Happy birthday Amitabh

Today is the Birthday of Amitabh Bachchan, an icon in the Hindi movie industry, popularly known as Bollywood (aptly named after Hollywood, the way we love to copycat). There is a monologue from his movie "KAALIA" - "HUM JAHAN KHADE  HOTE HAIN, LINE WOHI SE SHURU HOTI HAI", meaning, "Wherever I stand, the line starts from there". The movie from the year 1982 was incidentally the time when Amitabh was the one man Bollywood industry, the unchallenged superstar. He was the no. 1 to no. 10 choice of the watchers of Hindi movies, the rest came way wayy behind, such was his sway in Bollywood. So much so that the popular actresses of that time were scared to be his leading ladies in movies, lest they will be eclipsed by the tall actor (he is 6 feet 2) standing tall above the rest.

Amitabh started his movie career in the year 1969 in a forgettable movie "Saat Hindustani". He struggled for 4 more years and at one point almost decided to leave acting and become a "Boxwallah" until Zanzeer (1973) and Deewar (1974) delivered him two back to back hits putting him on a pedestal from which he never looked back. By 1980, he already established himself as the Superstar of Bollywood. Once considered too tall and lanky to play the lead role of a hero in the movie, he proved all his detractors wrong. No wonder it is said that a good height always attracts the opposite sex. Those days, 6 feet 2 was considered too tall, where as Jaya Bhadudi with a diminutive height of 4 feet 8 did well in the industry (incidentally they got married to each other). 

Those were the days in the early 1980s people would line up from the middle of the night to get the first show tickets to watch a new release of an Amitabh movie. Ticket blackers ruled the roost to make some fast bucks. He was so popular that producers like Manmohan Desai churned out one junk after another out of Amitabh and those forgettable movies ran full house solely based on inertia of the actor's charisma. He was no more a Superstar, he was the Megastar.

In 1980 Journalist and Writer Tavleen Singh once met Amitabh at her friend Sonia Gandhi's residence in Delhi when Indira Gandhi was the Prime Minister of India and Amitabh was close family friend to the Gandhis. Tavleen requested Sonia if she could make Amitabh, already a sought after superstar of the time agree for an interview. Amitabh was very warm to the idea and agreed. He told Tavleen - "When you are in Bombay (it wasn't Mumbai yet), please call my Secretary and get an appointment".

When the D-day arrived, early that morning Tavleen arrived at Amitabh's residence in Bombay. The superstar was about to step out for an outdoor shooting session for movies "NASEEB" and "DO AUR DP PAANCH". Tavleen noticed that the previous warmth displayed at Sonia Gandhi's home had vanished as Amitabh barely talked to her and in a reserved tone told her to follow her as his wife Jaya gave Tavleen a cold stare while handing over a tiffin box of simple, vegetarian food. Amitabh is known as a vegetarian and a frugal eater.

At the shooting set Tavleen noted that Amitabh completely overshadowed his co-actors Hema Malini and the Kapoor brothers Sashi and Rishi. In terms of popularity he was way ahead of the rest, mobbed by his fans both on and off the set.
It was a long day when Amitabh completed several sessions of shoot. Finally after sunset when darkness set in, Amitabh found some time for interview and slowly open up to Tavleen. He answering her questions on his way to another set for thw shooting session for the next movie. This time he was warm and approachable. As mentioned by Tavleen after the interview she ended up having a crush on Amitabh.

In the 1960s, days before getting into acting profession once Amitabh visited Mahmood, a comedian and a better known actor of the time along with his close buddy Rajiv Gandhi, the eldest son of Indira Gandhi who later went on to become India's Prime Minister. Not knowing Rajiv Gandhi, Mahmood told Amitabh - "You are too tall, lanky, unfit to become a hero. Better try your hands playing the role of bad guys (villain)". Then glancing at Rajiv Gandhi he said - "However, your friend is a handsome dude and got looks fit of a hero. He may try his luck in Bollywood". Fate had its own way. Little more than a decade later in 1979 Amitabh was the undisputed king and Superstar of Bollywood after the stupendous success of his movie  "MUQADDAR KA SIKANDAR" where he vanquished Vinod Khanna, his sole challenger.

