City’s Santas all myth

Pune,too,has its share of Santas,but few know much about the man from the North Pole. Suraj T,who dresses up as Santa for a shopping complex,says: “Before I started working as Santa,I knew a bit about the whole myth woven around him,like the fact that he gives gifts to children,but then my bosses briefed me about who he was and about the spirit of Christmas.”

Kaiyum Aziz,who runs a Santa agency in the city,says: “We usually do not tell them much about Santa. All we tell them is that they are to give away gifts and chocolates to children of a certain age group,depending on where the Christmas party is.”

There are many who desire to give something back to society and do their bit by dressing up in red. Jennifer Engineer,who works in a software company,has been donning the Santa costume for 10 years now. “Wearing the costume gets one into the spirit of Christmas and one can experience the joy and ecstasy of children.”

Some simply do it out of love for children. Ronald Rodricks,who also dresses as Santa,says,“I started wearing the costume seven years ago because of my love for children,their innocence and their joy at receiving a gift.” Sanjay Kumar Singh,the Santa at SGS,says,“I am on my feet for hours,but the joy on a child’s face makes it worth it.”

Malls and shopping complexes have jumped on to the Santa bandwagon,with the belief that a Santa would attract more customers. Mahesh B,who works in a popular shopping chain at Camp,says,“A Santa is great way to target kids because a happy child tends to stay in the store for long.”

Subhash Chander Sawhney of SGS Mall agrees and adds: “Many parents called us to ask when Santa was going to come. The children are happy and happy kids mean happy parents.”

But this time in Pune,Santa appeared as late as on the Christmas Eve,and life wasn’t any easy for them. Hyacinth Arya,who organises Santas for functions across the city,says,“Getting Santas on the road is becoming problematic. Having the Santa buggy on MG Road needs permission. Then,Santas tend to be manhandled — not out of spite,but due to overzealousness. So,we decided to send out Santas only on December 24 and 25.”

“Sometimes,inquisitive children pull and tug at Santa,which can be disastrous if,for example,the beard comes off,” says Engineer. So what is the solution? “More sensitivity; people who dress as Santas are also human,” says Arya.