Long read: Everything Santa Claus Has Come to Mean for Indians

Dr Kalpita Bhar Paul is an Assistant Professor at the BML Munjal University in Gurugram. Aveek Mondal is a freelance researcher and a writer. Together they have written an insightful essay explaining why in a deeply conservative society like ours, Christmas is celebrated by nearly 50 million Indian families (many of who aren’t Christian) with such pomp & fervour.

Those of us who hear conservative Hindus mouth all sorts of abuse with respect to religious minorities have long been perplexed when the same Hindus not only eat Christmas cake but also give their children Christmas gifts. Similarly, in shopping malls and hotels across India, Christmas is celebrated with much the same fervour as Diwali. Some of us see these celebrations and conclude that India is actually a liberal society at heart. The authors of this piece take a different view. They say:

“…Santa Claus has travelled far. In India, he becomes more than a gift-giver, reshaped by consumer desire, karmic patience and ‘postcolonial mimickry’…The direct effects of this cultural mimicry can be seen in our education system as well as workplaces. Children are taught to conform and seek rewards. Learning is measured through obedience and performance. If one is not at par with the global standard, a survival crisis manifests. Slowly, we learn that self‑gratification and enjoyment are insufficient. As a post-colonial society our aspiration of being modernised was modulated and sanctioned by the set global standard. Our work more than self‑ enjoyment becomes products to be evaluated in the global market.”

So where does mimicking the West in an attempt to seek validation from the global elite arise from? The authors present an interesting hypothesis in this regard:

“Much like post-revolution America, India emerged from its colonial past as a mosaic of identities, languages, and cultures. However, independence is coupled with a project of nation‑building, which always demands a uniform narrative, a singular image of citizenship that can hold a diverse population together.

This impulse to create a cohesive national identity has gradually distanced us from the very diversity it sought to unify. Postcolonial theorist Homi Bhabha highlights in The Location of Culture (1994) that we drift toward globalisation by mimicking a global identity that presents itself in metonymy – or symbolic shorthand. We alienate ourselves to align with that uniform culture – a process that symbolises modernisation, but without dissolving our otherness. The effects of this mimicry are incorporated into our socio-cultural psyche. It eventually reaches the child’s psyche…

Through this practice of self‑alienation, humans become human resources, useful only for delivering labour to secure subsistence. Thus, in the postcolonial era, global superpowers continue to colonise our thoughts, imagination and labour.

At a broader level, the act of writing a wish-list aligns with global consumerist psychology. In American public consciousness, the modern Santa is a merchandised evolution of the benevolent saint.”

The authors say that especially amongst the less affluent in India, the symbolism represented by Santa Claus is even more powerful:

“Beneath the commercial wrapping lies a deeper metaphor: a moment of reciprocity and of bridging gaps in resources and reconnecting isolated lives. In contemporary India, especially among the economically deprived, Santa’s promise allows families to cope with consumerism without participation. The ritual of delayed gratification becomes a form of psychological resistance. Year after year, they wait for the time to receive the gracious gift from Santa. They wait for the approval of their hard work and show the rest of the world the benevolence of time. It creates hope, allows space for patience and lets people without means to indulge in dreaming… Thus on the night of December 24, Chrismas eve, millions of Indians without any expectation of fulfilling their wishlist, welcome the guest Santa Claus with a smiling face.”

Perhaps this explains why Christmas and Valentine’s Day are celebrated enthusiastically by India’s Hindu middle class but Eid isn’t. Now, what would be really interesting is if Eid becomes trendy in New York City and San Francisco whether the middle class in India’s metros take to it as enthusiastically as they have embraced Christmas? In the meantime, we thank the almighty for the small mercies that it grants us the week-long holiday break at the fag end of the Gregorian calendar.

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