I act,so I am

The con artist Christophe Rocancourt deceived influential members of society into believing he was a French Rockefeller; but not as successfully as Cassie Chadwick,at the end of the 19th century,posed as a daughter of Andrew Carnegie and obtained bank loans totalling some 10 to 20 million,although Rocancourt admitted to making almost 40 million from a lifetime of conning. There must be many ways to understand,and explain,the imposter from the ur-dichotomy of Appearance and Reality to the cloak of hyperreality. In the end,however,much like the intended distortions in Greek statuary,all it needs to nail the lie is the accurate perspective,the right angle of vision.

That a Delhi resident almost pulled off till the end posing as an adviser to the prime minister its another matter that he appears to be the PMs namesake too to get VIP escort and attendant services from the Jammu and Kashmir police and the Vaishno Devi shrines board,explained in socio-cultural context,may be a question of excessive veneration of the neta and babu class in India the very real parallel world of VIPs at airports,railway stations,their beacon cars intruding daily into our mundane arena as much as this mans momentary appearance. That he and his companions were reportedly already accompanied by a police escort from Punjab generated the hyperreal cover the Jamp;K police needed to assure themselves they were taking charge of the real thing. They found him out the minute the veil was ripped by suspicious behaviour,which,matched with their experience and protocol,was found wanting.

Smart imposters dont push too far. Yet,too-clever-by-half conmen do sometimes enrich their crime with layers of irony. David Hampton,the late imposter who inspired Six Degrees of Separation first play,then film by posing as Sidney Poitiers son,carried on duping every time he was out of prison,and even pretended to be the actor playing David Hampton in the play.