Roadside Shrines: Christmas Crib in Contemporary Bombay
Director: Madhusree Dutta
Duration: 00:25:04; Aspect Ratio: 1.333:1; Hue: 38.366; Saturation: 0.153; Lightness: 0.248; Volume: 0.163; Cuts per Minute: 6.183; Words per Minute: 33.227
Summary: Indian Christianity owes its genesis to many sources - St. Thomas, the disciple of Christ in 1st century AD and later other preachers from several other denominations from middle East and Central Asia; Portuguese, Dutch, French and British colonials since 15th century; missionaries from Europe and more recently from the US and so on. The spread of the religion has spanned through many regions, classes and sources and also varied motivations, resulting in many versions of religious practices. Thus the local Christian practices in many parts of India are more organic than monolithic. In Bombay, the spread of Christianity started with the Portuguese. One of the main communities to become Christian was the Marathi speaking agriculture and salt pan based inhabitants of the Solset Island and the Vasai sea coast. This community later called East Indians.
The East Indians in Bombay observe Christianity with rituals and forms of their earlier practices as well as classical Christian rituals. In grottos and cribs, sometimes even in the Church architecture and decors this mixed culture is visible.
Christmas cribs are popularly known as tableaux of nativity (story of birth) of Jesus. In the year 1220 St. Francis of Assissi visited Bethlehem and witnessed the participatory way Christmas was celebrated there through these tableaux which recreated the birth of Jesus. He brought the ritual to Europe and then it spread all over the world. Though the cribs are religious, they are not essentially institutional. Any devotee can create a crib either in their houses or in public places or in the church premise. Setting up the manger figures is a favorite family activity.
Christmas cribs have become more part of the festivity than religion. In that sense it has become part of the local popular cultures. As a result, often the cribs demonstrate local flavours and sentiments instead of the linear story of nativity in the Bible. Making cribs in public places have also become a popular social activity for the neighbourhood youngsters. This event is documentation of a few cribs in the Juhu neighbourhood.
Long shot of the interior of the church with the alter at the background. The Church is decked up for the Christmas. A family visit the Christmas crib kept next to the alter. Displayed in this surrounding of overt institutionality the crib loses its playfulness and acquires an air of solemnity.
At the ceiling, small decorations adorn the light fixtures. A cutout of a golden haired angel with wings and a star above her head glows beneath the tubelight.
Church pews line the interiors, probably antique furniture, but maintained carefully over the years, the fresh coat of polish glinting from the tube-lit interiors.
Most of these churches are very well maintained, and have enough funds, either in their coffers or the community gets together and donates for such occasions.
Bombay
Mumbai
advent wreathes
almightly
baby jesus
banner stands
bethlehem
candle lighters
candlesticks
celebration
christmas
collection boxes
creche
crib
crucifixes
father
flag poles
holy water dispensers
infant
jesus
joseph
manger
missal stands
mother mary
offering/collection baskets
parish
priest
processional canopies
reliquaries
sanctuary bells
sanctuary lamps
saviour
stations of the cross
statuary
tabernacles
toyland
vases
votive stands
Juhu
Camera pans from the sign "Abundance of Life" through the alter to the crib on the left. The altar is a decorated fascade facing those who enter the church. Most of the churches in Bombay are Roman Catholics and attended mainly by r the Goan and East Indian communities.
The crib is a traditional manger with clay figurines and a paper collage of the map of the world forming the backdrop. Words such as Freedom, Unity, Love etc. are sprinkle generously.
A written text, with an unsatisfactory look of an old scripture, hung at the outer edge of the crib. The message on the scroll implores people to look beyond the events of 2001 (most probably fall of WTC and war on Afghanistan) and adopt 'peace, love and solidarity'
The inside of the crib is lit such a way that it resembles of a cave or a warm interior of an abode. Jesus and Mary are standing in two open palms, as they look over their newborn, infant baby Jesus. White flying birds are placed in prominent position - perhaps as symbol of peace.
