"On the Wings of a Dream"
Annual Christmas Dinner - Hotel Trident, Mumbai- 22-12-09
1) On December 22nd 2009, at Hotel Trident, Regal Hall, the Indian Christian fraternity in Mumbai, spearheaded by its leading businessmen and professionals, hosted a spectacular Annual Christmas dinner to herald the onset of the festive Christmas celebrations with a simple yet meaningful theme - "Reach out. Spread the Happiness". The resplendent hall, among the best in India, was filled to capacity and the assorted gathering had a diverse mix of Christian businessmen, professionals, diplomats, leading socialites and page 3 celebrities, career bureaucrats and administrators, many of them with their spouses, besides the presence of pastors and religious leaders of the community to make the gathering a truly representative one. The function that preceded the dinner was fittingly presided over by the Honorable Governor of Maharashtra, Shri S. C. Jamir, an active practicing Christian and who also happens to be the Head of State of Maharashtra, one of the biggest and commercially one of the most important states in the country. The function had 4 official sponsors - St. Angelo's Computer Education, MCXSX - India's New Stock Exchange and probably one of the world's largest commodity exchange; Lawrence & Mayo - The country's largest and oldest and leading optical chain of stores for the past 132 years; and Pijikay Impex Private Limited - group of companies - a major import export conglomerate, especially in seafood exports and which is headed by Gul Kripalani, India's first Christian President of the Indian Merchant's Chamber, Mumbai in more than 107 years of its existence. More importantly, the dinner was a contributory affair supported by ICCC-International Christian chamber of Commerce, Maharashtra chapter; Dimensions, Forum of Christian Enterpreneurs and Professionals and CCCI - Christian Chamber of Commerce & Industry where members & their spouses ensured that the sponsors had their overwhelming support to make the evening a truly memorable one.
2) Among the unique features of this annual Christmas dinner and gathering were
(i) It was presided over by the Head of State of Maharashtra ,A Christian, Shri S.C. Jamir, and had top State Administrators and bureaucrats in attendance.
(ii) It had massive presence of diplomats and counsels of Christian states posted in Mumbai in attendance along with their spouses
(iii) it was a credible show of Christian unity - all major denominations represented in full strength.
(iv) it was a glittering show of the emergence of the nascent Christian businessmen and professionals in Mumbai, and more importantly a combined symphony of new found business confidence and aplomb, something not associated with the community.
(v) It was held in the very same Hotel Trident where last year massive damage done by the terrorists - it re emphasized that like the rest of Mumbaikars, Mumbai Christians too wanted to send the message that Mumbaikars will overcome everything, whatever the odds- a message that would have gladdened the hearts of Police Commissioner D Shivanandan, ex-Police Commissioner Ronnie Mendonca and other top police officials who graced the occasion.
(vi) it had an authentic Indian flair to the whole evening, something which was the real icing on the cake.
3) Longston Hughes once said "Hold fast to dreams, for if dreams die, life is a broken winged bird that cannot fly". The gala event, a proud occasion for all Christians present was the culmination of a vision and a dream of dedicated team of individuals led by Gul Kripalani, Agnelo Rajesh Athaide , Vivek Mendonca, Freddy Mendonca and others. It is on the wings of their dreams that this show of Christians resurgence and unity was made possible by their dedicated teams. Napoleon Hill, the famous Christian inspirational writer once said, " whatever the mind can conceive, and the heart can believe, the spirit will achieve" Four years back the first annual Christmas dinner where the State Administrators mingle with the Community was held in New Delhi, basically an interaction between MPs and Bureaucrats at Delhi with the Christian clergy and laity in New Delhi . Shri Gul Kripalani then resolved to have a similar function in Mumbai and two years back the first such annual Christmas dinner was held, albeit on a much smaller and less representative scale. Last year due to 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks the function was deferred. However, this year due to the combined team effort led primarily by the Four dedicated Christians as mentioned above and backed by the sponsors for the event as well as by the chambers of commerce mentioned in Para 1, this years event was by far the most graceful and spectacular annual Christmas dinner in India ever, and as an ex-bureaucrat I have attended quiet a few of them every year.
4) A brief profile of the core team that made this pioneering event possible
i) Shri Gul Kripalani, a devout yet most humble Christian, the first Christian head of the premier IMC (Indian Merchants Chamber) in its 107 years of existence, and head of many Indo-foreign Chambers of Commerce as well as head of the International Christian Chambers of Commerce. IMC is an apex Chamber of Trade, Commerce & Industry with over 3000 members & 225 affiliated association members reaching out to 250,000 businesses across India. Set up in 1907, IMC has glorious record of service to the business Community.
ii) Agnelorajesh N.Athaide is a first generation Christian Entrepreneur and Chairman and Managing Director of St. Angelos Computers Ltd, one of the largest and oldest computer education company in Mumbai having trained more than 2.5 lac students since 1993. He has begun his working life from the age of 13 when he used to work at a BINDI factory part time making rupees three a week by working 2 hours a day. During his 11 th and 12th standards at college, he started giving tuition to students from 8th stds to 10th standard earning Rs.1200 per month. From F.Y B.com, to T.Y.B.Com, he started selling suit pieces, shirt pieces, Venckys Chicken, cosmetics, perfumes etc. He represents the Christian saga of enterprise and the ability to soar on the wings of dream and the ability to make those dreams come true.
