MJ was more than just a star to me, he was my gateway to the world. If i ask myself the question; what does an African-American singer with crazy dance steps and high pitched voice meant to a small boy in the streets of a city suburb from Southern India, the answer would be the world of passion. When the whole world around me was Tamil, Hindi conversations, Sanskrit slokas, Kollywood movie romance, smell of Jasmine and drainage; MJ was the magic that put me in a different universe where everything was modern and ultra-cool. His songs and dance made me different from others. Listening to him and singing among the members of my family made me unique. Purchasing his cassettes or his posters made me feel special. If that was all that he could achieve then he was my boyhood hero.
It was the Spring of 1996 and exams were fast approaching. I and my friend Joseph had very little time to prepare for the exams. We never had trouble scoring good but as a child to a English speaking middle class family struggling to make a mark in the society, that was not enough. Scoring 90 and ranking 4th was not an option that was given to me. But the child in me was always free and my mom always let me dream big. I had informed my parents that i would be spending my weekend at Joseph's place studying for the exams. Well, we had other plans too. Joseph was talking about this new single that he had heard in the radio by MJ which he really liked and i wanted to listen to it very badly. Both of us had settled down with the textbooks and a radio on either side. The radio station, which was at that time the only station that played English songs was airing and the RJ was speaking non-stop. We waited with baited breath for the song and when the RJ mentioned Michael Jackson i let out a howl and almost fell off the bed. The song was "They dont really care about us". That was the kind of excitement that MJ brought in our life.
We moved on in our life and my music interest expanded. But i always return to those songs that defined my boyhood. Remember the way songs make you nostalgic. Whenever i listen to 'Beat it', 'Dangerous' or 'Black or White' i just travel back to those exciting, serene days when i would do my math with my stereo blaring those songs. Everyone in my family always wondered aloud that how could i do math if the music was blaring. Those times i used to tell them that it was the only way i could keep out other noise and concentrate, but i never realized that it would leave an impression on me.
Well the death of MJ as a person was inevitable and i am though sad not devastated. But this just made me realize how music and art can change someone's life forever. How you never loose touch of your roots and how someone completely unknown, thousands of miles away can affect you and how fresh and exciting a young boy's mind is.
