Wednesday, August 10, 2016

Shobha De, Gau Rakshaks and the Sportspersons at the Olympics

I know Shobha De writes her name differently, but long as everyone knows who she is, it's ok if I miss an extra a - so all those who are focussing excitedly at the spelling can take it easy and refrain from pointing it out. This is not about her. Not about Gau Rakshaks either. It's about all of 'us' (and that, I spelt right).

Q. What's common between SD and the GRs?

To me one big issue is how so few of us mind our own business. Of course many of us make it a profitable business to poke our nose into other people's business but we also know it's a lazy way of making a living. So a cine tabloid poking its nose into the lives, real and imaginary, of stars would fall into this lazy category. Mostly lies and blatant lies, or pure conjecture, and armchair stuff. But enough to have everyone lapping it up. An honest way of making a living would be someone who would do a good job of journalism - film, sports or whatever.

But what's amazing is how there is so much interest in what someone says about someone else - and it is this quality, this reaction, that makes people lazy. All I have to do is poke my nose into some unrelated issue, say something and I become instantly famous. This is a well planned strategy of course, a bit like Trump's strategy of 'innocently saying what everyone feels' and making a calculated mess of an honest effort to live together peacefully. The mess will automatically keep you at the top of all thats trending because there are enough people who will let the fear rule and these types prey on them.

The only ones who are doing their job and not taking advantage of the situation at hand are the sports people at the Olumpics who are actually doing their job really. So SD can sit and take potshots at them, a bunch of armchair patriots can get up in anger at her and call her names, but nothing will affect what the sportspersons have done or will do. But SD will go laughing back home because everyone fell for her trick and she got what she wanted (to get back into the headlines of course - it's important to stay relevant), just as another upstart leader may want to get his fame and name and money by beating up people in the name of saving cows (and perhaps collecting money for not beating up some).

The answer to the question is this - while some people are doing their work honestly SD and GRs are not. That's what is common between them. Why abbreviations? Because they don't deserve more. 

3 comments:

Lucy said...

HI,
I read about your experience of meeting Ruskin Bond.I want to meeet him soon , may be this december.Do we need a prior appointment to meet him,please let me know if you have any contact details.
Thank you

Rinks said...

absolutely fantastic

Harimohan said...

Dear Lucy, please do send me (harimohanp@gmail.com) you email id and I will share one landline number I used when I met him mnay years ago. Mr. Bond is a name all of Mussoorie is familiar with and they say he goes to a bookshop there every Saturday afternoon to meet readers.
But A prior appointment would always help I guess, to avoid disappointment. :)