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few passages from the Bible, or from some spiritual book. Again Abraham would
sometimes comment on the readings, and discussions may follow. Children usually went
to sleep soon after, while adults would bathe and have their supper and go to bed, usually
around 10. 30 p.m.

Abraham was an intellectual. While his faith remained strong, he questioned much in the
church that was mere ritual. Years before Vatican Council II introduced reforms in the
Church, Abraham advocated many of them. Piety was not his trademark.

He had read the life of Francis and was a great admirer of the simple saint of Assisi.
Thomas Makil had been a quiet Franciscan tertiary for many years. When Abraham
decided to become a member of the third order of St. Francis, he announced it to the
world and tried to recruit others into it. He was familiar with the biographies of lay
leaders like Thomas More, Garcia Moreno and Frederick Ozzanam . He started St.
Vincent de Paul Society ( founded by Ozzanam in Paris for the poor and homeless) in
Kaipuzha. He had several regulars at the weekly meetings, visited the poor and destitute
and erected homes for the homeless. He was invited by his many admirers and friends,
especially his former student-priests, to speak in churches and start the Society of St.
Vincent de Paul in various parishes. He enjoyed the task. He started the Kottayam chapter
of the society of which he was the first district president.

Queen Victoria and Winston Churchill , and later, Gandhi and Rajagopalachari were his
heroes. Though he admired Nehru - who would have been his age- it was the spirituality
of Gandhiji that attracted him. When in the 30's Gandhi came to Vaikom for a few days
of Sathyagraha - to allow the lower castes to enter the temple -, Abraham had gone to
meet him. He followed the actions and especially the words - speeches and writings - of
the Mahathma with great interest. Gandhi believed in nature cure, and that the body, if
treated well, will look after itself. Mahathma experimented with naturopathy. Abraham
was to imitate him in no small measure.

By the 50's Abraham decided to withdraw from Abkari contract. He found that the
competition was stiff, the tappers were unionized, government levied heavy excise taxes,
and the profit margin was much less. Perhaps underlying all these was the realization that
the acquisition of toddy shops was not an unmixed blessing. The shops catered to the
basest instincts of people, encouraged alcoholism, and broke many families. His own
children were becoming enured to the evils of drinking. In fact they were becoming
addicted to the stuff, and he feared alcoholism would ruin his own. Though he himself
boasted that he hardly ever drank toddy, he was aware that his sons were inebriated daily.
Abraham decided to give up toddy shops. His children would continue running outlets for
a few more years.

Abraham was not withdrawing from the world of business. He knew about the various
schemes that the governments promoted to encourage cottage industries. He went into
poultry and fish farming with enthusiasm. He would consult experts, visit model farms,
and imitate, at lower cost, the plans mooted by the experts. He succeeded for a time. But

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