An appeal to the Neo-Bangaloreans

It is now almost 48 hours since the Kannada legend Dr.Rajkumar passed away. As Bangalore limps back to normalcy, the reaction is but expected from people who have come into Bangalore in the last 5 years and the people who’ve witnessed the mob fury on television; “why should people react like this when Dr.Rajkumar died a natural death? South Indians are crazy. They tend to idolize film stars and land up becoming fanatics”.

It is imperative that people understand the significance of the loss to Karnataka and Kannada. As a child growing up in Rajajinagar, I remember how television had changed our lives. How the damned idiot box still in its colourless infancy, started to dictate our lives. Tuesday 8:00 p.m. was meant for “Chitramanjari” – 30 minutes of Kannada film songs, Wednesday 8:00 p.m. was for “Chitrahaar” – 30 minutes of Hindi Classics and Sunday evenings was strictly for the Kannada movies. The one face we used to look forward to seeing on the screen was Rajkumar. Gifted as he was, with acting-singing talent and the fact that his movies rarely fell out of the “family” category, it was only but obvious that everyone looked up to him.

At a time when Kannada was by far the least dominant language in South India (I have reasons to believe it still is), there was one gentleman by the name Rajkumar, who was strengthening not just the Kannada film industry, but also the very roots of every Kannadiga. A standout example perhaps is his support for the Gokak Movement.

When Rajkumar started acting in movies, Karnataka did not have a studio of its own. All Kannada movies were made in the then Madras Presidency. Soon, Karnataka would have facilities of its own, but Tamil was soon becoming the pushy & dominant language thanks to the Dravidian movement gathering force. There were loads of leaders in the Tamil movement, but Karnataka had none besides Rajkumar. True to the nature of a Kannadiga, the Film industry here never looked to put down the Tamil film industry, but only focused on its own strengths.

Today, we have a huge empire that is looking to survive without its Father, who was its identity. Rajkumar was a simple man. No fundamentalism, no politics, no regionalism, yet he stood for what every Kannadiga was and wanted to be. “Annavaru” had a cult following, not because he was a Super-Star, but because he was not one. On-screen, he was the common man who lived a normal life while addressing the odd socio-cultural issue, or he was a god, may be a king now & then. Off-screen, he was the same, except, he never played god. He never acted in a any other film industry and in no other language. His pure love for “Kasturi” Kannada coupled with ability to identify himself with the common man & reach out to the needy was a tear-away force.

50 years, he was the unmistakable ruler of Bangalore’s hearts. The ability to resist the temptations of greed & power put the 3rd Std school drop-out way above any of his South Indian counterparts.

Not that the acts that have followed his death are justified. Infact all this violence must be the biggest humiliation to the man himself. Opportunistic hooligans ruled the roost and many of my friends fail to appreciate history when they say “what’s all the fuss about?” .
Lets perhaps make an attempt understand the emotion a little more in the right perspective. Let us try and assimilate a little more. There is a Bangalore more vibrant, more colourful, more honest and peaceful, if we look beyond the walls we’ve built around our pubs, malls, MG road and Brigade Road.

To quote historian Ramachandra Guha “A Rajkumar would have given his life for Kannada, but an Amitabh Bhachan would never give his life for Hindi !!! "