Angel Rangers spread some Christmas cheer in neighbourhoods across the city
Dressed in cheery red, the Angel Rangers, a group of bosom friends in Sector 46 are enjoying the bustle of the season. The Christmas cake batter and gooey chocolate have to be attended to; in another corner, a cluster of their friends are busy giving final touches to the miniature Christmas tree, laden with faux mistletoe and holly, all of them painstakingly made from recycled cloth and paper. It’s difficult to imagine that the age curve of this group range from four to 14.
“We call it ‘The Festival of Life’ and it’s an attempt to usher in Christmas and New Year with a renewed spirit of love and understanding,” smiles Theresa Michael, an educationist and PR professional, who has conceptualised it for the kids, who form the Angel Rangers. “Christmas is not only about shopping and spending money. The idea is to get together with family, friends, neighbours and feel and celebrate the moment,” adds the 40-year-old.
In the spirit of community celebration, the kids of Angel Rangers get together to sing carols, dance, perform dramas at people’s homes. The little money they earn comes from baking cakes, making chocolates and Christmas decorations and selling them to patrons. “We’ve got a resounding response, and it’s all been through word-of-mouth, with people inviting us to their homes,” she adds.
Theresa lists out the various themes that they have planned out for this year— peace walks, candle ceremony, love thy neighbour, which has the whole community participating, The initiative has got people of varied communities together and has given the children a lot of new things to learn— be it art, singing, playing the keyboard, cooking and brushing up their English skills too. “We follow the KISS Rule — Keep It Simple and Sweet and involve children of all age groups and strata in our celebrations. As there is a huge shortage of Santas in the city, our children strive to fill the gap too,” says Theresa, pointing at a youngster dressed as Santa Claus.
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