After days of preparation and eager waiting, Christmas finally arrived last week, soon to be followed by New Year’s celebrations. Early today, I attended Christmas Mass and shared the Christmas feast with family and friends. But beneath the joy, something felt different this year.
In Raipur, one of the city’s most popular shopping centers, Magneto Mall, had been decked out with festive lights, Christmas trees, and decorations in the weeks leading up to the holiday. Instead of adding to the festive mood in the city, those displays became a target. A group of masked men stormed the mall during a state-wide shutdown called to protest alleged religious conversion issues. They broke decorations, pulled down Christmas trees and Santa figures, and struck fear into employees and anyone present, causing damage worth lakhs of rupees and creating a tense scene that went viral online. Police have registered cases and are identifying suspects. �
India Today +2
Seeing videos of that mall vandalized and festive work ruined was disturbing. It happened amid a broader wave of reports from multiple states where Christmas decorations, events, and programs faced hostility just before and on the festival day. �
https://www.oneindia.com/
For decades, Christmas was always a season of warmth for me. From school days onward, after church services, I would celebrate with friends of different faiths without a second thought. I was taught to respect every faith’s gods and beliefs with the same regard I give to my own friends, their parents, and elders. I carried in my heart the lines मजहब नहीं सिखाता, आपस में बैर करना—religion does not teach us to hate one another. Yet this year, after seeing so much anger directed at simple festive displays, a fearful thought crept in: am I, or people like me, somehow seen as a threat? Am I not free to follow and celebrate my own faith?
That fear does not reflect the real role that Christian communities have played in India’s social fabric. Christians are a small minority, around 2.3 to 2.4 percent of the population. Yet their presence in education and healthcare far exceeds that share because of their long-standing commitment to serving society. Christian-managed schools and colleges are among the largest networks of professional and technical education after government institutions, educating students from every background. Mission hospitals are also major healthcare providers across India, second only to government facilities in reach and impact. These institutions operate not for attention, but to uplift communities and care for people in need, often in places where access to quality services is limited.
This contrast between that service-oriented legacy and scenes of fear and destruction felt especially jarring this holiday season. I write this with earnest concern and reflection. Christmas, at its heart, is about hope, goodwill, and shared humanity. So the question I find myself asking is simple: can we celebrate our traditions freely without fear? Can we recognize the contributions every community makes, even as we acknowledge our differences?
I still believe in respect, friendship across faiths, and the value of our shared life together. I hope for a future where every festival brings joy without doubt, and where a mall’s lights or a child’s laughter at a Christmas event are met with smiles, not silence.
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