The Bible is Life... and it's Wonderful !

  Almost all of us have had at least one copy of the GOOD NEWS BIBLE (GNB). This English Bible was first published in 1966, as a  New Testament-only version. Later in 1976, the Old Testament too was published. Further, this Bible went through two major developments in 1976. The British and Foreign Bible Society anglicized the earlier American edition with the use of metric measurements and the work of the Old Testament was completed and the full Bible was published as the Good News Bible (GNB). 

I got my first GNB when the Head Master of my school gave me a copy. The year was 1978. From the first day itself, there was something that connected me to this Bible edition. They were the line drawings in them.

Probably, this is the only Bible ever produced in the 2000-year Jeudo-Christian history, accurately conveying the Bible story and the salvation message through illustrations using line drawings. The accuracy of these line drawings is phenomenal.

I was curious to know who the creator of these drawings was. The preface to the 1978 edition has the information that “ these illustrations were specially prepared for this edition of the whole Bible by the Swiss artist Ms. Annie Vallotton”. It is noted that this information is absent in the GNB printed in the further years in India.

The mention of Ms. Annie Vallotton in the 1978 edition. 
In the further editions, we cannot read this information. 

Ms. Annie Vallotton was a committed, believing, and church-going Christian born in Switzerland. She was deeply involved with drawing Christian themes even at a young age.  As a lifelong Christian, she set out to do illustrations wherever she could to spread the Good News of Salvation. She was associated with Scripture Union and illustrated many of their small publications and giveaways. She was also active in illustrating many Christian books for African missionary organizations. 

Ms. Vallotton set out to create the story of Jesus with her pioneering line drawings as her first major work. Titled ‘Priority’, she drew 60 illustrations completely telling the story of Jesus. The publisher was not able to sell any of this book and had to dump the whole 3000 copies into a river in northern France. But God Almighty had a bigger plan and had a larger readership ready for Ms. Marie Vallotton. She was not disappointed but continued to journey, illustrating Christian themes. Soon, her work became noticeable across the Atlantic. American Evangelical Christians began to know about her gifted ability for line drawings. It was Eugene Nida, the linguist who associated with the American Bible Society who wanted to utilize Annie Vllotton’s gift of line drawing. He wanted her to work on illustrations in telling the Bible story in the most simple manner, in the upcoming GNB edition of the Holy Bible. It is said that on a chilling frosty day when Nida met Annie at Stuttgart Airport, it took only 10 minutes for this man of  God and a woman of God to decide upon the commencement of a big illustration project: to illustrate the whole of GOOD NEW BIBLE. What followed was the creation of more than 500 lively illustrations of the Bible characters and the story by her. She later, in a 2008 interview said, “I did some of the drawings 80-90 times before I achieved the one I wanted. I wanted to get to the truth… the most important thing.” 

Even the art critics agree that her work in the GNB was the most evocative, suggestive, funny, moving, and subtle delineations of the Bible text of any, created so far. She was often told by Christians that her drawings have been a means of grace and windows into the sacred text of God. Even the Conservative Christians commented that her pictures never distracted from the sacred text, and her pictures never tried to interpret the story. The cornerstone of her success was to remain childlike in her work and see and read child-like the Word of God.

Angels inform shepherds of the birth of Christ.
(courtesy Annie Vallotton/ The Good News Bible)

When the work of illustrating the Bible was done and when the GNB was published, Vallotton’s simple drawings had a profound interest in how stories could be illustrated accurately using simple lines.  Each of her drawings showed what the stories stood for, and all the emotions and liveliness of the dynamic Bible were embedded in them. 

The picture of Ms Vallotton on tour in the US, 1966.

Let’s take the book of Malachi… 4:2 tells us "MY SAVING POWER WILL RISE ON YOU LIKE THE SUN"….and look at how Annie has sketched it!  The joy of that person when God’s saving power strikes him.  The message is so vibrant in her simple strokes of pen on paper. 

"My saving power will rise on you like the sun"  
(courtesy Annie Vallotton/ The Good News Bible)

Let’s take Genesis 4:6… the illustration shows Cain and Abel. Cain was a farmer and Abel a shepherd. Look at the physical body build of the farmer … he has a significant masculine body ( like today's farmers), whereas a shepherd was lean. The farmer was half-dressed, whereas the shepherd wore a full gown.  And look at the facial expression. With little strokes of the pen, the artist could make Cain’s face bad enough for God to intervene…“ Why that scowl on your face?”  God asked.

