My St. Albert's College

My St. Albert's College

“Is Chazhi (corn gnat) wealth?” Prof. T.J.Job asked.

Only a few days had passed after the reopening of the college. I was then doing my Ist Year B.A. Economics.
Students one after another stood up without answering the question. It was soon my turn. I make myself bold to answer. I said “yes sir, “Chazhi is wealth”.
Prof. Job was not taken by surprise. “Explain!” he exhorted.

“It is indirect wealth. Chazhi will destroy crops. Supply of agricultural produce will be reduced as a result. The demand for rice or wheat will increase. The producer will be able to fix higher rates and make more profit. He will save considerably from transportation expenses also”, said I.

Quick came Prof.Job’s rejoinder: “You are a capitalist”.

Yes, it was exactly what the capitalists in the U.S. and other places perpetrate. They destroy wheat and potato to control the market and to make more profit.

The students who had attended his class could never forget Prof.T.J.Job. He was so sincere and loving. Every student attended his class in rapt silence.

He had also encouraged students to partake in debates.
Fr.Xavier Kaniampuram was our Principal. He was affable and considerate. But he never allowed the students break discipline. He used to take classes on ‘public finance’.His classes were excellent. He gave his lectures with gestures and gesticulations. He was tall, stout with a big belly. When he referred to “the World around us” we had no choice but to focus on the “World” in front of us!

We had Prof.K.J.Augustine as our lecturer in English. He was indeed a scholarly person. Once he was teaching an essay entitled “Silver Paper”, written by E.V.Lucas. He always referred to other prominent literary men and great authorities during his lecture. What is there to be written about a silver paper used for wrapping cigarettes in boxes? But it was an interesting essay. What is important is the craftsmanship which makes any subject interesting reading. He quoted A.G.Gardiner and said, “Any peg will do to hang the hat on”.

Prof.K.J.Augustine though a lecturer was in fact a teacher in its true sense. According to him, “Professors profess, lecturers lecture and teachers teach.”

A.D.Hari Sharma, the research scholar and author of several literary works, was also a lecturer in Malayalam at St.Albert’s College. He taught us Malayalam poetry. He remarked during the course of his lecture that critics very often attributed strange meanings to the works of men of literature. He was reciting “Kakka” (crow) a famous poem written by the great poet Sri. Vyloppilly Sreedhara Menon. It was a time when symbolism in literature was being discussed widely. Some critics had said that the poem “Kakka” was a unique example of symbolism. The pet was applauded too by many. But Sri. A.D. Hari Sharma took exception. The attribution of ‘symbolism’ to the poem ‘Kakka’ was far from the truth. The poet was inspired by the crow which was seen scavenging from the surroundings of his house. The critics, however, said, the poet had depicted ‘Kakka’ as a symbol of a philanthropist who helps to remove spites and hatred from the society.

Sri. A.D. Hari Sharma asked Sri. Vyloppilly, the poet directly as to whether he had written the poem depicting ‘Kaakka’ as a symbol of Philanthropy. The naïve poet unhesitatingly said that he never had intended so!

Another important person that comes to my mind now is Fr.Konnully. The tall and swarthy Vice Principal. Being a Mathematician he never had occasions to address the Royal Group, students of History and Economics.

During our time there was closed retreat given for Catholic students for a few days in a year. The participants had to observe silence and pray and meditate only on spiritual matters.
There was roll call every day. One day some students had stealthily scrambled and jumped over the compound wall. I and one of my friends decided to skulk. After the roll call was over, we managed to go out. Straight we went to the house of writer Sri. Ponjikkara Raphy and collected some books. We came back and joined the prayers as if nothing had happened. But later on we came to know that there was fresh roll call! Majority of the students had gone out on that day surreptitiously. Fr. Konnully who was in charge of the retreat got the names of those who had jumped out.

Retreat was over. Regular classes resumed. One day Prof.Kithu, our lecturer, read out a chit asking me to meet Fr.Konnully. I was terribly afraid. I did not understand why I was asked to meet him. When the class was over, I went to Vice Principal’s room. Fr. Konnully was waiting for me. With grave seriousness he asked, “Now, Mathew, I have report that you went out without obtaining permission while the retreat was going on. Is it true?” I smelt the rat. Something was going to happen to me!

