A few years back when I was attending the Jaipur Literary Fest, I got a chance to listen to Amitabh Bachchan who was there to release a book based on him. Apart from the eloquent language in which he addressed the crowd, he mentioned a very important fact about legacy: that only artists, and in particular only authors get to live on after their death. I did not pay much heed to it then, taking it to be just another self effacing talk to hide the narcissistic attitude that Amitabh Bachchan carries. But some truths, even when presented in our face are meant to be realised later.
How many people do we remember who are long gone? Even our family members who die are easily forgotten. But it's the artists, scientists, and writers who stay, with their thoughts and their creations. Very few politicians do, but only those who have created something new, who have inspired the generations. In a way, they are artists too.
Many people worry about what their legacy will be and how they will be remembered once gone. Nobody remembers the people doing mundane jobs. Actors, sportstars are fresh in memory only till they are in their prime. How many of us have actually seen Pelé or Bradman actually play? We don't much listen to the songs that were created even twenty years back.
But we read books.The authors take us back in their time with their stories and ideas. Shakespeare is being read, taught, played after he died almost half of a millennium back. We all know the names Archimedes, Euclid, Socrates, Aryabhatta, Sushruta, etc. because their works were preserved in books. Words have such power. Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci still awe us. Hindu religion survives in Vedas and in temples.
Alas, the only way to immortality, is to create.
