Indian Samurai इंडियन सामुराई

I got surprised first when I saw men wearing rings. Lots of rings. I still don’t like it but at least I understand it: they wear them out of superstition.

Spirituality and superstition, the line is very thin. I think belief in stone belongs to the second category but this is only my opinion…  Here some people are ready to pay a fortune to have a certain number on their car plate. Some women change their first name after marriage to have a more auspicious one. Some marry trees or cut the throat of a goat if the marriage is announced inauspicious by the stars – and we are talking high class society here.

So why not wear gems?

“In Vedic astrology, gemstones are recommended based on your horoscope. It is believed that by wearing these prescribed gemstones you can overcome (click on Lire plus to Read more)

Yesterday it was Makar Sankranti in India.

It is a festival celebrated almost throughout India. It is a harvest festival.

“Makar Sankranti is the day when the glorious Sun-God begins its ascendancy and entry into the Northern Hemisphere and thus it signifies an event wherein the Sun-God seems to remind their children that 'Tamaso Ma Jyotir Gamaya', may you go higher & higher, to more & more Light and never to Darkness.” (source: here)

It is also known as the kite flying festival.

Hence yesterday, all over Mumbai, kids and adults were flying kites everywhere.

Including on the roofs of slum houses!! 

I never understood fans. Human beings worshipping other human beings.

For singing, writing, painting. Doing things than anyone can do, with more or less talent.

I always felt that fans must, somehow, fill a void with the unconditional love for a star.

But enough of philosophical considerations. Everyone does what they want…

If you follow Bollywood cinema, you have heard of Amitabh Bachchan and Shahrukh Khan.

But does the name Rajnikanth ring a bell? He is a South-Indian superstar (originally born in Karnatak from a poor Maharashtrian family, he mainly stars in Tamil movies – Kollywood).

Comparing the popularity of actors by the number of fans is impossible but let’s look at collections.

The top Bollywood movie, 3 Idiots (2009) brought Rs 201 crores (€28 millions) whereas Endhiran (starring Rajnikanth, and dubbed in Telugu and Hindi) brought 400 crores (€56 millions).

Besides, in 2006, Rajnikanth was quoted as the most paid actor with earnings of Rs 15-20 crores (€2.8 millions); in 2009 he was paid more than Rs 40 crores (€5.6 millions) per movie. Well above Bollywood stars.

So obviously Rajnikanth has a huge number of fans. And here is what they do to worship him:

§          Build temple dedicated to him,

§          Tonsure their heads and fasting when he is sick,

§          Give a free gift of gold ring for every child born on the date of  the release date of a Rajinikanth’s movie,

§          Publicly ritualizing his film posters and appropriating Hindu rituals to divinize their star deity: to celebrate the release of a film they take poster of the movie to the temple and to a theatre where it is bathed in about 100 to 200 litres of milk carried, on their heads, by the fans.

And you, what do you do to worship Brad Pitt huh??

Sources:

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/the-most-powerful-indians-in-2009-96100/433194/

http://www.indicine.com/movies/bollywood/top-5-biggest-grossers-of-bollywood/

http://cinema.currentweek.net/2011/01/kollywood-movies-top-10-blockbusters.html

http://zeenews.india.com/entertainment/celebrity/rajinikanth-fans-tonsure-heads-in-tn-temple_93509.htm

http://www.ihc.ucsb.edu/rajinikanth-fans/

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xhsqpe_robot-special-5000-rajnikanth-fans-give-rajnikanth-a-milk-bath_fun

http://www.tamilnow.com/articles/tamil-film-stars-fans-club.htm