Pious resolutions ride on Mercs

Remember when it all started, not so long ago? The winning streak at beauty contests really took off when Indian gals started mouthing pio...

Remember when it all started, not so long ago? The winning streak at beauty contests really took off when Indian gals started mouthing pious resolutions to serve the poor a la Mother T. An earlier exception to this golden rule was the honest to goodness Indian entrant who lost the contest after she responded with a grassroots right answer to the question on what she would do to make life better for her fellow Indians: build sports stadia said she. Well, success they say breeds imitation — the finest form of flattery. So now the formula has been set you can only become a beauty queen if you display the Mother T factor along with all your other native wares.

As nascent role models this is a fine gesture, you might say. Yes, it would indeed be a fine example if this really represented their deeds. But, the truth must out as our ladies with their crowns come home to live quite different lives. To my knowledge not one has honoured their solemn stage promises. Perhaps the one exception is Aishwarya Rai, who lent her splendid eyes to promote the good cause of eye donation. The TV ads apparently worked well — and many that recover their sight due to her influence will remember her in their prayers. But for the rest…what can one say!

So much for promises being forgotten. What about the very different role models they now represent. As we all know, celebrities, especially those that feature in high profile promotions and advertising campaigns, acquire a much larger than life identity.

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Young people, in these cases young impressionable girls, adopt them as pin-up heroines. They scrap book all that their heroines say and do and, in the process, have probably faithfully recorded the often repeated pledge to be a second Mother T. The implicit conceit in the making of such a claim of course escapes promoters, trainers, prompters, contestants and judges, I suppose.

Who then benefits from the talents of these ladies with the crown? In most cases the film industry, in some the fashion ramp and for the rest they simply fade away. Just imagine how much good these queens could have done by applying their high profile influence to promote and encourage young girls, supported by their mothers, brothers and fathers, to stand tall and make themselves a better world. In skilfully crafted advertising they could talk of their travels around the world where they met, spoke and learnt from women of many different backgrounds. They could catch the imagination of our deprived young and encourage them to open new windows to the world by learning to read and write. They could with great credibility tell of their determination to make the best of what they had … to make it to the top. In one word they could inspire.

Instead, I read the other day of Ms Sushmita Sen’s indulgently expensive ploy to keep up with the Joneses — no, that’s wrong. She is keeping up with the Ambanis, namely Dhirubhai no less, and Infosys’ Narayan Murthy, and nearer home, Manisha Koirala and Raveena Tandon. And what’s the ploy? Hiring a Merc when venturing out of town! Now that’s living in style, one has to admit. A pity that the honour was obtained by riding on the reputation of such an honourable one. Mother T would have forgiven them. Not I.