It’s unfortunate that the tradition of putting up a Christmas tree has far surpassed the practice of laying out a crib for the babe in manger. Which is surprising because the very point of celebrating December 25 is the birth of Jesus. Perhaps the variant sizes of X’mas trees, easy portability and the fact that they come in colours such as pink and white with branches that light up at the tip, has something to do with their holiday appeal. Sadly, there are some shops that don’t even sell cribs, forget customised ones with creative features. But Kotturpuram resident C A John has made a hobby out of creating a different kind of crib every year. Nothing commercial, but just a personal sense of creation to contribute to the Christmas spirit. He doesn’t know it yet, but in his own way this father of two is bringing ‘the crib’ back into fashion.
Stepping into his modest apartment, his latest work of art is the first thing you see. Standing at over five feet tall, the crib is themed to look like a burning candle, complete with its flame lightly flickering in the breeze. “The burning candle is supposed to be a metaphor for ‘light of the world,’” says John proudly. He adds, “I’ve used plaster of paris over a white cloth to get the effect of wax dripping down,” says John proudly. There is a generous crevice of manger space burrowed into the upper portion of the candle for statuettes of Mary, Joseph, and the three wise men, all placed around the baby Jesus. In fact, looking closer, one can even spot the donkey that carried Mary to the manger resting inside. “And for the flame,” he points out with enthusiasm, “I’ve painted on a chart paper and put a layer of soft sponge in the centre, so that the flickering bulb inside can be seen.” The whole process took several long nights to complete, admits this handy craftsman.
Ironically, John has no trained background in the arts. When he hands over his business card, it’s quite a surprise to find out that he’s actually an administrator in an engineering construction company. “But I’ve been making art with waste materials for as long as I can remember,” he tells this reporter, as we settle down to sponge cake and homemade plantain wine. Apparently his penchant for crib making has been going on for the last six years. “I wanted to do something with nature the first time, so I created a crib that resembled a hummingbird’s nest,” he recalls excitedly. A moment later, he shouts out to his daughter to dig out their photo album for a better view of all his cribs made so far. It turns out there’s also been a ‘lotus’ crib floating on a pond of marshy green ‘Pothys’ covers, a House Boat made of sugarcane husk, an upright bamboo log crib (leftover thick paper roll) and even a realistic looking tree trunk!
So why cribs? “Oh, Christmas trees and stars are too common,” the crib maker responds immediately. “Also, I’m the only one who does it,” he smiles. Plus he quickly he adds, “I keep my ideas top secret until the first week of December when it is ready. Even my daughter never knows what I’m up to until it is complete.” When asked if he has plans for Christmas crib 2013, plans are already underway, but John remains hush hush on the matter and politely offers us another glass of wine instead.