Mera Number Kab Aayega???

Alternative title: Three-Time Unlucky Quizzer

(This pic is from the Bombay regionals. The extreme right guy (no pun intended) is me. And, table-tennis was farthest from my mind. The white-shirted guy with a Come-Smooch-Me-Hottie expression is my partner Tushar.)

BT-Acumen, Tata Crucible and now BEQ. My National Runners-Up juggernaut continues. The pain of having lost the Finals of Brand Equity Quiz on the last question seems to have subsided to a very large extent. Gone are also the "What if?" nightmares that I have had ever since.

"So What, Nobody Died" was Lance Klusener's classic statement after that '99 WC Semi-final against Australia. Wish I could be as nonchalant as him. Its true nobody died, but what died was that dream of peering down my third-floor apartment to catch a glimpse of a Ford Ikon resplendent under the warm morning sun. Aaaahhhh...

Magic moment: Semi-finals tie-breaker against Vizag Steel.
After we answered 'First Euro transaction'...jumped from my seat...walked behind it...punched the air...shouted a 'YES'...turned back to see my grinning partner...gave a hi-five...and both shouted 'YES'. Pure, unabashed joy. This is what one quizzes for. Will never forget those five seconds for the rest of my life.