Who will manage the managers?

who will manage the managers
there's a heresy - leaders would
how do we lead soldier-like managers
who only think in terms of win-lose situation
it is said we live in a cut-throat world
cant we make it a better world with a win-win philosophy
of mutual respect, of giving each other dignity
of recognizing each other's worth
of recognizing our differences
but more of our commonalities
as we all belong to the community of homo sapiens?

LK
20.06.2014

living with HIV epidemic

I am recollecting today the walk we had way back about 15 years ago  at EHA meeting where he (my friend J) and his wife talked to me about his status. they came there with their daughter. and the next few years of turbulence when we struggled with him, cried with him, got exasperated with him for his choice of refusing to start medication till he finally gave in ......today when all quietened down as he started facing head on the reality with all its heavy baggages ..... I am glad God is real and pull him up again like Job.....

by the way I met two young girls recently - one have completed a professional course ready to climb up in her career and another pursuing a degree course - both strong and beautiful - full of life - but unfortunately orphans from young age due the ravages of the epidemic we are up against ... I was overcome with mixed emotions - very happy to see them as they lived on but very sad to see that they had been robbed of their parents at such tender age.......

of young widows from the NE coming to me and telling me that they were encouraged by the stories she heard about the way we took our stand way back ... and today themselves are now engaging in fighting the ravages of the the epidemic that had come to them with their marriage .. ...

prevention
treatment
care and support on a holistic way


are small things we can do on this side of eternity ..........

LK 19.06.2014

A message from your Dad on Father's Day

Praying and invoking God's blessings for you on Father's Day

1.     To Esther, Khual, Hannah and Jojo

That you continue to receive blessings from God our Father

·       The peace of God,

·       Wholeness of body, mind and spirit;

·       Good friends and neighbours at schools, places of work and at home;

·       To be a blessings to people who look up to you and like you to be their friends and guide and whom you have an opportunity to mentor

·       Do grow in the grace and the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ!

2.     To Mary, Chris, Elijah and Ezra

·       That God may increase our gifts of creative communication and bless you richly through them and that you will glorify His Name through them!

·       That the children will grow up as examples of  good Indian Christian kids and God will always be their Protector!

3.     To Mung and Trina

·       That you may God be your peace in al circumstances

·       That God the giver of all good gifts give you and fulfill all your aspirations

·       That you both may grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ!

4.     To Cicy, Jimmy and Joanna.

May the Almighty give you

·       Prudence in different walks of life;

·       Success in your endeavours and

·       Be blessings to institutions you serve and the families you belong to!

5.     To Sam.

·       The grace of God be manifested in your studies, works and other pursuits.

·       May God bless you to be a blessing to your friends and colleagues, and teachers and guides!

To all:

·       Our hearts and love are always with each one of you.

·       One great word in Paite 'CHING' – to be worthy

·       A true gentleman is called 'Pa-Ching'

·       Similarly a true lady is also called 'Nu-Ching'!

·       May you all grow to become PA-CHING and NU-CHING for your children and families

Hebrews 11:20 By faith Isaac invoked future blessings on Jacob and Esau.
Ephesians 1:3 Spiritual Blessings in Christ. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places.

ps. I had a special prayer for your U Bek and Ayao this morning 
16.06.2014 Dwarka

surviving through the world of politics - draft

my contact with the 'world of politics'

As a small child I lived through the 'Kuki-Hmar' Kidouna in the late fifties
Pherzawl(hmar village), Lawibual (Paite village), tinsong (Hmar village) and Khongjang (Kuki village) were all in a row south to north on a hill range - at a distance of about about one mile each  ......
armed Hmar cadres were prhibeted by our village authority to avoid marching through the villages as it would have frigghtened women and children .. so a new fotpath was created for them

the village chief and other leaders tried their best to negotiate peace .. but failed finally Khongjanfg was set on fire as they did Kuki settlements in Taithu, Toulbung and in Vangai ranges and other places....

Finally peace meal at Lawibual village at the intiative of - Liukham SDC of Thanlon

later another political wind - all many Paite youth take to becoming scouts and wore deep blue scout uniform ... my elder brother was one of them

Dad was a PNC founder meber - a rep of Kaihlam nuai - VP for many many years till he was too sick and was replaced at his request
all politicians like Pu Goukhenapau or Pu Phungzathang used to tell me - they used to cary my father's kawlzal (meaning bag carrier or disciples of my father ....)

Election politics fought along family lines - made me a victim twice - once a Ngaihte clansman fought a politicians and because my relatives in the constituency did not vote the winner - I was made to pay in being awarded punishment postings. another election cam and because the new opponents happened to be ra relative from my wife's side .... in fact both of them in a way were from my wife's side -- I had to pay again - an even more remote punishment posting

By the tie more elements of conflicts started appearing on the horizon again .I dedicated my all to the cause of Jesus .... and chose the path that are His ..

