The Ideal Celebrity

I just finished watching Shah Rukh Khan's short interview on IndiaTv.

Some people manage to turn you around to their point of view inspite of your own strong opinions about them. I'm not a very big fan of Mr. Shah Rukh Khan the actor, but I find myself admiring Mr. Shah Rukh Khan the person.

The interview was about the famous actor being held up in the US for questioning. India TV kept propping up dramatic catch phrases like 'Khan ke apman ka Dard suno', or "Apmaan ke bad Khan' etc. During the entire interview however, all Mr. Shah Rukh Khan tried to do was emphasize that what happened was routine procedure, he was bewildered yes, as anyone would be, but it is nothing to sensationalize. It was very admirable the way he downplayed an obvious effort of the News TV channel to blow up and dramatize the issue, no go, Shah Rukh never gave them the opportunity.

THIS is the way the celebrities of an educated sensible nation should behave. THIS is the kind of example they should set forth to their audience, young and old, especially young. THIS is the kind of attitude every Indian should display, simply being proud of what they are. THIS is the attitude that makes Mr. Shah Rukh Khan a lot more than the king of Bollywood, I'm sure thats a very admirable thing to be too, but at the end of they day, what lasts is how good a person you are.

The reporters kept quoting other people, some politicians, some actors and what not, and kept trying to create more melodrama in the interview, but sensibly enough the actor did not rise to any of those. They even kept misquoting him, where he said that the use of cellphone was not allowed, they wrote that HE was not allowed to use a phone, as if targeting him for some personal injustice. The attitude of the media was very irresponsible, melodramatic, and shameful for a country of well educated citizens.
He did express that prejudice on the basis of religion is not fair, and there he is completely justified, but apart from that, he maintained a very down to earth and yet dignified stand on being questioned for security purpose. He also appealed that the kind of help he received from the Indian media, the Indian embassy or whoever the officials involved were should be extended to every other respectable Indian. I would say that although I don't remember his words verbatim, his very attitude is worth quoting, worth adapting by all of us. He very humbly accepted that he's a common man as much as anyone else, and it was fair enough that the security at the US airport was simply doing their duty.

I wonder what it would take for us Indians to take our attitudes responsibly. I wonder how long will the media take to act responsibly when it comes to forming public opinion. I wonder what it would take for every common Indian to feel special about himself on his own, and not depend on someone else's opinion to define his own identity.

Mr. Khan, I hope people will learn from you, 'coz you are an inspiration for many. I hope they will learn a lot more from you than dressing up, carrying a 'cool rock star attitude', realize, notice that you are a good human being before anything else, and understand that THAT is what matters. I also hope that other celebrities will learn from you, realize that their words, their opinions affect the minds of Future India, and that they have a responsibility to at least not mislead them, if unable to lead them in a right, positive direction.

Here's to hoping there are more responsible and sensible Indians like you out there.

HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY - the Tryst to be Independent continues...

Independence day....
Today's the day when 62 years ago we achieved independence from the British Rule.
I'm wondering something fancy and patriotic to write about today. But somehow it wouldn't do justice to this day.
Cynic that I am, I sit here and wonder exactly how significant is this day to us Indians. We're a weird race. We blow out of proportion silly little things like a five year old falling in the ditch and completely ignore something as significant as our Independence Day. It has the least number of SMS's passed around, unenthusiastic greetings and celebrations, and the regular monotony of a holiday. I'm sure there ARE quite a number of people out there doing a lot more than that, but since it doesn't include me, I feel pretty useless and left out.
Of course, on a more dismal note, I'll also point out all the things that we're still not free from. We still labor under the oppression of diseases, pollution, malnutrition, poverty, terrorism, over exposure and dependence on technology, the oppression of MONEY, of peer pressure, of depleting and degrading natural resources, morals, cultural values.... blah blah blah. The question is - how much of it bothers us; and even more importantly, are we willing to do something about it?
Our forefathers, so to say liberated us from foreign rule so that we could make our own choices, and the only ones really celebrating this day, or at least making a pretense of doing so our not-so-dear politicians who probably are the only ones fully exercising this right of CHOICE.
An average Indian is still stuck in making the same stereotypical choices, (I wonder if they can be termed choices at all, since they're so spoon-fed) making ends meet. Even those who do better than that classify living life as a few annual outings taken with the family where they visit stereotypical places, spending on stereotypical luxuries, each vying to outdo his neighbor or relative or brother or friend or enemy.
Our scriptures themselves say that those who do not venture out to learn new cultures, new languages and new ways are no better than animals. So what do we do? How do we free ourselves and the rest of the Indians from their mundane stereotypical lives? The ones that WANT to Free of course. How do we emphasize on this day that we are free, we are free, independent, that we define ourselves, that our identities are neither chained in our culture, nor in the western culture, that we are who we are and we are proud of who we are, that we make choices, independent choices, not those dictated by family or society or situations?
With freedom of course, come responsibilities. And it is shouldering these responsibilities that emphasizes that we are a free race. Each of us has different responsibs and some common... ahem... noble ones that we all need to shoulder. Yes, I know it's easy to be all philosophical but it's not all that difficult to take a few small steps. Like switching off the lights in your house when you don't need them, or not taking unnecessary long drives and saving oil, or trying to give your parents little things, moments that they sacrificed to raise you, or not littering the roads, or not losing patience when someone bangs into you by mistake on the road, or making women feel more secure EVERYWHERE.... There are many things we can do, and every time we do any one of them, it's like celebrating our independence, whatever day it might be.
Theres no need to be all puffed up and make impractical resolutions with fire in your eyes and patriotic fervor in your heart or anything fancy like that, just a determination to do better, be better every moment of life. That would probably be more than being independent citizens of our wonderful country, it'd be like being independent of all our weaknesses. Sound like a good thing to be, no?