There are many who, after achieving glory in one field, decide to cross over to another ‘seemingly’ exciting one. As it is said, change is the only constant and one needs to stop raising eyebrows when people choose to trod a new path. Yet there are people who don dual mantles. For instance I know of a person who had a humble position at a mighty organisation, but soon after returning from the office would turn into a completely different person.
He had teamed up with like-minded people and involved himself in the activities of a trust and went on to build a temple. That was just the beginning. He has since earned a name for himself in the neighbourhood which may not have been possible at his workplace. He does all this for a sense of fulfilment and not for monetary gain.
Once, on a trip to Nanjangud it was quite late in the day when my daughter and I came out of the temple precincts. Fortunately, we found an autorickshaw and even more luckily he agreed to motor us to our hotel. He turned out to be a talkative chap and soon started sharing his life story with us.
He spoke to us about his life in Bangalore, his small family, a modest private job and how he migrated to this place as his old mother-in-law wanted to live with her daughter’s family. Enterprising that he was, he soon learnt to drive the autorickshaw and made a decent income. What stumped me was when he revealed that this was only a part of his career and that he played the role of a purohit whenever called upon to do so. I wished him all the best and bade goodbye.
It is fine when a common man wants to do multifarious activities which affect only him and his family. Even I’m no exception to this, but when a person, an celebrated one at that, decides to jump from one playground to another in a public stadium, then it is time to notice. Although both the careers—films and politics—are in the public domain, the former is for the enrichment of the actor whereas the latter should, essentially be for the betterment of the people. The migration had been successful in the past only when the icon seemed steady in thought, credible, and had the intention to do public good.
It is indeed a juicy temptation for a star to want to leap into the political bandwagon from atop the wave of stardom. In the bargain it would be a pity if any idolised superstar were to make a mockery of the institution of politics with some personal agenda. Can one not address social problems without heavily investing in the rigmarole of party formation and fundraising for the same? There are several who do that too.
Sandhya Vasudev
Email: sandhya.vasudev@gmail.com