Friday, July 22, 2011
Friday, June 11, 2010
‘Faithfulness of Christ, Faithfulness of Priests’
I am happy to announce that with the grace of God and with the good will of great people, along with my friend Gabriel I have edited a book on priesthood. Faithfulness of Christ, Faithfulness of Priests a new book on priesthood is released in
‘The Year of the Priests’ has been received very well across the globe primarily because of its cutting relevance. This book titled ‘Faithfulness of Christ, Faithfulness of Priests’ is one such attempt to appreciate the priests and the would-be priests for their generous response to the invitation of Christ to participate in his operative mission of the Father. The books is divided into three various sections namely Metanoia (head), Koinonia (heart) and Praxis (hand) denoting respectively the intellectual, emotional and pastoral aspects of a priest. The book offers variety of topics which are chosen and entrusted to competent people. These articles will interest all the priests since they are short, simple and above all they do address contemporary issues. The book is edited by two students of Theology; Bro. David Maria Selvam SDB and Bro. Gabriel Karunaraj SDB
The Contributors: Foreword – Francis Cerada SDB, Archbishop Thomas Menamparampil SDB, Maria Arockiam Kanaga SDB, Fr. Dominic Veliath SDB, Fr. Paul Puthnangady SDB, Joe Mannath SDB, Thomas Anchukandam SDB, Stanislaus Swaminkannu SDB, Ivo Coelho SDB, Alexander John SDB, Jose Kuttianimattathil SDB, Thomas Panakezaham SDB, Matthew Maruvathrayil SDB, Thomas Punnapadam SDB, Patrick Antonyraj SDB, Anthony Lourdusamy SDB, Gabriel Karunaraj SDB and David Maria Selvam SDB.
Let us put our heads, hearts and hands together to rediscover the authentic meaning of our priestly ministry and thus prove truly to be faithful pastors, priests and prophets, drawing strength and inspiration from the faithfulness of Jesus Christ our High Priest.
Wednesday, January 9, 2008
Brand Personality of Airlines, Hotels and Clothing
Indian Airlines: A manly, strong, experienced person who will not be discouraged by any hardship. Even if someone else overtakes he does not give up or envy on others, rather works on himself. He does not believe in external glorifications and popularity. He wants to be decent and never likes to be foppish. He is a personality comprising of qualities such as patience, endurance and helping tendency.
Air Sahara: A manly, active, youthful and adventurous person. He does not want to be slow in his movement. Being slow is not a virtue for him. The dynamism of a youngster is seen in him. He does not want to live like a reserved person. He wants to relate will all the people without any distinction. He wants to achieve a lot in his life and he has the potency to do that.
The Residency Towers: A tall glamorous young lady who enchants everyone. Her charm and beauty is better experienced in the night. She is very selective in her relationships. She does not entertain everyone. Her first criterion is money. She knows that many will fall for her beauty and they will not regret for having fallen because she has the capacity to satisfy everyone’s needs. She is rich. She is economically very strong and morally may be bit weak and she is happy for being that way.
Muniyandi Vilas: He was once rich but now he is just an ordinary man. He is tough and still has quality. His only drawback is his presentation. He knows that everyone relates basing on the external appearance but he is helpless. He does not live in misery because he still works hard but the income is still only in the manageable level. He has learnt to forget his past and at the same time he is seemed to be not bothered about the future.
Raymonds suiting: He belongs to the upper strata of the society. He likes to always be perfect. He does not accept all the appointments. He is reserved, calm but confident. He wants to achieve without exerting too much of strain. He wants to be manly not with the daily chores but with the exercise from his Gym. He is very much self-conscious and wants to project his better half in public.
Kumar Shirts: A middle class citizen who wants to project himself to the society without investing too much of money for his external appearances. He is self conscious but does not find means to overcome that pre-occupation. He has a good name in the society but he has to constantly work hard to retain his name.
