Christmas topi

Everything is red and green---it is Christmas you see. All advertisements are edged with cardboard-or-thermocole cutouts of holly, mistletoe, bells, and Santa’s face. At traffic signals, sharp-eyed urchins waggle red caps edged with “fur” at you. Even shops which are not bakeries or provision stores are stocking (pun unintended!) plum cakes . Plastic Christmas trees are up in every shop window, and are also for sale. This time these trees are not only green---some are all-white! Joints like MacDonald’s and Pizza Hut of course have their waiters dressed in the colours of the season, but what struck me was that even other establishments are going all out to cash in on the festive spirit.
Yesterday we were at a well known restaurant-cum-sweet-shop in Green Park, buying samosas. All the employees were in Santa caps, which looked absolutely incongruous. I still would not have really noticed them, but for the manager, who pulled up one of them, saying, “Pandeyji, topi pehen leejiye!” (Mr. Pandey, please put on your cap.) Apparently, Pandeyji was reluctant to do so, because his boss repeated the request twice!
Then I envisioned a "board meeting" of the owners: paunchy men sitting around a corner table in their own restaurant , snacking on hot kachoris and golden jilebis saying, " How can we boost sales? Chalo, employees ko lal topi pehna do! And display those plum cakes prominently!"
Christmas has come to Delhi.