Amitabh Bachchan's Official Blog

Jalsa , Mumbai                      Sept 29,   2010                   Wed  11 : 38 PM

We are poised tonight at a most sensitive decision, that shall take place tomorrow afternoon, in the history of the nation – the Ayodhya Verdict. In 1992 the Babri Masjid was brought down by Hindu right winger believers who claimed that it was the site of the birth place of Ram. Tomorrow a bench of the High Court in Allahabad shall declare the verdict as to the authenticity of each religious claim. It is feared that the verdict going either way shall instigate violence by either group. Immense preparations and positioning for the security has been taking place as per the reportage of the electronic media. All possible sensitive areas have been almost garrisoned by armed forces. Appeals and proclamations by prominent citizens has been the order of the day, when peace and harmony has been declared by each community. A tense and anxious nation waits with baited breath.

Each and every citizen of value has submitted itself to the judiciary and its final decision. The uncertainty is whether the word and assurance shall be carried out. I feel it will. There has never been such a strong demonstration by the media and by all concerned on the need to keep a balance in whatever the circumstances. Patience and will shall be on test tomorrow.

May there be only harmony and well being amongst us. We have remained a strong and principled nation and it is expected that we shall remain so. One only hopes that those elements that have in the past caused disturbance and harm are able to see that violence has never been the solution to such issues. Prayers then for peace to prevail.

A channel conducts a news hour programme on the theme of ‘India First’ and brings me on through a special bulletin to speak on the subject. What does one really say on an occasion such as this, except ask for some semblance of reason and respect to prevail. I say much, but what ‘Madhushala’ said was more meaningful. This was written in 1935 when the Ayodhya issue was not even thought of -

Musalmaan aur Hindu hain do, ek magar unka pyala,

Ek magar unka madiralaya, ek magar unki haala

Dono rehte saath na jab tak, mandir masjid mein jaate,

Bair badhate mandir masjid mail karaati Madhushala !

The Muslim and the Hindu are two but their cup is one. One their drinking place, one their wine.

Both remain one till to Mandir Masjid they go. The mandir and the masjid bring the differences and tear them apart. But the House of Wine brings them together again.

Written in 1935. So many years ago, but so topical even now in these prevailing circumstances. The symbolism strong and meaningful.

Foresight of the poet, his thoughts and his vision, have always been the conveyor of great poetry and greatness. The ability to put in words what most generations of humanity finds difficult to observe.

How apt in today’s circumstances.

I sit today at a desk that has not been visited for some time. Its properties remain the same as I must have left them when I was last here. Sometimes it is good to get back to the old and tried and tested. The past. Time may have changed but the vibrations do not. Suddenly you begin to enjoy its presence. You wish to stay here longer. Suddenly where you were till now does not matter so much. What matters now is where you are at, even if it be, where you were once. Fascinating feel.

One of the points of debate on the Tv today were just this. The younger generation does not remember the past or its relevance. And what it does not remember does not become relevant. Their concern for it, is distracted. It did not feature in their current thoughts, so why should they allow it to become a part of their concern now. Move on they say. Look towards the future. Of what remains to happen, not what has happened. Respect and remember it yes, but to dwell on it, futile.

And I wonder would they be thinking the same, 30 years on, when their todays events shall feature in their lives again. Worth pondering, for, that is all we shall be capable of doing. We are not going to be around to see the effect and they would not want to be thinking of it just yet.

” It is a thing of no great difficulty to raise objections against another man’s oration – nay it is very easy ; but to produce a better in its place is a work extremely troublesome . ” ~ PLUTARCH

More love .. and more ..

Amitabh Bachchan

Prateeksha , Mumbai                   Sept 28/29 , 2010                Tue/Wed 1 :21 AM

Ten years ago in the year 2000, when the entire world was celebrating the new century, I was celebrating my disastrous fortune. There were no films, no money, no company, a million legal cases against and the tax authorities had put notice of recovery on my home.

An offer for television changed all that when I agreed to anchor ‘Kaun Banega Crorepati’ much against all the advice and resentment from friends family and advisers. Taken to the United Kingdom at the Elstree Studios where ‘Millionaire’ was being recorded, I observed the elan and grace of the show and the immense production values that it incorporated. If they could give me this in India I would readily agree. They did, I agreed and KBC took its initial steps. It soon became apparent that it was going to be big and prosperous. I merely sat back and played the game as best it could be played. Before long I was out of the financial crisis and signing on an almost 2 year deal with the channel that was carrying it.

That is how it all started. Tonight at the Marriott at 7 PM, Sony launched KBC with great fanfare, making all the relevant announcements and providing an opportunity for members of the media to come on stage and play the game with me. One was chosen and with the real mock up of the KBC set, we played and introduced all the new features of the show this season, making it a most unique press conference. The media was on whistle and scream mode from the moment it started till the every last.

God Bless you media … it was the best media event I had ever attended. From the moment the lights came on on stage, one could sense that the media were there with you. Its always a good indicator for any event and tonight was special. I have never been to a press conference that had this level of excitement and encouragement. Thank you media ! And may the God’s bless and protect you.

So KBC is on for the first broadcast on the birthday Oct 11, 2010 at 9 PM on Sony. There are a few changes too. The money tree has been reduced in the number of questions – from 15 before to 12 now ! You get to the prize 1 crore quicker. Four lifelines, two being the same and two different. One new is the ‘Ask the Expert’ … an expert in any field is in the studio and is willing to help in finalizing an answer. They appear on a LED screen and we can chat to them. Fastest Finger First contestants stay on for the entire week, instead of leaving when the episode is over. And if you play along with the show sitting at home, you get an opportunity to win Rs 100,000, a lakh ! And then the clincher ! Top question prize money after the 12th is the 13th., for 5 crore Rupees !! Thats like, serious life changing money !

Now the buzz is out and the anticipation as to what and where it will happen has begun. The butterflies in the stomach gain courage in their existence within the bowels, and the shivers of first day, rattle along the entire body.

Now the elements shall take over. Our work is done. Its over to the audiences and their love, like or dislike upon the subject. The executives of the company give me courage in their understanding of the moment and hopefully we shall have a good product in front of our screens early October. Amen !!

The good in such events is obviously large and productive. But during the bad times too, something kept going – the will and desire to overcome !

Is there a crime involved in the desire of seeking knowledge ? I guess not. Nor is there a crime involved in knowing through vibration and meditation what the future holds for you. Some of these very intimate claims, at times create issues. But by and large they are most welcome. The human has been designed in a particular manner and when he or she cannot perform the natural traits, they resort to the supernatural.

These people or call them new age discoverers, live with a hope that can solve any issue. What needs to be seen is the desire to float even further. And when the soothsayer does proclaim thoughts and ideas that are noble and just and caring, somewhere there is belief that ‘what will be will be’, even if its the sweetest gift of all from the ‘management’ !!

It chimes past 2 AM ! Not the most necessary time for night slumber. But it must be observed and reckoned with, along with some of the images that they never come your way – or perhaps they do !!

Love you all immensely … keep well and soon I shall be getting into the ‘yellow ‘ mode ..!!

Amitabh Bachchan

Prateeksha , Mumbai                        Sept  26 , 2010                      Mon  11 : 58 PM

It is amazing how regularity converts a dull lethargic almost disinterested individual into action. When a commitment has been made, when schedules have been set, when time lines have been drawn, a certain diligence overtakes the individual. The body hitherto lying listless and vague, suddenly spurs itself onto activity. There is a speed of action. There is purpose and there is the will to to accomplish it.

Sometimes provocation does the job of an energy drink that wakes you up and puts you in a mood to get the work done. Other interests take a back seat or do not come up for consideration. A singular purpose drives you and remains with you till it is time to switch it off.

I am happy that a task has been set for me ; that a time line has been charted out and that I need to adhere to it. I think I function better when this is done for me, rather than setting the time lines myself. Following comes easier to me than leading. That boy scoutish attitude of following the leader has still not left me from the days in school. And thank God for that. I wonder how I would have managed without it.

Being the man in the house then at times becomes a heavy task, for, all the decisions need to be taken by the head. And if the head is an indecisive Libran, we could all be sitting up rather late !

The problem with most Librans is that we tend to look at an issue first, from the other persons point of view and, our sense of justice and balance is so immensely great that until both levels are adjusted fairly, we are unable to reach any where.

If I have inadvertently been unable to reach out, it is probably because of this inherent trait in me. I hope that this never ever comes in the way between us at FmXt. That would be so disastrous !

As the KBC recordings continue there is developing a deep regard and respect for those that do not come from urban and affluent India. What they lack in commerce, they more than make up for it in character and temperament. I notice day after day, as we go through the contestants eager to come on the hot seat, that apart from the desire to be in position to make a lot of money, their main desire is to be in the surroundings of the show. Yes they have plans to win. But if they do not, there is no remorse. In fact there is a great deal of contentment. Either that, or they are so accustomed to disappointment, that a failure in a game Tv show would hardly feature in their senses. They are resigned to the fact that this is a godsend for them to be in a position of wealth, but equally I find them completely oblivious to the actual value of their earnings on KBC. Fate plays a hard role for them, and their belief in it is so strong, that any challenge to it would be severely dealt with.

What a wonderful way to live life !!

From KBC with love …

Amitabh Bachchan

Prateeksha , Mumbai                     Sept  26 , 2010                   Sun  11 : 58 PM

Just back from KBC recordings and another day filled with great contestants. They are respectful, full of joy and so so kind. The small towns that they come from are indeed no longer small. Communication and connectivity has made their lives so involved and informative that I am surprised at the kind of correct answers they give to the most … well .. urban centric questions !

Its been a delight to be among the crowds and the hopefuls, to share their moment of glory, and of course to be with them holding their hands when they stumble. Their simplicity has been astonishing. But their regard and respect is in tact, and that is their most endearing quality. God bless them !!

We record KBC on the floor in Film City, number 16. The same floor that I worked on for ‘Black’ with Sanjay Leela Bhansali. Those were magnificent days. It was my first with Sanjay and firsts invariably are filled with apprehension and uncertainty. Working with a master always creates that feeling of not being able to live up to the expectations of the director and this director was no less. There was an air of finesse and grace and aesthetics even before you entered the set. A stickler for detail he always wanted every bit of property to be the finest and to be in the right place. His artistic eyes travelled continuously and on several occasions he would catch me as I retired to one corner of the set to rehearse. When the camera started he would remind the artist of the moment of rehearsal and provoke them to do what he had noticed them doing in an informal moment. At least on several occasions he told me so and I quite liked the idea of him incorporating those little informal moments that I spent alone with myself.

The first set for ‘Black’ as you know got gutted down by a freak fire on the floor and a lot of our good and arduous work was lost. It was heartbreaking for the director and most disturbing to all of us artists. Overnight the entire set of the house had burned down through a short circuit in the electronics and for many months and years this floor 16 was unusable.

We had all done some wonderful work during the schedule. As you know Ranbir Kapoor and Sonam were assistants on ‘Black’ to SanjayLB. They worked diligently and often were involved in training the little girl for the role she was playing in the film. I would notice for hours Ranbir would sit with Ayesha telling her how a blind and dumb girl would behave. And she came out trumps.

Then in the middle of the very first schedule a fire and sitting at home ready to leave for Studio 16 being informed of it and rushing off immediately to be with a most distraught Sanjay at his home. Luckily no one had been hurt, because it happened when the floors had shut for the day.

I had told Sanjay to get back to work instantly and not live in this world of loss. We would start again and make it look even better, I had said. And so we did. But I still feel that that first set was amazing. Once done it is difficult to relive or redo in the creative world. You move on maybe but to get back and reemploy, redesign, or simply cry over the change and loss is and does have a cathartic effect on people.

Sanjay refused to rebuild the set on floor 16 and refused to go back and shoot their. He had lost a great amount of his creation on that premise and to have suddenly been forced to reconsider it was what was disturbing him. It was untenable. We shot the film in many other studios, but never went back to floor 16. For years that particular floor remained damaged and forlorn, for, the fire had destroyed its very structure.

It has now been rebuilt and is functional again. I was invited by ShahRukh to visit it when he shot ‘OmShantiOm’ on it and it was heartening to see it back in its glorious state. But Sanjay never went back there. It was considered as a bad omen for him and that was it.

Sony has now in all its generosity built a large and spacious chalet for me by its side and I am embarrassed to occupy it. I am quite happy in my little vanity van, that remains parked by the door of the floor. The chalet invites one to actually settle down in there. Every possible requirement for a livable house has been provided by the channel and I do hope that I can do justice to it.

The rains have disappeared. They say the last showers fall around and upon Ganesh Chaturthi, the day the final immersion of the idol takes place. Ironically it has always rained on the day of the final ‘visarjan’ and then stopped.  Almost providentially ! The weather shall warm up and October shall become the most uncomfortable month, soon to be overcome by that gentle cold breeze of winter. Well, an excuse for winter.