Air Sahara: A manly, active, youthful and adventurous person. He does not want to be slow in his movement. Being slow is not a virtue for him. The dynamism of a youngster is seen in him. He does not want to live like a reserved person. He wants to relate will all the people without any distinction. He wants to achieve a lot in his life and he has the potency to do that.
The Residency Towers: A tall glamorous young lady who enchants everyone. Her charm and beauty is better experienced in the night. She is very selective in her relationships. She does not entertain everyone. Her first criterion is money. She knows that many will fall for her beauty and they will not regret for having fallen because she has the capacity to satisfy everyone’s needs. She is rich. She is economically very strong and morally may be bit weak and she is happy for being that way.
Muniyandi Vilas: He was once rich but now he is just an ordinary man. He is tough and still has quality. His only drawback is his presentation. He knows that everyone relates basing on the external appearance but he is helpless. He does not live in misery because he still works hard but the income is still only in the manageable level. He has learnt to forget his past and at the same time he is seemed to be not bothered about the future.
Raymonds suiting: He belongs to the upper strata of the society. He likes to always be perfect. He does not accept all the appointments. He is reserved, calm but confident. He wants to achieve without exerting too much of strain. He wants to be manly not with the daily chores but with the exercise from his Gym. He is very much self-conscious and wants to project his better half in public.
Kumar Shirts: A middle class citizen who wants to project himself to the society without investing too much of money for his external appearances. He is self conscious but does not find means to overcome that pre-occupation. He has a good name in the society but he has to constantly work hard to retain his name.
Tuesday, January 8, 2008
ABC of a copywriter
I tried to compile an article using all the letters of the alphabets and I was satisfied with the form not the content. Let me try out a new method. It may appear childish but creativity has the beginning here. Let me bring out the qualities of a copywriter using the ABC of the K.G. student.
A for apple: ‘An apple a day keeps the doctor away.’ A copywriter should be like an apple which is sweet, medicinal and costly. Oftentimes copywriters are costly and sweet but fail to be medicinal. The writing should have the medicinal effect which means it should heal the wounds of the world.
B for Ball: Ball is a generic term. In sports ball has different role. The basic spherical shape is always maintained. Football is different from baseball, so also every ball is different in its role, purpose and function, but the common feature is that it is important for any game. So also a copywriter can be unique in his role, but he/she should always remember that his/her writing should prove to be important to the society.
C for Cat: Cats in general are believed to have better eyesight even in the dark. A copywriter should have deeper seeing. His views should not be pessimistic. Even in the darkness he/she should be able to see the light.
D for Dog: Dogs have nearly 220 million smell sensitive cells. A copywriter should smell the reality. If he is writing a copy, he should not start doing it without thorough research. They say that a news reporter should have nose for news and so also a copywriter should have a nose for not only news but for the truth.
E for an Elephant: As soon as you see elephants we think of something which is huge and strong. Let me give you a different explanation. Elephants are symbols of wisdom in Asian cultures, and are famed for their exceptional memory and very high intelligence, so also a copywriter should posses wisdom, memory and intelligence.
F for Fan: I am not meaning the object fan here. I mean the admirer of someone. A copywriter can admire someone else but he/she should primarily learn to be fan of himself or herself.
G for Giraffe: Here I am not talking about Giraffe proper but Giraffe Heroes. They are the people who stick their necks out for the common good. Every copywriter has the social responsibility and therefore should voice out the cries of the common people in their writing.
H for Hut: Huts are easily built and shepherds initially began to live in huts. Copywriters should have convictions as strong as concrete building but for their ideas and other creative elements they should be as simple and flexible like the huts.
I for Ice Cream: Who does not like ice cream? From child to older people everyone has a liking toward the ice cream. In the same way the copies written by the copywriter should be liked and enjoyed by everyone. The copy should always carry elements of universality.
