Occupation: Runs a church stall
St. Antony is considered the patron of Tuesdays and that’s why there’s such a rush of the faithful today. People of all faiths come here to St. Joseph’s Metropolitan Cathedral in Palayam a.k.a. Palayam church to pray and light candles in front of St. Antony’s statue outside the church and inside, in front of the altar too. Most of the faithful buy the candles from my shop inside the church. Business is equally brisk on Fridays, in addition to Sundays.
As you can see, I also sell all manner of Christian memorabilia in the cathedral’s store, officially St. Joseph’s Stall. This includes Bibles, framed pictures of Jesus Christ, rosaries in many colours, candle stands, key chains, car ornaments, shalom books, magazines, Novena in Malayalam and English, devotional calendars, CDs and DVDs... The best-sellers are the candles, which I source from Thrissur and from Pravachambalam - the centre of candle production in the district. A lot of people also buy the Novena. Do you see that picture of Jesus Christ, with the scared heart? It’s tradition among the faithful to hang it on the walls first of their newly-built homes. I’ve stopped selling statues of Christ because I’m no longer able to get good quality ones. The same goes for the X’Mas pulkoodu (crib) sets. Not to worry. Every year, a couple of roadside vendors set up shops selling customised pulkkoodu adjacent to the cathedral. They are quite good.
I inherited the business from my father, Innocent Miranda, who in turn inherited from his father, Marian Manuel Rodrigo. My grandfather was member of the Legion of Mary (an international association of the faithful of the Catholic Church, who serve it on a voluntary basis) and he was tasked with running this store on behalf of the church. I’m a Chemistry graduate and used to work in the hospitality industry in Delhi. I quit and came back home to take over the business in 1990 when my father passed away. In lieu of rent, my grandfather and father used to make donations to the church. Now, I lease the space. Until six years ago, before the main road was widened, my store had roadside access. Now, it’s in the secluded front-left corner of the cathedral compound.
It’s a stress-free job. I make enough profit for my family of three, including my wife, Seline Jayanthi, a teacher, and my daughter, Anika Miranda, a plus two student, to lead a happy, comfortable life. I am a content man.
(A weekly column on men and women who make Thiruvananthapuram what it is)
