Volunteers needed - Makodia needs you

Makodiya is a living testimony of the love of Christ, carefully nurtured and guided by the vision of the saintly Mar Theodosius and it has come so far by the works and prayers of this bishop who chose to live, work and is now resting far away from Kerala. His prayers will always be its strength.

But Makodiya needs a lot of help - it needs volunteers to come and visit and work. To come and visit the area and take back memories to share for others. For volunteers to stay for a few days or weeks to help set up different projects, or help maintain others, to help financially and in kind to provide for the daily sustenance and long term existence of this mission project.

There are many ways to help - your prayers, your help in cash and kind will go a long way to providing succor and encouragement to those working on the ground in Makodiya; however I feel the best help would be to come and visit Makodiya, become aware of what happens here, spread the word, come back with others, to get involved with the work here and take ownership in the vision of Mar Theodosius of becoming an effective light for Christ in this region.

A side note:
I could sense that after the passing of Theodosius Thirumeni, the mission is somehow falling out of the radar of the Church. Hence I feel the need of the hour is to get back to talking about Makodiya, not only talking, but trying to visit there and finding out first hand the work that happens there, and getting involved to make it better. Maybe give the volunteers working there a call at times, encourage them, motivate them and let them know how they are doing God's work. Just a good word can sometimes do wonders.

(Written by Mathew Samuel (Sunil), a visitor to Makodiya in January 2013)

The Bishop in Makodiya

Doctor uncle said Theodosius Thirumeni loved to come to Makodiya. Whenever there was a problem in the diocese, some tension with the people, Thirumeni would love to leave everything for a bit and come to Makodiya  and being in Makodiya would give a great sense of peace to Thirumeni.

In Makodiya Thirumeni was like any of the other ordinary person. HG would come out and sleep under the open sky with the others, talk at length with everyone and really enjoy HG's time there.
Thirumeni would go for the village meetings, talk with the villagers, listen to their problems - HG was their Bade Father.

Going around the hallways, I could sense the simplicity of Thirumeni in the walls of the mission house. Walking around the front yard, I could see how Thirumeni loved the place, how HG had built it up with great care. The place had the life of Thirumeni still in its air. This place was Thirumeni's favorite place, the land knew its Bade Father and the Bade Father knew it. It was a relationship of great love.

(Written by Mathew Samuel (Sunil), a visitor to Makodiya in January 2013)

Have you seen a Kariveppila 'tree'?

kariveppala tree at Makodia Mission house

All Malayalees have a Kariveppila (curry leaves) plant. Every Malayalee, especially outside Kerala, and even outside India try to keep a Kariveppila plant in their home. The kariveppila and its strong smell, has a medicinal value and is used in several of our curries - it is a distinct reminder of our roots from Kerala.

I have known many families yearning to have a Kariveppila plant in their home. They grow them in pots, but many times it does not take root. I have known ladies who would try their best to grow Kariveppala plants in their homes without success. It seemed like only the lucky ones were blessed with a well grown Kariveppila plant.

And I have seen Kariveppila plants a few feet tall, but never before had I seen a Kariveppila tree! till I came to Makodiya.

Mar Theodosius sensing the desire of Malayalees to have the proximity of the Kariveppila, planted it in the backyard and it has now grown to be a huge tree, giving shade and sprouting many small Kariveppala plants under it.

If you wish to see the unique Kariveppila plant - as a full grown tree - come to Makodiya!

(Written by Mathew Samuel (Sunil), a visitor to Makodiya in January 2013)

Where Sadhu Sundar Singh preached

Doctor uncle pointed to us and told us that very close to the Makodiya Mission house was the place where Sadhu Sunder Singh had preached the gospel to the tribals in Makodiya many many years ago.

It was  perhaps divine providence that Mar Theodosius was led to the same place which had been made holy by the footsteps of Sadhu Sunder Singh. It was perhaps divine plan to have the mission house working from that very place.

Also I have heard about the Friends Church and the Friends mission doing work among the tribals in Makodiya. It is a blessing to note that the Malankara Orthodox Church has also involved itself at the very grassroots level with the Makodians. By improving the life of the tribals, of the villagers, the Church will be doing great service to the society and to the nation in fulfilling its calling.

(Written by Mathew Samuel (Sunil), a visitor to Makodiya in January 2013)

Looking hopefully into the future

Retreat Center:

There is a plan and hope that Makodiya mission house can become a venue for a retreat center of our people providing healing of the soul and comfort to those facing challenges in life. With its natural beauty and its serene setting, a retreat and meditation center will be a great asset to the Church, if it comes up in Makodiya.

