"The price of greatness is responsibility." -- Winston Churchill. Do we expect too much from our public figures?

The human head is crammed with neurons, arteries grey cells and expectations, judgements, opinions and images. There is already too much in there, but  the moment one sees anything(or anybody) new, there is always space for more expectations, more judgement, more opinions and more images. One usually begins with the first image, formulates the first opinion, sets the first bar and then proceeds to make judgements based on these firsts from time to time. Now, an individual matters to just another few. To everybody else he/she is a nobody. But when the individual grows into a public figure, the whole story takes a different turn, From calm backwaters he/she has drifted into the stormy sea.

The problem with public figures is that they are almost equated with 'God'. They enjoy the platform because they are a large group of people's icon. "All the world's a stage, / And all the men and women merely players." (Shakespeare in 'The Seven ages of man') If the lead actor errs, the play falls apart. Those at the top are there because they are capable of doing things that others are not. Thus, they are believed to be accountable to whichever section of society they represent through their art.

If that art is 'playing international cricket', the players' failure represents their nations failure -- or so the citizens believe. That is why every time Sachin Tendulkar picks up his bat and walks into the field, Indians expect a century. When Yuvraj Singh readies himself for the first ball of the over, again, Indians visualise six sixes. Sachin Tendulkar, in his first matches, set the bar. Knowing what he is capable of, the crowd will not settle for anything below a perfect cent on the scoreboard. When his innings totals are perfect, he is wrapped up in honour, respect and money. When a two digit is up, there may be bloodlust in the hearts of some in addition to the critical tweets, expert comments and the like.

Bloodlust -- fans can be fanatics. Some people believe in their icon so ardently  that they limit their horizons of thought to only the picture that is projected to them. The moment they discover that a die can have six faces, they reach the end of the world. For instance, on April, 1993,  rising star Monica Seles fell prey to the fanaticism of a die-hard Steffi Graph fan who stabbed her on-court. Monica Seles had, by then, won three grand slam titles against Steffi Graph who was previously the world no.1.

Unlike fanatics, many people like to follow the footsteps of the public figure they idolise. Any mistake made by the public figure breaks their perfect image and they don't like that. In 1999, Nitish Kumar, then Minister  for Railways and Surface Transport, resigned following the Gaisal train disaster. By doing so, he preserved his identity in the eyes of the people. He accepted full responsibility for the incident and proved his accountability. The people remember his numerous reforms in the Indian Railway system and continue to respect him.

On the other hand, in the present case scenario, leaders of the ruling party are failing to meet the expectations of the citizens repeatedly. Over and above, they are not admitting their flaws. The level of expectations was set by the first leaders who worked truly for the people. Surely, it is possible for the leaders today to fulfill them?

For public icons it is a duty to make a stubborn crowd happy. Expectations are as high as they should be, but people need to understand that it is not always possible for them to be met.