THEY ARE called “fans”. No, they are not the electrical fans produced mechanically, but are manufactured by the media through the process of psychological conversion of ordinary citizens. Thinking of the tennis player Sania Mirza? Think of her beauty, young age and “baby-sized” clothes – the real reason for her popularity! This also applies to the world of films. Although an actor like Nasirudeen Shah or a singer like Lata Mangeskar has a long list of admirers, they hardly have any “fanatic fans” – the irrational ones, who practically worship them.

Let’s meet Rahul, an uncommon man with a common name. ‘Uncommon’ – because he is a “devotee” of Amitabh Bachchan. Being a prominent member of the A.B. Fan’s Club Association of Kolkata, he imitates his “God” in his every activity or gesture. He eats, walks, talks, dances and even sings like him – lest he remember his own identity in the process. His morning begins with worshipping him in a temple, specially constructed for the purpose. Clothes, shoes and other accessories used by him are the fan’s treasures.

May be when he meets Mr. Bachchan, it will be like an “Aatma-Parmatma ka Milan” (i.e. the meeting of the Soul with God). To them it seems as if after Manu Maharaj, Gautam Buddha, Jesus Christ, Prophet Muhammad and Guru Nanak, men like Amitabh Bachchan will initiate a new religion! May our God save Allahabad, the birthplace of Bachchan from becoming another Ayodhya, Lord Ram’s birthplace!

Meet Vivek. He is an Aishwarya-maniac.  But you cannot call him a fan because he is one step ahead of the usual fans. He dubs himself as an A.C. To add to this, he loves being called a “Kamina” which in English means a dirty person, because this word was used by the actress in one of her item-numbers (“Ishq Kamina”). Even the not-so-successful actress Esha Doel has her fans. One of them is a management student. He studies a subject with the acronym PMED, standing for “Principles of Management & Entrepreneurship Development”. But for him the acronym PMED stands for “Pyar, Mohabbat with Esha Doel.”!

Meet the fans of cricketers like Sourav Ganguly or Sachin Tendulkar. Very aggressive ones, indeed. They pray to their ‘Gods’ in front of everyone — on the streets and abuse and protest against them also on the streets. To them, cricketers give our country an edge over Pakistan rather than the soldiers on the front. The year 2003’s Cricket World Cup Final coincided with the death anniversary of our freedom fighters — Bhagat Singh, Rajguru and Sukhdev. On that anniversary of their sacrifice, the whole country was painted in the colours of our tricolour but none except fools like me felt nostalgic for the men who saved that tricolour. Even the poor rickshawwalas watched the crunch match at the cost of their work. The result – I could not get a rickshaw to carry me from the station to my home, to watch the match, of course. He avoided his real win i.e. earning money to watch a few Indian cricketers win. But, both of them lost.

What was that? Was it an extension of the craze or the fan following? Do not worry. At least, the cricketers, the cricket board, media houses and the sponsoring MNC’s emerge as winners. Don’t dare to blame the media for creating the larger-than-life image of cricketers and cricket? Pat will be the reply, “We are giving what the people want. If they don’t like this they can change the channels. High TRP’s prove mass interest.”

The people may not have proper access to the basic necessities of life – “Roti, Kapda aur Makan” but certainly have access to the film — “Roti, Kapda aur Makan” through its screenings on television. The number of such fans is gradually increasing with the advent of mass media and with the diminishing in the popularity of political and social leaders in post-independent India. These ‘Gods’ hardly contribute anything to the society other than in the field of entertainment. What can these stars give to Indians besides a good movie or a good cricket match or an autograph? Oh! I forgot Sharukh Khan can hand over Rs. 2 crore through his show, “Kaun Banega Crorepati”. But that too will be given to the winners of the game show rather than those who have lost their hearts to Shahrukh.

Unfortunately, we do not idolize those persons who fight against the evils of our society and strive to serve us. We do not recognize the sincere efforts of true social, political or business leaders, although they are rare. How many of us know Mr. Arvind Kejriwal, the man who fights corruption through his NGO called ‘Parivartan’ and is the one behind the The Right to Information Act as much as we know Mr. Bachchan?

This is the age of convergence and so our media has combined its role of informing, educating and entertaining. New terminologies like “Edutainment” and “Infotainment” i.e. combining education and information with entertainment will only produce more of such maniacs.