Few countries celebrate religious and cultural festivals with greater passion, imagination and joy than India. And among the many festivals of this gloriously diverse, multicultural nation is Christmas—the night that Jesus came to earth, bringing with him the all-embracing ‘fragrance of Love’. The Christian communities of India celebrate the birth of Christ with food, music, lights, prayer, family gatherings, charity and other age-old traditions, some of which have evolved over almost two millennia. And for centuries, other communities have also participated in the celebration of this Indian festival—its cheer and spirit of love as resilient, even in times of division, as India itself. At our Online Talk #NatalMubarak, author Madhulika Liddle captures the distinctive magic of Christmas in India and how we, as a country, have made this festival our very own.

About the speaker

Madhulika Liddle is a novelist and award-winning short story writer. She is known mostly for writing historical fiction, including the Muzaffar Jang series, about a 17th century Mughal detective; and the recently-begun The Delhi Quartet, a four-novel series spanning 800 years of Delhi’s history. Madhulika’s latest novel, The Pledge: Adventures to Sada, written in collaboration with Kannan Iyer, is a fantasy adventure. She has also edited and introduced, along with Jerry Pinto, the anthology, Indian Christmas: Essays, Memories, Hymns, which showcases the variety of Christmas celebrations across the country.