Inanimate,this quirk sparks your imagination

Over the years,Siddharth has developed a way to introduce himself. “In gatherings and parties,when I meet people,I ask them if they know this house by the corner which has a mannequin on its balcony,” he says. “So many people have their own stories,they have met beneath my house using the mannequin as a landmark,” he laughs.

Siddharth,who lives with two cats Mowgli “like in Jungle book” and Nokia “as in the phone”,the mannequin is as much a housemate. While one neighbour gushes that “he might have Parsi blood in him”,another suspects “the mannequin is mostly to scare the pigeons”. Siddharth says it’s neither.

“In France,when we place the national flag outside the window,nobody troubles you. When I came here,I placed a huge Indian flag across the balcony. It was full of Indian colours,bright. The police pulled it down the next morning. Now I have the mannequin,” he says.

Initially,the expat took him along to all parties. “Being French,I used to arrange parties themed ‘An Evening in Paris’. I used to place the mannequin wherever — in the middle or someplace at the party — as my mascot,my identity,” he adds.

Siddharth made him wear a jacket and a hat the day Michael Jackson died. “He wore a black jacket,” he says,adding that there are days when the mannequin becomes a clothesline. While his mascot doesn’t require much care,it does get an annual bath. Does it have a name? “It’s not a cat. It’s a mannequin. It’s just that,” he replies.

While Mowgli and Nokia now are comfortable with the mannequin,Siddharth says he might take its skin off and give it a makeover. “The white skin has been peeling off. I plan to strip the skin completely. It will then show a transparent body. One of these days,I will be giving him a heart,with lights inside. It will beat.”

smita.nair@expressindia.com