A Great Teacher Is Remembered On This Teacher’s Day

Last updated on November 25, 2023

My Early Experience with my writing Journey And Some Pleasant Memories Of My Mentor And A Great Teacher

Pleasant memories of my childhood days and some most valuable moments with my mentor, a great teacher, and a world renowned evangelist, poet and hymn writer M E Cherian Sir of Madurai.  This write-up is a small attempt to remember this great and respected personality from the Malayalam literary world.   Please read on…

 

Some co-writers’ write-ups on the pages of Google’s Knol pages put my memory back to my school days, Yes, it happened when I was in my 6th or 7th grade (Class).   I was an avid reader and whatever comes to hand, I read, newspapers, weeklies, magazines, and books.

 

In our village Valanjavttom  (Aalamthurithi) near Thiruvalla, Kerala, there was a library known as ‘Gandhiji Smaaraka (memorial) Library’, I was a regular visitor there and used to lend books from this library. I read many books, novels, short stories and poems of many major writers of the Malayalam language…
I used to read different Malayalam newspapers too from this library.

FrIm these newspapers Kathukal (letters) column attracted me a lot, and I started sending letters to this column. Immediately after sending my letters to the newspapers; I was eagerly waiting for the next day’s paper to see them published, Days and months passed and I could not find any of my letters published. I was really getting frustrated at that point of time but my passion for newspapers and writings did not stop me there, instead with more care I prepared letters and sent. One fine morning as usual when I picked up the daily I found my letter published with my name. I was overjoyed seeing my name in one of the major and famous publication called ‘Malayala Manorama’ (the largest circulated Malayalam daily in Kerala and also the top circulated vernacular daily in the world). www.manoramaonline.com

The voracious reading habit in me urged me to jot down different points in a notebook, and slowly started writings songs and stories.

About that time I heard about a Christian (Brethren) magazine called “Suviseshakan” (Evangelist) published by a well-known evangelist from Madurai (Tamil Nadu State). I thought of sending some of my writings to that magazine and I picked up some jottings from my notebook, copied it in a paper and posted it to the Editor. A week later I received a letter from the editor saying,

Dear Philip, “The story which you sent is good and will be published in one of the coming issues, however, the song is not up to the mark; but don’t give up, keep writing.”

MEC

(MEC is the short form of his name, he is called or known by this 3 letters.)

Reading the editor’s letter I could not control myself but jumped in joy.

My joy had no boundaries as I am going to see my first story published, that too in M E Cherian Sir’s Magazine.

After a good number of rejections (Letters) in the past, the printed story in the magazine made me, even more, happier than the letter published in the most circulated paper.

This joyous incident inspired me to write more.

Later in my years, I jotted down many things in my notebooks under the  headings, short stories, mini stories, poems, prose etc.

This small but great incident in my life encouraged me much to write more. I sent another article and a song to Cherian Sir.

Within a short span of time, I received his reply saying,

“Your article and song will be published in one of the up-coming issues after a few corrections. It seems you are more talented in writing articles, think on that line and do write more. May God bless.” MEC

This note from MEC was really encouraging, I kept reading it again and again and it was like a never ending happiness at that time.

 

A few months later I came to know about MEC’s arrival to Kumbanad (A convention center in Kerala) for the annual convention of Brethren Assemblies, as a preacher. This yearly convention takes place from the end of December till the first week of January.

Every year my parents used to attend these annual conventions. I was so eager to meet Cherian Sir and I expressed this desire to  Pappa (my Dad) and he agreed at once. The day came, with my parents I went to the meeting at the center, there we met Cherian Sir and my Dad introduced me to him. He recognized the little writer and with much joy he greeted me. I expressed my heartfelt thanks to MEC for his encouragement. Immediately he took a copy of the current issue of Suviseshakan (January) and handed over to me and said, “one of your articles is published in this issue” then he patted on my shoulder and encouraged me. The loving touch of that famous personality and those joyous moments I couldn’t forget in my life. This was the beginning of my writing life. —

 

A word about Late Mr. M.E.Cherian, lovingly known or called as M E C or Cherian Sir. Before becoming an evangelist he was a high school teacher, so most of the people called him Cherian Sir. Later he becomes a well-known Christian preacher, teacher, songwriter and a poet in the Malayalam and Tamil language. A good number of his Christian melodies are sung by the Malayali (Keralites) and Tamil Christians in their congregations in worships as well as  on other occasions all over the world.

He published many books on spiritual subjects.

Later, after his passing away in 1993, the Young Men’s Evangelical Fellowship published a souvenir (M E Cherian Smaranika), under the editorship of Br. George Koshy, Mylapra. The editor published my story (the encounter with MEV) in the souvenir. You can read that story by clicking on the below link:

എന്റെ ആദ്യരചനയുടെ ഉത്ഭവം – ഒരു ഓര്‍മ്മക്കുറിപ്പ്‌ – M E Cherian Smaranikayil Ninnum (പ്രോത്സാഹനത്തിന്റെ തലോടല്‍) A memoir

 

Here is a video message of M E Cherian Sir, delivered in Florida, USA in 1993,  translated from Malayalam to English.

 

An Audio Message In Malayalam By M E Cherian Sir.

Posted By Anish Thankachen

Source: Happy Melody, Madurai.

A Message By M E Cherian Sir In Malayalam

 An Interview With M E Cherian Sir, In Malayalam.

 

Source:

M E Cherian Smaranika ( Souvenir)

Pic. Credit: www.bahrainbrethren.com

Video channel YouTube. BrethrenNews.Com

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