I mustered courage. Politely I said; “yes father. I had gone out one day to bring some books to read. But no permission was sought. I realized my fault. During confession I had said about it and received my penance.

The reply was unexpected. His helplessness had allowed me to go to the class. He, however, did not forget to warm me about the consequences if I had repeated the same.

Fr. Konnully was always seen to be immersed in studies. He was a world renowned Mathematician and the Inventor of”Konnully Theorems”. There were also several books to his credit on that subject.

Fr.Pandethumparambil was another prominent lecturer of our time. He taught logic. Handsome but emaciated. It was very difficult to follow his classes. His voice was thick and resounding! He was a kindly priest of great affection. I am still reminded of his lectures of inductive and deductive logic and classes on syllogisms. It was all about vertical thinking.

Sri. M.M.Mani was our Professor of Oriental languages. He was clad in Khadi Mundu, Juba and Shawl. Pure White! Dark he was with normal height. He had Post Graduate Degrees in Sanskrit and Malayalam. Spoke always printed Malayalam. Students loved him for his gentlemanliness.
I cannot forget two of our lecturers in English, Prof.E.V.Paul and Pro.Thomas Pulikkan: Prof.Paul was noticed always for his immaculate dressing. He never used complex or compound sentences either in his lecturers or in his notes. His language was simple and sweet. Whether it is prose or poetry, he dealt with the subject exquisitely. He had the habit of repeating lectures several times.
Prof. Paul was tall, a little more than 4 feet in height! He had a Mongolian look, with a skin to match.The fact that he was short of stature was a matter of joke for his colleagues. Prof. Thomas pulikkan like the king pin wove several stories.

One such story goes like this. Prof. Pulikkan was walking one day along the Banerji Road, Ernakulum. He saw a car coming very fast from the opposite direction. No driver. It was a horrendous scene. The car was fast approaching. Scared of being run over, he jumped off. But the car came close. He could see Prof. Paul at the wheel!

We had a wall magazine brought out every month. Students were the contributors. One cartoon that appeared in the magazine created commotion. “Prof.E.V.Paul standing upon a chair attempting to hug a woman”, was the theme; Prof.Paul also shared the fun with others. Being broadminded, he had a sense of humor.

Prof.Pulikkan, the comely figure with an Aryan nose was very popular in the college. He was amiable to both students and his colleagues alike. Being a drop out from the seminary, he retained some of the characteristics of a seminarian. He was reputed for austerity in life. Smattering knowledge of Latin which he acquired from the seminary helped him, it seemed, enrich his command of the English language. As a lecturer, therefore, he was a success. His narration of David Copper Field is still green in my memory.

Yet another stalwart to be remembered is Prof. P.T.Thomas. He was the head of mathematics Department well-versed in humanities.His baldness was unique. His head was shaped like a small brownish pumpkin sans corrugation. Not a single hair could be seen on his head! His eye-lid also did not bear any semblance of a hair. He did not require the help of a razor, a no hair dared to grow on his chin.

He was well dressed wearing always a refulgent smile on his face. An at all important function in the college and outside, his presense was felt conspicuous. Most of his time was spent for the spiritual uplift of the people. He was one of the collaborators who brought out the Malayalam translation of The Bible published by the Pastoral Orientation Centre. In recognition of his service to the Church, the Pope conferred on him the honour of Chevalier. Indeed, he was a many splendored personality.

We had a couple of Mathais as our Professors. One was Prof. A.P.Mathai, the Head of the English Department and the other Sri. P.M.Mathai. Prof. A.P.Mathai had deep knowledge in phonetics. Hence during his class special emphasis was given to pronunciation of words. His Shakespeare classes were absorbing.

Prof. P.M.Mathai taught us Modern History. He appeared with utter seriousness in the class. Combed his hair in good style and kept his thick dark moustache well trimmed. Handsome he was, he always dressed in well tailored suits.

Mr.Joseph Kithu, our lecturer in Agriculture economics was a character akin to the man- in-black of Goldsmith. He was intelligent and well-versed in the subjects that he dealt with. He could not speak but in chaste English. The students admired, loved and respected him.

