rshad Nadeem is our new saviour. His achievement represents a breakthrough we had been looking for all these years, all these decades. The celebration had to be overwhelming.

All societies are on the lookout for heroes. Those that have very little claim to achievement have to overplay its relevance. Pakistanis have been desperately looking for heroes. For many years their efforts and aspirations have been thwarted. A shadow falls between the aspirations to greatness and the reality of the failure to achieve it.

Arshad Nadeem is the prototype of a person to be cherished. Hailing from a ‘nowhere’ background, he conquered the world. For the country, he delivered something it had always wanted but never attained.

Many societies wanting to break the barriers of class, caste and race also aspire to own a hero who comes not from a haloed background. The victory or the achievement is thus an affirmation that the level-playing-field mantra is still relevant and has not been rendered redundant.

The greatness of Arshad Nadeem will not be seen as being limited to javelin throw or athletics. The expectations will grow over time. There will be a demand for the greatness to be used or employed in other areas as well so that the image of the hero is all encompassing and complete. Having achieved greatness in athletics should not mean that one cannot achieve similar greatness in other fields.

In our society greatness limited to a single area of human endeavour has not been accepted. All our heroes have been driven into pursuits for which they were not suited and struggled to meet the expectations the society placed upon them. Some have tried to overplay their role. Being content with greatness in one area is not considered right; it is seen as a failure to realize the potential for greatness. A hero is expected to shine in all situations and not shy away from carrying any burden.

Too often, it appears that the individual’s choices are limited or forced by the circumstances. All roads lead to the heroes using all their strengths in an overarching manner. They have to be the example the society aspires to and expects.

The greatness of Arshad Nadeem will not be seen as being limited to javelin throw or athletics. The expectations will grow over time and expand. There will be a demand for the greatness to be used or employed in other areas as well so that the image of the hero is all encompassing and complete.

Literature and the arts have had the prerogative of building up the image and the profile of such characters. Figures from history – recent as well as ancient - have been repeatedly made the foremost character prototype to build a cult or a larger-than-life image. The effort is also seen to be representative all the ills and the shortcomings of the human race. There is probably a weakness within the human condition that forces an overstated response and makes a leader out of the mortals that otherwise excelled in only one field and were untested in others.

The questions has already been asked: will Arshad Nadeem overreach and seek to play a bigger role in the life of the nation? The first crack of greatness and the ‘foretold’ unraveling of expectations have already started. The juggernaut is merciless. The push can be so great that it cannot be resisted. Discretion is frowned upon and called unbecoming timidity. The future is framed by the failures of one’s people and the society. The desire is overwhelming and can probably not be resisted by mere mortals.

The lures and snares abound. The hero must tread softly and wisely because the prototypes overwhelm people and the tide sweeps them off their feet and away.

In the past, epics were written, plays were staged and larger-than-life sculptures were placed at important sites. Ours is the age of the digital media. All platforms must be engaged to build the inevitability of greatness as a savior of the race. The digital media have an outreach far exceeding communities and generations. The image building is on a dizzying scale and speed. It will be upon us all before we know it. It will be a story that has been foretold and foretold yet again.

The author is a culture critic based in Lahore