For MJ’s Indian fans, he lives forever

NEW DELHI - From tears to tributes, fans of the ‘King of Pop’ Michael Jackson across India mourned the musical genius who captured their imagination with his music and his persona.

“Micheal was the best. He will live in our hearts forever. No matter what injustice has been done upon him, he will continue to be a legend and the best in the world of music, Mumbai-based professor Shalini Iyer told IANS.

Another fan, Bhavan Kher, who is also from the financial capital of India, says she can never refer to the music genius in past tense.

“Micheal Jackson is not a musician, he is an era. He is someone who broke all the conventions and gave the world soul corroding music as well as beats that are unmatched to date. He is god. I will never associate the word ‘was’ with him. Micheal Jackson will only be an ‘is’ for me and for millions of music lovers around the world,” she said.

For 22-year-old Nidhi Arora, “music died yesterday” when Jackson, 50, breathed his last after suffering cardiac arrest at his home in Los Angeles, US.

“Along with a lot of my friends, I have grown up dancing to ‘Thriller’. I’ve had my best performances dancing to his numbers. I was eagerly awaiting his comeback July 13, but he left without a warning. There is never going to be another Michael Jackson. We loved him and always will,” said Arora, a Delhi based advertising professional.

Jackson’s connection with India grew stronger when he came down to Mumbai in October 1996 for a live performance as part of his ‘History’ tour.

People from all strata - whether celebrities like Anupam Kher and Shobha De or urchins from nearby slums - all gave Jackson a hearty welcome.

He caused mass hysteria with his enigma back then and will continue to do so with his music even now.

Joyeeta Sablok, who is from Kolkata and a die-hard Jackson fan, was one among the thousands who wanted to attend the singer’s concert, but couldn’t. Recalling the time, she said: “He (Jackson) came to India, but my parents didn’t let me go to his concert.”

“I’ll regret it forever. I will never forget how my heart would miss a beat every time they flashed the ‘Black or White’ video on TV channels. It was magical. He seemed to do something different with every single album.”

Jackson’s most popular numbers “Black Or White”, “Thriller”, “Beat It” and “Earth Song” have been cherished over the years by all and sundry.

On his death, 35-year-old Pallavi Muni had a school-time memory to share.

“I remember, more than 22 years ago, when my school had its annual function, one of the biggest draws was a dance number with MJ’s song ‘Bad’. There were some 50 girls in the group. The man himself would never have imagined it - a bunch of giggly girls in a convent school in India, matching steps with every beat of his smash hit song,” said Muni, who studied in Delhi but is now based in Bangalore.

“Maybe I’ve just grown older, but I don’t think they make pop icons like him anymore,” she added.

Ravi Kumar, an official of pub Styx in Bangalore, which will pay tribute to Jackson Friday evening, told IANS: “We’ll pay tribute to Michael Jackson, the legend, and his music Friday evening. Our regular guests are in touch with us and in the evening everyone will come together to pay tribute to the musical genius.”

“We’ll miss Jackson the man, but we’ll always remember him for his chartbuster numbers. We all love Michael Jackson,” said Sumit P., an IT professional and regular visitor at Styx.

Rishabh P. Nair, a die hard Jackson fan from Chennai, said: No matter what people say about him, he was and will always be the king of pop. The magic of songs like ‘Thriller’ can never be recreated. I hope his soul rests in peace. He will be missed.”