Prior to his first hit ZANZEER, Amitabh reportedly contemplated quitting movie career (Similar to Kishore Kumar who thought of retiring before the success of his songs from ARADHANA). The rest we know is history, as he established himself as the one man industry. The saga of this talented Mega star (he was above and beyond a Superstar) is beyond the scope of this blog. Some, if not all of his movies impressed me enough to make them watchable even today, especially many of them laced with the golden voice of Kishore Kumar who was the playback singer of many of Bachchan's hit movies (its rumored both fell out with each other in 1984 after SHARABI. Kishore Kumar quit singing for Amitabh after the superstar refused to act in a movie which Kishore Kumar intended to produce. Then Shabir Kumar, not Kishore became Amitabh's voice).

The other day I was watching one of his movies - NAMAK HARAM, a movie in which he acted along with the contemporary Superstar Rajesh Khanna. Though Rajesh Khanna hugged the limelight in that movie, Amitabh showed flashes of brilliance with his trademark angry young man acting using his baritone voice. Needless to say, in that movie he showed traits for a promising future. The movie has a strong undertone of Socialism, the fad during those days. Rajesh Khanna asks his friend Amitabh, who plays the role of son of a rich business tycoon, the price of "Chivas Regal", a brand of Scotch they were sharing together. It was Rs. 250 a bottle in 1973, a hefty amount these days - more than a MAZDOOR (worker's) salary.

As the movie progresses, Amitabh is advised by his father not to trust his friend Rajesh Khanna. He warns his son - "Your friend belongs to the middle class. Folks from that class  who vouch on their ideology and principles, can also be very ambitious and dangerously treacherous. Forever looking for an opportunity to move up, they can easily drop their pretense of ideology cloaked in hypocrisy to do anything to climb up the social ladder. Hence the middle class folks should never be trusted, as they can backstab you with drop of a hat in their quest for upward mobility."

Very apt and prophetic statement. Upper class folks born with silver spoon in their mouth, mostly have a smooth sailing throughout their life. The barely ambitious lower class look forward to their next meal. The middle class always have that feeling, "I would love to be there but I am not yet there, may be some day." 
They daydream to reach the status of those "haves". Competition is cut throat and jealousy is the highest amongst the middle class. Many are capable of doing anything and everything, by hook or crook for upward mobility. 

The burgeoning middle class in last few decades just strives hard to do that, a desire to get rich overnight at any cost. They are the ones who are pretty much mostly responsible for all corruption and scams we see these days. The tall ambition of the middle class as described by the actor Om Shiv Puri in this movie is dwarfed by the acting of Lamboo legend Amitabh who delivered his classic closing monologe in his heavy, baritone voice to get the attention of the audience. He did well in that movie "NAMAK HARAM", standing next to the then Superstar Rajesh Khanna. A star was born that day. Don't think I will see anyone close to Amitabh's stature in the Bollywood movie industry during my lifetime. Happy 83rd Birthday to the legend. Hope more to come. 

RIP Nana Patekar

 I am reminds me this scene from Nana Patekar's movie ANKOOSH from the year 1986 when I was in my teens. A feminine boy goes around a neighborhood swinging his hips, while Nana Patekar and his friends pass comments to a girl walking nearby (a term used for eve teasing back home in Odisha). The boy protests - MEIN SAARI LADKIYON KO APNI MAA SAMAJHTA HOON (I consider all girls as my mother). To this Nana delivers his epic Punchline, "TERA NIYAT TO THIK HAI, LEKIN TERA BAAP KA KYA HOGA - "You're fine, but what will happen to your dad". It was the first Hindi movie of Nana Patekar which instantly catapulted him into limelight. Since then he never looked back with a series of hits to follow one after another.

In the 1987 movie "PRATIGHAAT" Nana plays the role of an honest policeman whose wife gets kidnapped by a local mafia goon. Nana appeals to his superior - "SIR, KAALI NE MERE BIWI KO UTHAKE LE GAYA" (Kaali has taken away my wife force)", to which his boss replies - "Go and sleep peacefully. We will look at the matter tomorrow". Nana responds - "Sir, KOI AAP KI BIWI KO UTHA KE LE JAYE TO AAP CHAIN KE NEEND SOENGE !" (If someone kidnapped your wife, will you be able to sleep peacefully that night" ?

