Looking at your phone, the moment you wake up, has become the norm of the day and it has overtaken the first spot from "brushing your teeth" amongst the " first things in the morning" contenders .
Last Sunday I woke up to the news of actress Sridevi' s death . At first I thought it was fake. Then the quintessential hunt for facts on Google followed and it was true. It was shocking of course . Not because she was a celebrity or because she was a diva, but because these incidents or news keep knocking you on the head to remind you how unpredictable life is. No one knows when a thunder bolt or a shower of flowers can land on anyone.
Being a Tamil girl , I can't help reminiscing some of her beautiful roles in Kollywood. The timid Brahmin wife in Meendum Kokila , the confused adolescent in 16 vayathinile , the girl battling some ironies in life in varumayin niram sivappu . She was beautiful and perfectly aware of how she needed to carry herself . I was seeing one of her interviews and yes, she was a woman of few words . Perhaps that was one of the key things that helped her soar to that height.
I read somewhere that she was around 10 when someone cast her in an adult role . Some of the best known directors we know were ruthlessly self centred when casting their heroines . Fresh faces ! That's what they needed ! 10? Seriously ?
A lot of things are going on in the media about her death, some dignified and some absolutely nasty . Of course then there are articles about these articles on social media as well.
Don't even think about those reporters hounding the related people to speak two words about their emotions and their mental state due to the loss. We can't blame the reporters alone. Look at the number of hits these videos are receiving .
I normally do not feel compelled to write about a recent headlines or current affairs.
What triggered me to write this post were some of the forwards I am receiving on WhatsApp. There are so many meme s and jokes about bathtubs . About actresses removing the bathtubs in their homes . About hen pecked husbands taking their wives to a holiday in hotels with bath tubs . It's endless.
Yes we need to take everything in life with a smile. But is it mature behaviour to make a mockery of someone else's death or a family s loss just because we are not related in any way but recipients of the news ? Will we relish it if someone made a joke of a personal loss ?
Then there was video taken secretly in the place where her body had been placed with the caption " photography was prohibited but someone managed to film it " . So we all decide to storm into the privacy , the related people had requested and happily spread it around . Its social media after all !
One of my favourite quotes from filmdom is "with Great power comes great responsibility " .
The highest sense of responsibility needs to come when another person is suffering be it someone not at all connected to us.
When someone has lost her life this need for responsibility gets even more heightened.
The rate at which we send forwards has blinded us leaving no time to pause and think . We consider it our birth right to troll and hurt .
Maybe it's beyond control today and the numbers are infinite and they themselves may have developed an immunity towards these. But nevertheless
Let us pause and think.
Let us pause and reflect.
Let us learn to respect people.
Let us learn to be respectful atleast at the time of their deaths.
Last Sunday I woke up to the news of actress Sridevi' s death . At first I thought it was fake. Then the quintessential hunt for facts on Google followed and it was true. It was shocking of course . Not because she was a celebrity or because she was a diva, but because these incidents or news keep knocking you on the head to remind you how unpredictable life is. No one knows when a thunder bolt or a shower of flowers can land on anyone.
Being a Tamil girl , I can't help reminiscing some of her beautiful roles in Kollywood. The timid Brahmin wife in Meendum Kokila , the confused adolescent in 16 vayathinile , the girl battling some ironies in life in varumayin niram sivappu . She was beautiful and perfectly aware of how she needed to carry herself . I was seeing one of her interviews and yes, she was a woman of few words . Perhaps that was one of the key things that helped her soar to that height.
I read somewhere that she was around 10 when someone cast her in an adult role . Some of the best known directors we know were ruthlessly self centred when casting their heroines . Fresh faces ! That's what they needed ! 10? Seriously ?
A lot of things are going on in the media about her death, some dignified and some absolutely nasty . Of course then there are articles about these articles on social media as well.
Don't even think about those reporters hounding the related people to speak two words about their emotions and their mental state due to the loss. We can't blame the reporters alone. Look at the number of hits these videos are receiving .
I normally do not feel compelled to write about a recent headlines or current affairs.
What triggered me to write this post were some of the forwards I am receiving on WhatsApp. There are so many meme s and jokes about bathtubs . About actresses removing the bathtubs in their homes . About hen pecked husbands taking their wives to a holiday in hotels with bath tubs . It's endless.
Yes we need to take everything in life with a smile. But is it mature behaviour to make a mockery of someone else's death or a family s loss just because we are not related in any way but recipients of the news ? Will we relish it if someone made a joke of a personal loss ?
Then there was video taken secretly in the place where her body had been placed with the caption " photography was prohibited but someone managed to film it " . So we all decide to storm into the privacy , the related people had requested and happily spread it around . Its social media after all !
One of my favourite quotes from filmdom is "with Great power comes great responsibility " .
The highest sense of responsibility needs to come when another person is suffering be it someone not at all connected to us.
When someone has lost her life this need for responsibility gets even more heightened.
The rate at which we send forwards has blinded us leaving no time to pause and think . We consider it our birth right to troll and hurt .
Maybe it's beyond control today and the numbers are infinite and they themselves may have developed an immunity towards these. But nevertheless
Let us pause and think.
Let us pause and reflect.
Let us learn to respect people.
Let us learn to be respectful atleast at the time of their deaths.
Sure Jaish, we should think before commenting and forwarding.Social media is often very inconsiderate.
ReplyDeleteI think the "mayilu" chatacter in 16 vayathinile is her best. But I still remember her singing on the pen parkum padalam in Meendum Kokila.
ReplyDeleteChinnanchiru Vayathil Enakkoar Chithiram Thonuthadi.
Reminds me of my seeing my wife for the first time.
Have you read my blog post on that?
What shocking news it was!
ReplyDeleteNobody seems to have believed it right away. We all fact-checked, I guess. With so much going on, on the internet... that's the way to go.
Sridevi's passing away must be the second such celebrity death -- after that of Michael Jackson -- people here in India came to know of via mobile phone first thing in the morning.
ReplyDeleteEven I thought it was an early morning prank by someone. It was difficult to believe that such a thing had happened.
Whatever one might say, she had talent, that is why she lasted five long decades in the career. How many artists can boast of such an achievement?
I liked this point in your post: "But is it mature behaviour to make a mockery of someone else's death or a family s loss just because we are not related in any way but recipients of the news ? Will we relish it if someone made a joke of a personal loss?"
It was sad to the media running loose trying to string one conspiracy theory after another.
Sridevi's passing away, must be second such celebrity death -- after that of Michael Jackson -- people here in India are coming to know of via mobile phone first thing in the morning.
ReplyDeleteEven I thought it was an early morning prank by someone. It was difficult to believe that such a thing had happened.
Whatever one might say, she had talent, that is why she lasted five long decades in the career. How many artists can boast of such an achievement?
I liked this point in your post: "But is it mature behaviour to make a mockery of someone else's death or a family s loss just because we are not related in any way but recipients of the news ? Will we relish it if someone made a joke of a personal loss?"
It was sad to the media running loose trying to string one conspiracy theory after another.