Jul

29

Ishmeet Singh, a year after

July 29, 2009 posted by indiatime | Leave a Comment

Within moments of pop star Michael Jackson’s death a month ago, conspiracy theorists debated about the unnatural and suspicious way he had died. Most others dismissed the conspiracies, blaming the star’s own penchant for drug use. Close family members such as Jackson’s own sister alleged murder conspiracies. Now, one month after the star’s death, some of that mystery has unraveled and Jackson’s personal doctor is said to be facing manslaughter charges.

Exactly one year ago, on July 29th 2008, India’s own pop sensation and rising superstar Ishmeet Singh, died a mysterious death far away from home, at a resort in the Maldives. Though he didn’t know how to swim, Singh was said to have gone into the deep end of the resort’s swimming pool, all alone. Minutes later, he had apparently drowned and died, shocking his fans all around the world.

Within days, Singh’s own family members had alleged foul play. Months after his death, his father spoke about the discrepancies in the drowning investigation and highlighted the inconsistencies in the witness statements.

Surprisingly for the death of such a huge star, the people who accompanies Ishmeet Singh to the Maldives resort, have hardly spoken to the media, seldom giving others an insight into what transpired before, during and after the star’s death. It’s obvious that many of the big stars and wannabe singers who were at the resort, were under contract with a huge media company that seems to have censored any reactions from them. Even more surprisingly, the rest of the media also seems to have followed some sort of self-censorship, altogether zipping it up about the drowning incident, choosing not to raise even the most obvious questions, and electing to declare the incident as an unfortunate accident.

An accident it may indeed have been, but then again, all the questions haven’t been answered and all the people who were around haven’t spoken up. Unfortunately for young Ishmeet Singh, the Indian public too, has a short memory. New singing sensations come up every day and last year’s singing great Ishmeet Singh, for most ungrateful fans, is probably a distant memory only a year after his unnatural and sudden death.

Jun

21

Ali Akbar Khan, sarod pioneer (1922-2009)

June 21, 2009 posted by indiatime | 3 Comments

“….If you practice for ten years, you may begin to please yourself, after 20 years you may become a performer and please the audience, after 30 years you may please even your guru, but you must practice for many more years before you finally become a true artist — then you may please even God….”
Ali Akbar Khan (Sarod maestro)

Ali Akbar Khan’s death last Thursday, is like an end to an institution that had carried the flag of Indian classical music in the west for over a half century. Ali Akbar Khan and brother-in-law Ravi Shankar were the face and the fingers of Indian music in the west, propelling its ancient system of swars, ragas and talas into the world conscience, and making way for future generations of Indian classical musicians to be all that they could be.

In his book ‘The Dawn of Indian Music in the West’, Peter Lavezzoli writes about the first time the Indian classical music played on American television:

Ali Akbar Khan, Chatur Lal (Tabla virtuoso) and Shanta Rao ( Bharat Natyam dancer) became the first Indian classical artists to appear on television in the United States, when they appeared on Omnibus, a cultural program supported by Ford Foundation that was instrumental in sponsoring Ali AKbar Khan’s visit to the United States. So on the Sunday afternoon of April 10, 1955, Yehudi Menuhin introduced the Indian trio to the American audiences. For the next few minutes, Ali Akbar Khan and Chatur Lal managed to give a very short demo and then Shanta Rao performed the Bharat Natyam for about 5 minutes. The overall Indian demo, titled ‘Dances of India’, lasted barely 10 minutes.

Later that month, Khan and Chatur Lal played in New York, getting these reviews:

“…Clearly this music is meant to be relished both for its patterns and its performance…repeatedly enchanted by rhythms, colors, sonorities and melodic bits…especially impressed by the power of this modest ensemble speaking an exotic tongue to reach out and say something to another world….”

“…have never before encountered quite the degree of virtuosity in this idiom….found their music endlessly fascinating from a technical point of view and curiously hypnotic in its emotional effect….”

Over a period of decades, Khan won 5 grammy nominations, more than 5 honorary doctorate degrees from prestigious universities, trained more than 10,000 American students in Sarod. Here’s a short clip about Ali Akbar, whom Yehudi Menuhin once called the greatest musician in the world.

