சந்திரமுகி - 280

ஏற்றிவிட்ட தமிழ் நெஞ்சங்களுக்கும்...

காற்றாய் நிற்கும் கடவுளுக்கும்...

நூலாய் தொடரும் ரசிகர்களுக்கும்...

நன்றி! நன்றி!!


"When did I become? "


"Today, on my way back to home, I wanted to distract myself from my
official stuffs - thus, I started thinking, when did I ever become a
Rajini fan.

My mind started going back to my childhood days, back to Kerala,
towards Palghat. Many of you have heard about Palghat, and if you
are wondering, it is not "just" a collection of Iyer villages :)

So when did I become a Rajini fan? I suppose, this had happened when
I am probably learning 3rd or 4th standard. I was a very happy child
during those days. I used to pull pranks with my family members (I
still do!) and was a jolly kid.

I think, I was 7 or 8 year old then. I was living with a relative of
ours as my parents were working outside India during that period.
The only company of mine during that period was my elder sis and
some of her friends (all of them are girls, except me). Elders in
the family and other grown-up folks in the locality never give much
importance to us. We are kids, anyway.

Whenever I come up with an issue (kiddy things anyway), no one would
give much of an importance to it in the neighbour hood. Ohh, they do
listen, when I pull a prank though. Or, when I go in a teary mode (I
am the only son in the family and thus had some advantages with
tears, you see). During those days, I seriously wished to be a grown-
up man, not because I liked to be an old man - but because I wanted
others to listen to me! *smiles* I know, it sounds funny and silly,
but when you are a kid, you wish to be a grown-up person, and when
you finally be a grow up in your life ... you ends up wishing to be
a kid again. The happiness, the joy without any worries, the
pleasures of a kid ... hmm, nothing can beat our childhood times!

Anyway, so I wanted to be a grown-up man fast and wants others to
listen to me. And I can't possibly tell the issues (kiddy issues) to
my elder sis. Now, you see, I am supposed to be a man (though I am a
small kid), and you don't expect a wannabe macho man to go around
whining to girls! And even if I do, they ends to bullying me, which
makes matters more worst to me.

That was when, one of the Rajini movies were shown at a Theatre
("New Kerala Talkies") near to our house. I can't remember the name
of the movie, today. This glorious thing happened on a sunday. My
uncle took me along with him for the noon show. The movie was a mind
blowing experience to me.

I was amazed by his styles. By his masculinity. The macho voice and
when he speak, the whole village seem to be listening to him. His
charming smile captivated my little heart too, while it held the
breath of the heroine. His stylish and powerful walk, got imprinted
in my heart. I was ... mesmerized watching him on the screen. That
was probably the first ever tamil movie I had seen ... among the
midst of all off beat malayalam movies.

I was in a dreamland. With my Rajini. When the movie finished
finally, I wasn't in any mood to leave the theatre, for I wanted to
be close to the man ... who had managed to mesmerize me.

Now, this is going to sound silly to you..., but I sincerely thought
at that age (yep a full 7 or 8 year old kid), that he's going to
listen to my issues (yeah, my kiddi day-to-day problems).

When I told my Uncle about this, he burst out laughing and I told
him that I don't want to leave Rajini in the theatre. I thought,
he's there ... behind that screen, somewhere. Uncle assured me that
he will do something about it and went to see the theatre manager
and got a poster (the very first poster) of Rajini and passed it as
a gift to me. I am in 7th heaven! I walked back home with my prized
possession.

I put the poster in my room ... and whenever I had problems, and
when no one bothers to listen to this kid, I will sit in front of
the poster and talk to him :) I know, it sounds very silly now...
but hey, he is someone that I grew old with. I had stopped doing
this, when I turned 11 or 12?

Today, I have passed my mid-30s. Though I had stopped narrating my
problems to him long before, I had grown-up to adore him ... more
than just a star. He's to me, more like a childhood friend, a
childhood hero!

That's it friends. I thought of narrating this incident to you ...
and am wondering maybe you all can share your thoughts - when, you
actually became a Rajini fan... and why?!"

- Prince Raj, Singapore