Anna and I felt carried to the history of culture, attire, life style and social practices of tribal communities as we witnessed an annual cultural event of an institution. It was an afternoon of recollections, choral singing, dance, drama and narrations of the yester years.
The distinctiveness of each tribe with its habits and rituals enacted in the stage, created a feeling of diversity existing in an ambience of cohesion and harmony!
Life is in formation. That was evident, in the way the staff and students of the institution from multiple tribal backgrounds, whose tribal heritages carried hostility towards each other for decades, displayed the process of evolving integration and fraternity! The fellowship of partnership and collaboration between tribal groups was well symbolised in the life of the institution which is in its 18th year.
This voice of this togetherness is a strong counter to the President of the United States of America, the premiers of Russia and Israel and few other countries who bring into democratic politics, issues of ethnicity, nationality, religion and territorial control for domination and authoritarianism.
What amazed Anna and me was the diverse colours and patterns of the attire they wore! The variety filled the air; the cordiality and camaraderie brought togetherness and fraternity !
Life in that sense is in transformation. The past is the bedrock of the history of their formative journey and the present is an explicit expression of how their journey as different tribal groups is leading them to embrace each other as fellow travellers for a common destiny of purpose and fulfilment.
What Anna and I heard, while sitting along with the staff and students of the institution, was the choral singing of graceful invitation to feel loved by God who heals and reconciles all of us to grow in belonging!
M.C.Mathew(text and photo)
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