*And this is the bar. And see the Citibank banner behind. I put a big ad in The Hindu today. Number one newspaper here,' Bala said.

I greeted Bala. He ignored me and continued to walk.

*Hey, you are the Internet fiasco guy,' Anil noticed me.

*Good evening, sir,' I said. I had become the poster boy for loserdom in the bank.

*Aren't you the only Punjabi stuck here?' he laughed. *I think that's enough punishment. No, Bala?'

Bala guffawed, even though the joke was on him, rather his city.

*Looking to move back?' the country manager said.

*I'll talk to you about it, sir,' I said.

*You let me know first,' Bala finally acknowledged me. *I'll help him, sir.'

The country manager patted my shoulder and walked away.

Ananya arrived with her father and brother at 7.15. *Are we late?' she asked breathlessly. She wore a peach chiffon sari with a skinny silver border. She had accessorised with a silver necklace and matching earrings.

*Yes, but the concert hasn't started yet. Come,' I said. I led them to one of the several round tables laid out in the garden. I chose one near the stage.

*Food is that side, and uncle, the bar is that way,' I said.

*I don't drink,' uncle said, looking at Ananya.

*Sure.' I said.

Clients filled each of the ten seats on all eighteen tables. One or two bank agents sat at every table, comprising primarily of junior Chennai Citibankers. Bala and the country manager had a separate table with the biggest clients, those with assets of five crore or more. I felt sorry for these clients. Frankly, I'd rather not be rich than face the agony of having dinner with senior bankers.

The lights dimmed at 7.30. Conversations stopped at the round tables as Bala came on stage. He wore a shiny cream silk shirt under his suit and resembled a pimp in training.

*Welcome everyone, what a delightful evening! I am Bala, regional manager for the Priority Banking Group,' he said and wiped the sweat off his face.

*Your boss?' Ananya whispered to me.

I nodded.

*What's with the shirt?'

*Shsh,' I said. Manju and Ananya's father listened to Bala with full attention.

*I want to welcome someone special,' Bala said.

The crowd cheered as they expected Hariharan or S.P to take the stage.

*Please welcome Mr Anil Mathur, country manager and MD, Citibank India,'

The crowd let out a collective sigh of disappointment.

Anil came on stage and realised that no one cared about him. He attempted a joke. *Hello everyone, who would have thought some of our biggest clients will come from the land of dosas and idlis?'

The crowd fell so silent, you could hear the waves on the adjacent beach.

Ananya looked at me shocked. I shrugged my shoulders. I had no control over this.

Anil realised the joke didn't work and attempted a rescue. *You see in Bombay, idli and dosa are seen as simple snacks,' Anil said.

*He's digging himself in deeper,' Ananya said.

*Yes, luckily he has only five minutes.'

Anil realised his sense of humour only worked with people who worked under him. He switched to what bankers do best, present boring PowerPoint slides with growing bar charts.

*So you see, when we came to Chennai, we started with a tiny footprint and now we are a giant. From a mini idli we have become a paper dosa,' Anil said, gesturing with his hands to show the relative sizes of the two dishes.

*Please, someone stop him,' Ananya groaned.

*We can't. He is the boss,' I said.

Anil finished his speech and the staff applauded hard. The clients waited in pain as two clueless but confident research analysts spoke about global corporate outlook for the next ten years.

*If we assume a seven percent GDP growth rate, the picture is like this,' the analyst said. Nobody questioned how the seven percent assumption came about, but after that, the analyst had enough charts to show what happens if the growth rate is indeed seven percent.

We ended the presentations at 8.30 People started to get restless as Bala came on stage again. *Not another banker,' you could almost hear them think.

*And now, for the music concert we have a separate MC, Miss T.S. Smitha,'

Bala said.

The crowd applauded as the extra busty Smitha came on the stage. She wore a low-cut blouse, a tad too deep for Citibank sensibilities.

*Welcome, ladies and gentlemen,' Smitha said, holding the mike in her hand.

*Are you having a good time?'

Nobody responded.

