Devotees from about half a dozen churches of Kestopur gathered for an Easter rally on Sunday, where prayers for world peace were on everyone’s lips.
“It rained this afternoon, so many could not join us. We met at Holy Family Church and took a shorter route to the toll station field,” said Moloy Bhattacharya, treasurer of the United Christian Forum Kestopur, that organised the rally and cultural programmes at the field afterwards. This field is opposite Salt Lake’s AK-AL Block area, across Kestopur Canal.
Devotees walked, singing and dancing to songs like Prabhu daake and Mrityunjoy prabhu uthechen abar, while other members played the khol, kartal and dukpi on the move, breaking into chants of “Jai Jishu” now and then.
The heads of the churches also propagated peace. “If one understands the message of Jesus, one can never go to war and inflict pain and suffering on others,” said Reverend Satnam Gayen of Emmanuel Church. “We need guidance more than ever now.”
Father Manoj Soreng of the Holy Family Church said war was not the answer. “Religion teaches us to love our neighbours. We may have differences, but we are all children of God,” he said.
Pastor Mahindar Mondal of Jibon Setu Church called for the faithful to be ready to extend help in these troubled times. “Every Sunday of the year, members of our church donate a fistful of rice, that we later offer to the needy. The war has brought on challenges, such as LPG shortage. While our members have not suffered much with this yet, we are ready to help in any way if it comes to that.”
LPG cuts celebration
“In other years, I make biryani or something similarly fancy for Easter,” said Rama Mondal, “but this year, with the LPG crisis, I’ve stuck to basics.” Rama was singing devotional songs in a chorus, where another singer, Premlata Biswas, said she had skipped baking a cake this time.
Sudipendra Mondal, of Emmanuel Church, explained how the LPG shortage had coincided with the 40-day Lent period leading up to Easter. “This is a season of sacrifice and austerity, mirroring the sacrifice of Jesus. During this time, many families refrain from fish or sweets and opt for simpler meals. So the gas shortage was not felt as acutely. This area was semi-urban for a long time, too, so elaborate customs like Easter eggs aren’t popular either,” he explained. “Had the gas crisis struck during Christmas, it would have hit us much harder, as festivities include cakes and multiple non-vegetarian dishes.”
Sudipendra’s family had received an induction cooker as a gift long ago. “It was left packed. It is only now that we took it out and are using it,” he said. “There are others like me who are switching to electric modes, and since I work at CESC (Calcutta Electric Supply Corporation Limited), frankly, I’m happy that electricity usage is increasing in our country.”
saltlake@abp.in
