Santa with the gift of the jab

The other day, my daughter put me a very simple question. It was about Santa Claus. Since Christmas is round the corner, asking a question about Santa was but natural. Santa Claus is a darling of kids who adore him as he brings gifts for them. Kids eagerly wait for the man with the white beard, wearing a red coat and carrying a big bag of gifts. Santa is adored in every nook and cranny of the world, he cuts across all barriers. Such is his personality. My daughter, who like other children, is a fan, wanted to know why Santa had not yet paid a visit to our home.

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Unable to give a satisfactory reply, I parried her query. But when she pestered me, I gave a convoluted explanation. Frustrated and confused, she dialled her granny to know the answer. Santa visits those who think of the welfare of others, granny told the child. The explanation was well received by my daughter.

The next day, she showed me a hand-made sketch of Santa. It was a different sketch with Santa holding an injection in his hand and a queue of doctors, policemen and sanitation workers awaiting their turn to get inoculated. ‘Santa with a corona jab gift’ was the title boldly written on top of the portrait. I kept gazing, frozen.

I hugged my daughter and thanked her profusely for making me know as to where Santa would visit this Christmas. He would be visiting the frontline warriors who led the fight to fend off the virus. When the whole country was in a state of lockdown, they were stepping out of their cosy zones to save the lives of their fellow citizens. They put their lives and those of their kin in danger and took the challenge head-on. Had they not confronted the virus, it would have led to chaos. So, Santa is going to visit them with the gift of a vaccine jab.

This Christmas, we should also salute the army of Santas who played the Good Samaritan to those rendered homeless and penniless due to the lockdown or loss of jobs. Santas actually live around us. These unsung heroes walk and move around us. Selfless service is their sole motto. They work without any reward or recognition. Such great souls often go unnoticed. The pandemic or any other calamity fails to break the spirit of such men as they overcome the unpleasant events with their virtuous deeds.

Let us be Santa to those who are in trouble. Our little act of extending a helping hand to the needy can tumble out the much-needed gifts from our magical bag for such unfortunate lot and bring a smile on their faces.