hidden image

Daring to be Great and Heroic

P. A. Joseph P. A. Joseph
21 Aug 2023

There is a unique kind of bird namely thorn bird. The botanical name is phacellodomus ruber. It is found in some parts of South America like Brazil, Bolivia, and Argentina. The bird builds a large and complex nest of twigs and thorns. When the bird grows into maturity, it goes in search for a thorny tree, pierces itself with thorns, sings the most beautiful song ever heard, and dies while singing. Some people say it is a mythical bird. Any way its last message of lovely song is beautiful.

Rambai, 106 years young sprinter, took up athletic two years ago, and set world record of 100 m, and 200 m and topped in shot-put at the 18th national open athletic championship  competition held  in Dehradun. After the event, her grand daughter, aged 41, offered to massage her leg but Rambai declined and asked her to serve someone older.

Kalpana Chawla, born on March 17, 1962, in Karnal, Haryana, had her school studies in the home state. When she was 20 she pursued her studies in the US, took American citizenship, had her higher studies there and took PhD in her favorite subject aeronautics engineering. She was the first Indo-US woman flying in the space. During her historic flight in the space- shuttle she had respectable and lovely chat with the then Prime Minister I. K. Gujral who invited her and team members to India. She spent 15 days 22 hours and 20 minutes in the space. While returning, she died, along with seven crew members, when the spacecraft disintegrated on February 1, 2003. 

These stories inspire us to have something to believe, something to visualize, to dream, to prioritize, and even to “prayerise”. I should wake up in the morning with a preoccupation to do something planned in the process of my daily schedule.

Nothing on earth is more powerful than the human mind, both mine and yours. I/we don’t lack any idea and the potential. There are tremendous ideas in the universe, only I need to accept them and make it my own. In the process of selecting ideas, I should have the courage to delete all the negative forces, and all dangerous viruses. I do not get glory in doing something wrong. I need to be right morally, ethically, and spiritually. For a right objective, I should not take a wrong procedure. If I sow positive seeds I will gather positive results, and on the contrary if I sow negative seeds I will reap only negative results. 

Recent Posts

A democracy must distinguish between an armed insurgent and a questioning citizen. Calling critics, students, academics or activists "Dimaagi Naxals" is unacceptable. Strength lies not in silencing di
apicture Dr Martin Valiyaparambil VC
24 Aug 2026
As I watched, I could not help remembering the interview I did with your father, NKP Salve, for Jain TV in the 1990s. Goswami, I presume, was then still "studying for some time in a Jesuit-run school,
apicture A. J. Philip
24 Aug 2026
After years in abeyance, Justice Sunday returns at a moment of profound national crisis. From poverty and exclusion to attacks on minorities and environmental destruction, the Church is called to recl
apicture Cedric Prakash
24 Aug 2026
Israel has transformed from the biblical David into a heavily armed Goliath. Self-defence cannot justify occupation, mass displacement and civilian suffering. The world must find the courage to act.
apicture P. A. Chacko
24 Aug 2026
Pellet guns were fired at protesting students, and nobody can say who ordered it. The issue has transcended one incident. Power remains concentrated, but responsibility is endlessly dispersed.
apicture Oliver D'Souza
24 Aug 2026
Beneath India's boasts of growth and power, a deeper restlessness is spreading. Jobs vanish, institutions weaken, citizens move, dissent is silenced, and trust collapses; the CJP's rise reflects this
apicture Thomas Menamparampil
24 Aug 2026
Sanatan borders bruised me In caste societies. Left Ideologies crushed me In European societies. Sharia societies Erased my skin.
apicture Dr Suryaraju Mattimalla
24 Aug 2026
Unity is beautiful, but only when united around what is right. Otherwise, unity merely allows everyone to become lost without feeling lonely.
apicture Robert Clements
24 Aug 2026
Bengal once welcomed missionaries who built schools, hospitals and presses, enriching the region's education, healthcare and reform. Today, priests are told to leave their parishes. The irony is devas
apicture CM Paul
17 Aug 2026
With Christians constituting barely 2.3 per cent of India's population, the charge of mass forced conversion defies logic. Yet anti-conversion laws pivot charity into "allurement," suspicion and crime
apicture Chhotebhai
17 Aug 2026