LETTER TO SANTA

Dear Santaji,

Merry Christmas to you! And not to mention, a very happy Christmas to your hard working globetrotting team, who would be in the thick of delivering gifts all over the world.

Yearly, just one letter but Santa, you probably get the best synopsis of the entire year that whizzed by. As you come dropping down toys, we grown-ups cannot help but wonder if your sack has a few things to make this world cleaner, safer, saner and less angry.

Yes Santa, this has been a year of anger. There was and continues to be anger everywhere. Brexit, Trump, Hong Kong, the ongoing protests in India, Bolivia, Lebanon; there is a sense of unrest all around the globe.

Our observation dear Santa is that each of these protests has its own local reason but all are essentially arising out of the same causes – rising inequality, corruption, slow economic growth and break down of democratic rule of law. Can you restore a sense of balance around the world? Would your bag have enough goodies to make this global unrest go away?

Actually, Santa, there is a longish wish list which we have. Can you give a look and even if you manage to fulfill some of them it would be great!

Can you please tell the Govt that there are so many more important things to spend all the time and energy on – employment, economy, education, infrastructure…the list is endless? Did we need this CAB and NRC now at all?

While on NRC, can you please ‘produce’ the birth certificates of my grandparents and mother as theirs was never made? How can I now prove they are Indian citizens as Aadhar, Pan and even their passports won’t suffice?

The Banks, especially the PSU banks need a fantastic scrubbing and complete over haul. Do you have a magic broom which can do that and make these banks clean and functional again?

Can you change the measure of our growth from GDP to Happiness Index?

Can you restore the internet and messaging services in Kashmir; it’s been shut down for over four months now and the students career’s there are hanging on the fire?

Talking about internet, I think call and data rates are now on their way upwards. Can you use your magic and ensure rates neither rise too much nor do the existing telecom providers bleed to death? Really Santa, we do not want one player alone ruling….it has to be jio and jeene do!

And this is an easy one – a sack full of onions…that beats almost any other gift you would otherwise give.

Can you buy Air India? Or even Jet Airways? Make one buy at least – the Indian aviation sector badly needs some turbo.

Mukesh Ambani has emerged once again richer than what he was last year. Can you Santa, pretty please, bring about some equitable distribution of wealth? Right now only the rich seem to be getting richer…

Would it be possible for you to clean up the pollution spread all across India? Please make the air like what it was 100 years ago – crisp and clean, smelling like air, the way it should.

There is a growing feeling of intolerance to everything we read, say, eat, wear and even live. Would it be asking too much of you to set this moral compass in the right direction – from extreme right and left to the center…balanced?

And talking about moral compass, was wondering if you have a magical shirt which can transform the most corrupt person into an honest one? If you have, please get them in millions.

Well, I can go on and on but I understand you have millions of other wishes to fulfill. Please give a thought to this wish list….maybe that’s all we will get, a thought?