Sunday, July 19, 2026
Arrival in Potta and First Day of Retreat
Llew and I had been persuaded to sign up for a 5-day Retreat in Pota, Kerala, several months ago, by our friends, Anand and Jean Prabhu. We did not know what to expect, but since scores of Bombay Catholics have undertaken this Retreat and have spoken eloquently about it, we decided to make this the year we would make the Retreat. As always, I saw this trip as an opportunity to fill in the blanks of the places we had not covered in Kerala in January this year (when we had traveled to Cochin so that I could present a paper at the International Anglo-Indian Reunion Conference). So, this time round, we made plans to visit Trivandrum (capital of Kerala), Kovalam Beach (which is highly reputed and only an hour away) and Kanya Kumari, the southernmost tip of the Indian Peninsula and which involved crossing state lines from Kerala into Tamil Nadu.
Accordingly, we left our home at 6.30 am to arrive at the Bombay Airport in record time (20 minutes) for our 9.30 am Akasa Airlines flight to Cochin. Our friends Anand and Jean and Gloria were there too and at the departure gate, we met them, after we’d bought ourselves a coffee and settled down to board our flight.
Our flight was very comfortable indeed. We were presented with a meal on board (we had chosen our breakfast meals—I had a Chicken Salad Croissant and Llew picked a Thai Chicken Salad with coffee) and feeling ready to face the day, we arrived at Cochin. At the airport, we also connected with Eric and Rowena D’Souza who were also part of our Retreat group. Anand made arrangements for us to take two taxis that took us, in two groups, to Potta, where the Divine Retreat Center is located. We entered the gates at abut 1.00 pm and were ready to have lunch.
We had the first of the communal lunches we would have in a great big dining hall. We also met Nimmi Moniz at this point. She too would be a part of our group for the next five days. All the members of our group had opted for AC rooms (non-AC was also available at cheaper rates) and special meals (for which we also paid more). The meals were substantial and delicious, based on the typical South Indian staples of Kerala (rice, sambhar, rasam, vegetables sauted with coconut and a non-vegetarian curry--we had chicken, pork and fish curries and Kerala’s famous fried beef). In the evening, in addition to rice, lovely soft chapattis were also served.
Right after lunch, we joined in the first of the many lectures/talks that we attended. These were either preached by lay preachers or by priests who are based in various parts of the world. The Director of the Divine Retreat Center is Fr. Augustin Vallooran and he played a very prominent role throughout the five days of our Retreat. This was my first introduction to the power, faith and devotion of the speakers who have the capacity to speak for a whole hour at a time without looking at a single note. They have the particular facility of being able to quote the Bibe effortlessly down to the last chapter and verse. I have to tell you that, overall, I was quite floored by their talents even as I wondered how I could possibly sit through five whole days of hour-long lectures, often preceded by half an hour of Praise and Worship sessions that involved a great deal of loud music and zippy singing. I need to state, at this stage, that the Retreat is conducted in the traditions of the Catholic Charismatic Renewal. And, if you are unfamiliar with their culture or religious practices, they will take some getting used to. There is a lot of very loud expressions of faith (frequent utterances of “Hallelujah, Praise the Lord and Thank you Lord”), repetitive hymns that become almost like a chant or a mantra and speakers who evoke the power of the Holy Spirit to effect conversion, healing, revelation, etc.
Tea Break followed and we were treated to a choice or tea or coffee with biscuits, after which more Praise and Worship sessions and more lectures followed. Finally, it was time for Dinner which was also delicious and substantial (and definitely a far cry from the reputedly thick boiled rice and watery daal meals of years gone by). As the Retreats have been conducted for over thirty years, the Center has made many improvements in the living conditions of the participants. After dinner, there was more opportunity for Adoration with the Blessed Sacrament in the many chapels that are scattered all over the vast premises but both Llew and I were simply too wiped out by dinner time to do any more religious activity.
I should add that there were about 3000 people at the Retreat from various parts of India and around the world. While we were attending the Couples Retreat, there was also a Youth Retreat and a Childrens’ Retreat going on, at the same time.
And, on that note, our first day of Retreat came to an end.
Until tomorrow, cheerio…
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