Mar

21

Music teacher hurls slipper at supreme court judge

March 21, 2009 posted by indiatime | 4 Comments

supreme court judge arijit pasayatYesterday, Arijit Pasayat, a supreme court judge, barely missed a slipper thrown at him by a Mumbai teacher, in a strange case involving contempt charges against the teacher and her colleagues. Judge Pasayat was unhurt as he managed to duck the teacher’s angry attack. Needless to say, the contempt charges that were being discussed got a fast-track ruling getting the women an immediate 3-month jail term.

The teachers in question are a group of music teachers who have been advocating apparently modern methods of education at the Boss School of Music in Vasai, a northern suburb of Mumbai. The school was shut down a few years ago, when some parents alleged of black magic, prostitution and strange things going on at the school. The teachers tried to seek help from the Mumbai court, but it shut down the school for good, and ordered psychiatric tests of every student and teacher at the school. This evoked a very angry reaction from the Boss school management and the teachers, who initially accused the judiciary, the government and the law-enforcement of harassing them. Eventually, the music teachers sharpened their attacks and have recently been equating their plight with ‘genocide’.

The music school remains closed, but it has continued its angry campaign against the system on its website, dedicating more than half of the website to bringing the judiciary down, going to the extent of asking capital punishment for high court and supreme court judges. The contempt proceedings in question were brought up last year. In a response to a contempt notice, the music teachers compared the members of the supreme court bench to Osama Bin Laden. That strange response in defense of a contempt notice sealed the fate of the music teachers, making them stand a contempt trial. Now, six months after that incident, this slipper-throwing has left little doubt that the music teachers do indeed feel contempt towards the supreme court.

The teachers had some new system music school going on in Mumbai for a long time. Somewhere along the way, they landed themselves in some political trouble with some big shots. It may have been a land deal gone wrong, a money-related matter or some other political trouble. But that seemed to uproot the music school, putting the music teachers out of their blooming education business.

But then there’s something so not right about music teachers being so angry at something. Music itself is supposed to soothe the soul and temper the anger inside. Being labeled witches and prostitutes is surely libelous, but calling that a genocide is a beyond the pale. Whatever their original grievance, these music teachers have themselves cast a doubt on their educational methods by letting their anger speak. The greatest works of art and religion in human history have come out of pain and injustice and tears and hard times. Had humans resorted to throwing shoes and slippers as the only response to their anger, humanity would still be walking barefoot in the jungles.

Jan

13

Gandhi and Slumdog

January 13, 2009 posted by indiatime | 10 Comments

Watching the Indian media toot the Slumdog Millionnaire awards as a moment of Bollywood pride, I couldn’t help but realize that the movie hasn’t yet been shown and seen by the Indian public. I hate to rain on Slumdog’s Indian party, but apart from the music accolades won by A. R. Rahman, the rest of the awards for Slumdog have nothing to do with Bollywood and are definitely not something one would want to be jumping about. Here’s why.

Slumdog is a movie directed by a British director mostly using his British sensibilities about India. The screenplay is written by a British writer who does not speak the local lingo and definitely wasn’t instrumental in translating it for Hindi dialogs. How and why does that matter, you may ask. It does, because that makes Slumdog a British film about India, not an Indian or a Bollywood film. Those old enough will remember that a couple decades ago, another British director, Attenborough, directed Gandhi, a British film about India, a film that took home most awards that year including the Golden Globe and the Oscars.

But where Gandhi was a tribute to and a saga of India’s unparalleled freedom struggle, Slumdog is a modern-day Cinderella story about a slum-dweller who becomes a milionaire answering questions in a TV game show. Although Gandhi and Slumdog are both about one individual’s improbable fight against a daunting system, there is a fundamental difference about the impressions that the two movies leave. Where Gandhi was a politically accurate depiction of India, Slumdog is a scatologically accurate expose of India, exploring and reveling in a detailed cinematographic exploration of the repugnance and the filth that India represents to the outsiders. And where Gandhi was filled with inspiring quotes that moved a generation, Slumdog (the original Hindi dialog) is full of filthy dirty cusswords the likes of which you wouldn’t want your kids to ever hear. And where an award for Gandhi was a recognition of India’s amazing struggle for independence, an award for Slumdog is a critical and a stunning indictment of post-independence India.

But didn’t Indians contribute to making this award-winning masterpiece by a Britisher, you may ask. Sure, they did. Again, apart from the usual masterful Rahman score, the Indian contribution is to say the least, unimpressive. Irfan Khan, Anil Kapoor and Mahesh Manjrekar are just okay. Frieda Pinto, the actress who plays slumdog Jamal’s girlfriend, is beautiful but has a minimal part that doesn’t allow her to strut enough of her acting skills. Dev Patel, who plays slumgdog Jamal, is a British-Indian, a fresh face, has played his part with originality keeping his bearing throughout, and definitely has potential.

