Archive for July, 2008

DAY 98

Posted on: July 30, 2008 - 9:51 pm

Comments: 462

New York, NYC          July 30, 2008             11:45 am

 

 

I plan to step out of the room in a short while. Seems incongruous does it not, to be in this great city and not move out of your room ! But i shall venture out to the gym across the street to see how my body fares. It will be the first after I came out from India, which is horrendous. Illness kept me away. Time to get the body in shape again.

There have been however some committed comments from fellow bloggers and I thought it would be nice to respond to some picked randomly. The demand for more photographs is increasing and I am compiling some more, though this is not being received very well by the photographer since she has been assigned to do a book on the Tour and feels all her work is going out to the world before time.

 

So to -

gosh !! there has been a huge error ! I had selected all the names at random, highlighted them and stored them on desktop. Now that i open desktop they are not there. Horror !! This is so annoying and frustrating. I need a desperate course in computer training rather urgently !! O ! dear o dear o dear !!

Alright found some -

Prateek Thakkar - from bangalore, journo intern and your request for something in the South of India. Yes we shall put it up for consideration with the organisors.

Philip Vaz - thank you for the quotes and the old kahavats. I do not think we should draw conclusions on this. That is not ethical.

Jhanu - sorry you felt we did not wave out to the 100 $ seats. We wave out to everyone and we do not know where the 100$ seat is. Also the lights are so strong in the face that we cannot see at times. But apologies if you felt that way. Here is a special wave for you.. got it !!

Jayant Chatterji - from New Delhi - thank you for your story and your meeting with Amjad and your uncle Anil da. I shall inform Jaya about it.

Ajit - thank you for your copy on the Rajdeep Sardesai comment. I think it is very pertinent and honest of him to have admitted to all that he said.

Rajiv N - from Mauritius, thank you for connecting and for your good wishes. Your country and its people hold a very special place in my heart.

Kaushik Ray - you spoil me with your comments on the elixir and aphrodisiac of life. I am certainly not deserving of them.

Payal - yes your entries are seen and read and appreciated and i wish to thank you for your sentiments. So for you 3rd time lucky. My feet are not deserving of your grace.

Vijay - from Surat Gujarat, thank you for the message. This is to wish your wife all the best. Happiness and joy always.

 

OK.. enjoy the photos on DAY 98(i)

 

My love as ever…

Amitabh Bachchan

Posted in: Uncategorized



DAY 98(i)

Posted on: July 30, 2008 - 1:35 pm

Comments: 190

New York, NYC             July 30, 2008                   12:30 pm

 

Some more photos for your pleasure. Madhuri is being processed and shall be with you shortly.

 

Love

Amitabh Bachchan

Posted in: Uncategorized



DAY 97

Posted on: July 30, 2008 - 11:35 am

Comments: 346

New York, NY July 29, 2008  8:30 pm

Dearest All,

Drenched with the reactions of the San Francisco show and completely overwhelmed by the affection of the audience in the Bay Area, I have traveled on the ‘Red Eye’ to New York before we perform in Houston, for a little rest and recuperation.

It has been tough to ascertain which one turned out the best. But as of now I think the scales tilt in favor of SFO. Albeit marginally.

I must confess I was apprehensive on what San Francisco would hold for us. After a stupendous gig at LA, the law of averages would not have favored the next one. Also there was no time. We finished very late in Los Angeles and by the time we got back to the Hotel and dined and turned in it was around 3 in the morning. We had an early flight virtually arriving into SFO just in time for the show. There was no rehearsal. No time to even check the stage and barely enough space to get into our costumes. But, it all worked. There was a madness and frenzy backstage, but all worked out fine. Production and artistes are sincerely feeling that technically SFO was the best and are now also of the sincere opinion that maybe no rehearsals and a little frenzy adds to the final outcome.

The medication still continues as do the energy drinks just before going on, but there are fresh problems. Sores on the tongue ! It’s the antibiotics the doc says and many different kinds of creams and swabs and solutions are being applied, but it’s been 4 days now and it is uncomfortable and painful. Problem eating, talking, swallowing, speaking…
But on stage… the roar from the crowds makes you forget everything.

Abhishek and Aishwarya took off yesterday also. In another direction. Via the Pacific to Mumbai. Abhishek endorses Omega and he has an event in New Delhi tomorrow. So, and this is crazy, he will reach there in the morning, go to Delhi and attend the event in the evening and at night set off again for Houston, arriving a night before the show !!

Time, space, travel, communication have become so intransient.

Many responses talk of the emotion connected to the show, the efforts made to travel to the venue from distances not traversed normally. They talk of being moved to tears to see us in person and to be fulfilling long-standing dreams. It is to us too equally emotional. We shed tears of joy at seeing your appreciation. It may not look very evident but I can tell you that inside all of us there are similarities. I cannot say what sparks it, but spark it does. And in the quiet of our bedrooms or wherever it is that we find ourselves in solitude a retrospection a self-appraisal unconsciously takes place, where we cherish and relive the moments spent with you in public.

Many of you mention that you spend days talking, discussing, what you saw and what you experienced. It is no different our end. A moment, a face, an expression in the audience, a remark, everything. We talk about it. We laugh over it. We lament at having forgotten something we should or could have done. We allow it to become a part of us for days and years. To the youngsters, as we sit around, I still give vivid memories of my past stage experiences. What happened then. How it happened. Who did what and where. This generation is fortunate that every move of theirs will be documented. Our pity is that nothing was documented ever. No photographs, no recordings, nothing. We never did those events with the intent of creating substance for posterity. We did it to go out and enjoy an evening with friends and well wishers. We never looked at it as usable software for the future, as a potential asset, as a property to be stored. It was just the thrill of being together and spending an evening of fun and entertainment. Much of the Western world and in particular the Americans have a culture of keeping records, even if it is seemingly immaterial. And it is remarkable how well documented their past is, visually. In the East, or at least in India and its surrounding regions the emphasis has been more on the verbal than the visual. Actions deeds and words from our ancestors come down to us through words and moments spoken to us through our elders, almost generational.
There is a rush at times to unload all or most of it somewhat hurriedly. It emanates perhaps from the inevitable. Before the brain goes into retard mode, all that is required to be taught or spoken must come through rapid procedure.

I find myself more vocal than before with my progeny. I have very little to give, but whatever I have needs to go swiftly.

Is this why I blog ? Is this an unconscious occurrence ?

I really do not know and maybe never shall.

My love as always

Amitabh Bachchan

Posted in: Uncategorized



« Previous Entries