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We Broachas have always enjoyed special talents. Gifts if you will, talents that were shared with no other and was largely inconsequential and unuseable for the society at large. For example, my great grandfather could tie his shoe laces using only one hand.

Initially this was a great party trick and he was in high demand, however his business got wiped out by the populates of the buckle shoe, somewhere down the line.

My uncle could touch his fingers to the back of his forearm and although a constant display of this talent led to two divisions, it also initially made him very popular in male company. Also, keep in mind that in those days India went largely unnoticed at the Olympics and the only cricket of note was Vijay Merchant whose strike rate of one boundary every three months hardly brought in the crowds.

My uncle thus was a bit of a sporting legend for his time, although his status was largely confined to the six buildings that made up his residential colony.

Moving forward, another cousin could scratch one ear with one leg, yet another could swallow whole newspapers which he religiously did, till the neighbours objected.

Yesterday, my son Mikhaail Broacha joined this elite group. His talent? He knows the entire calendar by heart. Yup you ask him any date from the calendar year 2008 and pat comes the reply, “20th September was a Saturday, silly”.

The irony doesn’t escape me. As young adults we Broachas always have had trouble getting dates. May be, that poor record will stop with this generation.

For now forget about your jugglers, mime artists, gymnasts and mimicry artists, my son is available for private parties and function at recession induced rates.

And if you are not sure what day of the week is your birthday party or function falls on, you can check that with him.