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Colourful vignettes to adorn Pope's High Mass

Suhasini Haidar in New Delhi

Adarsh Alphons may be young in years (he's only fourteen), but he has already achieved what distinguished artists more than double his age would be proud of. Adarsh has painted a mega-size oil painting that will serve as the backdrop to the Pope when he celebrates Holy Mass in New Delhi this Sunday.

Adarsh's painting, called 'Bharat's Golden Hands' shows two beautiful hands joined together in greeting. According to this young artist, his work depicts "the goodness of human beings." Three years ago, Adarsh created 'Mother's Golden Hands', a painting about Mother Teresa's hands, which according to him were responsible for her good work.

His latest work, painted especially for Pope John Paul II's trip this weekend, took him close to a month to create. The hands in the painting are set against a background of orange, white and green; colours from the Indian flag. "I am an Indian and a Christian myself, " says young Alphons, "and I wanted to show how Christianity is part of India." Serious words for a teenager, but then Adarsh takes his paintings quite seriously. In fact, he intends to make art his career.

Adarsh is just one among many who are trying to express their emotions about the Papal visit. On the Pope's agenda is the concluding meeting of the Assembly of Asian Bishops (the Asian Synod), a massive celebration of Papal High Mass, and a meeting with the leaders of various faiths in India.

Equally excited about his work for the Pope is Neehar Raina, a Delhi-based architect, who has designed and executed the altar and dais for the Mass to be held at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium. Raina's brief was exceptionally difficult, as he had to make the Pope visible to the entire stadium of an expected 70,000 people as he addresses the Mass. The dais has been designed in the shape of a cross, and will seat all the bishops who will be in Delhi for the conclusion of the Asian Synod. Unlike young Alphons, Raina is actually Hindu, but he says that that fact makes no difference to his eagerness to work on the design of the dais.

Raina's design is almost poetic. He has positioned an installation, depicting two praying hands crowned with a cross, so that the Pope will enter the dais from below by a special lift, and will "emerge from between the folded hands."

Also preparing for the Pope's Eucharistic service on Sunday is Jacqueline Joyce, a noted Bharat Natyam danseuse who trained under Yamini Krishnamurthi. Jackie, as she likes to be called, danced a solo piece for the Pope on his last visit to India in 1986. This time, she has choreographed a welcome for him, which will be performed by a talented group of young girls from Delhi's Jesus and Mary College. The dancers will lead the cardinals up to the dais before Mass.

Jackie is especially keen to explain that the piece refers to Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights which falls on the same day as the Mass. "We would like to give the Holy Father a special welcome for Diwali, which is celebrated by all Indians irrespective of religion," she says.

According to the Archbishop of Delhi and president of the Catholic Bishops Conference of India, Alan de Lastic, almost 500 volunteers and officials will be involved in the organisation of the Papal visit this weekend.

Security arrangements are extremely tight in the capital, in the light of recent protests against the Pope. Already, policeman are guarding all the venues for events during the Pope's trip, including the Sacred Heart Cathedral where the Synod will be held, and Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, the venue for the Holy Mass on Sunday.

EXTERNAL LINK:

India on guard for Pope's visit

The Pope's Visit

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