iii) Vivek Mendonsa is currently the Marketing Director of Lawrence & Mayo a 132 old Institution in India, having more than 55 Optical Retail Stores, 13 Instrument offices and heading team strength of over 850 people in 22 cities of our country. During his college years, he worked part-time going door to door filling up data forms & sheets earning between Rs.2.50/- Rs 10/- per form. As marketing director of one of the oldest surviving Christian firms in India he put his marketing skills to great effect to ensure that every thing went smoothly, especially the preparations for the event.
iv) Freddy Mendonca the co-founder of Dimension lives by his dream his mission to network the Christian community over the past four years through the forum of Dimensions one of the three Chambers who supported the event. He started work at the age of 16 as an apprentice in hotel Taj and after a ten year stint in Saudi has tried endlessly to bind the professionals and businessmen of our " Individually rich but collectively poor" Christian community.
5) A brief recap of the highlights of the events of the evening. The Regal Hall packed to capacity had the privilege of seeing the evening start off with excellent carols sung by the first Choir in attendance-. The Church at Powai . His Excellency, Cardinal Oswald Gracias, Arch Bishop of Mumbai and the senior most catholic religious head in the country lit the traditional lamp and gave the opening address and prayer to start the function. His presence through out the function despite his frail health condition showed how much the theme of Christian unity and need for interaction with the state authorities meant to him. The head of the global catholic church , Pope Benedict XVI - said in his Christmas message, "Christmas isn't a fable for kids. It is the answer from God to the drama of humanity". Cardinal Gracias brief speech reemphasized the human element of Christmas and said that it is nothing but a season to strive for peace harmony and unity, especially in this challenging times in our country . The address of the chief guest of evening his Excellency Shri S.C. Jamir ,a practicing staunch Christian, was the highlight of the evening. It was probably the best homily given by a Christian lay person that I ever heard. Briefly he described that the season of Christmas has three components. It is summarized by the lines of the Christmas of famous Christmas carol which is a rendition of the famous verse of the gospel (Luke 2:14) " Glory to God in the highest, and peace on earth to people who enjoy his goodwill !" hence the first component of Christmas is glory to God for sending his son to redeem man kind; The second component is that it is the season to bring on earth not just during Christmas but always right through the year. As one who was the architect of the Naga peace accord that brought the Christians of North east India into the national main stream and who is a major political stalwart since the times of Nehru, and who was Chief Minister of Nagaland for four terms ,he truly has lived the second component of the message of Christmas that he so eloquently brought home to the audience. My fellow Christian bureaucrats from the north east treat the Governor with as much regard and reverence, as the rest of the nation treats Mahatma Gandhi, and rightly so. The third and equally important eternal message of Christmas according to the Governor is to bring goodwill to all men by a spirit of love ,charity and service. By serving the poor and needy you will be celebrating the message not just this week but for all days , all weeks of the year.
Another highlight of the evening was the second half of the show which had songs and carols in Hindi the national language and which had the theme of praying both for the country and the Christian community in India. One of India's most popular play back singers during my youth, who gave up his bollywood and other career options to sing only for Jesus, Shri Vijay Benedict enthralled the audience by singing impromptu melodious numbers extolling both love for Jesus and love for India. Especially wonderful were the numbers pray for India and his other popular number -Is Desh Ko Rakna Sambhal Ke - and as they say like wine, Benedict has become a much better singer even as age catches him by. There were the usual competent comperes, the address by Sponsors and co-organizers as well as carols by the other group - The All Saints Choir, and songs in hindi and English by other performers. Due to paucity of space not much can be written about the excellent presentations. The evening ended with the resolve to make the forth coming International Christian Chambers of Commerce - Dimensions Global Meet to be held on 22nd and 23rd January, 2010 at hotel Trident, Mumbai as an event to send the message that the Indian Christian business community has now to truly strive not just to reach out nationally but truly make it a global meet. If the annual dinner was any indication then it is but foregone conclusion that this global aspiration will ride on the wings of the dream of Gul Kripalani, Agnelo Rajesh, Vivek Mendonca, Freddy Mendonca and others, supported ably by all leading Christian business and some secular organizations. The evening ended with a repeat of the carol "O Holy Night" by the graceful Natasha, at the request of the Chief Guest, the Governor of Maharashtra. There after the function ended and the guests inter mingled and networked during the dinner. I end with a quote of Mrs Grace Pinto the pioneering educationist entrepreneur of our community-a quote put up by Ryan international Group of Institution - "Christmas is tenderness for the past, courage for the present ,and hope for the future" our missionaries have shown their tenderness in the past. The victims of recent communal attacks have shown their courage for the present. Our Christian businessmen and professional bring us hope for the future. Amen.
( The writer of this article is a Mumbaikar, and a former Indian bureaucrat with two decades of service. Since past few years he is corporate consultant to many leading companies all over India)
BY Stevan L. D' Souza