There are times when one needs to resolve whether it is going to bring you down or you shall

Jalsa , Mumbai                         Apr  12,  2012                                 Thu  11 : 14 PM


There are times when one needs to resolve whether it is going to bring you down or you shall overcome it by sheer will. Most would prefer the latter, and many that sit on judgement would expect that from someone like me too. Sometimes it becomes inevitable that those whom you admire or show fondness to, are the ones that seem to be devoid of any shortcomings. Many a time there are matters which defy resolve, but in the eyes of the follower seem to be coming along quite naturally, and with effect. This is one of the greatest fallacies of humanity. The admired live normal, talk and behave normal and are in fact normal. Put on a pedestal for deeds that come with professional tags, does not give freedom to believe that they are beyond human flailing. They are. They are weak and uncertain, with fault and misgivings. Perfection may be their professional aim, but are far away from any test laid down by others.

I may be engulfed by negativity, hypothetically, of my own doing. That will not absolve me of wrong doing, or severe punishment. The law of the land in a civil society that lives within the tenets of freedom, shall always be supreme. If justice were to be excluded, then we are in wrong hands – at least in a polity that clammers for a democratically, free society. And this irrespective of who or what I may be.

It is hateful  by me when reference is made on issues as follows : Ah ! But you are Mr B sir, what issues or problems can you possibly have that will not get resolved.

WRONG !! I am another citizen. What rights are given to others is given to me. What rules and regulations and articles of constitution are for the others, prevail for me as well. I stand in queue at airports or entrances to events. I am driven past many that follow regulation by managers of the location, feigning urgency or emergency. This is not correct. I can read through them and abide by the dictat. Others make way, perhaps out of respect. I am humbled, but not enough to side line the rule. Some who consider smartness on such moments to be a qualification, look at me cynically and make comment. ” Stop trying to pretend by humility !” or ” we have had enough of your self deprecation, it is time you changed and became real “.

Had enough of my self deprecation ? Who are you to pass ruling on character ? It is just an excuse for you to have the liberty to make comment on, by saying ‘he is an arrogant old fool’, when I change my stance or position. That is all, that is its value. Had enough of my self deprecation ?? Are you going to decide how I should conduct myself. I have spent 42 years with my conduct professionally and 70 years of it with my age. Get first, to just 1 year of my profession and 7 years of my age in life, before embarking upon a holier than thou, unfounded, gender bended opinion !!



My happiness and pain and my accomplishment does not need your degraded yellowed ink. One shall always remain a master of ones own being … unless of course he or she is some divinity, for then even I or any other like me, would be unable to assist you in achieving what you set out to be – God !

There are many symbolic God’s on this planet. Choose to be one of them, before self appointing yourself in that coveted chair ..

My love,



Amitabh Bachchan

What pain and grief and sorrow and divinity and joy belonging to me shall convey

Jalsa , Mumbai                       Apr  11/12 , 2012                           Wed/Thu  12 : 46 AM


What does one know of oneself ? Knowing it shall suffice in not knowing any other. We spend anxious hours in knowing another, when it is we that must know us. Others can sit and stand beside in front or behind, but if they cannot walk like you, they may well prefer to be stationary.

The judgement of another about myself is the realisation of what I convey. What never does get conveyed, shall be victorious in another mind ; perhaps not mine own ..

What pain and grief and sorrow and divinity and joy belonging to me shall convey, is immaterial to another. Sympathies are the weakest expression of togetherness. What good shall it bring to another ? A justification of one’s sympathy shown shall be at most an obligation, that the two shall fulfill. But at times, the burden of this obligation comes at moments when it measures heavy. Will the tear that flows from the other’s eye ever be able to flow from mine ?

Let us then be assured in belief that the path that we walk, shall be one where each traveller is by itself, where till eternity we shall never succeed in sharing our sorrows ever !!

‘doosaron ki vedna mein vedna jo hai dikhaata, vedna se mukti ka nij harsh kewal vo chipaata …’

He that shows his grief, his sorrow to another’s grief, merely hides the joy of he himself being free from such sorrow ..



These are the expressions of a poet, my Father, during his period of immense sorrow in his disposition and his life. It was also the verse he recited at his friends place where he met my Mother for the first time. When the recitation ended, they decided to be man and wife for the rest of their lives …

The tale is old and perhaps being replayed. But its cynicism and the strength of its pouring did have the energy to bring two absolute unknowns, from extreme different backgrounds, faiths, distances and up bringing, to meet quite by accident, to become providentially, man and his better half !