Like Prof. Tharakan, prof.M.Achuthan is also a renowned writer in Malayalam. He had taught us for a short period only. He is the author of several solid works. Soon he was appointed Prof. in Malayalam at maharaja’s College, Ernakulum. But the traces of his sojourn cannot easily be erased.

Prof. Dayanandan was also a Lecturer in Malayalam. He was placid in nature. Very handsome. He too migrated to the Maharaja’s College.

All the three commanded much respect.

Prof. Stanislaus successfully bridged the gap created by Prof.K.M.Tharakan. His recital of “Elegy written in a country churchyard” still rings in my mind.

St.Albert’s College Library was one of the fine libraries ever attached to a college. It was well maintained. The Librarian Mr. Vincent was always seen absorbed in reading. There were few books whose contents were not known to him. He was strict but considerate. Always there was a serene atmosphere in the Library.Books of eminent authors, both Indian and Foreign were available.Before closing I feel impelled to mention about my alma mater.

St.Albert’s College belongs to Archdiocese of Verapoly. It was founded by the saintly prelate late Dr.Joseph Attipetty, the Archbishop. It is a living example of His Grace’s altruism and foresight. Tens and scores of students who hailed from poor circumstances would not have seen the portals of a college but for His Grace’s benign efforts. Archbishop graciously helped by providing them with funds for fees and books. Rt.Rev.Dr.Cornelious Elanjikkal, Vicar General, as he then was, had rendered efficacious service as His Grace’s right hand, during that time. Later Dr.Cornelious Elanjikkal also became Archbishop of Verapoly. His grace followed the footprints of Archbishop Dr. Joseph Attipetty.

Archbishop Dr.Joseph Kelanthara succeeded Archbishop Dr. Joseph Attipetty. A former lecturer in English of the college, His Grace had also rendered yeoman service for the progress of the college. Auxiliary Bishop late Dr.Antony Thannikkot had also extended able assistance to the cause of education. A very promising Bishop. But the Bishop was called to Heaven in the prime of life.

It is indeed providential that an alumnus became the absolute authority of the college. The unique privilege was bestowed upon Dr.Daniel Acharuparambil, the archbishop. His Grace graduated from this college in 1969. Archbishop Dr.Daniel Acharaparambil possesses vast experiences as an educationist. Urban University of Rome is one of the ancient and very prominent Universities under the Church. Dr. Daniel Acharaparambil was a professor continuously for more than 24 years in that University. The archbishop also had the rarest of rare privileges to become the rector Magnificus (Vice Chancellor) of the University for two terms during this period. The only person from the whole of Asia to hold the covetable post. It is, therefore, legitimate and natural to hold that His Grace will be a perennial source of encouragement and support for the College and all other educational institutions of the Archdiocese.

I become nostalgic. St.Albert’s College  in my mind, heart and soul. I am proud of all Albertan’s-students, teachers and non-teachers. My sincere salutation to my beloved alma mater! 

Article By: M.M.Mathew,St.Albert's College

Spiders- A Layman’s View

Spiders- A Layman’s View

Some time ago, I heard a lecture by one of my Zoology Professors about spiders. He was explaining the part their tactile sense played in helping spider’s to catch their prey. He said that even though their power of vision is weak, spiders are able to descend swiftly & accurately to the prey ensnared in their webs. This amazing fact was not clearly explained until W Mitchell Masters & Hubert Market proved that this was done with the help of the spiders highly developed tactile sense. A prey on falling on the web sends out vibrations. These vibrations do not fan out equally on all sides but in clearly defined directions. Due to this a spider is able to locate the exact location where its prey is ensnared. It is now apparent that the webs strands are excellent conductors of rapid oscillations. The spider’s tactile sense is in turn highly sensitive to these vibrations. After hearing this lecture, I carried out a simple experiment. I dropped a small leaf on to a web. The spider sitting in the middle of the web rapidly & accurately descended on it. But on sensing that it was not food, it went back to its original position. I then dropped another leaf on a different part of the same web. But this time the spider did not even care to move. Even though I tried dropping leaves several times, the spider did not seem to move at all. My zoology professor did not find a satisfactory explanation for the spider’s behavior. It may be true that spiders reach their prey by sensing the oscillations of their webs. But how do they differentiate the prey from other materials?

