Ya, I've developed a MAJOR crush on the guy...His book "Maximum City: Bombay Lost and Found" is supposed to be non-fiction, but it has all the beauty, sensitivity, and lucidity of a fictional account...I don't agree with some of his views, but there's no denying the man's awesome talent with words...his book and his words are pure Art...I think I fancy him as much as I fancy Shahrukh Khan...a review of the book is next on my list...
Some of us (yes, me too, on rare occasions) beat a hasty retreat after doing something cheeky, hoping no one will notice. Like when someone jumps a queue and then slinks away hurriedly, determinedly ignoring the heckling cries from those behind him/her. But some brazen it out. Like my sister’s boss.
Just recently, the man took a bit of a chance and then showed unabashed chutzpah and ingenuity. The case goes that this seemingly staid man, who I shall call Mr. A, had participated with the rest of his staff in the Mumbai Marathon held recently. On the said day, the man decided to walk it out instead of run. Which is perfectly okay. Not all of us have the need for speed. But after a few kilometers, some of the more athletic members of the staff, who were running, were surprised to see this man actually ahead of them!
The mystery was uncovered after the marathon: At one point, participants had to take a U-turn to return to the starting point. Most runners studiously went around the bend. That’s when one of them saw Mr. A quickly walk across the road divider, neatly skipping the whole effort and time of going around it!
But wait, the monkey of the story is yet to come. After taking the short-cut so smartly, what did Mr. A do? Did he guiltily walk on as fast as he could, hoping to evade notice?? Did he look here and there sheepishly, or smile nervously at his sleight of hand, er, foot?? Oh no! The man was cool. Super cool. He stopped at the side of the road and did some light “warming up” style exercises, in the manner of someone dead tired of running. As my sister narrated his antics in disbelief, I couldn’t help but laugh at the man’s clever/childish audacity. Looked to me like he was wasting his time at the firm. He’d have made a fantastic politician!
