The Naga #MeToo Moment – A Review of Love. Lust. And Loyalty

 

Author: Yuimi Vashum

Publisher: Penthrill Publication House

Year of publication: 2018

Pages/ Price: 105/ 299/-

It is quite unusual to start a book review on an apologetic note, but I want to put on record that this is a long pending one. But I write this not so much to please the author and publisher, but to bring to fore the subject child sexual abuse, or sexual exploitation in general, which the book so powerfully articulates, and it has too long been silenced in the Naga society, as also in many societies across the world. It was only at a recent launch of the book, The Marys of the Bible: The Original #MeToo Movement by Boaz Johnson cum a panel discussion on sexual exploitation, in Delhi that I got prompted to the immediacy of talking about the subject. The Marys of the Bible argues that the Bible started the #MeToo movement because it does not hide the sexual abuses in the historical/biblical times, and that in fact, Jesus came to redeem the broken people and the world we live in.

The book's title Love. Lust. And Loyalty sums up pretty much what most poets write about. Those three words are what most people juggle with in relationships. But what more appealing to me of this book of poetry is the section on “Forgiveness” that didn't find its way to the title. Divided into two parts, the first section on “Forgiveness” deals with the struggles of the poet in coming to terms with the memory of the menacing past of being sexually abused. The second section on “Love. Lust. And Loyalty” shades light on the poet's encounters of love, heartbreaks and all that most lovers sing of! However, what captivates me is not just that it upsets the usual style of poetry by having the title at the end but also the brutally honest experiences of what poet as a young girl goes through.

Telling one's life story is not an easy task, especially when that part of life is a traumatic one. Yet, narrating them can be a therapeutic experience, as psychologists/psychiatrists would say. In a “bare it all” way, Yuimi confronted the demons that haunted her since the time she was “seven years old”. “It all started with Robinhood / A tiny illustrated book he brought with him that summer” she recounted in the poem “waves of abuse”. As excited as a seven years old would be to be read bedtime stories, she fell into the bait, easily becoming his victim - “He fucked me over and over again / Until he finished the book”. She tells of how for years she would still “have my haunted dark days” and even driven to the brink of life wishing to “jump of a tall building” or “throw myself at a running train” (“childhood to adulthood”). Her pain was even made worse when the society wouldn't come to defend the defenseless - “And parents, aunties, uncles, sirs, madam, / All of them lecturing Your virginity is your virtue / Do they know? Do they think about girls like me?” (“the problem with virtues”).

But the true strength of the poet lies in the fact that she was able to “brave the demons” - “I gave my nightmares a closure fifteen years later; / For my freedom, / From the fear, the beast(s) and society” (“waves of abuse”). The sarcasm on the society's indifference is subtle here. And yet, greater still is the poet's ability to forgive the perpetrators/demons - “Because, Forgiveness, / It liberates you” (“let go and let God”). I think this is the highest virtue one can hope for from victims of abuse of any kind. This is true Christ-likeness. And the largely Christian communities like the Nagas need to take this as a way forward to find healing from the wounds of the past.

Love. Lust. And Loyalty is a daring book of poetry that is utterly honest on the part of the young poet to pour out the trauma of sexual abuse she experienced as a child. It is universally accepted that many children suffer sexual abuse but remained silent because of fear or are usually silenced by elders in the family and the society. Recognizing the need to deal with this issue, the United Nations declared 19th November as the World Day for the Prevention of Child Abuse, and 20th November as the International Day for the Rights of the Child. Yet, despite these recognitions many cases go unreported or many children still suffer abuse because they are not aware of their rights, or are silenced, and many people live in denial.

By telling her own story, Yuimi Vashum does not simply fascinates in poetic experiences, but she does set an agenda that the wave of abuses would be confronted:

Today, as I sit here and write this,

Recalling feelings I never wanted to;

I weep for the little children (like me) who suffered,

Alone.