Article By: Stephen Francis, St.Albert's College

The Evolution Of The World Cup Football

Football is one of the most ancient games to be played on the face of the Earth. It traces its origin back to the Han Dynasty of some two thousand one hundred years ago, when the Chinese warriors set the football in motion with a game called Tzu Chu (kick-ball) devised basically for physical fitness training. Variations spread to Japan where they played Kemeni. In Indo China it took the form of a funeral ritual with a fierce sacrificial bull’s head being booted over a dead chieftain’s body. The game then spread to Italy where the Romans practiced ‘Harpastum’ and then to Britain where ‘soccer ‘was played.

The factors that led to soccer’s world wide appeal- were that it was fundamentally simple in conception and could be played in all climates. The game has been followed by mountaineers 16000 feet up Everest, played on ice by Capt. Scotts’ men in the Antarctic. British soldiers practiced football during the First World War. But officially the first international football matchwas played by England and SCOTLANDIN 1870. But still there was no competition that could bring all the football playing nations together and the need for one grew larger and larger.

As early as 1920, FIFA- the Federation International de Football Association had approved the idea of an open World Cup. Frenchman Jules Remit whose name went on the trophy and Henry Delauner pushed the idea through a vote. 1930 was chosen as the year for the inception of the World Cp… but where ???, Five applications were received from Italy, Holland, Spain, Sweden and Uruguay would pay all travelling and hotel accommodation expenses and would begin work on a new 1,00,000 seater stadium. An offer FIFA just couldn’t refuse.

The four other applicants promptly refused to complete. Claiming that it was too far and expensive to go. Only 13 participants took part n the first ever World Cup which was later bound to become the biggest event in any single sport in the history of man.

Europe was less than enthusiastic about the whole affair. Only France, Yugoslavia and Belgium wound up making the trip. The United States consisting mainly of English and Scottish players were the surprise entry. And so, to the big kick off on the 13th of July, 1930. Montevideo was flooded due to the unseasonal rains. Uruguay and Argentina, two of the finest teams in the world were tipped to capture the glory. Uruguay was the Olympic Champions in 1924 and 1928 and Argentina was the runners up in 1928.
Uruguay was treating the occasion with seriousness in the year of its hundredth anniversary of independence. France and Mexico played the inaugural match and although France lost their goal keeper Alex the pot that was kicked in the jaw, France coasted home quite comfortably with a 4-1 victory. And so the World Cup had come underway and the dream had become reality. Two days later France was at the centre of the most controversial match of the tournament. Trailing by a goal, Marcel Langiller of France broke through the Argentine defense and shot at the goal. The Brazilian referee Almeida Rigor blew the final whistle… with six minutes to go. The French argued and the referee later agreed to continue. The French players tried for an equalizer but to no avail. Argentina later moved on to the finals beating the United States to meet Uruguay as expected who had disposed off Rumania, Peru and Yugoslavia. Argentina had chartered ten packet boats to take the spectators from Buenos Aires across the River Plate. Both teams were put under 24 hour guard and the referee was not confirmed due to fears for his life. Uruguay won 4-2 in the finals and Montevideo was transformed into a city of unparalleled delight. Streets were alive with rejoicement and the national flag was hoisted up in many places. The next day was declared a national holiday. Back in Buenos Aires there were riots. Mobs stoned the Uruguay an Embassy and later relations were broken off between the two countries. But Uruguay was still the World Champions. The Jules Remit Trophy was safely in the hand of the tournament’s host.

Article By: Gigi K. Mathew,St.Alberts College

GRATITUDE

GRATITUDE

“……….and as he was going into a village, ten men that were lepers came towards him; they stood far off, crying aloud, Jesus, Master, have pity on us. He met them with the words, Go and show yourselves to the priests; and there upon, as they went, they were made clean. One of them, finding that he was cured, came back, praising God aloud, and threw himself at Jesus feet with his face to the ground, to thank him… Jesus answered, were not all ten made clean? And the other nine, where are they? Not one has come back to give God the praise, except the stranger. And he said to him, Arise and go on the way, thy faith has brought the recovery”.St. Luke Ch xvII 12-19

This episode shows that even Jesus Christ, held in high esteem the virtue of gratitude. In this episode we see Jesus being elated and gratified at the thanks giving performance of the leper who returned to Jesus to show gratitude. At the same time we see Jesus annoyed of the nine ungrateful lepers. It is human to expect gratitude from those who receive help or favour from us. So also, it is quite humane to show gratitude.

