On Dreams
Yesterday, in need of inexpensive nutrition, I stopped by at a small roadside hotel near a busy rail station in Mumbai. I was hungry so, oblivious of my surroundings, I attacked my food with gusto. In a short while, a tall, swarthy, middle-aged man plonked himself opposite me on my table. I value my solitude, so I was not a little irritated. Especially because there were other empty tables, and he could have had his choice of seating. I stared at him, hoping to convey my displeasure and annoyance but he stared imperviously back at me. Not being in the mood for a conflict, I looked away. That look reminded me of a familiar face, though, and hoping to make something out of the situation, I asked him if we had met before, that I had seen him before and that was he in the movies? He seemed quite glad of my question and thanked me for having recognised me and said that he, in fact, was an actor. We got talking, as people will when they are thrown together out of necessity, and by and b...