women. There are lawyers, teachers, doctors, mathematicians, IT people, I don’t think there are any politicians or nuns. This school and the teachers have equipped us to handle the challenges and opportunities of our times.

Those of us who went to school here in the late 60s and 70s are especially fortuntate, for we had Sr Maria Rosa as our principal.

Sr Maria Rosa came with her own special brand of energy and enthusiasm for everything she did – be it playing the violin at assembly or cultivating her roses – everytime I see a multi-colored rose, I am transported back in time to when I was in the 7th standard being introduced to Sr. Maria Rosa’s roses.

But there was a lot more that Sr Maria Rosa did for us. She got us our first library. And that library has instilled a lifelong love of reading amongst several of us.

She had us compete in the Paranjyothi choir contest – and we won.

On the technology front, she was well ahead of her times. Businesses are only recently getting comfortable with concepts like Audio calls and Voice calls. Back in 1968, Sr Maria Rosa had intercoms installed and started conducting Morning Assembly remotely.

My class mate Sita reminded me that you had introduced us to the Speed Reading - SRE system in our school. And to particularly thank you for that.

For me personally, it is the memory of the Valentine Day’s Fete – a 3 day event. I later heard you describe it as “Fools rush in where angels fear to tread”. Your conduct of the entire event was a lesson to me personally, a lesson in courage and execution.

In preparing for this evenings address, I polled my classmates from around the world – and yes there are many who could not be with us today, though they are wishing they could have been – I asked them if they had any special messages for you Sr. Maria Rosa.

From around the world, the answer was unanimous :”Tell sister we love her.Tell her we remember her in our prayers and in the way we live our lives.

Thank you sister for leaving such a strong and indelible mark on all of us.

Darek vacha ma vedna nathi hoti
Pun
Darek vedna mathi vachna tapakti hoi che

Darek aanso dard na nathi hota
Pun
Darek dard ma aansoo chupayela hoi che

Darek bhootkal itihas nathi hoto
Pun
Darek itihasne bhootkal banvu pade che

Darek ekant moun nathi hotu
Pun
Darek moun ma ekant samayelu hoi che

Darek soundarya ma sugandh nathi hoti
Pun
Darek sugandhne potanu aagvu soundarya hoi che

Darek mandirma pavitrata nathi hoti
Pun
Darek pavitra sthan mandir bani jaye che

Darek premi paagal nathi hoto
Pun
Pagalpan e premni parakashta che

Darek vacha ma vedna nathi hoti
Pun
Darek vedna mathi vachna tapakti hoi che


Every message does not contain sorrow, but there is a message hidden in every sorrow
Every tear is not a tear of sorrow, but, every sorrow has tears hidden somewhere in it
Every past is not history, but every history is required to become the past
Every loneliness is not silence, but every silence has loneliness inherent in it
Every beauty does not contain perfume, but every perfume has an intrinsic beauty
Every temple is not pure, but a pure place can become a temple
Every lover is not insane, but insanity is the ultimate expression of love
Every message does not contain sorrow, but there is a message hidden in every sorrow

Jo Je Ishwar Ne Bharose Rehto - Dr Chaaya Shah

Jo Je Ishwar Ne Bharose Rehto
Ishwar che ke nahi te shraddha no vishay che. Paranto manave manav tarike saphal thavu hoi to tene pota na ma shraddha hovi joie. Matra ishvarechanu bahanu lai, pramadi jeevan jeevnar manushya pashuthi pan badatar jeevan jeeve che.

Whether God exists or not is simply a matter of faith. But if man wants to live and prosper as a human being then he must have faith in himself. A man who uses God as an excuse to live a lazy life is living a life worse that that of an animal.

Jo je ishwar ne bharose rehto Watch out, don’t live your life relying on God
Aahi ishwar jevi koi cheej aj nathi There is no such thing like God here.

Taraj pag par chalva mand Start walking on your own feet,
Baki tane pakdi ne chalave For there is no one here who will
evi aahi koi vyaktij nathi hold you and lead you to walk.

