Merry Christmas

An account of my encounter with a drunk man outside the church on Christmas eve

Yesterday was Christmas. A day of celebration across the world. I was Home Alone! My missus has been in her native from last few days and she won't be back for next ten days either. Sigh! I had some errands to run in the morning. As the night approached, I got an idea to go to the nearest church and see what goes on. I took my camera in shoulder, hopped on my bike and reached St.Joseph' Church, Chamarajapete. I didn't know what to expect. I was thinking that there will be no one as everyone would be celebrating it in home with wine, cake and turkey. But when I reached there, I saw a good number of people outside. I started taking pictures of church from outside the gate. I was not sure if I could go in with a camera. Besides, I was wearing a trouser and not dressed to the occasion.

A guy in faded dress who was passing by saw me and waved at me. He was clearly drunk. He asked me if I know Tamil. I said no. He asked me if I know Hindi. I said I do. He started speaking in bits and pieces of Hindi. I enquired whether he knows Kannada and bingo! He was so relieved. It happens to me all the time. Whenever rickshaw drivers or people in general approach me on the road to ask something, they tend to use Hindi or English even though they are Kannadigas. I make it a point to start a conversation in Kannada with any stranger. Unless they don't know how to speak, I switch. But the trend is opposite in Bangalore. How can you speak Kannada in the IT city! It is considered below the strata. Most of the mothers here speak to their child and dogs only in English. My body burns whenever I see that. Anyway, this is a topic for some other day I guess.

This guy I met, Mani asked me to come inside and take his pictures. When I asked him is it okay to come in trousers and take pictures, he said anyone and everyone is allowed inside the church. I saw a Muslim man selling groundnuts outside, a man in orange dhoti, towel (Bhajarangadala uniform if I can call it so) enter the church and felt happy. Mani made me buy a candle. There were people outside chatting and inside I saw a lot of people capturing pictures with tablets, phones. People were lighting the candles and praying. It was a nice happy environment.

Mani would request me to take his pictures in various poses of him praying. I had to oblige. He photobombed lot of my pictures. He was happy to see the pictures on the camera screen. Just before leaving, he said that he does iron works and he is made to work like a donkey. Drinking a is habit with which he is ruining his life. He can't stop it no matter how he hard he tries as it is his friends who drag him to the bar. They even offer to pay. I asked him to take care. He said that he doesn't have anyone to share anything, but this is the best Christmas he had and he is very happy. I felt good even though I knew that it was the drinks inside him that was talking.