But the most important Indian actor in Slumdog is the background city of Mumbai, a smelly hell-hole of shit that lingers in the viewers’ memory long after. But nothing else does, and unlike many other movies where you feel the urge to go back and watch the movie all over again, Slumdog does not succeed at that, ending up as just another Cinderella story with a silly impossible ending. And that may be Slumdog Milionaire’s only real connection with Bollywood.

Jan

12

A. R. Rahman stands tall at Golden Globe awards

January 12, 2009 posted by indiatime | 12 Comments

Watching A. R. Rahman take a bow after his win at the Golden Globe awards, one got a feeling that this shy music genius is uncomfortable with fame, glamor and glitz. Rahman’s very classy, short and shy speech at the Golden Globes, stood above and apart from other talented TV and film artists, for its simplicity and the speaker’s humility.

I have always been a great fan of Rahman’s extraordinary talents as a musician and his rare humanity. From my perspective as his fan, I don’t think his work in ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ is his best at all. Rahman has been producing heavenly music ever since he started producing music, and among all his creations, this current effort probably ranks on the level of many others, but not his best. If the rest of his music were to be judged on these lines, Rahman would have won for his musical score in most of the movies he has composed for. He is a master of his art whose music blends and transcends divisions, forcing people to tap their feet with the rhythms of their hearts and the nods of their heads.

Taking a written list out of his pocket, Rahman quickly thanked all those he did not wish to forget to thank. And amazingly, without saying a single word about himself, the shy genius then thanked the billion people of India. His smile spoke volumes about his pride for the country. His humble, almost reluctant acceptance of one of the most coveted awards in music spoke volumes of his character.

Thank you A. R. for bringing honor to India and for making us all very, very proud.

Sep

16

Kaho na copy hai - 3

September 16, 2008 posted by indiatime | 2 Comments

Punjabi singer Kulwinder Kally, a non-resident Indian, has accused Himesh Reshammiya, Bollywood’s famous music maestro, of unprofessional and unethical lifting of a song, originally sung and made famous by Kally. The song in question, “Sohniye Nee” was sung by Kulwinder Kally in 2002 for his album named “Sham Wali Gadi’. A major part of the song has recently made it into the Himesh Reshammiya hit of the same name that also has the same tune for the new movie ‘Karzzz’.

Speaking to the media this morning, singer Kulwinder Kally reiterated that he has served a legal notice to Sameer, the lyricist and Himesh, the singer of the new version. Himesh Reshammiya joined the conversation a few minutes later, speaking remotely via telephone, and defended himself, contending that the rights for the 2002 song were with the T-series and that Kally should take it up with the T-series and with producer Bhushan Kumar. Himmesh added the he was merely the singer who sang the new version and the actor who sang it on screen. Kally retorted back by bringing up Reshammiya’s often impassioned support of new singers on the Saregamapa show and Reshammiya’s usual rant about being passionate about bringing food on the table for the new singers. “What about food on my table”, Kally seemed to suggest, putting Reshammiya on the defensive. By then, however, Reshammiya had disconnected the phone.

Here are the two versions, first the 2002 original by Kally and then the 2008 version by lyricist Sameer/singer Reshammiya. You decide.

Jul

31

As his fans prepare to bid him a tearful farewell, several questions remain unanswered, hours after singer Ishmeet Singh’s tragic death by drowning.

1. Ishmeet Singh accompanied a group of 7 who traveled with him to Maldives. The group included famous singer Shaan, and a few other reality show stars. Little has been heard from them so far except a short statement from Shaan.

2. The Dhonveli Resort, the place where Ishmeet and his collegaues were staying at, is famous for surfing and diving and swimming amenities. It is beyond comprehension why this so-called world-famous resort would not have a lifeguard watching guests at all times.

3. What happened? What was the timeline from Ishmeet being pulled out of water and afterwards? Ishmeet is said to have drowned between 5:15-5:20pm Tuesday afternoon. When was he pulled out of the water? Who pulled him out? How? Where was he placed after that? Did anyone try to revive him? How? Did he get a CPR? Was an external defribillator (AED) in place? Was it used?

4. It has been reported that a doctor did try to revive Ishmeet minutes after he apparently drowned. What did that report say? Did it mention any head injury/abrasions? Did the doctor check the pupils, the pulse etc?

