Christmas and peace

This is not how today was supposed to be. We should have been in Pondicherry, a small charming town that once used to be a French colony , which retains quite a bit of the influence and especially the architecture. It also has a few beautiful beaches.

The protesters remembered it was Christmas today and decided to call the Bandh off. Which allowed us to get out of our house and celebrate the occasion. A tasty mix and match kinda lunch was followed but some lavish coffee and Belgian chocolate ice cream and a bit of shopping at the Bakery.

But the most beautiful part of the day was when we visited the St. Mary's Church. On the surface of it, I like how everyone is welcome in a Church, no matter what religion you follow or whichever strata of society you belong to. Traditional Hinduism often discriminates on the basis of caste which keeps the poorer ones, the "lower" castes away from temples. Mosques on the other hand are a strict no no for women. Churches do not discriminate.

We sat next to the Carol singers. These are the songs we have sung in school when we were young. And they remain associated with a part of childhood. Even when we performed them last year in office it was special. It came a month after the terrible bombings in Mumbai and everyone felt a need for a refuge, for unity. The singers sang with great fervour and we supported them with our music. Here too was much joy in the singing which made us sit there for a while. It makes more sense in context, when politicians are fanatic about dividing the state, threatening to "cut the tongues off" their opposition and causing "bloodbaths" in the state. And unlikely as it was, today was very enjoyable. The roads were safe.

I like Christmas carols. They bring back good memories.

Merry Christmas all!