*What is she wearing?' Ananya said. Our whole table heard and sniggered.

*It is a little provocative, I admit,' I said.

*Her cleavage is so big, she can use it to hold the mike. Hands-free,' Ananya whispered to me.

*Shut up, Ananya,' I said, suppressing a smile.

*We have three talented singers tonight,' Smitha said. My heart beat fast. *We are all, of course, waiting for the maestros. But the first singer is the new, very talented, Radha. Please welcome her on stage.'

The crowd applauded as I craned my neck to see the stage. Ananya's mother arrived on stage in the orange sari.

*It's mom,' Manju noticed first as he stood up.

39.

*What?' Ananya's father stood up as well.

Ananya looked at the stage and then me in quick succession. *Krish, what is....'

*Shsh, pay attention,' I placed a finger on my lips.

Radha took the mike.

*Mom!' Manju screamed.

Ananya's mother looked towards us and smiled.

*What are you going to sing for us first, Radha?' Smitha asked coyly.

*Ek pal ka jeenafrom Kaho Na Pyaar Hai,' Ananya's mother answered shyly.

The crowd roared and clapped as introductory music began for the song.

Radha aunty sang well; I noticed several clients tap their feet or nod their heads to the music. Tamilians can tell good singers from bad, like Punjabis can judge butter chicken in a jiffy. Nobody in the audience looked disapproving.

*How did Radha come here?' Ananya's father spoke after recovering from the shock.

*Obviously, Krish arranged it, dad. Can't you guess?' Ananya said.

*She never told me,' uncle said. But his eyes glinted with pride.

*Mom is singing so well,' Ananya said to Manju, who nodded and reached out for the various snacks ferried by waiters.

Ananya bent forward and kissed me on my cheek. Her father didn't notice, as his eyes were transfixed on stage. A few agents did, and I smiled in embarrassment.

*Ananya, this is an office event,' I whispered.

*Of course, that's why my mother is on stage,' she said as she played footsie with me.

Her mother switched to the latest Tamil hit number from Rajni's movie. The crowd's excitement rose further. The song was a slow ballad, and required a lot of voice modulation. Claps ran through the crowd as Ananya's mother maneuvered a tough range of notes.

*Lovely, beautiful!' Ananya's father said in reflex as Ananya's mother switched three octaves in one line.

Ananya's mother sang four more songs to finish her act. Each song ended with enthusiastic applause.

Smitha came on stage again.

*That was wonderful, Radha. And before you leave, I'd like to invite the next singer, Mr S.P. Balasubramanium, who has a few words to say about you.'

The crowd rose to its feet and applauded as one of South India's greatest singers took the stage. Radha aunty folded her hands and bowed to him.

S.P. said, *Good evening, Chennai, and thank you, Citibank. Before I begin, I want to praise Radha for her wonderful singing. The songs were popular, but I can see she has a strong classical base. Do you sing often, Radha?'

*No, first time like this.'

*Well, you should sing more. Shouldn't she, Chennai?'

Everyone banged their tables in support. Ananya's mother bowed to everyone.

As she straightened, her eyes were filled with tears.

*So, you will?' S.P. said as he pointed the mike to Radha.

*Yes, I will. Also, sir, I want to say that today is the happiest day of my life. I've shared the stage with you.'

The crowd clapped. Radha aunty fought back tears as she left the dais.

*And I thought her happiest day was the day I was born,' Ananya muttered as she continued to clap.

The evening progressed with S.P. and Hariharan casting their spell on the crowd. For everyone else, the main act had just begun. For me and Ananya's family, the main act was over.

Ananya's mother joined us at the table after ten minutes.

*You were wonderful,' a lady at the next table said to Ananya's mother.

Ananya's father exchanged shy glances with his wife. S.P. sangTere mere beech mein from Ek Duje Ke Liye. I looked at Ananya. Our struggle resembled that film's story. I only hoped our end wouldn't resemble that movie's climax.

An hour into the concert, Bala came to my table.

*Krish, come with me. I want you to meet Mr Muruguppa, famous jeweler,' Bala said.