That little sleep that wanders in

 Jalsa, Mumbai                    Dec  15/16,  2012                   Sat/Sun  2:23 AM

That little sleep that wanders in

Among the trudgings of our kin,

We are forever keeping time, of lost possessions amongst the grime,

Be not afraid of variant changes, they come adorn and revolve round hinges.

We are here

We are there

We are almost everywhere ..

That spasm of the limiting walk ;

Crooked and angled away from balk.

Determined we are to pursue the cause, in heavy pain and all its flaws ..

Working up the body warm,

Neutralizing all of it thats shorn ;

The ridden route all day and morn

Has now become worthy of such scorn,

That following discipline, follows alone

The others so ill mannered that flown

In and around the congested path,

Are but the tidings of unwanted wrath ..

The games that play with deep concerns,

Of future camps, and ageing burns

Has given us a fighting chance, to be of use without much glance ..

Were I to hold a torch to them, I would encourage not to rot the stem

But slumber sleep is seldom shorn, irrespective of what was worn ;

Come take me down

Come slobber me up

Come perish a frown, and soup me cup ..

Dressings own for marriage and book,

Its important how I look to look ,

Love of many, pictures galore

Rushing off with progeny and shore ..

It is the auspicious time and day, of those that helped and to alay

The complications of the gut, switched on and off in that..ched hut

And on again on journey more, to releases of the written chore

Smiles and meetings, laughs and more

To honor that which hibernates for sure ..

Speeches, word and loving care,

I have no reason to despair

For they are just a friendly front

Behind of course they rant and grunt ..

Back from it all to calmer climes,

Of home and food and khana times ..

They are the best at what they do

Best left alone to grunt and croo ..

The best of times is now in practice

Writing the worst , worse than a novice ..

Looking forward to the green sheets bed,

Soft pillows aplenty for the stomach well fed …

Good night good night my dearest all ..

Be not afraid when in your dreams you fall ..

My love and admiration to this wonderful family …

Amitabh Bachchan

http://srbachchan.tumblr.com/

Now under my realisation that lack

   Jalsa, Mumbai                     Dec 14/15,  2012                    Fri/Sat  2:01 AM

It is now under my realisation that lack of sleep can be responsible for many of the misdeeds that one may get acquainted with during the course of the day. The importance that we are driven into by our elders of it is now a reality. It never was earlier. It was one of the most dreaded moments in the day of our lives when free from schooling chores, the afternoons were thrust upon us as a time to rest and be in the company of slumber.

Sneaking out quietly as the elders slept was our main attraction for the day. Sneaking out and playing marbles with the lads around the house. Marbles was the it sport then. The jingle jangle of their plenty in our pockets a clear indicator of our social and public standing and recognition within the four walls of the school or classroom.

There were favorites too in color and form. The striker being the most cherished possession. That was the one, much like the striker on the carom board, that won you your medals - others marbles !!

These marbles won in battle were our prized possessions. We kept them secure in our pockets. Hid them from our parents when we reached home. Preventing any kind of jangle that would give them away, resulting in the whack of the ruler on our bare hands by infuriated Mom and Dad ! But we were attached to them. During the breaks we would rush to get the prime spots on the recreation grounds, devoid of grass or any growth, just mud plains where the hole could be made, to conduct a game - after striking another opposition marble, putting your own inside the hole was a win and an extra marble in your pocket - the hole being just large enough to accomodate one normal sized rounder of glass, or the ‘sodri’, our main attack vehicle, named so because it came out of a soda bottle. I wonder if any of you ever experienced the soda’s and cold drinks of the time. They used to be bottled and the mouth of the bottle shut with an opaque marble, when when pressed hard enough, opened up the soda with a fiz, and sank to the bottom of the bottle. Extracting it from there was an adventure, but on its successful procurement, became the ‘sodri’ of value. It was harder and heavier than the others and when struck hard against the more coloured ones, did have the capability to break them in to two pieces

Slinging the marble or the ‘sodri’ with the index finger, using the index finger of the other hand to push it to direction and strength, was the hall mark of a champion. And after the strike to be able to spin it into the hole, or ‘bill’, was what technique was all about …

Ahhh !! Those lovely days of school and the summer heat of the afternoon in Allahabad, playing marbles ! Now of course we have more sophisticated games on electronic and computerised programmes and screens, called play stations. They are good and do require great skill in its operation, but marbles or ‘goli’ was an excitement of its own … never to be replicated or removed !!!

