Chronosynclastic Infundibulum

The Clinton scandal raked up huge controversy and raised a huge public debate. In the eye of the storm was the issue of private lives of public figures. Does a person with a public life have right to keep his personal life a secret? The debate continues to rage, and there can never a be a resolution that. I dont intend to add fuel to the fire. This post is to discuss a related point based on facts alone, no speculations or agumentative views. I have often observed that people with the most successful public image and life, have a sob story to tell when it comes to their personal life.

Let us take Nehru, for instance, he is proclaimed as a “visionary” (I have my own reservations on that, but is not the place for that), the first prime minister of india, great freedom fighter and a charismatic leader. Yet, his family life was anything but loving and peaceful. His tryst with Lord Mountbatten’s wife, Edwina, is all too well known for me to spend time writing about it. This. however, is not an isolated case. Even some one as great of Mahatma hislef had his family life in shambles. His stubbornness cost his wife’s life in the jail. He simply refused to ask for medical treatment for his ailing wife, and thus bringing about her demise. He was a really bad father, who forced his believes on his children and attempted to keep them “on a leash”. His last son died an alcoholic. The famous tragedy queens of Indian cinema had tragic lives themselves. When Meena Kumari died, she didnt have enough money for her own funeral let alone bequeth something to her family. Nelson Mandela’s chequered family life is for everyone to see. All of Emily Dickenson poems were discovered at her home when they were clearing it after her death. She lead a hopelessly solitary life with no one to turn to and died a lonely, sad woman. Her poems are a mere reflection of her life. This articles in The Hindu talks about the Private Life of Indira Gandhi.

I can go on giving examples. My point is, is it not possible for a person to have a successful public life and be a good family man/woman? Is the pressures of living up to people’s expectations so high that you begin to disregards the people who love you the most? Can glamour and fame be so seductive that you lose all that you need to keep you happy and still not realize it?