5. Did the swimming pool have any safety supplies (like ring buoys or ropes e.g.) at hand? Were there enough warning signs in full view? The resort will now make sure all these things are in place, but were these things in place at the time of the incident?

6. Did Ishmeet suffer from any sudden seizures or any such medical condition that led to him drowning?

7. Was there any alcohol involved? Alcohol consumption is known to increase the likelihood of immersion in recreational water activities. Were there any guests at the swimming pool who were drinking alcohol and were unable to help Ishmeet when he needed their help?

8. Did those who accompanied Ishmeet know that he could not swim? There are conflicting reports mentioning some people taking Ishmeet’s cries for help for a prank. Other reports have mentioned that he was alone in the deep end of the pool with a couple of Delhi family kids at the other end.

9. It has been reported that there is not a single good medical facility or a hospital nearby the resort place. Is this the first ever tragedy that has ever befallen the resort? Sounds a little strange.

10. The asst manager of the resort has told the media that he was not at the facility when this happened. There was no lifeguard at the pool. There was no doctor nearby. There was no medical facility nearby. There was no asst manager nearby. It seems there were no other hotel employees nearby. What were the sponsors thinking having India’s best singers stay at a resort manned by nobody?

Jul

30

Ten famous singers who died young

July 30, 2008 posted by indiatime | 8 Comments

Here are those famous voices whose owners left young, leaving their fans grieving and longing for more.

1. Selena Quintanilla (1971-1995) - The Mexican-American singer, also known by some as the Mexican Madonna, rose to the top of the billboard charts. But that was in 1995, the same year she was murdered by one of her own fans.

2. Ritchie Valens (1941-1959) - American singer most remembered for his classic ‘La Bamba’, died in a plane crash in Iowa.

3. Buddy Holly (1936-1959) - American singer who is also hailed as a pioneer of rock and roll. He is known for hits such as Peggy Sue Got Married. Buddy Holly died in the same plane crash that killed Ritchie Valens. (The 1959 plane crash tragedy inspired the famous song The American Pie, a 1971 hit).

4. Patsy Cline (1932-1963) - American country music singer, also died in a plane crash

5. Julia Vega (1968-1985) - Young singing sensation from Philippines, died young of pneumonia, most probably a complication of a neurological condition.

6. Yukiko Okada (1967-1986) - Japanese singing idol who took her own life

7. Frankie Lymon (1942-1968)- African-American teenage singing idol, the lead singer of The Teenagers, remembered for such songs as Why Do Fools Fall in Love. Died of drug overdose.

8. Viktor Tsoi (1962-1990) - Korean-Russian singer, also known as pioneer of Russian rock, was killed in a car accident.

10. Ishmeet Singh (1989-2008) - The rising star of Indian music, young Ishmeet’s life was cut short by a freak drowning accident on the coast of the Maldive Islands.

Jul

29

Ishmeet Singh (1989-2008)

July 29, 2008 posted by indiatime | 40 Comments

ishmeet.jpgIshmeet Singh Sodhi, the velvet-voiced sensation from Ludhiana, who rocketed to fame winning the ‘Star Voice of India’ show last year, is no more. Ishmeet died in a drowning accident in Maldives, where he was currently traveling to appear in the ‘Star Voice of Maldives’ show on August 1st.

A teen superstar with a huge promise, Ishmeet wowed India’s audiences with superb renditions of popular old and new songs, winning praise and respect for his original voice, and for his natural singing talent. He hadn’t had any classical training in singing and still managed to do the improbable, when he defeated several other classically-trained and capable singers, to win the crown of fame in Star TV’s famous reality show.

“…Swift as a spirit hastening to his task
Of glory and of good, the Sun sprang forth
Rejoicing in his splendour..”

- P B Shelley (The Triumph of Light) -
the great English poet who himself died of drowning

May

31

A few days ago, a famous 42-year old Indian-American classical musician was charged with multiple counts of molestation and indecent advances towards a minor. Shafaatullah Khan, nephew of famous sitar maestro Vilayat Khan, and son of another famous sitarist maestro Imrat Khan, was charged in Bridgeport on Wednesday, after a 16-year old former student accused him of repeatedly molesting him.

Claiming a 400-year lineage of extraordinary musicians, Shafaatullah Khan has made a quite a name in the eastern United States, especially in the tri-state area as well as the state of Pennsylvania, where he resides. Music critics have praised the prowess of his marvelous fingers as they expore the rhythmic complexities of the Indian drums, and they have marveled at the way he steals anyone’s attention whenever he desires so.

