PASSION FOR LIFE

PASSION FOR LIFE

Tamil Nadu Arts and Science College was celebrating its golden jubilee on a grand scale with pomp and zest. The grand celebration was inaugurated with a prayer-song followed by the welcome address. The Principal welcomed the gathering. Then the M.C. briefly introduced the chief guest of the day, adoring him with a litany of encomium. The chief guest was Dr Francis, the Founder of Francis Higher Secondary Schools and Colleges.

“He is a symbol of hard work and a source of inspiration,” the M.C. elaborated some of his characters; and added “Today we are fortunate to have him here. Though he is busy with a hectic schedule, when invited, he immediately accepted our invitation, for he loves our college. Above all, we are all the more proud he is an alumnus of our college.”

The Principal honoured the chief guest with a shawl. Then the chief guest began with his message.

*****

“Hey, hurry up. Your husband is lying at the porch of the market,” a neighbour informed Maria. It was not at all strange to Maria, instead it was rather regular. Her husband, Mark, was a hawker. He earned 300 to 400 rupees every day; but being an alcoholic, he spent a huge amount in the TASMAC and gave Maria only the remaining. Though Mark was stony, at times, he turned to be a compassionate husband; he resonated with Maria. During those moments he submitted the whole earning to Maria, but that was seldom. Whenever intoxicated, he gave Maria black and blue as if the only to pacify him and repented, the next day, for what he had done. Nevertheless, she liked him and loved him unconditionally, for, after all, he was her husband. The worst embarrassing thing to her was to search for him and drag him back home. It was her usual evening job.

She made constant efforts to prod him in his rib in order to wake him up. She sprinkled a mug of water, too, but he did not get up. With the favour of the passers-by, Maria lifted him up but was shocked and stunned. Unbearable pain pierced through her nerves. She mourned uncontrollably. For Mark was dead.

Maria had nothing to carry out the funeral services to her husband. She expected some help from her relatives but they behaved as if they were strangers which added more fuel to the flames of her sorrow.

Maria was fraught with worries of the future of her children. She, a staunch Christian, put all her faith in Jesus. She prayed, “Whom shall I approach for help? You are my saviour; only you can show me the way.” Every time when she went to church, the amount of tears she shed was more than the words she uttered.

Vino, her elder son, was in the eleventh and her daughters Helen and Christy were in the seventh and the sixth standards respectively. After the demise of his father, Vino decided to discontinue his study so as to economically support his mother and educate his siblings. Maria went from door- to-door in search of a work; three wealthy families were in need of a charwoman. And Maria was obliged to do so to which she was paid fifty rupees at each house and was given the remnants of food. Observing her tiredness, the families sometimes, out of sympathy, offered her snacks. She never ate them; instead she preserved and fed her children once she came home. Though she worked from dawn to dusk and Vino supported her with a little contribution, she could not make both ends meet due to various demanding expenditures like house-rent, education fees, food, etc.

Two months passed. One day all of a sudden, the owner of the house arrived there and scolded her contemptuously, for she had not paid the house rent for months. He asked her to vacate the house. She begged and prostrated before him to spare some more time but he was not moved. Meanwhile his henchmen dispersed the belongings and locked the door.

Maria, with her belongings, was helpless on the road without knowing where to go. As she walked along the Marina beach road, she found a huge Portia tree across from the bus station, just by the Kannahi statue. She heaved the things under the tree; her tattered saris became the roof. The alluvial soil of the Marina became their bed. The Moon was their night lamp.

They could tolerate the sunny days to some extent but the rainy days made it difficult for them. During rain, especially at night, they got asylum under the shelter of the bus stand. Sometimes the police infuriated her. She gradually learnt the tactic of managing them. As a woman, she had to undergo and tackle a series of hardships and ordeals in a sprawling city like Chennai.

Her efforts of convincing Vino to continue his schooling turned to be futile. He went for selling groundnuts along the beach. He, at times, used to sit in a place and look around which was his fond habit. He relished seeing an assemblage of heterogeneous people. He saw a girl acted as acrobat, kids playing frolic games, youngsters in pairs, a dominant population, doing the ‘most-wanted activities’ by hiding themselves under boats thinking no one watched them and a few elderly people with their grandchildren, without knowing what to do, would say then and there ‘do’s’ and ‘don’ts’ to their grandchildren. It was really a wonderful entertainment to Vino.

Whenever he saw boys of his age coming with their parents to the beach, he broke into tears feeling all he had missed in his life and to convert that emotion he would just leave the place immediately.

As he approached a family for selling a few packets, he heard someone calling him from behind. He turned back and saw; that was his class teacher. His teacher asked him,” Vino, What happened? And why aren’t you coming to school?” His words revealed his real concern and love for Vino. Vino expounded to him of everything. The teacher said, “You must come to school and study. EDUCATION IS THE WEAPON OF THE POOR. I will take care of all your academic expenditures.”

