Four-year-old becomes Santa, gives gifts to workers in Dubai

Miraan Hotwani, four year old becomes Santa, gives gifts to blue collar workers.-Supplied photo

Four-year-old Miraan Hotwani is experiencing a different kind of joy this festive season - the joy of giving. Although Miraan and his family are Hindus, the boy celebrates all the festivals by distributing food and gifts among the blue-collar workers in his locality.
This time, he won hearts of people in his locality by throwing a Christmas party for the workers. The tiny tot organised the get-together at his house, where he and his friends in the age group of 4-8 years, along with their families, hosted cleaners, drivers, domestic helps and teaching assistants from their nursery.
While children of his age wait for Santa Claus to come and shower them with gifts, little Miraan invited a number of families from his neighbourhood, including 10 children, to welcome the workers. While his parents decorated their house with streamers, Christmas trees and festive lights, Miraan dressed up as Santa Claus while his friends matched the Xmas theme of red and white.
"He had been preparing for this party for quite some time. He had reached out to 14 families in our building, who joined to contribute and pack food and essential items for around 50 workers. The families came over to our house and helped pack these gifts that were then given to the workers a few days before Christmas as many of the families were leaving on vacation," his mother Gauri Meghani told Khaleej Times.
The children and their families prepared two kinds of gift boxes for men and women. The boxes given out to the male workers comprised razors, daal, rice, noodles, chocolates, cookies, toothpaste, toothbrushes, biryani, juice and biscuits while boxes for women contained nail polish, soaps, perfume, pasta, chips, assorted chocolates, mug, noodles and hair clips.
Miraan dressed as Santa, and greeted the workers along with his friends as they came over to his place in Mankhool.
"My friends Krisha, Ashi Kabir, Hrutvi, Myra, Baby Miraan and Twisha helped me in giving this party to the workers and we will keep doing more such parties for them," Miraan said shyly.
Miraan's parents feel it is very important to instill values of compassion and generosity at a young age as it helps one grow up as a responsible and mature person.
"We teach him about the importance of compassion and generosity, and that it is the gesture of giving that should be valued rather than the materialistic aspect of the gift. I tell him that you will feel happiness only when you give to others and help them. Miraan also tries helping me in household chores for which I reward him with a dirham or two. He puts it in his piggy bank, saying that once it is full he will use the money to buy more gifts for the workers."
Apart from this, Miraan also went to his father's office and distributed cookies and chocolates to the staff, wishing them all merry Christmas.
saman@khaleejtimes.com