I have always been asked a lot of questions on who all celebs I have met at my work. Shahrukh? Big B?...dadada...and I have always had to patiently explain to the first timers that health journalists have more to do with doctors and scientists, etc etc.
Obviously, meeting an F1 world champion was never even a dream...
But this Thursday morning, there he was...the dream Spaniard! All of F1 red and with clear brown eyes...
Chacha Nehru hospital in Delhi is known for treating kids - especially for polio. I had never been there though. While I was waiting for Alonso to arrive, I understood why it was so famous. Very well maintained and friendly, caring physicians.
I was just fretting over missing my morning chai...and just like that the man arrived. It was a black Audi. Now I am very partial to cars of that make and that colour but once he stepped down, love for the machine was taken over by an obvious something else. Completely, I might add.
Apart from some Spanish channels, we were on for an exclusive coverage. Saree-clad girls did tilak and garlanded him. Of course you found me rolling my eyes! But whatever! Fernando seemed to enjoy it. We tailed him as he went in and lit a candle in front of the Nehru Chacha memorial and then to visit polio affected kids' ward. Some completely unaware but lucky infants got the polio drops administered by him. Obviously the babies couldn't care less but you should have seen the beaming mothers.
Now I know why celebs are brought in for these kinds of things.
I managed to convince his media manager for a quick interview. 'Strictly about polio', he mouthed. I nodded.
The journo in me wasn't expecting much though. Just a couple of bytes, saying: "Yeh, it's so amazing these kids..." and just smiles. No offence meant here but just a cute poster boy.
I was pleasantly surprised. He knew his stuff. He knew India was doing well on the polio front. And it is somewhat endearing to hear a Spaniard talking in broken English.
What do you think of India's progress?
"It has been unbelievable. Think about the situation four or five years ago and to think the last case this year was in January. It is important that parents immunise their children."
Not many people know that you are also the goodwill ambassador for UNICEF. How did you get involved with them in the first place?
"Well...I have been working with UNICEF for almost four years now which is always a good thing to help people who have ..less luck than us. And I am very proud to work with them because I know that all the job they do every day is important....not just for local countries but important for around the world like here...polio in India."
The media manager was already signalling me to stop. I ignored the first time.
How was it visiting these kids in the ward?
"It is always a very unique experience when you visit a hospital with children. ...when you see children it is more difficult to see them with their difficulties. But children...have something special about them."
I couldn't agree more, I thought. In that split second, something made me notice that although the Spanish media and the photographers and the doctors and the hospital staff and the UNICEF people and the parents and kids and god-knows-who-all were bustling around us...plus of course the media manager continuously electrifying us with the looks he was throwing at us...our F1 man wasn't fazed at all. He was speaking straight from his heart. Touche.
And for the F1 fans,
"Of course! I am excited, it is a first time in India...so we are all excited about the racing and India is very welcoming." He gave me a smile before the media manager finally got his way. I smiled back and dealt with the media manager's glare for speaking on stuff other than polio. Whatever!
Next step ideally, should be - rush to uplink the bytes, call the office, tell them we have got the man...dadada... But I just hung on and did something I usually never do. I ducked past the media manager and asked Fernando if I could get a picture clicked with him.
