I saw him turn around the corner and walk towards me - actually I was on his way; I was standing in the middle of the narrow footpath .. and I smiled.. well, the idea was not be a "desi ignoring another desi".. and lo! the story of my fastest 15mins, while my brain went on a long pause, I guess: He came up to me and wished loudly "Sasrikaal ..”; I was already into my, "no .. I am sorry, I dont speak Punjabi..". .. He wouldnt stop .. continued to state that its amazing how I look like a Punjabi and yet a mallu (as if I told him I was from Uganda)..

Anyways, then he delivered the punch line, "you see, I a baba - saadhu baba!"
My first impulse was to say, "okay, gotta go!". But Maryam wasnt any where to be seen and I had left the phone at home and that was our meeting place. Well, before my reflexes had any time, he held my forhead and looked straight, close into my eyes and said, " you smile alot, but you hide your worries" ( Punjabi-Engl-Hindish) .. Imagine, on the middle of a big road, busy with Xmas shoppers, he seriously examining the 3 faint frown lines on my forehead!! So before the "cultured folks " called for the Polis to report an Indian Turbaned "holyman" trying to hypnotize or whatever alibis, my curiousity got the better of me, I lead him into the near by coffee shop. Well, to cut the story short, he looked into my left hand, face and again the right hand .. did some strange stuff - I was very alert .. yet the blank paper piece he had given me earlier, turned out to be no more blank .. I was puzzled and suddenly the idea that he was using magic made me feel nervous and extremely distrustful .. I gave him a mixed story about myself so that he doesn’t market anymore ... but he was extremely charming .. and then "blessed me" and zapped off!

I was glad that he was gone, was glad to reminisce all those good things he saw in my future, was astonished that I sat and listened to him, googled about his ashram and kept wondering what the hell was he doing in this part of the world!

Anyways, everybody is impressed of this hip looking thingy (choker) on my neck - a Rudraksha bead from our SBaba :-)