Santa Claus caps and other paraphernalia being sold at traffic signals and markets has become a common sight in most Bharatiya cities during Christmas. While Diwali and other Hindu festivals are demonized incessantly under some pretext or other, and festivals like Krishna Janmashtami or Maha Shivratri barely register among urbanites, imported festivals like Christmas and New Year are approved by elites who crave Western acceptance.
Sadly, this inferiority complex masquerading as modernity/globalization, is now seeping into tier-2/3 towns and masses as well. Amit Tomar, an employee at a V-Bazaar shopping mall in Uttar Pradesh’s Rajapur Chungi area of Agra, was recently terminated by his manager after he refused to wear a Santa Claus cap for his entire working shift.
“I arrived at work on 24 December. All of the employees were instructed to dress as Santa Claus. I resisted obeying the directions and stated that I would not wear the costume,” Tomar is quoted as saying by Newsum.
“I’m a Hindu and I don’t believe in Christianity. I’m ready to wear the company’s uniform but not the outfit of Santa Claus,…Because I disobeyed the instruction, I was fired from my job, and my salary was also halted by the employer”, he added.
As per a report by UPTak, Amit got a photo clicked after wearing the Santa Claus cap as instructed by the manager on December 23. But after the photo session was over, he took off the cap. The manager took issue with this, insisting that Amit has to wear the cap throughout the day! When Amit objected, he was dismissed from the job.
On 25 December, the Yogi Youth Brigade members reached the shopping complex to protest against Amit’s wrongful dismissal, reports Newsum. The employees were forced to wear the dress of the Christian community, Dharmendra Dhakad, President of Yogi Youth Brigade-Agra, said.
“Today, we have been asked to wear Christian attire. We shall soon be forced to wear a skull cap on Eid. No one is capable of using such force. Thus we urge that a complaint be filed against the manager,” Ajay Tomar, State President of Yogi Youth Brigade said.
A complaint has been filed against the marketing manager and police investigation is underway.