The map of India comes like a backdrop of Mother Mary. strategically
Bombay
Juhu
Mumbai
altar linens
bells
censers and boats
chalices
ciboria
communion plates
cruets
decanters and flagons
holy water pots and sprinklers
incense
intinction sets
lavabo sets
monstrances
patens
A crib next to the busy Juhu road. Juhu road is known for its upwordly mobile cosmopolitan residents and 5 star hotels and exclusive shops located next to the sea. But behind Juhu road lie dense settlements of Christian East Indian and Koli communities. The low brow residents of these settlements become socially visible during their festive seasons, Christmas being prime among them.
The cleaner sweeps out the dirt and useless bits from the different corners of the decorated crib. The crib is made of a miniature replica of the Eiffel, a stylized cityscape complete with skyscrapers, Railways, roads and air traffic and figurines of Joseph, May and baby Jesus. The reference to the tall tower obviously comes from the year's goriest incident of the fall of World trade centre. Every year the neighbourhood boys get together to create a tableaux on an issue which attracts their fancy. In the year 2001 it has to be the WTC - thanks to American media the image of WTC had become part of the global popular culture. There is a neatly designed airport with hangars and even a supersonic jet taking off from the tarmac. In the popular imagination the American tower and the Eiffel tower become one and part of the folk lore. As one of the architect of the crib sweeps it clean the scale of a human body and the miniature towers make a queer image.
Madhusree: Why did you put the Eiffel tower?
-Actually, every year we do something different, and this year we thought of doing this Eiffel Tower. It was like,...under the Eiffel Tower, like modern age.
M: So that is modern...this is Bombay or what, at the back?
-No, this is like, usually means, France only means...Eiffel Tower is the highlight, this is the main island, and the other thing is the background, means water, ...modernizing. This is the railway station.
M; But lots of city, you have put.
- Yeah, we kept the city. The message stands over here. It is written.
Now regarding this Eiffel tower, the message over here is clear. This is the highlight of France.
So, the baby Jesus love for us stands high, higher than any other tower.
M: So because of the height of the tower.....
-yeah, and that's the love of Jesus Christ
M: What is SM V???
-That is sound, we're having sound, so that's the advertising board.
M;- Oh ok...So in the evening you'll have sound also.
-Yeah. Sound is not there, but there is a sound (facility)... we are having a choir earlier. And this is just an advertising. Like you know, they put a board on... a signboard,
M: Ok, how they put signboard like that, in a city. So basically that's why you did all long buildings.
-yeah just indicating the city, the modern crib, 2002-2001
M; very nice, other years what do you do?
-Every year different, last year.....Ventur, which one we had done?...Ventur?
-Last year we had done a flyover.
Ventur: Last year we had done flyover
-Before that candle...
Venture: desert?
-Desert we had done before that....Then snow we had done.
Bombay
France
Juhu
Mumbai
Paris
aeroplane
airport
almightly
baby jesus
bethlehem
buildings
bus-stand
cage
celebration
christmas
city
cityscape
creche
crib
dinky cars
eiffel tower
father
fuel dispensers
grid
infant
infrastructure
jesus
jet
joseph
manger
mechanical train set
mesh
modern
mother mary
parish
petrol pump
petrol-pump
priest
runway
saviour
signage
skyline
supersonic
thermocol
tour-bus
toy train
toyland
toys
train set
urban
M; What did you do last year you were saying?
-Last year we did flyover. Like modernizing, like France, we did different flyovers. It's going above, top and below and all. And below the flyover is the crib.
M; So this is the Andheri flyover, which is going on and on!!!
-Last year...Next year we will do something different.
M: So how do you decide? The theme?
-regarding what?
M: The theme... how do you decide every year?
-The theme is decided over here, with the baby Jesus...And before that we had done on the moon
M: So last year it was the flyover....and before that.
-And before that it was on the moon. It was also a city.....something, and there is a moon over there.
M; Ok...
-And inside the moon, there is Jesus, Mary and Joseph
Last year it was moon actually I think. "20th century has passed, but my love has still remained'...We are having the photo, we can arrange to show you.
M:- Ok, we can see that.
- Evening we can show you the photo.
M: And how do you decide the theme?
