Posted on: April 21, 2008 - 3:36 am
Icons
Speech for the 12th of March 2008
Delhi
Anil Dharker has already briefed you about my disability. So I hope you will excuse the quality of my voice this evening. I suffer from a bad sinus.
Distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen
I consider it an honour that Anil Dharker has asked me to say a few words today to commemorate the launch of his book, ‘Icons: men and women who shaped today’s India’. I am naturally at one with the editor’s desire to address the state of our nation, how we all arrived where we are now from our, freedom at midnight.
After all, eternal vigilance is indeed the price of liberty.
Anil Dharker has gone about his unenviable task of vigilance with forbearance: we live in times of rapid change. With the infinite passing of the present at any one moment, we should all be here together every single day to debate and contest today’s India. We cannot. The task must be shared across our citizen fraternity. It is to his credit then that Anil Dharker has given us the opportunity of vigilance right now.
The creation of a book is a monumental undertaking. I salute Anil Dharker’s work, its eminent contributors, and all the others basking in the delights of anonymity who directed their energies towards its publication.
I like the brevity of Anil Dharker’s introduction. It is polite. It allows the characters some space; it allows the reader space to draw his or her own conclusions.
I like the breadth of the book, its choice of myriad diversity, the way it spans the whole of our culture: institutional, political, economic, scientific, artistic, and journalistic.
I like its humane approach, at once gently critical and yet ultimately sympathetic. Its twenty central figures have not been boxed into an over-arching ideological incarceration. Not over-theorised, there is room to gain a sense of an individual, a real human being, in each chapter. There is enough room for both the reader and the read to breathe.
And the book is not smug celebration: there is an overall sense of the great strivings and achievements of this country portrayed in its pages, but also constant reminders of obstacles, difficulty, frustrations, adversity, both potential and very real. Achievement and progress are most interesting against such a backdrop.
It is also then an inspiring book, and a hopeful one. Whilst acknowledging the past, it looks to the future through the lens of the present. We are a nation born of great idealism and hope. Here in this book we read the best of ourselves, represented by these various icons, endeavouring to keep faithful to its spirit, trying to do more than just survive and endure.
We may not all agree with the twenty people who were chosen to depict our national condition – in fact we definitely won’t. I don’t for a start. But thank god for that: a book can only be so long - twenty is just as arbitrary as any other number. And agreeing so easily would not be any fun at all. Amartya Sen has called us Indians particularly argumentative I hear. Narayana Murthy himself would not take a moment to remind us of the much celebrated adage, “I disagree with what you say, but I defend until death your right to say it”. A quote from Voltaire – and nobody would want to disagree with him.
Just think if we channelled more of our military budget into encouraging this strident liberalism: we would be the most well defended nation in the world. After all, it is the very citizens who create, sustain and defend a republic.
This book entertains my thoughts beyond its cover, as it should any Indian; anyone who claims an interest in the condition, development and trajectory of the most populous democracy on earth; and anyone else for that matter who takes interest in the general nature of representative democracy in modern times.
I find it a genuine embarrassment to be counted as one of The Twenty. I would have preferred to have been not alphabetically 3rd, not 6th in any other ranking, not the 16th, nor even the 21st. I shouldn’t be there at all. Not only do I feel that such import is undeserved, but I find myself stupefied by the weight of its responsibility.
Let me introduce myself, as you may not be sure who I am – at least in this capacity – as I stand here before you. I am just an actor. It is my job. I am not the sum of all of my parts, as such. Yes, I am heartened that I seem to give pleasure to some of the audience some of the time – definitely not all the time – and the satisfaction I feel at doing a good job on the odd occasion, should be the extent of my reward, beyond the necessity of earning a living.
Of course I like the material remunerations of that living: I am no sadhu ascetic. Admittedly, I daily fantasise about taking off to the mountains to find a suitably quiet cave unfettered by worldly cares to watch the shadows flicker their reflections on the walls. But such yearnings of renunciation do not make an exception of me either, for many of us right here share them. If we all just got up and left for higher ground en masse, that wouldn’t be too good, not enough dank and uncomfortable caves up there for the lot of us, unless Charles Correa has some bright ideas. But no, more seriously, we do not go because we honour our duties and obligations to others, as spouses, parents, friends, workers, citizens, human beings. We don’t go because imperfect as we are, we gain pleasure and delight in the bustling course of profane – the opposite of sacred - daily living, often saving precious little of what we have left over of ourselves for rigorous introspection. My father put it better in one of his poems:
जीवन की आपाधापी में,
कब वक़्त मिला कुछ देर कँही पर बैठ कभी यह सोच सकूँ- जो किया कहा, माना, उसमें क्या बुरा भला
Where was the time in the hustle and bustle of life
To sit down a while somewhere and reflect
What was good and bad in what I did, said and believed
And that returns me to my point: I can recite lines, sometimes so that they move others to feel and even think on occasion. But I don’t write them. If I can captivate and inspire, it is only with my skill as an actor. I am a foil, merely a mouthpiece, for the inspired creations of others. It is a wholly different matter to take the analogy further – to insist that I am a foil or mouthpiece for the imaginations, hopes, dreams, anxieties and frustrations of a whole nation. Foils, mouthpieces, are empty in themselves.
Zubin Mehta can conduct a full orchestra to bring the music of Wagner to life; I sometimes feel that I can hardly even manage the task of conducting myself.
Our honourable APJ Abdul Kalam directed the creation of machines of excellence with brilliant ingenuity. Amartya Sen thought and dreamed his way to theories that are beautiful in both their conceptual, practical and moral aspects. Lakshmi Mittal, Ratan Tata and Narayana Murthy are our magicians of industry; Manmohan Singh has guided us on a thin tightrope of tremendous structural change; Sonia Gandhi has courageously aided in persuading us to follow, however unsure and teetering our step; PN Bhagwati has done much to creatively reinterpret and readjust a once foreign system of justice to our own needs.
These are all true artists, each and every one.
And then the late Baba Amte paints our vast landscapes; MF Husain links points on a psephologist’s graph with his exquisite line; Gavaskar and Tendulkar, gladiatorial, battle it out with our fiscal demons; Ebrahim Alkazi directs our missiles into a disciplined row of Greek chorus; Salman Rushdie develops our waking dream of substantive freedoms ; Charles Correa’s square, zings through time and space with the same energy as those of silicon; Deepak Chopra’s ‘Leela’ plays across the surfaces of millions of tonnes of steel; India’s Nightingale sings the abstract equations of statistical analysis with unearthly purity, I might say.
Perhaps I go a little too far in reverie, but honour must be commended where it is due, and our diverse achievements as a nation ever weave us into each other, unite us as one.
I save a special mention for our nation’s great tradition of professional journalism, so well exemplified by the eminent figures of Khushwant Singh and Prannoy Roy. I myself have had some - at times energetic - interactions with this profession over the years. Our journalists are our gatekeepers, our interpreters, our honourable messengers between each other: in a democratic, secular, and open society they inform us of what is relevant to our political, cultural and civic interests. Our trust in them must be complete. We owe them the safety of our democracy. We owe them the virtue of their vocation. We owe them their eternal vigilance.
