Pappu Sardar. Picture by Bhola Prasad

Jamshedpur, March 19: That he is a huge Madhuri Dixit fan is well known. Now, his devotion has become a topic of international research.

Pappu Singh, alias Pappu Sardar, has been selected by Shalini Kakar, a student of the University of California in Santa Barbara, US, for her thesis on devotional fandom and iconic stature given to filmstars, sportspersons and politicians in India. The thesis, in its third year now, saw Kakar visit the steel city today to meet Sardar.

“Stars having die-hard fans is very common, but my research aims at studying those ardent fans for whom their idol is an object of worship and who can do anything extraordinary to express their feelings for the respective stars,” said Kakar.

The tentative title of the proposed research is Fashioning the Divine: Bollywood Stars, Museum Temples and Cultural Politics in Contemporary India. One chapter would be devoted to Pappu Sardar and his various displays of love for Madhuri Dixit over the past decade.

How did she come to know about this Jamshedpur fan? “I had read about him on the Internet. I had contacted him in 2005,” said Kakar, who found no trouble reaching Sardar’s shop despite not having his address.

“It’s a bit absurd, but great to see how devoted he is to Madhuri, his social work and also the acceptance he has received from people around him despite his persisting eccentricities,” she said, while visiting several places, including Sardar’s house that has a Madhuri temple. Kakar also visited places like the Cheshire Home and old-age home, Nirmal Hriday, where Sardar plays an active role.

“I just cannot believe that what started as my passion for Madhuri would receive so much recognition,” said Sardar, who is now getting ready to celebrate the diva’s birthday on May 15 and promises to do “something unique again.”