My Doodles Series -- 5: Women

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You may click on the above image 
to see the doodles in a larger format

Doodles on Women © Jerome D'Costa

Here are some of my doodles on women.

God created man and woman to complement each other. When man and woman work together, respect each other, and treat each other equally, miracles can happen. The family, society and country progress exponentially. Unfortunately, due to human frailty, selfishness and other imperfections, this is not so everywhere.

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My Doodles Series -- 4: Jesus Christ

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 Doodles on Jesus Christ © Jerome D'Costa

 Jesus Christ is the founder of Christianity. Christian artists all over the world portrayed him in different situations and styles. Some of the greatest paintings in the world are on him.

Jesus also found a place in my doodles. These doodles came very naturally. I am proud to portray him in my humble way.

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My Doodles Series -- 3: Boats

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 Doodles on Boats © Jerome D'Costa

Boats are a common mode of transport in Bangladesh, a delta with hundreds of rivers and rivulets. Boats naturally have a special place in the lives and minds of its inhabitants. Songs, poems, fables, short stories and novels portray boats in a significant manner. My boat doodles are also a result of this mindset.

How do you like my boat doodles?

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My Doodles Series -- 2: Catholic Religious Theme

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 Doodles on God, the Holy Spirit, Jesus Christ 

and the Virgin Mary © Jerome D'Costa

My Roman Catholic faith automatically found its place in these doodles.

(Top left doodle) God is the triune God. In the unity of Godhead there are three persons -- the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. God is the creator of everything and he watches over his entire creation.

(Top right) The Holy Spirit strengthens us in our faith.

(Below left) Jesus Christ is the second person of the Holy Trinity. He is our Lord and Saviour. Through his death on the cross he brought the eternal salvation to mankind.

(Below right) Mary or the Virgin Mary is the mother of Jesus Christ. She has a special place in the heart of the Roman Catholics.

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My Doodles Series -- 1: "Lord Jesus, You are..."

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Doodle on "Lord Jesus, You are..." © Jerome D'Costa

From today I am publishing a series of my doodles that I drew in the past. I have been doing doodles since my childhood, although I did not know until much later that this sort of sketches were called 'doodles'.

In course of time, I lost most of them -- first, when the West Pakistan army attacked our village in the then East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) on November 26, 1971 and burnt down most of the houses, including ours. Later I lost many others in termite attacks. In this blog I will be publishing some of the remaining ones that are still available.

Translation of the Above Writings in the Doodle

The above writings are in Bangla (Bengali) done in my own kind of ''calligraphic" style! The translation of them in red bold are as follows:

The bold letterings in the middle above the cross are: Lord Jesus, you are...

Top row (L - R): loving, kind, merciful, forgiving,

Second row: peace-giving, patient, sweet,

Third row: holy, healing,

Fourth row: consoler

Fifth row: saviour, inspirer,

Sixth row: protector, service provider,

Seventh row: glorious, living, ever-present, almighty, truthful.

I sketched them as they flowed from me. I did not visualize or pre-plan them.

Please view my series of doodles and do not hesitate in leaving your valuable comments in my blog.

(Continued)

Doodle: An On-the-Spur-of-the-Moment Art

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Doodles by Joachim Romeo D'Costa (Toronto: May, 2009)

Doodles by seven-year-old Shouvik Mikhail D'Costa
(Toronto: 1998)

Everyone -- when a crayon, pencil or pen in hand -- doodled in his or her life sometime or the other. In childhood, every child doodles. It's the way for him or her to learn writing or drawing.

Later in life, we doodle for other reasons. Our doodles get their way on scraps or sheets of paper; margins of paper, book or utility bills; notebooks; post-it pads and the like. Doodling becomes a kind of release mechanism for us.

What is a doodle?

Doodle is a kind of drawing that is done on the spur-of-the-moment. It is an unplanned and unconscious sketching on paper. It grows as the drawing progresses. It starts mostly when one is busy doing something else -- talking on the phone, listening to music or radio, watching TV from time to time, and attending a meeting or conference -- or even a class -- but feeling bored.

Types of doodles

A doodle can be in the form of simple or ornate writing -- a kind of calligraphy -- or in the form of drawing a picture (of a person, animal, scenery or inanimate object).

Doodler

A person who doodles is a doodler. A doodler can be young or old, male or female, literate or illiterate, rich or poor, person of colour or non-colour, religious or irreligious, and a person of virtue or non-virtue.

Meaning of a doodle

Although done unconsciously or half-consciously, a doodle may be the result of what went through a person's mind previously.

Some people try to find a meaning in or interpret a doodle. According to them, if the doodle is one on the right side of a page, it means the doodler is eager to reveal what he or she has in mind. If a person doodles on the left side, it means the doodler likes the past. If a person doodles at the centre of a page, he or she is kind of aloof -- he or she feels comfortable being alone, away from others.