Winters are best in the north and in Delhi in particular. The entire smell of the city gets replaced by the blossoming of the flowers, the smell of espresso coffee in all the restaurants, woolies out from the boxes and at night, the fire place to keep the cold away.

Ah !! One could carry on and on about the winters, but suffice for today ..

My love and gratitude to all -

I remain with love ~

Amitabh Bachchan

Prateeksha , Mumbai                       Sept  25 , 2010                       Sat 11 : 45 PM

Meetings where humans talk, can be the most exhausting exercise ever ! I thought I needed to express this ages ago, but today was appropriate and most due. I have the belief that most conversations at such gatherings should not technically last for a few minutes. The essence of most meets is that first rush and then its over. The lacing is done purely to devour the snacks on hand or that extra coffee ! But when you have no desire for that extra sandwich or are a non coffee drinker it does become a bit uncomfortable.

An endless round of people coming in and going out hour after hour, important decisions being made or considered can be the most unwanted event of any normal day. I would rather spend that time in front of a camera playing out a character, or quizzing an eager contestant on the Hot Seat at KBC ! Most of the time during these encounters – the meetings – are a perfect setting for what I need to be doing for the next film or how I should improve upon my performance at my elevated chair sitting on top of a glass flooring !

Among such escapades is the other danger of dropping off to sleep. The odd little ‘nod off’ you would hope not being noticed by those with animated verbosity. And then comes that little play acting, of putting in an innocuos question just to prove to all that you were indeed pretty involved with the proceedings !! Most of the time it works. And works well !

Meetings are a sure cure for those that suffer from chronic insomnia !

Tomorrow morning starts the new rounds for KBC and even though they have been the most taxing for any anchor, strangely you start missing it after a while. The music of KBC, its signature lines, the fastest finger first, the walk up, the questions, the tension of the correct or wrong answer …

There is apprehension before you get on … but once on the set, the roar from the audience and their enthusiasm takes over and carries you through the day ! God bless you people ! You make us !

Ok ! So the fan club and the FmXt and the Group all mixed together came over to the office this evening and gave me that most talked of and coveted gift of two marvelous paintings, meant as a gift for my birthday. And what a wonderful moment it was. The paintings are extraordinary, thank you ! But for all of them to have taken so much trouble in shipping it across to Mumbai is so so generous and kind.

A whole lot of pictures were taken and I am certain they must be on their way on the blog, so do look out for them. I wish I could have spent some more time with them, but I had to rush for an interview with EtC with Komal Nahata and I did not want to reach late. So many many thanks extended family and members of the Group for this exquisite gift. It shall most certainly adorn a prominent wall in my office !!

Its late now and I shall need all the energy for tomorrow’s KBC recordings, so I shall turn in. There are some interesting photographs that need to be put up … but for that we shall wait till the ‘morrow …!!

I love you and leave you …

Amitabh Bachchan

Prateeksha  ,  Mumbai                       Sept  24 ,  2010                     Fri 11 : 49 PM

May the Lord Almighty protect us all from ill health ! Illnesses, especially of those that are family can cause such deep anxiety that it has the capability to unsettle any given situation. The worry and apprehension that precedes it is simply unbearable.

By the evening two from the family take ill and there is naturally concern. They are distant from us, but all the same close enough for us to be worried. I wish and pray that they are brought back to normalcy soon.

My missive about the ‘common man’ was not without cause. Neither was it done with any particular motive. Its just that in their proximity, one realizes the importance of thanking the maker for making us. And in keeping us the way we are. Man is an insatiable animal. His desire for more is absolute. But when you listen or are exposed to the trials and tribulations of life through those that are termed ‘common’, you begin to wonder.

How does this disparity happen ? Why are some the way they are and some not ? Will there ever be any equality ? With equal opportunities, equal respect and equal acceptance ?

I believe that given opportunity there can be productivity even among those that lack it. I meet everyday a collection of such souls on KBC and come away feeling so humbled. Their generosity and affection is so simple that it can overpower the most complex situations. And there lies their greatness. May they ever prosper and grow.

Television is a ‘hard days night’ ! Anyone that has been associated with it will understand what I say and mean. There is the immense technology to contend with first and then the manufacture of its content. This is where several minds work together, think and plan together to out beat competition, to excel, to do better than before, so the flag of their construct keeps flying higher than the others.

It is a constant unstoppable machine that works non stop like an ogre, devouring everything that needs to come out from and in the garb of entertainment. It is constant. You can never stop and get off the treadmill. Chances are that you never will. But …

I read so many stories of Tv stars dropping off exhausted on set. Of falling ill due to fatigue. I can well understand them. Its barely been two days at KBC and one begins to feel that the amount of  perseverance and energy that is required to keep it going for many more weeks, is perhaps not available to us. A pity though.

I feel now that I would wish to sleep for an entire day, but that is improbable. I wish at times to not do anything. To not be involved in work or the daily essentials that keep coming up, but to be in no command or control of my time. To let the days pass as they are, with no commitments, no pressures of no sort at all. But then the worker in me takes over and every thing starts to fall into place even when it is incapable of doing so. This I enjoy. I love the work and I feel that when you love your work everything just starts falling into place. It is now, and I am happy. Most happy.

Love to all … and to all my FmXt a sincere hug … warm affection and even warmer love for associations ..

Amitabh Bachchan

Prateeksha , Mumbai                      Sept  23 , 2010                      Thu  11:13 PM

They call him the ‘common man’ – the aam aadmi. The one that is not a celebrity, not someone important, the everyday person, one that goes about his or her work unnoticed. And they design every aspect of society around them. Not a moment goes by when he or she is not made reference to in our daily existence. They hardly feature in the news, they do not have a face, except the one caricatured by that great cartoonist RK Laxman. No titles are ever given to them. They remain quiet occupants of our society without being labelled. And they exist ; exist in the largest numbers in the country.

They hardly ever come up for recognition, nor do they feature on the covers of coveted magazines. They generally remain dormant and confined to their condition. Yet whenever there is talk of decisions that affect the polity or the demographics of a nation, their mention pops up. Everyone talks about them, but no one ever talks to them.

I did. I talked to them today. Today at the first episode of KBC I met the common man, talked to him, brought him through his talent on to the hot seat and listened to his aspirations, his dreams, his desires and most importantly, his will to no longer remain ordinary.

They come from small towns and kasba’s with the confidence and will of some of the most accomplished in the land and they express their desire to be the most known, to become the best, to bring glory not so much to themselves but to the place of their birth, their home, their little village.

Their simplicity stuns one into humility. Their determination fills you with pride. You wish to do so much for them. To hold them, guide them, assist them to their destination. But all they really want is the opportunity to be in the company of the exalted and unapproachable. To bow their heads in reverence, perhaps to seek blessing, to just be able to say – yes I was in the same air as ‘them’ – them, the larger than life, the greats, the people they had always looked up to.

They are the true greats that hide behind the shadows of those that have achieved. For, in their thoughts and deeds they have been far superior. For them I do salute out of respect, out of pride and position.

The cruel and grinding day for the first episode has just ended. Its merits and demerits shall be known sooner or later. But what shall remain ever in the mind will be the time spent with the common aam aadmi. The one that no one knows, yet should know !!

What a new world television has brought to our nation. The sheer magnitude of its reach and impression, the importance of its visual and the value that it creates. The minds that think and devise and execute. The race that they face through competition. The numbers that they employ control and put to work. The technology that they deal with and the several fresh vocations that they invite to be tapped. Absolutely marvelous !!

We were shown concern over our growth in population. We in India are one sixth in the world. Every sixth person in the world is an Indian. And so when the demographics are often brought to us as an obstruction for our society, it balances off so beautifully with the numbers and ‘eyeballs’ for a Tv programme. And no one is objecting !

They bring in the TRP’s, the general entertainment factors or whatever it is they seek for commerce. They are the ones that watch in numbers. They are the ones that, influenced by the commercials on the tube, get the bugs for consumerism. And they are the ones that contribute the most for its fulfillment.

How ever could they be termed ‘common’. They are not. They are the heart and the pulse, the gaze and stride of any society.

I met them today and I am blessed to have done so ~

Good night … goodbye and god bless you !!

Amitabh Bachchan

Prateeksha , Mumbai                      Sept  22,  2010                     Wed  10:15 PM

Starting a film after a gap of almost 2 years can be a disturbing factor. The offers were there, the makers were there as were the stories. The intent was there as was the desire, but just somehow the time I guess was not there. And now when the time is there and the intent, many desires clear the way to start off again.

The morning then was devoted to the mahurat of ‘POWER’ a film to be made by Firoz Nadiadwala directed by Raj Kumar Santoshi and starring Sanjay Dutt, Ajay Devgan, Anil Kapoor and a host of other stars as well.

After a lot of back slapping and hugs back stage of the platform where the first shot was to be conducted, the four of us got on to our respective dialogues, the clap was sounded by eminent politician from the ruling party Gurudas Kamat, Prakash Jha switched on the camera and we were on !

Many photographs and media questions later we dispersed, hopefully with the right impression on what kind of film we were about to undertake. It was an auspicious day. The final day of the visarjan of Ganapati. Ganesh leaves the homes of those that brought Him in and had prayed and kept Him all these days. Today He is ceremoniously taken out from the homes and immersed into the sea, with the chants of his early return next year !

The roads and streets are packed with millions of people on their feet, escorting their respective Ganesh’s to the sound of drums and music and dancing. Truck loads of devotees drive up and down screaming and shouting their exuberance. There is festivity in the air and the entire city is one big parade of music, gulal and dance. Incredible India !

As I punch in my thoughts the drums are drowning out the sound of the keys being depressed. People are shouting praise to the God ‘ganpati bappa moriya’ – Ganesh ji you are mine ! Floats carrying the idol move by slowly with all reverence and dignity. The women are dressed in their finest, bejeweled and with flowers. The men are more stark and spare, faces and hair colored in crimson gulal, hot and sweaty and in motion continuously, chanting dancing in abandon. The sea front is another world all together. Hundreds of idols being offered to the waters, till they immerse and drown into the depths. There is a sense of emptiness among the devotees. They have been with their Ganesh for the past 12-15 days in prayer and respect and today they bid it farewell and submit Him to the waters.

Tomorrow is another day, a day when we start off the recordings for KBC. Fingers and toes all crossed. Anticipation high, expectation from audience even higher. It is a territory ‘been before’, but every before has its share of apprehension. We pray that all goes well and for that we need your wishes.

Yes it is true that once work starts, life starts. So, many other works that had been pending, suddenly start getting attention and you feel that the more complex and exhaustive the nature of the work, the more the desire to attend and complete it.

Our neighbor Mr Barot has invited us to pay homage to the Ganpati in his home and Jaya and I walk across to pay our respects. Neighbors are so important and necessary for our existence. We sometimes forget how valuable their presence can be. There are several customs and beliefs from the more conservative period of our lives that have always paid attention to the neighbor. The culture exercised by some is that if they are moving or shifting home and they are in the process of selling off their property, traditionally they are supposed to make the first offer to the immediate neighbor and also inform him that they shall be moving out.

During weddings, particularly of girls in the home, the practice is to get a vessel filled with water from the neighbor – particularly so when its a girls marriage. When Shweta was married the water was brought in earthen pots from the neighbor first and then the water of the house is used on the day she is being bathed with haldi. Its the brother of the girl that is sent to fetch the water. Abhishek had gone. If there is a desire to make curds, the first jamun comes from the neighbor. Such small yet endearing acts of friendship togetherness and affection instituted for the person next door !!

Most of the day has been spent listening to the bands of humanity going past the house in divine revelry, while the wife and I have watched ‘Boston Legal’ the quality Tv show from … well … Boston !

We start early tomorrow … and that would mean an early departure from this site ..

Love and may the blessings of the mighty Ganesh be with all of us on this auspicious day !!

Amitabh Bachchan

Prateeksha  , Mumbai                       Sept  21, 2010                     Tue  11 : 46 PM

One of the greatest joys of life is the acknowledgement of joy that you give to others ! And today one got to see it in abundance. God bless those that have loved and admired our work. Those that have considered you from images on an illusionary screen. Those that lived and functioned in the hope of meeting their choice stars from the celluloid ; that had little tales to tell of their encounters and connections. That have carried memories of all that we meant to them for years. For me they are the true celebrities. They are the ones that need attention and acknowledgement.

I have only just returned from the technical dry runs of KBC and the experience of the mock contestants, the affection of the audience, called to sit in as dedicated Tv audience as just so so endearing that it was difficult to tear myself away from them.

Nilesh from FmXt was there and would you believe it, was the first winner on the Fastest Finger First test, to join me on the Hot Seat. He went up to 12.5 lakhs ! The others that came in all had such endearing stories to tell.

‘Saw your shooting in the Netaji Subhas Stadium in Kolkata for Yaarana’ he exclaimed and ‘was in the crowd watching you perform for Shakti in south Mumbai.’ A shop in that corner we shot was named Shakti, and still remains so he informs me.

