Thursday, December 7, 2017

OLD ABOVE SIXTY IS HASTLE FREE YUVA DAY
Prof . Joseph K Alexander

Anthyalankavu St. Mary’s church is a small parish near Pathanamthitta. It was celebrating its seventy fifth anniversary and honouring its 17 members above seventy five. I was a speaker in that public meeting.   I Thought I would give pep to the seventeen frail weak, bent, stooping and trotting guests called for honour. I said to day man is expected to live up to a full 120 years or a little more as decided by God (Genesis 6:3)  .  So you are all in your youth. Arise, stand erect and be agile and vigorous to live another 50 years in this world. You can do that with God on your side to help.
Adam lived up to 930 and his son Seth 912 years.  They were all God’s children who lead upright down to earth life in Aden and around.  Later Adam and his tribe mingled with others and became wicked. God decided to destroy all of them.  He created a flood and everything on earth were drowned  to death except Noah and his children and a male and female of every living animate – men, animals, birds, liana beings, trees and plants. God gave the earth to these survivors and blessed them to multiply and enjoy. But in course of time they also became wicked. So God didn’t want men made in his own image to lead such wicked lives for so long. He said “man hereafter shall live only up to a 120 years”. Thus it was God who decided that man shall live to a 120.

This is truer of Kerala where modern health facilities are available all over the State.  The average age of Indians was 24 in the 1940s. But today Kerala is on a par with the Scandinavian countries where the average age is above 80. We are catching up with their records. The gerentological research team gives a long list of people who lived for nearly 120 years. Emma Morane of Italy is the oldest living person, 118 years. Jeanne Clement of France was 122 and 165 days when she died in 1997. Living up to a 120 is becoming common. Japan has larger number than any other country of elderly above 100.

Kurichi Bava H. H. Basleius Geevarghese IInd, Catholicose and Malankara Metropolitan used to say when he was old (died in 1964 aged 90) that man shall live only up to seventy or a maximum of eighty years. This is quotation from Psalms 90: 10 a song of Moses. All other chapters in Psalms is said to be songs of David. This alone is different and is stated to be of Moses who led the Jews from their bondage in Egypt under the Pharaohs to Canaan, the Promised Land.
This statement of Moses do not contradict God’s dictum of 120 for man. The Jews from Egypt questioned God during their great emancipation voyage and always murmured during the Journey for want of food water and other comforts. So God decided that none of them shall see the promised Canaan. Moreover they are remnants of slave labourers in Egypt. God wanted more sturdy resistant warriors born in the deserts of Sinai to conquer the  inhabitants of Canaan.  In other words all who started from Egypt were forced to meander for forty years in the Sinai desert so that all of them died before the end of the journey at Canaan. Even Moses their leader was not spared. He walked up the mountain top and was a given a far off glimpse of Canaan and died somewhere on Mt. Nebo. This was the background of the statement of Moses in Psalms that all the emigrant voyagers shall die in forty plus 70 or 80 to complete the 120 promised by God.
So now those above sixty and retired from official life are in their middle age and must look forward to live in this world usefully for the next sixty years. Most of the Nobel Prize winners of the World are and were around 50 or 60. Imagination run riot in the teen age. But they form into concrete ideas and inventions much later in years and through intense incentives and insights. True there were exceptions to this.

There are 3 customary stages in the life of man- Youth, Middle Age, Old age. Youth have plenty of imagination, energy, vitality for new ideas. But, no money to go forward. In middle age you have money; but no time to spare- fully engaged in your pursuits and personal life. In the retired life one has plenty of time and enough money to live on.  This is the period in your life when you are hassle free. No problem with your children. They are all married and well settled in life.  Sixty is your YOUVA time. You are graduating from youth to middle age. It is your happy YUVA days.  Keep every neurons and cells in your brain and every muscle in your physical body active, engaged and energetic. Give sufficient exercises to neurons and muscles to keep you in YUVA form.
After sixty you are entering into a new life. Think of the possibilities of utilising your time and energy usefully to yourself and the society around you. It is they and their explicit and implicit help and thoughts that made you what you are. It is your duty to repay them for all their support in procreating you to be what you are today. Let us think of ways of utilising your time, energy and money for the rest of the life.

