Faith, they all believe in

This story was done after a lot of roaming the streets of Shivajinagar and the Saint Mary’s Basilica church on the eve of Christmas in Bangalore in 2007. After I spoke to a lot of people selling them I was lucky to find a Hindu man decorating the crib of the church. After collecting the raw material I took the help of another co-worker Vaishalli Chandra to write since I had to file a load of pictures for the Christmas special which Bangalore Mirror was getting out.

Do you believe that commercialization takes out the fun from celebration? Think again. Look around and see how the air is filled with good cheer. There is a flighty, happy feeling floating every-where. Stalls selling decorations are copious, little trinkets to adorn the tree, mini Christmas trees, Santa caps, wreaths, candy sticks, lights, confetti….
One such stall in the busy Rusell market belongs to Jameel Jaans who has been selling decorations for over three decades. He started his business when Christmas was largely celebrated by the Christian community. While conflicts between the Arab and Christian worlds keep our leaders busy, Jameel has proposed selling Christmas toys to little George and his cousins, and Dasara toys to Govind and Krishna.
A thorough businessman, he also does a Santa once in a while by giving away decorations to Christian run-NGOs or selling his decorations at discounted rates for the needy. Jameel says, “The festival like any other is about sharing and caring, I just do my bit by helping bring a smile on a needy family’s face.”

And then there’s Mushtaq who has been selling decorations for the past twelve years. Clearly, it’s time for celebration whether it is Eid, Deepavali or Christmas. Every year, at St Mary’s Basilica a set of people decorate the crib. Most of them are non-Christians, Mohan who is part of this group is all set to visit Sabarimala this year. But he made it a point to be there in time to help decorate the crib. It just goes to show how festivals not just help families bond but also people from different communities.

People, today, need a reason to celebrate and it truly reflects in the spending pattern. Mushtaq says, ‘The sale of decorations has gone up by four to five per cent this year. There are people who buy bulk. With corporate coming into the city a lot of them have turned the festive spending around. Today, it is about being happy.’
And this festival breaks all barriers. It is indeed hard to escape the snow white bearded, red-nosed man who charms his way through the chimney.