‘Watched ll your films from the time I was little’, says another and ‘I never imagined that I would one day meet you in person’. What can one say at a moment like this. It is equally speechless for me as it is I presume for them. But the whoops and cheers that went up when I announced ‘chaliye aap aur hum khelte hain Kaun Banega Crorepati !! was deafening.

All this for the first dry run on the sets of KBC. Familiar ground, but new innovations and electronics did put us into adjustments and corrections for the mock rehearsals. All in the course of the evening and all in the course of what Tv programming is all about and all in the course of creativity. May it live long and prosper.

Akshay was shooting in the film city next door and messaged me that he would wish to meet me. He propagates the cause of the Special Olympics and desired that I do a small Tv bite that stated how we must never refer to disabled children in their disability and call them Retarded. Instead they needed to be treated and handled with care and understanding, teaching them to stand on their own feet and not be the cause for any kind of contrived sympathy. Felt good doing that.

The morning had started off early at the dubbing studios to do voice overs for the Gujarat Tourism films. They were all from the second phase of the campaign and were looking pleasant and inviting. The one at the Sabarmati Ashram brought goose bumps. But then that is what greatness in the human does to one.

The Times of India printed Abhishek and my visit to the Lalbaugh cha Raja today on the front page. That prompted many reactions from different quarters. But now our ease of obtaining darshan, has been converted into requests from connected personnel, seeking and asking us for the same. So since the people involved were all work oriented as far as our work was concerned, I had to call up the authorities of the pandal and make concessions for their meeting with the God ! A good deed never goes unnoticed.

There is the issue of the judgement on the Ayodhya, Babri Masjid matter coming up on the 24th, and a large majority of the people particularly those in the forces have been sending us requests to send personalized messages for peace and harmony to prevail irrespective of the outcome of the court order. Bharti Dubey from the TOI writes a column and wishes to know my reaction on the secular and integrated nature of the Industry, or whether differences occur within communities when reactions become violent and separatist. No they most certainly do not ! We take pride in the construct and intent of the fraternity. We are I believe one of the strongest examples of national integration and one that we all are very proud of.

During the 1992 riots after the bomb attacks in the city, we had all got together in a peace march that walked the length and breath of the riot stricken areas pleading for harmony. We play characters from different faiths, even though we may not in reality belong to it. There has always been an unwritten law within us that has kept us integrated and together and transparent. And we can never think of any other than the deep desire that peace and well being prevails after the court verdict on Ayodhya on the 24 th of this month.

Tomorrow morning we start ‘POWER’ the film with Raj Kumar Santoshi. A soft launch through a mahurat, in a nearby Hotel and then back to KBC. Time and place do not have a stop block within them. We accept the times and the place and do our best, leaving the rest to all of you.

Good night my dearest ones, my family, my support system … it is late is it not …

Love ,

Amitabh Bachchan

Prateeksha , Mumbai                         Sept  20/21 ,  2010                       Mon/Tue  1 : 39 AM

Lalbagh cha Raja .. Ganpati morya !!

Amidst heavy and very heavy traffic, crowds and millions of devotees, a visit to the most famous Ganpati in Mumbai for the ‘aarti‘ … but alas ! just could not move in this heavy traffic and reached when it was over. Nevertheless, a ‘darshan’ of this famous idol at the end of a thin narrow lane has attained such mammoth proportions that it is now revered at an incredible value of belief.

Abhishek and I after what seemed like an eternity finally got to get the coveted ‘prasad‘, right near the feet of the idol, a place where the masses hardly ever get a chance to visit.

Thats our car stuck after the darshan is over and we want to make a quick exit … no chance … nothing moved … took an eternity to finally get out of it.

I had been to Lalbagh Ganpati almost 33 years ago. Thus I was made aware of, by one of the trustees of the show, who promptly brought out a booklet of all the visitors that had been to this historic idol of Lord Ganesh .

In all the management confusion and rush and things one never ever missed the grand image of the God - resplendent, majesty, aura and presence. And the belief so strong and dedicated that each year the importance of this image has grown into a massive following, that congregates into this narrow lane, looking, trying desperately to get a glimpse of the god in all his splendor.

Took us more than 4 hrs to get in there and perhaps just a little less to be in Ganpati’s presence. I had been here with Manmohan Desai during one of his early shoots, perhaps in the 70′s. And today this !! Blessed and so happy for some of the guests we took along, one of whom had tried in the day to visit Ganpati and had to be asked to leave without meeting him. She had spent 3 hrs waiting and finally had to come away disappointed. So happy that she could fulfill her darshan with us.

I had been shoot/rehearsing at Film City for KBC and decided to go their with Abhishek. Abhishek was at an even more complicated destination, half way down from Pune. So we co ordinated our meeting point and met up at the ITC Parel Hotel. From here loaded with police escorts and organizers and Times of India personnel, who had incidentally set up this visit, thanks to the lovely and enterprising Priya Gupta, with whom I had worked on the Aman ki Asha programme, the cultural understanding between India-Pakistan, we gradually wound our way to the Ganpati idol. But the following and the sheer ‘bhakti’ from millions of devotees just could not get us to the ‘pandal’ for another one and a half hours, a journey that normally takes 10 mins. And this was the back route !!

But finally we made it and what a divine darshan we had !!!

Earlier in the day putting the final touches to the KBC enterprise that starts recording in a few days, took most of the morning and evening. Lighting and maneuvers and final understandings for the show. Such a complicated computerized endeavor ! More of it tomorrow.

Akshay was shooting close by on another set and wanted to meet me. He came over bright and strong as ever. Its to give a bite to a movie channel pleading non mention of the name ‘handicapped’ or ‘retarded’ for physically challenged children and for those that partake in the special Olympics for them. Will do it tomorrow.

So all done … and now to bed !!

Good night and may I say .. no no  …….. must stop, now.

Love to all,

Amitabh Bachchan

Prateeksha , Mumbai                 Sept 20 , 2010               Mon 10 : 21 AM

I am deeply pained to learn of the suffering of Nidhi and Zainab.
Nidhi lost her Mother. Zainab her Nani.
Nothing in the world can replace the loss of near and dear ones and I can only express here my deepest condolences and prayers. We here in this extended family are all with you in your hour of grief.

But life moves on and shall move on. That is how it has been willed by that superior unknown force.
Let us embrace it and fill ourselves with its essence and grace.
Vandana celebrates her birthday and we all send her good wishes..

Love
Amitabh Bachchan

Prateeksha , Mumbai                     Sept 19 , 2010                    Sun  10 : 42 PM

Sixty years is considered a milestone in the life of any human .. here in India it is auspicious and is therefore generally believed that when we reach the magic age, we have indeed gained wisdom and true maturity. Shabana Azmi turned 60 yesterday and invited us for a celebration, where the theme was ‘wear a head gear’ ! Cooperating with what was desired I was the only one that donned a hat in the family – all the others going as they were ! A large majority had followed diligently the requirement of the hour and it was a relief to find some rather innovative and humorous heads, along with mine. The theme could well have been nostalgia, because most of our colleagues of the 60′s and 70′s, the time when Shabana entered the industry, were there along with blaring music and songs of the time !! In all a great evening of loud talk, even louder music and the moment of the evening – a birthday cake designed like a slum !

Now many may not know the significance of the design, but those that do will appreciate the reason and perhaps the humor behind it. Shabana, apart from being one of our most versatile and finest actresses, is also an activist, a temperament she has inherited from her socialist minded parents, the great writer Kaifi Azmi and his wife Shaukat Azmi. Kaifi Saheb being responsible for some of the most intense and lyrical songs composed for some of the most important films of our industry. And Shaukat Apa, a great stage personality in her own right ; she being associated with that very dedicated theatre movement IPTA – the People’s Theatre soon after Independence.

For those that wish for  closer reference, the song ‘itne baazoo itne sar, gin le dushman dyan se ..’ from ‘MainAzaadHoon’ was a Kaifi Azmi masterpiece. And what a moment the picturisation of that song was.

We wanted to picturise it in a stadium. I told Habib Nadiadwala the Producer, lets do it in Goa. Habib and I have had this connection with stadiums. We did the ‘Yarana’ song on my suggestion in the indoor stadium in Kolkata – ‘Sara Zamana ..’ and ‘chu kar mere man ko ..’ and then this.

We gave an add., in the Goa press that we were to shoot in a particular football stadium, hoping that a few people would turn up, sufficient to take shots of people singing along with us in the scene. 100,000 thousand turned up and hundreds had to be turned away because the facility could not take any more. Police had a law and order problem and amidst heavy lathi charge and resentment and slogan shouting from those that could not get in, we began the shooting.

I told Habib, it would be impossible to hold a large crowd for the entire duration of the shoot – it was a night sequence – so I gave him an idea. I told him that I would perform live on stage a concert as in the tour programmes that we did recently in the ‘Unforgettable Tour’, take a break in between and do the shots of the song where we wanted audience participation. So we booked Kalyanji Anandji and his orchestra, that had always accompanied us on tour and began the shoot. I would come on the stage and perform a number, then set up the camera facing the audience and start rolling the song of th efilm and get the audience to sing along with us, raising their hands on ‘itne baazoo itne sar ..’.

I stood on a raised platform on the stage almost conductor like, and activated the hand and singing movements. As soon as the song began, 100,000 hands went up in unison to the rhythm of the scene. It was an incredible sight. We had placed 4-5 cameras to catch every possible angle and as the crowd began singing with us, our DOP Mr Bhatt, Vikram Bhatt’s father, just could not control his tears of emotion, stood back and let the cameras roll. There wasn’t a dry eye among the crew and cast at this most moving moment !

So … where was I ? Oh yes … Shabana, her father and the evening of her 60th birthday. A warm pleasant evening, that ended up in the early morning hours ! I of course came away early – there was the blog to write !!

And today as I prepare for my next venture, Raj Kumar Santoshi’s next, I look back and think – its been a while hasn’t it. Wigs and beards being designed, make up tests being conducted and simultaneously gearing up for the recordings for Kaun Banega Crorepati ! The nerves are on edge, the stomach is going berserk with anticipated tension … and generally … its back to the bright lights !!! Come on baby !! Bring it on !! Lets do it !!!

Up in the front row, among eager onlookers and guests … and the ladies on the ramp !! Spot me ??

Pensive among a vibrant range of bright colors ..

Nachiket between us … the wife wears a sari designed by him …

…… and later holds fort !!

Nachiket Barve, a young fashion designer, son of our family doctor, had his show on today, where he was displaying his work and we went there to give him company and to applaud his creativity. Vibrant and bright colors, young and unique, innovative and smart. Its the first time for me to be at one of these events and indeed how delightful it was. Felt I was live on FTv, sitting on the gallery among many enthusiasts as the slender and pretty models displaying the wares of the designer walked past on the ramp. I had done the same – walked the ramp – for our dear friends Abu and Sandeep on two occasions and had felt it to be the most difficult of tasks. It is tough to keep a straight expressionless face when you know thousands of eyes are meticulously watching every move of yours. How on earth these graceful and dainty looking models manage all this in those high high heeled shoes is another miracle. But they did, and did it well and there was applause and well wishes and a killion photographs – killion, because it sounds greater than the ultimate zillion and with the amount of flash that flows out of the cameras, it could kill any average human – we wound our way back to the basement or the escape route of most celebrities through kitchen and parked cars, to our own, and out on the streets without getting into any fanfare.

At home later, Chelsea thrashed Backpool 4-0 in an awesome display of vastly superior football and the wife had very kindly cooked, what has now become one of my favorites in the absence of rice which I have left eating – kus kus !!

Fully fed up I am now in no shape and desire to sit up any longer !

Good night dearest ones … as many among you plan holidays to India. Wishes to those that had birthdays and were overlooked by me due to my increasingly involved schedules and my condolences to those that have recently lost the near and dear …

Not being personal and individual in acknowledgement, does not indicate for me that I have overlooked response. No indeed not ! I have seen and read and understood. Its just that I have not been vocal. I will. In time. Soon perhaps.

Love to you … and more !!!

Amitabh Bachchan

ps .. it is Sunday !!!!

Prateeksha , Mumbai                          Sept  18/19,  2010                      Sat/Sun  1 : 32 AM

At a certain age, once routine gets broken it has the capacity to cause sufficient damage that could bring about substantial attitudinal changes. For a few days now, due to unforeseen circumstances there has been a break of routine, a change in timings, a discontinuation of the rigid schedules that had been prevailing. And it has been observed that such processes cause grievous harm to our normal behavior.

Sleep patterns undergo change, the desire to work to schedule diminishes and most importantly the will to accomplish, proceed, execute breaks down. I think for anyone this could be devastating. The body slows down. Interest in everyday work or procedure takes its own time and generally there is a feel of lethargy and disinterest. For creative individuals this could be a most harmful situation. It could rob one of the desire to perform, to do, to produce.

