Idol worship

Last week, I was offered an article on Lata Mangeshkar by a freelance writer. The interview was not newsy and the writer a self-confessed devotee had been gushy in the entire piece.

Last week, I was offered an article on Lata Mangeshkar by a freelance writer. The interview was not newsy and the writer a self-confessed devotee had been gushy in the entire piece. Much as I admire the legend, when I pointed out to the writer that he'd lost his objectivity and drooled like a fan, he didn't like it. Later that night, he sent me a text message saying, "It' so sad that people go through their lives without having any icons." He implied that I didn't have any idols.

He was right, in a way. I don't. At least not in the film industry. Sure, I admire some people in the business Hrithik Roshan, for overcoming his stammering disability; Sushmita Sen, a Hindi-medium school student, who taught herself to speak in English, and is the most articulate actress in B-Town; Kajol, for rewriting the rules by getting married and choosing to have a baby at the peak of her career or the late Gulshan Kumar, who changed the face of the Indian music industry forever.

I think people who break rules, fight against odds (and the system) and stand up for what feels right; are cool. But on a larger perspective, if you ask me about people I idolise, the ones that come to mind instantly are activist Medha Patkar (who has selflessly committed decades of her life to the Narmada Bachao Andolan), Valmik Thapar (the wildlife expert whose aim is to save the Indian tiger from extinction) and Bittu Sahgal (the environmentalist who is at the forefront of the battle to protect India from the worst impacts of climate change).u00a0

How can you read about the efforts of these people, and not hero-worship them? How do we not look up to people who look beyond their own needs to make a difference to the world they live in? It is something that many of us aspire to do, but never seem to find the time, the drive or the energy. There are things that make us angry, agitated and anxious, but we express ourselves scarcely (on Facebook, Twitter, letters to newspapers and to our friends) and then get back to our busy lives. Not my 'heroes'. These guys took action and that's what makes them icons in my world.