The Attapadi chapel

The chapel in Attapadi

We came back from our tour of the place and had the noon prayer led by Rambachen at the blessed chapel in Attapadi. This chapel is especially blessed because it is the venue of the celebration of Holy Qurbana every morning. Every day Holy Liturgy is celebrated at the altar. This was a practice that began at the Ashram since a few years ago, and by the amazing providence of God, the Ashram has been taken care of every day. The children of the Balabhavan participate in the Holy Qurbana and are well versed in the prayers, I am told, even though they are not baptized.

The blessed altar

Later in a conversation, I got a perspective of the dangers of living in the midst of a jungle that this place was. Paul achen mentioned one day when he was coming to the chapel for morning prayer, an elephant standing in the courtyard. It was early dawn and the animal might have come in search of food. Achen then called the others and it took them a lot of effort to send the huge animal on its way without it harming anyone. It was usual there to hear of damages to trees and plants on the property by elephants.

outside the chapel

Sneha Bhavan in Attapadi

With help from some good people in Kuwait, a home was built for Sachu and Sneha at Attapadi. I had read about it in ICON long back, but it was good to see it when I went there.

Sachu was there at Attapadi going to a regular school with the rest of the kids from the Balabhavan, while his sister, who had not developed her speech and hearing as much as Sachu (as she was older when the cochlear transplant was done) was being cared for by sisters at another home in Adoor, Kerala (which I visited at a later point)

The Sneha Bhavan is a testimony to how the love of God works through different people spread


Sneha Bhavan

globally by the good use of technology and media. It was satisfying to note that internet and such media as ICON and others had played an important role in spreading awareness about the need for help needed by Sachu and Sneha about a decade ago, because of which many people were able to respond and come to the aid of the ground workers like Paul achen and MD Yuhannon Rambachen (Then Fr. M.D. John) and help with the funding and arrangements for the cochlear transplant as well as the building of the Sneha Bhavan. Thank God for the power and reach of technology. Thank God for motivating the good people in Kuwait parish to build the Sneha Bhavan in Attapadi to help two less fortunate children there.

A medical mission not well.

The board stands as the reminder of an unwell medical mission

Paul achen showed us the building structure for a medical clinic. It was non functional now - because there was no doctor to run it. There are also living quarters for doctors to stay, but doctors apparently don't find serving at a remote place like this worth their time.

This remote area, this tribal belt, could use the services of a doctor - I think the nearest established hospital is still quite far away. Rambachen and achen are looking out for medical professionals who can come and spend a few months there and help set up everything.

But amidst this, there also is hope. When I was visiting there, a person came to meet Rambachen and


Medical mission Attapadi

we had lunch together. Later Rambachen introduced us to him - he was one of the children at the Balabhavan - he had just come back after finishing his MBBS. He may need to go back for further residency etc, but Rambachen was hopeful he could stay back and help set everything up. Rambachen spoke of the time when they were trying to get him admission, how God had worked and guided them, how he had gotten through and how finally they now had a doctor in their midst. Praise be to God! Lets hope the medical mission in Attapadi is resurrected once again.

Our school in Attapadi

with Maya aunty and Saly aunty at our Attapadi school

The English medium school in the tribal regions of Attapadi serves a dire need - to educate the local tribal population. It is here that the kids of our Balabhavan also attend. We have about 350 children in attendance, including the children from the Balabhavan. The teachers come from Kerala mostly and several of them are accommodated in the Ashram premises etc.

We have classes till 10th Std at the school. Plans are in place to begin the Plus 2 classes from next year. A good news for the Ashram this year has been that we got the affiliation and No Objection from the government as a recognized school and we should be able to hold the 10th standard board examination on premises starting from this year. 

break time at school

I am told the school educates around 75 children from the local adivasi area including our Balabhavan inmates without any fees. Their expenses are completely borne by the Ashram..

We got to see some of the classes in session as Fr. Paul gave us a tour of the school. The Church of the east was making its presence felt in the form this school in the remote tribal belt of Attapadi.Thank God for those working behind the school, thank God for our tribal mission in Attapadi.

Father S Paul, a dedicated worker for Christ in the tribal world of Attapadi

Fr. Paul and Saly aunty with me.

I had spoken many times to Fr. Sudha Paul but this was the first time we met. Saly aunty knew him from her days in Abu Dhabi. Achen had given her the advise about the route to get to Attapadi.

We met Fr. Paul at the Ashram. Achen is a very jovial and down to earth person. He took us around the place after breakfast, got us coconut water to drink, showed us around the property, spoke to us about Sachu and Sneha, and made sure that we all were comfortable during our stay there.

We went with Fr. Paul to the school. While Saly aunty stayed behind, Maya aunty and I accompanied achen to the top of a small hill where we have plans to build a retreat center some day. Achen showed us the place - it seemed very serene and an apt location for a retreat center if God wills, for many people to come here and find peace.



