Author and journalist Mohammed Hanif speaks his mind about how the idea of a hero is conceived in our society: TNS
The News on Sunday: Nations tend to pick their heroes. How important are heroes for nation-building? What goes into the making of a hero?
Mohammed Hanif: I don’t know if heroes are important for nation building or not. All I know is that we have had too many heroes lately, we are fast running out of honours, medals, and clichés to bestow upon them. It seems you have to get gang raped, get shot in the head, or die at the hands of a state-employed torturer to become a hero. Why can’t we just have people who turn up for work? Why can’t we just stop thinking that we are god’s gift to this universe?
