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Warm winters and Christmas politics
Politics is the toast of the season; it’s the first Christmas after the end of the war against the Tamil Tigers and a month later, on January 26, the country will elect a President, reports Sutirtho Patranobis.
Like many cities on the sea, Colombo doesn’t get remotely cold, ever.
Unlike the New Delhi of December or January where my Bengali bones could furiously shiver under layers of clothing next to a bonfire, here in Colombo I can make do by wistfully looking at the dry-cleaned and plastic-wrapped jackets and sweaters; like parts of me shed with little remorse. Christmas might not be white but it is celebrated in a big way here.
The sense of celebration rivals the festivities around the Sinhala New Year in April, when the country shuts down for almost a week. Sort of a warm glow spreads across Colombo as Christmas approaches.
Streets are lit with twinkling Chinese lights, Christmas trees are put up outside shops with gifts hanging like fruits, shopping reaches a crescendo and shoppers reach exhaustion; it’s a carnival on the streets of the city. Pubs extend happy hours and casinos could make you feel luckier. Majestic City or MC is one of the main shopping malls in town.
Made in 1987 — yes, much before we in India knew about mall crawl — MC is a place where the young hang out, conservative Muslim families nibble at KFC and tourists pick up cheap DVDs.
This time for Christmas, a large orchestra ensemble is blasting carols in the middle of the mall as hired Santa Clauses work in shifts.
Politics is the toast of the season; it’s the first Christmas after the end of the war against the Tamil Tigers and a month later, on January 26, the country will elect a President.
So, President Mahinda Rajapaksa and Sarath Fonseka, the two powerful contenders, are omnipresent at every party and chitchat. At the occasional party I am invited, the conversation starts with: “so, who is India supporting?’’ I usually respond with a grim nod and an all-knowing silence. To which the response is “yes, yes, of course.’’
In this winter of political disaffection, I am not ready yet to hazard a comment.