Tailoring Center:
I read that there is also a plan to start a Tailoring Center at the Mission House. This could give employment to the local tribes and could prove useful for our needs, like for example, it might be able to supply school uniforms for our school.

With support from our churches near and far, this can become a reality. If volunteers frequent Makodiya many such things can fall in place.

(Written by Mathew Samuel (Sunil), a visitor to Makodiya in January 2013)

The Mission House - Makodia



The main hall

As we enter is the main hall which serve as the main lounge. This must have been the area where Thirumeni would have entertained guests who would have come to visit Makodiya I felt. Perhaps this was also the area that local politicians and officials would come to meet the bishop.

Thirumeni's room was on the right of the main hall. There are a couple rooms on the left.





Chapel

This was the British Bungalow of old which is a famous landmark of the area. Another room on the left serves currently as the office. Further down there are a couple rooms where people could be accomodated if they come on a visit - there is the chapel on the right.





Dining area

The dining area is a long hall with the kitchen at the far end.We were served breakfast and lunch in the dining hall. The dining hall opens to the backyard with the vegetable garden on one side and the stable on the other.



We have about 6 acres of land there - wheat is grown in the fields. The harvest provides part of the income for the mission house, I was told.Once the jowar crop is harvested the same place is used for growing soya beans. The land is very rich and fertile. There are other vegetables grown in the backyard that is used locally. Also we have some livestock that helps in the maintenance of the Mission house. I have read that Thirumeni wanted the Mission house to be self sustaining and the model of cultivating the land for our own needs fit perfectly into the model.




vegetable garden

The adjacent building serves as the medical clinic with the Anganvadi on the first floor.


(Written by Mathew Samuel (Sunil), a visitor to Makodiya in January 2013)

Anganvadi at the Mission House

The upper floor is used for the Anganvadi

The Anganvadi functioning out of the Mission house provides basic pre-school training to the kids of the villagers. All the children are from the Makodiya villages. Many children from the Anganvadi then are admitted to the MGM school of the Church functioning nearby.

By these various programs, I sensed that the mission house had essentially become a very useful and integral portion of the local community. It had gelled well with the local community, and had grown with it. That was probably exactly how Mar Theodosius envisioned it to be, but I could not help thinking - these different programs need a lot of help - skilled teachers would need to be hired locally, day care experts could be useful, nurses could provide basic health care; resources like books, toys, personal baby items all could be very useful for such a program.

(Written by Mathew Samuel (Sunil), a visitor to Makodiya in January 2013)

Medical Clinic in Makodia

Medical Clinic at Makodiya

Doctor Uncle as Mr.Varghese Chacko is called is the person handling the medical clinic functioning out of the Mission House in Makodiya. Getting medicines from Itarsi and other neighbouring towns, he hands out first aid and minor care to the villagers I am told. This facility is a boon for the villagers, as the nearest hospital seems to be about 50 kms away.

Doctor uncle

He has been with Thirumeni at the mission house for about 22 years now and he knows a thing or two about medicines. I sensed that this was one arm of the mission house that could use a lot of help from potential volunteers from outside, to build a proper dispensary fully functioning out of the area - if there are resident doctors readily available, it could become a great comfort for the local villagers. Not sure though, how that will happen.

(Written by Mathew Samuel (Sunil), a visitor to Makodiya in January 2013)

The overall picture of SHGs at work

Achen examines the documentation as a SHG meeting is in session.

As we wound up the meeting of the SHG and drove back, I realized what I had witnessed just then was a template of the SHGs at work in about 40 such villages. Regular meetings were held, co-ordinated by a person like Mr. Raghuveer discussing needs, planning for solutions and implementing them as per the situation in the local SHG. Neat documentation was maintained. Mr. Raghuveer had later come over to the Mission house to followup discussions with achen and Sanoj and for further planning.

If poultry farm was the solution in one SHG, then raising goats or cows was the thing to do in another, or training for some vocation was the thing done in another. Micro financing for these was overseen by the mission and regular maintenence of the project was overseen.

Thus the Church through the mission was enabling SHGs in each village to slowly stand on its own feet, to fend for themselves and to live decent lives in the society. That was Christ's work indeed. That was Christian mission. Thank God for Makodiya mission.

