DAY 1904
Misty Hills, Monsoon Rain, Lonavala, July 2, 2013 Tue 11:54 PM
The Hindustan Times magazine section Brunch brought out their Anniversary issue and two very prominent individuals brought out what they think of me - Karan Johar and the very respected
Wonder what you think of them … let me have your opinions ..
The mist and the low clouds … the hills in the not so distant … and the lashing rain .. just makes for such an interesting drive from Mumbai … a couple of hours thanks to several flyovers and the great highway that has through the years reduced the driving time by hours ..
I remember the early days when there was no six lane highway, and we would drive to Lonavala to .. well .. have some of the best ‘biryani’ en route, and the fantastic and still ruling in taste, the 'chiki’. This is a city just on the tip of the 'ghats’ or mini hills that one crosses on the way to Pune, half way through .. At some point it used to be a silent sleepy quiet requiem for the week enders of Mumbai … now … I really have no relevant description of it .. crowded, busy, built up , but still has something of that aura of the past ..
In those early years when Hrishi da, Hrishikesh Mukerjee, and Jaya and I were working in many films together, we had all built similar looking three cottages up here, for a price of … hold your breath … Rs 20,000 !! Since we never came here ever to spend time, we decided to sell it off .. and we did for about the same amount of money .. big mistake ! Its value today would be … I don’t even want to think about it ..
Such is life .. we move on ..
The Tv serial shooting to continue from tomorrow , and it shall be very busy days .. 12 hours work each day and then some more ..
There is an interesting little story on my FB hopefully today regarding theatre and my efforts when in College at the Delhi University .. and one that concerns Miranda House, the elite Womens 'it’ College. Delhi University was patterned on the lines of Cambridge and Oxford, where the campus houses several different colleges in one area. It was such a joy to be in that environment. Walking across, or jumping a wall to be in the company of your friends in another college, meeting up in the canteens of the others, catching the same bus to our homes and in the mornings to the University. The inter college games, the University games with visiting guests from other cities, and the coming together on our common grounds and bunking classes to cheer our side. The coffee adventures in the cold of the winter, riding the scooters of those affluent enough to possess them, into Connaught Place the elegant shopping center, with all the happening restaurants … ahh ! so many memories .. and such wondrous nostalgia … many a time one wishes they could be relived again …
I must retire now with those thoughts .. must gym in the morning .. and importantly must take up the challenge for something new in the morning …
Love to all …
Amitabh Bachchan
