Day 341- The Bachchans

We are humbled. And with bended knee and bowed heads acknowledge your affection and care and love.

Dearest Brother

Sadar Charan Sparsh

I take a bow too! along with you at the helm of affairs of your family, yes, In India after the death of the father the eldest male member is saddled with such responsibilies as Head of the family.

As in these last words you express the gratitude to this land for being so generous should I add that we Indians are equally proud of having this family doing so much for the country. The kind of work tha Dr. Bachchan undertook from his early youthful days in 1935 when Madhushala was first published to the fourth and final volme of his autobiography in Dashdwar se Sopaan tak.. Has he not loved this country with all its limitatons ( We know, some of us did not acknowledge his efforts when he first got thePh.D. from Cambridge - that the poet had to move ahead to Delhi!).
The contributions of one single man in him alone suffices enough to hold the bachchans in highest esteem! To not to dilute my words I shall come back to you later in the day, let me salute the Bachchans for their contributions!

Abhaya India March 31 2009 10:36 AM IST

..

Dear Brother

Good Morning
I am here once again to continue the story of Bachchans a little further. In the first instance, it had to end with Dr. Bachchan’s contribution. True, the love that came to the Bachchans increased several folds once you were at the helm of affairs in the Hindi film industry, no, I would not like to use the Hollywood rhyming word even if do not find a suitable word to express our kind of cinema in the world.

Yes, brother, there were times, when one Amitabh Bachchan rose on the screen in his famous hindi films of the seventies there was no looking back! I for one pronounce that Anand was more of a film where world first realized that you had substance! Namakharaam was also equally a brilliant effort before you took Hindi Cinema to the hilt with your angry young man image! Oh! you were incredibly great in that image, I myself would not watch movies that were devoid of the Bachchan in the cast- I know it was wrong on my part- yet I did so for nearly 4 to five years that I spent in Delhi as a school and college student. No regrets for that! You were indeed brilliant and I feel that though you do deserve a Baharat Ratna- if it is not conferred on you does not make any differnce to the entity the world knows as Amitabh Bachchan- You have garnered much more than a Bharat Ratna could have offered!

Now, before some of my fellow bloggers start finding some different meanings _ I must also congratulate the other two awardees in the family- Jaya madam and the bride Aishwarya. Jaya Bhaduri of Guddi, Piya Ka Ghar, Abhimaan, Parichay, Bawarchi, and Chupke Chupke even Zanjeer, Shor and many other movies were quite brilliant. Indeed her greatest performance came along in Koshish where Sanjeev Kumar too was equally brilliant! I would often say I did not quite like her quitting films after you got married! yet there is no point in talking of past, we have to be satisfied with what we got to see of her! Give my warmest regards to her.

Coming to the Aiswarya Rai - the phenomenal success of her career came along soon after her winning the Miss World. I am afraid, I have not seen many of her movies though I did like her small cameo in Mohabbatein- she was at her stunning best in that movie. I did also see her Taal, Hum Dil de chuke hain sanam Bride and Prejudice, Guru and even Chokher Baali (Hind version!). She is talented yet I feel the best of her is yet to come! My love to her and Abhishek.

have a great time at Sopaan, are you there to release the foreword to Coffee table edition of Madhushala or that is yet to be launched! looking forward to its release. I did get to read the Marjorie Bolton’s version of Madhushala. It is nice and deserves praise!

Give my love to Shweta-Nikhil and their two darling children Navya-Agastya. Amrit’s annual examinations start tomorrow and he is doing comparatively better with his health, that indeed is a matter of great relief! He is intelligent only he does not devote enough time, he was more keen to take up football coaching for summer camp I asked him to continue with his Badminton atleast for a while. He might also join Shiamak Davar’s dance training in Chembur if he gets admission there!

With usual love and affection
Abhaya India March 31 2009 11:53 AM IST

Post Script: I have been wishing some of my nearest and dearest one’s here on their birthday. Today is the birthday of my sweet niece Sweety- who works for Ernst and Young- A highly talented individual herself was happy to know that I represented my views on your blog! what probably she does not know is that I have been acknowledged on more than five occasions by none other than you! Thanks brother and let me wish her a great birthday. Many happy returns of the day dear Sweety for today. Somehow I could not catch her on her mobile so far!

Day 333 - The competitive spirit among Children!

Dear Brother,

I love you !

First of all, it was great to see that you had picked quite a few members on the blog for replies! I am pleased, I am thrilled not at getting comments from you, but for those who got their piece of cake, some might be first timers, it must really be a great feeling for them, some sort of celebration time. My love to the lucky ones and my thanks to you for being able to find time for so many more! It does matter to them! I for one am writing my first post for this debate oriented post from you!

I know the kind of stiff competition coupled with extended time on television, computer and in coaching (beyond school!) it does take a kid into different world, I say different kind of children’s world than I used to live when I was a child myself, and my childhood was not very different from the one that you or even a Sharukh would have had - that spans nearly 20 to 30 years of childhood put together ( I assume SRK is around 40 and you are 66 a couple of years on either side should be included to make what I intend to say!) - mathematically - would not liked to be proved wrong at any time! That is a wish though, one can not be right all the time, not only in maths, but on any matter of life!