An Elegy to Dr L Sinate (5 January 2005)

To Dr L. Sinate

CHW

MPW

PHC

These are the strange acronyms that brought us together in the late seventies

Alma Ata

Primary Health Care

Barefoot doctors

These are words and phrases that struck a common cord in both of us

Visiting PHCs and sub-centres and in remote villages of Churachandpur

Selecting sites for new sub-centres

Also clearing the jungle for Parbung Rural Hospitals (and of talking of a growing town)

Traveling to district headquarters of Director of Health Services’ monthly meetings

Making the many trips to Imphal from Churachandpur and back

These were times that strengthen our bonds

I remember

The village visits we made together

The heart warming that we received

And the simple garlands we would receive at the village gates

The village health clinics we conducted

The many health teaching we would give to the simple folks who literally ate our words

And also the delicious dishes we shared

And also

Of the few evening our families shared

Of the jokes we shared and of the laughter that we had

Together we watched as our children grew up

We even shared our family secrets like the ‘first love stories’  of our children

Memories of you will linger on

It will be hard to forget

Especially of the last few day in Gurgaon

Of the tears I saw in your eyes

But more of the love I saw in them

I held back my own tears

Hoping it will help to hold back yours too

We looked at each other in silence

As we both knew what was coming in not a distant future

U Ruati and Chingnu cheered us up with reminiscences of the good old days of their childhood

They moved us into another world as they talked of God’s love

We talked of blessings we undeservedly received of God

Of god’s goodness to our families

I wish we had the courage to talk openly of the hope and The home you were soon going to

The house in Sielmat will look empty without you!

I will tell U ruat and the kids that our hope also rests on an Empty tomb!

So see you up there in a mansion not made with hands!

Langkham January 20, 2005

My Chinese friend in Calcutta in 1988

A well built but small frame with a height just about the same as mine was Mr John. We met in the church. He was with his wife and one small son and we got into small talks and soon became good friends. He invited me to his father-in-law Chinese shoe shop in one corner of Calcutta New Market. His father-in-law was not a Christian even though John and his wife were. I became a frequent visitor to the shop and every time I went there John and I would chatted endlessly on matters related to our respective lives and our families so on and so forth.  He was a volunteer in a missions field in Africa and while loading and unloading truck loads of literature and food items, he ‘broke’ his back and had to return home. Since then he was helping in the traditional family profession of his in laws in the city of Calcutta. Shoe making was an art in which the Indian Chinese excelled and they have been making shoes that are of excellent quality available for sale at  a relatively cheap rates affordable to college students and young professionals. He would talked of days his team spent in Africa (I do not remember any longer which particular country it was) and how good the Lord was to them in providing what was needed every day. I would tell him about how faithful was the Lord in the remote areas where I was posted, how I took the posting as a preparation to work as a missionary one day and how in all circumstances we saw God’s hands.  I would recount the desire of our family to be in missions but that so far we had not yet found an opening. I would ask my friends in Gideon International why God would not give an opening and I would be told that till we hear a definite calling we were to hold on faithfully to whatever God had allowed us to do as his own work and only move on when we become completely sure of God’s leading o leave our work and place. 

My stint as a Gideon in Calcutta 1998

As Carey Baptist Church was an easy walking distance from All India Institute of Hygiene and Public Health (AIIH&PH) where I was staying for a year, I became a regular member of the Church and attend the Sunday morning services at 8:00 AM. I met a number of wonderful people there and one of them was a tall gentleman who was then working as GM of Calcutta Mint. He was from an engineering background, belonging to the Indian Railways Services cadre and holding the rank of a Joint Secretary under the Government of India. He was conducting TAFTEE courses as he also held a Bachelor of Divinity degree through the same extension program. On our introduction he was wondering if I would be interested in enrolling myself for the course. I did not join the ‘extension’ theological course but very soon we got to know each other better. He also invited me to become a member of the Calcutta chapter of Gideon International which conducted their weekly Bible study fellowship every Friday at a restaurant in Park Street and also a program for distribution of Gideon Bible every Saturday in hotels and schools. I was interested in both the activities and enrolled myself for one year.  Later we also discovered that we both were alumni of Haggai Institute for Advanced Leadership Training in Singapore.

Bible Study every Friday at a restaurant in Park Street with fellow Gideon members was good but a little embarrassing at times. There, I came very close to some extremely devout Christian friends who held pretty high and respectable positions either in government offices or in private companies. Bible study was always very good, so was the food thereafter. The embarrassing part was that after the meeting I had to catch a bus back whereas others drove their own cars and I also had the nagging feeling that the currency notes I used to put in the offertory bag were sure to be the smallest of the lot.

The Saturday Gideon Bible distributions in schools and hotels were good but challenging. On our distribution day we had to reach the Gideon’s store room at Calcutta Baptist Guest House in Lower Circular Road. A fellow Gideon Mr Peacock who held the post of General Manager of the city’s Great Eastern Hotel also lived there. We would load hundreds of Bibles in the cars and then drove to pre-assigned schools or hotels where we had due permission from the concerned authorities. It was wonderful to see how we were welcomed by the authorities. Mr Lee would demonstrate to us how we might lift up heavy loads with due care to our own backs. He actually had a slip disc in the past and wore a belt sometimes but had perfected the art of lifting heavy cartons of books without causing further injury.

One of my biggest challenges was when I wanted to do the same in my own hostel and gave out Bibles to my own hostel mates. I spent considerable time in preparing – praying and rehearsing my lines. Surprisingly every one of the 100 odd residents graciously accepted the Bibles. Another challenge was to do the same to the Hostel Warden who also happened to be Professor and HOD of one of the toughest subjects of our course. I was afraid that if I did not do well in his subject, I might taunted for frittering away my time for such activities without concentrating on my studies. That fear lingered till I had to face him for my viva exams. Luckily God intervened and I had no difficulty in doing well on the particular subject. One of my greatest joys was presenting him with a packet of choice Bibles and telling him that I wish to share what was most precious to me.

Langkham (recollection of 1988 in 2012)