1.      Entering into a new employment
2.      Accept a social voluntary work in your church or temple
3.      Remember your family members or class mates in the school / College and start an Alumni association. Keep them in a regularly held meeting as highly integrated group. They can help the weaker among you or in your neighbourhood.
4.      Start tuitions for the children in your village
5.      Open a kinder garden for infants
6.      Be a baby sitter  for your grandchildren
7.      Help grand children in their studies
8.      Write your own events and challenges in life as a novel or articles.
9.      Start a kitchen garden
10.  Begin an anti-pollution movement in your neighbourhood / join the Social or Government campaign as a volunteer. This is the biggest problem now facing the earth.
11.  Waste management is an equally crucial issue facing the modern so-called cultured society. Become a volunteer or organiser of such a movement in your locality.”Annan kunjumThannalaaythe”.
12.  Start a reader’s club for the elderly. Every week end / suitable day, each member in rotation, will present the summary of the book he read in that week, followed by a discussion.
All these except the first are non-remunerative and probably demanding some expense on your part. You can think of any number of such engagements to keep your mind and body agile and active.

 A Chinese message translated to English came as e-mail message to me. It argued that parents in their life need not try to accumulate wealth for their children.  First, your hard earned wealth in their time will turn out to be two pence for them because of their comparatively higher income and devaluation of money. Secondly, they are made to be parasites depending on your wealth for their living. Make them to earn as much as they want for themselves.  If you try to make them parasites they will be yearning for your death so that they can get their due from your accumulated wealth. So be joyful. Enjoy God-given life as much as you can in happiness. Spend your life, health and wealth, and or give them away in your lifetime to make needier others around you happier and earn your place in heaven with God. Wish you all the 120 years of health, wealth and happiness.