I hope they get to read this,

and in their lowest moments,

I hope they remember-

We moved past the abuse;

We can move past anything.

(“childhood to adulthood”).

I hope Love. Lust. And Loyalty would not just be another book of poetry that is shelved in your collection and forgotten after a while, but that it would spark off the #MeToo movement in the Naga society or the society you find yourself fitted to. Silence make the victims suffer over and over again, and the demons grow bigger and fiercer. Let's stand for those who have been wronged, especially the little ones!

Published on 18 June, 2019, Morung Express

https://morungexpress.com/the-naga-metoo-moment-a-review-of-love-lust-and-loyalty/

An Allegory of Love and Hope: A Review of Son of the Thundercloud

Author: Easterine Kire
Publisher: Speaking Tiger Books
Month/Year of publication: December, 2016
Pages: 149
Price: 350/-

The latest novella from Easterine Kire titled Son of the Thundercloud is a fascinating read right from the start. I read it just before Christmas, and I could immediately see it as an allegory of the biblical story. Coming up fresh from winning the Hindu Prize 2015 for When the River Sleeps there is certain anticipation from the readers. And Easterine didn't fail to awe them! There is an interesting thematic connection between the two fictions as they both are closely sourced from the time tested legends that continue to wield its influence in the present imagination of the Naga world.

The plot of the novel is a straight forward narrative of a man, Pele, who left his village after severe famine took his wife and children away. He became a traveller to the unknown, partly to escape the distraught of the pain and loss, partly to escape death, but not sure if he would survive the journey. His path led him to a drought affected “abandoned village” where he met two sisters who were several hundred years old and had been living on “hope”. They told him of their wait for a prophesy, the birth of the Son of the Thundercloud, which would regenerate the land to its fruitfulness once again. While there with the ancient sisters the rains came extraordinarily. Shortly, he travels with them to the Village of the Weavers, where the third sister, known to others as the tiger-widow for her husband and seven sons were killed by the tiger, has been impregnated by a “single drop of rain” that fell from the thundercloud. Pele continues to stay on as the guardian of Rhalie, the Son of the Thundercloud. True to the prophesy Rhalie kills the tiger, but also dies in the hand of his friend who became envious of him.

It is interesting to discover how Easterine seamlessly weaves the biblical narrative of the virgin birth of Jesus Christ with a Naga creation story. Any Naga reader would be able to decipher that the birth of the Son of the Thundercloud is closely drawn from the oral story of the primal woman who was overcome by a cloud and gave birth to the proverbial three brothers. As a myth it is told with latent meaning to explain how things came into being and its relevance in understanding of the world around us. And in the Naga cosmology even today there is a close proximity between the worlds of the animal, spirit and man. In fact, they continue to interface, though not in a friendly way as it used to be. Things have become more violent. This is where Son of the Thundercloud has a lesson for us.

Metaphorically, the story of Pele is the story of mankind in search of a meaning in life. The two sisters of several hundred years old in the famine struck village of seven hundred years stood for mankind's wait for a saviour to reverse the tragedy. The prophesy has it that “... the great hope of the ancestors who used to say that our ancient misfortune will end when the Son of the Thundercloud is born. Everything will be transformed then” (p. 19). Their watch over the stars every night for the sign of the promised birth reminds us of the Magi who followed the stars to pay homage to baby Jesus. The birth of the Son of the Thundercloud was shrouded in suspicion and distrust from the people of the village, much like the people during Jesus' time was steeped in disbelief. The birth of Rhalie restored the land to prosperity but the people refused to believe the signs. On the contrary, his own friend Viphrü grew jealous especially after he killed the tiger.

