Michael Jackson: an enigma

Yesterday morning, I was still in bed, when my teenage son, who had a few moments before left for college, rushed back screaming Michael Jackson is dead. “Michael Jackson can’t die,” he kept saying. My son has eversince been either humming MJ’s tunes or playing them on the mobile. 

It was difficult to believe the news though we all knew Jackson was not in the pink of his health. Whatever be one’s views about Jacko, not in the recent past has anyone caught the imagination of the entire world, cutting across all strata, like MJ did. Essentially what was in him that got a such a huge number of people around the world adore him will a remain a mystery, like the way died.   

Excerpts from some articles:

“… Like Orpheus, Jackson was destroyed by his fans, whose adulation and adoration prevented his living in any kind of normal society. The creativity ebbed away day by day. He became a parody of himself. It is time now to forget all that and salute the miraculous boy who will triumph over death as Dionysos did, becoming immortal through his art…”  Germaine Greer

“… If ever there was an illustration of the adage that celebrity destroys what it touches, Jackson was it. Highly sensitive and impressionable, he was unsuited to fame – ironic, given that his became one of the most recognised faces in the world. Despite loving the razzle-dazzle of performance – even his off-duty wardrobe, with its epauletted jackets, looked like stagewear – he was crushed by the pressure of maintaining a cherubic public persona. He probably would have been happiest working behind the scenes, in the mode of his collaborator and mentor, Quincy Jones, producer of the 50m-selling Thriller…”  Guardian obituary

“… Such were his legal fees and the lavish lifestyle he developed that even the hundreds of millions that allowed him to outbid Paul McCartney for the Beatles’ back catalogue proved insufficient. He all but lost his Neverland ranch, and withdrew – frequently hiding behind a mask on the occasions when he did appear in public, a shield against fame which only made him more newsworthy…”  Guardian editorial

“… Michael Jackson came to be synonymous with transformation — ultimately, with an eerie stasis that comes from seeking transformation all the time. The alchemy of change worked longer and better for him — through the ’80s and into the early ’90s — than it has for almost any other artist. And yet somehow all the changes always take us back to the album in which Michael Jackson grew up…” New York Times editorial

“… This compromise with reality gradually became unsustainable. He went to strange lengths to preserve it. Unbounded privilege became another toxic force in his undoing. What began as idiosyncrasy, shyness, and vulnerability was ravaged by obsessions over health, paranoia over security, and an isolation that grew more and more unhealthy…” Deepak Chopra’s tribute in The Huffington Post

“… For more than an hour, TMZ was essentially the only outlet claiming that Mr. Jackson was dead. Television and newspaper journalists read the TMZ report but largely held off on repeating it, for fear of making a mistake. Still, the bulletin traversed the Web with remarkable speed, creating a stark divide: on the Internet Mr. Jackson was dead, and on TV he was still alive…” New York Times

“… In the 50 years that Michael Jackson lived, the rules of journalism have gone from wait-and-see to show-and-wait. Journalism was once grandly said to be the first draft of history. We’ve now moved to a world in which gossip is the first draft of journalism…” Mark Lawson in The Guardian

Filed under: Media, Society

The train that reached early

I have been travelling like never before. Soon after my Mumbai trip on official work, I am on a brief personal visit to Thiruvananthapuram. Right now I am on my way back to Bangalore in Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation’s Airavat bus. I had booked the ticket online at the KSRTC website: http://ksrtc.in

RAINWASHED GREENERY

The lush green landscape is the best indication that you have entered Kerala. The state has been getting good rains. Lakes are full. Fields are waterlogged, and green is greener. So soothing. So refreshing.

TRAIN REACHES EARLY

My friend in Trivandrum, who was to pick me up, asked me to give him a call when the train reaches Kollam. And when I called him he was surprised.

”It’s only 10 and you are already in Kollam? Are you sure? Because you said the train reaches Thiruvananthapuram at 12 noon,” he told me.

I was in 6321 Trivandrum Express, a special weekly train. It had stopped for more than half an hour at Ambalappuzha station for letting Shatabdi Express cross. So I was under the impression that the train was running late.

My friend said it takes only one to one and a half hours from Kollam to Trivandrum so at this rate the train would reach at least half an hour early.

And it did, reaching at 11.15 am. Since I called up my friend at Kollam itself he had ample time to come early to the station. Many other passengers were equally surprised that the train arrived ahead of time. At least some would have had to wait for their friends or relatives to pick them up.

While walking up the staircase in the railway station I wondered: Malls have escalators, but how many railway stations have them?

STATIC CITY

Trivandrum, now Thiruvananthapuram, has hardly changed. Roads are getting widened. Nothing more. Some swanky shops, hotels and hospitals have come up. But on the ground nothing much has changed.

I was told this is the best time to widen roads, because the very people who would raise banners of protest — the communists — are in power! ”A Congress government would not have been able to widen roads like this,” I’m told by my friend. I doubt if it’s wholly true. Anyway an interesting perspective on how we are progressing.