-Theme, according to the highlight. There was a moon, so according to the highlight of the moon. This year it is Eiffel tower... So, theme we decide on our own.
Whatever we highlight. Now suppose we highlight something about the church or something about a tree or something. Then we decide according to that particular situation.
M: So All of you sit together and decide what is the highlight....
- yeah, we have a meeting. So after crib, in May suppose we'll have a meeting and decide. Everyone will give their views -what type of crib to do. And whichever is best, ok, everyone will like it, ok we will do this thing, that will go on...
M; Then who will design it?
-All of them. Actually there is one fellow usually who does all this cutting and all. We also go and help him. And the fixing we do...it's a one day work. But for doing this, we start at least a month before that. And actual work we do, one or two weeks before, we remove a photo and we also give a greeting regarding the same.
M:- We got your greeting...
-So after church we distribute the greeting cards. Same thing we do.
M; So this year you decided that tall tower is the theme.
-Yeah, this year the tall tower is the theme. Last year was moon.
The tower itself stands in the middle of the crib, with the Jesus crib being placed at the foot of the Eiffel tower.
The crib is very beautifully designed with neat thermocol work for the buildings, roads and structures, and toys for the various vehicles, aeroplanes and modes of transport. There seems to be excessive fascination about modes of transport. Could it be a representation of aspiration or a reference to migration or just a casual depiction of urban vehicular traffic? The crib also has a petrol pump with the logo BFM and a 24 hour sign and is detailed right down to its fuel dispensers.
There are multicoloured and multishaped buses, one being a tour bus with a sticker of Eiffel tower on it.
Strangely enough the toy figures near the pump are a military GI-Joe and an astronaut. This odd juxtaposition of objects of fascination can best be described as a hybrid urban imagination. The train set is perched atop a very pretty bridge which elevates all the toy coaches and the engine. The three figures of Jesus and his family stand at the outer edge of the tableaux.
Bombay
France
Juhu
Mumbai
Paris
aeroplane
airport
almightly
baby jesus
bethlehem
buildings
bus-stand
cage
celebration
christmas
city
cityscape
creche
crib
dinky cars
eiffel tower
father
fuel dispensers
grid
infant
infrastructure
jesus
jet
joseph
manger
mechanical train set
mesh
modern
mother mary
parish
petrol pump
petrol-pump
priest
runway
saviour
signage
skyline
supersonic
thermocol
tour-bus
toy train
toyland
toys
train set
urban
"BABY JESUS' LOVE FOR US STANDS HIGHER THAN ANY TOWER OF THE WORLD" - reads the banner hung at the base of the crib. The entire crib is housed in a grid-mesh covering to prevent people from picking up objects. But it also creates a strange interface between public place and protected space. As the busy street life of vendors, pedestrians, carts, three wheelers etc. pass by without being overtly curious about the baby Jesus at the foot of the Eiffel tower, the crib become just one of the many footnotes about hybrid urban culture in Mumbai.
Bombay
France
Juhu
Mumbai
Paris
aeroplane
airport
almightly
baby jesus
bethlehem
buildings
bus-stand
cage
celebration
christmas
city
cityscape
creche
crib
dinky cars
eiffel tower
father
fuel dispensers
grid
infant
infrastructure
jesus
jet
joseph
manger
mechanical train set
mesh
modern
mother mary
-My idea was three four years back, there was snow Christmas.
M: OK, what did you do?
-We did all snow, snow type..all the snow mountain and all, it's like in a white Christmas. White Christmas was the theme.
And this year...the fellow, he has gone to work. He has a better explanation. And likewise we decide, no, during the meeting, what type of crib to do. So he'll decide, and accordingly, he'll also give the theme.
So everyone likes it, accordingly we'll do this...
parish
petrol pump
petrol-pump
priest
runway
saviour
signage
skyline
supersonic
thermocol
tour-bus
toy train
toyland
toys
train set
urban
A crib on a smaller bylane of Juhu. With a mud base and no barricade this one looks more modest than the previous one. A red bus with wide windshields - much like the current Volvo buses, a tempo Trax Jeep, a few military trucks in olive green, few fighter planes and some oversized police cars are being brought out of a sack and placed on the ground like precious jewels. The plastic toy vehicles which were part of childhood games have now become part of the aspiration map of the youth. The power and authority attached to these vehicles make them part of the solemnity which is expected from a crib. Yet another example of istitutionalising the icon.
