‘Osama loves Indian food’

Mystery shrouds the man. Identified by the US as the prime suspect in the terrorist attack on the WTC towers, he continues to be elusive. Moreover, information on him is stifled. Ever wondered what kind of a person Osama bin Laden is? Ask Hamid Mir, the Pakistani journalist writing his official biography.
‘‘He loves having Indian dishes and I even saw a Bengali cook at his hideout in 1998,’’ reveals Mir. But that’s just a sneak peek into the culinary preferences of the man who topped America’s most-wanted list in the aftermath of 9/11. ‘‘Osama is a regular viewer of Larry King Live on CNN and loves watching football on satellite TV. I even saw him at a football match in 1998 in Kandhar, when I went there too meet him for his biography,’’ says Mir.
Born in Saudi Arabia, Osama is reportedly escorted by 100-odd masked men, and is supposed to be ‘‘shy, modest and reclusive.’’ Still, barring rare footage on him, the world at large knows scant little about Osama, the person.
Mir reveals that Osama enjoys hunting and horse-riding. ‘‘He told me that he could ride his horse for 70 km without stopping. And he spoke of how a good rider could become a victim of kidney disease,’’ he elaborates. Well, if anything, Osama is laden with numerous personas.