And … ahem … marbles, have derived a different connotation altogether !!

And this evening as we sit by the television, glued to the horrific stories emanating on this unbelievable shooting episode, in the US, we wonder and bless those innocent days of ours in school, when such talk or happenings never ever crossed our minds.

What has humanity stooped to ? There is something seriously wrong with our systems, our values, teachings and the way in which we are being brought up. Yes brought up ! It is that early inculcation that remains and abides by us. Even if one among us goes insane the entire community needs to be made responsible, for we have not paid attention to some aspect of the lives of those that go mad. Reevaluation of our methods, greater attention to the concerns that such incidents throw up, mending and correcting them before they become unreachable, is what is needed .. 

It is not enough to apprehend such individuals and give them the strickest of punishments, but indeed to search within ourselves to find what it was that gave rise to this human in the garb of a beast !!

Too disturbed to comment any further ..

Love to all .. I see now that that was something missing from last night’s post … but ..

Amitabh Bachchan

Amit jj releases Amjad Ali Khan's book

Jalsa, Mumbai                    Dec  13/14,  2012                   Thu/Fri  1:25 AM

The greatest moment in the life of any individual shall be the instant when he or she shall remember them that brought them into this world, gave them the learning, the value of their experiences, the history of their existence and the importance of legacy …

The great sarod maestro, a favorite instrument of mine, Ustad Amjad Ali Khan writes a book on his Guru his Father the distinguished musician Ustad Haafiz Ali Khan and asks me to launch it at a ceremony here tonight.

One of the greatest tributes that can be paid by any would have to be the time and space that he or she shall give to the memory of their parents. Our parents do not just give us a life by birth, they teach educate and give us the learning of life. Those moments spent with them remain as our path guiders for the rest of our existence. We refer to them even in their absence, indeed more so in their absence, and derive courage and strength from what they taught and left behind for us. I feel a special affinity to them that honour and respect their elders and give them a platform of public importance. And I feel a special privilege when I am asked to be associated with an event that endorses such feeling ..

We are a nation that has only very recently started the practice of documentation of building records of important events, people and situations - a practice which I admire in the West.

The creative artist, his or her contribution to the arts to the world is priceless and to have that for posterity needs to be the most significant and important aspect in the life of said celebrity. There is very little that seems to attract the state in this direction. Lack of interest, or a relegation of the deserving importance never does seem to cross the minds of those that run and establish the think tanks of a nation. It is a sad reflection on the state of the minds of those in control and command.

Individual efforts therefore that are made either by progeny or admirers is of immensely greater importance than any other. The idea is not of a deliberate attempt at legacy, it is a deliberate attempt at the honour and gratefulness of the contribution made by those that have left us with a large volume of creativity and its process. Leaving behind an inspiration is to me of much importance. Getting inspired by the inspiration in constructing something that could be reflected as individual achievement, is even better - which creative artist has not been inspired by another !

They that are responsible for bringing us into this world, guide us through life, hold our little finger and teach us to walk, run, think. Is it asking too much if during the time when they are invalides unable to conduct themselves the way they did, because of age, for us to  have held their finger for guidance, to hold their hands today in remembrance ?

To me it is the greatest deed …

Leave me .. it is not my day .. ‘tis the day of the son who has recreated a memoir of his illustrious Father … but will the media ever realize this .. ?? I wonder !!

The large smile is not one for the cameras of the media … it is in reverence to the deed of one son towards his creator, his Guru, his Father ..