Sahas ne himmat no saath lai ne Lean on your courage and your conviction
Dhagas ne mehnat ne haath ma lai ne and on your industriousness and hard work

Hruday ma adag vishwas lai ne With a strong and unshaken faith
Je melavvu hoi te melvi le Go take whatever you want

Baki Cos
Tu maange ne tane aapi de You ask and they give it to you
Evi aahi koi shaktij nathi - there is no such force around

Sukh joiye che ? brashtachar thodvo padshe
You want happiness, you will have to leave corruption
Shanti joiye che ? Yudh ne tyajvu padshe
You want peace, then you will have to abandon war
Prem joiye che ? Koie ne dil thi chahvu padshe
You want love ? You will need to love someone with your heart

Baki Cos
Tu bhoole karya kare ane tane maaph karya kare,
You make a mistake and they forgive you
Evi aahin koie hastij nathi (hasti – human being)
There is no such creation at all

Ma baap ni seva kar, ej taro ishwar che
Serve your mother and your father, they are your God
Koi na dukhne tara kar, ej taru kartavya che (kartavya = duty)
Make someone’s grief your own, that is your duty

Tara aatmane karma thi mukta kar
Ej taro dharma che
Free your soul from bad karma – that is your religion

Baki Cos
Jene tu jindagi par shodhya kare ne
He who whom you seek your entire life
To-e ej santatoj phare, evi koi bhrantij nathi
And still he insists on hiding, there is no such person at all

Jo ishwar che to tari ne mari vache kem nathi ?
If God exists why isnt he here among us ?
Jo ishwar che to sav no thai ne rehto kem nathi ?
If God exists then why does he not come live with us ?
Are khap hoi jeno dharti par ne aakash ma jai ne bese
When he is needed on earth, why does he go off and sit in the sky ?
Aava ishwarma hun to mantij nathi
I do not believe in a God like this
Jo je ishwar ne bharose rehto
Watch out do not depend on God
Ahin ishwar jevi koi cheejaj nathi
Over here, there is no such thing as God

Vishwaas - Dr Chaaya Shah

Vishwaas - Dr Chaaya Shah
Ajani dharti ne pacchu chichru petal
Namno ek chod
Ema lai rahyo che svas
Namna aa chod ni saav aniyali ek daal
Daal ni aa toch par
Ek hasi rahyu che gulab
Aano nam vishwas

Faith
In the bowels of this unknown shallow earth
breathes a delicate little plant
On this delicate little plant sits one sharp little branch
At the very tip of this little branch, blooms a beautiful rose
This is faith

AAkrosh - Intense Rage

Collection of Poems Entitled “Aavu Kem ?” AAkrosh – Dr. Chayya Shah

Draupadi ne jyare muki daav par
tyarej ane Pandavo ne tyaje didha hot
Nari na ghor apman thi
aam itihas kalankit na thayo hot
Agni pariksha mangi Rame jyare
tyarej sita e inkaar karyo hot
Bejeevati nari ne jungle ma haki mukvane S
Sri rame himmat na kari hot
Patini pachal Gandhari e
Aam aankhe pati na bandhi hot
Nij aankhna amrut thi
neej putra ne bheenjavi shaki hot
Mahabharata nu yudhha atkavi shaki hot

Sati nu birudh pamnari
Aa nari oe matra ek stree thavani koshish jo kari hot
aam varamvar balidaan mangvani purushone
adat na padi hot


Had Draupadi abandoned the Pandavas when they put her up as collateral
Then history would not have been shamed by this deep insult of womankind

Had Sita refused, when Ram subjected her to the fire test as a sign of her purity
Then Sri Ram would not have had the courage to banish a pregnant woman to the jungle

Had Gandhari not put a blindfold over her eyes to provide companionship to her husband,
Then she could have showered her child with the sweet love from her own eyes and stopped the Mahabharata wars.

If all these women whom we hail as satis, had tried to be real “women”
Then men would not be in the habit of repeatedly asking women to make supreme sacrifices.

