Perhaps the first and Only Michael Jackson ! Of Amritsar

By Rashmi Talwar

He was cheered, with a seemingly endless applause—Matching his steps- were the thumping- tapping feet of all who watched, as he “MOONWALKED” on stage.  

Michael Jackson in Amritsar

A smile lit me, as I dusted old photographs of Arjun,  shaking my head, I recalled him  dressed as the first and perhaps the Only Michael Jackson! Of Amritsar. 

Sometime in the early 90s, this fancy dress competition was held annually on Christmas day—at the local Amritsar club.

As an annual feature, the event had the power to push every parent worth his last buck,  to ‘necessarily’ doll-up their kids for this  fancy dress (Moreso, for fear of tantrums the whole year around, by the left-outs!) Our son Arjun, had a winning streak of over a decade of winning these fancy dress competitions–no less than 11 times! 

 But his MJ act was undoubtedly the best; at least it was my favorite.

News of Michael Jackson’s death on June 25, had all of sudden renewed requests from Arjun—“This time, with added gusto, urging us to send the scans of his fancy-dress pictures, on Email, ASAP.

Perhaps, his friends in the UK University were teasing him, pooh-phooing! his claims and boasts of having once won the prize, dressed as The Star MJ!