The Man from Madras Musings has been watching recent developments with considerable amusement. People who had until now dismissed Him as merely an actor have suddenly decided that He is perhaps worth cultivating after all.
MMM understands that the scramble has begun. Everyone wants to know Him better, along with His nine apostles and the other 108 followers elected with Him. These days, the most common question in the social circles that MMM moves in is this: who knows Him best? More importantly, is there access to someone who knows someone, who in turn knows someone else, who may be close to the one worth knowing?
Old Connections No Longer Matter
For decades, many had grown accustomed to cozying up to familiar faces in power. There was pater familias, mater dei, the eternal youth leader and his son, and of course Tweedledum and Tweedledee. Now, those who specialise in such pursuits find themselves thoroughly puzzled.
They no longer know whom to approach. Consequently, they have begun approaching everyone. That includes MMM.
A Breathless Call from the Capital
Thus it was that MMM suddenly received a breathless call from a leading media house in the national capital. The person on the other end sounded as though she suffered from severe bronchial trouble. The number of whistles and gasps coming through the phone was remarkable.
It soon transpired that the lady was under tremendous pressure. She had been asked to identify someone from the new party in power. Unfortunately, she knew nobody. Therefore, she concluded that Uncle MMM would surely be able to help.
To this, all that Uncle MMM could do was wish her well in avuncular fashion. He also explained that he specialised in matters of the past rather than those of the future.
The Questions Begin
That, however, did not end the matter. Within a day of the announcement that the swearing-in ceremony would indeed take place, another call arrived. This time, the media house had prepared a list of questions. They sought MMM’s sage responses. The conversation proceeded as follows. “Sir, is he the first Christian to take oath as Chief Minister of your state?” MMM agreed that he was.
“Sir, will he be the first Chief Minister whose parents are both alive at the time of taking the oath of office and secrecy?” MMM replied that this might well be true. However, he could not answer with certainty. He knew very little about the longevity of the parents of Chief Ministers from the 1940s.
The Tallest Chief Minister?
Then came the next question. “Sir, will he be the tallest Chief Minister?” At this point, MMM decided it was time to have some fun. “Not really,” he replied. In MMM’s view, a certain freedom fighter who later became Chief Minister, led the industrialisation of the state, and pioneered the noon meal scheme would always remain the tallest.
There was a sharp intake of breath at the other end. “Oh, Sir!” came the exclamation. “Can you tell us what that person’s height was?” MMM decided that it was time to disconnect the call.
This article appeared in Madras Musings–https://madrasmusings.com/vol-36-no-3/short-n-snappy-243/
My book, Chennai, A Biography can be ordered-https://sriramv.com/2021/12/27/how-to-buy-autographed-copies-of-chennai-a-biography-from-outstation/20.ece
