Open and Unafraid

It has been almost eight or ten years since I had been writing for Indian Thoughts. I have found that the most effective technique to pass a moral is decorating the post with an appropriate life situation. As if quite aware of what I actually yearn for, Universe had been providing enough of them in regular frequencies. Of all the examples that come to me, episodes of courageously facing challenges and uncompromisingly sticking on to values have attracted me most. Everybody knows what is right and wrong, but only a few have the courage and ambiance to physically sort it as such and dare to face the consequences as well.  Today, I share with you the story of a unique family. 

A young man who earnestly believed that humanity cannot be categorized by religions and trusted in his own common sense wanted a lady of his tastes in marriage. So he put an advertisement saying, ‘wanted bride for a good looking boy (33 yrs.,173 cm) basically a rationalist, hailing from an average family of agriculturists and who intends to register the marriage with the registrar of marriages’. The name of this boy from Aluva was John Baby. He was astonished to learn that a lady by name Mini has responded. It is almost 15 years since they were married at a simple celebration held at Thrissur, Kerala.

Today, they are parents to one boy and a girl, Minon (14) and Mintu (11) respectively. Both Baby and Mini lived in utter contempt for the synthetic social style of fabricating the future of an individual. They did not send their children to any School; the main reason was that they did not appreciate the column in the application form asking for cast/religion/community. They were not ready to compromise their status of a human being. The children grew absolutely free from all sorts of social norms and the clutches of religion. At the age of 13, Minon received an award of excellence from the President of India. So far he has created around six thousand pictures using either of water colour, oil paint, acrylic, charcoal and crayon. His works were exhibited at Thrissur and Kottayam by respective Lalithakala Acadamies. He has so far received more appreciations than a classic winner in School Youth festivals. Now he is taking classes for school students on science, environment, drawing and bird watching.

Little Mintu also is nowhere behind. She is practicing dance in Haripad Saranaga under Klalamandalam Vijayakumari. Her spare time hobby is cooking and tailoring. John Baby who also is a talented artist believes that the present system of education does not serve its’ purpose. He says that Nature is the biggest of text books. John Baby is reported to have said that his children have learnt to fetch for a living and they have everything they need. It may seem that he was ridiculously risking his children. For me, I see them as a human family living in India. 

Joseph Mattappally