J for Jug: Even if the river is overflowing in abundance unless you have a jug or a container of that sort you cannot make the water your own. Knowledge is like a overflowing river, it the copywriter who draws the ideas and makes it personal to every reader.
K for Kite: It is believed that by at least 549 AD paper kites were being flown, as it was recorded in that year a paper kite was used as a message for a rescue mission. Today kite has different meanings and significance. If the writing on the kite was used in the rescue operation, how much more the writings of copywriters of today with all their sophistication do good for the society?
L: Lamp: I remember the quote, ‘it is better to light a lamp than to curse the darkness.’ Every copywriter should act as the lamp for the society. He should try to illumine the minds of the people in the little possible ways.
M for Monkey: A number of countries have used monkeys as part of their space exploration programmes, including the United States and France. The first monkey in space was Albert II who flew in the US-launched V2 rocket in June 14, 1949. What am I trying to tell here? Every copywriter should explore the new possibilities without the fear of failing.
N for N.I.B: N.I.B is a song released by British heavy metal band Black Sabbath. It is said that the song is about the devil falling in love and totally changing by becoming a good person. A copywriter has the equal power, his/her writing can be an instrument to bring about the change in people. Should he/she not realize his extraordinary power?
O for Orange: Orange is a colour usually used in safety. In olden days the gurus wore orange clothes. The copywriters should be like the Gurus of the new age. They are the sages in disguise.
P for Pen: Everyone knows the famous quote ,Pen is mightier than sword. The pen plays an important role to every copywriter. It is the sword which gives him victory, but he/she should always remember that this sword should not be solely used only for his success.
Q for Queen If advertising is the king, the copywriting is the queen and therefore copywriters should realize their responsibility.
R for Rat: Most of them may doubt the power of the copywriter and the copywriting. Written word is not going to bring out the instant results but we should always remind ourselves of the role played by the rat in releasing the lion from the net. Words are powerful like the rat’s tooth.
S for Sun: Sun does not get struck in one place. We see it moving all the time and that is the dynamism every copywriter should posses.
T for Tap: Taps regulate the flow of water and the copywriters regulate the flow of ideas.
U for Umbrella: We have often heard of umbrella term which means word with multiple meaning. A copywriter should not be caught up in stereotype thinking he should come out with different interpretations of the reality.
V for Van: A van is the vehicle which carries goods. There are different types of vans. A copywriter is the one who carries the message to the public. In short he should be like a messenger.
W for Wax: Wax melts when heated. A copywriter should not be emotionless person. The sorry situation that exists in the society should melt his heart.
X for Xylophone: The words of copywriter should resonate in our ears as the music from xylophone keeps ringing in our ears.
Y: Yark: It is the exclamation of surprise or joy. Every word of the copywriter should be read with yark.
Z for Zebra: We all know that zebra has good hearing power. It can turn the ear in all its directions. A copywriter should not turn down any criticism, he/she should hear everything with respect only then his voice will be heard by the others.
A for apple: ‘An apple a day keeps the doctor away.’ A copywriter should be like an apple which is sweet, medicinal and costly. Oftentimes copywriters are costly and sweet but fail to be medicinal. The writing should have the medicinal effect which means it should heal the wounds of the world.
B for Ball: Ball is a generic term. In sports ball has different role. The basic spherical shape is always maintained. Football is different from baseball, so also every ball is different in its role, purpose and function, but the common feature is that it is important for any game. So also a copywriter can be unique in his role, but he/she should always remember that his/her writing should prove to be important to the society.
C for Cat: Cats in general are believed to have better eyesight even in the dark. A copywriter should have deeper seeing. His views should not be pessimistic. Even in the darkness he/she should be able to see the light.
D for Dog: Dogs have nearly 220 million smell sensitive cells. A copywriter should smell the reality. If he is writing a copy, he should not start doing it without thorough research. They say that a news reporter should have nose for news and so also a copywriter should have a nose for not only news but for the truth.
