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`Nadia kirtan' marks the day

Sib Kumar Das

Decades ago William Victor initiated youths to take up singing of devoitional songs

Photo: Lingaraj Panda

HOLY RITUAL: Children lighting candles near the statue of Mother Mary at Queen of the Missions Church in Berhampur.

BERHAMPUR: The rhythmic beats of mridang, cymbals and manjira accompanying the bhajans in praise of Jesus Christ sung to the tunes of `Nadia kirtan' by the youth choir of the 169-year-old St. Stephens Church of the city enchanted the atmosphere during the Christmas mass on Monday morning.

On Sunday night this 30-member youth choir had marched around areas of the city as if doing a `Nagar Kirtan'. Stephenson Das, the president of the youth fellowship of the church, said several decades back late William Victor Das had initiated the youths to take up singing of devotional songs in the name of Jesus using the `kirtan' as the medium. They had preferred to use no musical instruments other than the traditional ones used in a `Kirtan' and the songs were written to the `kirtan tunes'. According to Rajat Ranjan Das, the son of William, who is also a member of the `Kirtan choir', feels their singing can appropriately be called `Khrista Kirtan'. They would again do a `Nagar Kirtan' with their mridang, cymbals and manjira in hand on December 31 night.

Janakikanta Patnaik, a resident of the city, said this `kirtan' is a perfect example of cultural fusion and proves devotional music is beyond boundaries of all religions. Similar synthesis of culture could be seen when members of the more than 150-year-old Queen of the Mission Church of the city went to the homes of sick and aged followers, who had not been able to come to the Christmas mass, with an idol of baby Jesus in hand. This was as if `Janmastami' was being recelebrated.

At all churches of the city special midnight prayers, Christmas masses in Oriya as well as in English were organised as part of the Xmas celebrations. At the Oriya Baptist church of the city, which was established in 1838, the celebrations started almost a week ahead of the Christmas and would continue till New Year.

Prayer hall burnt

The church organised a special programme for former choir singers above 40 named `singers of yester-years', informed the secretary of the church, Jyotsnarani Patro.

Koraput: Christmas was celebrated in Biriguda village under Borigumma block of Koraput district amidst tight security. Tension prevailed in the village as an old prayer hall was torched by miscreants in the early hours of Sunday. Villagers maintained peace and harmony showing mutual cooperation and understanding. They lodged a complaint with the Borigumma police against the person involved in the incident. All the residents condemned the burning of the prayer hall.

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