But it seems the great maestro’s carpal prowess has been overflowing with his carnal rhythms as well. Under the pretext of teaching keyboard to the 14-year old girl, Shafaatullah gave her back massages, touched her breasts, got on top of her and made hip-thrusting movements, all in the name of teaching a young girl the complexities of Indian rhythms!

The great maestro has surely been trying his amorous teaching skills with many of his students. And this is surely not the first time he has thought of massaging someone’;s back and breasts toimprove their posture and keyboarding or Sitar skills. It’s just that someone finally has had the courage to go to the authorities and expose this lusty idiot who has been abusing Indian classical music to satisfy his sexual appetite.

But then again, he is not the only maestro who has been using music to get sex. There have been several other incidences of famous maestros, from some of India’s most well-known sarod players to some of our most famous flute maestros. Some of them have been known to lock themselves in a room with young American female students overnight, intermittently asking their Indian assistants sleeping outside to fetch more wine.

More than a year ago, a guest blogger wrote on this same site citing a female student who had been learning from another maestro :

“….I started taking lessons with this maestro- he offered personal lessons and well, the lessons became too personal….”

The tradition of Indian classical music is said to be rooted in a student’s faith for the teacher, the Guru. It is said to be more of a spiritual bond, a divine connection of faith and trust and subservience and submission. But there are foul-minded Gurus who see no issue with breaching that divine trust, exploiting their disciples for their illicit means, trampling the faith of innocent ones. Just a month ago, a famous Indian Guru in Texas was charged with molesting two minor girls. Last year, that Guru’s Guru barely beat a rape and molestation charge in the Carribean Isles.

But just like the phony Gurus who inhabit the temple complexes, there are numerous phonies in Indian classical music, maestros who speak of union with God and Goddesses, chanting sacred mantras and devotional music, and seemingly honoring the greatest traditions of Hinduism. Barring a few notable exceptions, many of these maestros are common criminals who shame Indian traditions and culture, getting away only because their victims are often minor, innocent, and helpess and the victims’ families are too ashamed to bring any charges.

For now, authorities have just confiscated Shafaatullah Khan’s American passport, and instructed the sex predator Guru not to teach minors. Stay tuned.

May

6

Kishan Maharaj (1923-2008), Tabla maestro

May 6, 2008 posted by indiatime | 1 Comment

Kishan Maharaj, one of the grand old masters of Indian tabla, is no more. He passed away 2 days ago, in Varanasi (aka Benares), the place whose lineage and mantle he so proudly carrried for well over 70 years of an extraordinary musical journey.

Learning initially under his father Hari Maharaj, and later under his uncle Kanthe Maharaj (who studied with the famous Baldev Sahai in Kathmandu), he spent a lifetime wowing audiences with his amazing ability to play cross-rhythms, a faculty that takes an incredible mathematical discipline to manipulate phrases. Kishan Maharaj, with his aggressive open-ended style taking full advantage of the bass tabla (bayan), excelled at both solo as well as accompaniments, but his leanings were more towards soloist traditions (as against Shanta Prasad, the other great exponent of Benares lineage, whose leanings were more toward accompaniment).

Kishan Maharaj stirred up a mild controversy a few years ago, when he tols a stunned audience in Varanasi that he was contemplating suicide to protest against Indian government’s erroneous methods to bestow prestigious awards to music maestros. “..If the government can award Bharat-Ratna to Bismillah Khan and Ravi Shankar, then why not me?..”, he demanded, adding that he would accept no other award byt the highest civilian award - Bharat Ratna. A year later, in 2002, the Indian government honored him with the lesser Padma Vibhushan award that he shared that year with two great singing maestros - Kishore Amonkar and Gangubai Hangal.



May

5

A disappointing finish to K for Kishore

May 5, 2008 posted by indiatime | 4 Comments

What started as a TV show with a premise and promise, Sony TV’s K for Kishore, a reality singing show ended up in a lame finale and an unfitting tribute to the greatest singer of Bollywood.

Weeks ago, the show had started with a bang, with the presence of Kishore Kumar’s son Amit, his wife Leena, his nephew Bappi Lahiri. Last night, only the nephew showed up. The show’s finale had some more audience than usual (the show made a name for having the same audience for every episode).

