SIR RICHARD ATTENBOROUGH GANDHI-III

Earler still, as soon as we had alighted from the buses at the shooting spot in the wilderness near Delhi, we were greeted with extra strong cups of tea and stale Indian snacks. One bite and one sip, and I put both the items down. I said aloud for everyone to hear : "Lord, forgive them their sins; for they know not what they are doing." This sent the reception committee into hearty laughter. Actually, they were only testing our standard of living.
In the "shoe bus", one heard Daryl, while tying a necktie around an extra's neck, "Your neck is beautiful. It should be stretched on a rope." The extra turned pale and would have fainted had I not intervened. "What a greeting for an Indian ! You should have said rather he may be blessed with 1,000 sons.Daryl said "OK", gave us what we came for and we returned to our jobs.
Dave arranged us frontliners and Alique Padamsee, who was Mr Mohammed Ali Jinnah in the picture, Roshan Seth, Saeed and others, including yours truly, as per Sir Richard's instructions, on a dais in front of the cameras. The scene, if I remember correctly, was the Indian National Congress convention of 1921 in Lucknow. An old lantern was also hung on a beam to give it a 1921 authenticity.
Before the cameras could start rolling, one got another glimpse of Sir Richard's genius. In came trolleys laden with rolls and scrambled eggs and coffee and tea and what not. Happy tidings for everyone in the cool, cool weather. Presently, they mounted the podium and one examined the delicacies with discretion. They were aesthetcally arranged and the delicious aroma of coffee and tea was enough to make any mouth water. Add to it shining plastic crockery and you have the right picture. Any way you looked at it, it was a hearty meal. But only Steve said he was on fast and did not eat - or drink.
"All right, darlings," said Sir Richard (Richie - pronounced Rishi - just as a holy man is called in India - to his friends) after the breakfast was over and the cameras started whirring. But not for long. There were noisy crows demanding their share of food, to be shooed away, unit trucks' and generators' engines to be quietened down (funny the way they would start buzzing with the cameras) and the aeroplanes given the right of way.
Sir Richard discarded the parka he wore as a concession to the morning chill. And in half-sleeves and summer slacks he took up his duties till late in the evening. There he would squint at the crowd through the eye of the camera, and here he would squat at the ground with the crowd to gaze at it. This he would do to get as many different angles as possible. When frustrated, he would only mutter, "This tries the patience." And get on with the job. Once he told an erring cameraman : "I know I am your slave, but you must also do some work."

(To be Continued)