He’s tall. Handsome. No wonder Mahindra Group Chairman Anand Mahindra once told him onstage that the transport industry’s gain is the fashion industry’s loss. That eye-candy, Chirag Katira was. Young and snappy. The word “debonair” fits him to the T: confident, stylish, and charming. One can add more quality to this list: daring.
The six-foot-something second-generation fleet owning transporter, weighing 79 kilos, was born (February 28, 1990) four days after Amitabh Bachchan’s superhit Agneepath release in Mumbai. This scion of the original Kutchi khandaan smashes away the conventional image of Indian transporter viz., low profile, shy, and less cosmopolitan. He is different, as Pankaj Kapoor used to tell Jaaved Jaffrey in the classic Maggi Hot & Sour Tomato Chilli Sauce TV commercial in the 1990s!
Two images of this non-graduate caught my attention: one of him posing somewhere in the Mediterranian with two wine bottles in hand in a hairless chest-revealing jazzy shirt. Bubbly with the unseen sparkling spirit in both hands on a bobbing boat deck, he was. His honeymoon trip, yes it was. Another is several visuals of this gangly young scion of Shree Nasik Goods Transport Co Private Limited toying with venomous snakes of various sizes and hues with no trepidation. In his teens, perhaps. “Me, animal lover,” he avers over the phone from Mumbai.
I called and asked: Is he ready for a reveal-all, non-business chat for a monogram? He greenlighted without batting an eyelid.
“I am a back-bencher always and passed out with 37% and college was never in my radar,” opens up Chirag. He pilfered Four Square cigarettes and sometimes a few rupees for chilling out with friends from his father. Later, he would give up smoking, like his dad. He is spiritual yes, religious not; and a vipassana practitioner with regular visits to Igatpuri.
Singer? The bathroom type in Hindi songs mostly. Kirtan is something he loves. One can hear some soft instrumental in the background while we converse. Owns an Audi RS 7 but cherishes Wagon R due to parking challenges in Mumbai. He still had the Chevrolet Cruise dad gifted in 2011. Yet, he loves cycling and does 6–7km daily with his foldable Rs..26,000 non-motorized two-wheelers.
Khichdi is this pure vegetarian’s favorite dish. Not even eggs. He imbibes strawberry or chocolate-flavored ice-creams out of love for his wife at Powai parlors or craving pav bhaji at Bade Miyan, Colaba. Strange for a perpetual sweety-toothed Gujarati. Green vegetables, no-no. “I can make pav bhaji!,” boasts the Sanjay Dutt fan and his favorite ghana: you’ve guessed it right, “Nayak mein hoon, kal nayak nahi”! What’s his dial tone? None.
Birthday celebrations are always held at his family bungalow in Nashik in the company of his cousins: half a dozen, at the last count. The Mumbai-Nasik stretch (NH3) is his regular long track. Sure, these parties “spirited” for Chirag, who had begun with Rs.100 bottled beer when his pocket money did not exceed Rs.700 a month in his high school days. Wine and vodka are okay but always in moderation. Does he smoke? Once or twice a month. Not a regular type, courtesy biwi pressure!
Is he single and ready to mingle? A stupid question. Ravina already snatched him on labor day, May 1, May 2018. Anything special about marrying on May Day? “Several family weddings had happened on May 1May 1. Me too,” he tells me. So, where did he escort his biwi for his honeymoon?
“Twenty eight days, we were on a road trip covering 2200km from Spain to Portugal,” he informs. Switzerland, Portugal, and Thailand are other destinations he had spent time on. Does he dance? “After two pegs!” pat comes the reply. I forgot to ask him whether Ravina designs his wardrobe too. Never mind, there is always the next time when we meet in person.
By the way, his wardrobe gets refilled every two years. Raymond’s suitings only. No readymade. Bespoken always. White and light blue as business-wear and sab-kuch for casual-wear. Twenty pairs of shoes — from Hush Puppies to Prada, a gift from his sweetheart! — occupy his footwear rack.
Rarely have I come across transporters sporting unique hairstyles. Chirag is an exception. Is it a short spiky hairstyle, with hair brushed to one side, spiked using a quality gel, and parted neatly to look clean and cool? Or is blown black, wherein the hair is blown, combed back with the sides parted and fading into the region just around the ears? Or is it the undercut tapers with fade, one of the latest and popular hairstyles? The hair on the top is styled with pomp, and the sides undercut and fade to make men look masculine? Does his hairstyle attract extra attention when he walks into business meetings in the company of more sedate and elderly colleagues? Diplomatically he answers with a silent smile.
King of the forest, the lion, and the clever wolf occupy his chest. Why? Because “they work in groups, never solo. I come from a joint family,” reasons the Piscean. Unity is strength, no doubt. The universal five elements are etched on his back as a crown. I wonder whether any part of his body that is not tatoo-ed?
Nothing is permanent, and everything passes, he philosophizes. Aggressive like lions. Clever like wolves. Grounded yet with belief in ancient wisdom. Modern, yet, a believer in panch bhuta: water, fire, earth, air, and akasha. Unique cocktail.
Oh, man! Anand Mahindra was spot on. Chirag ought to be in Milan, the fashionistas’ den, not Mulund, the dour Mumbai suburb!
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DEAR READERS,
You will agree that it is tough to capture the entire essence of any personality in an 800-word blog. Luckily, the subject (Chirag Katira) has shared a shipload of input of enormous interest. Keeping this in mind, we will be bringing a Monogram on him with more exciting details. This Monogram will be released on February 28, 2022, coinciding with his birthday. Stay tuned. — Konsultramesh
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