Why does everything have to be about name and fame?

Last week I was in Mumbai, as a guest of a corporate company, who was conducting a Design Thinking Workshop for their senior management staff, as a problem solving exercise.

The workshop was being held at the Taj Lands End (most corporates today like to use 5 star venues for workshops as an encouragement factor for their employees)

We were in the Malabar Room of Taj Lands End conference rooms area, right across the Malabar room is the Konkan room, where there was a press conference to be held by UNICEF in honor of Mr.Sachin Tendulkar, who has now been named the first ambassador for South Asia for UNICEF and will be working on a large scale sanitation project for children of South Asia.

When I walked down to the conference area and saw the posters of UNICEF with the ambassador’s pictures, and registration desk and activity, all I could do was smile.

The smile was because I felt its only fate that he, Mr.Sachin Tendulkar, UNICEF, and myself, TARA TRUST, Sonja, my colleague are all if you see in a way working in the same field. The difference being that UNICEF and Mr.Sachin Tendulkar don’t need to do anything much to call for a press conference, to lock up other people in the conference room area for “security” reasons while Mr.Sachin Tendulkar walks in to the conference room where he is supposed to give a speech on the plight of the children in India and how he is going to endeavor to make the changes …blah..blah..blah…

The ground reality is this – as a celebrity it is so easy to do “social work” everyone will fall at your feet and commend you for the noble and good work you do, even though you basically fly into a village, spend 2 – 4 hours shaking hands with people, maybe inaugurating a toilet facility and returning to the comforts of your home. While, we who work 24/7 for a cause because we know that a one to one relationship with the underprivileged is how we can make the change, get nothing by closed doors wherever we knock.

While standing outside the Malabar room where we were, I began talking about the struggles we face as a unknown non-profit which was overheard by a “consultant” of UNICEF, who walks up to me and asks me to explain myself. I tell him that there is nothing to explain except the fact that we are the groups that actually do the dirty job and the limelight is taken by celebrities.

He goes on to explain that Mr.Sachin Tendulkar is working for free for UNICEF..and he has been all over South Asia working with children. His asking rate per day is 2 crores of rupees but he has been humble enough to accept the position from UNICEF for 1 rupee a year fees, etc etc …so we should be admiring his character.

All I said to this “consultant” is that I have no doubt that he is a good man, but, a good man and a celebrity like him will only work for UNICEF because everything is provided, whereas if I as a nobody even try to approach him for help and support, I know it will be virtually impossible to reach him. First of all, how will I approach him????

What bothered me the most was, this so called “consultant” of UNICEF from England in India says to me “ wives like you of politicians, know only how to accuse others! “ – he does not know me from adam ! he has no experience of grass root work in India ! he is a consultant to UNICEF assuming my husband is a politician !!!!

Yes! I should have tried to explain to him who I was, where I came for and what drives me to really work for a cause but it would make no sense to a man who obviously too highly of himself and the “work” he is doing for the world.

Why do people think that social development work is only done by people who are backed by riches or fame or status?

Why is it assumed that people who work for social development have nothing better to do in their lives and hence do social work?

Why do people become bigger than themselves because of the position we hold? 

Why do we belittle others who in their own way are trying to make a difference? 

Why is that because a certain someone knows a certain someone in the high ranks of society feels he/she knows it all?

Are the big organisations in the social development sector really taking a look at all the small ones across the country who are actually doing the ground work.?

Why does one think that an organization with the name and fame is credible and trustworthy, and the ones with no celebrity backing or surplus funding are not productive?

I applaud every celebrity who endorses and works for a social cause, but, what I don’t understand is that they should try to hold the hands and provide support to the lesser known rather than attach themselves to organizations which can easily implement whichever project they want without their support because they are rich enough and resourceful enough to do so. 

The point I am trying to make or trying to get answers is that Does everything have to be about name and fame?

It is a Small World, a Simple World, why do we want to complicate it by making things easily accessible to some and difficult for others.