The youth at work at the Our Lady of Rosary Church at Dockyard Road. This years theme is how the birth of Jesus brings peace on Earth and goodwill to men

Twenty-three-year-ols Melroy Rebello, who works in the hospitality industry in Worli, is one of the older ones and an experienced hand at this annual exercise. “Every year we try to do something different,” he says, “This year, our theme is Jesus bringing peace in the time of war. Things are a bit unfinished as of now but the vision is that we will have a curtain at one end, tearing through it will be an angel and behind him will be the nativity scene.” It is said that archangel Gabriel was visible to the faithful when Christ was born.

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The manger—a water trough for farm animals to drink out of— will be placed inside a framework made of bamboo with a roof made of hay. The last element was found by the group in the godowns at Reay Road, and will also become the bedding for baby Jesus, 25-year-old Ben Carvalho tells us. He has been helping with the nativity scene for the son of God for seven years. “Baby Jesus will be placed on the stack of hay after he is blessed by the Father during Christmas mass,” he says.

The scene is built with a mix of cardboard boxes, bamboo, wood and hay and provides the youth important social skills like working together in a team

In the background, on the holy family’s right, is a mountain made of stacked cardboard boxes fused with PoP and finished with wet soil—it will look like the mountains the three wise men are said to have journeyed across for months after seeing a new star appear mysteriously in the sky. The men, who were kings of different provinces, were told by astronomers the new star heralded a significant event—at the end of their passage, at the humble manger, they understood the magnitude of the sign.  

It was Charlene D’cruz and Rianna Fernandes’s idea to add small handmade huts and smooth rocks collected from construction sites and leftover debris along the route that the wise men and shepherds took to the stable. The Bible tells us that heavily pregnant Mary and Joseph did not find a place to stay for the night as the Roman Empire was conducting a census at the time, and had to settle for a manger. “We thought that the path leading up to the stable should have some connection to the people who come to see the tableau,” says Fernandes, who is in Class 11 (Science) at St. Xavier’s College. 

Melvita Gonsalves, Ben Carvalho, Swigger Dias, Melroy Rebello, Charlene D’cruz, Sister Florina Joseph and Rianna Fernandes

Her partner in crime is childhood friend D’cruz, a shy, barely-audible fellow 16-year-old.  “We thought the huts would add a good touch because there were shepherds who also went to the stable on Christmas day,” adds the fellow Xaverite. As we spoke, someone observed that the bamboo enclosure meant to house baby Jesus needed more holding down, and the air buzzed with suggestions and counter-actions.

Meanwhile, on the left, Swigger Dias was prepping the waterfall for its first test-run. “The water will fall over two levels into the pond and be pumped back up to the higher level,” he says. When we ask him why he spends his weekends unlike most 18-year-olds, he responds with a disarming smile, “Doing something with my hands makes me feel good. When I finish here, I walk away feeling like I have accomplished something.”

Working with him is 25-year-old software engineer Melvita Gonsalves, who has the bearing of a church kid gone corporate. “I have been trying to find the time to come and help around,” she says, “but haven’t been able to do as much as I would have liked. My managers have been kind enough to give me some time here and there… That’s why I am here today. This confidence-building activity teaches us how to work in a team. After I joined the workforce, I realised how essential these skills are in navigating life in general.”

As the night dips, Sister Florina Joseph—who has been supervising the merry bunch—takes stock of the work. “It has to be good to go by the 23rd (of December) latest since most of these kids will get too busy celebrating with family,” she says. “We are very proud of the work they do every year. Since we face the road, many people from different communities in the area come by for a visit and tell us what they like about that year’s tableau.”

After a quick team meeting, the group begins to disperse. Carvalho, a video editor, hops on his scooter; Gonsalves calls out to him, “Are you going home?” He nods and she rides pillion. Off go the manger kids as the evening mass begins, and Father’s voice floats out…