End


Tuesday, December 5, 2017

H G DR.ZACHARIAH MAR THEOPHILOS- A memoir-
Prof. Joseph K. Alexander
Late H G Dr. ZACHARIAH MAR THEOPHILOS was a big “Everest” of deep piety, church ethics, liturgical tradition, insistence of Qurbana before his daily breakfast however late it is, simple life, very ascetic in personal needs, service to his people, specially needy students or laity and priests, inseparable relation to his diocese, the MGOCSM and the Thadagam Asramam {[where, he constructed recently the three storied Divine Retreat Centre in 2016 costing Rs.77 lakhs]} to which he attached himself and his self sacrifice for their causes made students and youth –even elders- who came in contact or learnt about him to become his fan and adore him. No wonder the whole church and all who knew about him became sad on his demise. On Comparison we all are very small men made of small hand-full of sand.
I came to know him first as a young deacon who after his degree from the Mar Thoma College, Thiruvalla joined Old Seminary for his Theological diploma course and late the MGOCSM. On a Sunday in my travel from Malankara Quarters to Old Seminary Qurbana, he joined me and got acquainted. He was from Puthusery a village town near Kallupara, a similar small town. I had some cousins on my maternal side who were his school mates and friends. We updated our information about them. That meeting grew into a deep friendship till his lamented demise. Three months before his sad demise he came to my residence, as was his custom in Trivandrum trips, to pray for me ,my family members who are present and specially my ailing wife. That was my last intimate meeting. On getting on to his vehicle I said “Thirumeni you are in my prayer chain and I am continuing my prayers”, Then he sportingly said “now I have not two, but three cancers” I replied, “That is already included in the list”. Our common friend Anand Isaac from Bangalore hearing his critical state went and was with him on the last three days. He used to inform his last peaceful welcoming passing away moments three- four times daily. I lost a great intimate friend to whom I could confide and discuss any problem.
Dr. Theophilos was great a reader, thinker, writer, inventor of short cryptic pregnant words to convey his ideas, and devotional leader. I remember writing forwards to a small prayer book and another catechetical book in English. After Bsc Maths, he did his diploma in Theology, GST- graduation in Theology-, BD-Bachelor of Divinity- from Serampore University, MTH from FFRC, from Serampore, Research on “Bible and Holy Land past and present” in Jerusalem, and a Doctorate of Ministry conferred by Valdimir Seminary, New Jersey.
During his ministry in the MGOCSM as its book shop manager, warden of the Kottayam and Trivandrum Hostels, General Secretary from 1999 and Bishop Vice President of the Movement from 2005, he merged into the Movement that made him the Guru, institution builder and mentor of what MGOCSM is today. All its achievements from 1990 to 2010 are his own making.
1. His construction projects first at Trivandrum MGOCSM commercial centre, repayment of all the loans taken by the movement from the people and the State Bank of India {( I was at his elbow in all his endeavours’ as senior Vice President of the Movement, director of those constructions and honorary treasurer of the Movement from 2002;)}
2. Then he was General Secretary of MGOCSM and took up the construction of the Kottayam Student centre with Rs. 73 lakhs raised from his friends in USA after demolishing the dilapidated MGM Hostel.;
3. MGOCSM Centenary Five Year plan (2004-2008) Projects inaugurated by the then Bava H H Baselius Mar Thoma Mathews IInd at Parumala Seminary during the inauguration of the Education Orientation Camp of 2004, were all his own ideas, --- The Schemes included a mega project of the translation of an Orthodox Study Bible from the original texts, catechetical audio-video for students, job-oriented short term courses. more student centres, an International Student and Youth Centre at Kottayam, sick-aid marriage aid, housing scheme for the poor , Total free education of deserving students from U. P. School standards, charity programes, Kottayam Student Centre with Counseling facilities etc. for housing the Career Guidance Centres, Job-oriented courses, and the development of the International Student and Youth Centre at Kottayam etc.
4. He had confidence and tenacity to implement them with support from his Orientation student friends and public at large;
5. The Movement (He) proposed to purchased 87 cents of land adjacent to Kottayam MGOCSM Study Centre; His incessant and continuous prayers every day to get funds to purchase this land finally materialised;
