So I took the parents to watch a Malkit Singh concert at the Lincoln Center after work, being the good son that I am. We get there, I help them find seats and then go outside to get them drinks. And who do I see? Arooj Aftab! I couldn't believe my eyes for the first 10 minutes and just stared, trying hard not to let her notice. So I've seen celebrities before, and not made much of a big deal about it. I mean this is New York after all. I once saw Ritesh Deshmukh walking towards me on Park Avenue and gave him a dirty look suggesting he was in my way. But not since I was 19 when I met Salman Ahmed have I been this excited. Of course, this is much before his disastrous 'Infiniti' days, when all there was in the subcontinent was Junoon, Indian Ocean, and Indus Creed. Coming back to the point - Arooj Aftab (looking much shorter than I imagined her to be) was standing 4 feet away from me, and I was ready to shriek like a little girl. Let's face it, she's not a real celebrity yet, but the woman has serious talent. She's performed with Anoushka Shankar!
So I went back inside, asked mom for a pen and paper. She didn't have paper, so I had to make do with the ATM receipt in my pocket. Noooooo!! No way! Yes, yes way. I went and asked her for an autograph. I mustered all the courage I could and walked up to her and asked, "Excuse me, are you Arooj Aftab?" She said, "Yes." Yaar, meri toh death hi ho gayi thi by god ki kasam se. So I'm like, "Can I have an autograph?" And she said, "Sure". Then this girl standing next to her, dressed all LSR/SRCC says, "How sweet" and continues to inquire about how I know of her music, and how there's some gig coming up that they're doing, but I couldn't be less bothered what she was saying - I'm standing in front of Arooj Aftab for God's sake! So then Arooj (yes, we're on a first name basis now) asks me, "What's your name?" and I say, "Rahul." a long pause follows in which all my accumulated wit is stolen from me temporarily and the only thing I can think of to follow that up with is, "Naam toh suna hi hoga". Thankfully she only smiled and didn't burst out laughing at my stupidity.
The rest of the evening of course, got even better. After the first band played, which involved an hour of listening to mom's comments, "Aye bada tapda peya hai, guitar wala bhai". "Oh kudi vekh kiven nachdi peyi hai", it was time for the main attraction - Malkit Singh. Guess who comes and sits right next to us. Go on. Guess. Needless to say, Malkit Singh didn't have my undivided attention. Alas, it was 9:40ish in the p.m. and Dad was sleepy, so we had to head back home. On the way we got dinner at this Italian place and throughout dinner I kept showing mom my autographed ATM receipt.
So I went back inside, asked mom for a pen and paper. She didn't have paper, so I had to make do with the ATM receipt in my pocket. Noooooo!! No way! Yes, yes way. I went and asked her for an autograph. I mustered all the courage I could and walked up to her and asked, "Excuse me, are you Arooj Aftab?" She said, "Yes." Yaar, meri toh death hi ho gayi thi by god ki kasam se. So I'm like, "Can I have an autograph?" And she said, "Sure". Then this girl standing next to her, dressed all LSR/SRCC says, "How sweet" and continues to inquire about how I know of her music, and how there's some gig coming up that they're doing, but I couldn't be less bothered what she was saying - I'm standing in front of Arooj Aftab for God's sake! So then Arooj (yes, we're on a first name basis now) asks me, "What's your name?" and I say, "Rahul." a long pause follows in which all my accumulated wit is stolen from me temporarily and the only thing I can think of to follow that up with is, "Naam toh suna hi hoga". Thankfully she only smiled and didn't burst out laughing at my stupidity.
The rest of the evening of course, got even better. After the first band played, which involved an hour of listening to mom's comments, "Aye bada tapda peya hai, guitar wala bhai". "Oh kudi vekh kiven nachdi peyi hai", it was time for the main attraction - Malkit Singh. Guess who comes and sits right next to us. Go on. Guess. Needless to say, Malkit Singh didn't have my undivided attention. Alas, it was 9:40ish in the p.m. and Dad was sleepy, so we had to head back home. On the way we got dinner at this Italian place and throughout dinner I kept showing mom my autographed ATM receipt.
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