A twin for Santa

“CP has become very famous after the Commonwealth Games. We wanted to come and see the market,but it is expensive to travel without any reason. This was the perfect opportunity,” explains Sagar,while taking a break from one of the many photo sessions with enthusiastic kids.

Red overcoats,baggy pants,potbellies to match,and sticks and bells for accessories and a dash of white on their faces. “It hides the fact that we are so young,” explains Sagar.

The act is perfect,except perhaps for Jeetu’s constant little breaks to spit out paan. “It’s an addiction,it creates a problem,But I have gotten used to smiling and beaming with it. The beard hides it,” he laughs.

The other problem the brothers face is when when children ask them to sing carols. “We only know Jingle Bells…,” the brothers sing in chorus,and a happy crowd sings along. The two claim they have been watching TV in a local tea shop near their house after duty hours to learn more carols.

The brothers say their father was in the business before them.

“He was with a number of circuses. He played Charlie Chaplin,Mickey Mouse and travelled all over the country. But the money was bad,so we did not join a circus,” says Sagar. The brothers together make Rs 500 a day for an eight-hour shift and about Rs 10-15,000 in the festival season.

“We dress up as Hanuman during Ram Navami too. Otherwise we go to fairs or in shopping complexes. There is a lot of demand for people who can dress up like us,” says Jeetu.

Their costumes are put together by their tailor brother who works at Sadar Bazaar.

“This is better than begging. We have been in this business for five odd years,but before that we were on the streets for a while. My father fell ill,and he stopped working,so all of us took turns at begging,”Sagar trails off.

The brothers have never been to school. “We were poor,so it was out of the question. But it was anyway understood we would follow in our father’s footsteps. We don’t really regret it,” he adds.

Despite their financial hardships,the brothers make it a point to buy a stock of toffees for the kids. “We dry clean our costumes before Christmas and we save money and buy toffees for children every year. It is nice to make them happy,” says Jeetu.