It was March, 1993, and I used to be in what was then Bombay to do a narrative for a German journal on the wealthy and well-known of what later was named Most Metropolis.
I met and spoke with showbiz folks, trend fashions, czars of the promoting world, and socialites who have been the toast of the city. However I felt that one thing – or, somewhat, somebody – was lacking, a vital piece of the jigsaw puzzle of the story that was slowly forming in my thoughts.
Bombay, the monetary capital of the nation, was all about cash, with a capital M. And who a extra excellent personification of Mega Cash than the Don of Dalal Avenue, Harshad Mehta, who a 12 months in the past had pulled off what many mentioned was the most important rip-off and a few mentioned was the most important coup ever witnessed by the inventory market?
Harshad Mehta was straightforward to contact and greater than agreeable to be interviewed. Bunny was accompanying me on the journey, and we took a taxi to Worli the place the Large Bull lived.
Watched by a safari-suited bodyguard who was virtually as broad as he was tall, we walked on the garden and chatted. The market manipulator clearly preferred being within the movie star highlight and talked freely.
No, he didn’t see himself as a lawbreaker. Certainly, lots of people noticed him as a hero. The opposite night, he’d gone to the films in his well-known Lexus – the one one in India, on the time – and he’d been mobbed by folks wanting his autograph, as if he have been a well-known film star, or cricketer. To the widespread man, who might solely dream of riches, he was a modern-day Midas.
Interview over, the Large Bull graciously requested if he might do something for us. Sure, you possibly can, mentioned Bunny. We’d wish to journey in your Lexus. So, accompanied by the massive bodyguard, we have been chauffeured to the TOI workplace within the famed Lexus, a lot to the goggle-eyed amazement of the safety guards on the entrance.
Many say Harshad Mehta took folks for a journey. Bunny and I can say that we, fairly actually, took him for a journey.
DISCLAIMER : This text is meant to carry a smile to your face. Any connection to occasions and characters in actual life is coincidental.