“ Why that scowl on your face?”  God asked.
(courtesy Annie Vallotton/ The Good News Bible)

Ms. Vallotton's use of shadows is another big contribution to the line-drawing technique.  She was conservative in the use of shadows. But wherever she used, it, it served the purpose. Look at Isaiah 5:22 … Heroes of the wine bottles…..Though simple, it gave all the dynamism a figure wanted. Look at Philippians 3:14… I run straight towards the goal.

"Heroes of the wine bottles..." 
(courtesy Annie Vallotton/ The Good News Bible)

"I run straight towards the goal"
(courtesy Annie Vallotton/ The Good News Bible)

By 1969, GNB distributed  17.5 million Bible copies, and by 1970, 30 million.  Today, more than 225 million copies have been distributed since its release in 1966, and each of those Bibles carries the simple and beautiful illustrations made by Vllotton…. 225 million Bible copies ( and still growing), each carrying 500 and more illustrations on almost every page of its! HarperCollins claims that Ms. Vallotton is the ‘Bestselling Artist of all time!’ and according to the press release of Harper Collins, Ms. Vallotton’s illustration sales are more than 70 billion-!!

Ms Vallotton, who could not sell even 100 copies of her first major work in ‘Priority’ ( and which was thrown off into a river by the publisher)  was later used powerfully by God. Never in the history of the world has any art illustrator had this level of success in his/her career, in print media publications. 

What a wonderful God, Vllotton believed in! When Vallotton was asked in an interview about her ‘Bestselling Artist of all time’ achievement, she laughed aloud and said, “Too many people read the Bible with a severe face! I say no, the Bible is not that! The Bible is life, and it is wonderful!” 

Ms. Annie Marie Vallotton was called to rest by God on
December 28th, 2013, at the age of 98.

 

How do we look ahead and predict?

 

(Picture Courtesy: 'Macbeth' / Apple Original Films/A24) 

Every time, the most difficult element facing the pack leader is to make decisions today that will affect his organisation tomorrow. The ramifications of his decision will affect his family or his small and medium business organisation or his clients. 

It is well understood that Astrology and sorcery were/are practised by some leaders in different social strata, when they are/were totally helpless and pinned to the walls, unable to make a decision. 

Recently, I was reading ‘Macbeth’ and it struck me how history can go bloody and evil when people in position takes a wrong turn. Macbeth is a classical tragedy! And in ‘Macbeth’ there is a scene (Scene III) where the brave and loyal Banquo goes to consult the 3 witches to hear them prophesy about the future: “to look into the seed of time and say which grain will grow and which will not”. 

Looking into “the seed of time” is both a science and an art. What is the average life span of a BSE large-cap company? How many of them will breathe through another 10 years? How many Indian companies can find ways to “look into seeds of time”? Can leaders constantly look into the changing environment of customer needs? 

One of the most simple ways to keep looking into the seed of time and say which will grow is to be very attentive to our customers.  That’s King Rule in my business. When a customer comes to us, we listen to him/her … look straight into their eyes, see how their face talk to us … how they sound. Then we know them better. And, we know what big or small services we can render to them to keep them as our long-standing clients. ( Did they talk to us last time about a specific problem they faced when they had approached us? Did they talk last time about the Google Pay requirement? If so, should we implement Google Pay in our transactions?  Are they comfortable telling us a very private matter about why they are taking cash credit from us? Are they comfortable if we ask them about their family goings? Or, Can they call us anytime to take our advice if their bike has a troubleshooting requirement along a difficult terrain?). 

Being attentive to our customers is the most important element in any business. One doesn’t need an MBA from a business school to practice this! And … It can be as small as giving them a bright coloured rubber band to fasten the cash bundle, smiling at them and speaking a few words of genuine assurance, as they take currency from the counter. Or, as someone rolls out their bike from our workshop, wish them a happy journey and ask them to give us their feedback. Or, it can be as big as deputing a mechanic to a faraway place to fix a broken bottom-bracket on their rig.

Look into the seeds of time and tell which will grow and which will not … constantly listen to the clients. Without them, you aren't here!