So yes, I am just an actor. And here today I find myself further embarrassed because no one has given me my lines. I am not an intellectual, nor do I have any other options to bluster my way through things I do not understand.
But this book touched upon some things that I have been thinking about for some time, that worry me, and I take the opportunity here to air them when they are so relevant.
Anil Dharker in his introduction does not dwell upon his choice of the word ‘icon’. His lightness of touch as I have said earlier is much appreciated, but for me I am troubled and would like to talk about why.
I went straight to Wikipedia for starters and looked up the word. ‘Icon’, the word for image from the Ancient Greek, in a secular sense, is simply anything that represents something else of greater significance and apparently, does not necessarily imply its sanctity or veneration. But it does say that a cultural icon is irreplaceable, incomparable and timeless. A cultural icon captures the imagination of a cultural group.
I read on: St. Basil the Great says,
“If I point to a statue of Caesar and ask you ‘Who is that?’, your answer would properly be, ‘It is Caesar.’ When you say such, you do not mean that the stone itself is Caesar, but rather, the name and honour you ascribe to the statue passes over to the original, the archetype, Caesar himself.”
So it is with an Icon.
The honour bestowed upon me by being included amongst The Twenty makes more sense in this context: by analogy, it is the Indian Film Industry who is Caesar; I am merely a stone, only one of their many stones, and a rather old and battered one at that.
But to take the thought further, I wonder about what cultural icons DO for US.
As this book demonstrates, they can inspire, give hope, capture our imaginations and these responses can only be an ultimate good in the world.
The concern really however, is the extent to which we give our contemporary cultural icons power beyond what is good. For instance, there is something else going on than my simply being treated as a stone.
Our great nation was born with the aid of the greatest of midwives, great leaders, true Leviathans. We Indians have a long tradition of the heroic. We also like our stories as grand narrative, with big drama, big passion, big character, big suffering, big endurance, big overcomings.
Yes, I have, with so many others of The Twenty, provided my fair share of all things Big, even a B. With such a publicised life for over forty years, I have provided ample and extended narrative footage for the public, for delight in the giddy highs of success, the passion of suffering and loss, and the schadenfreude of defeat, on and on.
Considering the vast multitudes of our fellow citizens who have anonymously and quietly succeeded, suffered and endured far greater than me, I feel it at the very least a morally dubious thing that such public attention has been bestowed upon my private existence. I have not sought it. I have tried to maintain silence because that is all I can do to preserve some sense of dignity and sanity in my private life.
But my preferred silence is apparently at once dignified and at the same time not so. It is an oft repeated argument that despite the fact I am not holding public office, being a public figure I should still be obliged to explain myself. When I do speak, it is regularly shot down as mere self-promotion, or with no response whatsoever. The latter was very much the case after the event of a recent wedding in my family. Kept as a private and small event amongst my immediate kin and intimate friends due to the mortal condition of my late mother, it
was apparently an act of self-promotion for many, or a mean-spirited exclusivity for others. The irony of it was astonishing to me.
I was moved to write at length to the editors of many reputable newspapers, magazines and journals – they all know who they are – to correct the manifold errors of much of the press at large about the event, some of them verging on shocking absurdity. Not one copy of my written response was published. I have a human right to reply to public slander against myself or my family. This right was met with indifference.
So - Faulted in silence; faulted in speech.
What sort of double-bind is this, what sort of culture of news media do we have that could find justice in this Catch-22? I am just an actor: what sort of directors are there in the public sphere who really want to go down this narrative path? I am a stone. This is no way to treat the achievements of its Caesar- The Indian Film Industry.
What sort of country is this, that they place a mere actor amongst its gloried Twenty? Where are our other real heroes? Have we become so enamoured of sheer fame, wealth and privilege that we hold this up as transformative for a culture as rich in heritage as ours? Where is the maturity in our free society that we must glorify such an empty vessel as myself for admiration?
Of course I acknowledge the role of inspirational individuals to cultivate our dreams and hopes as a community, but why is there so little public concern about the delicate point at which inspiration becomes reified into mindless and infantile idolatry? Icons remain legitimate as long as they do not become idols.
And what sort of power do we really worship in our endless compulsive listings and rankings of our fellow citizens? Power lists! Rich lists! It seems to me a kind of destructive avatar, a new confabulation of our cultural obsession with hierarchy so catastrophically manifested in the caste system. Ranks! Stratified categorisations! We need to get over this and, move on. Have we become so frivolous and superficial in the last 60 years that we have become blinded to undifferentiated power, that it is enough of an end in itself?
Undifferentiated power: the conflation of material power, political power, the power of knowledge, moral power. Power is a potential, not an end in itself. What do we plan to do with ours, newly found?
What would all of those who paid so dearly for our Independence 60 years ago think of us now? Yes, they would at least feel gratified that there has been some progress towards alleviating the terrible suffering of all the forms of poverty that have plagued our population, material and cultural. But we still have a very long way to go.
Is this really a time to rest on our laurels?
I am an actor. I do not know enough about the various political ideologies on offer to espouse any of them. They just confuse me. If representative democracy in a genuinely free, open and secular society is an ideology, then I prefer that to any of the others. It has the least of all possible ills that we can do to ourselves, and the greatest opportunity to alleviate suffering. I try to think as well as I can, but I find that from my humble position, I merely end up with a lot of questions to ask. I do not have the talent, the intelligence, or the training to ask them well, let alone answer them.
So I call upon our public intellectuals in all walks of life to vigilant debate. It is, indeed, a high price. I implore them to raise their voices when they sit down awhile everywhere and reflect together about what is good and bad in what we do, say and believe. I beg them for loud and clear direction on set, in our public sphere. If they already speak, as an avid follower of Indian journalism, I do not understand why I cannot hear enough of them. I want to hear more, and the best of them. Even if they disagree with me. If they do, then I threaten defending them until death for their right to do so.
The camera rolls on all of us as we face our future together as citizens of India with 60 years of midnights behind us.
As human beings in the world, we have had a rather longer chance to sort ourselves out, and now a good chance of running out of time, not only this evening, but in general for humanity at large.
I make a last salutary gesture to the book that brought us all here today by responding to the quotation with which Anil Dharker commemorated his efforts – In his dedication, he writes to his daughter, Ayesha, thus-.
‘These are wonderful men and women, Ayesha.
But there’s always room for more.’
Anil Dharker, you are so right -
We need many more and urgently.
Everyone is doing Politics, you too is not exception! Some people does it openly some like to play a bad game politely. Everyone cares for their own people, no one cares for the truth. May god give you power/wish to come out from this dirty nasty game.
One suggestion for this site, Ask your programmer to put small messageboxes to show error, instead of showing the errors on another page. Like if someone enters wrong/incomplete email address, its showing error on different page, it would be more user friendly if error pops out with small MessageBox within the same page.
