Bangalore is Burning

The news reached just about everyone on Wednesday, 12-April by 3:00PM. An era had ended. Helen received a call on her mobile from her good friend Marion. Jay and all his co-workers were hastily gathered in the large meeting room to hear the announcement. It was revealed that the 77 year old Rajkumar had died of cardiac arrest.

As relatively new expats in Bangalore, the name was unfamiliar and the significance of the news escaped us. We would learn more of the man later. However, the next bit of news required no cultural interpretation. Bangalore was burning.

As the news of Rajkumar’s death spread across the city, disturbances followed closely behind. Fans of the fallen Kannada language film star, openly and sometimes violently challenged any shop keeper who did not shutter his store to show respect for the demise of Kannada Kanmani (Kannada darling), or Natasaarvabhouma (king among actors). Businesses, including the gleaming offices of the IT industry, closed early and sent people home with the counsel to immediately divert from any hotspot unexpectedly encountered.

Fans of the film idol gathered in storm force at his Sadashivnagar home where his body lay and his immediate family was gathered in mourning. Hoping to catch a final glimpse of Rajkumar’s body, the crowds swarmed the house’s outer wall and trampled the garden. They were repelled only by volleys of teargas and lathicharges by the police. The body shifted venues twice in an attempt to find a suitable and secure location for a public viewing until coming to rest at the Kanteerava Indoor Stadium.

Outbursts of violence continued throughout the day and flared to greater heights the next day, the day of the funeral. Massive crowds followed the procession of the body to the burial site. There was more teargas, more police lathicharges, more fires, and more stone throwing, leaving 8 people dead and 200 injured.

So why did Bangalore erupt into violence upon learning of the natural passing of a movie actor? Why do people riot in US cities when a Super Bowl or some other sports championship is won? No answers here.

It is clear that Rajkumar would never have condoned such behavior. He was truly a man of enormous personal character. From the very start of his acting career in the 1950’s, he consistently portrayed a common man who could rise up to successfully challenge those who beat down the “little guy.” Most importantly, Rajkumar remained totally committed to performing only in Kannada language films. Language was one criteria for the formation of the Indian states after independence. The State of Karnataka (then called Mysore State) was formed by bits and pieces of other Kannada-speaking districts. This grouping of Kannadigas occurred just as Rajkumar began his acting career. Kannada speakers identified and lionized him. Fast forward 50 years to present day Karnataka. In Bangalore, Kannada is a minority language. The world is moving from rural to urban. Village ethics are lost in a tangle of fiber optic cables. For those that saw their hopes in the gallantry of Rajkumar, his passing, indeed, was a tragic loss.