Like many others I too have been fascinated by the phenomenon of Amar Singh.
Leading film actresses have prepared dabbas of food for him with their own delicate hands to send to his hospital bedside; he has been at the center of some of the biggest Indian inter-family business feuds; and after years in the wilderness, he has survived the wrath of more Yadavs than one would ever like to imagine, to once again matter in the state of UP.
Relationship mode
Intrigued by the Singh prodigy, I had once asked his best friend of that time, a dashing billionaire scion why he was so close to Singh, and why he chose to hang out with him. "The thing about Singh," said the scion "is that he's always in Relationship Mode."
Relationship Mode?
"Yes," he explained. "He's always ready to engage with you and talk about what's on your mind. He immerses himself in your life—if he wants to be your friend." The billionaire scion demarcated one wing of his home for Singh's Mumbai visits. Instances of Singh's genius at 'relationship mode' are many.
Finesse In Managing Egos
Back in the day when he was relatively unknown, Singh had been an important member of the Madhavrao Scindia-Shyam Bhartia coterie in Delhi. Those days he was treated with a great deal of affection (the overarching deference that he enjoyed from the Bachchans, and other filmies was to come later) and celebrated for his ready wit and his arch comments, but even then amidst all this bonhomie, his emotional intelligence had been an acute and finely honed one. At an awards ceremony, I will never forget the sight of Singh being led to one of the front-row seats.
But no sooner had he realized that his seat was ahead of that of another important member of the Scindia-Bhartia coterie, he sprung up, and shifted to another seat, suitably behind that of his perceived 'senior'. Such finesse in managing egos, set him apart in the rough-hewn wilderness of Delhi.
Laxman to Amitabh's Ram
The story of how Singh won the undying love (well, not so undying in retrospect) of the Bachchan household also points to his remarkable understanding of human nature.
In the days when Amitabh was beset with all manner of financial and professional woes, Singh who was yet to become Laxman to Amitabh's Ram, had approached the then PM Chandrashekhar, mentioning that the legendary poet Harivanshrai Bachchan was not keeping too well and that it would be wonderful if he would drop in and see him when next in Mumbai – a suggestion to which the good soul had responded with alacrity.
The PM's visit had not only won Singh immeasurable respect from the Bachchans, but is also said to have had a salutary effect on the star's many issues with governmental authorities. From that time on, Singh became a member of the family, and notably at Shweta's wedding, he had stood right beside Amitabh to receive the baraat. Needless to say, here too a wing of their home was demarcated for Singh for whenever he visited Mumbai.
No sheep in an Armani bandhgala
But all this is not to say that Singh is a sheep in his Armani bandhgala. A Bachchan relative, someone who had been almost an aide-DE-camp to the superstar, narrates a chilling story of Singh's wiliness. "After his position began to grow with them, he quite matter-of-fact sat me down and told me that he would give me six weeks to fall in line and route every thing, including my interactions with the star, through him," says the man. "Naturally I told him to fX@# off!" He moans "Forget six weeks, do you know that 10 days later, I was persona non grata? And till today, I don't know why."
The Last Laugh
"He is a delight to know, and the best thing about him is his sense of mischief and fun," says another billionaire about Singh. It is this sense of mischief and fun that I best like to remember Amar Singh with, as he once again girds up his loins for the forthcoming UP elections: At one of the ceremonies at the wedding of Madhavrao Scindia's son Jyotiradiya in Gwalior, Amar Singh and his wife Pankaja had arrived late, looking a bit flustered.
When asked the reason, the graceful lady, herself a member of a royal clan, had looked accusingly at Singh and said, "You tell them."
Apparently, Singh had emerged from his bath, and finding a gorgeous red fabric laid out on the bed, had assumed it to be the traditional 'safa' he had been requested to don as part of the groom's family, and excitedly wrapped it around his head. Imagine his wife's fury when she discovered that it was her priceless heirloom and freshly ironed sari that he'd worn.
The incident elicited much laughter and unsurprisingly, the person who'd laughed the loudest and most had been Amar Singh himself. Perhaps even then he'd known that real turban or not, the glory would always be his and he'd always emerge having the last laugh.
Write to Malavika at malavikasmumbai@gmail.com
