There was a lot of hoopla in the news channels regarding the phantasmagoria called Umrao Jaan. Although most of them seemed to be more interested in the romance that budded between the leading pair on the sets, there were interesting snippets here and there that made the viewing worth a dekko. A heart-rendering but true incident depicted the tomb of Umrao Jaan none less. Even as J.P.Dutta fills his coffers with the story of her life, her tragedy, Umrao Jaan’s tomb lies in the perpetual neglect! What a shame… A life that was more of a series of tragedy interspersed with episodes of neglect, abuse and just a whiff of love… Does that kind of life really care for all the fame and all the accolades that’s showered over their dead bodies?
I was reminded of the life of Vincent Van Gogh. A painting today fetches millions and millions and that genius that created these masterpieces always lived on his brother Theo’s charity. Why is genius never recognized when its alive? Why does every masterpiece trace its history to a neglected, abused, ridiculed & dissatisfied artiste? Does genius stem from the worst of the human emotions? Is it the the depths of despair and frustration that bear beauty?
If yes, is it worth it? Does a life need to burn itself in such perpetual ignominy so that the coming generations can appreciate the fruits of their ridicule? Is it really telling us something? Why don’t we value people for what they are, when they are! Rather than ridicule them for as long as they live!
To quote Javed Akthar Sahab, “Umrao Jaan ke seene mein bhi dhadakta hua dil tha, jiski awaaz uske jeeteji kissi se nahi suni…”.
Umrao Jaan, Van Gogh, Ghalib – These are gone anyways… but there are many of their likes amongst us… Let us show them respect for what they are, what they dare to be! What the likes of us can never dream to reach!
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