R.I.P.
Day before yesterday we lost a very famous actor turned politician. He was considered to be quite a genial man. Kind hearted, caring generous, ou could use all the positive adjectives you wanted to. I was lucky to be his personal escort once.
Today, as I read the papers and the first page obituaries, I also read the passing away of another film maker, who too coincidentally and sadly was considered to be as nice a man as Mr. Sunil Dutt, the politician.
As I was reading about all the mourners and what they have to say, it left me wondering. These two were great souls. But they were not the only ones who passed away.
There was that old lady in a slum in Bombay, who had only a daughter. In Hindus, the girl is not allowed to go to the cemetry. Who would carry the body and perform the rites?
Then there was this elderly gentleman, a statesman of sorts. One of the kindest people you could know. Benevolence, Humour, you name it. He had married his son off to the Muslim girl in his neighborhood. That too just after the Bombay Riots. He respected the emotion of love more than that of hatred.
You had the young boy who everyone loved as the fun loving, emotive youth. He was the one who brought joy to the locale. Poor guy met with an accident. No one shall come to know about him.
As I read the newspapers I have a very weird feeling in my heart. No one shall hear about these other souls. They might not be able to afford an obituary on any newspaper, let alone the half page one on the first page on India's laeding daily. They wont have the money even to pay for the rites of the funeral.
Forget the thousands who crowd to see the body (some might be there to see the film stas), there wont be four people to carry the body to the cemetry.
There would be no one to render support to the family of the bereaved. All they would have is themselves.
As I mourn the death of the two prominent personalities, I mourn the passing of these faceless souls. People who shall never be known, but are as pathbreaking in society as many other leaders. Join me in paying respects to them.
Today, as I read the papers and the first page obituaries, I also read the passing away of another film maker, who too coincidentally and sadly was considered to be as nice a man as Mr. Sunil Dutt, the politician.
As I was reading about all the mourners and what they have to say, it left me wondering. These two were great souls. But they were not the only ones who passed away.
There was that old lady in a slum in Bombay, who had only a daughter. In Hindus, the girl is not allowed to go to the cemetry. Who would carry the body and perform the rites?
Then there was this elderly gentleman, a statesman of sorts. One of the kindest people you could know. Benevolence, Humour, you name it. He had married his son off to the Muslim girl in his neighborhood. That too just after the Bombay Riots. He respected the emotion of love more than that of hatred.
You had the young boy who everyone loved as the fun loving, emotive youth. He was the one who brought joy to the locale. Poor guy met with an accident. No one shall come to know about him.
As I read the newspapers I have a very weird feeling in my heart. No one shall hear about these other souls. They might not be able to afford an obituary on any newspaper, let alone the half page one on the first page on India's laeding daily. They wont have the money even to pay for the rites of the funeral.
Forget the thousands who crowd to see the body (some might be there to see the film stas), there wont be four people to carry the body to the cemetry.
There would be no one to render support to the family of the bereaved. All they would have is themselves.
As I mourn the death of the two prominent personalities, I mourn the passing of these faceless souls. People who shall never be known, but are as pathbreaking in society as many other leaders. Join me in paying respects to them.
posted by Sunil Natraj at 5/27/2005 07:14:00 AM
13 Comments:
Sunil, what you say is thought provoking.This is the difference when it comes to being a celebrity.
Yes, there are nameless people who pass away everyday.( Funnily, i had a very similar conversation in coll today!)
But I truly truly admired both Dutt and Merchant( often great souls go in pairs)
Especially Dutt ( He didn't deserve a lot of crap that was hurled at him)
Thanks Hamel.
Sunil, this is why people return to your blog time and again. Good work, great post.
Thanks a lot NC! I am really enjoying the warmth given to me by all the readers viz "The ABA",, Ranjini, Praveen, Ankit, Sohel, Bhavana, Swati, Nilakshi, and all the others. Thanks a lot people. I raelly do appreciate it.
Sunil,
Good post.
Duuude...you got my name wrong. Bah!
Great read, Sunil. I agree with Hamel that the media seem to value life based on novelty rather than goodness or utility. The obsession with celebrity is a strange phenomenon with uncertain and debatable implications: do average citizens, even in democracies, feel so faceless and unimportant that they are compelled to live vicariously through people of (often) no greater talent than themselves?
Ranjani,
Please forgive me. I was typing in a hurry. I know thats no excuse. Forgive me.
Guys, my PC crashed. I'll be offline for a few days.
Bummer, Sunil
We look forward to your return
You are such a thoughtful person. If one person dies, say your film star, there's a big uproar and everyone's upset. Thousands and Thousands of people die every day in Africa, and next to no one cares, really.
Sorry I haven't visited in a while, I clicked on all your links to make up for it!
Thanks Sir,
My PC is still down. My exams are over but I cant post bcoz of the dumb thing. I am out right now.
Shall write soon.
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