Next comes a scene from the 1989 movie "PARINDA" where the actor Nana Patekar playing the role of a psycho gangster asks his henchman Jackie Shroff - "TERA BHAI KAISA HAI" (How is your brother) to which Jackie responds - "BAHUT DUKHI HAI" (He is very sad). Then Nana Patekar goes on - "YEH DUKH NAAM KI BIMARI KA KOI BHI DOCTOR KE PAAS ILAAZ NAHI HAI. KHUD KO BHOOL NA PADTA HAI" (There is no cure for sadness with any doctor. One has to learn to forget". In the same movie he nonchalantly asks Jackie - "KARAN TERA BHAI KO SAMJHA, NAHI SAMJHE TO GOLI MAR DE". (Karan, try to make your brother understand. If he doesn't, shoot him). He says his henchman to kill his brother as casually as killing a mosquito. Oh, talking of mosquito 🦟. He famously said in another movie while clapping a mosquito to death - "EK MACHHAR NE AADMI KO HIZDA BANA DIYA" (A mosquito has turned a male into an eunuch).

In another scene from Bollywood movie APAHARAN (Kidnapping), Nana Patekar playing a Don hires a rookie kidnapper played by Ajay Devgan into his gang. Nana's perturbed and jealous acolytes question the veracity of taking Devgan into their folder. His boss Nana justifies his hiring - "PEHLE APNA AUKAAD DIKHAYA, USKE BAAD KAAM MANGA (He first proved his worth, then he asked for job). That day I learned something from this monologue. It certainly looks great if I establish my credentials first and then brace myself for any credit. Not the other way around.

There are way too many monologues of Nana to reproduce in this blog. He has delivered several epic ones in multiple movies he has acted, using in his direct, no nonsense dialigue deluvery using his heavy, baritone voice. Nana Patekar who passed away earlier today in Goa, India at the age of 75 had carved his niche in Bollywood for 40 years long. RIP the great Marathi actor. Om 🕉 Shanti.

Trip to Chicago 2026 - II

Last Sunday we made a trip to the Jagannath Temple of Greater Chicago located in Aurora, Illinois. About 35-40 folks turned up to participate in the weekly Puja (worship) followed by typical Odia style temple meal followed by sweet dish. It was quite a fulfilling experience.

I was reminded of this incident when I was visiting the Jagannath temple in Chicago years ago. The temple those days was situated at a different location. It was Thanksgivings time and the windy city was considerably colder than the warm weather of Georgia where we live. Decided to make a trip to the Sri Jagannath's abode with my sisters who are actively involved in the temple administration and management.

It was the day of our tryst with CHAKADOLA (Round Eyeballs) - one of myriad lovable ways of addressing Lord Jagannath by us Odias. Those days the temple was in its nascent stage. The Lord was well ensconced inside a small house by the large hearted Odias who are a section of the devoted devotees from the Sri Jagannath Society Of Greater Chicago. The icy chilled inside soon warmed up, as the lamps were lit and the heating cranked up inside the building, followed by the high decibel cranking of hand held GHANTA (lummox cylindrical brass plates hit with stick) and GINI (runt, ear shaped pair of brass, more shoothing to the eardrums).

As the puja juggernaut trudged ahead, the sound transported me back down the memory lanes on a Time Machine, to the night of DASHAHARA (Dussera) festival in my native Brahmin dominated village near Puri which we used to visit during Puja vacation. The chariot carrying our village diety would roll on the narrow, dusty lane in between the lines of thatched roofs. It would make intermittent stops in front of mostly thatched roof houses, as the designated priest would climb the stairs made from MANKADAA PATHARA (black poked sedimentary rock) leading to the main door.

He would swivel his GHANTI (another conical device made from brass) on his left arm and swirl few drops of water around the BHOGA, the sacred offering of PITHA (rice and lentil based cakes) from the household, uttering OM HLING KLING NAIBEDYAM SAMARPAYAMI (O' lord, I offer thee these pious offerings). Soon priest would walk down, followed by urchins joining the melee, chasing the chariot. Most of them who invariably wore loose fit outfits, frantically lift their short pants which frequently slip off as they chase the chariot amidst the haze of dust lifting up under lantern lights.

