A journalist friend did some calculations and discovered that on an average of approximately

 Jalsa , Mumbai                     Mar 13 , 2012              Tue  11 : 17 PM

 

Last night was a rare moment .. emotion , nostalgia and more .. but tonight is tonight, balanced and controlled, reminiscent yes of yesterday but not overwhelmed by it.

Some attempts at restructuring the body back to normal .. the weight loss is vast and even though it gives a lean look, would be too lean for normalcy .. so  … at it now … since many are concerned by the condition. yes night sleep is most desired at moments like this, and there is a concerted effort to be able to give it some relevance. Tonight seems to be going well in that direction … so far …

A journalist friend did some calculations and discovered that on an average of approximately 500 words that I write her, when I reach  DAY 1500, the figure would be 7,50000 words .. which according to those that write and publish often, is the equivalent of having written 7 books … !!

I cannot say that I am happy about it for I have never attempted to write a book or even entertained such thought. 'One poet in the family is enough' my Mother had quipped on being asked if there were other aspirants in the family. I would second her whole heartedly ..

I think I would be hesitant to write a book book per se … not going about it with an intention before hand that I write a book .. but of someone were to take some words away from me and put it to print, perhaps that is the very extreme that I would be willing to go … With such a wealth of literary talent about, it would be most presumptuous to imagine, myself in such august company .. and then … the daunting task of taking liberty in being involved in something to which my Father has already set such impregnable heights to ..

 

It is Tuesday today .. the Siddhvinayak temple at PrabhaDevi will welcome its auspicious pilgrims today that start to walk bare footed from different parts of the city, converging in the early hours of the morning, having left their home at midnight .. I have partaken on this journey a couple of times .. it is exacting .. but the will and the energy of the others that walk along with you on the streets is so invigorating, that one almost forgets the lacerations on the feet of us constant shoe worthy individuals .. the 'arti' in the early hour, the first of the day is so humbling in the presence of Lord Ganapati, that at times it moves one to tears …

The mouse which is the 'vaahan' or carrier of the Lord Ganapati has its manifestation in a silver construct at a vantage point in the temple .. they say when you whisper your wish in its ears it come true ..

On one of my walks to Siddhivinayak, documented intricately by the electronic media throughout the 3-4 hours that you occupy on the streets, they even captured that moment when I was with wish and the 'vaahan' .. A few days later in an electronic media interview, the young stringer asked me how the walk was like .. well how does one expect it will be .. they already had it all recorded . and then came the 'howler' .. " we saw you making a silent wish in the ear of the mouse Sir " she opined, " what did you wish and say in the ear ?"

( 'really miss, what kind of question is that ? like I am going to tell you on national tv, what I wished in a temple .. ??? )

Ha ha ha !!!

I responded with the straightest face I could muster .. " I wished, that the lady that sits in front of me now be bestowed with better intelligence " !!!

Really !! It is perhaps the most ridiculous moment that I may have faced on tv interview ..

 

Leave you with that for the moment .. and head for bed, instead .. rhyming again !!! A poet in the family !!!!

 

Love to you and as ever my wishes for a good night ..

Amitabh Bachchan

Amitabh Bachchan …  twice .. for the one I deliberately missed last night … ha ha ha !!

Praise for Amitabh Bachchan's Ekla Chalo Re

Praise for Amitabh Bachchan's Ekla Chalo Re

Kolkata, Mar 13 (PTI) Amitabh Bachchan singing in his trademark baritone the famed Rabindrasangeet 'Ekla Chalo Re' for the film 'Kahaani' has drawn applause from Tagore exponents who are willing to pardon him for minor glitches of pronunciation. "He is not a Bengali and so his pronunciation will be different. But he has made an honest effort and given full respect to the song," veteran Rabindrasangeet singer Pramita Mallick, who also recorded the same song for an album earlier, told PTI here. Classical vocalist Indrani Sen, a Bachchan fan, says she has always loved the baritone of the megastar. "If you talk about pronunciation then even Asha Bhonsle has sung a number of Tagore songs where her accent wasn't perfect. But they were all hits and so is this song," said Sen about the song by Big B singing two verses, both in Bengali and Hindi with music by Vishal Shekhar. Singer-director Debashish Raychaudhuri said, "If you ask me for a critical appraisal then I will say that he could have worked on the pronunciation. But even then his voice has touched my heart." Young vocalist Manoj Murali Nair dubbed the 69-year-old actor's rendition as 'experimental'. "The song is experimental and can't be seen as a proper Tagore song. The song has come out well and in a very trendy way which will help the genre to find new listeners," he said. Describing the song as "truly awesome and worthy of all awards, Bachchan had said, "May I just say that singing Rabindrasangeet for the first time was the greatest revelation. The beauty of the language, the lyricism of the tune and its 'dhun' (music) are outstanding." The song, one of Mahatma Gandhi's favorites, was penned in 1905 by Tagore.

