The Hindu, 12, June 2004
Sir,
I was deeply saddened to see our movie actors and actresses bear
the Olympic Torch. They were unqualified for this honour as their kind of
heroism is subordinate to that of the athletes’.
This is because everything the sportsmen do is real. The action they display is not the result of any sort of graphics or camera-tricks. When they leap or fall and get hurt or killed it is no stuntman taking the risk for them. And when they cry out, whether in joy or in pain the voice is not of any playback singer crooning in the background. The sportsmen of Olympic caliber have burnt their sweat and blood in thousands of rounds of grueling practice sessions and endured enormous pains to get where they are today. What makes these exceptional individuals put in such phenomenal efforts is a fire burning deep within them. The Olympic flame is a manifestation of this fire. It is not befitting in the hands of film stars glowing away in cosmetic glory.