The incessant cacophony from the GHANTA continued, as the chariot juggernauts ahead. I queried a fellow village youth, what a particular tune of DHAIN DHAIN DHAIN... DHAIN DHAIN DHAIN means. He told me it rhymes with,

AHE CHAKA DOLA
TAMA BOPA KALE KHAITHILA KI
BAIGANA SANTULA

Transliterated to English...

O Lord Jagannath
In your father's generation,
Did you ever ate soup of boiled Eggplant ?
Now I could mentally tune in to the local context,

AHE CHAKA AKHIA
TAMA BOPA KALE KHAITHILA KI
CHICAGO PIZZA

O Lord Jagannath.
In your father's generation
Did you ever had Chicago Pizza sessions.

Now back to the temple an interesting episode awaited us. It depicted how we humans are basically elements of contradiction. It would be hypocrite not to admit that we all have some semblance of hypocrisy embedded within us.

On that particular day in November, it felt very cold inside the temple as the heating system was not working. The Head Priest was already aware of this, but did not inform the Utility guys. The reason being quite silly but not unusual with us Indians, the ego of not properly approached by the members of the temple committee. The man, a 4 feet personna loaded with 4 tons of inflated ego, felt it was punctured as the tyres of a bicycle on a rocky road.

I was patiently listening to the conversation between the priest and other members of the core temple management committee. Finally I concluded that it was nothing but priest's BIG ego which put a spanner in the wheels. In the meantime I noticed a few lines in Sanskrit scribbled on the temple wall AHAM BHAV ATMA KE LIYE KHARAB HAI.. meaning "Ego is bad for the soul". Earlier the same evening the Priest also mentioned the same during his 30 minutes long PRAVACHAN (sermon).

When it was time to leave, I asked the priest "PANDITJEE (Respected priest), can you please explain those lines written in Sanskrit on the wall to me ?" He duly obliged. I thanked him, did my NAMASTE (Indian tradition of greet and good bye).
As I started walking towards the exit door, I heard the Priest's voice from behind - "Dash Jee, I have a feeling you knew the meaning of those lines but still asked me". He shied and continued "I agree, we don't always practise what we preach. That's why we are mere humans needing guidance from God".

I chuckled back when a burst of howling chilly Chicago wind at my face gusting through the semi-open door reminded me to run towards the warm comforts of my car. Late that night I heard that to every one's delight the priest did a volte-face and agreed to call the maintenance folks to fix the heating, the first thing next morning. Not sure yet if my tete-a-tete with the priest made any difference !!!

Trip to Chicago 2026 - I

After days of drab weather, it was nice to see Sun come out of fleece clouds on a cool, crispy early Fall Chicago morning like a "Nayee Naveli Dulhan" (newly married coy bride) peeping through her "Ghunghat" (veil). There was a feeling of coolness in the air compared to the warm tinge for someone visiting from Georgia is used to. The upper Midwest Prairie flora is so different from that of Georgia. The vegetation is a mix of sparsely populated deciduous and coniferous trees over sprawling grasslands, with some trees turning slightly yellowish or brown in preparation for turning reddish before shedding themselves during late Fall.

I visit Chicago once every few years. The city hasn't changed much, but the milieu has. The Aurora - Naperville area I am staying now has become more crowded with more Desis around compared to before. More Indian grocery shops and restaurants have come up. When you stop by a red traffic light here you see a Desi on left, a Desi on right. (DESI is a term attributed to the NRI or Indian origin community here in America mostly amongst themselves often in a deregatory way. Mainstream Americans are mostly unaware of the term. Though I have this uncanny ability to laugh at myself, during my inititial days I was uncomfortable being called a Desi, a term generally used to denote a pariah dog back home in Odisha).

Most Odias in Chicagoland area live in this twin township of Aurora-Naperville, including my friends and relatives. If you throw a stone blindly into a crowd you may hear a response "KIERE SALA" (Who is this wife's brother. Sala's is literal meaning is wife's brother but in Indian lingo it's not very complimentary as it denotes sister's seducer). I walked into "Mall of India", an Indian Walmart of sort, where you can get all kinds Indian food, vegetables, fishes, goat meat. A conglomerate of Indian eateries where you can snack on Somosas and Pakodas washed down with Mango Lassi or Thumbs Up.