Gratitude means the quality or condition of being grateful; a warm sense of appreciation of kindness received, involving a feeling of goodwill towards the benefactor and a desire to do something in return. Gratitude urges one to repay kindness. Gratitude remains empty if not accompanied by sympathy, understanding and patience in one’s dealings with others. In other words gratitude is the art of receiving gracefully, of showing appreciation for every kindness, great and small. Most of us do not fail to show our pleasure when we receive hospitality, gifts and obvious benefits, but even here we can perfect our, manner of showing gratitude by making it as personal and sincere as possible.
One fine afternoon I hired a taxi in Trivandrum. The cab-driver happened to be an old acquaintance. From the driver’s expression and the way he slammed in his gears, I could see that he was upset. I asked him what the trouble was. “I have got good reason to be sore”, he growled. “One of my fares left a handbag in my car this morning. Nearly three thousand rupees in it. I spent more than hour trying to trace the guy. Finally, I found him at his hotel. He took the handbag without a word, glared at me as though I meant to switch it”.

“He did not give you a reward”? I asked.

“Not praise and me out my time and petrol. But it was not the dough I wanted……” He fumbled, and then exploded, “If the guy had only said something….” Because his helpful, honest act had not been appreciated, that cab driver’s day was spoiled, and I knew he would think twice before rendering a similar service. The need of gratitude is something we all feel, and denial of it can do much to stifle the spirit of kindness and cooperation. Who does not loathe the ungrateful? Ingratitude may spoil and poison one’s life, may cause frustration, distress, disappointment and may serve to bring our civilization down in ruins.

May I try to reproduce here from memory, an anecdote I read somewhere in the forties, not long after the end of the Second World War. During the war a mother in America received a letter from her paratrooper son, in which he spoke of a woman in a village in Normandy who had taken him into her home when he was wounded and hungry and hid him from the Germans. Later on unhappily, the boy was killed in some offensive, yet the mother was moved by an irresistible intention. She saved up for 2 years, crossed the Atlantic and located the village referred to by her son. After exhaustive inquires, she found the woman who had sheltered her son the wife of an impoverished farmer-and pressed a package into her hand. It was the gold wrist watch her son had received on his graduation, the only object of real value the boy had ever possessed. The mother’s act of gratitude so touched people’s hearts that it has become something of a legend in and around the village.

Gratitude is sometimes more than a personal affair. A doctor friend of mine in Trivandrum Medical College, told me of a patient brought into hospital whose life was saved by a blood transfusion. When he was well again he asked. “Isn’t there any way I can discover the name of the donor and thank him?” He was told that names of donors are never divulged. A few weeks after his discharge he came back to give a pint of his own blood. Since then, he returned again and again for the same purpose. When the surgeon on duty commented on this splendid record of anonymous service, he answered simply; “ someone I never knew did it for me. I’m just saying thanks.” It is comforting thought that gratitude cannot be not merely a passing sentiment but a renewal which can, in some instances, persist for a life-time.

It is above all in the little things that the grace of gratitude should be most employed. The boy who delivers our newspaper, the milkman, the mailman, the barber, the bearer at the restaurant, the elevator operator, the bus conductor, the taxi, auto driver-all oblige us in one way or other. By showing our gratitude we make routine relationships human and render monotonous tasks more agreeable.
Nothing brightens life, our own and other’s-so much as the spirit of thanks giving. A doctor neighbor of mine narrated the following incident. One of his patients, a few weeks after his discharge from the hospital, came back to thank his nurse. “I did not come back sooner” he explained, “because I imagined you must be bored to death with people thanking you.”

“On the contrary, she replied, “I am delighted you came. Few realize how much we need encouragement and how much we are helped by those who give it.” Simple courtesy makes life easier. Manners serve to keep the foundations of society intact. The gift of gratitude enriches and benefits the life of the person who bestows it quite as much as it does the person who receives it. Gratitude is something of which none of us can give too much. For, on the smiles, the thanks we give, our neighbours build up their philosophy of life.

