Viraat Kohli -The Man Behind The Superstar .

We were at the Spice Court in Jaipur for dinner last year.No specific occasion (unlike a anniversary or a birthday party )-just a routine visit after a good workout of a walk and a few minutes at the squash court .Just the three of us –Sangeeta ,Pratique and me .We were welcomed warmly by Parth ,the Manager of the place .By now he had become a good friend –we used to frequent the place with embarrassing regularity .

Sipce Court (on Jacob Road,and next to Cottons ),was crowded .There were the usual crowd of foreigners who were watching  the puppet show with  bewilderment in their eyes.And of course the normal Jaipur crowd –familiy in tow ,with small children running helter skelter .There was also a group of casually dressed sportsmen sitting outside (Spice Court has a dining room and a garden sit out as well).About 8 or 10 of them –in Capris and T shirts .They were sitting quietly and waiting for their order to be served .We passed them without much fuss .

After a hearty meal of butter chicken and “laal maas”,we made our way out .Suddenly Pratique said

“Dad ,Virat Kohli.See he is sitting there”,he said .I looked .And frankly speaking ,I could not recognize him .

“Where”?,I asked him

“Dad,there with the group of sportsmen.He is wearing a red and navy blue T shirt”,Pratique said .

Yes it was Virat Kohli ,along with some members of the Delhi Team who were in Jaipur to play a cricket match against  Rajasthan .

“Lets talk to him”,he said .I told Pratique that I was not too interested and I had gone past the age of seeking out the stars .

“Why don’t you go and meet him ?Go” ,I egged him on .I did not like the hesitancy that was enveloping him . “Go yaar ,and say hello to him .Its not a big deal .He is just a couple of years elder to you .Cricket is like religion in India .Thats why he is so popular .If he was as good in Papau New Guinea ,nobody would even know who he is .You are as good as him in debating .!!But debating in India is like cricket in Papau New Guinea”!!,I said and laughed .I was trying to get across the point that every one has some strenghts .And some of those strengths  coincide  with what is made popular by television –in this case cricket .I have met many craftsmen who could do and create things we cant even imagine –yet no one knew them .And see what happened to Tijan Bai ,when the media pitchforked her into international fame .!!She is so excellent .!!

Pratique got the point –he strode towards the cricketers .I watched him as he approached Virat Kohli .

Virat  appeared  to be a unfriendly guy .He hardly looked up .And then mumbled something .Pratique stood for a liitle time .And then came back .

I did not ask him what happened .But he appeared rattled .Once inside the car ,he told me ,

“Whats wrong with the guy Dad.I told him that I liked his batting and he said “Khanaa to khaane de yaar .”

I told Pratique that maybe he was right .And maybe we cant imagine how it feels when people disturb you everytime you do anything –walk ,eat ,dance,shop ………”

“In that case ,he should have his food in his room”,said Pratique curtly .

Yesterday Virat Kohli was in divine form .He cut ,he drove ,he pulled ,he swept ,he hooked .He dismissed the ball from his presence .It was like poetry in motion .

I got a message from Pratique on my Blackberry .It read “Though I hate Virat ,he has played a masterful innings .Amazing”.

Yes ,Virat played a master innings .But the real sportsman was  my son .He acknowledged a great innings .

I wish Virat also becomes a real sportsman .He too should  have acknowledged my son  when he went up to him and complimented him in Jaipur.

Because ,beneath our successes and failures –there always is a good or a bad person .A gentleman or a criminal .The honest and the dishonest .The faithful and the unfaithful.

 As human beings we are not just a good cricketers  or a good debators.Those are acquired arts meant to earn us a living ..!!We are either nice or crude human beings .And it cant be hidden for a long time .!  

"Goodbye Amitabh Gupta Sir.I will never forget you "

He was amongst the first few people I met in Jaipur when I embarked on starting the Delhi Public School way back in 2002 .It  was a nippy October morning as I was driven by Ram Singh from Delhi to Jaipur .I had just been appointed the founder Principal of DPS Jaipur which was to start in April the following year .My first port of  call –Mr Amitabh Gupta .I had been briefed about him and the stories I had been told had intimidated me  .He  was a retired DGP of Rajasthan who  had  relinquished  charge a couple of years back .Policemen and celebrities  have never really fascinated me and I approached my meeting with him with a bit of apprehension .As my car pulled into the temporary make shift office of the school at Rathore Nagar ,I could see him in the foyer .He was talking to someone .

He was a big man –more than 6 ft tall and probably close to a 100 kilos in weight .He very thin hair and walked with a gait of  a “mast” man .He embraced me warmly and with a smile that was infectious

“I am Kain ,Sir”

“Oh hello Kain Saheb.Welcome to Jaipur” he had replied .

With that  I had met the man who was one of the pillars who would shape the building of DPS Jaipur .

There was nothing of the school that I was destined to lead at that point of time  -  only a piece of barren land  .Everything else had to be put into place .A huge credit for that must go to Amitabh Gupta Sir as he worked his way tirelessly through papers and departments .He was a celebrity police officer (his contribution to the building of pucca police stations and colonies for the constables was well known ) and it helped us push our project with much greater speed than it would have been possible otherwise . Frankly ,I could not see how we would start a school in less than 6 months .And even if we built it ,from where would we get the teachers and the students ? But Amitabh Sir had no such apprehensions .One day , discouraged ,I asked him “ Sir ,how will we finish the work ? And how will we get the kids ?” .The school (before Jaipur engulfed its peripheries)  was 20 kms away from the Sodala Chowk on the Ajmer Jaipur Highway ,which is notorious for  accidents .!!He looked at me ,smiled and said “ Kain Saheb , abhi to aap gaari me aaye hain ,ek din ,hum aapko helicopter mein  se utaarein gey .Jaise Patni Saheb Kartein hain”( One day we will make you land in a helicopter instead of a car ,like Mr Patni does .Mr Patni is the owner of RK Marbles and one of Rajasthans  wealthiest men )!! He sold me a big dream ,and though we were not able to achieve it ,he had forced me to think big .

