Saturday, September 10, 2011

It is late and it is necessary for me to mention this for, many among the extended family lament the fact that I am not resting enough



Jalsa , Mumbai     Sept 9/10 , 2011       Fri/Sat 12:32 AM
It is late and it is necessary for me to mention this for, many among the extended family lament the fact that I am not resting enough. I would tend to agree with that and i do promise that there shall be occasion to do just that the day after -Visarjan on Sunday , when the deity Ganesh ji will be taken on His final journey into the waters of the sea, and bring to an end this season of Ganesh Utsav, and be inviting the Lord to come back again next year in their homes during this festive season.
The land of India so different and vibrant and filled with such divinity and love. The various and diverse religious festivals. The celebrations for them, the customs and rituals that follow along with them, the devotion of all those that believe in them. Their faith and utmost dedication in the matter of prayer and service to the Gods, so human and simple, yet pronounced by their integrity and its outcome.
It has been an important observation of mine and I believe of certain of others as well, how even the most prominent and those blessed with all that life can offer, submit themselves to the feet of the Almighty. In their own world and in their surroundings, they are masters of their profession, confident and at times if I may say so, almost arrogant in attitude. But yet their servility to the divine is nothing different from those not in possession of their virtues - if one can call them virtues.
The very big the affluent the VIP’s all have that similar look on their countenance when in the presence of the divine. It is here they realize that it is here that they shall have to subjugate themselves to a power they are not in charge of, or incapable of handling. It is the most humbling moment in the lives of these super humans and it is most comforting to see them in such demeanor.
The beauty of all this is the fact that they all fall in the same category - equal and devoted to that same being that shall give deliverance and blessing to them. They ask in this condition and seek what they have not to be given to them. In their work they do the opposite, and so the dichotomy of the moment sometimes gives me a moment to snigger perhaps, or just inwardly store all the visuals of these individuals - a contrast in attitude if ever there was one !!
These larger than life luminaries. These bosses of the modern world. These few these merry few, who live and exist through their accumen of business, who have all the answers to all that befalls them, who guide the destinies of millions of others … now suddenly sublimating themselves to a power that even they, are unable to contend with.
When there is so much that is unknown in the world, even those that seem to know, submit themselves to the force that remains unknown. I am not aware of what and where it is or what shape and size it possesses, but this I can say with certain confidence that since there is so much that shall remain unanswered in this universe, that we shall perforce have to understand that that which is unknown shall always invite respect.
I shall always respect the fact that there is much to know and believe and learn. But I shall also not disrespect those that think and have believed otherwise. There are strong arguments in favor of both, and if we are to live and exist in a realm which we are living in, in as democratic a manner as possible, then the opportunity to be given to both must be honored and believed. An atheist does not necessarily give reason to alienate him. It announces that the freedom to believe must be arbitrary and democratic. To each his or her own  but within certain parameters of society and the morals that we grew up with and accepted for our world.
My respect for those that believe … and my respect for those that do not ….
Love
Amitabh Bachchan

2 comments:

  1. Without Comments but with a hope that a proper note will be made and, if we are wrong, the necessary enlightening information will be provided to us.
    To Shri Amitabh Bacchan
    In one of the last episodes you had asked a question that who had addressed M K Gandhi as "Mahatma" for the first time and according to you the correct answer was "Subhash Chandra Bose". I wanted to draw your attention that it is not a fact. It was Devchandra Uttamchand Parekh who had addressed M K Gandhi as "Mahatma" for the first time and a documetary evidence is available there at Gandhi Ashram of Sabarmati, Ahmedabad.

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