Interestingly, the tiger is “no ordinary being”, it is spirit tiger that cannot be killed with “worldly weapon”. The “well-tempered spear” that the two sisters kept for Rhalie was the only potential weapon to kill the tiger. By its sheer power to incite fear the tiger has influenced people to make sacrifices to it. In essence, the tiger is the embodiment of the evil that has dominated the imagination of the people. This again, echoes how the Bible warns that the battle against the devil is a spiritual warfare which has to be principally fought in the spiritual realms. Rhalie was able to kill the tiger because he has no “pride” and his “heart was pure”. Just as his name mean “the redeemer”, his killing of the predator brought relief to the people. His mother, Mesanuo exclaimed, “what joy you have brought to all of us!” But men loved darkness instead.

The arrival of Son of the Thundercloud is quite timely. Christmas is the time of celebrating love, peace, hope and joy. It is a reminder of how God loved the world dearly that He sent His only Son to redeem it. Easterine's story reveals the shortcomings in human beings and their inability to change the reality. Only a divine intervention can reverse the tragedy. And while that message is being powerfully told, the novella is also beautifully woven together with many endearing wisdoms of cultural specificities. The generational transmission of knowledge is shown time and again in the older ones' conscious teaching of the young Rhalie. The people's need to preserve and protect God given natural resources for a sustainable future are asserted through the various conversations. And one of the most enduring picture is the 'hope' of meeting the departed loved ones in the afterlife.

First published in Eastern Mirror, December 27, 2016
http://www.easternmirrornagaland.com/an-allegory-of-love-and-hope-a-review-of-son-of-the-thundercloud/

Revisiting the Parable of the Good Samaritan

For most of us who have grown up in a ritualistic church going set-up we would be pretty familiar with all the popular stories of the Bible, including the parables of Jesus. We get so used to listening to them as time-pass stories or seeing them staged at occasional religious functions like the nativity scene at Christmas, but that is it. The tragedy for today's ‘modern’ Christians is that we get so familiar with those stories that we fail to apply them to our lives today. After all, isn’t the Bible supposed to be the guidebook for Christians along life’s journey?

The parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10: 25-37) is another story that we often fail to look beyond its mere narrative. But I think it still speaks in volume if we closely follow it. And as I see it, the parable has pointers to who a ‘true’ Christian is. Just a recap of the story in a nutshell: A man traveling to Jericho was robbed and beaten to a point of near-dead; a priest came the same way but walked away from the other side; a Levite also passed by but ignored him and walked away; finally, a Samaritan came along, saw the wounded man and helped him.

If we look at the context, the priest and the Levite were people who have businesses at the Lord’s temple and yet they failed miserably in what they claim to profess (For instance, “Love your neighbor as yourself” [Lev. 19:18]). On the contrary, the one who was supposedly an alien came to the rescue of the unfortunate man. It is important to understand that the Jews at that time despise Samaritans as outcasts and even refer to them at the level of dogs. (One can also infer this from Jesus' discourse with the Samaritan woman [John 4: 1-26]) Perhaps, the Samaritans also treated the Jews likewise. And yet, Jesus did an outrageous thing by presenting the Samaritan as the true ‘neighbour’. Of course, the Bible did not record the reaction of the ‘expert in the law’ or the crowd (including the disciples) present there but it would have been certainly interesting to behold!

Not only did Jesus upheld the Samaritan but he even told his listeners to “Go and do likewise” (v. 37). For Jews it must have been an insult to the injury: first, Jesus projected the Samaritan in the positive light and then told them to make him their role model! I believe Jesus chose the character of the Samaritan deliberately to make a point about the relationship of the Jewish people with other people groups living side by side with them. Jesus commended the act of the Samaritan to imply that we need to look beyond who the person is. The Jews, as we know, considers themselves ‘chosen people’ and therefore thinks highly of themselves.