(Written by Mathew Samuel (Sunil), a visitor to Makodiya in January 2013)

TB eradication program

Catholic Health Association of India (CHAI) has been spreading awareness about Tuberculosis and has been running a TB eradication program along with the Abhaya Niketan Makodiya Mission in these SHGs. The banner of the TB program was hung at the meeting for everyone to read. Mr.Oommen Varghese, who was the Project Co-ordinator from CHAI, and who had initially helped me to get in touch with Makodiya and Ranju achen had been a pillar in these endeavors. I have learnt that the achievements and milestones of this project has been great appreciated by the local government officials. I thank God for this effort.

Mr.Raghuveer

Mr. Raghuveer took the time in the meeting to spread information about TB. He explained the symptoms to be aware of, what precautions to take and when to talk to the doctor. He also mentioned about the free facilities available and about how to get to the doctor easily. He emphasised the importance of early treatment to avoid the dangers posed by the killer disease.

Since he was a local person and since he spoke in Hindi I sensed that the villagers could easily relate with him. One woman spoke of how her cough had become really bad and she was planning to go to the doctor the next day. Another spoke of another person whom she knew had TB. With constant awareness programs like these, the villagers were becoming alert to the symptoms and hence were able to take early precautions, I gathered.

I was glad that such programs were helping raise awareness and I was glad the Church was involved with these.

(Written by Mathew Samuel (Sunil), a visitor to Makodiya in January 2013)

A Village meeting of the SHG

A SHG meeting

Soon we were called for the meeting of the villagers. I noticed that all the attendees were women. I was later told that this was the norm for all SHG meetings as women empowerment was a proclaimed goal.

Achen presided over the meeting, Sanoj the project co-ordinator sat with him, I was called to sit along with them along with Binoy. We sat on a cot set on the verandah. The women sat on the floor in front. There must have been about 10 women who attended. I noticed some of them were young girls probably in their teens.

Mr. Raghuveer read out from a book in Hindi what seemed like a summary of the previous meetings and explained the purpose of their meeting today. The meeting was called periodically to discuss the status of the SHGs, deliberate on their issues and discuss solutions. Later Mr. Raghuveer handed over the book for achen to examine. I saw that the book had neat records of previous meetings and other matters. The documentation seemed well maintained by Mr. Raghuveer.

Achen asked the women about their issues and they began to speak - first reluctantly but after some prodding they became quite vocal. They wanted to know what had happened to the money they were contributing every month (I learnt that they would each contribute an amount like Rs.10 or Rs. 30 towards a common fund which was maintained by Mr. Raghuveer. Over the years this had accumulated into a good amount and they wanted to know how they could benefit from it) Achen explained to them that they had to themselves come up with ideas about how they want their money to be used.

Achen spoke in Hindi as he was raised in Bhopal and hence could readily connect with the audience. I learnt that Theodosius Thirumeni would also speak in Hindi and hence was really at home in these meetings.

Achen gave them an example that in another village they had started a poultry farm using their resources. One of the women came up with the idea of raising goats. It slowly developed into the idea that we could buy goats for them to raise, they would take care of it, and when it gives birth, they would raise the offsprings, but give back one of them to the pool. That seemed like an agreeable idea but they were unsure and hence they decided to discuss among themselves and let Mr. Raghuveer know about their decision.

The meeting went on for about half an hour. The teen age girls seemed to have learnt stitching and there were suggestions to use their skills somehow. Here I saw the womenfolk really coming together to take up responsibility, to stand up for their rights, to take care of their family - and I knew then - we had got this right - raising the status of the women is crucial to building up the society. Thank God for SHGs, thank God for the work of the Makodia Mission.

(Written by Mathew Samuel (Sunil), a visitor to Makodiya in January 2013)

Off to the Villages we go

Our tough Makodiya Jeep

There was a meeting of one of the SHGs aranged in one of the villages that day. Ranju achen was to preside over the meeting which is co-ordinated by one community worker called Mr. Raghuveer Malviya.



A bullock cart makes its way past us

We climbed into the jeep and achen drove us into the villages. Jaipal showed us the way to the  village. Achen had already called ahead and spoken with Mr. Raghuveer. The ride was bumpy but was also scenic, as we drove past the river Hathed which flows through the edge of our property. The dirt roads were uneven and we passed a couple bullock carts on the way. I remembered I had read somewhere that such bullock carts were the only viable modes of transport a while back when Theodosius Thirumeni and Osthathios Thirumeni would frequent these places.



Achen is a veteran driver when it comes to these areas and the tough roads were well negotiated by the sturdy jeep. We soon arrived at our destination without issues.