May such a situation never ever envelope any one. And if it does, then may it be short lived and quick. The spectacle of inactivity and waste afflicting those that have been seen to be active and alive, is something that is disturbing. Let not anyone face such dilemma.

It is simple to be the sage of analysis and research. It is difficult to be the analysis or the research. That requires introspection of the most honest kind. Most of us are incapable of it and hence suffer.

I suffer today because the schedule and process of diligent programming has taken a back seat or has quite simply not been activated. Work must start now before it is too late. Once that is finalized all else falls into place. It may seem to others that great effort is put into getting involved in so many different vocations. They are wrong. What gets one going is the responsibility of commitment. Once given must be executed. And as the execution takes place, time for all else finds its position. But … get the work first and make a start ! All else shall follow later and successfully too.

As then therefore, the schedules for work kick in, I find myself looking after many other things that would never have been initiated. There has been far too much inactivity. Inactivity deadens the desire and that is the most unwanted factor in the life of an artist. Resting on laurels, on living within the hope, that my own accomplishments are sufficient to take me through, are the first and indeed the most important void that needs to be filled with the truth first and then made aware of its feasibility.

Bottom line – get off that rocking chair, get booked and see how time and method take over. The excitement returns, the joy of work even in extraneous circumstances looks pleasurable and results start pouring in.  And may this remain ever the mantra for all of us !

Its Shabana Azmi’s 60 th and we have just returned from a celebration in her honor at a nearby new facility. And what a joy it is to be able to catch up with old friends, friends that have not been in touch despite their close proximity in the industry, for years and years. There is Vinod Khanna and Shatrughan Sinha and Tabu and an endless train of friends and colleagues. Friends from the social world, definitely unconnected because of the factor of celebrity, but friends all the same. Old associations with people from the early days in Kolkata, prospective producers, respective directors, colleagues and friends.

The songs of the 60′s and 70′s played, people sang, danced, conversed, laughed and drank. After a while it became uninhibited splendor. It is I believe the best time to leave the occasion. And so I do. Met all those that needed to be met, recalled old ties and sentiments, travelled back to laptop and fmxt. Rather connect here than some unknown factor that is brought in to you. Try to bring in change. A change for the better, with commitment and resolve and then go back …..

I shall remain yours in assault and determination to face it …. that is what brings us together, so be it …

Love to all

Amitabh Bachchan

Jalsa , Mumbai                  Sept  17,  2010                   Fri 7 : 41 PM

The accolades still pour in, the media still wishes interviews and the mobile is a touch better behaved ! What has not changed is the air of gratitude that fills all of us here at home towards God’s grace and the love and care of our audiences and well wishers. My emotions remain with the goodness in my fortunes and the blessings of my parents – they would have been so proud and happy. We had walked my Mother through to a celebration when ‘Agneepath’ was announced for National honor and had she been with us and even slightly mobile she would have been the first to get up and dance in jubilation today.

But I know that she rejoices with gay abandon where she is and does send us her spirit of joi de verve, as was her wont. My Father would have been a more staid and silent admirer of the moment, but inside, a prayer and happy feelings would have occupied his mind.

But amidst the cheer and excitement the house has borne a smile on everyone’s face and a quiet celebration erupted after Balki walked in close to midnight straight of a plane from London. I left early – well reasonably early around 1 am, but I believe Abhishek and the rest saw the sunrise before closing …

Its Balki’s turn today and we shall be moving shortly towards his home and with the expectation of some delightful ‘idli’ and ‘rava idli’. Abhishek is being decorated with an Award by Giants International today and he and the wife are there now, soon to join us later. More reason to be happy. God has been very kind to us.

Many in the media today bring up some interesting questioning, questioning that I may never have even thought of. Its been an extremely long span of National Awards they say – from the first in 1970 for ‘Saat Hindustani’ to 2010 for ‘Paa’. Thats 40 years ! 40 years of creative span of rewardable work ! Hmmm .. had not thought of it in the manner they put it. Then .. the last three have been at a time when I have aged and past the prime of that era of multiple successes. And … why was there no recognition for films like ‘Zanjeer’, ‘Deewar’ and many others, the media asks.

Its a tough question to answer. And the safest response is ‘I really do not know’. For one, the popular cinema category came about much later in the life of National Awards and the other that perhaps the jury and the committee did not think it worthy of recognition. What else can one say really.

There was another query : that no where was there any recognition for the so called ‘angry young man’ image that I came to be strongly identified with in the early part of my career !!

More, hmmmmm s… !!

I did not have an adequate answer for them and perhaps just as well. All institutes that connect themselves with the business of a reward, have the discretion to give consider and conduct these awards in the manner they seem and deem fit. We are not in authority to question them. Views and considerations will differ, but in the end it is the verdict of the jury or the public, if it is a public choice, that needs to be respected.

For me the ultimate reward is and has always been the appreciation of the audience. Nothing, but nothing could be bigger than that. It is an award that we accept unconditionally – good, bad or indifferent. But if there are institutions that wish to honor us, then we humbly accept their verdict, thank them and move on.

Tomorrow is another day, another challenge. I must look and prepare for that.

Good night and good bye … till the morrow !

Amitabh Bachchan

Prateeksha  , Mumbai                     Sept  16/17, 2010                   Thu/Fri  2 : 33 AM

Yes ! Yes ! Yes ! It is late and time for people like me to be within the sheets and duvets. But I am here tonight to express simply, how much and greatly I appreciate your affection and love for my recognition.

The entire day has been one of great involvement – an involvement that has nothing to do with anything other than mobiles. Having received around 1000 text messages all at once, I felt it my duty to respond acknowledge and store all the wishes that came pouring in.

It is only now that I have managed to complete the list of those that had clung on to my mobile in an unprecedented show of appreciation for my other film Paa. There is great joy in getting personally involved in the process of answering each and everyone that came to you and I have managed to do that.

I wish therefore that all winners be congratulated, that they know, that there are many bigger chalenges that one has to face in order to bring credibility to ones life. And with that in mind I beg today to be excused from the limelight; a little late but earnestly involved in what we may plan to do.

This is going to be short. I will though make up for it in the days to come ..

Till then ..

Amitabh Bachchan

Prateeksha ,  Mumbai                   Sept 15/16 , 2010                    Wed/Fri  2 : 16 AM

The Almighty in His most gracious benevolence has bestowed us with such joy, that it is difficult, nay impossible to imagine, what surprises He may throw next.

My most dearest and affectionate members of the extended family, close to 5 pm this evening the Government of India announced the results of the National Awards for Cinema and they have decorated me with the Best Actor Award for ‘PAA’. But that is not all. ‘Paa’ has been victorious in a few other categories as well. Best Supporting Actress to Arundhati Nag, Best Make-Up, and Best Film (Hindi ). Four National Awards to ‘Paa’. This is just tremendous ! I am delighted of course on the results, but have to say that all this would never have been possible without the courage and vision of one man – R Balki, the director. It was Balki’s idea and thought that first got me interested and through several sittings we finally arrived at the script and story we wanted to make and the results are now there for all to see.

Thank you Balki for this and come back home soon so we can sit and celebrate !

Best Film puts Abhishek in the block too as Producer from AB Corp, for, it was his decision and hard work that saw this product through along with Reliance. I feel so honored and humbled by the news today and am particularly happy for the entire cast and crew – Vidya, PC sir and all the wonderful hands that worked tirelessly in giving a final shape to the film. It shall be one of the proudest moments for me when the President of India shall decorate Abhishek and me along with all the other most deserving winners.

As the news started tricking in and the media converged at Jalsa, I was compelled to speak to them at our office, Janak and I am late today in coming on the blog because an endless series of interviews to the electronic and print followed, which has just ended a short while back.

There is another tiding on the Awards. The Best Film on National Integration has gone to ‘Delhi 6′. And to have Abhishek as a part of this project too brings immense joy.  So yes now it can be safely said – what a day it has been !

Your continued support and faith, your love and affection, sincerity and diligent following has today given me the great privilege of  being decorated with this honor. Words shall always fail me when I shall think of how best I can describe the feeling of gratefulness towards you.

When you breathe I breathe. When you move I move. There can be no better synchronization. And all because of your deep emotion towards me. Thank you … and may you forever be blest in life !

Amitabh Bachchan

Prateeksha , Mumbai                         Sept  14 ,  2010                        Tue  11 : 13 PM

Sept  14 , 2010               Wed  12 : 17 am/Pm

And so the end of another day ..

It is the day of HINDI – Hindi Divas. And on this auspicious occasion may I wish all my readers and members of the extended family, wishes and good forbearance. A short piece of the blog today dedicated to the language that is now the National Language of the nation. It is also the language of the films that I have worked in. It is the language of my birth and upbringing. It is the language of my unique identity. It is my mother tongue. Though rightfully my Mother’s tongue was Punjabi – she being a Sikh. But here adaptation to the language she was married into was indeed remarkable. Hindi was my Father’s mother tongue, and today as we celebrate this day of the language, may we also celebrate the value of the tongue of other mother languages in this vast and diverse sub continent, called India.

Each and every region of this great land has had its share of importance in terms of culture and ethics and ethos. Every corner of our land has been gifted with an abundance of variety, not just geographically, but in its music and dance and architecture and belief. In its food habits and speech. In its way of dress and in its religious predominance. And so rich has been this diversity that it is a wonder how such a vast range of language culture and belief has been able to be contained within its large and extended boundaries.

This is our inheritance, our legacy of variety, and we are so proud of it that even though many of us from different regions will not be able to understand the other from another region, we have never considered them to be an alien. They are all Indian and belonging to Mother India.

The early morning hours were spent at a dubbing studio where I worked on the films shot for the ambassadorship of ZEN mobile, the new client I now endorse and Gujarat Tourism. And merely looking at them in their contrasting elements just within one state, endorses my earlier belief of the greatness and value of each and every corner of this country.

Yes the campaign for Gujarat has been most fulfilling. And the latest TVc’s from the second leg are most poignant and revealing. Hopefully there shall be another trip and a greater attempt to project the true essence of the State to the rest of the world. Right now the ‘Khushbo Gujarat Ki’ has enriched us all by its fragrance, so unique and special. We hope it shall most inviting for all of us.

Habib, one of my closest friends and an endearing producer of some of my earlier rather distintive films like ‘Parvarish’, ‘Adaalat’ and ‘Yaarana’ was getting his daughter married off and so we were included in the warm and very select ‘nikaah’ ceremony this evening. It is always such a joy to go down memory lane, an association of nearly 35 years, and recollect all the events that unfolded during those years. Our shooting schedules in Kashmir and Kolkata, the anxious hours at work as we waited for the news from home of Abhishek’s birth, those terrible days at Bangalore during the Coolie accident and how Habib and Jaya had singlehandedly attended to me in my deteriorating condition, the many exciting outdoors full of fun and fraternity bonding, all tumbling down in one fast moving roller coaster. Within minutes all of it, the entire length of association comes pouring out. And neither party forgetting even the minutest of detail. Such bonds are difficult to build and even more difficult to destroy. The intensity of association is huge and strong. And it remains.

It was such a joy to now see the kids, strapping and grown up, mingling and connecting after so many years as though nothing had stopped. And that is the way it should be.

That over, we exited and decided to go across next door, on the spur of the moment, to dine out – Sun n Sand, the Hotel with the mostest from those early years of struggle in the mid 60′s. It was like an oasis in this rather sparse suburb of Juhu and as we sat inside at the restaurant I coud not but reminisce and share with the children how I used to stand on the beach in front of its rather impressive facade of stone and earth, wondering if I would ever get to see what lay beyond, inside this exclusive domain. We used to be there regularly every Sunday afternoon, for, Shashi Kappor used to come to swim in its kidney shaped pool with his children. And we would wait expectantly for him to finish his swim and walk out on to the beach so we could get a glimpse of him.

And as I sit there in their exclusive dining space, management all about us, looking into every detail of our comfort, I ponder on fate and time and circumstance and say to myself – ‘O Lord you have been most kind to me’. I have got the opportunity of looking inside the portals of this space where once I had wished I could. And .. I have worked in endless films with that one person whom I waited upon, Mr Shashi Kapoor !

Never ever turn your back to life. You never know !!

Love and more … of life !!

Amitabh Bachchan

प्रतीक्षा , मुंबई                          सप्त  १४ , २०१०                   मंगल  १० : ३४  रात

प्रतीक्षा , मुंबई                          सप्त  १४ , २०१०                   मंगल  १० : ३४  रात
हिंदी दिवस के उपलक्ष में आज के इस पावन दिन मेरे लिए आवश्यक हो जाता है की मै आज  के ब्लॉग की शुरुआत , हिंदी में ही करू .

