South Mumbai group hits the high notes, together

The carollers light up Silent Night with electric candles

A country that sings together, stays together, believes a south Mumbai group of inter-faith carollers. The 21-strong choir, drawn primarily from Colaba, spreads Christmas cheer along with communal harmony. They have Hindus and Parsis too as part of the ‘Interfaith Colaba Carollers Choir'. They will be giving a performance as part of a Christmas Gala tomorrow evening, at Somani Park, Cuffe Parade.

An inspiration

Joannette Remedios said of the inter-faith carollers, "This, I think is inspirational as it proves on ground initiatives undertaken by ordinary people can set an example in unity, and inter-faith understanding. We do not need grandiose speeches and promises to combat the seeds of division, sowed sporadically. These events show we are one at heart. The power of music binds us. We, as a group, look for commitment and dedication to attend daily practice, despite heavy work schedules. Yeh dosti hum nahi todenge (we will not break this friendship)."

The choir, which has two youngsters, and one male, who is a civil engineer, concurs that with different faiths, daily practice times become lessons in learning about each other's cultures and cuisine. "Some of us will bring a delicacy unique to one's community, to be shared post-practice. In this way there is fellowship through food and music," they stated.

Cynthia D'Mello, part of the carollers, said, "Our carol performances are non-ticketed, for free. We just want people to experience the joy of this celebration and prove that when people come together, they forge a strength that nobody can break."

One voice

Bella Shah, a Hindu, and Colaba resident is part of the carollers, said, "I term this a community event or initiative. We sang at the Bombay Gymkhana Club recently, then we have the Park performance on Friday and we are also going to sing at the Cricket Club of India (CCI) shortly. We are spreading cheer, and we need that, given the challenging times we are in. It sends out a message about solidarity, as when we sing, there is no division like: Hindu, Muslim, Christian… it is about the spirit and staying true to the score of the music."

Binaifer Hadvaid, a Parsi from Colaba and part of the carollers, said, "The joy and unity is palpable. We inadvertently and by fortunate fallout of this singing, communicate to our audience as we perform at public spaces and in clubs, about the power of one through inter-faith participation. My daughter is the videographer for the group."

Practice perfect

Veena Nathani who is a Sindhi said, "It is simple. We all love music and we love to sing. This is a sign of respecting differences and celebrating them. Our practice sessions are a window to our one for all and all for one philosophy. Those sessions are both hard work and a real party."

The carollers are all masked even through the songs following COVID-19 protocol. "It is more difficult of course, especially when one hits the high notes, but practice makes us, we hope, pretty close to perfect," Nathani said. There is another kind of practice, this inter-faith caroller choir, supported by Colaba Advance Locality Management (CALM) and My Dream Colaba (MDC) and the area corporators the Narwekars, does; which is practice what it preaches. "There is a lot of feel and sound good talk about harmony. Yet, it hits home only when you practice what you preach," they sign off.