“What though the field be lost?

All is not lost; the unconquerable will,…

And the courage never to submit or yeild.”

― John Milton in Paradise Lost  


These are the abridged lines from Milton’s classic poem Paradise Lost that come to mind. But, we must start at the beginning.  

The happy foursome photo alongside today evokes sad memory.  

The photo has from left to right four members of the family of Stephen Mascharenas, well-known writer and editor, who is better known as Hemacharya – his identity as a versatile writer in English, Kannada and Konkani. Earlier he and his wife Anna were in the Gulf but relocated to India-Mangaluru - as he worked as Director of Daijiworld organisation and as Editor of Daijiworld English Weekly and his wife managing administrative/business aspects of its operations. That now the weekly has ceased publication for good reasons is incidental. They lived in a well-appointed building, across the road from Bondel church, where Daijworld Group operates from.  

Then tragedy stuck. In end December 2017, their son, Ian Austin, working in the Gulf had come down for Christmas holidays and passed away instantly in a car accident on Christmas-eve. Next to him in the photo is Ian’s mother who was hit by cancer for over 40 monts and passed away on May 2, 2020 after much suffering, repeat hospitalizations. Incidentally, her body was donated to a hospital-cum- medical college.  

In the photo, the young girl is Ina who has completed her MSW and now works for CODP –the charitable arm of Mangalore Diocese. Then, at right in the photo is Hemachary who, along with Ina, mourned the twin loss for a time. Then, there was a rebirth of hope and push for action like rebirth of Phoeinx.   

What Does Phoenix rising mean? To rise like a phoenix from the ashes means to emerge from a catastrophe stronger, smarter and more powerful.- like in business.  

In this case far from business and profits, charity and help is coming to the forefront. In this new avatar, sorrow is drowned in hope and service mainly through Ian Cares Foundation’s Serva Dharma Sangama Humanitarian Centre at Quila, Kinningoly set for inauguration on December 27, 2022.  

To go to the start of this article, if Satan can inspire action, men of goodwill will certainly offer goodwill for this enlightened initiative.