E for an Elephant: As soon as you see elephants we think of something which is huge and strong. Let me give you a different explanation. Elephants are symbols of wisdom in Asian cultures, and are famed for their exceptional memory and very high intelligence, so also a copywriter should posses wisdom, memory and intelligence.
F for Fan: I am not meaning the object fan here. I mean the admirer of someone. A copywriter can admire someone else but he/she should primarily learn to be fan of himself or herself.
G for Giraffe: Here I am not talking about Giraffe proper but Giraffe Heroes. They are the people who stick their necks out for the common good. Every copywriter has the social responsibility and therefore should voice out the cries of the common people in their writing.
H for Hut: Huts are easily built and shepherds initially began to live in huts. Copywriters should have convictions as strong as concrete building but for their ideas and other creative elements they should be as simple and flexible like the huts.
I for Ice Cream: Who does not like ice cream? From child to older people everyone has a liking toward the ice cream. In the same way the copies written by the copywriter should be liked and enjoyed by everyone. The copy should always carry elements of universality.
J for Jug: Even if the river is overflowing in abundance unless you have a jug or a container of that sort you cannot make the water your own. Knowledge is like a overflowing river, it the copywriter who draws the ideas and makes it personal to every reader.
K for Kite: It is believed that by at least 549 AD paper kites were being flown, as it was recorded in that year a paper kite was used as a message for a rescue mission. Today kite has different meanings and significance. If the writing on the kite was used in the rescue operation, how much more the writings of copywriters of today with all their sophistication do good for the society?
L: Lamp: I remember the quote, ‘it is better to light a lamp than to curse the darkness.’ Every copywriter should act as the lamp for the society. He should try to illumine the minds of the people in the little possible ways.
M for Monkey: A number of countries have used monkeys as part of their space exploration programmes, including the United States and France. The first monkey in space was Albert II who flew in the US-launched V2 rocket in June 14, 1949. What am I trying to tell here? Every copywriter should explore the new possibilities without the fear of failing.
N for N.I.B: N.I.B is a song released by British heavy metal band Black Sabbath. It is said that the song is about the devil falling in love and totally changing by becoming a good person. A copywriter has the equal power, his/her writing can be an instrument to bring about the change in people. Should he/she not realize his extraordinary power?
O for Orange: Orange is a colour usually used in safety. In olden days the gurus wore orange clothes. The copywriters should be like the Gurus of the new age. They are the sages in disguise.
P for Pen: Everyone knows the famous quote ,Pen is mightier than sword. The pen plays an important role to every copywriter. It is the sword which gives him victory, but he/she should always remember that this sword should not be solely used only for his success.
Q for Queen If advertising is the king, the copywriting is the queen and therefore copywriters should realize their responsibility.
R for Rat: Most of them may doubt the power of the copywriter and the copywriting. Written word is not going to bring out the instant results but we should always remind ourselves of the role played by the rat in releasing the lion from the net. Words are powerful like the rat’s tooth.
S for Sun: Sun does not get struck in one place. We see it moving all the time and that is the dynamism every copywriter should posses.
T for Tap: Taps regulate the flow of water and the copywriters regulate the flow of ideas.
U for Umbrella: We have often heard of umbrella term which means word with multiple meaning. A copywriter should not be caught up in stereotype thinking he should come out with different interpretations of the reality.
V for Van: A van is the vehicle which carries goods. There are different types of vans. A copywriter is the one who carries the message to the public. In short he should be like a messenger.
W for Wax: Wax melts when heated. A copywriter should not be emotionless person. The sorry situation that exists in the society should melt his heart.
X for Xylophone: The words of copywriter should resonate in our ears as the music from xylophone keeps ringing in our ears.
Y: Yark: It is the exclamation of surprise or joy. Every word of the copywriter should be read with yark.
Z for Zebra: We all know that zebra has good hearing power. It can turn the ear in all its directions. A copywriter should not turn down any criticism, he/she should hear everything with respect only then his voice will be heard by the others.
