Vol. 58 No. 29 • February 7, 2017

Few years ago, a renowned cartoonist, Jules Feiffer penned a strip in which he showed an old man talking to his TV. “No one loves me,” the man says, and the TV responds, “I love you.” This is the story of millions of elderly people across the nation. Trapped by loneliness, they sit staring at their television sets for hours. Entertainment today in any form – TV, Radio, Movies, and Fine Arts – is not just a pastime. It has become a companion for the aged and a medium to gather information from across the world for the younger generation. It also allows many to showcase their talent through reality shows. It stimulates and kindles our musical heritage while encouraging the fusion of styles and artists.

Thanks to its unrivalled reach, entertainment enables effective calls for action during crises situations, natural disasters and social emergencies. It reaches out to society through the power of communication.

For someone like me it is a creative expression of an artistic bend of mind. As a doctor, I have seen so much pain and suffering of my patients that I wanted to keep my sensitivity alive through some form or the other. I chose to do photography and embraced music.

For many, it is a medium to rejuvenate after a day of hard work. Doesn’t good music, a good movie elevate your mood after a bad day? For someone feeling isolated, it opens up the world. Movies, music and reality shows have brought the world closer. Through Yash Chopra’s movies, we have seen the best of Switzerland. Haven’t we? In fact, Yash ji’s movies opened a legacy of South Asian tourists flocking to Switzerland.

Talking about Yash Chopra, Rotary today has the privilege to honour one of his most celebrated heroes Rishi Kapoor with The Shyam Munshi Lifetime Achievement Award for excelling in fine arts. Rishi is the scion of first family of Indian Cinema. Right from playing a child artist in his debut movie Mera Naam Joker to being one of the finest actors of Indian cinema, Rishi has carved a niche for himself.

With this award, Rotary has taken a step in right direction to recognize the efforts of artists who work hard to entertain us and touch our lives positively. Let Rotary keep encouraging fine arts with many such initiatives.