Vino was a little reluctant for he had to support the family also. But a second thought told him that he could work in the evening after school. He said “Yes” and thanked him wholeheartedly. Vino informed his mother of his new decision. She was really happy. Vino resumed his schooling. Since there was a big break, he worked hard. He met the teachers personally and clarified his doubts. They encouraged and supported him.

Whenever there was an intermittent rain, the archaic school declared holiday and all the students happily returned their homes. But Vino and his siblings went home sadly for they didn’t have lunch on that day; they depended on the midday meal. They used the street lights for studies. Sometimes it was so chill and noisy outside.

Vino and his sisters went to temples every morning not for receiving graces but for receiving pongal which became often their breakfast. When they were famished, especially at noons, corporation water was their instant food. They learnt the skill of bearing hunger because it became part of their life.

Vino passed in the twelfth exam with 962 marks out of 1200. He planned to go for work in order to empower the family. His teacher once again extended his help saying,” In the current scenario without a degree, you cannot get a lucrative job. So, you first do your degree. In shift system, classes will be held from 8.15 a.m. to 1.15 p.m.; afterwards you can go for a part time job and support the family as well.”

Vino joined in B.Com. He was studious. Whenever he’d time, he went to the college library, referred books and gathered materials regarding his subjects. However, he spent at least an hour daily reading motivational books. He always carried a book with him. When the college got over, he ran to Paris Corner. After buying three baskets of ice cream, he went to the beach, so-called his house. He sold ice creams along with pea nuts in a small stall. He earned quiet a good profit. They shifted their house from the beach to a nearby slum for a less house rent. His house was on the bank of the Koovam River which was considerably the source of mosquitos. Maria exclaimed with a grateful heart, “God has listened to my prayers and lavished his blessings abundantly upon us.”

When there were no buyers, Vino glanced through his notes. He was able to cope with his studies. During his second year, he took part in an elocution competition; he won the second prize. He was awarded a wrist watch. He, for the first time, wore it, surprisingly, on his right wrist without knowing what was really behind that. Later he, by reading a few psychological books, understood that those who wear watch on their right wrist are creative and have a high self-esteem. Indeed Vino was innovative and self-motivated.

During the final year, Vino attended the campus recruitment. Multimedia agglomerate came to cluster students for their companies. They posted casual questions which checked the analytical power of the attendants. All were really astonished by the way Vino answered. He was selected for the TIFUN Company with the promise of Rs 20,000 as salary. Vino continued with his M.Com. in the first shift and went to work from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Vino was very much liked by the company for his innovative ideas and practical thinking. TIFUN introduced instant energy drinks with different flavours which became the hot news in the city. The idea was from Vino. TIFUN came up with the idea of market segmentation produced by Vino.

He was appointed as the chief executive officer of TIFUN. He introduced skinning price to all the electronic items and penetration price to all the departmental items which took the company to the peak level profit. It created a huge demand in the market for TIFUN products. Vino created a slogan for the company ‘We Serve You’. TIFUN became more popular. People desired for TIFUN products. Vino was paid in lakhs. He built a palatial house. The family was well-settled. His awaited dream was fulfilled. Vino became one of the prominent figures in the city. Many companies invited him to teach company strategies to the employees.

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As Dr Francis narrated this life story to the students of Tamil Nadu Arts and science College, there was a pin-drop silence in the auditorium crammed with seven thousand students. To break the spell, he threw a question, “Do you know who Vino is?” The students kept mum; the chief guest himself said the answer, “The person who is talking to you right now was Vino once.” All were really taken aback.

Then he added, “The teacher who gave me life was Francis. Were he not there, I cannot be here. He encouraged me to study. That is why I am here as the chief guest. I am grateful to him for ever. In his remembrance, I christened his name to me and to all my institutions. Some twenty years back, he said, “Education is the weapon of the poor.” That is still reverberating in me. Today I offer educational service to the poor and the marginalized.”

“Dear young and energetic students, on this beautiful occasion, my message for you would be these two things:

1. Poverty is not a stumbling block to success. You may be poor in wealth but you are rich with enormous energy and strength. You can achieve anything and everything if you believe in yourself. You are the resplendent stars of hope. Believe in yourself.

2. Work hard. Hard work is the path to success. Nothing is impossible in this world; for all things are possible with God. Every day, try to recite the Mantra ‘I CAN….I CAN’ for at least fifty times which made me be what I am today.

I would like to conclude my speech with the words of Shiv Kera from the book ‘You can win’: “Winners don’t do different things. They do things differently.” I wish you all the very best to be prosperous and successful in your life. Thank you.

The whole gathering offered him a standing ovation. After a few seconds, the auditorium reverberated with the recitation ‘I CAN…I CAN……’

By Arul-G, SJ.