We reached early and were met by Mr.Raghuveer. "The villagers will gather in about 10 minutes" he told us, giving us time to look around and see the setting of the village.



going to meet the villagers

The villagers lived in small huts and chawl type homes. The meeting venue was the verandah of one such home. We huddled nearby and I had a few questions about the village which Sanoj and achen answered. A few boys watched us from a distance. A man was taking his cow to graze in the fields beyond the village. A couple of goats were tied nearby. A rooster and some hens moved around freely. The air smelt of cow dung cakes which were dried on the roofs of the huts. The thought came to me that this place was not very different from rural Kerala. Since Theodosius Thirumeni could handle Hindi well, HG would have felt pretty much at home here.




Waiting for the meeting to begin

The economic liberalization of modern India does not seem to have come anywhere near this place, I thought.


(Written by Mathew Samuel (Sunil), a visitor to Makodiya in January 2013)

Empowering women through SHGs

A SHG meeting in progress in Makodia with achen.

SHG or Self Help Groups was one term I heard over and over in the various interactions with Ranju achen as well as Mr Sanoj N.T(MSW) the Mission Project Co-ordinator for the Diocese who had come down to Makodiya on a visit. I looked up SHG and found that it was a term well known in the international Labor circles - it is basically a group of people who come together with an aim to improving their living conditions by setting up their own savings and loan fund.

Empowering the rural women folk is one of the goals of the SHG concept. I was glad to see the Church at the forefront in empowering women, in helping them getting organized, in enabling them to better their own lives and the lives of their families. Yes, here the ancient Church of India has found its calling - when the woman is educated, the family gets educated, when the woman is empowered, the society is uplifted.

Sanoj N.T - Mission Co-ordinator

It may have taken a long time for the Church to finally see the value of having the women folk in the administrative positions of the Church, but long before that battle had even begun, and far away from the hustle and bustle in Kottayam, Kerala where that battle had to be waged, the silent work of Mar Theodosius in Makodiya had ensured women were not ignored in the mission work taken up the Church.

As I was to witness for myself soon on the field meetings, women ask the questions, they debate the solutions and they come up with implementation plans in the tribal villages in Makodiya where the Church through the various SHGs organize the women and their societies to stand up, fight and fend for themselves.

(Written by Mathew Samuel (Sunil), a visitor to Makodiya in January 2013)

Journey into Makodia

My cousin Binoy and I were greeted by Fr. Ranju Skaria outside Binoy's home in the early hours of the chilly Bhopal morning, before daybreak. We got into the waiting jeep and were on our way to Makodia.



Home of Abhaya Niketan, Makodiya

In the jeep we met Kochamma (a honorific title given to the priest's wife) and their little baby who was named Jerome. That caught my attention as my son was named Jerome too, and it was not a common name in our community. Little Jerome watched us with great eagerness from his mother's arms. "We should reach Makodiya in a couple of hours" said achen.

Binoy and achen knew each other since a long time as they were from the same church, so they spoke about the local activities, politics, people as I listened along. On the way, achen stopped to buy us tea, but himself did not drink as it was the time of the Moonu Nombu (three day fast).



Jaipal

Achen called the Makodiya mission house, which was from where the Abhaya Niketan Project was directed,  and spoke with Jaipal to arrange for our breakfast. As I learnt later, Jaipal was a boy from the local village and he handled many of the routine chores at the mission house.



unpaved roads lead into Makodiya

As day broke through, we were well on our way towards Makodiya. Achen drove us into Itarsi, and past the Balagram we have there, past the school managed by the Church and Itarsi railway station. Soon the paved roads gave way to dirt roads. As we swung from side to side because of the unevenness of the pathway, Binoy remembered that the last time they had been there, they had used a tractor to get through these areas. One shuddered to think how Mar Theodosius would have travelled to these areas many many years ago when HG first came to Makodiya.

Kerala in Madhya Pradesh?

We drove through the mud roads, and finally reached the barricade that served as the gate into the mission house. Jaipal ran out and opened the gate for us and there we were - finally - what I had only heard of till then and had longed to see - the very place where Theodosius Thirumeni had carved out his precious vision for doing Christ's work in India - we were in Makodiya.

What greeted us was the sight of 3 coconut trees surrounded by a lot of greenery in front of the main building. We were far away from Kerala, I thought, but Thirumeni has ensured that he does not miss Kerala much in this place!


(Written by Mathew Samuel (Sunil), a visitor to Makodiya in January 2013)