Christmas is about “bringing the distant near” and making a “brother of the stranger”, like what Rabindranath Tagore had said, the archbishop of Kolkata, Reverend Thomas D’Souza, told the annual Christmas get-together at his residence on Wednesday.
“Christmas has brought the distant near. It has brought us closer to one another and made a brother of the stranger,” the head of the Catholic church in the city said.
In the audience at the Archbishop’s House on Park Street were people from many faiths and across ages, who gathered in the true spirit of Christmas.
“This is indeed the spirit of Christmas,” the archbishop said. “To share love, joy and lights. When these are shared, they are doubled and may multiply.”
The archbishop referred to Tagore’s poem from Gitanajali to underscore the importance of brotherhood at a time the world, he said, is witnessing hatred, division and domination.
Quoting from poem 63 of Gitanjali, the archbishop said in his address: “Thou hast made me known to friends whom I knew not. Thou hast given me seats in homes not my own. Thou hast brought the distant near and made a brother of the stranger.
“I am uneasy at heart when I have to leave my accustomed shelter; I forget that there abides the old in the new and that there also thou abidest…..”
The archbishop said this “beautiful poem” brings all together and this is the special gift of Christmas.
Elaborating on the theme of togetherness and harmony, he told the gathering: “The joy of Christmas is not just limited to the Christian community. This love is to be shared with all. So the message is to be shared with you all so that we feel we are no longer strangers or aliens, but all are brother and sisters.”
Tagore, whose writings transcend all barriers based on religion, caste and creed, kept coming back through the evening.
The cultural event that followed was interspersed with carols and Tagore songs.
School students sang “Ekdin jara merechilo taare giye/Rajar dohai diye/E juge tarai janmo niyechhe aaji/Mandire tara esechhe bhakto saaji (Once those who assassinated Him/In the name of the king/Have come again in the present era/In disguise of devotees)” and “Aaji shuho dine, pitaro bhabane amritosadane chalo jaai (Let us move this worthy day, to the Father, the heavenly abode)”.
When Metro asked the archbishop why he quoted Tagore, he said: “Tagore speaks about transcending all barriers and universal brotherhood. This is so applicable to Christmas, which unites everyone.”
“There is a darkness created by selfishness and hatred, domination and division, which is around us and within us. Therein comes the importance of Christmas, which is about reaching out to each other. Christmas is inclusive,” the archbishop said.
During the evening, Satnam Singh Ahluwalia, general secretary of the United Interfaith Foundation and member of the state minorities commission, honoured the archbishop with a handwoven tapestry depicting the Last Supper.
“In this season of joy, let us celebrate the diversity that enriches our tapestry of humanity, weaving threads of understanding and respect to create a world where love transcends all differences,” said Ahluwalia.
Imran Zaki, a member of the foundation, spoke of the spirit of Kolkata. “Kolkata has always set an example of people coming together from diverse fields... people of different faiths with the same joy. We need to look for this unity.”
Father Dominic Gomes, vicar-general of the archdiocese of Kolkata who was moderating the event, thanked chief minister Mamata Banerjee for the carnivalesque Christmas celebrations on Park Street and inspiring the annual get-together at the archbishop’s house.
The archbishop said: “Christmas is celebrated by people of all faiths in different ways. The celebration, especially in Park Street, bears witness to the fact.”