Christmas stars light up Hindu temples in Margao

MARGAO: Even as church bells rang in the liturgical celebrations to mark Christmas, the sparkling star, signaling the birth of Jesus Christ, lit up a few Hindu temples in the commercial town of Margao. The stars also found a place atop verandas and roofs of apartments and homes of dozens of Hindus in the city. Thanks to the activeinvolvement of a group of citizens at the helm of cultural affairs in the town,this unique experiment has successfully conveyed the message of love, toleranceand brotherhood akin to the celebration of Christmas.An initiativeof Ravindra Bhavan, Margao, dozens of stars were made available to Hindusinterested in displaying the same at temples and homes, well ahead of Christmas.Confirming this, Ravindra Bhavan vice president Sridhar Kamat told TOI onThursday that some Hindu shrines in Margao had shown interest in displaying thestar. "They collected stars from us for the purpose. There are more requestscoming in from all quarters. This shows the enthusiasm of people from all faithsto showcase goodwill and greetings. After all, Christmas is a celebration ofhumanity and mankind," said Kamat.