Today morning when I woke up, I saw a missed call on my phone. I know that I do not get calls that early in the morning unless it is something urgent or important. I return the call to find out that break-dancer and singer Michael Jackson is dead. I come to office and when I login to gtalk, the first message I receive shares the news that Michael Jackson has passed into the ages.
Of course, no coffee corner conversation with a colleague or a call with a friend is complete today without the mandatory reference to this news. As you see, even the thought I am sharing with you today refers to the news of his death.
For a lot of English-educated Indians western music began and sometimes ended with Michael Jackson. Well, let me even proceed to knock off 'English' from the previous sentence. Michael Jackson is probably the most popular western music icon in India - in a Democratic, Socialist, pan-Indian way. The coincidence that the only other international star to probably enjoy such popularity is another Jack is trivial- the fast-action-entertainer, Jackie Chan. Young adolescents found Michael Jackson as a window to foreign music and it gave one a great deal of confidence to share a seat in the council of the musically literate.
If you jog through your memory of Indian movie songs of the 80s, you would find his name in the lyrics of many a bizarre dance numbers. The tunes of his songs were ruthlessly recycled by enterprising music directors in movies of all languages. Making a more personal reference, any blue-blooded fan of Chiranjeevi, as is the case with me - and probably the entire state of Andhra Pradesh, his recent electoral debacle notwithstanding - is inseparable from his knowledge of Michael Jackson. Michael Jackson practically invented the break-dance which established the megastar a dancing sensation - Chiranjeevi virtually moon-walked his way into the hearts of thousands of young Telugu people. I can take the Pepsi-Challenge on this - you would not find a kid growing up in the mid-eighties who would not have demonstrated his own skills in the rope-walk or moon-walk to his parents and relatives in the way of family-talent-shows.
Mithun Chakraborthy, Govinda, Prabhu Deva, Hrithik Roshan – these are only a few names in Indian showbiz who owe something to Michael Jackson.
These are a few thoughts that come to my mind upon the news his death. You can share your own thoughts if you have any and it would, I am sure, be very interesting to hear your memories of Michael Jackson.
May his soul dance is peace.
you know, Vishal and I went to watch "This is it". it was our first movies theatre experience since i was 6 months pregnant - so that is, in 2 years. it was a 12 am show. and Laksh slept in his stroller at 11:58 pm. i cried watching the documentary/movie.
MJ touched your heart! that's what made him so special.. whether it was through his music, dance, or passion. he lives!
Posted by: Prat | December 21, 2009 at 07:54 AM
i too watched 'This is it' and was enthralled by the energy of MJ on stage. my cousin, sitting beside me, was already watching the movie the second time on the big screen in 2 weeks.
Posted by: Arvind Swarup Pathiki | December 21, 2009 at 03:35 PM