6. His and Rev. Fr. Paul O I C of Bethany Asramam (L.L. H. G. Paulose Mar Pachomios) created intimate relation with the Education Orientation Camp students of each year of 50 to 75, from 1981 onwards; with active support from Thambu (Mr. K. C. Zacharia), chief co-coordinator of the camps. Including myself, all the four of us used to stay all the days of the camps with the children. They later became the ambassadors of our church wherever they went and started prayer groups and parishes. They became Dr. H G. Zachariah Mar Theophilos’ main lenders of over Rs. three crores in 2004-2005 for his mega projects;
7. Construction of 53 flats in a 15 storied building and Centenary plaza of six stories of over 50,000 sq ft. later rented out to Karikineth Villagio for nearly Rs.15 lakhs per month.
8. He was ready to go to the ends of the world with his very pleasing smile, to spread the motto of MGOCSM- “worship, study, service” despite his diabetics and homeopathic pills and other ailments to meet his Education Orientation Students and to conduct even Qurbana for the small group or start a unit of the MGOCSM among our students in remote areas or congregations of Orthodox students. I remember him going to northern states of India to conduct Qurbana for our students when the priests of the Delhi Diocese could not muster a priest for them. There was no limit for his self sacrifice. Just a few days before his demise he travelled with his smiling face all the way to Trivandrum in a night despite his knee, prostrate and vertebra cancer pain and chemo therapy to conduct the next morning (August 28th,2017 ) matrimony service of his chief aide and friend -MGOCSM Officer-Thambu’s ( Mr. K.C. Zacharia) daughter at Kallada parish church. .
9. MOCSM made great strides including Mega construction projects worth Rs.40- 60 crores during the 1991 -2010 period—all Rev. M C Cherian Achen’s Ideas and
funds that came through him. He believed in tithing and was always instilling it among his students and senior friends. It was while he went second time to USA for collecting funds for the Kottayam H G Philipose Mar Theophilos hall that he declared that 10 % of whatever funds that comes to his hands will be spent for charity. This promise made it easy for him to Collect Rs. 73 lakhs from the four parishes that he went in USA. He kept this tithe system to the very end of his life. I once send him some money specifying it for his personal treatment expenses. Soon came the reply mail thanking me with a statement that he has given a certain amount from that to a specific charity. This was his belief in tithing.
10. Most of these schemes he started with confidence. On the assumption of full charge as the head of the Malabar Diocese he visited every home in the diocese- an herculean task- and the poverty and plight of the poor of his Diocese made him to promise more houses, sick-aid, marriage and educational aid. This commitment burdened his ever open purse and heart. The constant travel to Gulf, Europe, U S A. and to the needy and poor everywhere and the spiritual needs of his benefactors had its tell-tale on his health. He suffered cancer pain first while he was on a tour in USA which later spread to two more organs that ultimately led to his untimely and pre-mature death at 65.
We lost a great soul who never lived for him, but for others and the glory of our Orthodox Church and its liturgy and traditions. He had great faith in Thailabhishekam sacrament as rejuvenator of health and spirits. He had it six or seven times—whenever he felt weak to start a new project or new journey. He was a Holy man. No one is holy except God. But we often say that the head of churches like our Bava or Patriarch or Pope of Rome as Holy. A man becomes Holy only when he repents for his sins and pray to God for absolution. If God pardons his sins he becomes Holy at least at that moment. We believe that our heads of churches incessantly pray to God for remission of sins and thus become Holy. In that sense Late Dr. H G ZACHARIAH MAR THEOPHILOS who conducted Holy Qurbana every day was seeking remission of his sins and was being pardoned by God. Hence I believe that he was as Holy like any other Holy ecclesiastical head of Churches. He was led away to Paradise with his ever smiling face by angels of God to the bosom of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and all his kith and kin of yester years
in heaven. May his prayers increase his tribe in the service of MGOCSM and Its students and youth? They have a great role to play in the future of our church. That Is the relevance of the MGOCSM as taught and shown to us by Late Lamented Dr. H G ZACHARIAH MAR THEOPHILOS .May his soul rest in peace.
Note: Prof Joseph K Alexander, Retd. Director of Collegiate Education, Kerala Govt. is an economist and is a long associate of MGOCSM and shared in the service of the Movement and the Orthodox Church in various capacities.
.

