Santa must be a lonely guy.

Winters are long gone and this is not Christmas season. Going by the human standards, this is probably not the right time to remember Santa either. Even then, I would like to remember him now, at a time of the year when everybody seems to have forgotten the big, friendly old man.

Santa, in all probability, is a fictitious character and although I have never read Bible, I am pretty sure he does not find a mention in the Holy Book. He must have developed over a long period of time, mostly by the way of bed-time stories that grandmothers so fondly tell their grandchildren.

Why do I remember him now? I do so because of a guy in my office.

This guy has a weird habit which most of the people fail to understand. Almost everyday, whenever he goes out of the office for a tea break, he brings gifts for his colleagues. Nothing great, but gifts as simple as say 1 Re chewing-gums or 50 paisa Coffee Bites for the people who happen to be  working in his team at that point of time.

People in the office have nick-named him Santa.

He is a small town guy and does not seem to be very much at ease in the office. He is not satisfied with the job that he is doing and very often feels like running back to the small place from where he has come.

I feel out of place in this office; full of people with plastic smiles and cosmetic faces. People who keep talking about the Rs. 15 lakh car that they plan to buy and the costly Hugo Boss perfume that they love to wear. He told one day over a cup of roadside tea that we were having. The guy used to talk little and today he seemed to be in a mood to do so.

Why do you distribute small errands? That is a habit way out of place for an office like this. I asked, sensing an opportunity that he might tell the reason behind his weird habit. 

I have spent almost all my life in a hostel, where we used to share a lot of our resources. The school had a small portable TV and all of us 400 guys used to watch the occasional movie together on that small television set. Sometimes, our hostel warden used to bring small items like samosas or Hajmola. The whole hostel used to stand in a queue and get its share. It was not what you got that mattered. Instead, it was the feeling of companionship. He finished his tea and added. - Present day world seems to have forgotten that sharing of resources can be real fun. 

This is interesting. I thought. But probably not entirely right.

The guy is a fairly lonely one and people seem to remember him only when they feel an urge for their daily dose of chewing-gums or Coffee Bite.

Why does Santa, the real one, the one who comes at the time of Christmas, brings gifts with him?

People go to Church all the year round. The faithful remember Jesus almost all the 365 days and pray to Him for a lot many things. Why then do they remember Santa only once? And then forget him as if he was never there?

Is it because that the gifts that he brings are too small in front of the powers of the God? Is it because while Jesus is supposed to give life, all that Santa has to offer is 'insignificant' chocolates?

Isn't forgetting him as soon as Christmas gets over too materialistic and selfish on the part of the humans? Doesn't Santa understand the parochial nature of the mankind?

Something tells me he does. But still he comes – year after year after year. May be this is his way of beating his loneliness, at least once in a year. With nobody remembering him ever, he must be a lonely guy after all.