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Sir,
I have always wanted to meet you and write to you & I thank you for giving your fans a chance.
I have learnt so much from what you have spoken over the years.
Just an example, When you turned 60 and talked about the lines your father had said during your lean phase ” man ka ho to achcha, aur man ka na ho to aur bhi achcha, kyoki ismain prabhu ki ichcha hai”.
I took it to heart and this has done wonders to my life.
Recently, I came across another source of inspiration from You Almighty where when you had started your career and were working hard and staying out at nights, your father asked about you from your other as where munna is, (you were). When you came back, he asked you not to work so hard, you had replied, aap hi ne kaha tha, roti badi mushkil se milti hai and he had said, aadhi roti se bhi kaam chalta hai (Something on these lines).
My point is that YOU ARE GOD!! Whatever you say, millions get affected. And people who make these comments/ remarks do not know what they are talking about..
We love you a lot. It’s good to read what you write.
God bless you. Hopefully, I will get a chance to meet you in person some day, god willing!
Manish Patwari
Boston US
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To Mr. Bachchan,
I am a 17-year old girl of Indian descent living in the United States. And although I am growing up here, my older sisters and I bond with our Indian parents by watching movies from India, especially those movies starring you.
And although no amount of virtual accolade can do justice to your contribution to the fine entertainment industry, I would like to thank you for starring in the movies in which your incredible emotional portrayal and art of storytelling tugged at my heartstrings, especially when I was just a kid without exposure to either the Hindi language or Hindi culture.
Also, by still acting in movies to this day, you’ve inspired me to choose and love a career path in college in which I can ably work in forever.
In all, I just wanted to say I enjoy reading your blogs. Thank you once again!
Regards,
Ami K Patel
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hiiiii !!!!!!
nw no can bark bcaz TIGER reacts !!!!
and so quickly!!!: raju
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Dear Amitji,
Seems to be a technical issue with the web pages on your blog. Apparently, the back button on the top left corner of the page incorrectly points to a wrong XML. Clicking a previous post thus throws up an unparsable XML error.
Would you kindly convey this to your site hosting people (team from bigadda).
I know, there could have been better things to write on my first ever communication to you, but being a software guy, I couldn’t come up with anything more exciting. Call it my geekiness.
Will keep a close eye on your pages to point out if any other problems arise.
Yours truly (techie watchdog),
Kundan Bhaduri
kundan.bhaduri@gmail.com
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This is an extraordinary speech on many different levels. I must however confess to a sense of dismay that you once again repeat the idea that you are “only an actor”. I am unsure as to what the basis is for considering ‘actors’ inferior to those in other walks of society. Certainly the ancient Greeks, who valued ‘performance’ greatly in this sense, would have disagreed! I grant you your humility in this regard but I think the interests of such can be served well without there being any sacrifice of the ‘factual’ on your part. I would consider you simply the most influential Indian of post-Independence India once one accounts for political titans like Gandhi, Nehru, Ambedkar. One can perhaps contest this statement (which I could lay out at some length though truthfully this would take a proper critical, book length study) but that you have been and continue to be a cultural presence of extraordinary magnitude in Indian life surely isn’t debatable. But even as a political strategy I do not think you should overstate this point even if your humility compels you to do so. At the very least it allows those in the media who are in any case engaged in all kinds of ‘unfairness’ (the latest example of which is a scurrilous piece in the Mumbai Mirror which claims there was a fight between Abhishek and Mehra on the D6 sets and one where you eventually had to intervene!) to use your own statements against you. So while one sees the rather vulgar spectacle of many Bombay stars indulging in massive media campaigns of self-promotion on a daily basis, campaigns that often undercut your family in many subtle and not so subtle ways, your own words of ‘humility’ even though completely sincere serve this kind of insidious narrative. Recall the whole Guru moment when you praised Abhishek and the media suggested you were overdoing it. This when that was the first time you had ever praised Abhishek in public to that degree. The media did not at that point give you credit for not even praising Abhishek completely for Yuva and so forth. They did not give you credit for being easily the most self-effacing Bombay film personality. They did not allow you even to engage in the very same superlatives that the media was using on a daily basis for Guru! This is a good example of what I’ve been referring to. It seems to me that it is not enough to be ’sincere’. I value your character enormously (I do not say this lightly but as someone who’s followed very closely your conduct on many different levels, whether it is your public comportment or the incidents of anonymous charity on your part which after all is the truest charity; need I mention K Abbas?) but I think you would serve yourself better in considering the political import of your statements. If you said Abhishek is an average actor the media would agree; if you stated however that he is a fine actor the media would call it a father’s love. But the media never seems to question you when you expend similar superlatives on other stars or their films. So I just think you should be careful. Leaving this aside I will once again offer older thoughts on your phenomenon as yet another means of showing you why you are quite wrong in considering yourself “only an actor”:
Superstardom came to a Bachchan who was already a very fine actor. And yet even beyond this Bachchan’s greatest gift has been his incredible metamorphic abilties as a star-actor. It isn’t that he can do a variety of ‘roles’ but that he can alter his entire vocabulary in terms of gesturality et al to make it commensurate with his ‘mode’ as star. As I’ve probably said before, nothing in Zanjeer prepares you for Deewar (people who think it is simply a continuation of the earlier film have not seen the two films properly, Bachchan brings entirely different reserves as an actor to the later film), nothing in Deewar prepares you for Trishul. Amar Akbar Anthony is a revelation in any case but the 80s Bachchan is again a very different kind of star-actor. Similarly with Mohabbatein he turned the page on all of his past iconic gesturality in so many ways. One could keep going on.
The Bachchan that can be accessed in the 70s by way of Mukerjee and Desai, or through the Salim-Javed scripts, or even in one off films like Saudagar and Manzil and Do Anjaane are collectively a corpus that cannot be matched let alone surpassed even by Bachchan in his later work. This body of work is easily the richest and most variegated (of a major star) in Hindi film annals. People who think that bachchan was doing essentially a number of angry young man roles earlier are either ignorant of this work or have not learnt how to understand performances!
Again I don’t mean to overstate the ‘fall’. The one man industry phase brings into play an entirely other order of gesturality, this can’t be underestimated in terms of its impact and permanence. Even in the last 7-8 years he’s had dazzling moments as a star-actor. And yet nothing can bridge the gap between the 70s and everything else that follows. Today I am increasingly disheartened by his film choices even as I celebrate something like Cheeni Kum (though in a way the better films make one even sadder because titanic as Bachchan was and is he could still have done more as an actor).
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Have read through the site. Congratulations.
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You write so well and with so much humbleness…that’s what makes you our ICON - its not just about success - its about how you have carried it.
Thanks for being who you are…Thanks for touching our lives in the way you did…Thanks for being a true ICON.
anamika
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Hello Sir,
Arrrrggghhhhhhhhhhhhhh – first to scream with excitement, then to apologise for giving you deaf ear , now to hug you and then to apologise again for being like a little school girl and now to finally rant like a manic in panic!!!