Typical of many Indian stores, they don't accept credit card as mode of payment if you aren't buying anything worth more than $10. Some offer 5% discount if you pay cash. I saw that in Mall of India stores and found it bit odd. What I didn't find odd was a man I saw surreptitiously scratching his private part in public at a corner of the Mall grimacing with orgasmic pleasure moans of big sighs "Aah, Ooh" laced relief from the itch down there. When our eyes met he pretended to adjust his belts with a "Not I" look on his face. We Desis leave our mark in civic sense everywhere we go. Not sure why we love to strew toilet papers on floors of public toilets of Desi owned stores, restaurants and malls.

Went to savor some South Indian food at "A2B Indian Veg Restaurant" in Warrenville, IL. On a Saturday evening it was very jam packed. The cacophonic inside filled with bombardment of mostly south Indian lingo reminded me of the Ravi Talkies fish market near our house back in Bhubaneswar. The food was good, but outside felt much better under a full moonlit night sky spraying sprinkling golden rays, accompanied by a soothing breeze from Lake Michigan providing a much needed tranquility from inside. More later...

Suicide in IIT Mumbai

 IITs, the premier Technical Institutions are back in news again, this time due to yet another suicide by a student in IIT, Mumbai. 173 IIT students died by suicide in 20 years, 70% in last 10 years. And this disease isn't limited to the IITs alone. 

NITs, the second most premier Technical Institute in India (I am a proud alumni of NIT, Rourkela) isn't immune to this epidemic. The cream of the cream of our time used to clear a fair and highly competitive exam to earn a seat in these coveted  Technical institutes. Today also I believe it's still the same. Few months ago, a 19-year-old B.Tech student, Diksha Dubey, who hailed from Bihar, allegedly died by suicide on Thursday in the National Institute of Technology, Kurukshetra in the state of Haryana. Such incidents are happening too often for comfort and raising concerns about student mental health.

Regardless of being from a premier institute or not, it is so sad to see men and women at such young age ending their lives. It needs to be noted that suicides have grown up exponentially in educational institutes these days. Part of is this reason sited by professors from IIT Madras to a friend of mine who lives in the United States and regularly visits his Alma mater whenever he makes a trip to India (America is filled with folks from IITs and NITs. It is said if you blindly throw a stone chances are it will hit someone passed from IIT or NIT). As confided by his professors to him, these days many mediocre students are churned out of innumerable coaching institutes manage to clear the entrance test. Once in, when left on their own they can't cope up with the aggressive curriculum and choose to end their lives unable to face the failure and an over expectant milieu, including their parents.

Every person has right to live. It hurts utmost when someone commits suicide. And it hurts more, if that person happens to be young. Like every man and woman of their age, they too have a dream, but unwisely decide to procrastinate their unfulfilled dream by killing themselves. 

When a person decides to end his or her life ? It's not just because of the frustration with life, it's more due to their lack of care or concern for rest of the world, which includes their near and dear ones. If I ever feel suicidal for some reason, I may resist that thought for a moment, if I think of my family, if not me. Apparently they don't care about their loved ones and decide to end their life at the spurt of the moment, never ever getting any second chance to regret over it.

Suicides in college campuses aren't so uncommon. Surging teenage hormone gone wild can create havoc in heart and mind, which can be due to failure in academics, romance or bullying by others. It reminds me of the iconic movie 3 IDIOTS where a student kills himself due to his frustration at his project being pooh poohed by the Principal of the College. The student Rancho played by the actor Aamir Khan complains about the mental stress the students undergo, leading to such avoidable tragedies. As the Principal gets defensive and refuses to take the blame, Aamir Khan replies - "I am rather blaming the entire system, not you Sir".

Aamir Khan speaks some hard truth in that movie. Students carry a lot of burden and expectations from their demanding parents and a cut throat competitive society. The simple equation Ambition - Achievement = Frustration holds good. Often they snap, as the lid of the pressure cooker comes off burning the face.

