Who is the most famous or infamous person you have ever met?

Growing up in Mumbai and studying in Bandra, you would eventually every now and then bump into an Indian Movie Actor. They were quite a few and somehow at that time none of them caught my fancy, I guess, I was too young to be fascinated by them. On the other hand, my sister had this big, or should I say still has this massive crush on Shah Rukh Khan.

I remember very clearly, around twenty years ago, I had stepped out to walk Alonzo and there was Shah Rukh Khan a couple of blocks away from our house. I ran back home to tell my sis of the opportunity to fulfill her long cherished dream of catching his glimpse, she as expected was thrilled, but instead of grabbing her shoes and heading out of the door right away, she got busy dressing up and thus missed out on seeing him.

Being an absolute cricket fanatic, the only famous person I have ever wanted to meet and chat with was Sachin Tendulkar. When I learned that he would be one of the celebrities at the Mumbai Marathon, I ran a 10 kilometer just to catch a glimpse of him and wave.

Meeting a celebrity is very much like meeting your first love. You’ve been dreaming about them for so long, and now they’re right in front of you. Your heart is racing, your palms are sweaty, and you can barely speak. The moment was surreal. I could feel my cheeks turning red, not because of the intense running, but because my idol was at arm’s length. My feet couldn’t move. It felt as if they were nailed to the ground. I remember screaming “Sachin, Sachin!” as though he was at the stadium playing one of his masterstrokes and I was one of his millions of fans cheering his shots. Luckily, I had a friend who I had managed to coax into participating. She pulled my hand and nudged me to continue running, thus saving me from any further embarrassment.

Keep the child in you alive. It is that part of you that gives you joy and imagination.” – Joe Vitale

Given the chance, I would do the same all over again, without worrying too much about how my family members would feel about my child-like behavior or reactions to a close encounter with my idol. Keeping the child alive till my very last breath