तो सब से पहेले आप सब को मेरी और से आज के दिन की बहुत बहुत बधाई . हिंदी दिवस आज देश भर में मनाया जा रहा है , और उसमे आज हम सब जुड़ रहे हैं , इस बात की मुझे ख़ुशी हो रही है .
मेरा हमेशा ऐसा मानना रहा है की यदि हम हिंदी फिल्मो में काम करते हैं तो कम से कम हमें हिंदी तो बोलिनी चाहिए सही ढंग से . परन्तु इस बात को यहाँ व्यक्त करते हुए दुःख हो रहा है की आज कल की नौजवान पीढ़ी , इस  और अग्रसर नहीं है .
मै अभिषेक से हमेशा यह कहता हूँ की , भाषा यदि सही हो तो बहुत सी बातें सरल हो जाती हैं कैमरा के सामने . सही भाषा बोलने का एक अलग ही अनुभव है . इसे हमें कभी भी भूलना नहीं चाहिए .
दूसरी बात ये की रोमन इंग्लिश का प्रयोग बढ़ता जा रहा है , और ये हिंदी भाषा के लिए achcha नहीं है . हमारी अपनी लिपि कितनी सुंदर है . इसे अंग्रजी में अंकित करना शोभा नहीं देता .
मै आशा करता हूँ की जैसे जैसे हमारे सम्बन्ध बढ़ते है वैसे वैसे हमारा ध्यान इस बहुत ही महत्वपूर्ण दिशा और सोच की और भी बढ़े.
शेष समाचार साधारण है . नमस्कार , धयवाद .
Amitabh Bachchan

Prateeksha  ,  Mumbai                    Sept  13 ,  2010                    Mon  9 : 45 PM

Nice !

Spending quality time with your son ! I did today with mine and it was most rewarding. Sometimes we forget that the little fellow that I first saw in a crib soon after he was born has now flourished into a full grown adult, ready to take on the challenges of the world, ready to give opinion and ready to fight on your side !

I have always enjoyed these warm and affectionate moments. They give a sense of strength and togetherness. Of being in the company of one that is your blood, one that shall stand by you, give suggestion but diligently obey and protect you.

I am surprised at times how we as the elders never forget the fact that the boy has now grown and is capable of doing things on his own. For a Father it is always the matter of providing fo all. We forget, or at best are always conscious of the fact, that we must protect the interest of the family first. That we are all a part of a relay team and that passing the baton to the other is mandatory. Pass it on with the speed with which you wish the next member to take off, with a firm grip before it is taken over, and then see the team runner off safely, on to the next leg of the race. If you have led till the baton is passed, you provide a sizable gap or advantage for the next and wish that he either improve on the lead or at least maintain it till it reaches the next member. If for some reason you have not been able to provide the lead in the distance of your lap then you wish that the next, covers that lag and comes out in front, and then to the next and the next.

Generations of family fraternity have wished for this simple practice ever. To be the first to lead in the relay, pass it on to the next and finally to see them emerge victorious in the end. Nothing could be more satisfying than this.

It is important then that members of the relay understand the strategy much before the race begins, to plot and plan a course of action that shall bring them up to the finishing line first. That is the race, the competition, the eventual deliverance of fraternity, of life.

As a Father I would wish to sit and talk and understand the strategy for life, for the way forward, for accomplishment and for result. It is the norm. And so when I sit with Abhishek and spend time with him they are the most glorious moments. He is my friend first now, and a son later. This I had decided even when he had not been born. Would I to be the Father of a boy, he would be my friend. Decided !

We talk of everything under the sun. His choice of the football team and its performance, my choice of what we wear, his choice of music, my choice of film, his choice of car, my choice to drive it …

And on …

The pleasure of company. The joy of exchange. The hand of assurance. The feel of security.

That to me is what this relationship spells. I know no other, and shall God willing, know no other. I held his hand when he took those very first steps on his own. He will I know, hold my hand, as I shall take my last. The baton would have passed on to him safely and hopefully with the lead he may desire. It will now be to him to run the rest of the lap in advantage.

May every Father experience the strength of this bond. May he hold up till the last inch of the track to be able to pass on what he has advantaged and may his progeny firmly grip this symbolic rod and run with it to its completion at the tape.

And may the proud Mother sit comfortably as a concerned audience in the vast stadium, relishing and applauding the victories that enact themselves before her enthusiastic eyes. Her strengths lie in her prayer and wish, in the perseverance of upbringing, in the sacrifices, in her continued unrelenting faith and confidence. Her contribution is no less binding. For she has had the most difficult task of keeping it all together in that warm and cozy nest that she builds for them all.

All hail the Mother then ! All praise the Father ! And may we as their descendants ever remain in praise, not just in their eyes, but in the eyes of the universe that we occupy.

Amen ! Aameen ! Narayana, narayana narayana !!!

Amitabh Bachchan

Prateeksha  , Mumbai                     Sept  12 ,  2010                  Sun  11 : 57 PM

Sunday morning with apprehension !! Abhishek and Aishwarya were to land from Frankfurt a little after midnight and I had kept up to go and fetch them from the airport after picking up the mrs, coming in from Paris. But their flight had a technical snag at Rome where the two were on promotional activities for their respective watch brands, Longines and Omega. There is always anxiety when things concerning airplanes come up. So was spending the night wondering what the outcome of their travel would be. Finally the aircraft repaired, delayed the connect from Frankfurt, had to switch flights to Kuwait to catch an Air India connect from there into Mumbai by 7:30 AM !! Phew !

Anyway happy to see them all home and safe, exhausted but home at last ; and just in time for the ceremony within the family of some auspiciousness. Aishwarya’s sister in law, her brother’s wife, is pregnant and as is the custom a ceremony is held called ‘godh bharayi’. This literally means, filling up her lap. the mother to be is decorated in all finery and blessings are given to her from all the elders in the family. She receives a lot of gifts and an entire bagful of things to eat. Things of her choice, things she likes. After the ceremony, the girl leaves for her ‘maike’, her Mother’s house for her delivery, if it is her first child.

Its a sweet ceremony. All the relatives from far and near get together to bless the girl. Colored rice is placed or thrown on her head and all the different kinds of eatables are placed before her. I asked some of the elder ladies from both sides what the relevance of this ceremony was. Its a symbolic gesture of happiness that she is now to prepare herself for the final months before delivery, travel to her Mother’s house and eat whatever her desire is to eat. I believe in the initial months of the pregnancy there are limitations to what the pregnant mother can consume, so the day of the ‘godh bharayi’ is when she has the liberty and desire to go past all her dietary restrictions.

I have no idea where it originated from, or what prompted our ancestors to introduce such practice and ritual, but my ‘samdhan’, Aishwarya’s mother had a vague impression. In the olden days and years the mortality rate of pregnant women was high. The elders in the home or the midwives took care of child birth. Hospitals and sophisticated medical care, was absent due to the poverty and lack of facilities in the rural areas. Sending the girl off for her first delivery was to make the girl comfortable in the surroundings of her Mother’s home and the food and eats were perhaps given as a gesture of fulfilling her every desire, before mortality unfortunately and god forbid, would take over. Also the length of the journey being long and tedious, food was given as a supply for feeding oneself, especially to the pregnant lady, in time of need ; the olden days not having the resources to provide food, were it to be immediately required.

Educated and equipped with all the relevant information, we dispersed rapidly to our own eating, which had the distinction of being the typical South Indian flavor of Mangalore, the region where Aishwarya and her parents came from. In all a most warm and endearing afternoon.

And then there was the Sunday crowd, enlarged and extended today because of the first ‘visarjan‘ of the Ganapati into the sea. Crowds and masses of people converge to the water front from different parts of the city, carrying the elephant god, Ganesh ji ceremoniously into his last journey before being offered to the waters of the Arabian Sea. Our dresses, Abhishek’s and mine, traditional because of the ceremony. The crowds a little more ecstatic than on previous Sundays. Note the arms wide spread enthusiast on top of the bus as he waves off to us. Ha ha … such joy !! One of the regulars on Sunday happened to meet me in office for an entirely unconnected matter and desired that I stand on an elevation of sorts before every appearance on the Sunday because, most of the audience at the back never got to see me. So a step up bench has been asked to be constructed by our permanent painter, builder, contractor, designer and every other odd job under the sun.

The next few days shall be filled with the sound of music and drums and prayer for Ganesh ji and then his final journey to the sea – and the hoards of happy revelers that shall go past Jalsa since it is situated on the road that travels straight into the sea. A great feel to just sit on our balcony and watch the different groups of Mumbaikars, sing dance and enjoy that one moment perhaps in their lives, when they shall be free from all other commitments. In a sense a day of solace for those that never get an opportunity to be a part of that festival. I wish I could be. Perhaps next year we shall invite Ganapatiji to come to our house and give us his abundant blessings !!

My love ~

Amitabh Bachchan

Jalsa  , Mumbai                      Sept 11/12 ,  2010                     Sat/Sun  1 : 13  AM

Another day of uncertainty, of unknown circumstances and idle wanderings. But a day when the sun shone for that one short moment. And grasping the opportunity I sat out, taking in all that it could offer through passing light monsoon clouds. The burn on the face and skin felt good. The grass in the lawn had grown and was damp and sponged with rain and slush mud. But it was very green and fresh. Not having had a opportunity to visit the exterior of the house due to the incessant rain it was a delight to see it still massively standing there bearing the onslaught of lashing rain for months. The money plants had grown to incredible heights and size. They had climbed over the side walls and on to the roof. The pride of Prateeksha, the gulmohar tree, planted as a sapling a few centimeters in height, when we moved in here in 1976, now grown beyond all imagination into a large grand old center piece in the middle of the lawn, overcome today by the massive leaves of the money plant that almost robs the gulmohar of its originality. The two champa trees by the sides of the veranda, devoid of its magnificent white flowerings because of the monsoon protective coverings over it, still green and ready to blossom as soon as the sun gets to them. And the gulmohar in the corner, planted as a remembrance of our dear pet dog that passed away years ago – a most unique amalgamation of a golden retriever and a tibetan chow chow, black tongue and all. Laden with the heavy leaves drooping over to the other side of the boundary and on to the road, bowing almost in reverence to the grave upon which it stood.

Sat there for more than an hour. Just looking towards the sun, eyes shut, taking in the vitamins D, F whatever. Until the dark presence of rain sent me scuttling in.

Simple pleasures of life.

Ram Gopal Varma wrote some exciting tweets and sms’s to me during the day, as is his wont, so I spoke to him and called him over for dinner. It is always a great joy to sit with him and chat and discuss and debate cinema, film, systems, trends. And then drove off to the airport to pick up the wife. And as I sat there in the parking lot, I sped through my tweets and caught one from Shweta. She reminisced about 9/11 and how she was the one that had been the first to draw my attention to the planes running into the World Trade Center in NYC by making the most frightened and panic stricken mobile call. And where was I ?

Inside a plane at London Airport at the edge of the runway about to take off for Los Angeles !! ‘Get off that plane’ she had screamed. And soon we taxied back to the terminal building not knowing what the reason was, only to discover the entire terminal huddled in front of TV sets watching repeats of the hits on the Towers ! There was deathly silence all around. America had shut. We were asked to find our way into London city and remain in contact with the airline till further notice. Four days went by and then finally the airports opened and I flew to Los Angeles to join the crew and unit of ‘Kante’ being shot there.

I had come away from the schedule in LA to attend the Alexandria Film Festival in Egypt, where I was being honored by the Lifetime Achievement Award. I had caught the early morning flight out of Cairo to London and was changing flights to get back to the shoot, when the news started coming in.

For four days we did not leave the TV as we stuck in our London hotel, watching in horror the events that went by. Until, all cleared we travelled to LA amidst the most detailed security routines ever. And then in the US getting down to work and the encounters we had with security – embarrassing at times, at times a bit humiliating, but taken in the spirit of cooperation and in consonance with the situation within the country.

So much has changed since. So much has transpired within this beautiful world of ours. And today as we celebrate three to four festivals and religious occurrences here at home, one wonders how beliefs and rituals and the sanctity of the moment can coincide on one day for Ganesh Chaturthi, Eid and Teej for the northern parts of the country, as also the festive day for the Jain community,  and yet not be able to understand the one common message that all faiths surrender to – peace, forgiveness, togetherness and love.

May the Almighty in all its omnipresence bring us closer to the understanding that we all crave for, within ourselves ~ love and greater love !!

Amitabh Bachchan

Prateeksha  , Mumbai                      Sept  10 ,  2010                    Fri  11: 59  PM

There are days and then there are some days. Today was one of those. You wish for nothing to happen and nothing happens. It is not lethargy, or a lazy demeanor, its just that nothing happens. From the time you realize that the morning hour approaches, you begin to wonder what the day would be like. You look forward to nothing, for nothing is happening. You wonder whether it would be desirable to take a shower, change the clothing, look fresh and clean and the answer comes in loud and clear from within – NO !