A very own journey…

     “That is why it is so important to let certain things go. To release them. To cut loose. Don't expect to get anything back, don't expect recognition for your efforts, don't expect your genius to be discovered or your love to be understood. Complete the circle. Not out of pride, inability or arrogance, but simply because whatever it is no longer fits in your life. Close the door, change the record, clean the house, get rid of the dust. Stop being who you were and become who you are!”  Paulo Coelho

Becoming who I am is a lifelong mission.  The world looks at an individual through different eyes.  But do we have to look at the world through the lens of what makes us unique?  Becoming who I am will look like a lot of rubbish in the eyes of the world if I fail to make money and name… because that’s what defines an individual in today’s social circle.  One observation I have about people is their affiliation with clubs, groups, and even social movements, which tends to diminish their unique individuality the most.

There are times when we have to build our dreams all by our own hands, by our imagination and our strength.  It may involve relocation, reformatting, or a renewal of our beliefs and value systems.  We might have to do it simply because “it no longer fits” our present-day journey.  A deep voice within us, constantly echoing our passion and vision, will tell us of our vocation here on earth. I love listening to that voice all the time. 

The first time I read the poem “If” by Rudyard Kipling, it resonated within me an invitation to adopt a stoic attitude towards many of today’s social beliefs. “If” left in me a profound challenge. I got it written on a wooden board and hung it on a visible wall at home. I like that poem for its strong voice of aloofness and individuality. “Come what may… keep going, my son”, Kipling tells his boy. The main message is not to get caught in emotions and be carried away by the contemporary flow of the world.

Someone said, “It takes courage to answer a call”. True, it takes a lot of courage to embark on our own journey and pedal through it all the while. 

If we can live a life not to convince anyone and not to be in an ego trap, …. if we can fail to fall victim to a social belief or to a world that looks to overtake us, then we can pedal our wheels of freedom, to pedal, aiming for the golden sunset of our journey called life.

Still, it takes courage to be what we are.

Keep going ...

The Old Rugged Cross...

The year 2008. At the US Consulate in Chennai, I was standing in a long line at for VISA clearance. Behind me was a cassock robed elderly priest. From the cassock he wore,  I guessed he was from Catholic denomination. After making a few eye contacts, I accosted him in a conversation, “Father, are you for a VISA clearance to US?” … “ Yes, going on a parish mission.” “Me too”, I said. Then  I sprang up more courage to continue the conversation, and chipped in, “ Father, do you think we deserve all this?  That old rugged empty cross made our journey possible, isn’t it ?”  He smiled having no words to answer.

First Methodist Episcopal Church of Pokagon where
The Old Rugged Cross was first sung.
This church finds a place in
the National Register of Historic Places of USA

The year 1913… a small church in Pokagon was arranging a series of revival meetings. The Pastor was Rev. Leroy Bostwick, and he had called his friend Rev.Bennard to assist him in singing. Bennard was a gospel singer and an evangelist. A couple of weeks before assisting Rev. Leroy, he was singing a verse and chorus he had written,  in a small revival meeting at Michigan.  Bennard was ridiculed over that song by a group of youths who attended the prayer meeting.  But, traveling to Pokagon to assist Bostwick, Bennard did not quit on those verses he had scribbled. He studied more about the Cross and its significance.

At Pokagon, the revival meeting was in progress. And Bennard was working on the verse he had sung at Michigan. He sought the assistance of Rev. Leroy’s wife, Ruby, to be a sounding board for redoing his song. As the days progressed, at the church parsonage, he added more verses and composed the music… and he was readily strumming his guitar for a rehearsal. As Bennard ended his first rehearsal, it is said that Ruby was weeping aloud on her knees, in the presence of her husband Rev.Leroy.  Later that day, on 12^th January 1913 (the last day of the revival meeting), a gospel song was born which would influence every Christian who would ever listen to it. That song went on for 100 years and more to be performed by some of the twentieth century's most important recording artists in the West.

 

Each time I hear the ‘The Old Rugged Cross’, it shatters ALL my sense (myth) of self-righteousness. Where am I? What am I?  How am I? … these questions which reverberate in me will all end, I know, only when “my trophies, at last, I lay down …  (and when) I will cling to the old rugged Cross … And exchange it someday for a crown .”

"The Old Rugged Cross" to me is the one the great eloquence of Christian faith at all ages.

~Fine~