Friday, July 23, 2010
Friday, July 9, 2010
Stupor Stars & Paul
The ongoing and soon to be concluded FIFA world cup has had its share of hype & hoopla. What started off with the exciting eye-popping gyrations & fab rythm of Shakira's Waka-Waka, amidst the annoying drone of the vuvuzelas, soon veered towards the ominous forms of Kaka, Messi, Rooney, Ronaldo and Drogba - the super men, the super stars and the guys with all the fab WAGs (wives n girl friends). Such was the buzz around their ability and skill to dribble, shoot, head and outgun the opponents that one thought that goals were just waiting to be scored off their hallowed feet. All they had to do was to just show up on the field. Full marks to all the wizkids who dreamt of this.
But then reality has a sure way of re-defining the present. And it did. Not that these guys played badly. Just that they couldnt live upto the promised hype, appearing ordinary and fallible like countless others. When most of them played, especially Rooney, Ronaldo and even Kaka in his earlier matches - they looked dazed, uncertain and a lazy sleeping shadow of their media created personas. They were the "Stupor Stars", as i call them.
(Incidentally the promoters and actors of Raavan, Kites, etc all created similar hype and buzz only to face identical fates as well.)
Instead, what has captured hearts and heads alike with his super performance "on his turf" is Paul, the Octopus. This mollusc, a German inhabitant, has amazed the world with his accurate predictions of alteast 6 matches and blurred the distinction between accidental coincidence and blind faith completely. Hope he survives the onslaught of Germans and Argentines who are now gunning quite literally for his flesh.
I believe he is a worthy progeny and successor to the Indian parrot who had been discarded and consigned to the sidelines of history as someone who had outlived its utility with no further role in the lives of an increasingly educated and logical population.
But wait, just like Paul and like the phoenix, he too shall rise to be the cynosure of all TV channels and a dumbed down mass of people when he is employed to predict the outcomes of sundry World Cup Cricket matches next year. Just you wait.
But then reality has a sure way of re-defining the present. And it did. Not that these guys played badly. Just that they couldnt live upto the promised hype, appearing ordinary and fallible like countless others. When most of them played, especially Rooney, Ronaldo and even Kaka in his earlier matches - they looked dazed, uncertain and a lazy sleeping shadow of their media created personas. They were the "Stupor Stars", as i call them.
(Incidentally the promoters and actors of Raavan, Kites, etc all created similar hype and buzz only to face identical fates as well.)
Instead, what has captured hearts and heads alike with his super performance "on his turf" is Paul, the Octopus. This mollusc, a German inhabitant, has amazed the world with his accurate predictions of alteast 6 matches and blurred the distinction between accidental coincidence and blind faith completely. Hope he survives the onslaught of Germans and Argentines who are now gunning quite literally for his flesh.
I believe he is a worthy progeny and successor to the Indian parrot who had been discarded and consigned to the sidelines of history as someone who had outlived its utility with no further role in the lives of an increasingly educated and logical population.
But wait, just like Paul and like the phoenix, he too shall rise to be the cynosure of all TV channels and a dumbed down mass of people when he is employed to predict the outcomes of sundry World Cup Cricket matches next year. Just you wait.
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