(A god's favorite child, blind by birth, underprivileged & poor not only happened to win a million hearts but also his own vision. This post is not about his victory. It's about how his true spirits of survival and his outlook towards life impelled me to look at my own life with a positive perspective.)
I must admit I am, quite a consumer of John Baird's invention- The Television. He would surely be having a broad smile on his face whenever he stooped from the heavens above and found me glued to the screen. On the other hand, he would hide his face, when he found my parents complaining about the sameJ.
I m not a daily soaps or reality television buff. However, this post is dedicated to the spirited blind young man who participated in a reality television called Idea Star Singer, which, thanks to my parents, I happened to casually snoop every evening after my days work. He eventually got eliminated from the show but did win lots of love and most importantly his eye sight.
"ISS<Space>Shibu"
I went to the message mode of my mobile and typed the same and sent it to number which was being displayed on the screen. A voluntary act, yet for a person who has always loathed the 'Reality' shows, it was so very unlikely. It was the first time I had seen Shibu perform and I must say with even his disability, he did an astounding job. Prior to this, the show did have other participants who had similar disability. Their performance, of course left you with a heavy heart, and a lament to the almighty for why he had been so unfair to them. Not to mention, the channel also used the same as mileage, as it never shied from showing these tearjerkers as teasers. I don't really blame them; as this strategy of theirs has not only increased the TRPs but has also helped these participants win some great opportunities. The sms voting by me was not actually to save him from elimination…it was rather more of a tribute to him.
Shibu set him selves apart from others by always inducing his own grace to each of his performance. A brightly lit smile on his face never made him look like a son of a lesser god. In fact, he always seemed to be enjoying himself and never did he let the audience have pity on him. When judges scrutinized his performance, it really surprised me when i saw him accept his mistakes so open heartedly along with some blazing smiles….something even the most prudent of participants took with stooped shoulders and heads. The audiences felt rejoiced and electrified by seeing him laugh his heart out at the jokes and leg pulling done by judges. He was never sorry for his state, and neither did he make anyone feel sorry! What a sport! What a human being! Truly inspirational! A real treat to watch!
I realized how often, many of us wail, lament and complain for not having a role model or a proper guide when we needed the most. I wondered what inspired this boy, who has lost his father, who hails from a very ordinary and humble background to carry on? Whatever it may be it must be something really strong!
One evening, when i was back from work, my mother proclaimed cheerfully "Shibu got eyesight". She was as happy as if her own blind son was bestowed with the marvel of "sight". It was really heartwarming but at the same time I felt somber for having missed his interview. I later learnt that a philanthropist doctor watched him perform on TV and had volunteered to treat him free of cost. However, only one of his eyes could be repaired as the other one was irreparable. A few days later, while being eliminated, Shibu was emotional "Without seeing my audience, I sang so many songs….i had a wish to sing a few more songs while I watched them watch me….. "
I patiently waited for video of Shibu's interview on YouTube. In his interview, Shibu expressed his happiness for his new life and how his life has changed. Ranjini, the hostess, made him identify some colors….which he identified with some difficulty. "When I was blind, I had a judgment of things around….But now everything is new and it's scary". After watching it, I realized how a Malayalam saying, often said by my father, holds true which could be roughly translated as "Paucity could only be understood when experienced"
John Baird now has one more reason to smile, for it was his invention that ushered Shibu to the new world of light!