The greatest tragedy is silence of the silent majority, which is conspicuously deafening who mostly turn a blind eye to competition and peer pressure which are to be blamed. Can't resist repeating my often mentioned joke. A person once went to an astrologer, who after seeing his chart said " You will go bankrupt after two years". "What will happen after that ?" asked the person who was now somewhat concerned. The astrologer responded "You will get used to it". So the silent majority has got used to the chaotic system with a CHALTA HAI (let the status quo prevail) attitude. Don't be surprised if you hear news of more such suicides more frequently. The focus has unfortunately shifted to casteism instead of addressing the root cause, until the next suicide happens, not a matter of if but when.

Xi Boycotting BRIC dinner

So much brouhaha was being made about the Chinese President leaving early the BRIC summit held in New Delhi by skipping the dinner. Many say it is a snob to the host India. Some say Xi skipped the meeting as it was a all vegetarian platter (I find this silly, as if he wanted Xi could have stayed back as a diplomatic gesture and consuming a glass of soda or water).

But does it matter as far as the bigger picture goes ? Chinese follow a very calculated, pragmatic foreign policy, laser focused on their long term goals. It seems once the main diplomatic meetings were done, deals were made and photos taken, from China's point of view there was no point in wasting time any further by staying back for a meal of "Dhokla and Fafda". Also it could be sending a subtle message to the host that we aren't equals and our priorities are different. Once we are done with exactly what we need, there is no point in sticking around. In the war torn world with global economy shaking and teetering with uncertainty, Xi Xinping probably had more pressing engagements like his grooming himself for his more important trip to the United States.

Since India's independence in 1947, China never saw India as its equal. The Chinese Premier Zhou En Lai once asked Nehru how comes a few thousand Englishmen could hold on to a nation of 400 million people so long ! It was an innuendo laced in snide towards India. Still India's first Prime Minister Nehru went overboard with his Hindi-Chini Bhai Bhai (India and China are brothers) with his "Panchsheel Neeti" five points principle of peaceful co-existance. China reciprocated by showing its true color, launching a surprise attack on an unprepared India in October, 1962 handing us an embarrassing loss.

The writer Khushwant Singh was once visiting Hong Kong, close to the heels of the humiliating defeat suffered by India at the hands of the Chinese on the aftermath of their surprise attack on our Eastern front. As the ebulient Sardar on a journalism mission was walking down the street, a fellow Sikh greeted him - "SARDARJEE. DESH SE AYE HO (you have come from our country) ? TUMNE TO NAAK BHADDA DITTA (you cut our nose - shaming us)". "CHINIYAAN NE TO TUMHARI BH**ND MAARLI (the Chinese have screwed your bottom). KUKKAD KHAANDE JOGE HO (You are only good at eating chicken - poking fun at the Punjabis penchant for eating chicken. The pun was, you are good for nothing, chicken eating guys who have forgotten fighting).

The Sardar of Hong Kong went on further - "I used to boast before my Chinese wife about the great martial tradition of Sikhs. Now she is poking fun at me". Point taken, the Chinese beat us left and right in that war, catching us unware, following the age old military adage, "surprise is the main element of war".

History repeats itself. Fast forward to the year 2020 as they have managed to capture 60 square kilometers as reported on the media. No surprise here. The inscrutable Chinese known strategize well in advance caught us off guard again. We have been caught off guard by the Pakistanis in 1999 too, but unlike the Pakistanis,  the Chinese are too tough a customer to deal with. The bottom line - the Chinese screwed our bottom once again.

Ronald Reagan famously said - "Trust, but verify". In case of the inscrutable Chinese we should go an extra yard - "Don't trust and verify 100 times before you do". The Chinese are very shrewd and plan long term. We must forever be on guard, as we don't know what card they are playing next. Dragon may not breathe for now, but hold your breath until after BRICS meet is over when the Dragon will bully again.

China, which is internally insecure is still wary and jealous of Japan and South Korea's economic success in its neighborhood. Though India is its only nuclear rival in its neighborhood it not so much bothered about it.  China knows well that nuclear weapons are used as deterrent. Otherwise America would have won Vietnam, Afghanistan, Iraq and Iran wars hands down.

