The first reaction when scholars either praise me or even call me a friend, is a mix of pride and secret embarrassment. In my mind, I always wonder if they know I am a high-school drop-out or are being kind knowing the fact? Then I realise all the pride about my art and letters can be attributed to the company I keep,” he begins, with a grin.
Does that mean he cultivates intellectual company? “I gravitate towards my more cerebral friends, who would not be obvious about it — but would teach me. They do it ever so gently that I did not even fathom their tutelage! Those are the friends and gurus who came to my mind when I was chosen for my service to arts and letters,” Kamal responds.
His mentor Sivaji Ganesan had received the same honour — is there a feeling of empathy now? “I remember being a front-line volunteer, when the Chennai film industry decided to celebrate Mr. Sivaji’s Chevalier award with a grand function, and Chepauk Stadium was thronging with his fans. After the function, we wanted to escort him back to his car quickly — but love knows no boundaries or black-cat commandos! Despite the melee, a lady managed to dodge the security and stood with her hands folded in a namaste to Sivaji at a vantage point, with glistening wet eyes. Then she turned to me and shouted – ‘This honour is next for you, soon. Looking forward!’ and disappeared. I thought of that unknown lady when I was informed of the news — this Chevalier seems to also be my people’s desire. Like mothers handing out food to hungry children they decide who is next in line!”
Kamal reveals what he did after receiving the letter from Monsieur Alexandre Ziegler, the French Ambassador in India — “I immediately showed it to my life partner Goutami and my daughter Subbu; then sent a copy of the letter to my elder brother Chandrahaasan and my elder sister Nalini. I sent texts to my elder daughters Shruti and Akshara. I tried to be graceful when congratulatory texts poured in.”
He adds that most of his well-wishers insisted that he was so deserving a person, which led to the melancholy of fame hitting him — “Most artists suffer this, ateast the thinking kind. Without excessive humility, most bestowed with honour find the selves lacking, yet feel fortunate. They think of the more talented who died without such adulation, and find themselves fortunate to have jumped a long queue. I thought of all the above.”
But he gets awards all the time! “I never get bored of awards and accolades. I am a limelight moth and my journey is towards the hottest point in that light!” he signs off.