Now, let us consider the situation of our contemporary society, more specifically of the relationships we share with communities living next to us. Let me take the case of the Naga Christians in Manipur as an example. I don’t think we’re any better than the Jews the way we think ourselves superior to communities living next to us. Religious bigotry is perceivable everywhere. Perhaps, our identity in Christ has not really sunk in to help us think beyond our subjective selves. But if we are to qualify ourselves as followers of Christ then we certainly need to broaden our definition of who our ‘neighbour’ is. If Jesus were to come in our midst today I’m sure he would have used the Kukis or the Meiteis or other people who are not of the same people groups in his parable to teach us a lesson. And as I see it, most conflicts within communities in the state would have been better monitored had churches and Christians looked deeper into the Bible for answers.

The relationship between different communities in the state can turn volatile any time because the old wounds have not really healed. And so, I think we need to be more cautious and act with a clear conscience. And the Word of God can be the light to light our way. Jesus said, “So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you for this sums up the Law of the Prophets” (Matt. 7: 12). Most rules or laws made by man are normally stated in a negative way, like “Don’t do this…”, “Don’t do that…”, etc. But Jesus instead put it the other way round and tells us to “do to others”, implying a positive attitude towards our relationship with others. Generally, human tendency is to reciprocate to anything done to her/him. Good or bad, most of the time we only respond to the action done on us, and, perhaps, with the same measure precisely. Yet, Jesus instructs his followers with a different philosophy, that is, to be the first in doing good things for others. That way we can be certain nothing negative comes our way!

Jesus’ commandment to His followers implies a rather unusual approach to life altogether. But very seldom do we try and digest what His teaching would mean to us as His followers today. When he says, “Do to others as you would have them do to you” (Luke 6: 31) Jesus meant that his listeners should not only to be good to those who are good to them but to be good to everyone; not to only love those who love them but to love even their enemies! Such kinds of teaching by Jesus has often been considered ‘hard teaching’ by His own disciples and modern day scholars alike. Perhaps, that is so because Jesus was teaching contrary to the principles of the world!

The worldly principle would persuade us to be good to those who are good to us alone; to be bad to those who are bad to us; to love those who love us only, and likewise. Quite often, our desires seem to have grown to ditto others when it comes to relating with others. Somehow, it seems difficult to initiate but easier to follow suit! Our perspective to life is centered on our own world, so much so that we’ve developed a worldview of displacing the ‘other’. And in a world where ‘individualism’ is being encouraged, there is less and less time to think beyond the ‘self’! The principle that Jesus laid down for His followers is to first picture the ‘other’ before considering the ‘self’. He wants us to know that peace comes from looking into the interest of others. Harmonious co-existence of all living beings on earth entirely hinges on the respect for the opinion or the belief that each one may be contended with. When there is intolerance, hostilities certainly arise.

Jesus said that if we love those who love us only, we’re no different from any other person. In other words, He wants His followers to be different by being more than the worldly-wise; “By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another” (John 13:35). Here, Jesus was talking about ‘love’ that is without any pre-condition. To remain faithful to the teachings of our Lord today, let us be active in doing what is good because only then can we expect people to reciprocate in a positive way.

Nagas' Wait for Godot

For more than 60 years now Nagas have been waiting for Sovereignty as it would come tomorrow. The first generation passed on 'waiting'. Will this generation also pass on 'waiting'? The uncertainty is deadening. While this wait continues I'm forced to see an uncanny resemblance of the Naga situation with that of two tramps in Samuel Beckett's most famous play Waiting for Godot. In the play two tramps waits for somebody called Godot whom they have never met nor are they sure of why they are waiting for him. So, while they wait, they decided to play some games and talk some nonsense to pass their time. At the end of each act (the play has two acts), a boy comes to announce that Mr. Godot will not be able to come that day but will certainly come tomorrow. Categorized as a “tragi-comedy”, the play has elements of both tragic and comic blended together very well. While the audience would laugh at the actions of the two men on the stage do all the funny things, the use of language perforce the underlying meaning of the helplessness of tramps to improve their predicament. The only consolation for them was the hope that Mr. Godot's arrival will certainly bring the end to the suffering of their wait. But waiting can be miserable.