By: Prof. P.J Mathew,St.Alberts College

Humanity in Action

Humanity in Action

Does it usually require a calamity to elicit the utmost out of man? Certain ingredians force us to belive that only emergrncies can make man prove their powers.

Al least the spontaneous overflow of benovolence exibited by the lowliest fisherman in Perumon on 8 july 1988 proves the theory. These common fisherman who had laboured hard , had eaten and drunk, had procrated and engaged in resuation just like any common man, proved to be angel of mercy on that day. on that fateful day, the Island Express plunged into the river Astamudi, carrying thousands of passengers in it.The cries of thousnds of passengers, man, women and children, rent the air.

The local fisherman stood in a gape for a moment. Immediately they realised the cause of the din and cries. It took no time for them to realize that it was an emergency that brooked no delay. They plunged into action straightaway. Hectic and untiring activity followed. They were not fully conscious of all that they were doing. But the goal was quite clear in their minds- to save as many lives as possible. Mindeless of damage, they exersised all their powers. And in the end when all that was humanly possible, has been done, they sat down exhausted. Later when they recollected what they had done, they wondered at their own aceivement, with unutterable joy.

The exellent service rendered by the fisherman of Perumon, has been well recognised. The Railways and Government of Keralahave come foreward with presents in recognition of this sterling service. Millions of people who cannot offer presents, have enshrined the memories of this yeoman service in their heerts.

Article By: A.C. John,St.Alberts College

Psychedelic Extra Sensory Perception

Psychedelic Extra Sensory Perception

 In 1502, at the festivities accompanying the coronation of Montezuma II, the Aztec ruler of Mexico, the celebrants consumed specially pickled mushrooms. After ingesting a portion of these, some of the natives began to have visions, masses committed suicide, still others became psychic and had premonitions of the future events including

1) The arrival of the Spanish conqueror:
2) The subjugation of the Aztec ruler and
3) The death of the civilization.

It has been known that certain types of mushrooms, cacti and other plants (ancient Rig Vedic texts have incorporated the ritual of Soma Yaga. History abounds in such reference) can induce a certain altered state of consciousness on a human. The Shamanic culture, the ancient Yaqui Indians, all have from time immemorial sought the philosopher’s stone; the elixir of life in these magic portions. They could induce not only visions, but also marked changes in perception and the thought processes-

The celebrated Tales of Don Juan (the mystic YAQUI INDIAN) abounds in anecdotal reference to the ‘ green man’ the spirit in the hallucinogenic cacti named by him as ‘Mescalito’ Mushrooms such as ‘Psilocybe Mexicana’ can act as meta-programming substances on our behavioral pattern. (Welcome to chapel Perilons).
To a septic such tales will certainly be totally false and mere mystical blah- blahs. But consider’ Paracelsus’, the founder of modern medicine, who believed in such vegetative spirits and claimed to have had frequent commune with them. Weird and incredible as it may seem.

It was from psilocybe Mexicana, that the drug ‘psilocybin’ was synthesized by Dr. Albert Hoffman, a Swiss investigator. The most publicized of all the mind expanding drugs is L.S.D. (Lysergic acid diethyl lamide) a purely chemical non- organic substance discovered by Dr. Hoffman.

Mind expanding drugs jolts the tripper into a mysterious journey of the mind hither to unexplained. The tripper can enter into a mystical magical realm of nature. A collage of characters, painted in so many varied colours are cast in this cosmic fun house. Colours seem brighter ; Nature explodes into a sparkling clear life.

In the case of mushrooms and other vegetative ingestion, it has been found that each trip has an emotional content strongly projected as though the spirit in the mushroom decides the trip for the mind. It has also been found that when a group of people are ‘tripping’, they can converse among themselves without actually speaking.

When we say that “seeing is believing” aren’t we seeing what we believe all the time and only occasionally seeing what we can’t believe. “L.S.D. can take you out of normal space-time age- the mechanical mode of everyday casualty”. This is the verdict of the 60’s genie Tim Leary. Dr. Leary’s pioneering research in this interesting domain has been with held and suppressed by the establishment which has always behaved paranoical in its reaction.

