Those in their seventies recall how they disliked English missionaries for trashing Hinduism but got their own back singing “God shave the king” in morning assembly while the Indian teachers hid their grins and pretended not to hear this punishable act of treason. And yet, they loved the King James Bible for its poetry and placed postcards of Madonna and Child in the puja room with Tanjores of Rama’s Pattabhishekam (coronation) and Vata-patra-sayi (Baby Krishna on a leaf, afloat on the Sea of Samsara). That generation could separate Christ from col- onial ‘Christianity’. That’s why, we, their children, were raised to think of Christmas as a good day and sing carols with all our might and main, even as we learnt our first Carnatic scales in Raga Mayamalavagoula. A particular favourite was: “O little town of Bethlehem, how still we see thee lie! Above thy deep and dreamless sleep the silent stars go by. Yet in thy darkness shineth an everlasting Light; the hopes and fears of all these years are met in thee tonight. How silently, how silently, the wondrous gift is giv’n; so God imparts to human hearts the blessings of His heav’n. No ear may hear His coming, but in this world of sin, Where meek souls will receive him still, the dear Christ enters in. O holy Child of Bethlehem, descend to us, we pray; Cast out our sin, and enter in, be born in us today. We hear the Christmas angels the great glad tidings tell; O come to us, abide with us, our Lord Emmanuel.” The words were by Philips Brooks (born December 13, 1867), called “the greatest American preacher of the 19th century”, who went to the Boston Latin School, Harvard University (where a house was named after him). An Episcopalian priest, he supported the freeing of slaves and enfranchising them and eventually became the Episcopalian bishop of Massachussestts. His song was set to a tune called St Louis, composed by Lewis Henry Redner (born December 15, 1830), who was organist to four different churches in his lifetime. In 1865, Brooks rode nine km to Bethlehem from Jerusalem and assisted with the midnight service on Christmas Eve. He wrote: “I remember standing in the old church in Bethlehem, close to the spot where Jesus was born, when the whole church was ringing hour after hour with splendid hymns of praise to God, how again and again it seemed as if I could hear voices. telling each other of the Wonderful Night of the Saviour’s birth”. The Bible foretold in Micah 5. 2: “You O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are small among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel”. Jesus’ birth was considered the fulfillment of this prophecy. Many would agree that Brooks’ carol resonates with this magic.
