A very public and violent grief

Outpourings of emotions have rarely taken an uglier turn than what has happened in Bangalore post the death of Kannada matinee idol Rajkumar. Rajkumar, 77, who died of natural causes, was more than a screen icon. He was known as ‘Annavru’, or big brother to millions of his fans and represented a focal point of Kannadiga aspirations and even identity. So it was expected that his death would cause a spontaneous outburst of collective grief.

 

But what eventually happened was far more than that. Instead of dignity and solemnity, what was in evidence was fan frenzy near Kanteerava Stadium where the thespian’s body is kept for mourners. Public transport was suspended after irate fans blocked the funeral procession. It turned out to be an orgy of violence against symbols of the ‘outsider’, resentment against whom simmers under the surface in seemingly calm and sophisticated Bangalore. An irony indeed for a man who was a teetotaller, practised high standards of ethical living and publicly espoused Kannadiga values. Or may be not so.

 

In fact there is a lurking suspicion that the violence is not entirely a product of angst at the death of an icon. The support base of a celluloid icon often comes from the things he stands for and Rajkumar was unabashedly Kannadiga, espousing support for local culture and values against much reviled others. In an earlier era, those outsiders were Tamilians and Telugus who came and took away jobs. Today, apart from the familiar villains, the wrath is also directed at multinational companies who are recruiters from outside the state.

 

Karnataka’s—and especially Bangalore’s—spilt personality, between its Whitefield Road techies and the deeply parochial agricultural hinterlands is often visible. Several politicians have made a career out of distancing themselves from the city and proclaiming their down-to-earth origins.

 

The recent controversy over renaming Bangalore showed the faultlines in sharp focus. Through his screen persona and his off-screen activism, Rajkumar articulated the emotions of the son of the soil. For his fans, his passing away marks a significant loss, a final break from an idyllic past. Nonetheless, the failure of the police and administration to contain this frenzy deserves condemnation because modern cities need to demonstrate the quality of their law and order machinery.