Role models

Sportsmen and women occupy a special place in popular culture. They are accomplished in their chosen sport, they are young, healthy and dynamic, and with the help of image makeovers, they also look good. No wonder, they are idolized by boys and girls, youth and adults alike. Somewhere in the hype surrounding their public persona, they become role models for a generation. Celebrity equals character in the minds of the followers and soon they get elevated onto a high pedestal of superhuman qualities, a stature from which the only thing that is certain is a fall. Then the brickbats come flying, thick and fast, the greatest fans become the loudest detractors. This scene has been repeated across countries and continents, amongst not just sportsmen but with actors, politicians and professionals. The recent Sania Mirza controversy in Hyderabad is an example of such a situation, not to mention the debacle of Tiger Woods.

I therefore have a problem with identifying with one particular role model. Very often we admire qualities of several people, some of whom may be celebrities, but many who are closest to us, albeit living in near anonymity. It would be a worthwhile exercise to observe these men and women in action as they struggle, take risks, make choices and succeed in life. We can selectively choose qualities of someone who has a flair for languages, another with an eye for color, a highly qualified academic and someone with a great sense of humor. These wonderful attributes may be characteristics of your driver, your aunt, your friend and your cousin respectively. Chances of finding them on cover pages of magazines or reading about their lives chronicled in a biography may be rare, but they certainly have qualities worth emulating. So why not have a buffet of choices when someone asks you “Who do you want to be? Who is your role model?” Does the answer have to be a single famous individual?