As any fan of yours I too have my doubts about my reply being read or replied too but I do understand the phenomenal pressure you are under, so no pressure – aaah excuse the pun!
To add to the million questions you already have, could you please tell me how a regular Joe like me (please don’t call me special, my friends and folks to that enough and in the “she’s crazy and deranged†sense – jokes aside) can make a break in the industry - not acting wise but say I have a good script in hand, how can I ensure it gets its fair chance? And that I am not muscled out by the big guy?
You know this industry is just another profession but it is so hard to break into it and some people really have talent but not the luck and it kind of makes me sad, others like me just like to try their hands at it because it’s a hobby they’d like to pursue but can’t. Wish they had agencies to make the whole “breaking into the scene†a whole lot easier by giving it a structure and people a fair chance.
Anyway…..
I churn out so many plots which “I think do†stand a chance but that’s me thinking! I would love to have them evaluated and seeing them being given a fair chance. Obviously I haven’t a clue where and how to start and I do usually lack the discipline to fully complete my screenplays……..the perfect half baked ideas, exciting NOT! Ummm excuses for my laziness? - A million - wouldn’t dare bore you, besides you’ve probably heard them all!
Umm crazy ranting!!!
It’s nice to see you………. being so accessible
Love ya,
Radhika
PS –
And now to obsess about the stuff I wrote and to have doubts and to feel stupid and to call my best friend to just share the news! Arrrrggghhhhhhhhh!!!!
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Ps Ps-
Ohh Congrats to Ash-Abhi……….wish them all the happiness. Belated happy birthday to Jaya ji (My spin on it would have been, happy birthday in advance for next year!)
Ummm and finally apologies for the irrelevant comment to the topic - I just butted in there! Fans eh?
Sowwwweeeeeeeeeeeeeeee xxxxx
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Dear Mr.Bachchan,
I must say that your words have given more impetus for the reading of the book. Your statements add a certain sense of inquisitiveness and a desire to see the content and quality of the book. Although I am not familiar with Mr.Dharker’s work (I am familiar with his daughter’s movies - The Terrorist, if I remember correctly), as an avid reader of books, I will try and get my hands on this.
However, I don’t agree with your statement that you are simply and actor, and hence do not deserve the title of “icon”. Even though you compare yourself to the stone and the IFI as Caesar, by virtue of your profession, you also are a “Caesar” of sorts. I consider acting to be a valid profession just like engineering, law, medicine etc. Therefore, when esteemed professionals from those fields take a certain stand, I do not see why actors “feel” that they cannot, due to them being in your words “mouth pieces”. Granted that mouthpieces by themselves, do not mean anything, it must however be noted that actors such as George Clooney and Angelina Jolie have been given positions of international responsibility.
Hopefully my “comments” do make coherent sense. I sometimes feel I ramble too much.
Finally, I would like to congratulate your son and daughter-in-law on their first wedding anniversary. I will always remember their anniversary, as it comes 2 days before my birthday (April 22nd).
Regards,
Prasanna Kovalam
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Dear Sir
You are a very gifted person. You can become an excellent writer or a good politician.You are a person with so many talents.
PLEASE DO READ MY COMMENTS FOR BLOG 4
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In regards to the speech - I enjoyed it, but I almost feel that you’re too modest. You might be “just an actor”, or a vessel for someone else’s words and ideas, but you’re the one who is conveying them to the public, making you the symbol, or the icon of the nation’s thoughts and feelings. Additionally, being a respected public figure makes you much more than “just an actor”. You have earned the respect and the ears of your country (and beyond).
Take this blog as an example. Look how many people are eager to hear what you have to say. I haven’t read the book, but I am aware, at least in part, of your contributions in your field and in your country, and I don’t feel that list would be complete without you on it.
Also, I’d like to say that I find your writings thus far in the blog (the speech, your letters, etc.) to be extremely thoughtful and articulate, with a good touch of humor. Fascinating to read.
-Melanie
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Oh Amit ji,
Don’t waste your time even mentioning Shatrughan Sinha’s remarks. You have a wonderful family that includesyour loved ones. Your audience comprise of intelligent people who know ‘who deserves what’. Your son has made his way on his own, Your daughter-in law was already a very established person before joining your family. When people comment that they have achieved their success due to you, they are being nasty, probably twitching you to react.
You have so much more in you, so shrug these people n comments off your system like dust.
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NOTE: I am highly encouraged by your much valued piece and timely reminder. It was refreshing and reflective at the same time. Without going too much into niceties for the sake of brevity and knowing your disdain to some exaggerated praises on you. Mr. Bachchan I give you my views on what I felt was the essence of your timely speech. What follows in this comment of mine, is a reflection of the ideas you raised. the conflict I had and the conclusion I arrived at. They just might tickle your fancy.
I believe it was Marx who said :
“The weapon of criticism obviously cannot replace the criticism of weapons.”
Admittedly the context here is rather different. To make my point clear for the benefit of our readers.
Is public debate in the media or elsewhere (a) necessary (b) enough already (c) will it be enough ?
I don’t think we would disagree on the first two points. But here is where I perhaps take a more radical approach. At some point I believe this icon-isation of any debate ends up as an exercise in futility. Those who really know the answer, don’t tell. Those who tell, don’t really know the answer.
Point being, if (and its a big IF) the intellectual or ‘icon’ community manages to grasp the issues at hand WILL they have enough necessary influence to reverberate those ideas amongst the society. This doesn’t mean they don’t have any influence (on the contrary I think they have probably the most). But does that influence transmit the same intention of the progenitor of the ‘idea’ which is merely communicated by him.
We may marvel at the eloquence of the speaker but not reflect on the teleological dimensions or the meanings behind his words.
I could argue that most of the responses you may get from your blog/post is of congratulatory nature (which has a time and place and is nothing wrong with that in in itself). But I don’t think that’s the kind of response you would want to evoke.
~ Thats where You simply can turn around and defeat my argument by simply saying. “posts like khaled’s illicit the response I intend.”
Heads you win. Tails I loose.
Mr. Bachchan you manage to convince my sckepticism an. and for that I should thank you.
NOTE: We NEED more entry’s like these in your blog. We may not want them, but we sure as hell need them !
Khaled
(I am off to buy the book now on Amazon)
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Respected Mr. Bachchan,
Hello, it is Susan again. With regard to your inclusion in the book “Icons”, and your comments in your speech of simply being “a stone in the Caesar that is Indian Film Industry”. If I may humbly offer an opinion, you are more than that, sir.
Thanks to your exemplary performances, my girls have formed new concepts of self-esteem and family values that are sadly absent from American films and television. They have, if only emotionally, adopted you as their grandfather of choice, having none of their own to draw from. You are providing a positive, uplifting and frequently awesome (as my girls say “you the bomb”) example of manhood and humanity.
As a legal guardian, to two wonderful children, who is desperate to save them from the cold, calculating, manipulative world they live in, I thank you from the bottom of my heart for all you do as that “stone”.
May God bless you will a long and fruitful life, full of all the joys you deserve.
