Nostalgia convenes Christmas For Odia-Anglo Indians.

Posted by Stafford Valentine Redden on Tuesday, January 1, 2019

(thanks to Dr. Stafford Valentine Redden)

Jatani: The British first came with the railways and then the Anglo Indian community to Jatni. The Railway Colony in this suburban area soon became home to the largest Anglo Indian community in the state, with a population count of around 500. It was but natural therefore that during Christmas, Jatni emerged as the most happening place to be.

But that was the past. Over the years, the number of Anglo Indians living in Jatni has dwindled to just 50-60 with most of the younger generation having migrated to different parts of the country and abroad for various purposes.

However, during Christmas, some of them return home to Jatni to celebrate the festival with their near and dear ones. “We feel happy that no matter how far they are, Anglo Indians of Jatni manage to come here to celebrate the big day,” says Stafford Valentine Redden, a doctor by profession. “Christmas is the season of togetherness and to be with one’s family. It is one time of the year when the family is given more priority than anything else,” he adds.

Stafford had been living in Maldives for 20 years before the love for his roots brought him back to Jatni. He now runs a pre-school in the area. “Christmas in Jatni is special for me. In fact, I used to fly down from Maldives every year just to come home for Christmas and celebrate with my family,” he shares. “Now, I have permanently shifted to Jatni and have been living here for the past two years.”

He, however, rues that Christmas celebration in Jatni now is a more muted affair. “A celebration is merrier when there are more people. But now, the number of Anglo Indian people in the area has gone down and so has the air of festivity. Many people have migrated to other parts of the country as well as abroad. Some of my friends from Jatni are now settled in Pune, Bangalore, Mumbai and Australia among other places,” he informs.

Recalling the golden days of his childhood, he says, “It was so much of fun back then. We used to have a football match where the players and spectators came attired in fancy dress. Each one would dress up in a different costume. Then there was a football match between married men and bachelors. But now we even can’t make the numbers to hold these matches. Now the celebration is little limited, but we still try to have some sports event and a fancy dress competition.”

At the same time, he adds that the zeal and spirit to celebrate Christmas still runs deep among the Anglo Indian community in Jatni. “On the surface, it may look like the celebration is lacking something, but the enthusiasm among those staying in the area is still same.”

So what does Jatni signify to him? “It means the world to me,” pat comes the reply. “I had everything in Maldives, but I left it all to come back to my roots. I could have settled anywhere in the world, but I chose to come back to my home. It is a place where everybody knows each other because it is a small railway colony. As children, we would get together every morning and play games like cricket and badminton among others. Everyone knew the children and we also knew all the people around here. Sadly, I won’t be able to say this about my children. Rapid urbanization and the mobile phone have limited genuine human interactions. We are losing concern for each other,” he rues.

Sharing about his father, Stafford recalls: “My dad was in the railway’s electrical department. He retired as OAS and has the record of working in the same office for 40 years. He was never transferred and went up the ranks in the same office. He really lived his life in that one room of the office chamber.”

Wilfred Redden, president of the Anglo Indian Community of Odisha,is another old timer who laments the loss of glorious Christmas time in the past. “I would say the charm of celebrating Christmas in Jatni has deteriorated by 70 percent. The participation of people has become less and the thrill has gone down. The wait for Christmas is over. But the fervour for the religious part and special prayers are still the same,” he says.

Asked for the reasons for the ‘downfall’, Wilfred replies, “This could be due to lack of community thinking and government support. We are non-political and we never go to meet the chief minister or any other official. It’s unfortunate that we don’t have an Anglo Indian representative in the Assembly. We are now like a lost community. Earlier, over 500 Anglo Indians used to live in Jatni, but now there are only 50 to 60 of us residing here.”

Wilfred,a veteran participant of Jatni’s Christmas festivities, further says, “Now, only 30-40 people gather for prayers, whereas earlier there used to be a huge crowd. If you have a crowd, only then you have enjoyment; you can’t be alone and dance alone. Now even though we try to give the best feeling to the participants, but the lack of crowd is a big dampener.”

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