Yesterday was like just another day. I reached office and then opened the PC. Clicked on IE and the MSN page came up. There I read - Michael Jackson dies at 50. I just could not believe it. I tried to find out more. Put 'Michael Jackson' on Google and hit the 'search' button. On wikipedia it said - Michael Jackson (29th Aug 1958 to 25 Jul 2009) 'was' an American recording artist, entertainer and businessman. I was shocked. Called up home and told Prajakta, she also didn't believe it. Then I called up dad, he knew it and also told me that one of our family friends also expired.
It was Bad, the 'King of Pop' was no more...A legend was gone...An era had come to end. I just could not take it that such a lively person would be lying cold & without breath at some hospital in the US. This was impossible. India was waking up & was scheduled to meet its usual schedule. Not many knew in the morning that MJ was no more..it took time for all of us...to believe, to digest & to accept(?). Not many days before I read that he was working on a comeback...concerts in London & other places. I was thrilled..would have loved to see the King performing yet again, people screaming, dancing, crying, enjoying and..fainting. Such was the aura, such was the craziness.
How can we forget you Michael? We grew up listening to you, tried to sing like you, tried to imitate your dance moves..you were just great.
Abhishek logged on Gchat and he read my staus line - "MJ - we will never forget u..." he too was shocked. He said "he was just 50". I told him "yeah, but he lived 1576800000 seconds entertaining people". That became his (AN's)tagline, much to my jealous mind.
For guys of my age (and may be of more and less) he was an institution. His posters adored many a walls in the hostel..his pictures postered proudly on Tshirts and his concert attended much to the ire of parents. This brings back memories when he came to India. Aapla Raj thackeray played a pivotal role in making the concert happen...this was something phenomenol..for his indian fans. I remember Raj saying in one of his interviews something like "It is not that anyone could not have made this concert happen, but anybody who wanted to do it would have surely required our help". (No politics please! but very true!!).
The military outfits, the reflecting aviator glasses, the curls of hairs on the face, the smile, the white socks on black folded pants, the moonwalk, the gravity defying dance acts, the signature hiccuff filled voice, the social messages in his songs of late, the videos of his numbers, the craze, the fan following.. just unimaginable.
Long live the King ... or in Indian emotions as Kaushik rightly said "MJ amar rahe"
