Reeham .. !! Many happy returns of the day ! May you remain ever happy and prosperous

Jalsa , Mumbai      Sept  5,  2011          Mon 11 : 30 PM

Reeham .. !! Many happy returns of the day ! May you remain ever happy and prosperous, may all your troubles be shared and over. May the grace of your affection spread among all the EF, and may you forever be with smile and love … Happy birthday  !!!

As I sit down for my daily ritual at my laptop, I register that I have only just returned from a rather tough and tiring day at KBC. Fulfilling but tough. The show format is a given and cannot be changed, but the quality of those that come with immense expectancy on the Hot Seat in front of me, are made of sterner stuff. They are the true India that we seldom get to see. They have principles, humbleness, grit and dignity despite their most unlivable conditions. They have a smile on their faces and a hidden emotion within. They are self respecting and determined. They have pinned their hopes and desires on this one moment in their lives and they are confident of achieving all that life has to offer them.

My admiration for all of them increases by the day. Theirs is not a story of weak elements, of despair and the reality of grim situations. Theirs is the life well lived in hardship. A life they dream of changing each day. Some of them have waited for 10 years in the hope that one day they shall make it. And when they do, they are unable to control their burst of emotions. How much it has meant to them to be in a situation where they get an opportunity to compete with their knowledge - one that they may have also acquired at great price - is astonishing !! They are the ones that make this show so desirable and wanted, for they know, that in this opportunity of theirs lies greater talent, greater wisdom and greater creations !!

I cringe at the thought of the atrocities that many face, as a result of this disproportionate existence. But I also value deeply the effort and perseverance of those that struggle ; those that have no record of parentage, of their education and the practical process of their lives, steeped in poverty and want, but dignified in their want.

Tomorrow I work with Jaya in continuation of our campaign for Tanishq the jewelry store. And after that it shall be back to KBC and more  …

My health improves, but gradually. I cannot say that it has deteriorated, or gone slack and beyond improvement. It has not. But its nagging presence in the system has indeed kept us all alive and kicking …whether for the good of humanity, or the upliftment of those that have lost opportunity ..

The smile on those that have perhaps never had any reason to do so .. is a self winding machine. They sometimes do not admit it for fear of embarrassment, or derogatory talk within. They have had ample time and space to bring about a resolution to this issue …

I shall rather wait for them, than act rashly towards ..

Love to all ~

Amitabh Bachchan