A man I had just been introduced to, not just any man — a powerful man — put his hand on the small of my back as we posed for the camera. The placement and the pressure were exactly short of one-step-too-far or more accurately just above the too-low-to-be-decent touch.

I felt it, I knew he knew I felt it but I didn’t call it. Apart from the fact there was nothing to call because nothing untoward had happened, I am loathe to admit that I was flattered to the point of even allowing the let’s-pretend-nothing-is-happening- but-something-totally-is behaviour. This outrageous flirtation continued through dinner and became brashly bolder without ever crossing the line. I confess I enjoyed the attention, not because I was attracted to him, far from it — he was short and old — but because of the power this man exuded and that was shockingly irresistible to me.

Photo: Mail Today

In a room full of the brainiest and the best he only had eyes for me and I cannot explain the heady rush of that. I understood for the first time why beautiful bright women fall for influential toads. It’s not the lure of position and money — it’s the audacious aura of confidence and success they emit that entices and enchants and makes you literally feel like you are being swept off your feet. I needed to know the secret behind this force.

The India Today Conclave attracts and invites some of the most formidable and mesmerising leaders in the world. I am one of the lucky few who get to observe and interact with most of these people in close proximity. So, what is it that makes them powerful? Of course, it’s individual and you certainly can’t buy charisma (else we’d have the first female American president) but there is a commonality that we can all steal. Let’s talk about the traits of the 3 S’s I have encountered — SRK, Sarkozy and Salman Rushdie.

As diverse as they are, they all have young women and men wanting a piece of them. The first quality that hits you is their mammoth self-belief. I knew Shah Rukh before he conquered Mumbai and no matter what anyone said about his nose or his penchant for melodrama he knew he was born to be king. There was nothing to suggest this except his conviction and in the larger picture of life that’s all that matters. It’s not even that they don’t hear the negative, they do, but they have the ability to either brush it off or use it as a challenge.

Photo: Mail Today

None of these men fear voicing their opinions and though it may come across as arrogance, I don’t believe it is. I haven’t met an arrogant person with this kind of child-like curiosity for everything that surrounds them. Rushdie wanted to know details about a new musical I had just seen. Sarkozy had a million questions about Japan. SRK always needs to know all that’s going on in south block (no, he doesn’t come to me for that information — he's brighter than that). To top up all the titbits they hunt and gather, they are all varied and voracious readers. Their retention power is phenomenal. It cannot just be a generational thing that they can quote speeches and poetry verbatim. Such a rarity for the times we live in.

If any of you have had the privilege of watching these men live on stage, then you know they give everything they’ve got and more, every time. Sarkozy explained that if he’s not 110 per cent on all the time then he’s wasting his own time. The best part is that these cannonballs of energy are game for anything. Rushdie had no issues about being asked about his obsession with sex and PYTs.

The overused word in SRK’s public vocabulary is yes. He will dance, perform, be intellectual if the occasion demands and never let on that he has a broken shoulder or worse. Part of being easy is also making everyone around feel comfortable. By this I don’t mean casual because you can never ignore the gigantic presence in the room but you are relaxed about the nearness.

Photo: Mail Today

No doubt later your heart will skip a good few beats but for that moment you’ll glow basking in the enveloping glory. I have watched these men talk to everyone like they matter — it’s not humility in fact it’s the opposite. When you are so secure in yourself, you don’t fear your stature diminishing by conversing with a commoner.

Without exception, monumental men are doers. It’s go-go and dodo for them all the way. They are all men of action; you’ll never see one sitting on his tush if there’s something to be done, he’ll just get up and do it or get it done. This inevitably means they are physically fit. They eat well and make time for physical activity. Sarkozy claims that he runs every day of his life.

The fact that they all are well groomed, wonderfully put together and smell divine could be incidental but then again nothing about these men is. The scent of success they ooze can bring you to your knees. I wonder if it’s the same for powerful women — do they scare or attract?

(Courtesy: Mail Today)

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