May 20, 2015
San Antonio, Texas
Vivian Paul worked withICA in Maliwada, the Delhi House and in Chicago, among his various assignments.
~~ Dharma
I will miss Vivian very much. He was a soldier, through and through. He told stories of fighting the Chinese in the Himalayas. One of his disciplines was to take a cold bath every day at the Delhi House, no matter how cold it was. This came from that battle experience. He represented the best of our colleagues who came from the early days of the Movement in India. Journey on dear friend, journey on.
~~ Jack Gilles
I didn’t know Vivian as well as Marie. She was one of the four or five women assigned to each accompany me for one week of a six week Global Women’s Forum in the villages in Maharashtra. She worked with me in one of the city forums. For all of the women I think it was the first time they had travelled outside their village or home without their husband or a male relative. It was unusual to do so at the time. I remember Vivian was somewhat naturally concerned for Marie but we had a great week together and no unpleasantness happened. Please let Marie know we hold her in our thoughts and prayers as she celebrates Vivian’s completed life.
~~ Pat Tuecke
We have very fond and abiding memories of Vivian. We remember him as an imaginative pedagogue, dependable colleague, a refuter of nonsense and jovial story teller. He was inspired by the larger vision, but willingly paid attention to the often overlooked practicalities. He was tolerant of struggling colleagues, but was nobody’s fool and at times could be enraged at perceived injustices. Despite the rhetoric of the time, he was a dear and loyal friend and we are privileged to have known him.
As we recall, it was John and Robyn Hutchinson, Priors of the Hyderabad House (we called them Urban Ashrams at the time) who particularly encouraged Vivian and two other notable teachers at a prestigious Catholic school and their families to take the bold step of participating in the programs of EI/ICA. And it was the ITI in Bombay in 1973 (Bob Fishel was the Dean) which so excited Vivian to become more fully involved in the Movement/Order.
Yes, his military training may have deeply shaped him outwardly – but his inner shelf was marked by forbearance and gentleness.
We were delighted to meet Vivian again in 1995 at the ICA in Chicago when he took us to his favourite Indian restaurant and reminded us that he had lost none of his wit and sharpness of mind. Vivian was a great presence in the early Human Development Training Institutes in Maliwada. (Video of his speech when the President of India visited is no longer available.). Farewell Vivian!
~~ Jonathan and Janeen Barker
I recall Vivian and Marie attending the Jabalpur ITI- thank you for the reminder,Marilyn. It was a strong memory for me at that ITI, that at 5am each day we were given a bucket of scalding water- so hot I could not use it, till it cooled! … for our ‘ ablutions. ‘ It was a special ITI, high up in the Hills area, with so many Nilgiri trees – otherwise known as Australian Eucalypt trees. The Indian community made Eucalypt oil from the gums leaves, as an industry.
I can’ t recall the Pauls being present at the original Singapore ITI, but I do know that both the Crockers the Knutsens and the McCleskys- plus others, of course- and 22 Aussies were all there at Singapore! In peace,
~~. Isobel Bishop
Joe and I remember Vivian with fondness and respect. If our collective memories are on target, he and his beautiful wife, Marie, were participants in the Jabalpur ITI – or maybe even the Singapore ITI. And later in Nava Gram Prayas days. We feel as if we knew them as Movement and Order Colleagues forever. They were such a handsome couple, handsome and beautiful, as were all their children. Later on we were neighbors of Vivian and the children on the 7th floor at the ICA in Chicago, and our sons became good friends with Sherlyn and Shiran and I believe are still in touch occasionally.
I like your image of “soldier,” Jack, although images of warfare are now unpopular and probably need to be repositioned. But Vivian “soldiered on,” no matter what difficulties befell his family. He fulfilled missional assignments in Chicago that were far different from his positions of significant leadership in India (I believe in education administration), and yet he did so obediently and faithfully, but not without palpable pain and some sense of loss (at least to our eyes.)
We are happy Vivian was able to be back with Marie and their children (now adults) over the past months, especially since his diagnosis. We mourn his loss to the universe, but celebrate the strength, courage and faithfulness his life represented on many continents. Grace and peace,
~~ Marilyn and Joe Crocker
I remember Vivian as a gentle man who opened his family’s home and hospitality to the Lingo family four decades ago. I was pregnant with son, Adam who was born in Mumbai on March 24, 1971. The sub-continent was well represented by Vivian’s presence in our midst as we participated across cultures in corporately moving forward the task of community development and spiritual renewal into the future.
We are a larger caring and diverse community and movemental body because of such friends who enable us to bring new constellations of inner meaning to furthering the cause of uplifting humankind to a shared trajectory that illuminates the participation of the deeply concerned ones on behalf of the common good. Grace, Peace & Namaste,
~~ Dawn Collins