The (super)hero in India seems to be a particularly cricket based genre anticipated by the before their time Stranglers. The press reaction to Saruv Ganguly being removed from the captaincy of the IPL team the Kolkota Knight Riders by the dastardly Australian Coach John Buchanan was along the lines of 1,000,000,000 people simultaneously booing at a pantomime villain. The subsequent intimate TV interviews with an upset Saruv were reminiscent of Princess Di at her best. Perhaps JB could send an intelligent car to sort out Saruv or even captain the team – I would pay to see that - KITT fielding at extra cover would certainly cover the ground and if the floodlights failed could also help out.
Indian heros seem more along the Elton John stroppy diva type than the original Nietzchian concept of the Ubermensch ie something along the lines of- ‘A combination of ruthless warrior pride and artistic brilliance’ . The artistic brilliance seems lacking – where is C Aubrey Smith (England Cricket Captain and Hollywood Actor) or even Jack Russell (Scruffy England wicket keeper who lived on baked beans and could paint a bit) when you need them.
Of course in India the other real heroes are the kings of Bollywood, and Shahrukh Khan reigns supreme and surprise surprise is the owner of the Kolkata Knight Riders – so Saruv may well get a Bollywood happy ending – coming in to bat astride two magnificent dancing elephants – again I would pay to see that (apart from the airfare to SA).
I notice that my son has (very probably incidentally as philosophy was not a big topic around the breakfast table) declared his Superman ambitions on his Facebook site in which he described himself as ‘A Warrior Poet – A new breed of Athlete’. Whilst ambition is always to be applauded I would suggest that he aims for a more British form of superhero. I encountered a tentative role model whilst walking back from the shops last week – Is it a Bird, Is it a Plan – No its Bicycle Repair man – Watchmen come and have a go if you think you’re hard enough!
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