Why London should have a 'Scandal Point', thanks to Lalit Modi
Many years ago, Shimla was the destination to which the elite and ruling classes fled during the summer heat. And it was here no doubt, that people met to intrigue and conspire as well, because a particular spot ,where the Mall Road and the Ridge Road met, began to be called Scandal Point. Nobody really knows where the name came from, but a popular theory was that someone from the Patiala clan had run away with the viceroy's daughter, and this particular patch was associated with them. I am sure there are many other equally unsubstantiated stories associated with that infamous Scandal Point!
But a more likely and a simpler explanation behind that juicy name was that when these holiday makers stepped out to "take the air", and mingled with each other, it could have sparked plenty of gossip as well as some genuine scandals. Comments such as "Oh look, Mr X is meeting that dreadful Mrs Y! What could be reason?" would have filled the air. And if TV channels had covered the spot, it would have given enough masala for many months.
And now, ever since London has become the new Shimla (as this is where India's elite come to holiday in the summer) we might have to construct an honorary Scandal Point here, perhaps somewhere around Hyde Park. And then all the TV channels can gather there and transmit the latest scandal that has erupted in London, but impacts politics in India.
London now, genuinely, has become a home away from home for the Indian elite, and that is why someone like Lalit Modi could live here happily without experiencing an inch of discomfort. Not only was he able to meet all his old friends, he could also party and have a good time. I met him a few years ago very briefly at parties, and he always took care to proclaim his innocence, when I remarked that he looked a strangely happy man for someone without his passport! But since I am neither interested in watching cricket, nor keen on talking about it, I am sure we would not have been able to discuss anything further. I have no idea about recent times, but all I can say is that if he was a hunted fugitive when the UPA was in power, there was certainly no evidence of it. Nor was anyone shy about meeting him. Indeed, Indians were obviously still giving him the "star" status he had enjoyed in India.
Meanwhile, it is obvious that Lalit Modi is now rather energetically becoming the most avidly followed "tweeter" in India. His latest tweets of having "bumped into" the Gandhi family just tells us how closely London is mimicking the Shimla of old. Because, yes, if you go to "take the air" in certain parts of Hyde Park or Chelsea or Kensington, you might "accidentally" on purpose bump into a myriad newsmakers.
The fact that Lalit Modi knows them all cannot be denied. So now please can we nominate a Scandal Point, in London, where we can show people greeting, meeting, gossiping, insinuating...