2.4 Hero Worship
Kapil Dev’s recognition as a hero came not long after he surfaced as a raw fast bowler in 1978. With his earthy approach to
captaincy, Kapil led the Indian cricket team to an unlikely conquest of the World in 1983 and became god. Post-career, his halo grew when he visited Kargil in 1999 spending time with
the soldiers. “I don't tell myself I am a hero. People do look up to performers
and think of them as heroes,” says Kapil Dev, in a candid conversation on
heroes and heroism. “Hero worship in India is too big. It is both right and
wrong. It is fair to respect people who have done things that others haven’t
but it is not right to treat them as gods.”
What does the term ‘hero’ mean to you?
A
hero is someone who does something for society, someone who people look up to
and say I wish I could do the things he has done. A hero has the extraordinary ability to rise above those around him; he’s willing to
do things that most just dream of. A hero is someone whose shoes you would like
to be in. The wanting is the first step towards establishing someone as a hero,
willingness to do things and not put oneself over one. Dhirubhai Ambani, Kiran
Mazumdar Shaw, Ratan Tata, Azim Premji, Shiv Nadar - to name just a few - are
some who have inspired others to follow them. They are outstanding performers
who we look up to.
And what is heroism to you?
Heroism
is what the heart and soul make the mind and body do in challenging circumstances. And then, there are those who serve in the army. There
are some who join the army because it offers them a chance to earn a living and
others who enroll because they have a passion to serve the nation. The army has a way of imbibing passion in all of them. The passion to serve without the
expectation of a reward is what makes them heroes.
Is there a
need for heroes?
Young
people do need heroes to look up and emulate. The coming generations do need examples to follow. Heroes
are the key to any nation’s success. Each generation has produced heroes.
Heroes are the only ones who change lives. Heroes can make great impact on the minds when one is between 7 and 15 years of age.
When one
speaks of a hero, it is usually a film star or a sports person who comes to
mind first. Do you think this is right?
Film
stars and sports persons work hard to achieve something. They are given the tag
because they are performers. But there are a number of real heroes who don’t
get a chance to prove themselves in front of TV cameras. When a bus falls into
a river and hundreds of people watch, the real hero is one who jumps in to save
lives. The real heroes are those who serve the nation. Their heroes is
something else. They are ready to sacrifice their lives and not expect anything in return. If you can
achieve that, you are a hero.
Did you grow up having any heroes of your
own?
When
I was growing up in the’ 60s the freedom fighter / politician was still the
hero. Of course, we also heard inspiring stories of men like Bhagat Singh and
Chandrashekhar Azad. But stories were not fresh and the film stars were
beginning to make an impact on the public. The heroes there would do things all
by themselves-fighting and winning against the bad men. The sports hero is
different because he performs on a big stage where there are no rehearsals and no scripts.
What
about sports icons like Dhyan Chand and Milkha Singh?
I
didn’t know enough about Dhyan Chand and Milkha Singh because the media in
those days had not evolved as much as now. There were no stories about such achievers. In some ways, the media does contribute to the making of
heroes. When you are growing up, your father and elder brothers are your heroes. In an Ideal family, children usually look up to their father as their hero. But as you evolve
and expand your horizons, you realise that there are other heroes. And your heroes
keep changing with time.
So do you
have a hero now?
For
me Nelson Mandela is a true hero. He lived in jail for 27 years and when came
out; he showed no hatred for the people who kept him there. The same people,
however, treated him with such respect in the end. Such heroism is easy to talk
about but ‘hard’ to achieve. Imagine spending a week in jail and the hatred
that will spring in your heart. Imagine being made to stand on the last
bench in class with your face to the wall or imagine being fired by your boss
for no fault of yours. And imagine 27 years in jail.
How did you
get the tag of a hero?
I
don’t myself I am a hero. Whenever I meet people, they feel I am one of them.
They don’t feel they can’t approach me. But, yes,
people to look up to performers and think of them as heroes.
Who can be a
hero?
Anyone
can be hero––the man on street, someone in your school or a man in your community. A hero does not have to be a nation hero. Everyone is a
hero in one’s own mind. You want to do hundreds of things that can qualify you
as a hero but at the end of the day, it is the people around you who determine which of your actions qualify you for that tag. Anyone,
who is making the world a better place to live in, is a hero.
Do you think
it can be a choice, to be hero?
You
cannot become a hero by choice. It is only when others admire your action that you are recognised as a hero. Of course in our own ways, each one of us
wants to be a hero. In fact in our own minds, we are heroes but other have to accept you to be recognised as a hero.
When
does one become a hero?
The
bigger the challenge that you overcome, the greater your recognition as a
hero. And if you can go beyond your basic abilitiesand perform an action, that is when you are likely to be appreciated more. Amitabh Bachchan became a hero many times over when
he did KBC the first time around. His mannerism and his style of conversation made him true champion. He went far beyond his basic
skills as an actor.
What are the dominant emotions when one is
performing a heroic act?
Emotions?
None at all. All you want to do is to do your duties as well as you can. It is for the world around you to
recognise any act of heroism. You do not pause to think if what you are doing is heroic or not. You just
do what needs to be done.
Isn’t there a sense of satisfaction?
Each
one has different frame of mind. No two persons may think alike. But I can tell
you no one does an act of heroism thinking of the applause that many follow.
The feeling of satisfaction of a job well done may be there but not of having
done a heroic act.
Does life
after being recognised as a hero become tough?
You
are not looking at fulfilling the expectations of the people. Life does change when people recognise you
as a hero. For, hero worship in India is too big. It is both right and wrong.
It is fair to respect people who have done things that others haven’t but it is
not right to treat them as gods.
Do heroes
have their own heroes?
Of
course, heroes have their own heroes, too. While others may appreciate what
they do, they themselves would be appreciating someone else’s ability and
strength of character. You would like to do things that they do.
Would you
have been a hero if you weren’t a cricketer?
I
was born to play. Cricket was but a platform. If I were to fly kites or play
marbles or go fishing, I would do that passionately. The passion to play and
perform has not diminished.
G. Rajaraman
