notes from a fort

Once I loved spotting birds. That must have been long ago from this wednesday when I spotted one on the begumpet road and then again at cinemax. Only this bird was called THE Rolls Royce with a spirit of ecstasy on it.

It was a mythical bird once, long back when I was still a kid. It was the kind of stuff fathers told sons, a generational itch that passed on. As a kid I was told about its engineering, about how exclusive it was - no really - how very exclusive & subjective it was and then how, perhaps NO ONE in India owned it. If you have heard such a story, you will understand why I am writing about spotting two in a day.

I told my colleagues about it and they, carrying perhaps similar mythologies in their individual (sub?)consciousness, were happy for me.

- "Two! Is it!" One of them asked.

- Yes

- I wonder who owns the other one?

- Do you own one? I asked at the familiar "other-one" joke.

- Ha...ha very funny. I know Chiranjeevi owns one. 

- He does.... is it?

- Yes.

So the mythical bird nests here too now. Is that better? Perhaps now I can catch it too. My friend showed me a picture of Chiranjeevi in his Rolls Royce. Perhaps this is what I saw?

Years ago, I would have given anything to see Megastar Chiranjeevi. Now, it was his car - my father's dream - a Rolls Royce.

I wonder if he, Chiranjeevi, knows what he owns? Does he really really know? Or is it an enlarged ego that is on display? Sir, get a Rolls Royce. No one will think you small then. Amitabh's got one. Sir, you are THE MEGASTAR.

What about the engineering? The exclusivity.

Then again, perhaps thinking like that has ensured I only talk about spotting a Rolls Royce. The pressure of knowing how bloody great that damn machine is, has made me idealize it - grow in awe of it. Any crush you have ever had will teach you such idolizing is bad. But, Chiranjeevi doesnt care and thats why he's got it. I would care too much and so I dont have it. It is a perfect equation. What use is god if I cant pray for a Rolls Royce to him. He'd be useless to me. He is keeping his usefulness this way. Yes.

Unfortunately, I extended my mythology. Oh yes! Greedy greedy Ariza thought about Bentleys, Mercedes, Audis and the Buggatis. Thats why, perhaps I'll never own a Bentley.