Mera Sapna

At the airport on our way to Goa, Praneet stood chatting with some guy while I was making my way to the loo. When I walked up to them, Praneet casually introduced him as Kumar. I did not really pay attention - Kumar could be a business colleague, an ex colleague, some club fellow, a college mate or someone from IIT. Praneet then turned to me and said,‘ This is Kumar, the guy we are buying the house from.’ My jaw dropped and then made a huge O.
Shit! This was Kumar Gaurav - my first ever celebrity crush!
In that summer of 1980, there was not a single 11 (or for that matter 12, 13, 14...) year old girl who did not fall in love with the chocolate faced KG. I still remember swooning when KG comes into Love Story in his single seater airplane and smiles. And drooling over him when he sat in the middle of the lake with his boots and a fishing rod. And hating Vijeta Pandit when they sing ‘Dekho Maine Dekha Hai yeh ek sapna’! I must have spent countless nights fantasizing that I was the heroine in Love Story!And cut out his pic from every magazine and stuck them in my room, locker and books! My books also had scribbles of Preeti Kumar, Preeti Gaurav, blah blah!
And so when Praneet was first going to meet him, I told him to tell KG that I was besotted with him. An amused Praneet told me to do the favour myself when I met him!
And I had planned my first meeting with KG in great detail. Had planned what I was going to say to him - rehearsed it in front of the mirror even.
And like all best plans, this one crashed miserably when I failed to recognise my heart throb. And I was so embarrassed the rest of the flight. I could not look at him though he sat diagonally from me and was being very approachable and sweet.
So I don’t want to imagine what my next meeting with him will be! And then it may turn out just fine!