It was a day to celebrate two lives! Not for their talents, though they are both extremely talented in their own fields. No, not for their achievements; yet, they achieved so much in life that I will take 10% of what they did if somebody gives it to me. Not even for their virtues of fair play which both were known for in their own fields of play.
So what made Rahul Dravid and Meera Sanyal stand apart from the world they ruled?
On the day Rahul Dravid, one of my childhood heroes, celebrated his birthday, news came that Meera Sanyal, the banker turned politician passed on from this world. Ah, the cruel world! She was way too young and had a lot more to give back to her country.
I pondered on their lives. Rahul Dravid, the quintessential superstar of my generation. Of course, Sachin was the star. But Dravid was the hero! Dravid was the role model. Dravid, every batsman's textbook. Dravid made girls drool. Dravid was shy. Dravid made playing cricket looked really difficult, and yet he mastered it. Dravid mirrored how I wanted to be! I wished I can play cricket like Sachin, but wanted to be Dravid. Dravid was the ultimate middle-class wannabe.
Then there was Meera Sanyal. When the 2012 Anna Hazare movement happened, I was sceptical. Movements make heroes but do not change anything, I thought. But what followed got me hooked to politics. The politics of the newly formed Aam Aadmi Party. The who's who of the social activist world and some from the corporate jungle jumped in. The activist lawyer Prashant Bhushan was there; So was the intellectual Yogendra Yadav. The tribal leader Soni Sori, the corporate biggie Capt. Gopinath and the renowned social activist Aruna Rai were all there. Yet, my eyes often searched for this lady called Meera Sanyal. When she spoke she had a conviction not often heard from the political arena. Yet she was soft. Often reticent. The banker in her threw economic jargon which I often googled. She knew way too much to be so humble I had often thought. And when the AAP boat had the big hole, along with the rats, the big names also quit. There was something amiss in the party. A lot of good people cannot stay together I thought. Yet Meera stayed on. In her own inimitable way. Very often behind the stage, and when the light was thrown on her, with humility and smile unknown in the political circus.
Two people! One a renowned star. Other, often hiding from the limelight. Yet they had one common quality which made them likeable. In fact loveable, in their own sphere. They radiated grace. GRACE!
Grace is polite. Grace is courteous. Grace has good manners. Grace maintains decency. Grace showed respect. Grace is smooth and grace is elegant. Rahul and Meera radiated Grace.
Can there be grace in this generation of cricket and politics and cinema and corporate heroes? or Am I asking a bit too much? Is it way too costly to expect from our role models to be graceful now? How I wish there are more Rahul's and Meera's now. For they make the world a far better place to live.
For grace is the most underrated virtue!
So what made Rahul Dravid and Meera Sanyal stand apart from the world they ruled?
On the day Rahul Dravid, one of my childhood heroes, celebrated his birthday, news came that Meera Sanyal, the banker turned politician passed on from this world. Ah, the cruel world! She was way too young and had a lot more to give back to her country.
I pondered on their lives. Rahul Dravid, the quintessential superstar of my generation. Of course, Sachin was the star. But Dravid was the hero! Dravid was the role model. Dravid, every batsman's textbook. Dravid made girls drool. Dravid was shy. Dravid made playing cricket looked really difficult, and yet he mastered it. Dravid mirrored how I wanted to be! I wished I can play cricket like Sachin, but wanted to be Dravid. Dravid was the ultimate middle-class wannabe.
Then there was Meera Sanyal. When the 2012 Anna Hazare movement happened, I was sceptical. Movements make heroes but do not change anything, I thought. But what followed got me hooked to politics. The politics of the newly formed Aam Aadmi Party. The who's who of the social activist world and some from the corporate jungle jumped in. The activist lawyer Prashant Bhushan was there; So was the intellectual Yogendra Yadav. The tribal leader Soni Sori, the corporate biggie Capt. Gopinath and the renowned social activist Aruna Rai were all there. Yet, my eyes often searched for this lady called Meera Sanyal. When she spoke she had a conviction not often heard from the political arena. Yet she was soft. Often reticent. The banker in her threw economic jargon which I often googled. She knew way too much to be so humble I had often thought. And when the AAP boat had the big hole, along with the rats, the big names also quit. There was something amiss in the party. A lot of good people cannot stay together I thought. Yet Meera stayed on. In her own inimitable way. Very often behind the stage, and when the light was thrown on her, with humility and smile unknown in the political circus.
Two people! One a renowned star. Other, often hiding from the limelight. Yet they had one common quality which made them likeable. In fact loveable, in their own sphere. They radiated grace. GRACE!
Grace is polite. Grace is courteous. Grace has good manners. Grace maintains decency. Grace showed respect. Grace is smooth and grace is elegant. Rahul and Meera radiated Grace.
Can there be grace in this generation of cricket and politics and cinema and corporate heroes? or Am I asking a bit too much? Is it way too costly to expect from our role models to be graceful now? How I wish there are more Rahul's and Meera's now. For they make the world a far better place to live.
For grace is the most underrated virtue!
1 comment:
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