OPTIMIST LIGHT OF CHRISTMAS

As a boy growing up in an urban industrial town in a middle class family in mid-70s to mid-80s with most of our neighbours friends acquaintances and relatives hailing from more or less same economic group, I found celebration of birthdays as a very simple matter. Generally a small offering might be given in a local temple coupled with preparation of few special delicacies including the mandatory 'Payesh". At the most, an invitation to very close family friends and relatives, if they live in close proximity.

However with passage of time friends from school and locality started to get invited, packed gifts of books and toys started to get delivered, Birthday Cake with candles made grand entry with colorful balloons decorating the room.

Yes, in post-liberalised India with middle class-turned nouveau riche showered with ample money to splurge liberally; birthday celebration of children of their household have become a matter to remain awestruck about! Renting of spaces be it in local community hall to restaurants to even hotels have become the norm.

However in directly opposite pole of this very same country, there also exist innumerable poor innocent little folks who are ignorant of meaning and essence of even their birthday.!

This is exactly the reason why a poor boy of Class IV of Dubrakone primary school in Onda, Bankura district, Bengal stood up innocently and asked the teacher about the meaning of birthday when the latter was referring to the birth of Jesus while discussing upcoming festival of Christmas!

The teacher got stunned by the question and got more stunned by learning that nobody in the class was aware of the significance of birthday!

 Far from remaining cold to the ignorance of the poor kids about their birthdays(all children of poorest of poor marginalised farm or industry labourers, rickshaw pullers or domestic maids), the teachers and headmaster have collaborated to celebrate the birthday of each and every children on monthly basis according to the "date of birth" as entered in school register. 

The teachers not only bear all cost in celebrating it complete with previously unseen Birthday cakes, even the impoverished parents of the respective children are also invited to join so that they also do not get left in this rare occasion of joy!

The whole matter started with the issue of birthday of Jesus Christ. Now with such an unique all-embracing celebration with beneficiaries being the marginalised deprived children, it is sure that none other than Jesus Christ is now blessing the school authorities from high above for making the day of the innocent children! Also we have got again enlightened of the Christmas lesson that festivals can earn it's real meaning and significance only when all members of the society irrespective of class are included in it.

Indeed amidst the deluge of communal talks, threats, assault on freedom of speech, political mudslinging and rampant character assassination; this news coming out from rural Bankura surely emits fresh ray of hope and breeze of optimism that perhaps all things sanity have yet to  bid final goodbye from this society!