I already have better half, as do many that visit us, but universality of words cannot become the domain and property of one single individual ..

I share because I care ..

Love

Amitabh Bachchan

The morning dawns alarming bells, to struggle out, in splashing face

 Jalsa , Mumbai                      Apr 10 , 2012                            Tue 10 : 31 PM



The morning dawns alarming bells, to struggle out, in splashing face

Be on with notes and writing color, drive out to then without a trace,

Of waiting men and chasing cars, towards bilingual screen to grace

Voices above the normal spoken, in comfort in silence and in place …



Back then to house of celebration, wonder and orange in bottled capacity

To mark to outline to avail technology, in time in time to near facility .

Despite the hospitality of care, incessant following, audacious audacity

Respite respect of personal medicinal, none at all – a righteous pity !



Images black and white tunnelled sphere, warming contrasts through needled gear

Pumping injectable bursting vein, immediate swelling bringing concerned fear.

Bandaged crepe to keep it down, too many cooks that stand and lear

Hushed discussions upon screen and screen, manual conclusions perhaps to hear.



Restrictions now imposed upon, there is some frown some lists abound,

The many airborne waves do speak, to ask on flight or run aground.

Silence is that silence does, where to and from and where they hound,

Too many asked, too many to give, how many upped and what that was found.



Brightest yellow, red blue on green, a venue visited in college teen ,

Attraction grows since ordered stationary, what next, what new, what is has been.

Why this departure from volume and length, why matching words without a sheen,

It is my choice, my will regard, keen lean mean to ever wean ….



Amitabh Bachchan

So last night just after I had finished with the Blog

Jalsa , Mumbai                 Apr  9 , 2012                        Mon  9 : 50 PM

To all those that wish Jaya on her birthday, a warm and gracious thank you …   

So last night just after I had finished with the Blog, I rose from my desk to get to bed, but excruciating pain, stopped me in my tracks and I found it difficult to walk to stand to sit to lie down. Quite horrendous ! This was not there post operation even … so what really is the reason for it two months down the line ? I have no answer. But tomorrow there should be one as I prepare for a CT Scan, after devouring a large bottle or bottles of that yellow fluid, that shall line the internal organs so the scan can pick up any region that could be infected or being the cause for the pain.

A pain killer has done the job for the day, but because they need to be taken with some restriction, I try to bear up with the discomfort for as long as I can. I do also believe that posture and angles and particular movement is really the cause for it. A long stay on my desk then with Twitter and Blog and email and Google and iTunes and iPhoto, has now been self discovered as being harmful. Knowing the repercussions I do keep moving about, even while seated, to, in a sense, lubricate the various functions of the body movements in order to stem any recurrence of the condition.

I notice that there is huge concern with the Ef, but, whilst I do appreciate this, I must reassure you that matters are still under control … well most of it anyway !!

I shall refrain from the gory details of medical adventures and move on to matters that could bring me closer to the glories of the bed. And for that unfortunately I may have to restrict my conversation to the barest minimum.

I read and I read that which I could share with my Ef. I gather information, details and question issues like never before that I observe. They had another meaning before. They have another now. It is a deliberate attempt to gather that which can be shared with all. And it is this that in a sense educates me in my communication skills, or my efforts to keep all of us together and not lose any.

So … a small piece from a translation of works written by Thomas Bernhard, writer, novelist of great literary fame :

‘We say we have the right to what’s right and just, but we only have a right to what’s not right and what’s unjust …

The problem is to get work done, which means advancing over all one’s inner resistance and evident mindlessness … and this means advancing over myself and the bodies of dead philosophers, over all of literature, all of science, all of history, everything .. it is a question of one’s spiritual concentration, of isolation and distance … of monotony .. of utopia .. of idiocy …

The problem is always to get work done while thinking that work will never get done and nothing will ever get done … The question is : to go on, heedless of the consequences, to go on, or to stop, to call it a day … it is the question of doubt, of mistrust and impatience.’

Ponder over it .. it speaks at times the language that we all perhaps go through and never know ..

