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`Merry Christmas'
K.J. Jesudas
For playback singer K.J. Jesudas, Christmas is the time to remember the teachings of Christ who chose to spent all his life to help the poor and the needy. "He was the one who taught us to love thy neighbour. He did not specify that your neighbour had to be a Christian. I feel that is imperative for all of us to take this message to heart.
"Our belief and our religion should be a source of strength for us. Let us not use them as weapons."
As requested by his guru Chembai, Jesudas gives a concert at the Indian Fine Arts Society in Chennai on December 25 every year. "Music is my life. It has taught me to respect all religions. Whatever I have learnt or achieved today is because of music. For the last two decades, December 25 finds me in Chennai for this concert."
Saddened by the commercialism that seems to dominate Christmas celebrations in some places, he says, "As a boy, we had to struggle to make ends meet. Even buying a new shirt or shorts was a big thing in those days. So, my memories of Christmas are not about buying gifts or clothes. It is the time to remember the teachings of Christ."
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Babu Jacob
"The message of Christmas is that greatness lies in humility. Jesus lived in poverty and among the poor and the needy. He was the greatest of all, yet he was humble," points out the Chief Secretary, Babu Jacob.
"We attend midnight mass and then have a heavy breakfast in the morning. It is usually Appam and chicken curry. Lunch is a traditional Christmas lunch and the accent is on non-vegetarian food. All three of my children are studying abroad. I spend Christmas at home with my wife."
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George Onakoor
"I associate Christmas with music and peace. According to the Bible, when Christ was born, the angels welcomed Him with music and they prayed for peace for all men on earth," says critic and litterateur George Onakoor.
"This peace was not meant for one group of people or caste. It included humanity.
"I believe that all festivals unite people and Christmas is beyond race, religion or region. It is a festival of lights like all other festivals.
"As a child in Muvattapuzha, all of us friends used to get together for all festivals. In December, we spent most of our free time making lanterns and going out for carols. We used to have candle light processions. All the participants would be dressed in white."
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Jancy James
The Vice-Chancellor of Mahatma Gandhi University, Jancy James, believes that Christmas is a combination of piety, innocence and recall of infancy. "It is a period of waiting. After the advent comes Christmas. At a personal level, it relives the arrival of a baby. Although the celebrations have become very commercialised, this is a period of rejoicing. There is a wave of joy." "A Christmas that I spent in the United Kingdom with my son and younger daughter was a novel experience. A white Christmas complete with carols, gifts under the Christmas tree and so on. We celebrated Christmas with an English family." For her, Christmas is also a time for new beginnings. "As a child, I used to stand near the crib that was arranged in our church and make my resolutions for the New Year." She makes it a point to take her children to spend time with their grandparents as she feels that this is a time for family reunions.
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Mamootty
"A merry Christmas to all. The Christmas that we see now is quite different from what it was many years back. As a child, I remember my friends giving us cakes and sweets for Christmas. Once, we all got together to collect donations for our soldiers. We sang Christmas carols. Many of the clichéd images of Christmas did not exist then. It was more personal," says Mammootty, actor.
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