Chance meetings

I was filling coffee from the vending machine in the media room when I  saw a short young man smile at me as he dipped a tea bag into his cup. It was the book fair of 2021, and I had met many Malayalam media folks there, so I assumed him to be one too. This time, I made the effort to introduce myself first. 

"Which newspaper?" I asked. 

He replied: "Actually I'm a visitor here and I work for the Hindu group in Chennai."

That got us talking, but he had friends waiting and had to leave. We decided to meet for coffee on a Sunday. He was an art magazine editor and Film script writer too, but was exploring career options in dubai. 

It probably didn't work out but we kept in touch occasionally. I got my present tenant, his wife's relative, for my Chennai flat through him.

Last year, he suddenly contacted me for a gig _ to write articles on the UAE for The Hindu that would interest Indians. But it was another 3 months before his good friend, the foreign editor of TH,  contacted me for the purpose. My first venture was on the ÙaE's space program, next on food security, third on the book fair,  and fourth on aid for Gazans. I couldn't write during my 2-month sojourn in India, as they wanted ground reports. 

To write for The Hindu is like a dream, that too on International affairs. I had only written 3 travel reports for them  earlier.

The power of chance meetings and how they turn one's life never ceases to amaze me.