The Christmas lunch was served quite late, 4 pm to be precise. The rice was coarse, the chicken curry ordinary, the dal nothing special, and there were no Christmas cakes to savour. There was also an unmistakable stench of human excreta which even the bleaching powder could not overpower. But after a long time, on Christmas Day, cheer came to the relief camp in K Nuagaon block of Kandhamal. And, as the day passed off without an incident, the hope that life may once again be normal.

A smile played on the lips of Kayana Digal, a 25-year-old marginal farmer, as she walked around holding two-year-old daughter Lakhi in his laps.

In normal times, Digal would have been been enjoying a sumptuous fare of mutton curry and pancakes. But today he was just thankful for the white and red dress for his kid and the shirt and dhoti for him given by the administration. “Last year we could not celebrate Christmas as riots broke out. This year I was not sure until a few days back if we could celebrate it. But today I am sure peace would come to our life soon,” said Digal.

Christmas was observed in 60-odd churches and four relief camps in the district. At the K Nuagaon relief camp, 400 more people joined the 1,800 living there for the Wednesday night midnight mass and Thursday’s Christmas prayers inside a huge canvas tent, led by Pastor Prabodh Digal.

The CRPF, Rapid Action Police and Orissa State Armed Police had thrown a massive security ring in Kandhamal to prevent any untoward incident.

... contd.