Wednesday, August 2, 2017

A NOTE ON THE IMPACT OF DEMONETISATION IN INDIA. Prof. Joseph K Alexander, Chairman, KRB. IIPA Kerala. 2017

A NOTE ON THE IMPACT OF DEMONETISATION IN INDIA.
Prof. Joseph K Alexander, Chairman, KRB. IIPA Kerala. 2017  

The economy of India is the seventh-largest in the world measured by nominal GDP and the third-largest by purchasing power parity(PPP). India is a newly industrialised country, and one of the G-20 major economies, Despite a higher growth during Liberalisation, Globalisation and Privatisation of the economy in the 1990s and very low growth of 3.5 % during our economic planning period up to 1991. India had an average growth rate of approximately 7% over the last two decades,
Two major domestic policy developments of 2016-’17 is the passage of the Constitutional amendment, paving way for implementing the Goods and Services Tax (GST), {including its  implementation in July 2017} and the demonetisation of the two highest denomination notes with profound implications for the economy.
The background facts of demonetisation are impressive.
1.     India’s parallel economy created by black money; counterfeited Indian currency printed outside in enemy countries and smuggled in bulk consignments into India, hawala money brought by smugglers of contraband goods: gold and drugs
2.     Corruption wilfully encouraged by election- campaign fund seeking politicians and their agents, aiding bureaucrats, police, quotation mafia, and under links. Transparency International in their 2016 Report ranks India as the 130th worst corrupted of the 160 countries examined by them. Scandinavian countries -first and second- are the least corrupt among them.
3.     Prevalence of black money created through tax evasion by not reporting whole income or a part. Income is of two kinds. Well earned white money and ill-earned under the table income not reported to the Income Tax authorities.
4.     Un-earned income in all purchases by the Government authorities assisted by the bureaucrats in the different Ministries.
On November 8, 2016, the government “demonetized” two largest denomination notes, Rs 500 and Rs 1000, with immediate effect as part of . country’s  Swachh Bharat Abhiyan (Clean India Campaign). “While the supply of notes of all denominations had increased by 40% between 2011 and 2016, the Rs.500 and Rs. 1000 banknotes increased by 76% and 109% respectively in this period owing to forgery. This forged cash was being used to fund terrorist activities against India. Govt. deprived their legal tender status, At one stroke; 86 percent of the cash in circulation (of Rs. 16, 63,600 crores in Oct. 2016) , ie; Rs.14,30 696 was thereby rendered invalid.
There were two previous instances of demonetisation, in 1946 and 1978, the latter not having any significant effect on cash. India’s demonetisation in 2016 is unprecedented in international economic history, in that it combined secrecy and suddenness amidst normal economic and political conditions (no war, internal uprising or excessive issue of currency)
It has been a radical, unprecedented step with short term costs and long term benefits. The liquidity squeeze was so severe that the common man and daily wage earners suffered the most. India has given a new expression of unconventional monetary policy, with the difference that whereas advanced economies have focused on expanding the money supply, India’s demonetisation has reduced it; a “reverse helicopter drop”: suddenly lifting away 86 % of cash in circulation.
In conventional Keynesian economics monetary policy is to increase money supply to augment consumption and investment or reduce money supply, through the central bank and the banking system, to get the reverse effect to curb inflation or heating up of the economy. This Indian experiment is thoroughly unconventional:  blow or burn away 86% of the currency.
The benefits of Demonetisation itemised are:1. Curbing Black Money 2. Controlling Corruption 3. Creating a cashless transparent economy 4. Rise in Tax Receipts 5. Reduce artificial Investments in Real estate transactions 6. Inflow of more white money into banks. Rise in cash reserves (C R.around 6%) of  banks  enabling them to lend 16 times more of that amount.7. Reduction in rates of interest, rise in Investments and consequent growth of employment, consumption and GDP.
The cost or defects of demonetisation of 2016 raised by the public are:1. The long queues before all banks to file details and surrender illegalised money 2. “    “To withdraw the allowed paltry amount Rs. 2000/- from one’s own SB or current Account 3. Lack of cash to pay daily wages to workers. Even corporate offices found difficulty in convincing workers with cheque payments.4. Sudden decrease in consumption demand of the people shattered the traders and distributers of wares and services of all kinds. Even Out- Patient-departments of most of the hospitals remained idle or closed. 5. Decrease of production in agriculture and allied activities in primary sector, industrial sector and service sector causing a sudden drop in GDP and its growth rate. Farm income suddenly decreased. 6. Fear and anxiety of the public of the repetition of the 1998 international crash of economies. 7. Decrease in employment of immigrant labour and their return to home states of Orissa, M.P. Bengal, Etc; disrupting local economics.8. Cash intensive parts of the economy suffered the most. 9. Remonetisation was so slow and highlighted incompetence of planning the demonetisation project.
 By industry, the most important and the fastest growing sector of Indian economy are 1. services with more than 60 percent of GDP:  Trade, hotels, transport and communication, financing, insurance, real estate and business services and community, social and personal services. 2. Agriculture, forestry and fishing constitute around 12 percent of the output, but employs more than 50 percent of the labour force. 3. Manufacturing accounts for 15 percent of GDP, 4. construction, another 8 percent and 5. mining, quarrying, electricity, gas and water supply for the remaining 5 percent. We may examine the detailed effects of demonetisation on these sectors and people engaged in them.
Sudden stopping of cash payment made demanders and suppliers of goods and services equally stunned causing a decrease in their contribution to the GDP. Agriculture and crops languished for want of agro-care. Many of the farmers failed to repay banks and were declared bankrupt resulting in farmer suicides. In short, GDP from the five sectors dipped.
Eight months passed since the demonetisation. Despite remedial actions the defects still persist and refuse to vanish. Forged Money is yet imported and printed in India. Black money is still being created despite the increased intervention of the income tax authorities  to curb tax evasion.Total amount of black money has been estimated to be only 6% of the currency in circulation. So such a sudden demonetisation with so great sufferings of the society was unwarraented. Corruption is rampant, and the unearned income is still being extracted from all major suppliers of goods and services to the Govt. Dept.s and PSUs.
The public debate on demonetisation raised three sets of questions:
 First. Its management. Broader aspects of management, as reflected in the design and implementation of the initiative. Govt. was unprepared for the heavy demand for legal currency. Lack of enough planning in the supply of new currency caused untold misery and suffering of the public. Second, its economic impact in the short and medium run was not very positive. The colossal and massive sufferings of the people   and its negative impact on the GDP and personal income of the people warrant quantification. It will be gigantic. Third, its implications for the broader vision underlying the future conduct of economic policy and the expected benefits highlighted above This deserve detailed analysis of Fiscal- Monetary Policies and Administrative strategies.
Apart from forged currency or hawala money, Cash can be understood along two dimensions: its function and its nature. In terms of function, cash is a medium of exchange (for transactions) or as a store of value (Milton Freidman and the Chicago School of Economists) like other forms of wealth such as gold and real estate. In terms of nature, cash can be illicit or not. Function and nature are quite distinct. For example, cash used as a store of value could be white (the savings that all households keep for an emergency), while cash used for transactions could be black (if it was earned through tax evasion and / or corruption).
 Most black money is earned through perfectly legal activities. In most cases, this income becomes black solely because it has not been declared to the tax authorities. The higher the amount of cash in circulation, greater the amount of corruption, is the measurement result conducted by Transparency International.
Remedy is to reduce cash payments and encourage financial intermediation through cheques and other innumerable financial instruments. Transparency and automatic entry of all transactions in the Income tax returns can curb many of these evils. A number of similar follow-up actions including fast, demand-driven, remonetisation would minimize the costs and maximise the benefits of demonetisation..
END