To Hug or not to Hug

Padmaja Limaye from Navi Mumbai couldn’t contain her excitement. This is going to last me a lifetime! She gushed to Shah Rukh Khan, the new, dapper and witty host of Kaun Banega Crorepati that started yet another season on Jan 22, 2007.
The show has returned basically with the old format but Shah Rukh has set in a new precedent. Contestants will no longer simply wish to quit the show, as they did earlier when stuck up for the right answer. Instead, they will say, “Shah Rukh, mujhe gale laga lo”. Something Shah Rukh, the people’s guy would only be too willing to do.

So, after winning twenty five lakh Indian rupees, Padmaja, a roll-over contestant on Wednesday, 31 January, at a loss for an answer wished to be hugged by Shah Rukh. The gentleman readily obliged. Along with the cheque, needless to say, she carried home that night memories to last her a lifetime.


This particular episode of the show set me thinking. Should I ever make it to the hot seat of KBC, would I be as forthcoming as Padmaja was and ask Shah Rukh to gale lagao me? I knew I couldn’t be as daring as the earlier contestant who, I believe, wished to be married to Shah Rukh! But being hugged should be much easier than wanting to be married, so would I be able to ask for a hug? I had my doubts.

No matter how much we pride ourselves for being progressive, a part of our thinking/outlook/perspective, subconsciously, still remains conditioned by years of sermonizing about what we can and cannot do, must and must not do. I think it’s in our genes; so much so that our psyche is emerging conditioned having been doctored right in the womb!

Before I could resolve my predicament, my husband passed his judgement: Take it in writing from me; you will never be able to!

Now, I take challenges very seriously, especially those thrown by my husband. Thus provoked, I declared that I would unhesitatingly ask Shah Rukh to embrace me but warned him from responding in a typical husbandly manner later on.
His reply was inimitable of his style: As much as I would like to hug Gauri (Shah Rukh’s wife), I do not stand a chance; but if you can get to hug Shah Rukh, do it by all means. I will not have a problem.

Take it in writing from me, he added before I could demand the same.

One hurdle crossed.

But what of others?

My daughters would go crazy, to say the least for SRK is their favourite. Woweee! They’ll exclaim and jump about the place.

Friends and cousins would envy me and might hug me just because SRK did so!
Guys could feel left out and regret not being in the same league as Shah Rukh!!
Now let’s get serious. Parents in law, I know would be non-committal. They would go with the flow, rather me, and not take a stand on the issue.

Parents? Hmmmmmm, I couldn’t be as sure of them though. Their response could start with a mild reprimand which could become serious and severe with every passing minute.

While I was ticking off all those whose response mattered, trust my husband to butt in.

Have you thought about the mullahs, he asked.

What about them? I questioned with a raised eyebrow.

Their response, silly. He explained.

The hot seat which till then seemed warm and cozy suddenly appeared all cold and metallic.

Them mullahs! I had forgotten all about them in my excitement of being hugged by SRK. I now know why all the females (ages 6 to sixty) of the human species go weak-kneed and senseless when it comes to SRK!

The mullahs definitely appeared a tougher challenge than the one thrown by my husband.

They could take me to task for:

Chatting face to face with a member of the opposite sex.

Being out in the open before hundreds of men in the audience and million others at home, without a burqa.

Hugging a na-mehram so blatantly in public leaving all sharm and haya at the hot seat.

They could censure me on many more counts. Or expel me from the folds of Islam.

They would indeed prove a formidable jury armed with the Shariah no less, while I would be defenseless with just a harmless, innocent hug to keep me going.

They could even annul our marriage and ask you to go in for a new nikah, chipped in my husband yet again.

He already seemed to be on their side.

This could be greater than the hug, I riposted.

How, so? It was his turn to raise an eyebrow.

At least this time I could get to choose the person of my liking, I exclaimed!