Feminist Gujarati Poetry

Avid followers of this blog will recall the beautiful poetry reading session at the first Choksey reunion. Sudhin and Anjali had brought us this book of Gujarati poems written by Dr Chaaya Shah. And they were absolutely beautiful.

I promised myself that one day I would translate them into English -I can read Gujarati, but I tend to confuse the "k" and the "f" and a few other key consonants. I suppose I could overcome it if I read enough.

So the general plan was, that I would go visit my Anila masi, who is a teacher by profession and work on the translation with her. Nearly 3 years, 3 homes and 3 cities after the Alibag trip, I finally sat down with Anila masi at the Phoenix Mills mall on the first floor of the Costa coffee shop - did you know that the waiters in the coffee shop are deaf and dumb ? But I digress.

I've put in the poems as stand alone posts right after this.

What Matters Most!

I like to read a book or two during the holidays. And during this time, I like to read just a chapter at a time, savoring the words, understanding what is being said. This year, I am reading Franklin Covey's Seven Habits. Yes, I've read them before - but I probably could not have named a single habit before.

It has been a year of big decisions. And as I read this book, I realize that I have instinctively identified "What Matters Most" to me and I've used it to help me make my decisions. That is what has made some incredibly difficult and contrarian decisions seem like no-brainers and their consequences easy to accept.

And I also realize, that there are some deliberate choices I've made - though it seemed at the time that I had no choice in making them. Now that I've re-read the book, I am thinking I will write that mission statement. I will evaluate my progress to the mission from time to time and I will update my mission statement.

These last few days, I've spent reacquainting myself with life in suburban Mumbai - and its intricacies and simplicity. I've caught up with people I had not met in a long time, and I've learnt more about the experiences that have made me who I am. I don't think I'd have been able to appreciate the nuances had I not stepped back to think about What Matters Most to me.

So thank you Mr. Covey!!

Bah Humbug!!!

All year long, I look forward to the period between Christmas and New Year. In general, this is a time when things slow down at work, and I can count on being able to relax and address some special project that requires extra attention. Some years this has been an extremely busy time as we try and catch up with the targets for the quarter or finish writing new business that is to be included in the year that is ending.

However, when I was young, I looked forward to it for a host of other reasons. Christmas was always a very festive season in Bandra where I grew up. And apart from the one year when I took off in a fit of fright upon seeing a real live Santa Claus, I have looked forward to the decorated Christmas trees, the exchange of traditional sweets, the hustle and bustle on Hill Rd, midnight mass - and yes, I still havent actually been to one - and then the inevitable New Years Eve parties. These were undertaken with much energy and excitement and I often returned home in the wee hours of the morning, exhilirated and exhausted. And that was in the pre-alcohol days. I remember walking down Hill Rd, late at night, somewhere near Rebello House and Somnath Lane - there were several of us and we were walking along arm-in-arm all across the street singing at the top of our voices.

Things changed as I grew older. Somewhere along the way I picked up the occasional martini. And the parties got funnier. And then I grew a little older. And now I fell asleep after the first martini. Or if I managed to stay up all night, i realized that I was a zombie the next day. And I did not like being a zombie.

The parties got even more painful as I lived in Stormville, cos it involved a trip out into the snow laden deer ridden countryside, to a party filled with people who were drinking just a little bit more than was attractive. And i recall one historic moment when I decided that i really did not need to go to a party on New Years Eve. That I was happier sitting at home in my flannel pajamas wearing 2 pairs of warm socks, snuggled under a blanket, falling asleep in front of the TV. My self esteem would not allow me to accept that I had become an old bore. Instead I called it being smarter and wiser. Though I must confess to feeling a tiny twinge of envy at the energy displayed by the other party goers. Next morning, feeling refreshed and awake, reading about all the drunk drivers that got arrested, or into accidents I invariably felt smarter and wiser.

So when asked about my plans for New Years Eve this year, I said, Bah Humbug! I intend to go to sleep at 10pm. And it is a great New Year's Day today, isn't it ?