-Susan
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By the way, what happened to my first comment? Made in the Day 3 blog entry?
-Susan
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Hello Sir, Good to see that you are regularly blogging, I am from USA and my parents are from Pakistan. My mom is your fan and i remember she used to tease my dad with your name and he actually used to get jealous. LOL!!
But now, i am fan of your daughter-in-law Aishwarya, she has made a good reputation in USA, and my American friends know her very well, her movie The Last Legion was released here and i saw some dvds at local movie store in New Jersey but i guess the marketing is not done at that level that could drag people to theaters. But her appearances on OPRAH and 60 MINUTES etc, left impression on local people. Sir, i wanted to suggest that you too along with your family members come to the shows like Oprah, 60 Minutes and other local programs so that the local American people start recognizing you even better.
What i was surprised to see was that many of African friends from Ethopia and Somaliya learned Hindi by watching your movies. Sometimes its not good when we(south asians) have to talk in hindi and urdu, but it gives us a proud feeling. And yes! all Indian and Pakistanis feel proud and take pride by your good work.
I know its getting longer but i asked earlier and requesting again to tell us somethings that you think youngsters should keep in mind when they move in practical life. I know that sound weird but your blog is our only source that allows us to connect with you personally. I hope you dont mind.
BEST OF LUCK!!!
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Hi Mr. Bachchan,
I am not commenting on this article as i did not read this one…
I have always facinated to communicate some feelings of mine toward you….i am 28 years old and used to hate your action movies of your younger years…but the current ones forced me to change my view towards you……also i have a good collection of your dads poems and would appreciate if a place in this blog is provided to them…..(because frankly they are more touching)
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Mr. Bachchan!!!
Is that really you?? I can’t believe Big B is connecting with his fans through blogging. Keep it up!!! (May be you can get Bachchan Jr. to do the same…please) The feeling is undescribable that YOU, Mr. Bachchan might actually be reading this. amazing! I have been a fan of yours since i can remember. I think the first Bachchan movie i saw was Shehshah. I still have faint memory of walking around the house with saying “riste main to hum tumare baap lagte hain par naam hain shehshah!†Good times they were…I hope to run into you someday when I am in India. Now that would be memorable vacation
When watching movies I don’t get emotional, but watching your movies seeing you cry my eyes just water up. I think the most i have cried was in Waqt (2005) and Viruddh.
My dad and my uncle are a huge-huge-huge fan of yours. My dad always says after he retires his one thing to do to watch every single Amitabh Bachchan movie in theatre first day, first show and that dream is soon going to come true within the next two years.
I wish you all the best for the coming years and continue doing what you do the best.
You are an untouchable legend!
jinee
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Goodmoning Sir,
am amazed to see you are updating your blog almost daily!!This is something unexpected.how do you find time …its reallly one surprising thing.Expecting atleast one reply.
Good Going.
Love you.
TC.
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Dear Mr. B,
Very nice words indeed. It must take a lot of time and energy to find the right words to convey your thoughts.
Cheers,
Jaya
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respected sir,
this is not a reply of any post appeared here. buss , jab pataa chala ki aap blog likh rahe hain to socha ki aapke behad qeemti waqt me se kuchh lamhe apne scrap ko aapse padhwaane me kharch karwaane ki jurrat karoon. actually , aapki filmo ko dekh dekh-kar badey huey hain…. aapko face to face kabhi nahi dekha hai par dekhne ki tamanna pichchle 30 saalon se hai.
sorry, zyada waqt nahi loonga. khuda aapko khush rakhey.
regards
moin shamsi
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Respected Sir/Uncle,
Good Morning!
Sir, meri english itni achchi nahi hai aur hindi typing or hindi mail mujhe karni nahin aati. Isliye aise mail bhej raha hoon, mujhe vishwas hai aap meri mail ka reply meri e-mail I.D. per jarur denge. Sir, aur kuch nahin jeewan ki ek choti si abhilasha hai ki main aap se personally mil saku, mere parivar main lagbhag aapko sabne dekha hai, kyonki main bhi Allahabad se belong karta hoon. Agar yeh possible hai to please meri mail ka reply jarur dena, mera jeewan safal ho jayega.
Aapke achche swastheya aur achche career ke liye meri or mere parivaar ki dhero subhkamnayen !
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Respected AMIT Ji,
just to intro myself that my late father was very close desciple of ur father in fiftys and sixties and rather HE change my fathers sirname frm jain to bharti.it was in allabhad and than my father shifted to a small place in mp.I remember whenever my father earlier visited delhi he used to visit ur father.WE in our family always treat late Harivansh rai ji as GURUPITA and always felt connected with pride with ur family.
five yrs back i shifted frm mp and doing pharma business in large scale in mumbai of 200 crs plus.even once my entire family including my sis frm jabalpur were very close to U in Sidhivinayak temple.
Yes whenever we use our sirname Bharti we remember ur father.
Sir, just to tell u,,U dont need to give any reply to any and every barking dogs,U r above everyone and people madly love ,respect and follow U.
REGARDS!
NAVEEN JAIN
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Dear Mr. Bachchan,
It’s great to read that someone as accomplished as you are still focuses on JUST DOING what you believe in and let the results pan out as they do. The awards and admiration have always followed you and always will.
And Mr. B, are you a night owl? I see the timings of your blog and they are in the wee hours of the morning. Make sure you take regular breaks from the computer
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Dear Mr. B,
It is very nice to know that you have stepped up to share your views in Public. I am as a Normal Person acknowledge and will be glad to views opinion from one of a very successful entity from my country.
I have been observing your views from quiet sometime and we staying abroad - feel very lucky to have such a Great Personality - In our country ” INDIA “.
I would like to know your views - what do you think as a normal citizen of INDIA.
I hope you will write a line in reply…..BY yourself only……..Many Thanks….Sanjay K.
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Dear Amitabji
First of all heartiest cong for opening a site where we can write to you. I am an Intensive care specialist & Diabetologist did my studies from Univ. Texas Southwestern medical centre, Dallas USA. Presently established in Nagpur.
Amitabji, actually yu know me. Please strain a little on your brain and go in a flash back of 1994 when your papa was admitted under Dr. Farookh Udwadia at Breach Candy mumbai. I was his chief resident than. Yu & Ajitab Bhai use to sit & talk at length. Do yu remember yu how jayaji use to send tasty kheer for us to enjoy. Yu remember Dr Bansali speaking at length about yur health. Yu often also use to talk with Dr. Umesh Kadam & Dr. Armity desai my colleages. Sir yur genorosity & humbleness even at the position given to yu by god has attracted me the most. I often tell my children Purab age-6 & Aarita age-9 about my meeting with yu often but I dont think they are impressed. My wife is a school teacher in Centre Point school teaching 6th,7th & 8th class{CBSE}. Sir by god grace I am well settled & happy life. Last year I was Gen secretary of Diabetic Ass. Of India {Nagpur}. I am attached as Faculty at Regional Police trainning school Nagpur & Teach Police First Aid & Prevention of Mental Stress. Sir, I am also teaching 500 final yr medical students 3 subjects along with Life Philosophy. Sir my mobile no is 09823995855 or yu can write to my mail adress saap2728@rediffmail.com. If yu remember me than please call me. I know yur humbleness sir. I dont need any help of any kind as I am well establised, but thought to say yu hello after 14 yrs. For conferences I usually come to Mumbai, but I dont have ur contact no or adress. Please also send me that in yur reply to my mail which I will be highly oblidged. May god give yu long life & keep yur family healthy.
