When idols fall

Avanti Sopory
Really? Did Ms Indrani Mukherjee eat the sandwich? Mr Reporter; since we are so obsessed with her lifestyle, could we also know if she ate a vegetarian or a non-vegetarian sandwich? Or maybe something about the sauce she had!
Exactly. That’s the level of craziness we nurture to furtively peep into the private and highly guarded lives of the super rich people. We really desire to see what they eat, how they socialize, how they behave with their family and all of that.
And we are being catered too!  Our MSM (Main Stream Media) is 24/7 dishing out the most juicy pulp and titillating gossip to its viewers. No wonder these channels brag about their excellently “feigned TRP” rates.  But is this piece of knowledge really worth its weight?
The lives that the super rich and influential people portray in public domain are far different from what they live in their private spaces.  In reality it’s a double faced life they live. What meets the eyes is not the truth.
Men and women who are at public places of high authority, influence the economic well-being and employability of so many ordinary citizens. They also hold the strings to the development and growth of the entire nation. Their lives of progression and success can be ripe for a case-study in any professional college.
Unfortunately at some times, some of these people of repute become a victim of their own opprobrious acts. And that’s when the thick black curtain falls between their public image and private self.  Their misdeeds, misconducts, misdemeanor and mal practices come into the public arena for getting condemned. And what follows latter, is a string of brickbats.  When their negative image is made public and they are stripped of their power and authority, the likely “friends” from yester times, take no time in shunning the niceties (in case any) of the accused and are motor-mouth counting the misdoings of their “friend”.  Their friendship is so ephemeral, and stands on “you scratch my back I scratch your back”.
These money mongers take their power and authority into their heads. The glitterati of the spark and colour of the currency and the hustling of its leaves corrupt the conscience of the person and debilitates their sense of differentiating between right and wrong.  They reach a point when their work ethics and humanness pops out of the window.   At this point, nothing matters but money matters to them. The greed becomes larger than what a person can handle and eventually it leads to a treacherous and a forbidden road.
Wondering what could be the cause for the flip-flop behavior of the rich and the famous? There is no shunning that variation is in the quiddity of human nature. We all are not perfect and no one person has all good qualities.   But as it is said – uneasy lies the head that wears the crown; the stakes are very high if a person is at a place of authority.  They are the policy and decision makers.  Citizens look up to them and entrust them with responsibility of nation building strategies.
The lady in question, who is accused of killing her own lineage, was at a position of influence and command.  She had an eventful career in the media and was also a founding member of one of the television channels.  Though the accusation levied on her are still under jurisdiction but the many version of this Agatha Christie lookalike murder mystery are already taking its rounds. Sadly the acquired progression for most of these high profile cases is tongue wagging, which again is unfortunately done more by their own so called close associates and “friends”, than anyone else.
What could be the motive behind the gory act of the accused is unfathomable. But what comes across clearly, is once again the truth behind the glossy and glamorous lives of the rich, famous and people who are in a position of power. And while they are in power, they pretend to have the best etiquettes, Oxford English, perfect body language and impeccable dress display at any public event or award ceremony.
There is no dearth of such cases; many of them may be sub-judice and some may be resolved, but these incidences in our society leave us with a very bitter after taste.  Sunanda Pushkar’s murder is still an unresolved mystery. A reputed minister’s wife, who was amongst the “who’s who” of the society, was found dead in a plush Delhi hotel room.  In another case, Naina Sahni was butchered and flung into a burning tandoor by her own husband, who also happened to be a prominent youth leader from a national political party.
Greed for money and control is a universal destroyer. Around the end of the 10th century a very ferocious queen named Queen Didda reigned over Kashmir.  In her insatiable quest for controlling her kingdom, she stuck on to the throne for almost fifty long year and killed all her sons, step sons and brothers who revolted against her ruthlessness.
Bhagwat Gita teaches that individuals who are at places of authority and responsibility in the society should lead by Dharma. Once Dharma gets well established and followed at the top, it automatically gets followed by the citizens of the country. Krishna had already taught Arjuna many centuries ago, what we still learn in management schools – Lead by Example.  If we want the society to progress, the leader has to lead the way.
Accused lady and the partaking of the other two convicts (one a businessman/ex-husband and other a driver) have given the nation another sensational murder mystery of modern India. They may have covered their heads and faces in thick black scarves out of sheer shame or guilt. But, their mental conflicts are definitely beyond our comprehension.
Needless to mention and without being judgmental,  it is indeed a poignant real life saga of a lady’s numerous relations; some of which may have gone sour,  some she may have walked out of, some she may have trampled over and some may be unscrupulous. But the fact remains that any such inhuman act, sooner or later gets caught by the law and then the law takes its due course in punishing the guilty.
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