Parishioners upset with students for damaging crib
Std X students of St Andrew's School in Bandra vandalised it on the last
day of school
Manoj R Nair
After a crib installed at the school and college attached to St Andrew's
School in Bandra was vandalised by standard X students during the
weekend, parishioners of the church are distraught at the thought that
students could indulge in such vandalism.
The crib is put up during Christmas and remains there till January 9,
the first Sunday after Epiphany, an important day in the Christian
religious calendar. On the last day of school for standard X, the
students apparently damaged it on their way home. The church and the
school are a little away from each other and the crib that was damaged
was set up near the chapel in the school and college compound. After the
incident, parents of the students were called to the school and informed
about it. "They (parents) are quite broadminded and were surprised that
the children could do this," said father Magi Murzello, principal of the
school.
A member of the church who asked not to be named, given the sensitivity
of the issue, said, "I am depressed to hear about it. Students who have
spent so many years in the school should show more respect." Another
said, "As far I remember, the crib has been a regular feature at our
church. It is kept out and is left unguarded." The local people,
according to the member, have a lot of reverence for the religious
festivals. "I do not think that anyone will wantonly damage it."
Murzello said that the school did not want to take the incident
seriously, especially since the students involved belonged to another
religious group. "Students, especially those from standard X, in many
schools are known to damage school property during the last day of
school," he said. "Usually they damage furniture, but in this case, it
happened to be the crib outside the school. We do not want to make an
issue out of it since it is a sensitive topic. But many people are upset
by the behaviour of the students."
Anil Joseph, said that the students needed counseling. "The incident
shows how the politics of hate is being imbibed by our students," Joseph
said. "It is shocking and I believe that steps should be taken by the
education department to introduce instructions in religious harmony in
schools."
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