Yurs Lovingly
Dr. Sanjay Sood
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sir as i m ur’s big fan since reshma aur shera & bond with u still strong. i was in touch with doctor saab bachchan ji i used to write him LETTERS n got replies. i also learned lot of about running hindi styled script from his letters.sir i wanna tell u tht u like to work on BUDHDHA..ITS GR8 IDEA .I KNOW ONE OF THE WRITER WHO WORKED FOR THE SAME PROJECT FOR ATLEAST THREE YEARS AND PROJECT WAS ALMOST ON WAY TO FLOOR BUT SOME HOW IT COULD NOT START.IT WAS ALSO APROVED FROM DALAI LAMA.I THINK THIS WILL GET U TO RIGHT PERSON . WRITER IS CURRETELY WORKING ON SOME MOVIE AND HE IS NSD TOPPER.I M NOT PRO FOR THE WRITER BUT I GENUINELY WANT HELP TO GET PROPER WRITER FOR UR DESIRED PROJECT AND SAME TIME TIME I M ALSO WANT HELP THE WRITER FOR HIS WORK. REGARDS. HARISH B.
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अमिताà¤à¤œà¥€ बà¥à¤²à¥‹à¤— शà¥à¤°à¥‚ करने के लिठधनà¥à¤¯à¤µà¤¾à¤¦ . इसके ज़रिये हम आपतक और आप हम तक पहà¥à¤à¤š सकेंगे इसकी बहà¥à¤¤ ख़à¥à¤¶à¥€ सà¤à¥€ फेनà¥à¤¸ को है .आप पर जो à¤à¥€ आरोप लगते हैं हम सब को तकलीफ होती है आप हर मà¥à¤•à¤¾à¤¬à¤²à¥‡ में विजयी होकर निकलते हैं इसमें à¤à¥€ यही होगा ..सब आप के साथ हैं ….. हरीश
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dear amitabhji!
its my fourth comment on your blog! and i hope that u read my past comments!
in these posts u answered to some comments and write about your fans in afghanistan and other countries but nothing about this little iranian fan! but never mind! because like Dq i feel that the Blog is an ocean of messages but instead of Dq it is me that will not be noticed!
im a blogger and know it is very difficult to read 400 comments and will take much time!so i dont ask question any more!
so i`m still happy for speaking to such a great man that was my hero since i was just 3!
and for the end like past comments i put a ghazal from “hafizâ€:
May your goodness always increase
And your smiling face never cease
In our head the thought of your love
Every day is on the increase.
Every cedar and every spruce
From your height may you hear their pleas
The eye not intrigued by thee
Its tear drops a bloody disease.
Your eye for mesmerizing hearts
Is a magician and master-tease.
Wherever a heart is longing for thee
Impatiently shears its own fleece.
The beauty of all the lovers
Beside your swan is ugly geese
with the best wishes!
khuda hafiz!
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dear amitabhji!
it is my blog that is about my hero”AMITABH BACHCHAN”
http://amit-fan-club.blogfa.com
it is in persian for ur iranian fans. and i hope that i can do my best for u!
with love
sahar:ur little iranian fan
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I find there are some technical problems with your site. Even your subscribe RSS is not working. Clicking on it is only showing pages full of codes. Please do something about it or contact your site hoster.
In the newspaper, your site address given is bigb.bigadda.com but it is not opening. After searches, then it opened as blogs.blogadda.com/ab/
Please get these checked.
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Ah, your humility is so inspiring. However, I tend to agree that among “icons,” you do deserve a spot among the top 20. Though I sympathize with your argument that you’re “merely” an actor, surely you wouldn’t argue that you have a place as an ambassador for the Hindi movie industry?
I can’t begin to tell you what Hindi cinema has done for my life, and I am literally on the opposite side of the planet from you. I find it to be the most precious of your country’s exports (though, I do also have a soft spot for Haldiram’s mitthai), because to the discerning eye it can carry a world of cultural ideals and understanding.
Because of the export of Hindi movies, my fiance and many other desi people will find understanding and common ground in places that might’ve been otherwise cold. That’s pretty powerful.
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Hello Sir,
I have watched almost every film of yours.I still miss the film making style of Mukul Anand.If he would have been in this world i am sure you would have got some more challenging roles.The way he uses the camera was amazing,be it Hum-Agneepath…I just love your work in those films.
Sarkar was the next best after his style of movie making.Close up camera..
Keep going sir…We are with you.
All the best..
Yours
Amit
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You never come to PAKISTAN sir.
any plans………
also plz do a full COMEDY soon .its been a while since bunty bubli that we last saw you in a comedy…….also plz do a psycho path KILLER role soon plz.
and plz plz work with naseeruddin shah and amir khan……….the chemistry would be amazing
thanks
imran malik
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Respected Amitabhji,
Congrtualating you on the Wedding Anniversary of Abhishek and Ashwariaya.
I know it is not possible for you to reply to all the messages that you get but i would be very happy and grateful to you if you could atlleast reply once. My 8 yr old daughter, Aadya, is also anxiously waiting for your message,she asks me everyday whether you have re[lied or not.
Wishing you all the very best for your forthcoming films
Regards
Sheetal
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Respected Amit ji,
This is ankur. i am 27 years old and working with an MNC form.
I am big fan of “Late Shri Hrivansh Rai Bachchan Ji”. I have read most of his poetic works and believe me despitie of being poetic they depicts most practicle aspect of humen life. Some of his works (Expecially “Madushala”)are very helpful to handle the stressfull corporate life.
There are millions of people admires you bcoz of your acting, but i admired you the kind of person you are. The admire you for deep respect for your culture, i admire you for your modesty and humbleness, i admire for you discipline towards the life and work.
I still remember one of your famous quote ” Mann ka ho to achha aur na ho to aur bhi achha”.
you are an inspiraition to all of us.
Finally i want to ask one question to you, “How do keep yourself calm and compose, especially when you are surrounded with unnecessary controversies.
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Hello AMITABH JI,
I’ve been watching ur movies since i was a little kid,ur a true living legend and i just wanna say keep up the good work .
Gary Khroud(CANADA)
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Hi Sir,
Nice blog…. Your a powerful person and I feel if u speak up a large mass in our country would listen!!!! I feel lot of things need to be set right in our country, being a celebrity you definitely have an edge over the rest.
Cheers n Keep Blogging
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hello Sirji!!
I am Your Big Friend as all ur friend said but not in size although in love.
