Under the Bethlehem Star

ATNN:The Christmas Cantata of Calcutta Boys’ School unfolded on December 18 in an atmosphere of reverence and joy, celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ alongside the school’s 148 years of dedicated service under His guidance, beginning with a solemn call to worship seeking divine blessings for the institution and its community under the gracious leadership of Dr C Selvin, Bishop of the Lucknow Episcopal Area of the Methodist Church in India and Chairman of the CBS Group of Schools, in the presence of distinguished guests including MP Sudip Bandyopadhyay, MLAs Naina Bandyopadhyay, Manoj Tiwari and Swarna Kamal Saha, Mrs Lovely Shanti Selvin, President of the Regional Deaconesses Conference, Dr Maria Fernandes, Vice Chair of the West Bengal Forest Development Corporation, Mr Kaushik Saha, IAS, and Mr Gerry Arathoon, former CE&S, CISCE, who together ceremonially lit the Christmas tree as the school choir filled the hall with soulful renditions of First Noel and Born to Bring Us Joy, followed by evocative musical enactments of the Nativity by students from the Sonarpur, Beliaghata and Main campuses presenting Echoes of the Promise, The Promise Divine and Fulfilment of the Promise, spreading messages of hope, joy and sacrifice through the life of Christ, while Bishop Selvin reminded the gathering of God’s ever-present love and mercy, MP Sudip Bandyopadhyay spoke of Bengal’s inclusive cultural spirit reflected in the celebration, and Principal and Secretary Raja McGee highlighted the collective effort of the CBS group of schools in sharing the joy of Christmas beyond religious boundaries to promote harmony and peaceful coexistence, culminating in the singing of the CBS anthem, the sharing of light from the Christ Candle symbolising the spread of the Gospel, education and Christian values, and concluding with a fellowship dinner that brought together guests and the school community in the true spirit of Christmas.