brigadesanta@gmail.com

Thankfulness is the beginning of gratitude. Gratitude is the completion of
thankfulness.
Thankfulness may consist merely of words. Gratitude is shown in acts

- Henri Fredric Amiel

Sometimes, you experience certain things in life which changes your life forever

Coronavirus has pervaded planet Earth far and wide and the Lockdown is no less than a house arrest for most of us. The two of us with a 5 years gap (means a generation to us!) were forced to be 24X7 together and jointly take some household responsibilities. Of the various options available for such a long period; it made sense to get along well šŸ˜Š

Covid-19 existed in our home in the form of news and information around the virus and how it was impacting the entire world. Besides the statistics update every hour, what moved us deeply was the human suffering especially of the unfortunates who werenā€™t safe in their homes and not privileged enough to have their essentials in place. Sitting in the comforts of our sanitized home, we were pained to see thousands of people stranded with no home to go to and no income to take care of their needs. Most of them being migrant labors, taking extreme steps to reach their home states. We heard of people walking more than 600 km, pregnant women stranded on the streets, small children standing in ques to manage their daily meals. As we were treated to great feasts, our stomachs turned thinking about how they would get their next meal.

This moved us deeply. We were bickering less, expressing more gratitude... and finally we decided to do something that would help us overcome this guilt of no appreciation. How could we be their happiness agents; provide them things that they were deprived of. It is indeed painful and joyous at the same time to realize how basics like clothes, footwear, books, toys, etc. can be so precious to them.

And it was time to take the first step, step with a commitment to serve the underprivileged We didnā€™t want it to be a childā€™s play so both of us put down a long-term vision with a short-term action plan with support of Encouraging parents and friends.

Itā€™s not about the both of us; itā€™s about us and as many of us as possible. We are now building an Army of our generation who feel for this cause. We are the ā€œSanta Brigadeā€.

Covid-19 may come and go but the virus that's positively infected in us is incurable! The Santa Brigade is here to stay. And our Reindeer's & Elves s pledge to spread happiness and cheer entire year-round - no stockings, no chimneys needed. All that's needed are big hearts.

Sidhant Malik
Rannveir Malik
Co-Lead