Strawberry Wine

So I watched Midnight’s Children. The ensemble cast notwithstanding, the movie was slower than the book if that is possible. I am no judge of good literature, and I would give the book the benefit of doubt simply because it was written in the backdrop of political upheaval, and goes beyond the story, beyond the characters and beyond what meets the eye.

But this post is neither about the movie nor the book. And no, it’s not even about Rahul Bose, as enamoured as I was watching him onscreen after quite some time. This post is about older men and why most women throw themselves at men double their age for no obvious reason. Think Padma Lakshmi, think Catherine Zeta Jones, think Katie Holmes, think Jacqueline Kennedy or for that matter, even our very own Kareina Kapoor.

So what is it about older men that attract beautiful, smart and successful women who apparently have the world beneath their feet?

Good looks? I would hardly define Salman Rushdie as a Greek God…

Money? Fame? Intellect? May be, a combination of all, but then again, there are plenty of them around even in our own generation…

Wit? A good sense of humour? Probably, because the more you see of the world, the more cynical you become…

Security? Protection? Warmth? Definitely, because secretly every girl, consciously or unconsciously, wants a father figure in her life, who can take care of her…

But whatever it is, it can’t be denied that an older man wields a charm over women: may be it’s more intangible, may be you can’t put a finger on it and may be there is indeed something called the old world charm…

Rahul Bose, are you reading?