DAY 1880
Jalsa, Mumbai June 8/9, 2013 Sat/Sun 12:22 am
I worked today at some distance beyond my house, further into the suburbs of the city ; a city that has grown many cities within it. I had bought our first house Prateeksha, because it was the edge of, then Bombay .. now it is the center of this megapolis ! And when I drive beyond the lanes and swamps and deserted masses of land, now inhabited by millions of people and hundreds of high rises, I often wonder where did all that we used to look upon as isolated and barren, gone ..
A portion of an action sequence done here, a song on the lonely streets there .. simply vanished into a concrete jungle !
And as I conclude for the day I am visited by dear colleague, who talks about the passage of time, the attention then and the attention now. The importance then and the almost challenging non importance now. Of the emergence of another younger and greatly more popular, of his or her presence in preferential outcome ..
And they ask me how it needs to be addressed and tackled !!
It cannot ..
That autograph that you sign shall suddenly be snatched away from you, on the appearing of the other. The roar that accompanies you, shall get drowned by the roar for the other. Faces that suddenly propelled themselves into lusty smiles and awe around you, are now reserved for another. The rankings drop, the profiles seem laboured in comparison, indicators of importance loose interest in you ; almost linked to an obligation of sorts ..
Many … and many more shall and will face this for certain .. it is an inevitability … better to know now that the time has changed …
There was a moment when the credits barely mentioned your appearance. There was a time when even the smallest presence was given the prime presence in the credits, later. There will be a time when your credits shall completely disappear, or there shall be no opportunity for you to be credited at all ..
This the moment of reckoning .. this is the moment of character .. this is the moment of truth ..
Allow its weight to fall upon you and it shall never ever give you even a small window of opening to breathe … stand up to it, accept it, and its respect shall favour you …
Demanded respect, injures me .. one must do that, which nudges respect to awaken and look up at you …
You may never be able to be at the same destination all the time … but even if you are pushed back a few numbers down the queue … at least you are still in the queue ..
So long as life keeps you in the queue .. one must remain queued up ..!!
My love as always ..
Amitabh Bachchan
