February 15. “Now you know why I am after you to find a mate?”

“What’s the rush?”

“Authorities are yet to find a mate for Shiva, the rhino, who is staying at the Byculla Zoo. They now say that he is too old. Zoologists say that rhinos are sexually active between the ages of 20 and 30 and Shiva happens to be 32. Does that mean he will be lonely for the rest of his life? What if he can’t mate? They can, at least, find him a companion who will look after him and provide companionship.”

“Are you going somewhere tonight?”

“Dost and I have a couple of weddings to attend. My daughters are supposed to come along too but I doubt if they will. Want to come?”

“Would love to. What should I wear?”

“Anything you like. Clothes are not that important. But be ready to leave in 20 minutes.”

“I’ll be ready before that.”

On the way back, I asked Button:

“And did you like the experience?”

“Just loved it. The bride at the second wedding was very pretty. Why did so many people come and say hello to Dost? Were they his fans?”

“Dost has a huge fan following.”

“Thank you also for feeding me fish off your plate. But what I simply loved were the mini jalebis with the rabri. What an experience. Thank you so much for taking me along.”