Moooooooo. I absolutely and totally love my cow. I have housed it in the guest room, along with Charlie Chaplin. Before you start wondering whether I've totally lost it, let me clarify. Here's my cow story.... and it is really sweet. I was in Delhi on sunday to attend the finale of Couture Week. The show was being staged by two amazingly gifted men - Abu Jani and Sandeep Khosla. Or, 'The Boys' , as they are popularly called. Dimple was their other invitee from Mumbai. I adore 'The Boys'. And I adore Dimple. She is astonishingly beautiful and great fun, apart from being a terrific actress . I have always adored Dimple ( have known her for more than 30 years), and rate 'Bobby' in my list of Top Ten Bollywood films. It is a heartbreakingly innocent and adorably romantic movie with unforgettable music ( " Main shayar toh nahin..."). Well... let's get back to the cow. Just as I was leaving for the airport the next day, I received a message saying the flight was delayed. This was in the lobby of the hotel, and Dimple was checking out, too. "Let's go and meet Sidharth - he's my painter friend in Delhi. I love him and he loves me," she suggested spontaneously. And so we went... miles and miles away... looking for his studio. I hadn't heard of him, but I trust Dimple's taste. I knew I wouldn't be wasting my time. As soon as we walked into his neat and tidy studio in Pocket B ( I swear I'm not making up his address), I spotted the golden cow.... and fell in love with it. He had forty other cows - but this golden one had to be mine! And now, it is! Divine intervention? Sidharth has led a fascinating life .... he was a Buddhist monk living in a monastry in Dharamsala as a lama for six years mastering the art of Thangka paintings. Today, he lives in Delhi, exhibits in London, holidays in Norway( where he has a considerable fan following) and is modesty personified. He makes his own pigments , is inspired by Mughal miniatures, but insists there is nothing profoundly philosophical about his work, since he believes in simplicity. 'The Decorated Cow' is a tribute to the late Manjit Bawa, but it is also a mythical and mystical exploration of the bovine world. I feel fortunate to possess the one cow I instantly fell for....I saw so much love in her kind eyes. I think I saw my mother.
I have a beautiful image of this cow in my inbox and wanted to share it with you. But my efforts failed miserably! I know you'll love my cow. Perhaps I'll be luckier tomorrow. Meanwhile, I must thank Dimple for introducing me to Sidharth. He remains admirably detached and monklike, smiling playfully, surrounded by his Cosmic Cows.
I feel blessed....