Christmas 2024: How these Mumbai regional language-choirs showcase diversity

Mumbai is a cacophony of languages A fiveminute stroll through any railway station will introduce you to a thousand different words in diverse languages It is no surprise then that the season of joy in Mumbai is coloured with the harmony of different languagesSongs of migrantsAt St Paulrsquos Tamil Church on Clare Road in Byculla the language is part of its origins and the cityrsquos Founded in 1861 the church began as a simple prayer house for Tamil Hindustani and Konkani migrants coming to the port city of Bombay The arrival of Madrasbased missionaries in the late 1920s gave it the name of St Paulrsquos Tamil ChurchCurrent choir masterAsher Stephen began his journey with the congregation in 1974 as an organist Slowly progressing to bass singer he took over the choir last year ldquoThe worship and the service is also in Tamil as are the songs for the Nativity and Christmas celebrationsrdquo he tells us The music is a mix of traditional and Indian sounds ldquoWe do not alter the compositions in any way but you will find the influences in the humming and vocalsrdquo he points outYet like many regional choirs Stephen faces a new need to adapt ldquoMany of the new generation cannot read Tamil I do not blame them In Mumbai you hardly have the time In such cases we tend to use transliterations of the song to sing it phonetically As long as they are being sung the songs will live onrdquo he saysMembers of the St Francis Xavier Church choir in a rehearsalFrom the gaothansFor Raymond Creado it was language that drew him to the choir The choir master was among the founding members of the 50yearold Marathi choir at St Francis Xavier Church in Vile Parle West Having begun in 1974 the choir continues its tradition of singing Marathi missals book of prayersevery ChristmasldquoI was 16yearsold when the choir was set up Before that the songs were often sung in English and a little Latin Many of the older members from the gaothans would attend but would hardly understand anythingrdquo shares Creado who traces his roots to the Pond gaothan in Vile ParleThis changed with the initiative With songs written by Fr Hillary Fernandes the choir started out in 1974 Sung simply like bhajans these songs were written in pure Marathi mdash different from the lsquoboli bhasharsquo that had an influence of East Indian and Koli dialects says Creado The music also has elements of taal similar to Hindustani folk music traditionsRaymond Creado a Marathi hymnal choir bookThings are changing though With the next generation educated in English medium schools and moving abroad Creado admits the songs need protecting ldquoWe still have a strong choir that performs and has won multiple awards But we are training and helping the children learn these songs After all they are a part of our legacy and heritagerdquo he saysThe coastal influenceAcross the neighbourhood at the CNI Ambroli Church Vile Parle Cecil Phillips shares a similar story ldquoI have been a part of the choir since my childhood I grew up in Mahim and later Vile Parle I learnt the songs from my father and he learnt them from hisrdquo shares Phillips now a resident of Chennai Describing the choirrsquos traditional roots the 55yearold adds ldquoWe have a song book of 500 hymns called bhajans that are almost 150 years old In Gujarati the hymnal book is called the bhajan sangrahardquoCecil PhillipsThis compilation has been enriched by works of Indians and foreigners as well ldquoIn the 18th century JVS Taylor was one of the influential scholars who translated songs from English to Gujarati Others like Jaywantiben Chavan have since added to itrdquoldquoWe have translated versions of the English carols like Joy To The World and Silent Night The composition and scales remain the same Then there are Gujarati songs that are traditional Garbatype songs written for Christmas One other song is lsquoAlaame aaj ugyo soneri surajrsquo praising the birth of Christ This song is in Indian classical formrdquo he revealsThe Ambroli choir in rehearsalWith a new generation on the move is there a worry for the tradition Not at all says Philips ldquoThe tradition is 120 years old and the Gujarat Diocese and Tract and Book Society of India publish these hymnals Now there are a lot of audio cassettes as well so the tradition will carry onrdquoFrom the gullies of Grant RoadOne rare institution for the Gujarati Christian community in the city is the Centenary Hindustani Methodist Church in Grant Road ldquoThe community is spread across Mumbai and this church has been a key part of the Gujarat Diocese for several generationsrdquo remarks Phillips