Easter and Vishu are equally important in Siju Wilson’s house

It is a celebratory weekend in actor Siju Wilson’s house, with two important festivals falling just a day apart. As a Christian-Hindu couple, he and his wife, Sruthi, are celebrating Vishu and Easter with equal fervour, but it is also a special time for them, as it is their baby daughter’s first time participating in these festivals too.

Interestingly, Vishu coincided with Good Friday, a remembrance of Christ’s crucifixion, so they marked the day with a visit to the temple and church. “We started the day with going to the temple, so that Meher could get her sighting of Krishna, then we went to church. It is nice to be aware of all religions,” says the actor. While on Vishu the family enjoyed the traditional vegetarian sadya, on Easter, they will serve up some non-vegetarian delicacies.

Even in his youth, Siju used to celebrate Vishu and Onam with his neighbours, who were “like family”. “I spent quite a bit of my growing up years with a neighbouring family, and celebrated Hindu festivals with them, while they would come over for Easter and Christmas,” says the actor, who has a Rosshan Andrrews film coming up.

They couple are secular in their practices, including in picking the name Meher, which means blessings, for their daughter and are happy to expose her to both religions. “Of course, at 11 months, she is too young to understand much, but as she grows, we would like for her to be aware of what the different religions preach. We don’t want to say restrict her; and also, we don’t want to go focus rigidly on any one belief. We like to believe that all religions have one truth and basically, they provide us lessons on how to live meaningful, good lives,” says Siju.

And while, having an inter-religious household means double the celebrations, it is particularly fun for Meher he points out. “She gets new clothes for Vishu and for Easter, as well,” says Siju laughing.