Just like the two tramps the Nagas have also being 'waiting'. Another sunrise, another full-moon, another season, another year. Will Naga's Mr. Godot ever come? Just recently, somebody I know traveled to some villages in the Naga areas for a research project and told me how old people in the villages are still waiting for 'Naga independence' to come anytime soon. What a life! What a tragedy! It is still the ones who are too little educated and living in the remote villages that are easily beguiled. Simple as they are they believe anything told them. When I was growing up many years back, I also had the same dream, like most Nagas. But then, everything has changed. Who is to blame? That's a difficult question. While the Nagas love to blame India for all the mess (of course, India has contributed to it in many ways), can we turn a blind eye to what we've done to each other? The irony is, since the announcement of ceasefire with the UG groups the Naga public has been waiting for a big announcement. Every year there's always a teaser to keep the game going. And the boy (read the interlocutor) comes to announce the deal has been delayed for some reason. And the ceasefire gets extended. The people kept hoping for another year to see a better day. How many years must the lie be told? How many more Nagas must die waiting for freedom? Only Mr. Godot knows!

As it now stands, one group has severed the ceasefire with the GOI, another is still hanging on but only on a thread. But this one is likely to hang on, because the lost will be too much on their part, not so much the larger Naga public. Yes, the ceasefire brought some respite for the tired Naga commoners, tired of being caught in the crossfire. But the bigger beneficiary of the ceasefire has been the UGs themselves. Look at what they've become since the ceasefire - business tycoons, lakhpatis/crorepatis, etc. who drives the fanciest vehicles, lives in mansions, has stakes in the biggest businesses, gotten high paying 'Indian' government services for their relatives, gadgets and guns swung around their shoulders. To break the ceasefire and give up all that? No, they will certainly not end the ceasefire with GOI. Who would want to give up such luxuries? They already have their 'freedom', who cares about others. Have Naga leaders finally playing into the hands of some Indian bureaucrats who wants a whimpering end to the Naga problem? That's a million dollar question. Nagas are the tramps whose seriousness is a comedy for a larger audience.

They deal is closing in, they said. But mind you that's just he voice of the boy announcing that Mr. Godot will come the next day for sure. Is there anything left to deal with, anyway? Sovereignty, Greater Nagalim, Alternative Arrangement, Autonomy, etc. are all phased out from the vocabulary of 'the struggle'. The only deal left, perhaps, is to request the GOI to let them (UGs) enjoy the status they have now once 'the solution' is brokered. Meanwhile, the rest of the people keeps waiting for Godot. Will he ever come?

Published in Morung Express, 5 July (Sunday), 2015 
http://morungexpress.com/nagas-wait-for-godot/ 

How to be a 'Normal' Indian

At a recently concluded conference on the Northeast of India (btw, I'm a little baffled by the sudden attention paid on the Northeast, though I'm one of the 'unashamed' beneficiaries) organized by a well-known government agency, an old lady made a comment which refused to leave my mind. After a paper presentation by a scholar from Assam she said, “I couldn't get much of your presentation because your pronunciations. You didn't speak like a 'normal' Indian.” I was like, 'did I hear that right?' Thankfully, the members in the conference hall were gracious enough to not react to her ignorance, else a war of language would have begun. Anyway, my mind wandered off...

I began to ask, “Who's a 'normal' Indian?” Living in Delhi for almost half my lifetime now I've realized how hard it is to fit into the larger society if one is not originally of North India. Harder still when you have a different racial orientation. What's even more daunting is when even the language you speak becomes the point of discrimination. Often I've heard young people from the Northeast seeking BPO jobs in Delhi/NCR being rejected at interviews because of heavy “mother-tongue influence”. Ironically though, and over the period of time, these Northeastern youths seem to have sustained and dominated the workforce in BPOs, for whatever reason. Naturally, everyone has “mother-tongue influence”. But seemingly even in the language scenario the culture of the dominant community is considered the “correct” spoken language. Take for example, most people in North India interchange their 'W' and 'V' as if it is normal (ve are going to vatch a wery nice mowie!). Yet, you wouldn't find such spoken languages being laughed at because most people speak that way.

