Inspirations from our Heroes

I was remarking to Nandini....that her friend Nanao Singh is in the papers today, expecting her to feel curious, excited. First for calling Nanao Singh her friend, we have a pic with Nanao Singh who signed an autograph for her at the CYG. She remarked ... Nanao Singh was not her friend a little grumpily.

Why did she not get excited about such achievements?

I remember I went into the stadium for the first Grand Prix Tennis tournament in India in the 1970's and as I could not get any tickets... went into the stadium at 6.00 AM to try ant get a glimpse of the players. The security allowed me and I could shake hands.... including the big hands of Vijay Amritraj, hold his racket (he let me..without brushing me away), he has always held my awe as a sportsman, an affable human, smiling, sincere and what must have been always a great sense of humour... i swing the racket a couple of times felt great, felt that I may be overstepping and politely handed the racket back, sauntered around shook more hands. Of course I followed Vijay's tennis through his peak as well as troughs.. Always believing the great the sportsperson he stood out as. Similarly, my early inspiring interactions with the Abid Ali, Faroukh Engineer and GR Viswanath who I met briefly at a Ranji Match in Bangalore, Bishen Bedi who knocked my knees out when I tried to play him at the nets of an inter-services match where he was chief guest. Dhanraj who always has acknowledged every Namskar at the local Hockey competion at pune or at the Murugappa Gold Cup at Chennai. I continue keeping an eye out for them whatever they do. More recently with Mohinder Amarnath in Noida whom I have always admired, has kept me keen on sports and sportspersons though my life.

Harini & I try to re-create the awe of these for Nan by showing our awe for the great sportspersons, musicians, heroes, ppointing them out in crowds, on the road, in shopping malls to give her the helping hand such inspirations have provided us. Hope we succeed..

Can we create that awe for heroes amongst our children who have more access to today's heroes than we ever had? How to compensate for the an over kill by the media which makes such stars so near, that we they are now part of the furniture (the telly) and hence ignored. And very soon trashes them for their not so superhuman deeds which may have nothing to do with the field they have chosen to be heroes.