Christmas Mass at St. Paul's

Today I had a religious encounter of a different kind.
I visited the St. Paul's Cathedral with four of my friends and it was a truly novel experience.
Had to get up at 7:30 in the morning to get ready as a big crowd was expected at the premier Roman Catholic Church of Kolkata on Christmas morning and we didn't want to be late for the mass. Arriving on time and full of enthusiasm that winter mornings unfailingly inject into unemployed minds in this city we were pleasantly surprised to get a seat in the last row made up of make-shift plastic chairs when inside the Cathedral. Already the gathering was sizable and by the look of the continuous stream of people that trickled in I knew it wouldn't be long before the Cathedral would be full.

As the choir gathered momentum and the carols got fervent there pervaded a sense of measured solemnity that was too palpable to be missed by anyone present. Though none of us were Christians by faith (inherited i.e) we too were part of the ongoing ritual and it was a
thoroughly enriching feeling. After the gathering was addressed by the Bishop people were asked to queue up to pray at the altar. When our turn came, we prayed. On bent knees and with folded palms there wasn't any distinction that we felt while praying alongside people who wore crosses around their necks. After all prayer to the Supreme Being isn't constricted by barriers of faith, colour or creed. And Christmas was just a celebration of that universal truth. The Bishop then blessed us and we headed for the lofted gallery of varnished wooden chairs. There was a
sense of grandeur in them. A feeling of dignified antiquity. The final address by the Bishop and a few carols later we got up to leave.
Wherever we looked there was only the sight of jolly people wishing each other a "Merry Christmas'. There was that unmistakable mirth in their features which we, Bengali Hindus have during savoring our Nabami bhog or when my Muslim friends greet us during Eid. I presume this mirth is exuded from the inner goodness innate to human beings. And there's no religion for a smile to elicit a smile. It's that simple.

Merry Christmas, everybody!!




photo: flickr.com