3 ZM has a party!

Ha! After all that whining and worrying I did about 3 ZM, we had a superb Mumbai launch. So allow me to exult and crow a bit?
Friends, colleagues, family, ex-colleagues, ex-neighbours, fellow-writers, childhood friends, mother's old buddies, counsellees, friends of friends], blog-readers ....and total strangers braved traffic (many of them sitting in their cars for over 2 hours) and poured down the elevator and into Crossword Juhu. Mercifully there was no rain on the parade. Shabana arrived in time, and we got off to a great start. It was informal, interactive. She read superbly of course. How actors can sit in a chair, and conjure up for us the people, the atmosphere of a particular scene, by reading so wonderfully. That we've known each other for several years now, helped. We were comfortable with each other, kidding around a bit, and yet focused on the book and the audience. (She couldnt hide her surprise at my well-dressed avatar, and commented on it - there was a roar of approval from the audience; obviously everyone was marvelling at how i had actually managed to change out of baggy pants and t-shirt).
I saw a phalanx of photographers and tv crews - and assumed they were there for Shabana. When I asked her, she said No I didnt call them! Once the reading was done - I read some too - we were full celeb style attacked by cameras, questions, etc. Later I realised this was all thanks to some rather deft footwork by the young team at Crosswords (one cutie named Amrit in particular) and by a team in Good Relations (another cutie named Pallavi). To top it all, they served the guests fabulous coffee and fat fat chocolate chip cookies.
After the camera people left, I saw a patient line of people waiting to have the book authographed. Amongst them were many dear friends and I told them they were mad to stand there. All of them thought it was hugely fun to stand in queue for me to sign.
Typically, none of us thought to take pictures! I have got something off the net, from a site called smashhits.com. Hope to get some of my doing the signing thing from Pallavi, soon.
The book sold solidly in those 2 hours - Crossword had to send out for more from another of their shops. Too much fun. On top of it, a friend sitting in front of his telly sms-ed that 3 Zakia Mansion was mentioned by Sunil Sethi of Just Books (NDTV Profit) as amongst the top 5 bestsellers.
Now there's a launch in Pune on the 28th and one in Bangalore on the 2nd of July. Should be fun. Mumbai and Pune is ekdum my backyard. Bangalore, I'll have to be a little more demure!
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