Fr. Paul with Sachu, Saly aunty looking on

Achen spoke to us about the life of Sachu and Sneha. When Sneha was little, because of her impaired speech and hearing, when they took her to the doctor, the doctor had told her parents, that this could happen again if they had another child. So when Sachu was born and they found the same issue with Sachu, the parents, who were from the local tribal area, were very depressed. The father went and hung himself on a tree. On seeing this, the mother in a fit of madness poured kerosene on herself and lit herself. She had over 90 percent burns and was taken to the hospital. When achen and others in the Ashram heard of the news and went to meet, the mother, who had heard of the Balabhavan and achen's work, told him not to forake her children. The mother eventually died, and the grandparents of the children, poor and helpless as they were, refused to take in the now orphaned children. At this time, in a divine moment, Achen took a decision to care for the children which became the turning point in their lives. News about Sachu and Sneha, and the events surrounding them were reported in the newspapers and in the internet, and with help from many, the cochlear transplant and subsequent speech therapy was carried out, as God had been leading their lives till this day. It was indeed a wonderful story of divine grace shown in the action of Fr. Paul and the good people at the St. Thomas Ashram.

Later we walked by Sneha Bhavan, a house built with the help of good people from Kuwait, for Sachu and Sneha. It is to be used by the siblings as they grow up. I had read about this on ICON and on the internet a few years ago, but it was nice to see it first hand.

I also passed by a  medical clinic that was non functional as achen explained the problems faced in finding a good doctor to run the place.

We all came back soon to attend the noon prayer and then have lunch together with Rambachen.

With Yuhanon Ramban

I had met M.D. Yuhannon Ramban on my previous trip to India when he was the Parumala Seminary Manager. It was a always a joy to talk to him and learn about Attapadi.



Yuhanon Ramban at his office in Attapadi

Rambachen was waiting for us at the Ashram and we had breakfast together. Rambachen spoke to us for sometime about the life in the Ashram there and the other one in Thadakam which was also under his charge.

We heard stories from Rambachen and Paul achen of how elephants would sometimes come to the vicinity of the Church, how they would cause damage to trees and crops - made us realize how much deep in the jungle they were in Attapadi. Since we see greenery all around in Kerala, we usually do not realize this.

We later participated in the noon prayer with Rambachen before sharing the lunch together. A couple of Seminarians from our Seminaries in Nagpur were there at the time in Attapadi on field mission and training.

Meeting Sachu

I had heard a lot about Sachu and her sister Sneha but never met them. I knew that Sneha was not at Attapadi, but was in Adoor and I had planned to meet her later.

Sachu and Sneha were two children who could not speak or hear and they had been adopted by the Ashram and now after a cochlear transplant and using hearing aid, they were able to hear. Sachu was the younger of the two. You can read more about Sachu and Sneha who had been in the newspapers a few years ago here:

Sachu and Sneha(2006) (follow the related links at the bottom)

Sachu and Sneha (2003)

 

Sachu about to go to school.

Paul achen called Sachu and introduced us to him. He did not speak much, was shy, probably a bit irritated at being often called to introduce to visitors like us, and was in hurry to go to school. He slipped away as achen looked away. Achen and Sachu had a beautiful relationship. "He has grown up on my shoulders" said achen.

 

Sachu was perhaps around 12 years now. It was nice to note that he was attending regular school now with the other children. His progress after the cochlear transplant was good since it was done at an early age and he had progressed in his speech and hearing much more than his sister Sneha who was older when the surgery and healing process had begun. 

 

 

 

Reaching Attapadi

I had come to stay at my Uppapan (uncle)'s place in Kochi with Sumam and kids. Sumam stayed back with the kids in Kochi, while I traveled to Attapadi on a day trip. I had originally planned to go to Palakkad from Kochi on train and from there to Attapadi using help from achen there. But Sally aunty had it all planned, she spoke to achen, found out the exact time it might take to travel by car, had the driver arranged, thus all I had to do was simply turn up for the trip! Early morning, it might have been 4:00 am, when we started on our journey to Attapadi. We travelled in Saly aunty's car. Maya aunty was the other lady with us. Mr. Hillson was our driver. It was still dark when we started from Kochi.



children at Attapadi, ready for school

We traveled via the Palakkad, Manarkad, Agaly route. Mr. Hillson was a seasoned driver, and such experience was needed traveling on the winding roads that led up the hills and into Attapadi. It took us about 4 hours to reach Attapadi in what was a scenic drive. We spoke along the way about Attapadi, my trips so far, but mostly I listened to Saly aunty and Maya aunty talk about their lives and activities in the local parish in Kochi. Both these ladies were active members of their parish and it was nice to listen to the stories about their work.

We reached the Ashram at about 8:00 am or so. We were met by Father Sudhakar Paul, Paul achen there. Achen invited us for breakfast. The kids were just about to leave for school when I ran outside to get a snap of theirs.