I am very nerves and cant find right words but sir I hav a Question for you I
hope you read it and try to answer it..
I felt that since d govt of congres are come in center the are targeting you
by any reason so I asked you to that its political stunt or they want attention of Indian people by targeting India’s most famous and powerful personality ?
I am waiting Bhootnath!
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Respected Amitabh Ji,
I have always been an admirer of your extra-ordinary brilliance as an actor.I am 1976 born in allahabad itself.Seeing you convinces me that you have an immense motivation to work which is rooted most deeply in your heart and SOUL that you should work hard and even harder and work brilliant all the time.You have become a superhuman work machine.And struggling in movie industry and staying at the top all the time made you deeply conditioned as a highly refined, polished, sphisticated, moderate and soft gentleman in the overt projection of your persona.And now you have started to react and speak more non-diplomacy as compared to your older public image.It is good because after all you are a human being and not a robot without feelings and now the media people and politicians will have a bad day and it will be difficult for them to churn credits out of your popularity by belowstandard manipulation.
You once said in a tv show that you always fear failure and feel insecure about it.And that you have set in your heart certain basic requirements to live incase you face bad times.That shows the level of wisdom and maturity in your thinking.But I would like to draw you a bit further in this chain of thought.As you are intellectually developed; have you ever wondered as to why should we be wanting happiness and feeling aversion to unhappiness in general? Why should we prefer pleasure over pain, success over falure, joy over sorrow, relaxation over stress, elation over depression? WHY?
Our life and our reactions to struggle ARE NOT LOGICALLY CONSISTENT? Our mental schemata to drive in life is based on half dealt logic? We don’t introspect because of an invisible sense of urgency prevailing in our schemata !
Having achieved so much you have the opportunity to realise that even at the top gallery of success in this world one is not at bliss and mental peace! If you have so much of conviction to follow your thoughts then rise higher and think a step ahead and move forward in your mental schemata.Please introspect and search for TRUE LOGIC TO DRIVE YOU IN LIFE AND BEYOND !!
MAY GOD BLESS US ALL !
Aseem Mishra
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Dear Amitji,
I personally feel there is no need for you to react to all this banter in the press and all the umpteen TV channels, please do what you do best give good films. You are the actor we all saw when growing up with adulation and we clung to each and every dialogue you said. Abhi and Ash have to make their own stand so let it be. I think you should have the last laugh reading all the news since you know what the truth is. One request please dont belittle yourself by announcing every girl named Aishwarya as your daughter-in-law. The announcement of the little champanion Ash as your daughter was in poor taste. It feels like you are obessessed with her than ur son.
Regards,
Radhika
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Dear Mr Bachan,
I have a very high hope that u will reply and help me. I need financial help(a very small amount for u) and i have a feeling that somebody in your family will be able to help me.
I need about 4 million rupees. Maybe sister Ash can do an advertisement to help me.
Please sir give her my message.
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HI
sir,
first of happy wishes to abhi n ash for 1St marrige anuversary.all ur fans got the direct way to express our feelings for u n ur family. ur family is one of the family who has five daimonds. thanks for cpening blogs.god will do every things best for u…
i love both couples ur n ur son. i feel houner to express my feelings to u.
we loves you sir……..
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Amitabh ji, Namaskar.
To begin with, thanks for starting your own blog. Finally, we can feel connected with our “HERO” in one more way.
Another reason why I would like you to thank again is because when people for their own reasons use your name to gain mileage or malign your name for the same, although it does not matter to you, but to us, the lesser mortals, who have grown up looking at you as our ICON, it hurts. Now atleast we can read to your point on that.
That brings me to another point. You are right when you say
“What sort of country is this, that they place a mere actor amongst its gloried Twenty? Where are our other real heroes? Have we become so enamoured of sheer fame, wealth and privilege that we hold this up as transformative for a culture as rich in heritage as ours?”;
but the point remains that it is true for a mere actor, but not for a person to whom the people look upto for inspiration; not for a person who represents our country like nobody else in his field (Same goes for other people like APJ Abul Kalam, Ratan Tata & NarayanMurthy etc.); There have been ‘n’ number of stories and ancedotes where people have recognized India as a country to which you belong to; It is an undoubtable fact that you are one of the major reasons why Indian film industry is what it is today; Whenever there is any discussion about Indian film industry, it is never complete without your name; and this in a country where movies are one of the religions which unites its citizens. If this is not what an Icon is, i fail to uderstand wht is.
and when you talk about being a stone in the Indian Film industry, I have to agree again. But somehow, without any intention, some stones become milestones and that differentiates them from mere stones.
Regards
Ankush Singla
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sir u r great
u r one of the most influential personalities of the world . one can learn a lot from u.
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hello,
i have been thru your blog and the comments posted by people. Each individual has his or her own perceptions to look at things. I feel being a celebrity you always paid for it and still paying for it. You and your family stay in a democratic country. So as a free Indian dont care about what others have to say, whether it is our useless polticians or sensless people. Go ahead with what You have in your heart, no one can stop you. And no need to always giving justifications to everyone. After all even you all are human beings.
At the end i would say i have crossed your bunglow many times while going towards juhu beach, and i always wished to meet you and say just one thing that i really like your acting and Mrs Jaya’s acting. i love your old movie Anand and its the best movie that i have seen in my life.
Finally you and your family has lot money, i just request you to spend small amount on those who cant even have their one time’s meal. May God bless u and your family. I hope you have time to read my message.
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icon .,
bade bade nam hote hai , bhi knyo ,knyoki kam achchha kiya to log appreciate karte hai ,
koi dil se likhta hai ,koi deemag se ,dil likhi bate ,boli bate sidhee utartee hai dil me,deemag se likha gaya ,bola gaya ,kiya gaya kary deemag ko ashant hi karyta hai ,dil ki bate hai kal kal bahti huee nadi ki tarah ,nadi kinare baitho ,uska pani pio thanda shital nirmal ,tan man ko dho dale ,nirmal karde ,deemag se likha hua hai jaisa ,samunder jama kaiya hua nirmal nadi ka pani bhi khara ho jata hai kitan bhi samuder me gire na ghata na badata hai lekin hota hai khara ,samudre tat pr baitho lahero ke chhinte chare ko chhute hai achchha lagta hai lekin ek bund bhi muh me jati hai muh swad bigad deti hai ,samundre ke snan ke bad dobara snan karna padta hai ,nirmal nadi ke snan paschat ,manav ek dam niraml hojata hai
hame yahi is dhartee pa bahne aaye hai ,nadi ban jaye kal kal bahte rahe aur auro ko niramal shitalta pradan kare ,
samunder ki tarah vishal dikahna aur sirf namak(salt) nikalne ke kam aata hai
hame nirmal shital ,kal kal bahte icon, chaheeye ,
par kismat hi kuch chh aisi hai
nadi ko bana rahe hai bandh
phir bhi samunder ko koi nahi fark
nato woh kam hua na hua mitaha
manav tha nirmal nadi
na bhara man smuadar
hokar ,kisi ka sab kuchh
chhin banaye bandh
jeevan ki apa dhapi me
kya karne aaye the
kya karna hai, sab hua
vilin samundar me
jo kuchchh man me aya likha hai achchha bura kuchchh nahi pata pichhle kuchh samay se man ki bate jyad sunta hu deemag ko takleef kam deta hu
man rahta hai shant knyoki uski sunleta hu deemag bhi rahta hai shant knyoki use deta nahi takleef
chandrakant parmar
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NAMASTE SIR
I m one of ur biggest fan. Im also ur family’s fan. sir I have received ur 2 letters to when I send u ur birthday wishes I was very happy for ur response and in my views MR. AMITABH BACHCHAN IS THE GREAT. but I was little dissappointed when u didnt respond to my poetrys written on u which i send u on ur last birthday.I wrote that poems when u were not well i also wrote that plsssss. reply to it but no reply was given> so sir please try to reply to my poems and if u wish and tell i will give u that poem again but please reply sir.