On the other hand, I have often been 'un-understood' of my English because of my accent. I realize that I am a bit influenced by the Hollywood movies in my English that I got a bit Americanized in my English. For instance, the use of the narrower (American) 'a' rather than the rounder (British) as in 'cǝn't'/'cAn't'. (I've not studied in an American school, fyi.) English, anyway, is only a second language to every (or almost all) Indians. Yet, ironically, in a country with such wide linguistic plurality like ours it is difficult to understand when one's English is categorically stated that it is accented! It is truly difficult to be 'normal' in India.

The Innocence of a Child

In one of the most profound moments recorded in the Bible, Jesus took the example of children to teach his followers by saying, “I tell you the truth unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom” (Matt 18: 3-4 NIV). In another instance too he invited the little children and blessed them: “Let the children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these” (Matt 19: 14 NIV). Though Jesus made it very explicit that the likeness of a child is a quality that we must cultivate I have often wondered what must be in a child that made Jesus really wanted us to become like one of them. Until some incidents in my life made me understand…

Once while I was traveling in the Delhi metro train I was caught by an innocent act of a child. As I got out of the train and walked into the escalator a tiny hand grabbed one of my fingers. The kid was holding his mother’s hand on the other but needed another hand to hold less he falls off. My hand happened to be the nearest support he could reach out to. So natural was the child’s action that he didn’t bother to look up at me to see who I was! All those time even the mother didn’t notice what was going on. While I was still amazed at what had just happened, the kid walked out of the escalator with his mother letting go of my finger without even a glance at me! That moment stayed with me till today. What struck me was the sense of universality in the mind of the child. The child didn’t know me. By sheer chance I happened to stepped in to give him the support he needed there and then. To the child the incident would not have meant anything new, but I learned something extraordinary. It was one moment that reminded me of the simplicity in children which Jesus talked about.

When my daughter was born in November of 2010, she instantly became the center of attraction and the topic of all talks. Everything seems to revolve round her! It was such a joy to behold her then as it is now also. And back then, I have to admit, the little fragile being commanded all my attentions like some kind of a magnetic force! As I cuddled her and look closely at her she would utter some unintelligible noises as if talking to me. But I knew she’s too young to even know who I was at that stage. I was just anybody to her. Yet I loved her for that too! She’d go to everyone or smile at anyone. She’d even smile while sleeping! Sometimes I fear to think that someday even my child would grow to understand the world we live in and comprehend the complexities around her. And that the innocence in her would go.

It is a pity that we have to lose so many qualities of a child as we grow up. From the simple innocence to humbly ‘forgive and forget’ attitude of the child, we somehow have laid them in the past as if they belong only to childhood! Sometimes as we progress in life we are stuffed with foreign things that we forget to nurture what was instilled in us originally. Yet, Jesus wants us to become the children we used to be. Ravi Zacharias, in his book Recapture the Wonder (2003), laments the lost of childhood innocence like this, “The tragedy of growing up is not that we lose childishness in its simplicity but that we lose childlikeness in its sublimity”. We do not like to see an adult being childish for its connotation with the negative values, but we love the childlike ease in a person for it brings out the innocence of the person. Much of what the world has to offer us will distance us from the true values that God has bestowed on us. Yet, what we’ve accumulated for ourselves may not give us the chance to see eternal life in heaven. Therefore, I think it is good to be reminded that unless we change and become like children we cannot hope to see the glory of God. This, in other words, require a lot of unlearning of the worldly things, which is by no means an easy task! If we want to see perfection, or something close to it, perhaps we should seek the company of children and understand the universality of their language.

