"My word, Pheroze! What's with the attire? Don't tell me you are having visions of playing Santa Claus for the neighbourhood Christmas party?" exclaimed Lady Flora. She had never seen this avatar of her friend until now, and the wonderment on her pale white complexion was writ large. It was well past midnight on a pleasant December night, and despite the poor visibility around them, his bright red suit stood out. He seemed at ease in his new garb, but looked a tad alarmed at his friend's reaction.

"Well, if you must know, Lady, I am doing a trial session with my Santa suit. I wanted to spread some cheer around the city and what better time than now to do this. We Bombaywallahs have had it really bad this year, don't you think so? I thought why not pay a visit to a few aggrieved souls on this special day that is synonymous with joy and happiness," replied Sir PM, looking every bit the genial Santa, minus the signature Santa-shaped potbelly. After all, Ms Mehta had put him on a strict diet for a while now, to keep his diabetes under check.