With my love,

Amitabh Bachchan

The magnificence of an achievement fulfilled to perfection

Jalsa , Mumbai               Apr 8/9 , 2012                      Sun/Mon  1 : 42 AM



To Sharmila on her birthday on the 9th of April, greetings and our wishes for a most wonderful year and years to come. Remain well and healthy and content. And with smile ! Love

 The magnificence of an achievement fulfilled to perfection .. the thrill of the patrons that adorn it .. and the eventual victory of the participants .. is a heady mixture ! To realize it and to be a part of it, even more so.

For quite some time now one has been hearing talk of a facility for the game of cricket at Pune and the immense time being spent in its concept and preparation. Tonight at its inauguration one witnessed the quality of its presence and the impressive completion of a dream, promised and executed as promised.

The Subroto Roy Sahara Stadium at Pune, or to be precise near Pune, or on the outskirts of Pune was a sight to behold. Modern, hi tech and a most apt mixture of man and machine, art and technology. A true emblem which would make the country most proud.

As one drove out from Jalsa on a Sunday afternoon, the heat not withstanding, one could sense the traffic easing out, but determined to get back to us as time flew by. Traffic in Mumbai is at most times, a night mare. I do understand that it is a fairly common topic for most other cities and countries, but here in Mumbai it is an exhibition of massive time consuming proportions. One could be sitting minutes away from final destination and not be moving for hours. In a rush, it is wiser to take a short walk or pinch a passing bike, request for his helmet to camouflage the face and zoom off to destination in time. I do not think that the traffic is bad. I do not also think that the traffic police does a bad job of it, in such situations. But I do believe that the lack of road and driving skill or routine, that needs must be followed as per the training required for a license, is missing.

Driving inside the city is entirely different to driving on a highway. And using the same yardstick for both facilities results in either a bad accident, or a bad jam that jars. Looking at some of the way people drive their cars in the city and on the highway, I could safely say that were I or any official designated to test drive would have a nightmare staring at them most rigidly ! And so I believe that when the basics are wrong, and wrong by huge margins, there shll never be an apt solution for congested traffic.

In life then much like in driving a vehicle in a crowded city, one must entail the basics to be correct and ably followed. Ignored or not put to the right use, can cause immeasurable damage. It is disturbing and most frustrating to see and experience this phenomena each day, when initial grounding falls short. One may possess the best brains in the business, but I can say with utmost humility, that if your base is incorrect, the buildings and edifices that one desires to build, shall fall at the slightest test.

There are many that argue that the pursuance of this factor may not be necessary or essential. And they would quote many an example to justify such feature. Yes there have been exceptions. Men and women of great genius, who have through some extreme gift of nature not needed the grounding that we talk of. Blessed are they that are gifted and secure in their functioning. But the world is not filled with genius at every step. The world is filled with opportunity, an opportunity for those that can through resolve and perseverance of study, accomplish great feats.

The resolve of perseverance and study has never betrayed mortals. It may have taken time, a great deal of time maybe, but eventually it has sprung results of immense proportion.

Many show wonder at the fact that even at this late stage I tend to exercise my abilities of rehearsal. So what is wrong with that. They marvel and applaud those that perform instinctively, and continue to surprise us and others by giving different facets of the same situation without any study at all. For me then, they are craftsmen of exception. My position along with them is untenable. They are superior and any comparison should be avoided or kept at bay. For me what matters is what I was able to give in performance ; what I was able to leave behind of some worth for posterity. How I got there is not the subject of their knowing, for, in the first place, that is not what they came to see. They came to see a product, to either like it or reject it. Yes if they were to be a part of a study, an analysis on the craft then I would be up for debate, not otherwise. When the Beatles ran a tape backwards quite by accident and discovered that what they heard was worthy of being constructed into a song, they held on to the technique or accidental discovery and recorded a song which became one of their most popular numbers. We loved the song, sang it, played it again and again, shared it at parties and with friends, and enjoyed its presence. Would I have enjoyed it less if it was given to me how it was prepared ? Difficult to agree upon !! Or maybe not. Who can tell? Would lyrics of a song written in the peace and solitude of a beach front, matter if it was written on a running train, I wonder !! I would imagine that I would first get attracted to the song and then if I was to find out later, much later how it was done, I may like it even more … !!

The ability to create a base then does not bother. I need it. Others may not. God bless them. I am inferior then and shall remain so. So what ?

My love to all … and my love as ever …

Amitabh Bachchan