Michael Jackson - Sphere of Influence

-

Michael Jackson was my introduction to western music. To say the truth, back then, I didnt understand a word of what he sang. But it was like a window to a whole different world than the one we lived in. So, while the parents raved and ranted about the polluting effects of western culture and the 'noise' that was called pop music, we sneaked in bits of Beat It and Black or White. A thin, hyper-energetic, amazing singer with that unbelievable crotch-hugging dance step - it was all too fascinating.

The TV news channels have been running the news of Jackson's demise almost without a break since early morning today. Everyone is 'celebrating' the passing of an icon. Well, not everyone. There are some pretty scathing commentaries out there too.

At lunch, watching the MJ news reports loop endlessly, a colleague commented that it wont be long before all the muck on Jackson would be raked up too. The star's unnerving obsession with plastic surgeries, the child abuse charges, the financial woes are controversies that will probably feed the media mill soon. But, c'mon, the man is dead, RIP. All said and done, he was a legend, an icon, one of a kind.

In death, MJ has not just swamped the tube and online media, apparently Twittersphere overloaded and crashed with MJ tweets too. Its like the whole world is only talking one thing today.

I called my father to chat up. He has been at the farm for the last few days, somewhere in the Orissa hinterland, cut off from urban life. Obviously, he and his assorted farm staff were not talking Michael Jackson. And then it struck me, there are still parts of the world where the average man, laboring out in the sun, has no clue who Michael Jackson was or if "moonwalk" is not the name of a road. How does MJs death affect the daily wage worker who will finish work for the day, collect his wages and have a full meal and then drown away some of the extra rupees in local liquor?! However big the man, however iconic his status, in the gigantic grand scheme of the universe, we still fall short.

Photo credit: MJ pic is from here.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Telangana Effect - To create a new state, go on a fast

-
If Telangana can, we will too . So says Bundelkhand Mukti Morcha (for a separate Bundelkhand) and Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (for Gorkhaland). Following soon will be Saurashtra, Vidharbha, and even a Mithilanchal. Why, even Coorg region in Karnataka wants to become a state! India is sure going to see a number of high-profile fasts-unto-death on the evening news in the coming days.
Read more

Sure, I bribe. But no cash. Do you take card?

-
Its been a long while since I last ventured on to this page. Frankly, I didnt think anybody reads this with any regularity. However, recently, a couple of friends nudged me out of blog-atrophy, so I guess a couple of people do read this. Good. Because I have a couple of questions for those people. Whats the minimum bribe one can slip into a traffic cop's hand if one is not going to be paying the legal fine for an offense committed? I ask for the least possible amount which doesnt leave a dent in the driver's pocket and yet ensures a hassle-free drive through. Least possible amount that will satisfy the cop-on-a-personal-fund-raising-mission. Since it was the May Day holiday, I ventured out grocery shopping expecting the roads to be less congested. (For those over-inquisitive minds who wish to know, yes, I meticulously plan my driving to coincide only with ungodly hours and unfrequented side roads.) And so they were. Just that I hadn't factored in the traffic police. Thei
Read more

How to Win a Customer, How to Lose a Customer

-
Image
This story is about how people do business. There is customer service and there is customer delight. And there is the yawning gap between the two. Since I toy around with all that market-speak for most of my professional work hours, I have a passable understanding of it. But it was enlightening to see them in action, in the space of a single evening. Okay, the story starts with me hurrying around Bangalore East with a largish pair of butterfly wings …yes, you read right, butterfly wings….in my hands. Don’t ask me for the backstory; suffice it to say, it’s got something to do with a kiddies fancy dress competition and my daughter wanting to be Mariposa, that Ms-Goody-Two-Shoes fairy from Barbie Land. The wings were diaphanous, purple-colored and liberally sprinkled with glitter. Where did I get them? To my utter, incredulous wonder, there is a whole shop near Ulsoor Police Station solely devoted to fancy dress costumes for kids. And he had a rack full of wings to choose from. When I pic
Read more