Christmas is fast approaching and so is the thrill of seeing Santa Claus around. But the “new normal” seems to have metamorphosed every year’s festive “basics”.
Santa Claus was seen distributing masks to children and spray-sanitising the streets of Mumbai in an attempt to spread awareness about the Covid-19 pandemic.
The man dressed up as the gift-granting Santa has been identified as Ashok Kurmi, the president of Cyan Friend Circle Foundation. He has been distributing sweets to the children on the streets of city every Christmas for the past five years.
In an interview with ANI, he said: “Every year I used to distribute chocolates and gifts to children but this year I decided to contribute my bit to fight against Covid-19. I used to celebrate Christmas every year by distributing toys, chocolates, and gifts to underprivileged kids but this year due to the massive spread of Covid-19, I decided to sanitise bus stands, autos, and other places.”
He distributed masks and sanitizers to kids and the needy. Kurmi even taught kids the correct way of wearing a mask while abiding by the social distancing norms.
The move was seen as a genuine effort to spread the word about the absolute need of wearing masks and following government guidelines while celebrating Christmas and other upcoming festivals.