DAY 1896
Jalsa, Mumbai June 24/25, 2013 Mon/Tue 12:01 am
The horror of the Uttarakhand floods and the havoc it created, the loss of life and loved ones, the treacherous terrain and the incredible effort of the Army to bring to safety those stranded, to bring them to their loved ones, and continue this massive effort, has been most reassuring, but the after effects of the tragedy can never be forgotten …
Nelson Mandela or ‘Madiba’ as he is fondly called lies critically ill in hospital in South Africa. What a man ? I have met him on two occasions in his country. A most gentle, but determined human, the likes of which can be rarely found. He fought for what he felt right and even though he was confined to a prison for almost 28 years, he came out victorious in the end. That part of the apartheid in SaF shall always remain a sore and ugly reminder of the humiliation and sufferings of another human, purely because of his color !
Mandela was the person and his party the ANC, that gave us the permission to stage the first ever concert from India in January 1991, when the country was on the verge of demolishing the dreaded apartheid in SAf. And what an experience that was. Never before seen by me and perhaps never after .. the love and affection of the people of South Africa was simply unbelievable …
And closer home we have one of the greats of the country, the singer Manna Dey, ill and in hospital … our prayers for his speedy recovery. So many songs that remain in our thoughts and minds have that typical stamp of the singer, but for me and my family his voice in the album he did for 'Madhushala’ shall always remain most precious ..
Amidst all the sadness of the events taking place, life moves on and on ..
The rehearsals for KBC have begun, the team is in its elements, and the excitement of yet another season draws near. It all began in the year 2000, and that makes it an association of 13 years with the game show … that is some time period !! The love and the affection of the people have been with me all along and I do hope that it shall continue as we set about it all over again …
Days pass by, events and situations arise, leave an impact and fade away giving space to something new and fresh … we dwell in nostalgia, but take to what transpires in times of today. That becomes our most important act and belief. We have always found it very cliched to refer to such circumstances. They do not sound good in the present, but we must respect those moments. If they had not happened, today would not have, irrespective of the value and strength of it …
I value my time - the past and the present both .. I do not have knowledge of the future, so I refrain. But past and present one must continuously refer to. Where and what were the circumstances we came from, and where and what we are today .. that is our report. Yet if there had not been any progress, or there had been a decline, then it must be remembered that one has the capacity and will to accept it and be prepared to go back to the life and times of yesterday, without any remorse !!
I shall never forget that bench on Marine Drive in Mumbai, where I spent a night without a shelter. I must never forget the disappointments of the early times of my career … for they can reappear .. the bench and the disappointments both !
Derive strength from the past, add to it in the present, prepare for the future … but … if it does not, then be satisfied with where you were before !
I was brought home after my birth in a 'tonga’, wrapped in the plainest of clothing … the 'gudari ka lal’ … I must be prepared for that circumstance again, if it were to happen !!
Love
Amitabh Bachchan
