JCSA

Shantha Ram is accused of rape and murder of Kanchan Kumari, a 8 year old girl, his neighbor in the jhopari-patti (cluster of huts) along the railway track near the Bihar State Secretariat, Patna. The incident took place on 16.12.2007. Ram went absconding, but was arrested on 07.08.2011 and is in Patna central jail since then.

I was inspired by those who spoke up against injustice, “who spoke truth to power” and were willing to pay the price, even as I began to reflect seriously on the causes and consequences of injustice.

In the month of January 2014 I was visiting various educational centres of our Christian organizations in the four dioceses of Gujarat, India. Primarily I had to interview a few students with disabilities and non-disabilities, their parents and principals, in order to assess the impact of the inclusive education in their respective educational institutions.

The devastating earthquake that hit Nepal on 25th April affected the lives of about 8 million Nepalese, leaving us with fear, tears and sorrows. But, it's said, "instead of cursing darkness, it's better to light a candle."

It all began with an idea, a dream. It was born out of an experience of close encounter with the poor tribals during my regency. I was in a far away rural area 100 kms from Nashik. At that time it was still very primitive. We did not even have toilets!

As an earnest young scholastic, and later, as a young priest in Gujarat Province, India, I was reflecting on how to make my commitment more meaningful, in keeping with the magis, 'the fire' of a Jesuit. Finding meaning in my call and articulating it in my own way has been a long struggle.

It was the 24th of November 2007. The Adivasis (indigenous/tribals) from every corner of Assam reached Guwahati, the capital city of the north eastern state of Assam, India, at the invitation of the All Adivasi Students' Association of Assam (AASAA).

I had to walk up and down 10 kilo meters every day to the (High) school. When I was seventeen years old and doing my final year of schooling there was a severe drought in our region and people were facing starvation and struggling even for drinking water and my family and I were not spared.

“Will anyone volunteer to go to Bombay to help in an action research study on the eviction of pavement and slum dwellers conducted by a Social Work College?” asked my Rector while I was doing my first year of philosophy in Pune in 1985.

This is the story of the village of ‘Agnipuri’ (A village of Fire). When I was appointed parish priest in Darsi, in the state of Andhra Pradesh, I soon heard of a neighbouring village called Erraobanapalli, which is more than 100 years old.