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Ho..ho! Santa's here
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Father Xmas had a surprise gift for RAKHEE MOHAN. They told her their story.
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Hopie Osborne Daniells playing Santa Claus.
WITH CHRISTMAS just days away, Santa Claus's familiar Ho! Ho! Ho! is in the air. Plump and pink Santas, in red and white, are seen on bicycles, rickshaws, at corners, on pavements, waving, blowing kisses, hugging and loving.
A tradition
And far from their icy cold homes in Greenland, the Santas in Kochi are busy maintaining a tradition that started with priest Nicholas. Despite several new age heroes the popularity of our Santas has not dimmed. Though now they have changed from the original roly-poly men to half stout ones, gym toned sans paunch ones, with a half hearted get up of a scraggly, white beard and scary mask on, they continue to fascinate us.
Says Mahesh, who dons Santa clothes for an event company, "We do it because we get paid well for just distributing sweets for a day. We don't really get into the whole character as before." But nevertheless Santa can be quite content that his charm is not eroded by such contingencies. For there still exist grandfatherly figures, round whom the kids try to wind their tiny hands, kiss his rosy cheeks and tug at his overflowing beard.
Professional Santa
One such professional Santa for the last 20 years is Hopie Osborne Daniells, from Fort Kochi. "Well, luckily I have been naturally endowed and I don't even need the occasional pillow to camouflage a stomach. I use only makeup and no mask. And my beard is got especially from Australia so that it remains the softest flowing one hereabouts." He has been in and around hotels and Christmas celebrations, doling out surprise gifts to young and old alike, sweeping little ones off their feet onto his lap and enacting the customary hug and kiss routine with aplomb and finally fulfilling the long scrolls of wishes of wonder struck kids. "Its an indescribable feeling when you see kids look at you with so much thrill and surprise, wanting you pat them and shower them with the much wanted attention that they have listened to in Christmas tales. We were also children once so I can quite feel what they go through seeing a supposedly fictional character appear in person before them."
Aneesh, another person who impersonates Santa, says, "When we have to emulate Santa we do it knowing fully well the response of our audience. You just get into the garb and you suddenly become everyone's favourite ."
Moreover, once these costumes are slipped on you are unrecognizable. Says Hopie, "Once I am into the costume no can recognises me." And letting us on to one of his precious trade secrets, he says, " to make my voice gruff and more grandpa like, I usually tie a wet cloth round my neck and leave it for two hours after which you get a more snippy cut to your vocal chord." Most of them have sweet memories of during the rounds of their Santa routines. Like Mahesh, "Last time we went door to door, gifting people tokens and most of the families looked upon us more as lucky harbingers saying that to receive a Santa home was one good sign for a happy new year." So let the spirits flow, hark the tinkling tunes of Santa's bells and let this sweet old man spread Xmas, cheer something he has been doing for so many years.
Touching
FOR HOPIE Osborne Daniells, "the most memorable event was when I was passing through Fort Kochi in a jeep in Santa garb when I saw this street urchin looking so lost on a balmy Christmas day. So I got down and gave him sweets. He was very happy that he clung to me and wouldn't let go. People gathered around and started offering him money too. Tears welled up. I had to even touch up my makeup. I guess at these times one really gets to experience the legendary essence of the Santa Claus."
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