He's too sexy for his dish dash!

        Too handsome for his own good!

Here’s a small test : Who is Omar Borkan Al Gala? If that name rings a bell, chances are you are a twenty-something, net-savvy female. I stumbled across the name and image of this person when I noticed my youngest daughter’s status. It read ‘Yummy!” This single word was positioned under a photograph of a staggeringly good looking young Arab with a rakish half-smile and fussily trimmed beard. I confess I was a little startled by her open admission of…. shall we say, unadulterated lust? I decided to conduct my own ‘research’ and discovered more about this international  headline grabber . Omar shot to fame after he was anointed the most desired poster boy du jour by females across the globe. This was right after being thrown out of   the annual Jenadrivah Heritage & Cultural Festival in Riyadh. His ‘crime’? His incredible good looks! Authorities feared this young guy (and two other men) were a bit too attractive, too hot to handle, for the delicate local ladies at the Festival! That is just so hilarious!What did the organizers imagine?That women in droves would attack these hunks? Molest them? Rob them of their virtue? Oooooh! The terrible weakness of  out-of-control, lustful women. Ha! Surely this incident marks an international first? I cannot recall another occasion when a man was penalized for his amazing looks! It’s another matter that Omar Borkan has shot to global fame overnight and become an obsession across continents! He has been promptly grabbed by international showbiz agents ready to flog his recent super celebrity status and make big bucks out of  it. A movie role and more….

 Years ago, I had a really fun night in London at what was then considered a pretty risqué men’s striptease club in Soho.  It was a riot! There were at least six bachelorette parties in full swing that evening, which meant it was a crowd of  exaggeratedly rowdy ( read: inebriated)  women, whistling and hooting each time a new act opened on the small stage. The ‘act’ didn’t go beyond a bunch of musclemen stripping off their clothes to throbbing music. As each item of clothing was peeled off, there were prolonged shrieks from the ladies. Since there were six brides in the audience, the strippers made sure to come up and give each one a special treat (let’s leave out details!). Some of those men were seriously well endowed and good looking ( think John Abraham and Akshay Kumar playing male escorts in Desi Boyz). High spirited ladies were placing bids and wondering how much it would cost to take a couple of these fellows home. It was taken in the right spirit – no offence meant, none taken. At the end of the show, most women staggered off to the nearest bar to giggle some more… and prolong the innocent madness of the evening.

Saudi Arabia is a different destination. And this is not to compare cultures or judge them. It is just amusing to note the high levels of male suspicion and fear in Riyadh. While pretending to ‘protect’ local women from swooning at the feet of these men and surrendering to Adonis-like predators from across the border, the organizers were in fact displaying their own paranoia and insecurity. One wonders to what extent they’ll go in future to ensure good looking guys stay away from Riyadh? Will they scan submitted pictures before issuing passes? Will there be an all male screening committee at the venue scrutinizing visitors and sifting Greek Gods from ornery hoi polloi?? Will they come up with a tax on good looks? What about the women? Nobody knows their views . Have they admitted their weakness and confessed they were unable to concentrate on a thing with Omar and his pals prowling the grounds? Poor , deprived women. Can something similar happen in India? Heaven forbid!

My eyes are peeled. I am looking out for Omar sightings. Where will this dishy guy in a dish dash pop up next? My curiosity has peaked. I have noticed my daughter’s fresh updates featuring a whole new set of Omar images.  With each new photo session, he changes his fashionable head gear. From blood red to dune brown. His kohl- lined eyes smoulder and smoke at the lens . He is looking like a million bucks – and probably charging as much. We have countless Omars in India. Fortunately, nobody dares stop us from drooling – yes - even in public. Arjun Rampal  has just topped the  polls as 2012’s Most Desirable Man. Arjun’s gorgeous. But Omar is better. He should definitely come to India. He’ll we welcomed with open arms. Most of them female. But, why leave out equally besotted men?