The Chaos Within - A Normal Christmas

Today was the Sahara Christmas party.

We took a ‘six-seater’ rickshaw to Wagholi.

Paul, Morgan, Rachel (down from Canada) and Hans in a six seater that generally packs in at least eight. We sat on our imagination.

A few weeks ago when Paul and I took a six-seater for the Sahara Diwali party we ended up discussing about how normal it was for us to take a six-seater and trundle off towards a care home on the outskirts of Pune for HIV+ people, to eat dinner with them and have a laugh.

How did this happen?

Empty question really… it just did.

It was normal… it was also normal for us to be booted from the rickshaw and forced to walk the rest of the way dodging fire crackers and rockets that came at us from every direction… or so it felt like at the time.

It was normal today to rock up at Sahara and see the clients all gathered in the forecourt, and to observe the Sahara team take some time off to play carom. We played carom too as we waited for Santa to arrive. He did. A care worker in a red Santa suit with a white beard – not a simple cotton wool job either – wig and pillow tied firmly around him to allow for the rotund Santa vibe.

We sang carols; words lost in recesses we didn’t know existed found their way back to be sung. The ‘professional’ choir from St. Patrick’s led by Kim turned up and we amateurs stood back as the guitar began to pluck and the youth sang ‘Happy Birthday’ to Jesus. They went from room to room with Saba blowing soap bubbles that little Pratam in particular enjoyed chasing.

In the first room, the men’s ward, I watched a Sahara client near the end lie there as bubbles gently landed on him and disappeared… Sam the Sahara counsellor had already informed us that this guy was about to leave us. The other clients in the room enjoyed the music, the touch, the life that continued.

Outside in the forecourt we danced. We couldn’t help ourselves. As soon as Sanjay, one of my HIV+ clients who is partially paralysed struggled to his feet and began to move I was there with him, as was the rest of us dancing all afternoon.

It was normal.

Tomorrow evening is the DISHA Christmas party.

There will be more dancing as over 60 DISHA clients and their families come together to eat pizza and have fun. The kids in particular enjoy the music, but as our DISHA gathering have shown almost all of us present dance.

It is primeval na…

There will be no host of angels rejoicing at the birth of life… or will there be?

That is not an empty question… the angels will be there, and they will dance like they have danced before... all 60 something of them with their cherubs in tow.

It will be a normal Christmas.