Newbold Church and Others

THE LONG TREK Rehearsed to me by my (late) mother, Mary Pandit (Nee Nowrangi.) The Bridal Procession The chief priest of one of the kingdoms in Rajasthan, India, solemnly raised his hand, and, at the calculated auspicious moment, brought it down. That was the signal for the bridal procession to begin. But this was no ordinary bridal procession. Firstly, the bride-to-be was a princess of the kingdom, and so, this was a royal procession. Secondly, the procession was destined to travel hundreds and hundreds of miles across the Indian peninsula to the State of erstwhile Bihar, where the groom, a prince, was awaiting his bride. The journey took weeks, for in the 1800s, the main method of travel was on horseback. There were the attendants of the princess; representatives of the royal court; laborers, cooks and armed guards, who made up the entourage. Among them was a family of the Brahmin caste. They were priests to the royal family, sent by the king, to make sure that the r...

NEBUCHADNEZZAR (A Play by Dr. Ronnie Gyi) For today’s audience Introduction: Nebuchadnezzar was the ruler of the first world empire. His conquest or rather being allowed to conquer Judah and Jerusalem brought him in direct contact with Yahweh, the God of the Jews. His wisdom in selecting politically promising young prisoners from the conquered territories made him worthy of a great emperor. However, his pride put him in conflict with a God who hates a proud look and who dwells in a humble heart. After he was abased by God, his exaltation of the true God signaled his repentance. But did the change last long? In Nebuchadnezzar’s court and in private conversations through His faithful witnesses, we discover the God of heaven moving on the heart of the world ruler to achieve His eternal purpose.  God selected Daniel and his companions to be His ambassadors in Nebuchadnezzar’s court. Song: ( Dimmed lights, male choir in full harmony) “Once to Every ...

The Golden Age of SDA at CMC Vellore Bobby Thomas, Felix Prakasam and Ronnie Gyi in front of the Blue Max college bus The Blue Max stopped in front of the gate leading to the Sunken Garden.  (We were taken out for a retreat to ease our minds from thinking about the CMC selection process in 1965)  Philip jumped out of the bus and disappeared into the corridor leading to the Registrar office. There was silence in the bus as all waited eagerly for Philip to return. Scenes flashed in my mind in a hazy kaleidoscopic vision. Our unreserved train ride to Bombay (Mumbai) was like living sardines packed to standing places only. We could hardly breath. There was sweet relief when someone found a foot hold to change his standing position and the rest whirled like a merry go round. Without any coaching:Bobby Thomas, Rohini Shah, Felix Prakasam, Zokhumi Pachuau and myself wrote the entrance exam. After a wait of about a month we all were called to CMC...