Away from television and newspaper my recent vacation was a refreshing break. Once back, there was this urge to find how the world had changed. Surprisingly nothing changed. Cannes continues to be in the news, Kalmadi continues to be in jail and the Sensex continues to hover around the same digit. The only new development has been the entry of two new members, Anne Sinclair, wife of ex-IMF Chief and Maria Shriver, wife of Terminator to the long list of CWWA (Celebrity Wronged Wives Association)
Allegedly the women were ignorant about the amorous dalliances of their respective spouses for decades. The truth is that the moment your spouse is up to some hanky-panky nine out of ten women will know. Men are no good at keeping secrets. And wives are smart enough to sniff it from a distance. Now that Dominique Strauss- Kahn (DSK) has been charged with sexual assault, media is reporting that he regularly made advances on flight attendants with comments like, ‘Quel beau cul’(What a nice a**). Surely his wife knew that her hubby was repeatedly transgressing borders. Yet, from Hillary to Sinclair to Anupam Ahuja, most stand by their men proclaiming, “Oh, he cannot do it. He is being framed.”
Perhaps, the unconditional support is a face saver. The outcome might not be a messy divorce but when trust disappears, the cracks appear.
History is littered with stories cheating celebrities. Perhaps the initial member of CWWA was Picasso’s wife, Olga. Not for nothing was Picasso called Playboy Picasso. He went through women as he went through his paint brushes explaining that all women look like Rubik Cubes.
Richard Burton, Jacques Chiraq, Mike Tyson, Tiger Woods and Bill Clinton, all cheated on their wives who in turn became members of CWWA. I am guessing that when club members meet they dwell upon, “Why the housemaid?”, “Wasn’t I pretty enough?’, “Why did he have to get caught?”
The answer to the first one is because housemaids are readily available and powerful people think that loads of money can shut them up. Cheating has nothing to do with looks. Most ‘other women’ in history have been ugly and disproportionate. But ahh…the third one is tricky. Bad luck, I guess.
Of course, men have their own reasons for straying. No, it’s not the testosterones but a heady concoction of power, thrill and impulsiveness. Bill Clinton explained his indiscretion to Dan Rather on 60 minutes by saying that, “I did what I did because…..I could.”
Eh?
When Eddie Murphy was busted with a transvestite prostitute in his SUV in Hollywood, he claimed he had picked her up because she needed a ride. "I've seen hookers on corners and I'll pull over, and they'll go, 'Oh, you're Eddie Murphy, oh my God,' and I'll empty my wallet out to help."
The fairer sex need not jump on the high moral pedestal and start blowing the trumpet of virtuosity. A study reveals that rich successful women are as much willing to stray as their men counterparts. All for power! Power, I feel is more felt than measured. As Margret Thatcher once said, “Being powerful is like being a lady. If you have to tell the world that you are, you aren’t. But once your image is dented, power drains as fast as it came.” The sliding slope of decrepitude is steep.
Then are power and infidelity linked? Ummm…dunno! Manmohan, Mukesh, Sachin and Shahrukh are all powerful people. So far no news! After having declared that he does not ride women and horses, SRK is a role model amongst all the members of CWWA. Also ever since an ousted cheer girl has duly certified the Indian cricketers as unswerving, it appears that ‘Indian Celebrities’ are a faithful lot. Barring a Shiny here and there, are Indian men the epitome of commitment?
Be warned and get ready. Latest is that the firangs are heading India in search of that elusive rich, powerful, and ‘committed man’.
