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One December morning, I clutched onto my brand new barbie in one hand, and held up a crisp white letter to my face with the other. It read:
Dear child, thank you for the milk and cookies. You’ve been good. Here’s what you wished for.
Love, Santa
I was nine back then and had pestered my parents into buying me a small Christmas tree and keep cookies and milk out for Santa in hopes of a gift. They had enthusiastically agreed. But as I stood there holding on to my gifts on that cold Christmas morning, a strange realization dawned upon me. The handwriting in the letter seemed strangely familiar. It was just like my father’s who looked at me from across the room hoping I hadn’t deciphered the situation. Sadly, I already had.
Being brought up in a traditional Hindu household, my interaction with Santa Claus in school functions, Christmas parties at clubs and other functions seemed magical, like a fantasy come true. Growing up, my definition of Santa Clause changed, but I never stopped believing in him. Perhaps the jolly old plum man in red, who chuckled Ho Ho Ho and showered us with sweets wasn’t real but what he stood for, certainly was. And what he attempted to do–-which is bring a smile on children’s face was important, especially in the kind of world we live in today. That’s what Christmas started symbolising to me. A time to celebrate and share all the joy and happiness in the world, an opportunity to smile and make others smile. Thus when I moved to Mumbai, a city that’s always racing against time, a city that pushes you down a hundred times before you get a chance to rise up, I really looked forward to the joy Santa had to offer this Christmas, my very first in the harsh city. My pursuit of Santa in the city led me to not one, but four merry men whose resounding Ho Ho Hos were as exciting as their stories.
40-year-old Alistair D’Souza from Bombay who has played Santa for over 15 years, calls his plumpness a gift, for had he not been slightly on the heavier side, he wouldn’t have been nominated by his parish to play Santa for the church feast. Ever since then, Alistair has found immense pleasure in being a Santa. “I do it to spread happiness. The joy of bringing a smile on a child’s face is unfathomable,” he says. A similar sentiment is observed by Terrance Rodrigues who absolutely adores children and would do anything to add value to their lives. “Monetary benefits are there, but they do not match the satisfaction that comes with making people happy,” the 31-year-old says. Both Alistair and Terrance, professional comperes, are hired by various corporate houses, schools, clubs and churches to play Santa. “ As a child, my father would take me to far away places only so that we could see Santa. After growing up, I realised that many children did not have the same privilege. They couldn’t go to fancy clubs and malls to meet Santa. I thought I should go to them,” says 37-year-old businessman Hiten Agarwal who gets his Santa act together every Christmas and sings and dances with children, absolutely free of cost. So is the case with Savio Fonseca, a professional at JP Morgan, who loves spreading joy and goes a step ahead by playing Santa for orphanages and even old age homes, only charging corporates and clubs.
But playing Santa isn’t as easy as it sounds. After all, wearing heavy boots and a big red coat in the not-so-cold winters of Mumbai, can be irritating for someone who has always lived in the North pole. “It’s true that, it gets sweaty and hot inside the costume and the beard but you cannot let that show on your face. The secret is to sleep well and eat well the previous day, so nothing rubs off that million dollar smile off your face,” states Alistair who makes it a point to be fresh and energised before his act. Savio has multiple costumes which he orders from overseas to make his get up look as authentic as possible. Both Terrance and Savio refuse to wear a mask and have a long fake beard and white hair that they sport enthusiastically. For Hiten, the priority is always his goody bag which he ensures is ‘full of chocolates all the time.’ All these Santas believe that the act begins as soon as they put their costumes on. Whether it’s carol singing, story-telling or simply making merry, they have to be bubbly all the time- “Even when mischievous kids come and punch you, or tug on your beard,” laughs Alistair.
The joy of making children smile is truly rewarding, but thanks to the advent of digital media, children today are exposed to much more. Thus more often than not these Santas do face pertinent questions on their identity. But they’ve found a way to deal with it, rather sweetly. “A child once asked me why I was wearing such a heavy coat in the heat of Bombay and how did I have such rosy lips? I quickly responded saying that since I lived in the North Pole where Christmas was always white, I did not have any other clothes. And that my lips were rosy because I ate lots of fruits and that he should too,” Hiten laughs. “I too, find a way to slip in good advice too through the many stories I read to them,” giggles Alistair. “It’s my duty as a Santa Claus” he adds. “The older children definitely know that I’m just a regular man dressed like Santa but they still get so excited to see me. Especially, the non-catholic kids who may not know the actual religious significance of St. Nicholas. For them, it’s just fascinating,” Savio explains, subsequently talking about his experiences as a Santa Claus in old-age homes. “They cant’ jump around in excitement like children do, but they will get up and shake your hand and give you a heart-warming smile and that means the world,” he says enigmatically.
To be able to play a good Santa Claus, you need to believe in yourself. Only then can one do justice to their roles. The four Santas couldn’t agree more. Santa means different things to each one of them. For Alistair, Santa is about giving and sharing and he still hasn’t stopped believing in it. Terrance believes Santa is a medium of happiness and celebration that cuts across religions. “Everyone is happy to see Santa, no matter what religion they belong to. It cuts across religious disparities,” he says. For Hiten and Savio, Santa is the goodness in humanity that needs to exist, no matter what.
Becoming Santa Claus has given these four men the best few memories of their lives. “I remember my first experience. It was a party of 400 kids and everyone was dying to just touch me and shake my hand. That feeling of importance was overwhelming,” Hiten says excitedly. Terrance narrates a similar first experience where the excitement of the kids to shake his hands almost led him to fall. “Ho Ho Ho, Oh it was phenomenal,” he remembers. While Savio enjoys his Santa act so much that he is actually considering bleaching his hair and beard white. Though Alistair stopped playing Santa Clause a few years ago, the 15 years he have taught him a lot. “You can learn so much from the children. The most important thing they teach you is to find joy in simple things,” he recounts.
Perhaps the only downside of playing Santa Claus is that you get to do it only once a year and these Indian Santa Clauses from Mumbai, all working professionals, wait for December eagerly. “Children forget you once they get their gifts, but that’s just children,” he chuckles. “That’s another downside but the important thing is knowing that you’ve added value in their lives,” says Hiten.
In a country with such religious and cultural diversity, these Indian Santas manage to do what our political parties and government have failed to achieve. Break across communal barriers and religious disparities and spread joy and happiness through simple things. Even if it is for a day, it does manage to create a huge difference.
The interaction with Savio, Terrance, Alistair and Hiten, four of the many Santa Clauses of Mumbai take me back to that Christmas morning where my 9-year-old self stood with a Barbie Doll, and a letter from my father who was masquerading as Santa. It turns out Daddy had always been my Santa Claus, a harbinger of joy and happiness. A little more so, on Christmas day.
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