Sridevi

Hearing of Sridevi's demise was a shock. Just like many - at first I dismissed it as a hoax. When it turned out to be true I thought - she was way way ... too young.

Psychologists would say I loved her image and of course it is true. It is not like I knew her personally. The sadness and 'sadma' nonetheless is not a piece of imagination. In my eyes - she was a queen.

Paeans can be written about her but I am going to write about the minor riot she incited ! Truly. It happened in my childhood and to say I found it astonishing is an understatement. You see these people who would be the last people you would think would get so heated up.

Let me start at the beginning. In my childhood TV was not as common as it is now, so most people gathered at the house of the neighbor who had a TV. Started with black & white and later color TV. These gatherings were only to watch relevant programs - Chitrahaar, Mahabharat, Ramayan or movies etc

The neighborhood I used to watch in at that time was of Jain Merchants. These people do not eat garlic, onions or eat after 7pm. [Alcohol is not even a thought !!]. Not aggressive unless it was to do with business; these were peace loving folk.

It was a Sunday afternoon and we were looking forward to watching Mr. India. Everybody in the neighborhood was watching the movie for Sridevi.

The parody song with the football, the eternal kate nahin kat te, the song about loving an invisible man were all over. We were eagerly waiting for the denouement of the movie along with the other famous song 'Hawa Hawaii'.

Everyday there would be power cuts and Sundays were no exception. It so happened however on that day - the power cut did not happen at the regular time. So the crowd was buoyed into thinking that perhaps there would be no power cut. There was some kind of vague idea that everybody knew 'Mr India' was being broadcast so the EB would not schedule a power cut. What a hope.

And just when everyone was looking forward to watching the movie till the end - the power went off. OMG !! The crowd in that home got enraged ! These people who I have never seen get too hassled about anything were livid.

They decided to go to the EB and demand that the power be restored. The EB was about 4 min away. I tagged along; curious.

So this horde of mostly middle aged men with a scraggly number of children whipped up to the EB. Alas that being a Sunday - there were no EB officials. For a minute they were taken aback and then the anger grew.  Suddenly like dervishes they took stones and started pelting the EB office. I was stunned. I think I must have stared with my mouth open - at the spectacle of these uncles who so espoused middle age respectability that they were boring - were behaving like mindless hooligans.

After sometime no idea how long I quickly ran back home. [Mom's admonitions in general].

Nothing came of the mini riot of stone pelting and thank God no person was hurt. I used to see the EB office on my way to school and it took a long time for the broken windows to be replaced.

The main lesson I learnt though - people take their entertainment seriously. And if it is to do with a beloved actor - BEWARE. No logic works here. Even mild mannered people can turn into voracious mobs hell bent on destruction. Phew !!!

In the movie ''Sadma" there's a scene with Kamal Hassan in front of the diety Ganesha under a tree. Of all the so-called-mandir scenes this to me is the epitome of poignancy that captures his anguish,  fear and also his humble appeal and prayer to God. Hell, he is in his shoes. Yet you feel the incipient pain. He re-lights the extinguished diya from the other lit diya. No words.

I pray to God she is happy wherever she is.