A Post-Christmas Musing

Another year has come to an end. Another Christmas is behind us. Has this Christmas been any different from the ones gone before it? Or is there anything new at all to learn of Christmas? Each year, there's the ritual of enacting the nativity scene at churches, retelling the story of the birth of Jesus and then feast after feast! I'm sure for most of us, the message of Christmas is a stale one. Perhaps, there is more excitement on what would be the menu for the feasts, how to decorate the Christmas tree better, and friends and families to catch up on, rather than celebrate the birth of our Saviour. To make things worse, by writing another piece on Christmas, even after Christmas, I'm giving you an overdose of it! But bear with me, and allow me to take this opportunity to narrate something I've learned just recently. At a Bible study group some weeks before Christmas, I was hit by the question, “What is your worldview of Christmas?” Now, that, I thought, was something to think about. After all, Christmas symbolizes God coming to dwell with human beings – the end of men's wait for the Messiah and the beginning of a new era. Undeniably, we all have our 'worldview' on virtually every topic on earth, whether we realize it or not, from political to sports to social to economic issues. But, as Christians, it is pertinent to ask, “Is my worldview Biblical?”

For many Christmases, it never dawned on me that I may have constructed a different kind of a Christmas story from all the influences I have had since my childhood days. The Christmas cards, the Sunday school stories, picture books, etc. paints different pictures of the story of the birth of Jesus Christ and they certainly influence us. As children those things were quite helpful in making us understand the Christmas story in some ways. The problem, however, is that we have not grown beyond such stories. Somehow, we assume that there's nothing more to learn of the Christmas story. But if we closely look into the biblical narrative of Jesus' birth, many of what we believe could be wrong or ill-supposed. Take, for instance, the classic Christmas card image that shows the newborn Jesus placed naked on the feeding trough (manger) in a brightly lit cosy stable, the Magi with their exotic gifts, the shepherds staring at the baby in wonder, Mary and Joseph with a contended look and the animals at the shelter peeping at the strange event. And yes, the star that guided the Magi shining bright above them and the heavenly choir of angels swarming the scene! That is, indeed, a fairy tale picture. And we thought that was really the scenario.

Unfortunately, that is a very flawed depiction of the birth of Christ. First of all, the bare baby on a manger would never be an accurate picture. The Bible mentions that “She (Mary) wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger” (Luke 2: 7). Who would have imagined a newborn baby to be placed half-naked on a cold winter night, that too on a bed of straw? Secondly, unlike the cosy scene of the stable, it would have been a dark, dirty and deserted place. Because of the pictorial depiction of baby Jesus on a feeding trough of wood, we thought that was the manger. However, commentary points out that stables are often caves with feeding troughs carved out of rock walls, which are also used to feed wild animals. The scene could have been on the outskirt of the town vicinity, somewhere where harsh wind blow. Joseph and Mary must have tried hard to keep themselves warm. Now, that would not be a pleasant picture for Christmas card. The first place to introduce our Lord Jesus was somewhere no one would expect. No wonder, the Jews couldn't digest the fact that their Messiah could be born so lowly. Some may wonder, “What could have driven Joseph and Mary to the fringe of Bethlehem?” The mention that they could not find room in the inn also suggest that the little town of Bethlehem could have been buzzing with people around that time, as people like them would have come from different places to register in the census according to the decree by Caesar (Luke 2: 1-3). Poor people like them would obviously be out of favour when there were limited rooms. Besides, the late arrival because of Mary's pregnancy might also made them run out of luck in finding a suitable place. The uninhabited animal shelter house seems to be the only option for them. And by the way, there is no mention of cattle in the stable. Most likely Joseph and Mary found it suitable because it was deserted by animals.