Sunday, January 6, 2008
Indian Sports needs Transparency, Tranquility and Transcendence.
and tolerance has gradually turned out to be a place of internal politics. There are a lot of apprehensions with regard to the failure of sports in India. It is one of the big countries in the World but never got its recognition in the world of sports. We are satisfied with a bronze medal by a prestigious Indian once in four years. The paradox that exists here is that a sports person, who reaches international standard is worshipped as the demy-god, at the same time budding sports people are not encouraged to reach new heights. The African countries in spite of their utter poverty show their richness in Olympics and other sports event. Is there a transparency in the selection committee? The deserving should not be judged based on the caste and creed rather based on the talent and the skill. How many of the poor village boys and girls who play their traditional games more efficiently are capable of bringing India a handful of gold medals? The sports politics is clearly visible even at the school level and the college level. In India sports is viewed as the means of employment and again it includes umpteen numbers of rites and rituals to get employed. How many of us are aware of the sports minister and his duties? How many of us know the amount set apart for the improvement of sports in the annual budget? Lack of efficient management is again a cause of internal politics. If we probe into the coaching facilities and other enhancement we will find bitter truths. We do have a handful of good sports persons and if we analyse their background, almost all of them will be from elite class. In the name of sports many black sheep thrive depriving the golden opportunities of many potential sports men and women. Can we change the situation? We can, but the process is tedious and irksome. We do need handful of honest and puissant citizens in power. Their power should be used for the nobler cause. Transparency in selection, tranquility in mind and transcendence from petty politics can push India to greater heights in the realm of sports.
Saturday, January 5, 2008
The Last word
I honestly got introduced to Indra Sinha only in the copywriting class. I was not initially thrilled with his work, but after reading through his works especially The Animal’s people and Death of Mr. Love I have consciously developed an admiration for him.
I read the article several times. The more I read the better I understood. As the brief clearly asks us to concentrate on the style more that the content, I restrict my comments only to the style. But, I personally feel, the content is much more superior to the form.
Any writer should concentrate on a few areas like voices, audience, balanced sentences, consisenesss, connotation, conversational quality, figurative language, fresh language, nouns, and verbs, punctuation. Sentence lenghth, sentence opening, sentence purpose, simplicity, specific and concrete words, etc. Indra Sinha has used all these elements extensively. Let me cite a few examples, ‘worship to the graven image, outstrip your British colleagues, dismembered cows and piss cultures, Ads like butterflies, Proverbial sayings lke ‘Today’s ads, tomorrows’s fish and chip papers, usage of interogtive sentences are a few samples to show he used most of these styles.
He supports his arguments with proper evidences. Though he uses a lot of imageries and figurative language, he is simpler and concise.
The whole foreword can be contained in a style of writing called the persuasive wiring.
The first two pages use a lot of imageries at the same time the central theme of social responsibility is well established. The third page just commands the audience as well as the corporate world to go in for action.
Sinha has proved that the copywriters have immense powers not just through the content of his writing but also through his style.
I read the article several times. The more I read the better I understood. As the brief clearly asks us to concentrate on the style more that the content, I restrict my comments only to the style. But, I personally feel, the content is much more superior to the form.
Any writer should concentrate on a few areas like voices, audience, balanced sentences, consisenesss, connotation, conversational quality, figurative language, fresh language, nouns, and verbs, punctuation. Sentence lenghth, sentence opening, sentence purpose, simplicity, specific and concrete words, etc. Indra Sinha has used all these elements extensively. Let me cite a few examples, ‘worship to the graven image, outstrip your British colleagues, dismembered cows and piss cultures, Ads like butterflies, Proverbial sayings lke ‘Today’s ads, tomorrows’s fish and chip papers, usage of interogtive sentences are a few samples to show he used most of these styles.
He supports his arguments with proper evidences. Though he uses a lot of imageries and figurative language, he is simpler and concise.