I live and exist with my soul .. a soul tormented by the memory of my Father

 Jalsa , Mumbai                Mar 12/13  , 2012        Tue/Wed  2 : 46 AM for 3 : 25 AM

I live and exist with my soul .. a soul tormented by the memory of my Father, his presence, his works, his words and his great mind .. they play in my ear now as I attempt at this early hour to speak to you, to express what must simply be an exasperated act for you and all the Ef .. but I would be dishonest if I did not share what now has become my alter … in more ways than one …

In todays time and space it may seem odd, weaving close to an eccentricity .. so be it .. but I compose and sing and listen with eyes shut and transpose to a situation where there is tranquility in solitude .. I shudder to share, to allow interference .. for, too long have I spent wasteful time in catering where service is shunned … where thought and care and understanding is taken as a given … what will the most talented and knowledged give opinion on this, when they are unaware of the depth of the emotion that rides parallel to my thought … I would feel diminished and vacant were it to occur so .. this moment must remain with me and me alone .. it is verily impossible to expect a meet of souls … there would be the possibility of an opinion that could be right in the eye of the righteous .. that look upon it from a distance .. that pay service of appreciation because it is righteous to do .. that is a compromise .. soul needs an aloofness,  no reverent compromise, unfettered attachment … this I obtain within, not without or with another, not because I would not entertain it … I would .. but the assurance needed is frightening .. once given out and not of consonance .. would devastate. That consonance would require immense sensibility, not necessarily of high degree – mine is not of that value – but one that would sink into the abyss with me … why would anyone be interested in that ??

Living and existing then with my soul … brings me to the beginning .. a beginning that really is truthfully, the end ..

Signing off with my name would for this instant seem ungainly and devoid of what is desired .. a blankness, a void, vacuumed and floating … perhaps to appear … perhaps not !!

God bless the well wishers. God bless them for their permanence in my life. God bless their consistency

Jalsa , Mumbai                       Mar  11 ,  2012                                   Sun  11 : 23 PM

God bless the well wishers. God bless them for their permanence in my life. God bless their consistency, their love and enthusiasm. I am indebted for life. It is a debt I shall never be able to repay ; the one burden that shall remain with me unattended. One burden that shall make me happy !!

I read some portions of the Quran and found them fascinating in its clarity and substance. A true guide for humanity, society and for its well being. I went through a few words from the Bible, the Guru Granth Saheb and some of the Vedic chants, and discovered that the similarity in content was amazing. They all speak of how mankind must live in peace and in an environ free from the obstacles of violence. They speak of love and faith in the Almighty, its powers and its presence. In the following of it and in its practice. Not a single chapter avoided the need for guidance on humanities nature, to be acquired through prayer and belief. Yet as one looks around, one finds turmoil and trouble in every section of society, in every region of the universe ! And it sends you into painful realization that goodness can be around you, but we fail to acknowledge it to acquire it to practice it, to allow it to envelop us in its compassionate arms, eternally.

Many of the saints and hermits that have taken upon themselves the life of abstinence, of silent contemplation and meditation did and do so to perhaps find solution. Do they find it ? And if they did, what did they do of it. During the auspicious occasion of the Magh Mela, the Kumbh Mela every 12 years, or the Ardh Kumbh, for example at Sangam the confluence of the Ganges and the Jamuna and the hidden Saraswati rivers, the ‘nagas’ come out from their abodes of solitude and prayer, as do the millions of pilgrims, to bath in the waters, to cleanse their souls as it were and then for the ‘nagas’, to return back to their respective destinations, in the mountains, in the jungles or wherever it is they go. I never had opportunity to talk to them to find out what made them do what they do. What did they achieve and what they see of the future. Surely they must have an agenda .. or not !! The mysticism and the religious content of their acts a mystery almost as it were, but so immensely involved in its practice !!

