Delhiwale: The bell-bottoms man

The most eye-catching thing about Dayanand Mahantappa Hunahhimarad are his s and the large metal belt buckle shaped as an ‘A’ after his favourite film star.

Everyone is staring at him. Some are so awestruck that they are snapping his pictures on their mobile phones. But he’s all aloof — tall and lanky, chest popped up, head held high.

Dayanand sports a metal buckle inspired by favourite film star Amitabh Bachchan. (Mayank Austen Soofi / HT Photo)

The most eye-catching thing about him are his bell bottoms — the pants that have long gone out of fashion and which we see these days mostly in TV re-runs of old Amitabh Bachchan movies.

It turns out that this charismatic man is a serious Amitabh Bachchan fan. “See this belt,” he points to the large metal buckle. It is shaped as a big A.

“A means Amitabh sir!” he exclaims.

We catch Dayanand Mahantappa Hunahhimarad one evening at a central Delhi monument. “People often stare at me,” he confirms in genuine modesty.

In fact, even as we chat with him, we can hear a person whispering, “Dekho, bilkul Amitabh Bachchan (see, just like Amitabh Bachchan)!”

Of course, Mr Hunahhimarad has watched all Bachchan’s movies and says he “likes each equally”. A lawyer, he says he has been wearing bell bottoms daily since 1970 though he’s aware that even his idol has long stopped wearing them.

“When I close my eyes and think of Amitabh sir, I always see him in bell bottoms.”

This year Mr Hunahhimarad has made a new resolution. “I have never seen Amitabh sir in real life... I know he lives in the Juhu area of Mumbai. I’m going there later this year around Diwali... I’ll then try to meet him.”

He then walks away, still the cynosure of many eyes.