KOCHI: Nine in the morning, Dominic Presentation is just returning home from his long walk. For the former Fisheries and Sports Minister, this daily exercise has been a part of his routine for years now.It’s a habit he acquired as a councillor way back in 1988. “The morning walks allowed me to meet people in the constituency. Then it just continued through the years,” he says. Talking to people comes easily to Dominic, as he attends patiently to those vying for his attention. There’s a constant trickle of people at his residence, who bring to him every kind of problem - from passport issues to even other personal squabbles. “Meeting people is something I’ve been used to since childhood. I was born in Katoor, a small fishing village in Alapuzha. My father was a panchayat member there. So people would come to visit him all the time.” Besides being an easy communicator, the other reason for his success has been the genuine interest he has in the fishing community, something he picked up from his roots. This has won him a seat year after year from the Fort Kochiites. He talks animatedly about the fisher folks, enumerating the benefits of cell phones to them, their condition in South Kerala, the compensation to Tsunami victims there and so on.On the personal side, the MLA is a man of some strong interests. He’s a huge football fan, and exclaims how he hasn’t missed a single Football World Cup. “I’ve watched football right since the Mexico World Cup. It was the first to come on TV here. Maradonna was quite a figure back then,” he recollects. “Even now I watch hockey, cricket, ...” he says,adding a long list of games.Another lesser known side of Dominic is his foray into the film world. “Right from college, cinema has been a passion. I used to travel to Chennai and Hyderabad with the shooting crew.” The MLA has many anecdotes to share about everyone from Mammootty to Mohanlal to other lesser known actors. “I was one of the witnesses at Sathyan Anthikad’s marriage. They had eloped. There was a lot of confusion and I ended up being the witness,” he smiles amused at the recollection. The MLA has also acted in film, quite by chance. “There was this scene in a movie called Chakkarayamma. In a stunt scene someone had to stop the fight in a scene involving Mammootty. So I was asked to do it. That was my first and final acting experience.” he laughs.Reading is also an area of interest for him. He’s been a keen fan of none other than Sidney Sheldon. “You won’t believe it, but I’ve practically read all Sidney Sheldon books. My other favourite book is The Good Earth by Pearl Buck. But now there is hardly any time for deep reading. These days I prefer listening to lectures. They are easier to grasp and less time consuming,” says Dominic.
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