F for Fan

Wikepedia claims, the word “fan” is an abbreviation of “fanatic”, however I think the concept of being a fan always arises from heart. No matter who you are, rich, poor, educated, unprivileged, you are always a fan. You always worship somebody, look upto to somebody else & unknowingly become a fan. I personally feel a “fan” is a softer side of a “fanatic”. Fans maketh celebrities who they are, fans more than often bring them down. Fans get hurt & they hurt people by being the worst critics. Fans are the ones who spent sleepless nights so that they don’t miss tendulkar batting, they are the ones who abandon Azar for some other reasons. Fans get this sheer happiness when their idols perform, are heart broken when their idols let them down. Once Arati & I were discussing this artists being judged by people thing, and I said “I am glad I am not an artist, that way atleast I am in safe hands!” & how true it is!!
In this side of the world, there is a term “ groupie” which one will understand better if you have watched the movie “Almost Famous”. A groupie is a female fan club who hang out with the rock band. Every band, Beatles, Eagles, RollingStone to name a few has had their groupies. It’s like these rockers are incomplete without their groupies. These females worship these rockers at times for attention; free gifts or at times they might be plain crazy fans! They often end up being hurt, hooked to drugs & rejected by society. Why would somebody love some one to the extent that it will hurt?
All said & done, I guess what stands true is, “once a fan, always a fan!”