Lindsay Pereira: Some of us are more equal than others

No one speaks about Sridevi now of course because itrsquos been a couple of weeks since her mortal remains were consigned to flames and we presumably have other things to obsess over File picThe only movie starring Sridevi that I have seen in my life is Mr India for reasons that have nothing to do with her talent and everything to do with my taste in cinema I was more than taken aback by the massive outpouring of grief in the aftermath of her untimely death though News presenters on television to refer to them as journalists is a bit of a stretch in these intriguing times worked themselves into shock and fury questioning God recreating circumstances in bathtubs and wondering if the actress had problems she probably knew little about herselfThere were television cameras outside the room her body was embalmed in reporters stalking entry and exit points at the airport crowds lining both sides of the street leading to her home and the general sense at least for a day or two of manufactured anguish of the sort one would associate with the demise of a world leader No one speaks about Sridevi now of course because its been a couple of weeks since her mortal remains were consigned to flames and we presumably have other things to obsess over such as the release of a controversial movie or somethingI couldnt help but compare that week of heartrending tears with the kind of sadness that accompanies the deaths of so many people around us Yes the death of Sridevi was a tragedy given that she was fairly young and had entertained millions with her many roles as a movie star for years Yes public figures tend to attract as much attention in death as they do in life and more if their passing is untimely No it doesnt justify why we gloss over the deaths of so many people we ought to identify with more simply because they are not celebritiesWe should have been move vocal when our fellow citizens were trampled to death at Elphinstone Road Railway Station last year We outraged online for a few days cursed the government for its apathy and then congratulated the army for stepping in and building a foot overbridge absolving the Railways of all responsibility for a task it ought to have taken upon itself years ago We sent our thoughts and prayers to the families of those young people killed in a fire at Kamala Mills patted ourselves on our backs when the BMC spent just about a week evaluating fire safety norms at places across the city then forgot about it as we made plans for dinner at a new restaurant or pubMaybe we ought to spend a little more time listening to the stories of people just like us and read more about the lives and untimely deaths of the common man to get a sense of just how misplaced our priorities are The death of a celebrity should trigger an outpouring of grief of course because that is what we have been trained to do since some bright spark came up with the concept of the divine right of kings What we shouldnt do is write off the other deaths that occur around us on a regular basis Not knowing these unfortunate victims is no excuse to not mourn them to not question why they were compelled to leave their families well before their time and to not hold the people responsible for their deaths responsiblePeople discussing the difference between the Oriental and the Occidental often point out that the former believe that life is cheap simply because there are so many of them If this is true and we value life less simply because we are a populous nation it sends the wrong kind of message to those who come after us We put up hoardings at the death of politicians who spend their lives doing nothing for us because we are trained to mourn the passing of a familiar face We forget the deaths of minor figures in our citys history simply because we havent been paying attention to their storiesIts too much to ask for of course this equating of a celebrity with the deaths of common people It ought to be something we think about though because someday at some time the untimely death due to unforeseen circumstances could very well be our ownWhen he isnt ranting about all things Mumbai Lindsay Pereira can be almost sweet He tweets lindsaypereira Send your feedback to mailbagmiddaycom