Idinthakarai:
Black flags have given way to shining stars in Idinthakarai village this Christmas season.
The Christian-dominated fishing hamlet in Tirunelveli district that has become the cynosure of all eyes following the anti-Koodankulam agitation have given a complete miss to the customary festoons and have instead erected black flags atop their houses, boats and on roads.
"Normally the youth of the village gather here through the day to light firecrackers every Christmas. But this year, the local parish has requested people not to light fire crackers here to protect the pandal," says Peter Milton, a local leader in the forefront of the agitation, at the sprawling grounds in front of the church, where the weather-beaten shamiana still stands.
It was there the protests started 131 days ago (as a board there says on Saturday) and a relay fast is on for the 68th day. Though people from the nearby villages have taken a break from the protests, Idinthakarai women are unrelenting. "Tomorrow there will be no biriyani and meat, the usual dishes that we prepare for Christmas," says Mildred, a housewife.
"On Christmas day, we will go to the shore for a picnic. The place where the nuclear reactors now stand was a spot for us to have the outing once upon a time," says Chellamal, a 50-year-old.
Without any illumination and stars and the usual nativity crib, the 100-year-old church stands a metaphor of the villagers' mood - no festivities and no revelry.