identity crisis and the loss of fame....

One of the highpoints of my visit to Hampi was being mistaken for a bengalee singing diva :)

We noticed that after the first day at the hotel, the service was exceptional. We barely entered the restaurant to have a host of service persons and the restaurant manager attending to our every need. They insisted on reserving our preferred table for every meal. My father was very impressed. He reveled in it and assigned it to his ability to befriend the ‘common man’(by which he means all living things!). This constant repetition of his celebrated PR skills peeved my mother no end. Every meal would begin with sermons on PR and “This is what all of you should develop as a life skill” and some such phrases. We all give him his due for he has been a ‘sales guy’ all his life, but his cheshire grin and self glory was getting a little out of hand and I feared an impending rejoinder from my mother that would quickly spiral things out of control.

But help came from the most unexpected quarter. On the last day of our stay, two of our regular waiters came to me with a note book asking me to give my autograph. Stunned, we all turn towards the now grinning duo. They call me by the celebrity’s name. My mother is the first to recover. “No she isn’t her, they just look similar”, she says suppressing a laugh. Ro isn’t going to give up so easily. “Sign it anyways Mommy” he whispers audibly nudging me a little. All this while I am trying to figure out what is the politically correct reaction. I decide that a polite smile would be the best in the situation. Realizing their mistake, the waiters leave apologizing shyly. My mother turns to my father and says, “So much for your PR skills!” Ro is openly gaping at my father’s face, waiting for a reaction that could immensely add to the morning’s entertainment. But is disappointed when my father passes the bait and goes back to his egg and toasts. I am grateful that we were spared a life long session of sermons. Breakfast done, we reach the car. Robbed of my 5 seconds of ‘almost fame’ I must have looked a little sad. Ro hugs me and says, “It’s OK Mommy. You are not that fat” Sharp kid this.