Title: Indian Christmas
Editors: Jerry Pinto and Madhulika Liddle
Publisher: Speaking Tiger
Pages: 234
My GoodReads Rating: ⭐⭐⭐1/2
This book consisted of a series of essays
on the subject of Christmas as it is celebrated in India. I would have loved to contribute to this collection. If there is another edition, I hope the editors reach out to me.
Unto All of Us a Child Is Born by Jerry
Pinto: I could totally
relate to this essay. Jerry spoke about the lack of snow in Bombay at Christmas
and how we aspired to have snow because that is what we saw in Christmas cards
and films. Older people talked about Jim Reeves; he was the cornerstone of secular
Christmas music. Jerry also spoke about the crass commercialism that Christmas
has been reduced to, and reminded us that Christ and his family were migrants,
relating the fact to His teaching, Whatsoever you do to the least of my
brothers, that you do unto Me.
Jerry highlighted the fact of Jesus’
Birth, and related it to the title, Unto All of Us a Child Is Born. That single
word, All, makes us all party to the great miracle, and invites the least of us
to partake in the message of joy, hope, peace and love.
This was by far my favourite among the
essays. Jerry’s essay reminds us of the reason for the season, which often gets
lost amid the commercialisation of Christmas. This was also the only essay that
referenced what it means to be an Indian Christian.
Christmas in Many Flavors by Madhulika
Liddle describes the
diverse ways in which Christmas is celebrated in India, in terms of foods,
sweets, snacks, songs and décor, as also the diversity of religious (as per the
different denominations of Christianity) and secular celebrations. As she says,
“We adopted the faith, but reserved for ourselves the right to decide how we’d
celebrate its festivals.”
The Child by Rabindranath Tagore: This lyrical poem contains the last two
sections of one of Tagore’s finest long poems, inspired by the life of Jesus
Christ. The poem roots the Nativity amid the rhythms and struggles of Indian
rural life.
In the Spirit by Salman Rushdie: As an atheist Muslim, neither Rushdie
nor his family celebrated Christmas. But Christmas entered his life several
times in other ways.
At Midnight the Shepherds Saw the Light
(Author Unknown) was a
poem translated from Hindi. We read the original Hindi and the English
translation and, in both languages, the words ‘Aadhi raat’ and midnight,
repeated several times, are soothing and affirming.
Cake ki Roti at Dua ka Ghar by Madhulika
Liddle: Here the author
tells the true story of her own surname and how it came to be. Dua ka ghar
(house of prayer) was the name of the author’s family home, built by her
grandfather. This recollection was warm and fuzzy. The author shares her
childhood memories and reiterates a point I believe: that Christmas and
Christianity are not Western constructs. They belong to Indian Christians as
much as to any believer.
The Sunset Club by Khushwant Singh: This excerpt takes us into the lives of
the Hindu Mr Sharma, the Sikh Boota and the Muslim Baigs. Later in the excerpt,
Begum Baig points out that Christians make merry but don’t go to church to give
thanks to their Maker. I enjoy reading Khushwant Singh, but the Christmas
reference here was incidental.
A Merry Vindalee to You by Anupama Raju: The author gives us the story of
Vindalee, the Keralite version of the Goan-Portuguese Vindaloo, and her
mother’s recipe. A Christmas Wedding in Kottayam by Elizabeth Kuruvilla:
The narrator and her husband, on a road trip on their Enfield from Delhi to
Kerala, are now in Kottayam, her hometown, to attend their reception. Both
these stories were fuelled by nostalgia, but they were more about food than
about Christmas.
I’m Dreaming of a Goan Christmas by
Vivek Menezes makes a
reference not only to the sweets, but also to what Christmas means to Catholics
and those of other faiths in Goa. I liked this essay.
Nothing Compares to the Joys of a
Village by Mary Sushma Kindo (Translated from Hindi by Renuka Chatterjee) was a lovely eye-opener to how
Christmas is celebrated in small villages in the Hindi heartland. They don’t
have enough but manage to mark the day with joy.
My Memories of Christmas by Hansda
Sowvendra Shekhar also
talks about Christmas in her childhood, when she was fascinated by the
festival, but from a non-Christian perspective. The Namesake by Jhumpa
Lahiri: The excerpt shows a Bengali family in the US beginning a Christmas
tradition.
In Search of an East Indian Christmas in
Mumbai by Debbie Rosario
describes the tradition of Christmas celebrations that she witnessed when she
was young.
Did Your First Christmas Cake Come out
of an Ammunition Box Too? By Easterine Kire was interesting. Santa Comes in a Rickshaw—Christmas in
Bow Barracks by Nazes Afroz was too short and ended abruptly. I would have
liked to read more. Christmas in the Moon Place by Veio Pou was a lovely
depiction of life in a small Christian village in Manipur around Christmas.
Yuletides of Yore by Minoo Avari was a recounting of several Christmas
memories, one of which was the 28th birthday celebration of her
mother, which coincided with Christmas.
In A Village Christmas by Damodar
Mauzo (Translated from Konkani by Jerry Pinto), the author talks about the
Hindu festival, Ganesh Chaturthi, and Christmas being his favourite festivals,
and links these favourites to the strong secular fabric of his village.
How India’s Pluralistic Past Shows the
Way Forward by Manimugdha S Sharma: Here the writer talks about festivals in
general, and Christmas in particular, and mourns the fact that India’s
pluralism is on the decline.
Armenia Christmas Food in Calcutta by
Mohona Kanjilal is a
detailed description of the title.
In Christmas Memories of a Family by
Nivedita Mishra, the writer, born and raised in a multi-cultural
multi-religious family, tells us that she is not very religious, but that she
does have a strong faith in God and that her faith is rewarded one Christmas.
This was another one of my favourite essays in this collection.
Last Christmas in Bandra by Aravind
Adiga was a random
unrelated recollection of a judge. Christmas was only incidental here.
Christmas Carols Punjabi Style
(Translated from Punjabi by Nirupama Dutt: There is no mention of the writer’s name.
Made in India and All of That by Nilima
Das is a charming
account of the childhood of a woman of mixed parentage who received the best of
both worlds.
A Christmas Prayer—Words and Music by
Alfred J D’Souza; Arranged for choir by Leon D’Souza
Most of the essays were about the
secular nature of Christmas and the celebrations, rather than any affirmations
of faith. This collection can be read by anyone who misses the secular appeal
of Christmas.
I loved the beautiful cover of the Holy Family in Indian garb.
(I read this book on NetGalley. Thank you to the author, the publisher and NetGalley.)
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