In my early years in Allahabad my birth place I did witness the Kumbh Mela once and participated in the voluntary building of accommodation for the pilgrims, the food and other essentials. The vastness of the exercise a nightmare for any administrative body, but how efficiently they managed the entire affair. The building of hundreds of tents and bridges across the river, the flow of the masses, their living and food arrangements, all done with utmost care and precaution. Yes there have since been a few mishaps too, but the passion of the pilgrims and their devotion does become an executives nightmare.

Faith has always played such an important role in our lives. Belief has moved mountains. And all stemming from the scriptures and writings of the great religious written word. Humanity has evolved, has put down its belief and faith in the spoken word. How it came about and when and where, has many stories to it. The tone of its speech, the rendition of its tenets, in spoken and in music chords has been an evolution in itself. How the Guru Granth Saheb is sung, the Bhajans recited, the Hymns sung in churches and Chapels, the Azaan rendered from the Mosques … all have and must have such a fascinating history of its very first initiation. And today and the many today’s that shall follow will be beholden to this revered tradition.

We talk of eternal music in our every day life. Of the music from the maestros of the world, of the pop and punk and rock cultures, of the classic from our own Indian raga, of the symphony from the greats, of the mighty opera that was and is rendered, of the various dance forms both Western and Eastern and so much more …

But none have had the durability and life and tenure of the religious recitations …

There is more meaning to this fact than what I can express, or even attempt to ..

Good night ..

Amitabh Bachchan

Its past the Human Rights hour and there is a sense of missing the regimented routine

Jalsa , Mumbai                          Mar 10/11 ,  2012                            Sat/ Sun  1 : 01 AM

Its past the Human Rights hour and there is a sense of missing the regimented routine, prescribed in valued interest by the doctors and those connected for my management. But an afternoon nap went on till almost 8 in the evening ! To be up again and to go down again so early seemed odd … hence the indiscipline !

I notice with some degree of sadness that of late the number of respondents decreases, or at best remains around the figure of the 200-240 !! And I wonder if the Ef diminishes, or that they feel compelled to go else where !! I know that one of the inspiring moments are my own responses to them, and I admit that I have not been regular at all in that context. But time is an important factor, and soon I shall start devoting more time to this end of the story.

A spurt in the energy quotient this evening gave me hope of rapid strides being made in the recovery department, and I do hope that it continues, for, the work time limits come closer with each day. Maybe I shall jump out of the bed one day and jump into the fray. Hello there, I am back !

‘HomeLand’ ended, and ended my Tv viewing with sudden abruptness. It has been such an absorbing watch. Not since ’24′ have I been struck by something so involving and gripping. One longs now for the next lot of the season to come in, but in the meantime some very considerate Ef and TwFmXt, give suggestions for another serial and I shall explore it well. Thank you. The level of production, performances and the creativity behind each episode is simply remarkable. The oft repeated assessment, that television has gradually brought in more economics has been proved beyond doubt. And the difference has been more than substantial, it has doubled. At least here in this part of the world. I doubt if in any other country the number of tv channels in operation would be as large as in India – over 400 of them. This is enormous ! Feeding them for 24 hrs is one of the most important and difficult battles of channel owners. We often criticize the content that broadcasts itself on these mediums, but seldom give thought to the fact that if content sells the channel exists. Getting interesting content and keeping the remote away from possible surfing, is a mammoth task, and all kinds of experiments, not always appealing are in use to make it happen. What the masses want, what shall keep them glued to one and not the other, is by itself a huge process of research. What goes on in the think tanks each morning at edit meets must be one of the most interesting episodes by itself. Maybe someday, it could form material for film. I know in Hollywood they did attempt it with a marvelous film, or films, for many have been made. Here, with ‘Rann’ a small effort was attempted, but there is still some room for many other attempts to be made.

Is all that we see factual. Does it contain any element of manufacturing. How intriguing is it to bring in the clients and the customers. Do the anchors believe in the depth of the subject at hand. Are they affected by its importance. Do they feel as much as the tragedy they explore, or is it just another mechanical job to be done and then forgotten ..

A million thoughts run through and a million answers shall be ready to be given. Interesting and intriguing … both !!

For now what is interesting is how the night shall fare. And for that it is important that certain dictats be followed.

Good night and with love to all …

Amitabh Bachchan