Over the months  and over cups of tea and coffee(which he always peppered with “Equal”, since he was a diabetic ),we would discuss everything under the sun ,police reforms ,corruption ,Kiran Bedi (yes he recounted how he beat her once at tennis at the Police Academy at Mt Abu), Bhairon Sing Shekhawat ,Sharma Dhabha (where we went once for lunch ),-everything .His special interest was Pakistan where  he had served( in Karachi) when Mani Shankar Aiyyar was Indias  Counsel General there .He used to tell me tales of Mani (many of them not repeatable !!!),since Mani had a penchant for the good life .!!.Mr Gupta had also travelled the world and it had helped since his daughter was married to a officer of the Indian Foreign Service .In between tales and work ,he would order for Pizzas from Pizza Hut in Vaishali Nagar (later the outlet was closed down ).

 One day he called me  for drinks at his residence . “ We will have a couple of drinks and then you can go back for dinner to your hotel “ he had said .Those days I was alone in Jaipur and staying in the Maharani Palace Hotel  near Sindhi Bus Stand .He stayed in the posh locality of Bapu Nagar .

It was the first time I met his charming wife  Shiela ,who was a alumni of Sophia College Ajmer .We got along famously since my sister was also a product of the same college and were contemporaries in the 60 s .I remember ,it was a chilly evening and we downed more than just a couple of drinks of Black Label .And when I got up to leave Amitabhji  told me “Arrey Bhai , baitho dinner toh  abhi  baaki haih” . But hadn’t I heard that he had told me that I could go back and have dinner after a couple of drinks ?

“ I never call anyone for drinks at home without dinner” And after a pause “ Kain sahib ,try to make that a principle .Its good” .!! I have never forgotten those words and I can picture myself sitting on the dining table being fed some lovely food .He also made sure that my driver ,(Bajaur ),was fed “ Pehle driver ko zaroor khilaa deneaa”  he had instructed the help who was serving us drinks .

Its not that I did not run  into problems with Guptaji once the school started .I thought that  sometimes he was interfering in my work . “ I cant be held responsible for my work if someone else is taking decisions”  I had protested  once .Being the giant intellectual that he was ,he gave me my space .

In 2006  I fell ill and was on the verge of entering the abyss of death . Amitabhji did not leave Sangeetas side at the Durlabji Hospital, waiting for me to come out of coma .And finally when it was decided to take my near dead body by a air ambulance to Delhi ,he was there to supervise the arrangements at the airport . I owe him a huge debt for being alive today .

My time in DPS  Jaipur was coming to a close .I was asked to take  over DPS Ahmedabad .And two days before I was to leave I called him up .He was prompt in his response .”Kain Saheb, come over for a drink  tomorrow” he said .I knew his principle that he did not call without offering dinner ,and since someone else had already invited us for dinner and drinks ,I asked if I could be marked “absent” for the dinner ?

“Aaap aiyeh to sahi” he had said .

We made our  way to his Bapu Nagar residence on the penultimate evening before I was to leave .He greeted me with a huge hug .But clearly ,he had aged .However , the spirit had not deserted him .We downed 3 pegs of whiskey (Black Label), along with pieces of tandoori chicken before  I finally took leave of him .I bent and touched his feet and said “ Sir AASHIRWAAD DEEJEEYEH”. He told me how highly he thought of me and wished me luck . “ You will do well anywhere” he said .Its amongst the most treasured compliments that I have received in my entire life .It came from a profound and  a deeply intellectual man .It was to be my last meeting with him .The year was 2011.

I kept in touch with him from Ahmedabad .Once he called me up from the Ahmedabad Airport .His daughter is a resident of the city and he was on his way back after a couple of days stay with her .I also informed him that I was shifting to Dubai .I called him up from Dubai a couple of times when someone told me he was not well . I was told that he had had a fall and had to be hospitalized .But he recovered .

Day before yesterday I  tried  phoning  him up .I got no response .I phoned up my ex Administrator Bharat and asked  about him .Bharat informed me that Guptaji was alright .I told Bharat to convey my regards and love to him .As things turned out ,I think Bharats information was not quite correct .Amitabh ji was at that time in a hospital battling for his life and on dialysis .He was on the verge of multi organ failure .All of a sudden I had thought of calling him up .Perhaps just to listen for one last time  those two words by which he always addressed me –“Kain sahib”.!! It was not to be .He passed away .this morning (13^th Feb ).With him passed into  history a man who I would like to describe as “ a gentleman to his nails”.

I will never forget him .He is sharply etched in my individual and collective memory .He will only die the day when I forget who he was .And that is something I can never imagine .The day I forget him ,you can be sure that I will be  mentally dead .No live human being can forget someone like Amitabh Sir .And if you start forgetting ,then you are no longer living .As of today –he is with me in thoughts – having a peg of whiskey ,a slice of pizza ,a cup of adrak wali chai ,discussing Indira Gandhi and Kiran Bedi ,and even Daler Mehndi (he had a accident when going to preside over a Daler Mehndi show in Ajmer ),and welcoming the high and mighty at my Annual Function .!Who says he is dead ?