The whole foreword can be contained in a style of writing called the persuasive wiring.
The first two pages use a lot of imageries at the same time the central theme of social responsibility is well established. The third page just commands the audience as well as the corporate world to go in for action.
Sinha has proved that the copywriters have immense powers not just through the content of his writing but also through his style.
How many of us will score distinction?
One year of study fetches you a certificate in various disciplines and we call them as certificate courses including the degree for the bachelor of education. We get jobs and we begin to teach in schools.
Two years of study we get certificates in various technical studies, diploma courses, teachers training etc.
Three years of study we complete our under graduation and we call ourselves as degree holders and we know our subject well. We get selected in the campus interviews with the knowledge of the subjects.
Four years of study we get our degree in various types of engineering and we are immediately placed.
Five years of study you become a doctor and you know a lot of stuff about your specialization.
Six years of study we finish our M.Phil.
Seven years of study we get our PhD and we call ourselves as doctors.
Maximum we may study for ten years and we know in what we are specialized in.
Fourteen years of study, for the priests and religious …What are we good at? Do we know our field of study? Do you know our major papers? What is our specialization?
Do we study so many years to just manage only a few institutions?
Are we specialized in only looking after a parish?
Do we become competent only in running a youth centre?
Are we satisfied in just serving all our life as principals of institutions?
Is our field of study is just looking after some boys in the name of assistance?
We should honestly admit the fact that to do all these ministries we do not really need fourteen years that is double the duration required to acquire a PhD.
Our field of study is something more. All these ministries are branches of our specialization. Our specialization, field of study, discipline, and treatise should be Jesus Christ. But some of us may not even know our basic catechism. Many of us may struggle to say Ten Commandments in order. What is our knowledge about this person Jesus Christ? How deep is our relationship with this person Jesus Christ? Are we competent in this subject? If God is the field of study, our subject or the syllabus to be followed should be word of God. How many of us will clear this paper? If our answers to these questions are no, then we should wake up. We should do justice to our study.
By asking these questions as well as sharing these reflections, I do not mean that I am an exception. I raised these questions to myself first and I thought that it would be of some help those who read.
All the best to acquire distinction in our of field of study (Jesus Christ)
Two years of study we get certificates in various technical studies, diploma courses, teachers training etc.
Three years of study we complete our under graduation and we call ourselves as degree holders and we know our subject well. We get selected in the campus interviews with the knowledge of the subjects.
Four years of study we get our degree in various types of engineering and we are immediately placed.
Five years of study you become a doctor and you know a lot of stuff about your specialization.
Six years of study we finish our M.Phil.
Seven years of study we get our PhD and we call ourselves as doctors.
Maximum we may study for ten years and we know in what we are specialized in.
Fourteen years of study, for the priests and religious …What are we good at? Do we know our field of study? Do you know our major papers? What is our specialization?
Do we study so many years to just manage only a few institutions?
Are we specialized in only looking after a parish?
Do we become competent only in running a youth centre?
Are we satisfied in just serving all our life as principals of institutions?
Is our field of study is just looking after some boys in the name of assistance?
We should honestly admit the fact that to do all these ministries we do not really need fourteen years that is double the duration required to acquire a PhD.
Our field of study is something more. All these ministries are branches of our specialization. Our specialization, field of study, discipline, and treatise should be Jesus Christ. But some of us may not even know our basic catechism. Many of us may struggle to say Ten Commandments in order. What is our knowledge about this person Jesus Christ? How deep is our relationship with this person Jesus Christ? Are we competent in this subject? If God is the field of study, our subject or the syllabus to be followed should be word of God. How many of us will clear this paper? If our answers to these questions are no, then we should wake up. We should do justice to our study.
By asking these questions as well as sharing these reflections, I do not mean that I am an exception. I raised these questions to myself first and I thought that it would be of some help those who read.
All the best to acquire distinction in our of field of study (Jesus Christ)
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