So you wander aimlessly, look for something to be involved in, to pay attention to and nothing materializes. You wish to connect with the responses on the blog – an exercise that haunts you continuously. You want to answer to the tweets that now close in on 400,000, you punch in the code for the Bachchan Bol facility and wait for the recorded assistance to ‘start recording now’, but you remain silent.

And then you wonder why this is happening to you. Or maybe not. You just wonder. Wonder not just because your state demands it, but wonder what it is that is causing you to wonder. I mean, inane thoughts such as these begin to occupy the mind. A few flashes of the ‘idle mind being the devils workshop’ adage whips past like the road dividers on a fast moving car on the highway. They are those white dashes that separate lanes, that tell you to be inside your own tunnel, that warn you to indicate if you will be changing the dashes of one to the other. But nothing works. The answers to the questions do not come forthright. Nor does the attraction to the twitter world compel you to write something. And neither does any of the sarcasm or abuse on social sites against you warm you up for a fight. Its lay back time. Not out of any design, but just …

So … you go back to back with movies and ‘Casino’ and ‘Goodfellas’ come up rapidly.The violence is horrid and merciless, but the enactment so true and real. The speech so natural and unrehearsed, but we know that the screenplay was written first. Is it all so casual and relaxed in its execution. Surely there must have been moments of discussion and design before the cameras started rolling. Whatever … the outcome was incredible. Language then is the key. If the language is known and understood, conveying thought idea and content is but a mere formality. That then is the strongest point in any form of cinematic art which involves performance. Know the language, and all else shall fall into place.

And here then is what a FmXt sent … very pertinent and deserving ~

A lecturer ,

when explaining stress management to an audience,
Raised a glass of water and asked,
“How heavy is this glass of water?”

Answers called out ranged from 20g to 500g.

The lecturer replied, “The absolute weight doesn’t matter.
It depends on how long you try to hold it.
If I hold it for a minute, that’s not a

problem.
If I hold it for an hour, I’ll have an ache in my right arm.
If I hold it for a day, you’ll have to call an ambulance
In each case, it’s the same weight, but the longer I hold it, the heavier it becomes.”

He continued,
“And that’s the way it is with stress management.
If we carry our burdens all the time, sooner or later,
As the burden becomes increasingly heavy,
We won’t be able to carry on.”

“As with the glass of water,
You have to put it down for a while and rest before holding it again.
When we’re refreshed, we can carry on with the burden.”

“So, before you return home tonight, put the burden of work down. Don’t carry it home You can pick it up tomorrow.”

“Whatever burdens you’re carrying now,
Let them down for a moment if you can.
So, my friend, Put down anything that may be a burden to you right now. Don’t pick it up again until after you’ve rested a while.”

Put down then dearest Extended Family, whatever pains and hurts you, or you cannot deal with immediately. Rest, allow time to pass and revisit – it will help ~

My love to all in great abundance …

Amitabh Bachchan

Prateeksha  , Mumbai                         Sept  9/10 ,  2010                        Thu/Fri  2 :26 AM

Yesssssss !! Just back from work and am getting down to the most important aspect of the day – well every day – the writing of my connect with all of you. And yes the anxiety expressed from others on my timings and sleep disorders is legitimate. But sometimes it gets out of control and out of hand. And nothing can be done to stop it. So there.

I am thankful to those that have wished our members of the extended family a Eid Mubarak and have liked the designed wishes posted earlier today. There was substantial reaction to it on the twitter as well and I wish to thank them all too. Its been quite a twitter day.

Wished Akshay a happy birthday in the morning, not on twitter, through sms, and I do hope he got it amidst the millions he must have received. Had also wished Asha ji, Asha Bhonsle for her birthday on twitter and she responded today with her thanks. And had a call from Shah Rukh acknowledging my concern for his health on the twitter. Laughed and joked a bit about his condition, his body suit, and his twit page getting jammed by millions of tweets from journalist friend, thereby not being able to get to read some of the messages he is getting. Gauri, his wife, he said had made him aware of my tweet and was expressing concern that he was still not looking after himself, despite my little health care advice ! Ha ha !

It has become so necessary to add those little elements of expression after writing something, just in case the media reads something else into it and goes to town breaking news on the strained relationships between two colleagues.

Piyush Pande, the advertising guru, who has been working with me on several campaigns, including the more recent ones on Gujarat, after seeing the hulla baloo on the metro rail matter, defiled and convoluted by the electronic by picking words and drawing conclusions, had a suggestion. Write the blog twice, he said, just in case they do not get it the first time !! Ha ha ha ! ( canned laughter, to necessitate better understanding of the situation )

Oh and yes … Shah Rukh was also saying that his page on twitter is so heavily consumed by Jitesh Pillai, from Filmfare because he writes so much, that he has been unable to access all the messages that come to him. Jitesh I hope you are listening ! Slow down baby, we need our messages to go through to SRK !!

I am now actually quivering with anticipated sleep condition, so shall beg to be excused before I pass out on the laptop. Good night dearest ones and may the new day bring all things bright and beautiful !

Love ..

Amitabh Bachchan

Prateeksha  , Mumbai                  Sept  9 ,  2010                 Thu  2 : 09 PM

Wishing in advance for Eid ~

Happiness, joy, togetherness, forgiveness, love, acceptance, regard, relationship ~

EID MUBARAK
I wish you and your family a Peaceful Eid.
May Allah bless and grant you barakah
in this world and the ahkhirah …
May Allah accept your fasting and duas!
Have a Blessed Eid!

My love and affection to all … as ever ..

Amitabh Bachchan

Prateeksha  ,  Mumbai                       Sept  8 ,  2010                       Wed  11 : 41 PM

The face page of the blog now almost faceless. Myriad representations from a variety of situations now replaced by a contemplative profile, almost unrecognizable. It is the way of the world. One day we shall all become a poster painting or a framed picture on the wall.

This one by the Arabian Sea off the coast at Dwarka in Gujarat is one that had been posted earlier during my visit to the shrine. But now it has my Father’s lines from one of his famous poems ‘Iss Paar, Uss Paar’ handwritten by me ~

‘Iss paar priye madhu tum ho, uss paar na jaane kya hoga !’

On this shore there is, my beloved, wine and you. One wonders what shall be on the other shore !

It is a reflection of an entire poem, which one day I shall put up in its completeness, to describe the poets thoughts on existence and life, in his own inimitable philosophy. It was written at a time in his life when he was coming out of despair and pain after losing his first wife, who had struggled for long in illness, finally succumbing to it. They were desperate days, for, he was from a most poor family and never was able to provide sufficiently from his meagre earnings, to afford care for his partner. Most and all of his works spoke of darkness and sorrow during that period. It was only after my Mother came into his life that hope and happiness, quietly strode in through those closed doors of anguish, to bring cheer and expectation of brighter moments.

How incredible then the worth of a poets work that suffers and exalts through the measure of his own life ! How then the thought, that we would never have been witness to his sadness had he not been through it in his personal experience. And equally would never have partaken in his joy had he not indulged in it.

Creativity possesses these unique qualities. It holds a mirror almost to the inner self of the creator. Were we to study some of the great lives of the masters of paint and music and writing, would we not be able to gather the inner self of these great and exquisite personalities. Would not a painting speak the mind of a Rembrandt or Picasso, or a symphony the mind of a Beethoven ?

So too with actors I believe. Does not the performance of one speak about the state of his or her nature or personal character ? Do we not judge the qualities of a person through his conduct and behavior. The body language, the speech, the movement. Do they not all exhibit generally, what the individual in person would be ?

A study I would like to believe, most important and worthy of research !

There are exceptions at times too. The most distasteful antics from some of the negative characters played on screen, turn out to be some of the most docile, honorable and lovable humans. Pran Saheb, Prem Chopra come to mind instantly, among many others. And sadly the reverse too. The most humble and kind hearted on screen, defy that character in the personal domain. Viva la diference !

I have been impressed and happy on the reactions to the different religious occasions that have found space on the blog and truly applaud the open mind with which we have all shown respect to each others beliefs. We are but a minuscule dot in this horizon, but my belief says that every individual, no matter how small, is and has the capacity, to change the lives of millions. We are not in the business of change, but we are in the business of humanity, a humanity that believes that one change can inspire many changes.

Love me, hate me … but help me to pursue the path of happiness always for those that join me each night !

Amitabh Bachchan

Prateeksha , Mumbai                       Sept  8 , 2010                   Wed  2 : 55 PM

As promised some pictures over a few days of events … the Sunday crowds and their diligent pursuit over the many years without a break, the Anupam Kher event last night and a photo shoot for a magazine that promises to come out by the end of the month .. Enjoy

With love and affection and more … later in the night hopefully

Amitabh Bachchan

Prateeksha  ,  Mumbai                          Sept  7 ,  2010                        Tue  11 : 48 PM

So many festivities, so many different faiths, so many different customs and rituals, so many different beliefs, yet so many similar humans – blessed by nature and that unknown force that all our prayers go up to.

There is joy and happiness to observe that no matter how diverse our beliefs and our religions, what they all proclaim and teach is so similar. Our own little world of the extended family on this platform is such a strong example of the unity in diversity. Of understanding and love for each other ; the strength and power of togetherness, all accumulated on this wonderful platform, that each one of us has built with care, affection, devotion and the desire of fraternity.

May we all ever remain in celebration of this bond with respect and unchallenged togetherness.

I am happy that I was able to touch the tender affection of divinity associated with Ramadan and Rosh-Hashana and Ganpati, all in one moment. The Ganpati being welcomed and prayed to through invitation into our homes, till the time for its visarjan closer to the end of the month ; the evenings purified by the collective prayers of all that join in for the aarti.

Anupam Kher, friend colleague and immensely gifted talent, had an opening of an exhibition this evening for his paintings done by a lady artist, where his entire life had been portrayed through the concept of his one act play that he had performed some years ago –‘kuch bhi ho sakta hai’. Simultaneously it was also the launch of his brochure for his new company the Anupam Kher Company, that shall be devoting its activities in the betterment of cinema and related issues.

A warm elegant and select evening, where one got the opportunity to spend time with many of our own frat, whom we had not met for ages. Tabu for example and Yash Chopra ji and Vipul and Shefali Shah and Pritish Nandy …

It has always been such a joy to be able to catch up with colleagues, that I wonder why we do not do this more often. Just the other day Ashutosh Gowariker had expressed a desire to meet up one evening and just listen and discuss poetry. Today as we sat together, there was no talk of film and film related issues. There was only laughter and an exchange of happy moments spent.

Yash ji and Pam gushed over their wedding anniversary celebrations a few days ago, organized by their children. Pritish was fed Suhel Seth isms from the twitter. Vipul and Shefali were fed with all the praise that their play was generating. And I was generously fed a million cheese toasts by the hostess, Kirron Kher.

The morning had been rushed and occupied ! A trade union strike deleted all the autorickshaws and cabs from the roads and there was difficulty among staff to reach their destinations on time, if at all they did. We were to record radio spots for the Gujarat Tourism promotions at BR Studio, a recording facility within the premises of Mr Chopra’s residence and one that pioneered modern and sophisticated dubbing facilities, both technically and aesthetically for the very first time. Now of course several have sprung up all over the suburbs, each facility getting smaller and more compact in size due to product advancement and the minimalisation of gadgetry.

I did have some pictures too. Some, of the event this evening and some from a photo shoot for a magazine and then of course the Sunday evening crowd ‘meet and greet’. But the internet is running rather slow surprisingly, and up loading is taking ages, so I shall hold that for another day.

But, for the moment may I just bid you good bye and wish you many more moons in your lives –

With love affection and the warmest of wishes ~

Amitabh Bachchan

Prateeksha , Mumbai                    Sept  7 ,  2010                    Tue  1 : 12 PM

To all the fans from Israel and over the world … greetings on this New Year. And thank you Moses Sapir.

Peace and well being and prosperity in all that one endeavors for ..

Love and more ..

“On Wednesday night. Jews around the world celebrate the Jewish New Year called “Rosh Hashanah
Jews believe Rosh Hashanah represents either analogically or literally the creation of the World, or Universe.
Rosh Hashanah is the start of the civil year in the Hebrew calendar .
Rosh Hashanah is the first and second days of the first Jewish month of Tishrei. It marks the beginning of the Jewish new year. The celebration of this holiday is marked with solemnity, as it is the day on which the whole world is judged for the coming year. Rosh Hashanah is the birthday of the world, as it was on this day that G-d created Man on the 6th day of creation.

Amitabh Bachchan

Prateeksha , Mumbai                   Sept  7 ,  2010                  Tue  1 : 02 PM

The important and Holy month of Ramadan and some insights into its meaning ; a gift from our own FmXt, with kindness and grace -

ABOUT THE NIGHT OF POWER

The month of Ramadaan has been singled out for special worship (`Ibadat) and exclusive favours. It is a month unlike other months. One reason for this, as defined by the Qur’an, is because the Holy Qur’an was revealed in this month. Says Allah in Sura al­Baqarah: The month of Ramadaan, that in which the Qur’an was sent down; a guidance for mankind, and clear signs of guidance and distinction (2:185). In fact, according to a hadith of the 6th Imam (a), the other holy books were also revealed in this month.