Bengali babu Arnab Chakravarti won the contest, probably deservingly so, since he was the only won who was doing any measurable justice to Kishore Kumar, if at all. Chintan Bakiwala, another good singer, had by now cracked his voice, and Chetan Rana, the last finalist, hardly ever sounded like Kishore Kumar. There were a few good singers along the way to the finals, notably, Nayan Rathod, who couldn’t please and get past judge Asha Bhonsle. But everyone, including the ultimate winner came up short, never really rising or coming close to the great Kishore Kumar. Arnab, Nayan and Chintan, at times sounded like Kishore, sometimes for half a minute or so, but failed to make a lasting impression.

The judging was haphazard and arbitrary, and the trio of judges (Amit Kumar, Bappi Lahiri, Sudesh Bhonsle) were really working with a bunch of second-grade singers who never seemed to have any potential to absorb any criticism or comments. Somewhere in the middle of the contest, director Nagesh Kuknoor suddenly showed up, apparently to choose a singer for his movie based on Kishore Kumar’s life. Kuknoor’s agenda seemed loyal to his own movie, and he failed to inject any innovation or creative flavor in show that was already losing its luster.

The stupidest part of the show, as is common with most TV shows, was the awful compering by wannabe singer Babul Supriyo. His companion Rajeshwari, too, seemed to have lost interest when she was suddenly paired with Supriyo after an initial couple of solo compering episodes.

All in all, the show never really took off. Everything else could have been tolerated, but a singing show is worth nothing without good singers, and that is what it came down to.

Apr

18

Kaho na copy hai - 2

April 18, 2008 posted by indiatime | 2 Comments

Symphony No. 40 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791):


Part of Mozart’s Symphony No. 40 is said to have copied by Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827) into his 5th Symphony. But Salil Choudhary, a famous Bollywood composer made an Indian copy of the Symphony No. 40, indianizing it just enough to create a Bollywood classic for Hrishikesh Mukherjee’s 1961 film Chhaya, starring Sunil Dutt and Asha Parekh.

Apr

13

Kaho na copy hai - 1

April 13, 2008 posted by indiatime | Leave a Comment

From voices by Vangelis (Evangelos Odysseas Papathanassiou)


Voices came out in 1995, 5 years before the official release of Kaho Na Pyar Hai, the Bollywood blockbuster that stole the Vangelis masterpiece in this humming hit of year 2000:

Apr

8

Lata Mangeshkar wants to visit Pakistan

April 8, 2008 posted by indiatime | 7 Comments

Sunday night, in an interview given to a news channel, India’s best known singer Lata Mangshkar expressed a desire to visit Pakistan. Adding that she would be very happy if her singing improved relations between the two countries, Lata Mangeshkar mentioned that nobody had invited her to Pakistan in the last 20 years, though she would have loved to go.

I have always been a big fan of Lata Mangeshkar, and I truly believe that her voice is unequalled and unmatched in the annals of world music. Having said that, I do not know if Lata Mangeshkar’s songs can really mend India-Pakistan relations. Music builds bridges and these two counties share a rich musical legacy celebrated by vocal and instrumental artists of great caliber from either side. Lata Mangeshkar, having chosen to expolre the pop and semi-classical musical scene for long, may have a better reach into the hearts of the average fans like myself, who do not comprehend the subtleties and facets of classical Indian music.

Lata Mangeshkar does not give interviews every day, so what she says can probably carry a lot more weight, notwithstanding her unique position and pedestal. I wonder if she should have said a word about Sarabjit Singh, a fellow Indian languishing in the Pakistani jail for several years, about to be hanged in a few weeks. I wonder if she should have said a few words about the upliftment of women in Pakistan, or the hijacking of that nation’s peace by the extremists.

Day before, Sachin Tendulkar, India’s Cricketing hero, personally called up the Olympic committe chairman and volunteered to carry the Olympic torch. I wonder if he should have done what fellow sportsman Baichung Bhutia did in refusing to carry the torch to protest for the bigger cause of human rights. I wonder if Sachin’s actions minimized what Bhutia was trying to do.

Celebrities such as these, can sometimes think of sparing some goodwill to embrace causes greater than their own fame and name. It helps bring some much-needed spotlight on critical issues. It helps bring an apathetic and inattentive public’s attention to things more worthwhile than Cricket and Bollywood. And it can do some greater good than an evening of pop music or a day in front of a television set watching a 24 x 7 team sport. I love and respect both these celebrities, and that’s why I feel that their actions and reactions as fellow human beings mean a lot to many more like me.

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