A new nation
had new heroes and heroines. It was in the image of
Nargis as Mother India -- the central character in
Mehboob Khan's 1957 opus -- the archetypal Indian woman
who clings to dignity against all odds, teaches her sons
to be righteous, and kills one to safeguard honour when
he molests a girl. It was in the glory of an unassuming
man called Tenzing Norgay climbing the Everest in
mankind's first successful ascent in 1953. It was also in
the top-gun bravado of the Keelor brothers, Denzil and
Trevor, aces in wars with Pakistan. Feel-good images for
a country deperately in search of post-Independence
heroes.
A new nation
had new heroes and heroines. It was in the image of
Nargis as Mother India -- the central character in
Mehboob Khan's 1957 opus -- the archetypal Indian woman
who clings to dignity against all odds, teaches her sons
to be righteous, and kills one to safeguard honour when
he molests a girl. It was in the glory of an unassuming
man called Tenzing Norgay climbing the Everest in
mankind's first successful ascent in 1953. It was also in
the top-gun bravado of the Keelor brothers, Denzil and
Trevor, aces in wars with Pakistan. Feel-good images for
a country deperately in search of post-Independence
heroes. 
