Two veterans share what's it like being Santa Claus

Updated On: 23 December, 2022 10:17 AM IST | Mumbai | Sukanya Datta

What does it take to be Father X’mas? Two men who slip into the big ol’ man’s shoes annually reveal that spreading cheer is serious business

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Tulpule collects different costumes from across the world

More than a costume

It was the winter of 1994. Pravin Tulpule, then a Navy officer, was posted in a remote unit near Tuticorin, in Tamil Nadu. A Christmas emergency ensued as his captain sprung the idea of celebrating with a Santa Claus upon him. Tulpule took on the challenge. The red night gown of a colleague’s wife was fashioned into a coat, while a pillow was snuck in for the paunch. “Chart paper was rolled into a cap, while cotton from the medical unit made up my beard. A pillow case became my sack. We didn’t have a sleigh or reindeers, so I rode on a fire engine,” the 61-year-old recalls, cracking up. A kind of ‘jugaad’ it might have been, but the ability to spread cheer gave him an unparalleled amount of joy. “I realised that there’s more to being Santa Claus than the costume. When people come to you, they nurse a little bit of hope that there’s some good in the world,” shares the medical clown who turns into Father Christmas in December.