The wedding of Aishwarya Rai to Abhishek Bachchan has been called the Bollywood event of the year (I'd say the decade, perhaps even the half-century. Yes, I said "the half-century"). The same, unfortunately, can't be said of the press coverage: the photos have been pretty sorry (read more about the photographers who were beaten by Bachchan guards) and the articles almost entirely speculative. That's prompted some backlash from readers who demand more, much more of the 4th Estate. Rediff reporter Savera Someswar's interview with a Mangalore-based relative of Aishwarya was met with all sorts of negative comments, ranging from "What Crap" to "I felt like throwing up."
But in the true spirit of citizen journalism, another reader conducted their own 'interview,' using the same questions, with another distant acquaintance of Aishwarya: her childhood sweeper. We get an eyewitness account of Little Aishwarya's digestive disorders, but it's also a great chance to hear, for once, from the invisibles of society. I've pasted the interview below but go to the original Rediff page if you'd like.
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Dear Readers,
The following is the excerpts from the interview with Aishwarya Rai's sweeeper in Mangalore.Hope you enjoy this.Please let us know in your comments.
Q:Could you begin by explaining your relationship with Aishwarya Rai?
A: I worked as a sweeper in Aishwarya's grandfathers home , and later at Aishwaryas home.Aishwarya calls me Shetty Anna(people confuse my name to be Suneil). She is so sweet.As a child she was naughty, while I used to keep dusting the house, she used to litter things around.So almost the whole day I used to keep sweeping.
Q"You must have spent quite a lot of time with her. Could you share those memories with us?
A: He..he..he ..When Aishwarya was an infant, she used to do alot of "potty" and "shu-shu"..And I had to clean all that .It is my luck that I have cleaned the potty of a Miss World. I remember when she was teething , she suffered from loose motions.So Her mother used throw all those nappies in the dustbin and I had to collect them with the garbage. So sweet memories.(smiles)
Q:Do the younger members of the family feel they should be like her and achieve her kind of success?
A: Yes, all the girls in my village want to be like Ash, but they want to marry a better looking guy.I clean in their homes too.In fact all parents in my village have been coaxing me to clean their housese as it will bring good luck to their daughter.So they can also become Miss World.Q:Does she come to Mangalore often?
A: Yes , she does come sometime.And we are proud she wants to use her same old toilet without any complaint.But I no longer get to clean her potty and wash her, as she has grown.(sad)
But I will be happy to do it for her now when she comes.I was told that now for the whole life Jaya and Amitabh will be washing her potty (instead of me) as her brand-worthis Rs. 1000 crore.Q:Are you nervous about meeting the Bachchans?
A: No, I am not nervous about meeting them.In fact I am looking forward to visitng bombay and relaxing at their home.I have heard Bachchans have a very efficient sweeper at their home called Amar singh. He washes the potty of the family .I will love to share sweeping tips with him.
Q:How do you feel when you see her on screen?
A: I feel...look the gyrating of the lady on the screens ...I have cleaned her potty and washed her when she was kid.It is a great feeling.I wish I had washed Katrina Kaif too after her potty..Q: Thanks for your time sir
