Irreversible Greats

There are various things in life which we call as eternal. The mere essence of these things creates an everlasting experience. Things are meant to happen only once and cannot be replicated. Certain people are blessed with a special talent and special skill sets because of which they leave an impeccable mark with the way they are/ were. They leave legacy with their sheer talent, devotion and dedication to their field of work. There are several people in life who leave an impression in our minds which are everlasting. We cannot help but think of a particular individual when that particular topic helm our minds. I have attempted to list down a few people whom I think are eternal in their own sense and their own way. This is my personal choice of select people whom I think will happen once in a lifetime.

Charles Correa – The list of such visionaries and talent should being with a name from the field I belong to. This man and his works inspired a whole lot of minds and his span of work ranged from a small house to townships and master planning projects. He revived the Indian architecture with his simplistic yet elegant designs. His ideas of geometrics, graphical qualities to the elevation of the building made him a name to reckon with. Students of architecture have a greater influence of him and no architectural library is complete without the books on / by Charles Correa.

Amitabh Bachchan – A living legend as him, certainly has etched memories into the minds of the Hindi cinema followers that cannot be wiped away for generations to come. Lot of people including me are fortunate enough to live in the era of Amitabh Bachchan. His work spans across four decades and still weaves his magic into every role he plays. I feel if every person in India has to make a list of favorite actors, Mr Bachchan’s name will be by default first on the list. No other actor has touched the heights and accolades that his tall man achieved.

Sachin Tendulkar – Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar is the living legend and like me, cricket fans across the globe are in love with him. I consider myself fortunate to live in the same era as SRT and watch several of his immaculate innings. Writing and re-writing record books, winning everybody’s heart with his humility and virtually living in the minds of all fans and followers all over the country and world is the enviable feat which no sportsman in this century can attain. Hats off to the master indeed!

Kapil Dev – This Punjab da puttar worked his magic during his playing days and his charming bowling action is still etched in many minds. A worthy captain to steer India to a maiden world cup win, is my personal favorite as one of the best sports ambassador the country has ever produced.

A.R Rehman – The shy and silent whiz called A.R Rehman has carved a niche for himself in the music industry. Take any work of his and one can find a signature style and a work different from his peers. A true genius and a humble human being, has catapulted him into a status where a movie can bank onto success based onto the music provided by him. Think Rehman and think different! I love the way he delivered his speech while receiving the prestigious Oscar award in 2009, he said “In life you have two choices, between love and hate, and I chose love”. This sums it all.

Abdul Kalam – ‘Naam bade aur Darshan Chote’ is apt for this man – short in stature but big in his work. Humble to the core and genius to the pinnacle sets him apart in the league of all scientists and scholars India has produced. Very straightforward in his approach and true to the heart, was one of the most respected Presidents of our country certainly cannot be replicated ever.

Pandit Bhimsen Joshi and Pandit Jasraj – The doyens of Indian Classical music have left unimpeachable marks on the followers of the genre of music. Little should be written about their dedication towards music as they are indeed living legends.

Mohd Rafi and Kishore Kumar – The undisputed kings of the Indian music industry during the 70’s,80’s have a rather unique style of singing. While Mohd Rafi’s soft voice added a exclusive feel to the songs, Kumar’s dashing yet soulful voice created an everlasting impressions into the likes of the music followers. A irreplaceable void was created with the loss of these voice renderers.

Pu.La Deshpande – This name has made a special place in the minds of true marathi literature followers. His outstanding writings and equally dramatic yet enthralling way of portraying it to the audience at large created a special name for him. Though not very exposed to all of his writings,I have greater respect for him.

Narayan Murthy-  A visionary par excellence, has left footprints for several  thousands of India’s IT companies. An eye for the future and the right opportunity glided him to become one of India’s favorite IT child. Like many of the legends, his humality and humbleness won many hearts. His company sets up benchmarks every year to churn out business as an inspiration.

Hritik Roshan – Too young to be fitting into this category, but I feel that no actor other than Amir Khan has put in hard work and efforts into each and every role that he portrays. There have been several cases where average scripts have projected to be superhit grossers just by the sheer talent this man personifies. His attempts to look into the nitty gritties of each and every frame of his movies speaks volumes of the kind of dedication he carries with him. A non controversial image and a clean personality definitely created a distinguished league of actors exclusively for him.

Michael Jackson – Millions of fan base, craze to attend his concerts, imitating every dance move of his speak volumes of the kind of a talent this man radiated. I have already wrote much more about him in my previous posts, but for me his name too has to figure in my list of irreversible greats

Zakir hussain – Panache, Charm , Magic , and sheer ecstacy could be the terms associated to explain the gifted Mr Zakir Hussain. Tabla music never gets much more mesmerizing when the master places his fingers on it. An amiable ambassador of Indian music abroad is indeed a class apart. A class sophistication on and off the performing stage sets him apart from all the tabla players the country has produced.

R.D Burman – Sounds that make you hum, music that is evergreen, cult fan following are some of the terms associated in remembrance of the musical prodigy called R.D Burman. He was instrumental in creating newer sounds and thus giving Indian ears new music to listen to. Following his father’s footsteps, he created a niche for himself by bringing in sounds quite new to the Indian audience. His music spoke of the vast mix of melody and contemporary sounds.

This list was a result of a thought to pen down talents and influences which are irreplaceable in their own ways. Though this is a first list, there can be / are many additions. Nonetheless, for me these names are truely ‘Irreversible Greats’