Gospel for the Unfortunate

I have a close friend in Odisha, Dr Yadam Ramkumar, who is in his thirties. He frankly says that he hails from a lower class poor family. Anyway, today he is an acclaimed writer, publisher, professor and an internationally noted figure in individuality development classes. He could easily tunnel through all obstructions, just using his own will and self determination. On Aug 4 this year, I had been at the 1st year anniversary celebrations of webandcrafts.com at Infopark Thrissur (Kerala). With an investment of just five machines and three dedicated smart friends, team webandcrafts, under a 21 year old CEO, could make the company one of the best growing IT companies in Kerala. I was surprised to hear Shri Rishikesh Nair (CEO –Infopark) who presided over the occasion announce their free hosting service worth 1 million Indian Rupees to all social service organizations in India. I have in my keep many more thundering stories of soaring success. All these live stories, when streamed at a stretch, make anyone realize that it is the most obstructed, who has the best chances to play with success. A survey shows that more than 60% of America’s richest hail from ordinary backgrounds. Bill Gates and Steve Jobs are best examples. 

When ‘Share and Learn’ contributors write on positive thinking and practical techniques to master life, there could be readers who take it as advises from the most fortunate, who haven’t anything to worry in life. Our contributors in Indian Thoughts, I can assure you, talk from their deepest experiences in life. Smart Plus, written by Shri Rakesh Mittal IAS, is the most read according to the feedback we receive. His observations on life situations are touching. How many of you know that he is a living example of patient suffering? Two smart boys were born to him. At the age of eighteen, his eldest son began frequent medical checkups; the whole family had to accept with regret the medical report which said that he is prone to a terminal disease, according to which he is likely to live only up to 35 years. They were right; he passed away in this May 2013. Now his other son also is suffering from the same disease. The whole family spends there time nursing him with love. But Shri Mittal is not lost. A year before his eldest son sought a medical report, he had initiated ‘The Kabir Peace Mission’. He personally told me that all these shocks could not shake him at all. He still lives in his self-created world of honesty and social commitment. If I quote his words, ‘the fire experiences of gold do not degrade it’. I am happy to see that suffering and pain are two distinct posts in his life. He shows us how one can stand straight even at the worst falls in life. I feel that it is an art which everyone needs to master, because it is what makes every winner different.  

Joseph Mattappally