Hark, now hear! Hyderabadis sing of Christmas carols, cakes and cameraderie

O come all ye faithful...
joyful and triumphant
O come ye, O come ye
to

Bethlehem

...

When carolers come strumming their guitars and singing this chorus at the top of their voices, you know that Christmas is here. In fact, nothing else can ring in Christmas cheer quite like a lively carol singing session. Which is why, come December, Christians hang those brightly lit stars outside their homes, and wait eagerly to welcome the carol singers home. And they come for sure — no matter how cold or how late or, as is the case with all of us these days, how busy. And yet, the old timers of the Twin Cities can’t help but look back wistfully at the caroling days of yore when they talk about Christmas and carols today.
A good ol’ country Christmas...

“Ah, those were the days...” begins David Masilamani aka Jack Jigg, a graphic designer based in

Secunderabad

, his voice trailing off nostalgically. “I really wish I could go back in time. those days, there used to be a huge gang of us, filling up two vehicles, as we set out to go caroling. the younger ones would bring out their guitars, flutes and maracas and off we’d go to the households near Mettuguda and Lalaguda, hopping from one home to the other — mostly that of friends and friends of friends. And everyone welcomed us with warmth, and of course some cake and homemade wine,” he says.

Adding with a chuckle, David says, “Of course, some of the boys in the group would have their own hip flasks all stocked up. It was a happy, jolly activity that kept us busy right up to Christmas. Many relationships were kindled in the process — a guy from our carol singing group and a girl at whose house we used to perform have been married for 27 years now!” And have things changed a lot now? “Well, for one I hear of Telugu and Hindi carols. I like the traditional ones for sure, but it’s all part of evolution. The society changes, so do the carol singers and trends.”

Talking of change, Patricia Khimji, a resident of Yapral, admits that these days people are a lot more hard-pressed for time, thanks to the busy schedules and odd work hours. “Back in our time, even those who had offices to go to, would have just 9-5 jobs. If you were in school or college, even better as winter holidays were much longer than they’re now. So people really looked forward to this time of the year. When we went carolling, we had no deadlines. We used to sit around singing for as long as we
wanted to. And then, we’d stuff our faces with all the Christmas goodies the mothers of the houses would feed us. It was so much fun,” says Patricia.

WHEN CAROLING WAS AN ALL-NIGHT AFFAIR
“Kids these days try, but you can’t blame them for not being able to go all out. They all work such long and odd hours, and by the time they’re back home they have no energy left to do anything. Carol singing now happens as per strict schedules, with the time and day decided well in advance to fit everyone’s schedules. That robs some of the magic and spontaneity that carolers usually had. Earlier, a carolling group would stop at any house with a star hanging outside and start singing. Even if it was 2 am or 3 am, people came out, bleary-eyed but with big smiles. Try that now, with your gated communities and security guards and you’ll get booted out,” says Kenny D’Sa, a Secunderabad resident.

Admittedly, carol singing used to be an al-night affair, with the singers rarely worrying about sleep. city based musician Micheal Makhal recalls, “Christmas time for us was a time we stood for each other. Every household had children who weren’t home for the festival, people who were unwell or a handful of those who weren’t happy professionally. But when the carol singers came home singing of peace and joy, people forgot their problems and sang along. We were a large group of youngsters, and we’d go singing from home to home, shivering in cold, yet strumming our guitars and playing the violins. Sometimes this went on for three consecutive nights, with barely any sleep. Vehicles were a luxury back then, but we enjoyed walking for many kilometres, savouring the cakes and the candies that people used to gift us. But no one complained.”

Rachel Chatterjee, a retired IAS officer and a member of the ‘Festival Choristers’ group, agrees. “Carol singing was always about sharing joy and camaraderie; it was a time when strangers become friends and bonded over small eats and drinks. We didn’t mind not sleeping for a couple of nights. We were always asked if we would be home for a few hours before the group started and we always said ‘yes’. The groups used to get delayed at times, but the wait wasn’t a big deal. We always kept our doors open. The carols always ended with us sharing a slice of the

Christmas cake

. Work was an integral part of our lives then too, but we never had to ‘make time’ for a carol party,” she says.

CHANGED, BUT STILL ALIVEAruna Bahuguna, retired IPS officer, however, believes the tradition is still very much alive and kicking and she’s grateful for it. “This tradition has always been a harbinger of peace and brotherhood and continues to be so, albeit in a different form. I recollect several carol groups going on bikes and playing music across Christian households. Though the number of such groups who make the effort to sustain this tradition has definitely come down, the practice hasn’t disappeared, and I am grateful for that,” Aruna opines. Sharon Paul remembers carolers coming home in tempos and trucks, decked up with lights and stars. “now of course, people live in apartments, so you can’t just ride up anywhere on a truck! things have toned down a wee bit as a result. But if you drive down to the outskirts, you will find this tradition alive. Carols are in a bhajan-like style, where they carry lanterns in their hands and go around singing,
ushering in a lot of happiness.”