Bombay
Juhu
Mumbai
almightly
baby jesus
bethlehem
celebration
christmas
city
creche
crib
father
infant
infrastructure
jesus
joseph
manger
mechanical train set
modern
mother mary
parish
priest
saviour
signage
thermocol
tour bus
toy train
toyland
train set
urban
Camera pans over the tableaux. The crib is constructed with the manger of Jesus with all its paraphernalia set on the higher level and overlooking the contemporary busy streetscape below.
A mechanical train set placed on a circular track disappears in and out from under the bridges, chugging away as the sound fades in and out. The top angle view of the colourful cityscape and the rural set up of the manger upstair creates an arresting visual of street-folk imagination.
Bombay
Juhu
Mumbai
almightly
baby jesus
bethlehem
celebration
christmas
city
creche
crib
father
infant
infrastructure
jesus
joseph
manger
mechanical train set
modern
mother mary
parish
priest
saviour
signage
thermocol
tour bus
toy train
toyland
train set
urban
A neatly designed cityscape which has a flyover with a jeep and mud mixer in view.
The lampposts are cleverly placed pipes with foil.
All street signs and street activity are in view. There are junctions at which cars are turning and stopping. Street signs like No entry and U-turn are replicated in detail. Could these crib makers be called artisans? Or the cribs as roadside shrine? Instant street cultures have been pushed out of the map of popular culture by the hegemonic and reproducible Bollywood.
Bombay
Juhu
Mumbai
almightly
baby jesus
bethlehem
celebration
christmas
city
creche
crib
father
infant
infrastructure
jesus
joseph
manger
mechanical train set
modern
mother mary
parish
priest
saviour
signage
-Theme, every year we keep on changing the themes.
M; Last year what was it?
- last year , it was a pond like... and in the middle of the pond we had kept Jesus Christ.
That was the theme last year.
And this year we thought of changing it, something like, because lot of corruption is going on in the earth and all. Lots of fights and all. So we want peace and joy in this earth.
Jesus Christ gives this message every year like....he wants joy, peace and everything on earth.
Anything else?
M: No..thanks,..thanks.
thermocol
tour bus
toy train
toyland
train set
urban
The lit bulb on the top of a lamppost in the fore ground - the camera cranes up to capture the whole cityscape. A cameraman fantasy to crane over a city, even in a toy city, is attempted. The only living person, other than the array of vehicles, is a lone sentry standing on a tall tower. The cityscape is made of bright colours and in lines. In contrast the creche is built to look like a manger with earthen ,warm browns and an angel above baby Jesus. The detailing of this manger is far more intricate and subtle, with all the standard manger activities being lovingly replicated and shown. The thatched hut in which Jesus is placed is a very realistic looking scaled down version of a hut. All the figurines are shown carrying out some chore or the other, from cutting grass, to making fire, to feeding the animals.
Bombay
Juhu
Mumbai
almightly
baby jesus
bethlehem
celebration
christmas
city
creche
crib
father
infant
infrastructure
jesus
joseph
manger
mechanical train set
modern
mother mary
parish
priest
saviour
signage
thermocol
tour bus
toy train
toyland
train set
urban
Bombay
Juhu
Mumbai
Small children crowd around the crib. The desire for the toy vehicles placed around the cityscape and 'the dolls' (figurines) around the manger is palpable. They enjoy the scale and the low height of the tableaux. This could be one of the very few public place installations which are conducive to their imagination and sight line.
almightly
baby jesus
bethlehem
celebration
christmas
city
creche
crib
father
infant
infrastructure
jesus
joseph
manger
mechanical train set
modern
mother mary
parish
priest
saviour
signage
thermocol
tour bus
toy train
toyland
train set
urban
Pad.ma requires JavaScript.
