The ToI trilogy: Part 1- The Fellowship Of Page 3

I had always wondered what the term Page 3 meant.

When I first heard the term, I used to look at the 3rd page of the main paper, which would generally consist of the local news. Powercut today in Shaniwarwada, Local boy abducts minor, MLA of the constituency at a grand opening of the new Sulabh Complex opening etc etc. I thought if these were ‘page 3’ guys, why was the term considered derogatory?.

That was until I chanced upon the supplement. When I opened the supplement called Pune Times here, the levers of my brain started unlocking and I found myself staring at the answer.

Celebrities, as most of the journos (or us) would call them come dressed to parties in clothes costing cash which could well be equal to the monthly salaries of middle class guys, all for one party!! And in most of the cases the dresses are never repeated!! Infact, it is an ‘original’ sin to wear the dress twice or if misfortune has it, seeing another person turn up in the exact same attire.

Initially, I used to wonder who these guys who get their photos eagerly snapped are. I am still wondering now as I write this. One of the page 3 ‘regulars’, I found out today was a director of some Serum Institute whereas in the past one year (since I had been following this guy), he would only turn up on the Race Course cheering for some horse. He would wear the best suits, the coolest hats and would invariably have either a glass of champagne or white wine in his hand. Never in my dreams could I imagine that this guy was actually a geek!

Of similar nature is another guy’s story. This one is not so ‘classy’. Whenever this guy attends a party, he is always wearing the same shirt which he had wore for the previous one and the caption reads ‘Honaji Sanas with a friend’. I thought, didn’t these friends think low of him as he had only one shirt and had come to show it off!! It is only 2 days ago, that I came to know he was a hotelier. Now you know how ToI is don’t you? The guy must be the owner of a vada pav tapri near Taj Blue Diamond considering his dress sense!

Imagine the pathos, I go to the same places these guys go (different days of course) and yet I have never gotten clicked!! There has been no photo till date with a caption reading ‘Sudhakar Kamath with a friend’.But when a girl turns up in a micro mini skirt with leopard prints…that makes page 3. The caption reads. ‘Beautiful girl enjoying the do’ ….

What do these guys do with these expensive clothes if they can only wear them once??? Do they throw them away? Do they mix and match? Do they donate it to some charity considering that is the ‘coolest’ thing to do? Or do these clothes turn up at auctions..saying ‘This is the saree which Dolly Thakore wore at Jackie Shroff’s Party’ and common people coughing up their hard (or not so hard) earned money to buy this priceless possession? Do they actually buy them or is there a store which rents out the latest in fashion may be at Rs. 15 an hour?

I cant even imagine seeing girls in these party dresses walking about on roads buying ‘aata dal’. Do they even know the current price of onions??

I put down the paper and start doing some other thing and these ramblings are put to pause; Until I read the Pune Times again next day……