Star Power

Ever Since Robot got released a few weeks ago, my mailbox has been flooded with Rajnikanth jokes. The North might ridicule him, even hate him, but they can not ignore him. Such is the power of this man and he is one of many.

Raj Kumar brought Bangalore to a standstill, the tremors of which were felt in as far away places as the Philippine islands and the United States ( BPO's in Bangalore shut down that day)

Chiranjeevi is Andhra's answer to Rajnikanth. What do these stars have that cause mass hysteria?

Shah Rukh Khan and Amitabh Bachchan have/had the ability to draw in crowds from all corners of the United States during their annual visits for concerts/stage shows.

Is there a common strain between these species? Without delving into the occult, is there a common  trait that distincts them?
Charisma? Behaviour? Looks? 
Given neither Rajnikanth nor Chiranjeevi are no Greek Gods, we can safely assume that this pull can not be attributed to looks alone.
Is there an affinity to this set of people from the masses? 
A small town guy reaches Bombay ( it wasn't Mumbai back then), struggles to get a role in a movie, gets rejected multiple times before getting a breakthrough and coming good. So much so, that he attained cult status or a bus conductor who made it so big that the biggest politicians in the state want him on their side?
I believe that the hysteria surrounding these stars, emanates from the fact that the masses see them as role models. They are what they would want to become- they are veritable personifications of their ambitions or their children's ambitions. They are a reflection of what they would aspire to be.
In doing so, the looks didn't matter, the skills didn't matter (read Shah Rukh Khan's acting), what matters is the popularity they got and the way they used it.
Some resorted to politics, the others to social causes, and the lesser ones continue making money, banking on the fact that there is another generation that will idolize them.

Kashmir

Television provided two facets today on different channels, Arundhati Roy's sedition remarks and Kashmir ki Kali set somewhere in the 60's. The world has changed since the 60's.

I firmly believe that at the heart of all separatist movements, is the inability of the government to provide a reason to be part of the Union of India. Devoid of development, devoid of infrastructure, and devoid of a means of livelihood, there is reason enough for citizens to believe in a cause that is negative - separatism.

On a recent visit to Assam, the streets of Gauhati still resemble a B grade town in Haryana, if not worse. For a state capital, the infrastructure was poor, the roads shoddy and the people indifferent.While I haven't been able to visit Jharkhand, Chhatisgarh and the other Naxal affected states, I don't expect much difference in the state of the civil infrastructure.

While some may argue the case of Punjab, which despite being a rich, abundant and naturally gifted state, fell prey to separatism. However, the movement itself was short lived, primarily due to the fact that the belief and reason weren't strong enough.

In contrast take the case of Himachal, about 250 Km's north of Shimla and about 2.5 kilometers from the nearest road head, lies the village of Batseri, which can boast of street lighting, paved roads and a computer training center. Why does Himachal not want a separate country or independence? 

Militancy has done to Kashmir, exactly what it set out to achieve, alienation from the union, Impoverishment of the population and strengthening of the negative belief. The army's been trying to do what it knows best - to rule by force...it hasn't worked thus far and chances are slim that it will. Maybe it is time for change and a new thought process.

My solution to the Kashmir problem and any other problem state ( read many) is very simple. Create a means of livelihood for its people- tourism could be one , importing something from the state could be another (it could be as simple as 'jam in a bottle' or a shawl). The capitalistic cause brings the development of roads and civil infrastructure. The development gives the people another means of livelihood and is a catalyst. Prosperity gives reason enough to believe in the country and the union.

This year take a vacation to Srinagar or Raipur and invest in a states economy. Your country will live a little longer.