By Isaac Gomes
Kolkata, Dec 19, 2019: Hatemongers would never succeed in taking away Indian citizens’ fundamental democratic rights, asserted West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee while launching the ninth edition of the Kolkata Christmas Festival.
Those who spread hate politics would have to go and only peace-loving people would endure, Banerjee told the December 16 program attended among others by Archbishop Thomas D’Souza of Calcutta, Member of Parliament Derek O’Brien and Anglo-Indian member of the West Bengal Legislative Assembly Michael Shane Calvert.
She lamented that the public holiday on Christmas has been “heartlessly” canceled by the federal government.
Everyone, especially those in Bengal, likes to celebrate Christmas, she asserted and added that the beauty of Bengal is that it respects all festivals without any divisive patronage by the government.
To reinforce her point she quoted from Nobel Laureate Rabindranath Tagore’s poem “Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high, where knowledge is free, where the world has not been broken up into fragments by narrow domestic walls.”
Christmas is for all, not just Christians, as Christ’s birth brings peace to mind, said the chief minister who attends church on December 25 with some of her ministers.
The Christmas festival is a brainchild of Banerjee who initiated it in 2011 on becoming chief minister of West Bengal. It is organized in keeping with the chief minister’s vision and mission to make Bengal an international tourism and business destination.
This year’s festival will continue until December 30.
Decorated Park Street, a major road in Kolkata, and adjoining New Market area has become a special meeting ground of people from all over the world.
Choir groups from different churches and eminent artists and bands such as Usha Uthup, Shayne Hyrapiet, and Crosswinds including Kolkata Police’s band, will perform during the festival.
It will also have a culinary carnival with home-made Goan, Anglo-Indian, Chinese and Bengali dishes. On display are Bengali country cakes (Pithay).
A major attraction is the large Christmas crib in Allen Park put up by the Catholic Association of Bengal.
The chief minister also inaugurated the crib along with Angelina Mantosh Jasnani, the first woman president of the 107-year-old association.
Archbishop D’Souza said the opening prayer of the crib. He prayed for God’s blessing on the crib makers and those visiting it during the festival.
The entire Park Street and the adjoining areas of Allen Park will be lit up till January 6.
Churches in nine other places in the state – Darjeeling, Kalimpong, Kurseong, Siliguri, Jalpaiguri, Chandannagar, Bandel, Krishnanagar and Baruipur – will also be decorated to mark the celebrations. Cultural programs will also be held at Chandannagar church and Biswa Bangla Haat in Siliguri.
Festival has introduced two sections this year — the Kolkata Christmas Green Quiz for students from various schools of the city, and a green awareness program conducted by some NGOs.
Some women Self-Help Groups from Howrah will set up stalls with potted plants inside Allen Park to spread the message of the green campaign.
Loreto nuns took the stage for the first time in the festival’s history and sang four Christmas carols.