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I became a fan when I sent an Inland letter addressed to “Mr. Amitabh Bachchan, Film Actor, Juhu, Bombay” asking for an autographed photograph and got a response!Watched almost all of your movies till before Mohabbatein multiple number of times, got inspired by the characters (not knowing what the script-writers do, in the making of a film..for a long time I thought the trick to escape from the hospital in Majboor was your own ingenuity)..I have used the scenes from movies like Deewar, Trishul, Kaala Patthar to get out of depression whenever things didn’t go well. Have been ragged at my quiz club for missing the questions on you/your movies. Have taken personal offense to articles that have been (in my opinion) critical of you. Yes - my warmth for you has gone down when I see you in conjunction with the politicians in SP but that’s your prerogative and inspite of all the love and warmth that we shower on you we obviously don’t/can’t/shouldn’t control your personal life. The only reason for the ‘disconnect’ with you on that count is that I(others like me) like you so much that we want you to remain as ‘clean’ (actually/purportedly) as you can possibly be. But whenever I see the fierceness with which you defend that friendship, in my eyes, you only grow in stature because I can think of many who would/could have given up on their friends because of all the controversies but it takes a brave man to actually stand up to the whole world to defend and stand alongside what you believe is right.
This does feel like having a direct line to you and that’s something that I have to thank bigadda for. Whoever thought of this brilliant idea and convinced you to do this - a big Thanks!
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अमित जी आपका बà¥â€à¤²à¤¾à¤— देखा दà¥à¤– हà¥à¤† कि आप जैसा वà¥â€à¤¯à¤•à¥à¤¤à¤¿ जिसने कि सारे जीवन हिंदी à¤à¤¾à¤·à¤¾ की फिलमों में काम कर के ही लोकपà¥à¤°à¤¿à¤¯à¤¤à¤¾ अरà¥à¤œà¤¿à¤¤ की है वो अपना बà¥â€à¤²à¤¾à¤— अंगà¥à¤°à¥‡à¤œà¥€ में बना रहा है । और तिस पर ये à¤à¥€ कि आप हिंदी के पà¥à¤°à¥‹à¤§à¤¾ कवि शà¥à¤°à¥€ हरविंश राय बचà¥â€à¤šà¤¨ साहब के पà¥à¤¤à¥à¤° हैं जिनका कि हिंदी साहितà¥â€à¤¯ में अमूलà¥â€à¤¯ योगदान है । और मैं ये à¤à¥€ जानता हूं कि आपकी हिंदी बहà¥à¤¤ अचà¥â€à¤›à¥€ है बलà¥à¤•à¤¿ ये कि जब आप हिंदी बोलते हैं तो अपने पिता की याद दिला देते हैं । मैंने हंस पतà¥à¤°à¤¿à¤•à¤¾ में आपकी और राजेंदà¥à¤° यादव की पतà¥à¤° वारà¥à¤¤à¤¾ पढ़ी उसमें à¤à¥€ आपने विशिषà¥â€à¤Ÿ हिंदी का पà¥à¤°à¤¯à¥‹à¤— किया है तो फिर यहां पर अंगà¥à¤°à¥‡à¤œà¥€ में लिखने की कà¥â€à¤¯à¤¾ लाचारी है । हिंदी में लिखना अपनी मातृà¤à¤¾à¤·à¤¾ का सबसे बड़ा समà¥â€à¤®à¤¾à¤¨ है विशेषकर आप तो हिंदी में लिखें कà¥â€à¤¯à¥‹à¤‚कि आप आज जहां पर हैं उसमें अंगà¥à¤°à¥‡à¤œà¥€ का कोई योगदान नहीं है आप हिंदी फिलà¥â€à¤®à¥‹à¤‚ के कारण ही वहां पर पहà¥à¤‚चे हैं । मैं à¤à¤• छोटा सा मंचीय कवि हूं और छोटा मोटा कथाकार हूं । चूंकि हिंदी में लिखता हूं इसलिये कहना चाहूंगा कि हिंदी में लिखना इतना मà¥à¤¶à¥à¤•à¤¿à¤² à¤à¥€ नहीं है । बहà¥à¤¤ सारे इस पà¥à¤°à¤•à¤¾à¤° के टूलà¥â€à¤¸ हैं जिनका आप उपयोग कर सकते हैं और हिंदी में लिख सकते हैं । अगर फिर à¤à¥€ आपको अंगà¥à¤°à¥‡à¤œà¥€ का ही मोह है तो मैं ये ही कहना चाहूंगा कि आप फिर से सोचें कि कà¥â€à¤¯à¤¾ ठीक है ।
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Respected Amit Ji,
GOD has given you everything, you should be thankful to him. But you deserve even more than that. You have become the Milestone. You have proved that you don’t have any competetion. In front of your height everything is small today. Thanks for working hard for the family, for himself and for the country. May GOD bless you with 5000 years of age.
Our best wishes are always with you and your family.
Regards
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Res.Sir
Your blog is giving real insight of you as Human.It is so differnt than your reel emage.I avidly read it daily.Please view my blogsite paintersurgeon.blogspot.com and please mail your views.
Thanking you.
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Respected Mr. Bachchan,
I have been a fan of you and your entire family. I am very happy to learn that you have started blogging on Bigadda. This is a place thru which people like me will be able to communicate with you.
Your speech delievered on 12th March, 2008 speaks the volume of your stature, your honesty, your humbleness, and what not. I personally agree with what your father said in one of his poems:
जीवन की आपाधापी में,
कब वक़à¥à¤¤ मिला कà¥à¤› देर कà¤à¤¹à¥€ पर बैठकà¤à¥€ यह सोच सकूà¤- जो किया कहा, माना, उसमें कà¥à¤¯à¤¾ बà¥à¤°à¤¾ à¤à¤²à¤¾
Where was the time in the hustle and bustle of life
To sit down a while somewhere and reflect
What was good and bad in what I did, said and believed.
Your speech itself is like poetry, told with so much conviction, with a great vocabulery.
Thanks a lot for providing an oppotunity to communicate with you.
Warm regards,
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