A celebrity-obsessed society

It is said that if God were not there, Man would have invented Him. Does the same hold good for celebrities? We are living in a celebrity-obsessed world. Celebs are what make the world go round, never mind that Man’s genius has ‘flattened’ the world. The world wakes up to Sarah Jones’ yogic classes and then has no time to sleep, for there are thousands of celebs to keep us company 24/7/365.

Take the Olympics torh relay drama in Delhi. It was supposed to be about the Olympics in China, the Tibetans and their supporters in India, and about India not embarrassing Big Brother China. But the “torchlight” was on why Celebrity X was part of the event, and why Celebrity Y was not!

The celebs have invaded even the sacrosanct cricket pitch. The much in the news Indian Premier League (IPL) can be truly described as an event that is also about cricket! The media coverage is evenly balanced - between the game’s hot stars and the game’s hotter sponsors. The day is not far off when Sachin Tendulkar will morph into the Shah Rukh Khan of cricket. Thank god for small mercies, that the reverse is just not possible.

Perhaps, we are already there. Today, we know as much about the actual game on the pitch, as off it.
Doubtless, we NEED celebrities, but not to the point where we have reached. Where they are at the center of our universe, and define the way we live our lives. Everybody - well, almost - wants to be a Shah Rukh Khan or a Kareena Kapoor.

Even politics is getting infected with this virus. Our netas are now spending a lot of time and energy on their wardrobe, their body language, and TV skills. They are dressing up for the D-day, never mind that their constituencies are virtually naked of basic amenities.

All this wouldn’t have been such a bad thing, if the celeb circuit wasn’t hijacked by Bollywood. There was a time when we had good celebs and bad celebs. Today, the distinction has become extinct and Bollywoodised. Bollywood babes and hunks are good to watch, but watch out if you want to emulate them! If you can’t without your daily dose of celebs, shift the wheat from the chaff, and go for the real guys.