A Chinese spokesman said recently went on media proudly proclaiming - "China will never attack the first time, but will never allow to be attacked the second time. His statement needs to be taken seriously as the inscrutable, no nonsense Chinese are known to talk less and if at all they talk they express in a few, measured sentences. Vajpayee famously said that you can choose your friends, you can't chose your neighbors. He was so right...

Jesse Owens - An American icon

 Today is the birthday of Jesse Owens, the American sports legend who carved his niche in history by being the first man to win 4 Gold Medals in an Athletics event in the Olympics Games - a record which stayed unbroken for a long time to come until another American Carl Lewis broke it in 1984. He is also remembered for another reason, for driving a nail on German German Fuehrer Adolf Hitler's coffin of a misplaced belief of Aryan supremacy theory at the height of Nazi propaganda.

Ninty summers ago the 1936 Olympics, world's greatest sporting event was eventful for few reasons. First, it was held in Berlin under Hitler's Germany, being overshadowed by the blatant use of the Sporting events for Nazi party's theory of German supremacy. Second, it was also the first Olympics to be televised. Third, it also showcased the talent of Jesse Owens, the famous black athlete from the United States who seized the limelight, overcoming myriads of obstacles in insecurity and a pressure cooker atmosphere to win 4 golds.

Jesse Owens was an American icon, a symbol of its athletes power in the Sporting arena. Growing up in an era of racism in America, he battled poverty with a wonderful rags to riches successful life story. Hailing from a poor family in the post recession America, no one ever imagined him winning accolades in the land of "Hail Hitler", bringing a dent in the dictator's theory of Aryan supremacy.

Jesse's talent was spotted during his tenure in the Ohio State University, where he created record in the 100 meter sprint event. Soon he was a shoo in for the American Olympics team, selected for the mega event across the Atlantic.
The preparation for Berlin Olympics started on a controversial note, with America almost boycotting the event due to the host's overtly anti-Semitic biased policies. Germany was desperate to see American athletes at home, for without the USA participatation the Olympics would be akin to a German Bratwurst sausage without salt and Sauerkraut without sugar. After a lot of lobbying by Hitler's Man Friday Goebbels the US Olympics Committee narrowly voted to send their team to Germany.

On arrival at the Olympic village in that eventful summer of 1936, Jesse Owens was appalled at the disgusting sight of anti Semitic graffitis all over the Olympic village proclaiming - "Dogs and Jews are not allowed". The fitting finale came in the form of 100 meters event, still a prized event in the Olympics which every one looks forward to. Jesse Owens was pitted against the local favorite Lutz Lung of Germany - the symbol of Hitler's Aryan racial supremacy.

Jesse not only won that race, he went on to win 200 meters, led 4x100 meter relay to add another American gold, followed by one more the long jump event, yet again defeating Lutz Lung in the later event. (Jesse and Lutz became friends and continued communicating with letters in an age sans email and Whatsapp, until Lung died fighting for Germany in North Africa during World War II).

Hitler was in the stadium, watching Jesse sprint his way to a stupendous win. Here is where historians differ in their accounts about what followed. The Fuehrer supposedly left the stadium in disgust as his myth of Aryan supremacy was shattered. But per Jesse Owens knowldege, Hitler acknowledged his victory by waving at him from the visible podium of the stadium.

On the other hand after coming back to America during a felicitation dinner for the US Olympics team in New York, Jesse Owens along with other black athletes had to use the service elevator, whereas their white counterparts took the normal elevator. The humiliation didn't end there. It was customary for the Olympics medal winners to be invited to the White House. But the 4 Gold medal winner Jesse Owens's name was conspicuously missing from the names of the invitees. Roosevelt didn't want to be in news hosting, baking bread with Jesse in White House, his picture of shaking hands with a black man getting published on the front page of the newspapers in an election year.

What happened to Jesse Owens after that ? He continued earning money as appearance fee, running against race horses for the pleasure of spectators, until he became too old to do so. Yet his record of 4 fabulous Olympics Golds was a record which stood for almost half a century, never broken during his lifetime, only to be emulated by his compatriot Carl Lewis in Los Angeles Olympics of 1984, four years after Jesse's death in 1980. Happy Birthday Jesse Owens. You will remain a Sporting legend and will forever be remembered.