Among the nights of Ramadaan is one special night, which is better than a thousand months (HQ, 97:3). Good deeds performed on that single night are equal to those performed over a thousand months. It is the Night of Power (Laylatul Qadr), when the Qur’an was revealed. Some commentators believe it was the night when the Qur’an was brought down from Baytul M`amur (Heavenly abode), for Jibrael to reveal in parts to the Prophet (s). Others say it was the night when the Prophet received the entire Qur’an, but was asked to transmit it as and when the occasion demanded.

Laylatul Qadr is a celebration to commemorate the arrival of the final guidance for humans. It is a tribute to the commencement of the message revealed to mankind by their Creator, a message which shows them the way to achieve happiness in both the worlds. Just as the arrival of a child is celebrated, on its birth and then every year, as a bringer of joy and fulfilment for the family, Laylatul Qadr is celebrated as a bringer of light and guidance for mankind. Unlike the birthday which is celebrated with a feast for the senses, Laylatul Qadr includes a feast for the spirit, a feast of worship and prayers.

Some Ahadith indicate that the fate of every believer for the coming year is decreed on this night. That is why the Du`as for this night ask for special favours in the decree for the year. Believers are encouraged to stay awake the entire night, and pray for blessings and forgiveness. It is the holiest night of the year, and it would be unwise to be heedless of the tremendous benefits of this night.

Literally translated Laylatul Qadr means the “the night of power.” The night itself is great because a great book (the Quran) was revealed by a great angel (Jibraeel) to a great prophet (Muhammad Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) for a great nation (the Muslims). It could also mean that a person who spends the night in repentance and worship becomes a great person in the sight of Allah.

Qadr can also mean order or destiny. In this case it means that on this night the news of the pre-ordained events for the coming year are handed over to the angels. Thus, news of death, sustenance, Haj, rain, disasters, etc. are all written and handed over to the angels on this night.

Love and more ..

Amitabh Bachchan

Prateeksha , Mumbai                  Sept  6, 2010                 Mon  10 : 15 PM

Back to gyming, back to life, back to up beatness, back to conquering the world feel, back to spring in the voice and back to back-to-back movies. ‘Shawshank Redemption’ – why did I not see this wonderful movie before and ‘GodFather II’. I had always thought it to be the weakest of the trilogy, but NOOOOO .. understood it better than ever before and simply loved it for the nth time !!

Strutting about the house as though the theme music of GF playing in the background. Some terrific moments in the film. And did you think that Al Pacino actually slapped Dianne Keaton in the abortion scene. I think he did. With Lee Strasbourg around, maybe Al dearest took his method acting a bit too seriously. But it was the moments of silence that captivated. They always do. They are the moments that define the caliber of a director. The confidence that they exhibit, by holding a scene where nothing is happening, or seems to be happening. And Pacino’s stark controlled look throughout moments of deep contemplation, simply outstanding !

Some days back I had mentioned about that Indian spy that had been imprisoned in Pakistan and how my Father  had worked towards getting him free. Well the family came in from Ferozepur today to meet and express personal thanks for the deed. They were unable to meet my Father and they just had to convey their gratitude to me, so I met them. They had brought along the original letters of my Father and left me copies of them and it was so beautiful to being in the company of my Father’s hand written post cards and letters. One could almost feel his presence there as I opened them and read them. And today we lament those moments when we received our letters through the post. The joy of anticipation. The anxiety of what it would contain. The anxious wait for the ring of the postmans bicycle bell announcing his arrival. That quiet corner that you chose to occupy as you gently opened the envelope not wanting to destroy even the foldings. Going through the contents, reading and re reading them. Putting them away in special boxes or drawers which remained private and personal. Re visiting them at short intervals and imagining the senders sentiments. Those were glorious days. Nowadays a rushed cryptic sms, or Bberry message and at the most an email, which never could match the ink and pen efforts. Immediacy and speed has taken away the romance from letter writing. It has also taken away the confidentiality and personal attributes from the medium. The world now reads and expresses instantly every 140 characters that one tweets. Yes we have gained in connecting rapidly, but I think lost that very elusive quality that letter writing demanded.

And yes … today met up with FmXt  from Egypt Jyoti Miglani along with her husband Dhruv and her son, who were visiting Mumbai just to meet up and go back to Delhi and Faridabad. She had never been to Mumbai ever before and to have made this trip just to meet me was indeed most caring and generous. So touched.

Oh dear !! Some of the problems that we face when we have seen something as inspiring as the Godfather is the desire to never come out of it. Somehow you wish that it simply carried on. That events continued to flow. That we got an opportunity to see what more took place in the lives of this family called Corleone. You feel reluctant to keep away from it. I guess that is the classic film then. One that involves you to an extent when it would be difficult to leave it and move away. You wish somehow that you could be a part of that atmosphere, that house, that family, to share and live with them their lives. Amazing is it not to feel so strongly for film ?

Its the birthday today of late Yash Johar, father of Karan Johar, founder of Dharma Productions, and one of the finest gentlemen in the film industry. Many may not know but he started his production company with Dostana, the original with me. Then went on to make Agnipath also. Loved by all, considerate and caring to everyone’s needs. Lending a helping hand without even being asked to and one that reached out to everyone. We remember you fondly Yash ji and send our thoughts and prayers to the family.

Love to all and more to come …

Amitabh Bachchan

Prateeksha , Mumbai                    Sept  5 ,  2010                 Sun 11 : 59 PM

Why is it that every thing that is so right is wrong !!??

Expressions expressed in passion and in the proximity of the ultimate pleasures of life, can be so telling and true. But the challenges of life that we face each day shall never bring us even remotely close to the answer that we desire. If we had the correct answer we would not be indulging in something wrong. Or would it be right ? Who knows !

I have to admit that watching movies, or the desire to watch movies has never been as great as it has been within the past few days. One ends and another is desired. And for someone that makes these moving images for a living, I sometimes wonder why such an act would be of any interest to me at all. But it is.

I think there is a desire within all of us to be transported into another world, even if it be for a short period of time, to be lost and enveloped by the structure of the theme that unfolds before us. And so deep does this desire become that we find ourselves becoming almost a part of the story that develops before us. That, and the need for us all to get someone to push us into an arena where perhaps we would never have wanted to go on our own. We enjoy where we have been placed. We sympathize with the situation that we find our heroes being put to. We applaud the efforts used by him to extricate himself from a situation, to emerge victorious and unscathed. We almost will it, as we see the filmic scenario develop before us. We know even before it ends that our man is going to come out smiling and successful. Yet, the play of uncertainty till it actually happens, keeps us glued to the seats.

And how wonderful a medium this is now, when we have it at our finger tips, in our homes at will, and soon within the palm of our hands and who knows within the virtual imagery of our minds in the years to come. What would we do today without it. Yes we could some years ago, but now … there is no escape. Escape is really the wrong word. Today thankfully one must say, there is its presence at every step. And what a boon it has become for some. I think in the modern world there has not been a better and more sincere substitute for conversation than this medium. Books and reading was there. But the visual on this was an imagery that you perceived. Now they give the visual whether you conceive it or not – most cases not !

And so before we retire for the night, some more perplexing thoughts on how not to act old ~

The generation we are in may think that “the problem with us could be the kind of watch we wear – that gold crusted Rolex for example. Perhaps thats the thing that makes one look old, bourgeois and overly self satisfied.”

“Well almost. Except that that is not really the problem. The problem is wearing any watch at all. The young do not wear watches at all. In fact, a naked wrist has become as emblematic of youth as ungrey hair and a perky butt.”

“Young people use their mobile to tell the time, and if you want to seem young, you should too. Just remember to flip your phone open or light it up with one hand and to use your thumb – not your index finger – to do whatever it is you need to do. And try to make out the numbers without having to put on your glasses.”

Fascinating how the mind and imagination of some of us works.

To bed to bed and then to bed … ha ha

Love you …

Amitabh Bachchan

Prateeksha , Mumbai                     Sept  4 ,  2010                    Sat  11 : 45  PM

In a world of changing fortunes designs and forms for the last 41 years, it does become imperative , at times, to have the capacity and will to follow trend. Each generation brings with it its novel methods ideas and beliefs. It announces change and reform, language and style. And because it does so, is often under the scanner for being different and therefore not conforming to a given acceptance.

Language I have discovered makes remarkable alterations in our conversations and expressions. New and unheard of vocabulary suddenly starts to take shape, abhorred by the elders, welcomed by the new. A sense of identity is established among the creators. Those that follow and adhere to it, become part of a movement or in more plain terms, part of the ‘gang’. ‘Gang’ was as civilized as we could get in our time. In today’s time its thought moronic almost to fall prey to it. There are other more subtle and dramatic expressions, at least to my ears, of reference to fraternity. The ‘gang’ has an altogether more sinister meaning.

I used the word ‘chill’ in one of my tweets, in an effort to display my somewhat non acceptable membership to the elite of genX ! Notice how effortlessly I have submitted to the brevity of expression in what I must believe is a ‘with it’ statement. I was hoping that there would be a roar of appreciation, that, even in this advanced age, would have signalled my compliance with norm, with protocol. Sadly there was no such exuberance. On the contrary, I sensed a repulsion to the usage and a reprimand followed.

” Sorry to say Sir”, it proclaimed “but you should not be using the expression chill. It does not behove someone of your stature” !

Does not behove someone of my stature ? What stature are we talking of in any case ? And why the objection ? And then I came across some reading which defended in a way, what I was facing and gave me  a few thought provoking tuitions. And here they are ~

‘Leave it to the evil young to get all of us old people addicted to e-mail and then to abandon the form in favor of texting, Twitter and FaceBook. It is proving to be one of the Great Age Divides. Old people cannot figure out why anyone would text, tweet or whatever other verb in use, if at all it is one, instead of email. How can you articulate while typing with your thumbs. Why would you want everything you say to be public ?’

Ha Ha … ha ! So correct and true .

Back to the vocabulary and expressions matter then, and it is  believed that – ‘slang is now a short hand way to let other people know how old you are. Using too-young slang, for instance, can very easily backfire and make you seem older not younger, than you are. You are obviously trying too hard to be comfortable with something that was obviously minted by and for a generation that came way after yours.’

‘The word awesome is a prime example. Few people over the age of forty can say ‘awesome’ in what sounds like their native tongue. For the most part, if you are older than forty, do not even attempt to say anything more modern than ‘cool’.’

‘Of course you do not want to swing too far the other way and use outmoded words like keen, neat, or smart. It goes without saying that you must avoid such adolescent and hipster lingo as dude, phat and dope. It may however, be possible to successfully straddle the young-old slang divide and come up with something both cool and age-free by using outmoded words with confidence and irony !’

The young say Dude. Old say, Man and the so old it’s young again, would use Baby.

And the same would be for Whip me, Can I hitch a ride ? and Can I get a lift ?

Its a wicked description to all of how not to act old. So there !!

I do not desire youth and the young in expression to confirm I am not young. But what harm if I did ! Any deliberate attempt on my part would rob me of my naturality, even if it was being faked. I would not make effort to impress public vision on my revolutionary genX or Y or Z incubation. It would be private perhaps and better among those close enough. The others would not need it.

Give me then the liberty to indulge within the portals of my extended, with what I believe should be before us. Slang or Staid would surely have to be a decision, personal in nature. So chill ! There ! Did it again ! And who cares. I am within my family. Am I not ??

Love and more and … what would be slang for GN !!

Amitabh Bachchan

Jalsa , Mumbai                 Sept  3 ,  2010               Fri  10 : 27 PM

What is this about the classic – whenever you see or hear it, brings you closer to that force that creates that guides that controls us all, that unknown unseen force which many believe to be the Almighty.

As the wife and I witness the flow of incredible singing talent on the ‘Sa re ga ma’ tv show on Zee, I cannot but feel this connect, this invisible wire that joins all of us to that force. It is inexplainable and beyond description when it happens, but it does happen and the feel is one of great liberation.

And so I envy those that have benefit of music within them, who know the instruments, the voice and the knowledge, for they have built a world within a world to which they can go to whenever. And what a world !

Superb !!

Many a moment in life I have wished to spend time and effort in getting down to learn just any one instrument, but just not getting enough courage to get into it – it would perhaps take me another lifetime ! And so, helpless, I retire to my own piano, gifted to me on my birthday by the family and start pushing some ‘blacks’ and ‘whites’, randomly, and try to look so very professional and well equipped. There is nothing of value that comes out, but I do have to say that every note creates that much desired feel of  … what can I say … fulfillment !!

The show draws to an end and so does the moment on this blog ..

Wishing you a pleasant night ..