A lot of hopes are resting on Shashi Tharoor, the MP from Thiruvananthapuram, who won by a surprisingly huge margin of around a lakh. He is seen as a fresh, uncorrupted, non-politician lawmaker.

Filed under: Personal, travel

Mumbai diary III: Dinner at Light of Asia

It was a momentous day for us yesterday, when one of the news sections of our newspaper, went live on the new editing and pagemaking software. ‘Went live’ means, the page that people are reading today was made on the new software. This is the first news page of our publication to go live. A day to cherish.

Though we have been bringing out trial versions over the past week, the feeling that ‘live’ brings in is altogether different: a combination of excitement and tension. There was a lot of coordination to be done. And everything had to click. Software transitions, wherever, are always tricky, with the fear of a ‘crash’ always looming overhead. Touchwood, barring minor glitches, all went well.

I was just wondering, how journalism, like of course everything around us, has changed over the years. Twenty years back, I was involved in a similar exercise when the newspaper I worked for then, brought in computers to replace typewriters and teleprinters. The media industry is poised for still more revolutionary changes as technology evolves rapidly.

Last night most of us missed our dinner. At 1.30 am, totally exhausted, we had only one thought in our minds: where can we get something to eat. We were told there is a restaurant called ”Light of Asia” close to the CST. It was 20 min walk away.

The cafe had its shutter down, but there was a tiny door beside it kept ajar, through which we all squeezed in. Wow! So spacious inside. We had our meals, and the big surprise, they offered us complimentary icecreams! Let’s come here everyday, someone screamed. Stay on in Mumbai, don’t go back, added another.

The most odd hour to have dinner, but nothing unusual for journalists. The cab guys were very considerate and stayed on beyond the 2 am cutoff time, and we were back in our rooms, by 3 am.

Filed under: Media, Personal, travel

Mumbai diary II: Elephanta caves

Yesterday we took a day off from our training workshop. Decided to spend the day going around Mumbai. Thought we will start with a visit to Elephanta Caves. The plan was to get out of our rooms early, so we save on time. But…

0900: … There’s no water in the guesthouse and most of us are still waiting for Bisleri bottles for the basic necessities.

1130: Finally we are out. On our way to Gateway of India.

1230: In the steamer on way to Elephanta Caves. We paid 10 bucks extra and got on to the upper deck. Breathtaking view of ships and oiltankers.

(No way I can download the pix. They will be uploaded after I return to Bangalore.)

There are three treachers from Chandigarh who are with us on the upper deck. They are quite curious as to who all of us are. On knowing our profession, they are more curious, shoot questions after questions. I found that quite annoying. It’s a very bad Indian habit to ask very personal questions when meeting strangers.

Then one of them asked me, ”Where in Andhra are you from.” I said I was not from Andhra.
”But you said you are from Bangalore…”
”Ya, Bangalore is the capital of Karnataka.”
”O, I see…”

He looked thoroughly confused. The south of Vindhyas is still an unknown entity for many in the north, sadly for even teachers. I enquired what he teaches. Mathematics, he said.

By the way, many south Indians are similarly ignorant about places in the north and, particularly, northeast.

Some 15 minutes later, one of them, came up to me and asked if he could take a photo of all of us. That sounded quite strange, but we obliged.

1320: As we step into the Elephanta Island, we find there is a toy train to ferry tourists, just about 500 m, to the foot of the hill that leads to the caves. We get the tickets, Rs 10 two-way. Kiddish joy as we get into the train.

1330: We are hungry and the sight of a restaurant cheers us.

1445-1730: After food, we begin the climb. Not very steep. Either sides, there are shops selling postcards, curios, t-shirts, guidebooks etc. Bargain hard. A colleague bought a Ganesha idol. Initial price quoted: Rs 200. Offered Rs 100 and walked ahead. The price dropped dramatically and after a bit more of bargaining, got it for Rs 100.

We go around all the 5 caves. Take lots of photos. Good view of the valley and the sea from the top.

This is a Unesco World Heritage centre. The sculptures, carvings and inscriptions take you to a different world. Some of the sculptures are damaged. There is a Shivling. At some portions of the vast cave complex, restoration work is going on. Good crowd.

Interestingly, there is a beer bar at the top of the hill, like one at the foot. A good view of the Arabian Sea. The mat-like design on chairs and tables is particularly striking.

1730-1840: We are back on the boat travelling back. It is much more enjoyable as sun has gone behind clouds, there is good strong breeze.

1900-2015: We get into Cafe Monde (Monde’s) at Colaba. It’s perhaps the most well-known joint for beer. And the food is very tasty. The ambience is addictive. It’s almost always crowded. The large room is abuzz: people trying to make themselves heard above the loud music.

We moved ahead to the ”Innside story”, a less crowded smaller room with gentle music. Though it wasn’t crowded when we came, by the time we were through, it had filled up.

2045: Back in our guesthouse. Quite tired. Though we couldn’t go around the city or do some shopping, the cruise and the visit to the cave were thoroughly enjoyable.

Filed under: Personal, travel