Kolkata Report #4
So starts the month of May. A momentous day, worldwide, celebrating the rights of the workers of the world. As they should, indeed be celebrated. For some 30 years, the state of West Bengal, under an elected Marxist regime, celebrated this holiday, calling it May Dibosh (May Divas in Hindi).
Ironically, 'Mayday!' is the Emergency call for a sinking ship. And so it happened to the regime, which had become enfeebled and lost its sight of what was needful for the people and became too enmeshed in the dogma and enforcement of its thinking ... Life moves in cycles and circles. One day, perhaps, people and became too enmeshed in the dogma and enforcement of its thinking ... Life moves in cycles and circles. One day, perhaps, people will come to power, supporting the everyday heroes that make our lives flow and celebrating the egalitarian principles, which the sinking planet earth needs badly, to survive.
What is also precious about the First of May, is the Catholic Church's celebration of the Feast of Mary, Mother of Jesus Christ.
In fact, in our parochial school, we celebrated the entire month of May in Mother Mary's honor. Every morning our assembly hall was decorated in beautiful fresh flowers and candles, so wondrous, that it would take my breath away. To celebrate a woman, who was not just defined by her motherhood of Jesus Christ or Issa Masih, but one whose unquestioning acceptance of her God's grace and of the sorrow that would befall her and her life of calm dignity and holiness.
This was the first of the different daily hymns we would sing in the month of May, truly, as the lyrics say,
'Our full hearts are swelling, Our glad voices telling,
The praise of the loveliest Flower of the vale'.
Our voices would rise in a magnificent paean, filling our assembly hall and reverberating in the flickering of candles and and the calm beauty of Mary's statue, standing among the beautiful boughs of freshly culled Krishnachura or Poinciana sometimes, and fresh fragrant Rajanigandha or Tuberose at others..
Written - May 4, 2018
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