Dr. Leary explained that the psychedelic drug experience is a synergetic product of three non-additive factors.

1) The dosage of the drug used.
2) The set (subject)-

             a) The subject’s expectations
             b) Emotional- status
             c) Personality profile.

3)The setting- i.e. the actual location in space –time dimension.

This has been established by Dr. Leary in an experiment conducted in 1967 (With the help of a qualified psychologist who assists in the trip); where- in he used L.S.D. with a clinical setting to cure a latent homo-sexual of his disorder by positive suggestion.

Aldous Huxley the celebrated English novelist & futurist have recorded his experience in the ‘Doors of Perception’. His explanation is mostly scientific rather than spiritual. Human brain is mainly concerned with survival. So out of the thousands of units of data fed in by the six senses, only the ones that are useful for survival are analyzed by it-others are filtered out. L.S.D. and other mind expanding drugs, when ingested, reduce the sugar content in the blood stream, thereby depriving the brain of its main energizer. This reduces the efficiency of the ‘filtering system’ and the brains get flooded with the information fed in by the senses- it begins to hallucinate. This hypothesis explains why the brain hallucinates- but it does not explain some of the other, more bizarre aspects of a trip.

Serious research has to be done before we can come to a definite conclusion. Till then, we can go on believing in the ‘green- man’ ‘ mescalito’ and the other spirits. That is, if at all anyone wants to believe.

Article By: Stephen Francis,St.Alberts College

ABHILASH GOES TO TOWN

ABHILASH GOES TO TOWN

Once upon a time, there was a young boy named abhilash. He lived with his family in GAUTANPUR village. They were very poor and were struggling for their bread. Abhilash decided to go to the city and earn money for his family. He decided to go to MUMBAI, because it is known as the land for OPPURTUNITIES in his village. It was the time of his departure his mother gave him a promise to be honest and loyal towards his employer.

Abhilash came to Mumbai, having the dreams in his eyes to make then into reality. He was synchronized by the busy life of this city. From his first day itself, he ran in the search of a job from door-to-door, office-to-office.

He had the talent but no opportunity. He had the skill but no approach. He got disappointed by the strategy and policies of this city. One day he was traveling in the train. Suddenly, he saw a black leather bag without its owner. At first look itself, abhilash got the idea that it must be a bag of a wealthy person with lot of cash inside it. He took the bag and went to his rented house.

When he put his hand to open it, a divine voice came from his spirit. It was the culture inoculated by his mother. That what ever may be your situation, wherever worst it may be, we should never go on the wrong way to help it out. We should never do anything that hurt our god in our heart.

After a long time, he convinced himself that he will not open it and will hand it over to police. He went to the police station and told the whole story. The superintended of police was very happy to here the honesty of this young boy of 18.

Suddenly, he heard a beep coming from the bag. Immediately, the SP realized that there is a bomb inside it. He called the bomb squad and the bomb was diffused. This came as a turning point in the life of our hero.

From panampally to Punjab, Bangalore to Boston, shimla to Singapore. Everyone was appreciating this Indian. Media coverage made him a super hero and government made him a collector. Fame and fans, both were welcoming abhilash. He called his family with win and his parents, his villagers were proud of him. On his post, he did the best possible things for the welfare of the people.

In this district, everywhere there was a prosperity and happiness. The fragrance of joy reached to immense heights. He became world famous, this time for his rules and policies. He was promoted to a minister and he did such a great things that people still remember him and like him.


Story By: RAHUL PANDEY,
St.Alberts College Ernakulam.

Dr. Rajagopala Nair Awarded ‘Sai Samanvaya Award’

Dr. Rajagopala Nair Awarded

'Sai Samanvaya Award’

Dr. Rajagopal Nair, Reader and Head, Department of Commerce has been awarded ‘Sai Samanvaya Award’ for excellence in human endeavour 2009. This award has been conferred on him for his excellent service in the field of education. He joined St. Albert’s College in 1980. He is an approved research guide since 1995 and has produced 8 PhD’s including the first in commerce from M.G. University.

Congratulations Dear Professor By Your Students...