Psychologists and clinicians try to understand the state of mind of the doodler by studying shapes and symbols drawn by him or her. If a doodler draws a tree, it signifies life or growth. If a house is drawn, the doodler loves a steady shelter and the security that comes with it. Vehicles (trains, motor vehicles, animal-drawn carriages, airplanes, boats and the like) signify a desire for travel or change in life. Sun means light and warmth. Geometric shapes (squares, triangles, circles, rectangular shapes, pentagon, octagon etc.) signify an analytical and logical mind.

Celebrity doodles

Ordinary doodles of celebrities in time becomes extraordinary. Doodles by celebrities always draw wide attention and curiosity.

A good number of U.S. Presidents, including John F. Kennedy, were famous for their doodles. Most recently, Barack Obama, the democratic candidate for U.S. presidency, drew worldwide attention for his doodles in 2008.

(Above) U.S. President Ronald Reagan's doodle

U.S. President John F. Kennedy's doodle

The above two presidential doodles courtesy: The Atlantic Monthly

Ireland: The Scandal of Physical, Psychological and Sexual Abuse in Catholic Schools and Orphanages

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St. Kevin of Glendalough (498? - 618 AD), Ireland,
had his own trials and struggles with celibacy
but ultimately he triumphed over them

When once the Irish Catholic monks had saved the western civilization and blazed new paths in preaching Christianity and doing evangelization, the Catholic Church there now is abuzz with the widespread scandal of physical, psychological and sexual abuse in its schools from 1936 to the 1990s. This bastion of Christianity is presently shrouded in the dark shadow of unchristianity in the name of Christianity.

On May 20, Ireland's High Court Justice Sean Ryan revealed the 2,600-page report of the Commission to Inquire Into Child Abuse, based on testimony from thousands of former students and officials in more than 250 government-funded institutions (orphanages, reformatories, industrial schools and workhouses) run by the Catholic Church.

This nine-year investigation reports that priests and nuns terrorized thousands of boys and girls in orphanages and workhouse-style schools for about 60 years and government inspectors failed to stop the chronic beatings, rapes and humiliations.

The Ryan Report identified 18 Catholic Religious Orders and Congregations whose members abused these children. Among these, the Christian Brothers and Sisters of Mercy are predominant. So far, 14,000 abuse victims -- out of 35,000 who were placed in these institutions -- have been identified by the government. More than 800 individuals were involved in these abuses. Christine Buckley, who was placed at an institution at the age of three weeks, said of the institution later: "The atmosphere was one of almost 24-hour horror. Our childhoods were totally destroyed."

Chief Findings of the Ryan Report

• Physical and emotional abuse and neglect were features of these institutions.
• Sexual abuse occurred in many of the institutions, especially in boys' institutions.
• Schools were run in a severe, regimented manner that imposed unreasonable and oppressive discipline on children and even on staff.
• Children were frequently hungry and food was inadequate, inedible and badly prepared in many schools.
• Many witnesses spoke of being constantly fearful or terrified, which impeded their emotional development and impacted on every aspect of their life in the institution.
• Prolonged, excessive beatings with implements intended to cause maximum pain occurred with the knowledge of senior staff.
• There was constant criticism and verbal abuse and children were told they were worthless.
• Some children lost their sense of identity and kinship, which was never recovered.
• Absconding students were severely beaten, at times publicly. Some had their heads shaved and were humiliated.
• Government inspectors, on their occasional visits, rarely spoke to the children in these institutions.

The Culture of Secrecy and Silence

The Report mentions that "when confronted with evidence of sexual abuse, the response of the Religious authorities was to transfer the offender to another location where, in many instances, he was free to abuse again." The Church leaders did not "listen to or believe" victims who complained of sexual abuse, and some remained unwilling to confront the issue even today. The Report also mentions that "the safety of children in general was not a consideration."

One former Christian Brother had carried out a 40-year sex abuse spree with the knowledge of a parish priest, a bishop, two communities of nuns, the government Education Department and police.

Archbishop Vincent Nichols of Westminster, the head of the Catholic Church in England, said that the Irish offenders still living should face justice.

"Profoundly Sorry"

Cardinal Sean Brady, the leader of the Catholic Church in Ireland, said he was "profoundly sorry and deeply ashamed that children suffered in such awful ways in these institutions." He also said: "This report makes it clear that great wrong and hurt were caused to some of the most vulnerable children in our society. It documents a shameful catalogue of cruelty: neglect, physical, sexual and emotional abuse, perpetrated against children."

The Christian Brothers and Sisters of Mercy also expressed their "sorrow."

Victims' Reactions

The BBC reports the reactions of abuse victims, Church leaders and political leaders.