Amitabh Bachchan

Jalsa , Mumbai              Sept  3, 2010                Fri  7 : 47 PM

ALLAH knows what is best for us; So why should we complain
We always want the sunshine; But He knows there must be rain.

We always want laughter; and the merriment of cheer
but our heart will lose their tenderness; If we never shed a tear.

ALLAH tests us often; with suffering and sorrow
He tests us not to punish us; but to help us meet tomorrow.

For growing trees are strengthened; if they can withstand the storm
and the sharpness of the chisel; gave the marble its grace and form.

ALLAH tests us often; and for every pain he gives us
and provided we are patient; Is followed by rich gain.

So whenever we feel that; everything is going wrong
It is just ALLAH’S way to make our spirit strong.

JUMUAH MUBARAK

Its Friday, Jummah and a lovely verse from the FmXt and a desire to share it with all extended family as I sit down to pen a few thoughts. A quiet day, a day of peace and tranquility, of hearing and bearing good thoughts. Thoughts of association and connections with those who are near and dear. Those that care and love. Those that show togetherness and wish us well. It has always been such a rewarding experience, when desire and thought match, come face to face on the same plane. The world brightens up. Exuberance fills the air and that welcome glow appears on our faces. “Forgive everyone for everything”. “Life isn’t fair but its still good”. “Time heals almost everything. Give time time”. “Don’t compare your life with others, you have no idea what their journey is all about”. And then the absolute clincher – “What other people think of you is none of your business”.

All of them such rewarding words. Words that if we were to even remotely get close to following, our lives and thinking would be so different. I think that if every day we were to sit silently for half an hour, just by ourselves and ruminate – on who and what we are – as honestly as we could, we would be a lot more accomplished to deal with any situation in life. When you will bear the honesty and truth of what your insides say, it shall be the best that you would ever have desired or wanted.

OKKAAAAAYYYYY  !!! enough of sermonizing !

Introspection is good. But terribly boring when it is narrated to others. So .. live with this till I finish my dinner .. and then perhaps there shall be more ..

Love and happiness,

Amitabh Bachchan

Prateeksha , Mumbai              Sept  2,  2010                Thu  11 : 08 AM

Dearest FmXt,

The morning brings in tidings of well being and joy – the birth date of Lord Sri Krishna. May all your days be filled with happiness always and may all your troubles be spared the anxiety and pain. This is my humble prayer for all of us and all of humanity.

Someone has mentioned on our platform one of my songs from the film ‘Khuddar’ – ‘mach gaya shor ..’ that had a sequence of the great ‘govinda matki’ festival on screen. As many know its the time when different parts of the city shall hang up the traditional earthen pot, or matki, high in the air, suspended generally through pieces of rope from one building to the other in the middle of the road. The matki is symbolic of the pot containing curds, a favorite of Krishna, who as a child would playfully steal it away.

During the course of the festival, groups of young will build human pyramids to reach out to the matki in the air, break it and receive its contents, generally a high ended prize !

The sequence in ‘Khuddar’ was the reenactment of that moment and how I as the main character in that small community, was climbing up the human pyramid to reach up and break the handi or matki.

‘Khuddar’ was produced by my dear friend Anwar Ali, Mehmood’s brother. We worked in our first film together ‘Saat Hindustani’ and then remained together till date. When the song was to be recorded for the film they all insisted that I sing it, since a few that I had sung earlier had been appreciated. There was a problem though. The scale set by the music director was too high for my voice and so we had to bring it down to suit my singing. That done we went ahead and shot the song over several days at Chandivili Studios, an outdoor facility a little away in Powai a suburb of Mumbai.

The handi is generally broken by the hand of the climber that reaches the top, but the dance director wanted to add a bit of bravado to my character and instructed that I smash it with my head ! Urged and egged on by all those participating I went ahead and in the most dramatic fashion smashed my head against the matki, succeeding in breaking it with all its contents, the milk and curds, flowing out amidst great applause by the unit when … along with the white liquid splashed all over my face, assistants noticed a sharp trace of red !! I had smashed my head too. My forehead had split open and blood was oozing out from a large gash on my forehead ! Stunned, everyone decided to wrap the shoot and wanted to rush me to hospital. I asked them to stay. Got into my car and drove off to Dr ‘Quick Fix’ Shah, the Industry’s family doctor and asked him to repair me. He stitched me up in his clinic rapidly, taped me and I got back to the studio and resumed shooting. Greater applause. But there was another nagging problem ! These were the days when I was working double shifts – 7 to 2, and then 2 to 10 pm ! ‘Khuddar’ was the morning shift, the afternoon was at Mehboob Studio for ManmohanDesai’s ‘Desh Premi’ , a double role of father and son and the sequence on a large set and all the artists, was the song -’ Gore nahin ham kale sahi …’. Dates expenses and time was always an important issue at shoots and nothing could be compromised with. The production panicked, but a solution was soon obtained. Luckily I was in disguise as the son for the song – a black man. I was being painted dark all over, so I told makeup to cover the white tape with the paint, pulled the curly haired wig over the stitches and went ahead. Simultaneously I was to become the Father as well, because of the dual role and thank fully there too a wig was involved. If you will notice in the film I have quite deliberately pulled the wig a little more than necessary over my forehead, to conceal the stitches !

God ! I love this profession !!

Incidentally the song for ‘Khuddar’ on seeing the rushes I felt, was inappropriate for me to sing. Was sounding so flat and besura. So after the shoot was over, it was resung by Kishore Kumar, over my track, to bring some credibility and life into it.

Here endeth then, the lesson on ‘Khuddar’, ‘mach gaya shor …’, and the festival at Janmashtami !!

Happiness always ~

Amitabh Bachchan

प्रतीक्षा , मुंबई         सितम्बर  २ ,  २०१०        Thu 10 : 55 AM

Thu 10 : 55 AM

Prateeksha  , Mumbai      Sept 2 , 2010
Thu  10 : 58 AM

Greetings on the birth of Lord Shri Krishna and may his benevolence fall on all our family and friends .. in peace and in love forever ..

Hathi Ghodha Palki, Jai Kanhaiya Lal ki

A happy and prosperous year ahead on the auspicious birthday of Lord Sri Krishna

Prateeksha  ,  Mumbai                      Sept  1  ,  2010                     Wed  11 : 30 PM

जन्माष्टमी की अनेक अनेक बधाई

Greetings on the auspicious day of Janamashtami. May all your anxieties and pain be taken care of and may you remain healthy and wise, happy and prosperous !

Another month begins. A fresh new day in a fresh new month. Fresh month in the year. A year full of hope and good tidings. May you all enjoy the days ahead in tranquil circumstance.

Tranquility, peace, stillness are the virtues of those that are enlightened. That have through prayer and meditation gained for themselves the higher reaches of humanity. Let us be humans and not barbaric in countenance.

Is it not true that when the mind is not clear that when it revolts against people and society, it is the time  to step back a bit and watch the world go by. We may not always be consciously aware of it , but come the time to leave and it all comes back.

My mind is not clear today … and hope of its recovery seems dull and distant. In such circumstance does it not feel the need to travel out and check on various matters, not quite connected or detached.

I am struggling today. Fact is what one needs to say has been deciphered, but the will is not allowing it to come out. So be it. I shall finish here and now and hope from all of us a forgiveness on today’s performance.

We are liberated today … to go our ways … to succumb …. perhaps to reproduce, but nothing beyond.

All else will happen and may God grant you the liberty to execute it as you step out of the country.

Amitabh Bachchan

Prateeksha  , Mumbai                   Aug  31 ,  2010                 Tue  10 : 24 PM

मंगल भवन अमंगल हारी द्रवहूँ सु दसरथ अजिर बिहारी

Mangal .. an auspicious day in Hindu calendars .. Tuesday … an auspicious day for the Ganesh aarti at Siddhivinayak Temple at Prabha Devi in Mumbai. The early morning aarti at around 5 am, that beckons all to come and seek blessings of Lord Ganesh. Hundreds of devotees walk barefoot from different parts of the city converging after an almost all night walk at the auspicious center and pray and offer in abject devotion. The walk starts almost around midnight of the Monday and ends just in time for the aarti to begin. I have walked too with members of my family and friends, bare feet to the temple. We start off at midnight and reach Siddhivinayak after about a 3-4 hour journey. Any act that involves divinity, prayer and submission to that unknown force, has always been sublime and most uplifting. That pain, that physical pain of the walk, blisters, torn skin under the feet, all seems redundant and non existant. Some external force sees you through. And at the end of it all as you submit yourself before the deity, the tears swell up, an inexplainable emotion runs through the body. Grateful thanks for all that has been gifted through the kindness and grace of the Almighty flow out through prayer. And as you look deep into the eyes of His form in front of you, you almost feel the acceptance in His demeanor of your submission and thanks. The bells chime in unison, the drums beat in the rhythm of the prayer, hundreds of voices join in with the singing, a unified power of sound rings through not just within the precincts of the temple, but indeed all around and into our very souls. Eyes shut, heads bent we touch the sacred resting place and await the offerings to be presented to Him and then given back to us as prasad. That one special piece of flower from His being, the auspicious coconut, the angvastra around the neck and the tilak on the forehead, orange in color an abhishekam to the invisible third eye of our being. Peace and fulfillment within us, we step away reluctantly to give space and position to the other devotees, clutching His offerings to us, we come away into the dawn of another day with the faith of His strength and the courage of His conviction.

The human, mankind and womankind alike, have devised such wonderful practices for prayer and belief. These hours and moments spent bring us closer to the principles laid down by the followers of particular faith, in one large all believing band of brothers and sisters. We feel one, we feel connected, we feel strong. We are all one inside the portals of that unknown force. One in belief, one in faith, one without our respective differences that nature blesses us with.

Bless us O Lord to be one, to be together, free from malice and hate, free from conflict and injury, in peace and love … forever !

And a prayer from Adam Seedat, a fan, a FmXt …

Thohfayeh Ramzaan
The Gift of Ramadan
(in Urdu with English translation)

By Safee Siddiqi

Mukarram muazzam hai zee-shan Ramzaan
(Most) noble, exalted and of the highest status is Ramadan

Yeh baara maheeno ka Sultan
Indeed, King of the twelve months is Ramadan

Wo noori do-shaaleh meh lipta huwa
Wrapped in the shawl of Divine Light (nur)

Munawwar munawwar hilaal Eid ka
Ablaze with Divine Light (is) the moon of Eid

Khuda ke karam, bar katho kaa samandar
(It is) the ocean of the mercy and blessings of the Almighty

Ye Allah keh laaya in-aam ghar ghar
It has brought gifts from God for every household

Ye Quran laaya, shab-e-qadr laaya
It has brought Quran, (and) it has brought the Night of Power

Aur aakhir diya, Eid ka sub ko tohfa
And finally, (it) gave all the gift of Eid

Wo roz Eid kaa shaad-maani ka aalam
The day of Eid, a joyous occasion (for the believers)

Galeh milneh ka hasneh gaaneh sangam
Embracing (each other), with singing and laughter

Wo baad-al-fajr qabrus-thaano meh jaana
The scenario of going to the cemetery after the fajr salat (dawn prayer)

Wahaa maghfirath ke liyeh haath uthana
(There) making dua (prayer) for the departed (souls)

Wo qabro peh rangeen phoolo ki chadar
Each grave laden with flowers

Safed, laal, peeleh, gulaabi, aur amber
White, red, yellow, rose and amber

Ye shereh khamoshaa gulesthaa baneh aaj
This city of silence has become a blooming garden today

Ke Eid aayi armaan pooreh huweh aaj
With Eid, has come the fulfilment of their duas (prayers)

Jidhar dekho chaayi bahaar hi bahaar
Wherever one sees, (it is) the landscape of spring

Ke arseh seh tha Eid ka intizaar
The world has waited for this day, Eid

Khushi Eid ki kiya hai jaaneh hai bach-cheh
What is the joy of Eid? Ask the children

Ke pehne-geh aaj sub nayeh kapreh jooteh
Today they will wear new clothes, shoes

Ye hai Eid ka din tho Eidee milegi
(Because) it is Eid they will get Eidee (Eid presents)

Kalee dil keh armaano ki bhi khilegi
Whatever their desires were, today it will be fulfilled

Lazeez aaj khaano seh table sajeh hai
The dining table decorated with delicious meals

Jidhar dekh-ye aaj mazeh hi mazeh hai
Every dish, indeed will be delicious

Gulab jaamun, laddoo aur burfee, jelebi
Gulab jaamun, laddoo and burfee, jelebi (Indian delicacies)

Mithaaiyya bhi haazir pasand apni apni
Sweetmeats (are there) to be enjoyed to your heart’s content

Safee, Eid hai maaheh Ramzaan ka thofa
Truly, Eid is the gift of Ramadan

Mubarak ho sub keh liyeh mereh Allah
May it be full of blessings for all, my Allah

Amitabh Bachchan