Internet meme – Rajni facts and Chuck Norris….

Do you know what an Internet meme is ?  By all means this person who debuted as a  patient in 1975 playing a small role as no-good husband has also grown to be a phenomenon !!

Today 10^th of March is the birth day of Chuck Norris – actor and martial artist.   Carlos Ray "Chuck" Norris was born in 1940.   He served the US in airforce and rose to fame as martial artist founding his own school  Chun Kuk Do.   He was popular due to many of his action films including  Way of the dragon co-starring Bruce Lee.  He played lead role in television series Walker, Texas Ranger from 1993 to 2001.  In Western world, there is internet phenomenon known as Chuck Norris facts, ascribing the improbable or impossible feats to him – samething a la our Indian star Rajnikanth. 

Shivaraji Rao Gaekwad born 9 years later (12/12/1949] has risen to extreme popularity – a long way from his small and antagonistic characters in earlier films.  His popularity has arisen beyond measure and his cult has grown beyond geographical limits. He was named one of the most influential persons in South Asia by Asiaweek, and most influential Indians by Forbes India in 2010.   His popularity is attributed to his uniquely styled dialogues and idiosyncrasies.  His recent film Enthiran – the tamil fictional robot was touted to be most expensive Indian film and was released worldwide in Oct 2010 supposedly earning many more crores to its producers. 

He has dabbled in politics from a distance and in 1995 he supported the Indian National Congress after meeting the then PM Narasimha Rao.  It is widely believed that the fortunes of the National party as could be that of the State could have swung away from Dravidan politics to Nationalistic if only, Congress had ventured into the Polls alone with his support – but that is history and there is going to be General elections now on Apr 13, 2010 – where Congress is still a partner of the tainted DMK. 

The term ‘Internet Meme’ is a concept that spreads widely through the internet.  This is the concept of memes over world wide web through meme could refer to a much broader category of cultural information.  Internet meme simply is an idea that is propagated through www.  This could be promoted through hyperlinks, video, website, facebook and other social blogs, direct e-mails, news and other services.  There is no classic definition and the message so promoted need not be true as most of them are likely to be exaggerations, imitations, commentaries, parodies and more. They get spread organically – peer to peer rather than by any automated means.  Some have a commercial backing also.  Strange are the ways of internet users and the concept of meme coined by Richard Dawkins in 1976 in popular science best seller- the Selfish gene – has caught the attention of users in a big way.

The Chuck Norris facts have been circulating for long and to us many of them look similar as they have been attributed to Rajnikanth also.  Before proceeding to some of Rajni which attracted me,  there was one which read ‘Chuck Norris doesn’t have to do anything for a Klondike bar’ intrigued me. 

The long and winding answer is :  klondike is a brand name for a dessert consisting of vanilla ice coated with a thin layer of chocolate flavour.  It is generally wrapped with a silver coloured wrapper, upon which the mascot – a polar bear appears.   The first recorded advertisement of Klondike was way back in 1922.  In UK, generically it is known as choc ice.  It does not have a stick which is unique.  The bar was created in 1920s by Isaly Dairy Co of Ohio and named after the Klondike river of Alaska and Canada.  A subsidiary of Unilever later bought.  Its famous jingle slogan was ‘what would you do for a Klondike bar’?  - its campaign showed that people would go to any extent to get the bar.. remember Akshay's stunts for soft drink Thums up...

Here are some (not all] of the Rajni meme or one-liners which attracted me [again not sure whether they are originally Rajnikant’s or were earlier ascribed to Chuck Norris – but many do  have oriental flavour]

• Google won't find Rajinikanth because you don't find Rajinikanth; Rajinikanth finds you. - His address is gmail@rajni.com
• Rajinikanth can slam a revolving door.
• Rajinikanth destroyed the periodic table, because he only recognizes the element of surprise.
• Rajinikanth does not own a stove, oven, or microwave, because revenge is a dish best served cold.
• Water boils faster when Rajinikanth stares at it.
• Rajinikanth can answer a missed call.
• Rajinikanth can speak Braille.
• Rajinikanth’s calendar goes straight from March 31st to April 2nd, no one fools Rajanikanth.
• Rajinikanth grinds his coffee with his teeth and boils the water with his own rage.
• Rajinikanth once ate an entire bottle of sleeping pills. They made him blink.
• Rajinikanth doesn’t wear a watch. He decides what time it is.
• In an average living room there are 1,242 objects Rajinikanth could use to kill you, including the room itself.
• Rajinikanth doesn't need a visa to travel abroad, he just jumps from the tallest building in Chennai and holds himself in the air while the earth rotates.
• Archaeologists unearthed an old English dictionary dating back to the year 1236. It defined “victim” as “one who has encountered Rajinikanth”.
• There is no such thing as global warming. Rajinikanth was feeling cold, so brought the sun closer to heat the earth up.
• Rajanikanth makes onions cry.
• Rajanikanth can delete the Recycling Bin.
• Rajanikanth can drown a fish.
• When Rajanikanth enters a room, he doesn’t turn the lights on,……… …. he turns the dark off.

a photo widely circulated in the net as Rajni in Himalayas
-- one sure would be stumped by his  simplicity
• Rajanikanth was once on Celebrity Wheel of Fortune and was the first to spin. The next 29 minutes of the show consisted of everyone standing around awkwardly, waiting for the wheel to stop.

Whether it is Rajni or Chuck Norris – it is all fun – though there could be an internet war by his supporters that Norris’s fans secretly abducted all that was prepared Rajni – years before they were created.

Regards – S. Sampathkumar.

PS : I have proclaimed quite often that I do not write or circulate about Cinema.  Hope this is more about Meme and not on the star value of Rajnikanth