Process vs Event

By now, all the celebrations of the Province Jubilee and the visit of the Rector Major would have concluded in the Province.  All, especially those in the Provincial house, coordinating the events would surely let out a big sigh of relief.  I also hope that all the planned events went on smoothly and will do some good too.

My fear is that these events remain as mere 'shows' and not as valuable moments of animation.  The 'celebration' takes over and not the preparation and the follow up later.  The visit of the Rector Major tends to be the big event, rather than one of the main events in a process.  I guess we are basically programmed that way.  We move from event to event, rather than through a series of well connected and meaningful processes. A simple analysis of the time, resources (especially financial), energy and personnel we spend in making events spectacular in contrast to initiating and sustaining meaningful processes, will prove this point.

Making every feast afresh

At the end of a hectic day and a very long but intense and meaningful preparation and celebration of our community day and the jubilee celebration of two of our confreres on November 25, Fr Maliekal (one of the Jubilarians) concluded the day stating thus:  We Salesians of Don Bosco have a way of making every feastday special and vibrant.  We build every feast anew. Not merely repeat the same old things but do things from the start all afresh and new.  Therefore there is no boredom or redundancy in our celebration, we start every preparation and celebration from the scratch.

I firmly agree with him.  This was also one of the reasons for the bigger crowd of audience this year. Most of them congratulated me and explicitly mentioned that they love the novelty and creativity that they get to see here in the programmes put up by the Seminarians.  It is primarily for that they come to the Seminary.  And this time they certainly were not disappointed... neither were any of us!

I certainly enjoyed this year, though it was tough managing and coordinating alone, but the Brothers did very well and each did their role to the best of their abilities. They too are very happy with the effort they put in and the consequent result that was there for all to see. 

Searching for faith

As I sat for meditation this morning, half sleeping, half meditating, I asked myself why do crowds come for a feast. Well, the answer is to partake in the feast, obviously. But there is hardly any piety or devotion anywhere or at anytime during the feast! I think most come because they want to keep up a tradition, some come convinced that they can get all that they want, if only they pay a visit to the pilgrim centre that day, others pour in for business, some combine the pilgrimage with an outing, and quite a few come because others are coming!

To sieve faith and devotion amidst all this confusion is really an act of faith. It may be true that it is faith that leads them here, but there is hardly anything that strengthens faith on the day... besides the thousands and thousands of people. (It may be the strengthening of the community dimension of faith but isn't it also a show of number?)

Nevertheless, I suppose God and Mother Mary have their way of seeing things!

Feast of Our... Sorrows!

The day before yesterday's night was a big drama! I had almost decided to go to bed as I knew Brothers would not sleep the night and stay on guard. But then when I saw that they were not really able to handle the crowd I stayed up. Then just before mid-night when the hooliganism of the drunk youngsters did not diminish a bit, I took things up in my hand and literally threw out three youngsters on to the main road. I was furious and some of the Brothers with me that night too were frightened. The next phase of the drama began at two in the morning when some more drunkards wanted to enter in. To add to their drunken pleas was a woman who wanted to get her children who were inside (we had closed the gates by 11 pm). Together they wanted the gates to be opened and they let in. And they created quite a bit of ruckus. Anyhow, we managed that too. Then at 4 am some more wanted to come in and have a bath and wash and what not. I did not permit for the place was already full and overflowing. I let them wait and only when those who were up early and finished their wash and bath began to leave, did I let them come in, that too in limited numbers. Whew! What a night!

It was supposed to be the feast of Our Lady of Sorrows, by the way!

The Parish Feast

The Parish feast is on. The Brothers are on patrol all over the place and quite a few of the people are giving them a hard time. Well, it is all part of the learning. What they do when we, the staff, are around, they are getting it hard and tight from others. But they are good guys, they'll do well. Going around the house, which is now filled with more than one thousand people, one gets to see all sorts of 'species'. Youngsters are the most strangest lot: some with their lips pierced, others with all sorts of hair dye, quite a few of them with their pants hanging on the last curve of their hip... A while ago I took a walk till the Shrine, just to see how things are. Along the many shops, stalls and tents, everyone has some place or the other. And of course, the highest number of people (men) are near the liquor shop. Most of the men folk have certainly had a packet or a bottle. Just a walk amidst them while suffice to feel the 'spirit'.

Kondadaba feast... preparations

The excitement and chaos (two words which can be very well summarised into the one word 'festivity') is slowly setting in. The feast of the Parish Shrine of Our Lady of Sorrows is tomorrow and today already the grand procession has been flagged off at Gnanapuram. By evening the whole place will be crowded and one will get to see every and all kinds of people. But it is also a great inspiration for growing in faith and trust. People with their simple but fervent faith put to shame us, religious and consecrated. Anyway, I just detest crowds and prefer to be in some peaceful quiet place... but this time, no escape!

Presentation of the Lord

Here's a nice poetic depiction of the feast of the day ... Presentation of the Lord in the temple:

Hail to the Lord who comes,
Comes to his temple gate,
Not with angel hosts,
Not in his kingly state;

But borne upon the throne
Of Mary's gentle breast;
Thus to his Father's house
He comes, a humble guest.

Sankranti and light

Today is Makar Sankranti, the harvest festival of the Hindus. I'm glad it is now, not so much for its religious significance but for the political peace that it has brought about. Not that it is going to last for long, but it is a welcome break from all the confusion and turmoil that has been created in the state for the last month and more! Hope this gracious feast helps the politicians see the light (the feast centres around the Sun god!) and resolve issues without adversely affecting the lives of the common man.

But I do miss the kites this time. The rain god seems to be angry ... it has been raining since yesterday morning!