Thirdly, the Magi didn't visit baby Jesus at the manger unlike popular belief. Matthew 2: 11 says, “On coming to the house, they (the Magi) saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshipped him...” (Note that it was a 'house' not a 'stable') When the Magi came visiting Jesus was most likely 2 (two) years of age or little lesser, as commentary suggested. Thus, Herod's order “to kill all they boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under” (Matt. 2: 16) was also based on the information given him by the Magi. Jesus and parents probably moved into a proper 'house', suggesting that they might have even thought of settling down in Bethlehem, after all it was Joseph's hometown. Besides, the Magi weren't kings, as many would have believed, and we don't even know how many there were or where they were from. At best, identifying them as 'wise men from the east' could be the closest interpretation. They could have been Jewish remnants of the Babylonian exile, or they could have astrologers or scholars of ancient manuscript, or even could be from different lands. However, the identification of the three gifts heightened the belief that there might have been three of them. But there could have been more gifts and the mention of only three could have been Matthew's purpose to symbolize Christ's identity and what he would accomplish – gold for royalty, incense for priesthood and myrrh, a spice to be used in death.

And though we would have imagined Joseph and Mary to be happy at the birth of Jesus, I wonder if their happiness would have lasted. Sooner, the reality of having to bring their first-born child into the world as would an animal surely would have brought many questions to their minds. Why would God want his Son to be born in a forsaken edge of the world? Wouldn't he have provided somewhere more humane at least to usher in the Saviour of the world? Did Mary imagined that the special child promised by the Holy Spirit would be born that way? Did Joseph began to doubt the dream he dreamt? For most part of my life, the picture of the brightly lit cosy stable has been the picture of Christmas in my mind. And all the wonderfully decorated nativity scene enacted everywhere during Christmas season boosted that mindset. Today, Christmas is more of commercial than spiritual celebration, especially in big towns and cities. Everybody celebrates Christmas. But for most people, it is about installing beautifully decorated Christmas tree and Santa Claus with his white beard and red clothes. Jesus, the reason for Christmas, is nowhere near the scene. That is something to be bothered. If we let non-Christians get away by thinking that Christmas is about the brightly-lit-Christmas-tree and the gift-giving-Santa-Claus, then we're failing as a Christian! But before we get into that we need to get the Christmas story 'right'.

Is Christmas something of importance to you? If yes, what is the source of your Christmas story? Is it the Sunday school narratives or the story which the pastor once told on Christmas or the Christmas card pictures or the nativity scene enacted somewhere or the Bible? The Bible is the only authentic source of the story of Jesus. It is important that we read it and try to understand it for all its worth. What we hear may not always be the 'right' story, we need to verify its truth from the Bible. Often we only scheme through it and not study it. That is a problem. If we want to live a fruitful Christian life, we ought to carefully observe what is written in the Bible and apply it into our lives.

That said, however, it is difficult to get the whole picture of the birth of Jesus because the Bible didn't record the entire narrative. It is, then, left for our imagination to fill those gaps. And that is very challenging. Because we may not get the accurate picture. It is understandable that all the pictorial depictions of the biblical narratives are creatively done, but they may also be not all 'rightly' done, like the Magi visiting the baby Jesus at the manger. Now, I'm not trying to condemn all the picture story books on Christmas or even other stories of the Bible. All I'm concerned is what kind of sources inform you about the various stories. Do we accept the story of Jesus' birth as enacted somewhere or do we look into the Bible to see what's written? The untold stories of Jesus' growing up years could be a good storyline for some to recreate, but it could become heretic if we don't study biblical history properly. We all bear testimony of our Christian life wherever we are. Therefore, we ought to be responsible people. As a parent, I've realized that I need to be more aware of what kinds of information gets passed on to my daughter. Often I get tempted to pick any nice-looking book without looking into what could be the motive within. But that would be a mistake. My experience is that a child's mind is like a sponge, it can absorb everything. So also, how we tell Bible stories to children becomes a matter of importance. We all are living proof of that. Part of growing up in life is also to 'unlearn' many things. Though we've just celebrated Christmas, perhaps we could just re-read the first two chapters of Matthew and Luke and see if your 'worldview' of Christmas is in tune with the Biblical narrative.