One Day of Being a Celebrity !

As the dust finally settled on 22nd May 09, it emerged that I had not topped All-India, but was merely the Delhi topper. Early morning, being woken up by a call by the Principal, Dr. Shayama Chona, and since then the day has been little short of a fairytale.

But throughout it all, I knew that this was a one-day celebrityhood; that next day everything will be over and I'll be back to anonymity. But this moment, a teardrop on the cheek of time, shall forever be memorable and that is what I tried to do - to savour every moment of what I knew would next come only if I assassinate a public figure. So, I try to recollect every moment and etch it forever, indellibly, in my mind.

First, some Hindi newspaper ending with 'Patrika' called me and took my interview for half an hour. For the next two hours, there was nothing. I was wondering if due to my presence in Kolkata and not in Delhi, would I be deprived of all the media attention? But then maybe now I understand why the calls dried out - because I was talking to Sonali, Kritika and Deboleena! But once I kept the phone, it was like a flood broke out.

TOI called and took my telephonic interview. Then came HT, Dainik Bhaskar, Dainik Jagran and what not! And then the electronic media came. First up was NDTV's Monideepa (whom I had seen several times on the news). She got sweets for me, some Bengali ladoos maybe. Then they took an interview, but that was the comfortable part since I've already been on NDTV Metro Nation.

Then came the Bengali news channel, 24 Ghanta, but NDTV continued shooting. They shot me on facebook, typing, moving the mouse and all. Then as soon as they left, News X came and took an interview. Then Sahara's Komolika was calling me, and once even said "If you do not come here, I will lose my job!" But the 24 Ghanta people did not let me move anywhere. She kidnapped me and took me to her studio.

On the way, Star Ananda, 24 Ghanta's main rival, called me and when they realised that I was with 24 Ghanta, they banged the phone on me. But they called back 5 mins later and did a voice-in LIVE with me. Then I went into the 24 Ghanta studio, but Sahara's Komolika was waiting outside the 24 Ghanta studio. She almost got into a fistfight with the 24 Ghanta woman. So, they went to their studio above and there Sahara took my interview, after which I was escorted into the 24 Ghanta studio, where I was LIVE for a good two hours.

Which actually left me quite drained. In the two hours that my father put his cell on silent, he got 53 missed calls. 24 Ghanta gave me a two-hour break in-between. But who was I to enjoy respite yesteday. In those two hours, I have at least five interviews, including the Indian Express and the Asian Age.

Then I went and had kebabs in the South City mall at 6:00 PM, my first thing to eat since morning. And then I went back to the 24 Ghanta studio to shoot for a political discussion. And the best part was that my Bengali is so good that I spent one whole hour staring at the people there rattling 'shuddh' Bengali. By the time I left the studio, my jaws were paining out of trying to speak Bengali.

And then, thankfully, my last shoot for the day was a live video-in for NDTV India, where I (thankfully) had to speak in Hindi. But right upto 10:00 PM, I was busy giving interviews on the phone.

And today when I woke up, father had got at least 6-7 newspapers, and I was reading out the articles. "Kolkata boy tops CBSE" or "Two Toppers minus tuitions". I was misquoted at several places, but its okay - I don't mind it! And today again I leave for Star News' LIVE telecast at 1:30, knowing fully that all this is a mirage, an illusion that won't last tomorrow. But as long as it is there, I shall savour the moment.