Yes, I feel that we are alarmingly threatening our children into a faster evolution process than we should! We are responsible collectively and not individually - that we embrace the rat race to prove too much of our children’s abilities into society, into outr own and their minds! We may have some very talented young men coming out of this competition yet we may be forcing a good number into problems for not being able to cope up with our expectations. It is for the second lot of kids that I show my concern as they statistically are going to be in larger numbers. Do we want to give them a feeling of a defeatist attitude that they could not turn into Darsheels or Sachins or Sanias of this world! It indeed is very sad, a child does not have an evolved brain to understand the intricacies involved when it fails, as a simple reaction it then tries to find within himself the inability to live upto the expectations!

We need to tell our children that, no every one can not be Amitabh Bachchan or a Kapil Dev. Not every one could turn into Einstein or Mozart and not every one could be an engineer or a doctor par excellence! It does not mean that one should desist from competing - one should compete with this knowledge and accept the result gracefully rather than with a sulking mind!

I hope I should make a full stop here. I too would try to be shorter in my posts henceforth and yes my frequency is likely to suffer for sure! Do not take it any other way! I am informing right in advance that my attendance is going to be poor in April. Out of sight should not be out of mind (smiling!)! You will always be in my thoughts!

Love to every children on this earth and may they prevail well in the kind of times that they find themselves into. Every one can not be Harry Potter but everyone is important in family and society and in the world and amongst their own friends! May you all achieve your every dream. But then you don’t lose the cream - if a dream does not get the desired steam to sail you through the stream (of life). Learn to enjoy as much as you can in good, bad and ugly times that are here to stay!

Abhaya India March 23 2009 6:28 PM IST

Day 334 - First Response from me and an old poem!

Respected Brother

Sadar Charan Sparsh,

Two posts from you in 333 and 334 and I did not get to respond. Yes, Sunday was an official holiday that I do still feel that I should take and treat as one where ones should get rest and get composed for the week! Though with Amrit’s stomach problem and frequent vomits kept the peace of mind at a bay! It is all right, life does bring in new day every day.. sabai din jaat no ek samaan.. every day does not passes like the other day is literal meaning but philosophically it probably means - There is surprise every moment either for the good or for the bad, that it is upto us to decide and derive!

Now, there is this time that I have had a cursory reading of your this post, shall get back to the reading in details - my detail includes reading a few others comments other than your posts- it is only then that I consider that I have read your posts. And now I would not utter names - I found it complicates the issues- I wish atleast peace for me at blog - with disturbing health of Amrit at home front and my office work not enthusing me enough to bring up anything extraordinary. One can not be a master of what one wants and what one gets in life - ham sab to rangmanch ki kathputli hain jahan panaah - kaun kab khana kis tarah kya aur kyon kuchh karega us ka order vahin se aata hai ! Now that last part was not from Anand!

Well, before I take a break for visiting the blog again I shall tell you that yesterday I did not visit the blog because of you! I had brought the DBD of namak-haraam, this was a second buy, I already have a VCD of the movie! I was watching the movie Namak-haraam after settling Amrit down after he had a hectic day with his upset stomach.

Well, The complete reactions to the movie were written down separately after the sixth or seventh viewing the movie still evokes new responses from me every time I see it. Such was the movie and its content its actors - Yes, I must say actors as besides RK and AB there was this Raza Murad - who was quite an impressive lot in the movie.

In the write up there would not be a mention of some other stories of the movie. The song Diye Jalate hain phool khilte , Badi mushkil se magar, duniya mein dost milte hain was marked in the autograph book of my friend Ajay Yadav at trhe time when we were about to leave the school. The fellow has written back - chhoti se yeh duniya pahchane raste hain tum kahin to miloge to puchhenge haal. It is tad sad that we did not meet each other after I came to Mumbai. He had joined Indian Air Force and was on Fighters and is now with Kingfisher airlines. No contact, no communication and no correspondence whatsoever! Such is life…

Namak Haraam is I wrote yesterday was the best film for Amitabh Bachchan as an actor, it was a movie in which you were fabulous in more than one ways, you had that great multifaceted avtar in Namak Haraam which was hieghtened further by the fact that you being the supporting actor had done much better than Rajesh Khanna, who himself was at his usual best. Nadiya se Dariya and Main shaayar badnaam were two other songs which I liked for a long time and I still love them!

More Later
Abhaya India March 23 2009 5:43 PM IST
--

.. In life at times we face similar dilemmas. Who to say what to and when. And when we do would it be received in the spirit of frank honesty or apprehension of misunderstanding. Vital opinions essential for the moment have the misfortune of getting covered in a blanket of silence and muted for fear of disturbing the object of comment. Sometimes with disastrous consequences. So generally the easier path is taken. Better to be quiet and not lose a relationship than otherwise…
(VERY INTERESTING AND APT COMMENTS OR OBSERVATION!)

Respected Brother,

Sadar Pranaam,

I return to my own world of wishing you in the traditional ways, I found dear and love and anglicized version of greetings did not really represent much of me!

Here, after seeing the above reactions from you I am indeed privileged to say few lines of poetry I had submitted many months ago!

I only wish to add here that human mind is that sort of a mineral - from which the more the metal you extract - the more the metal it tries to provide you! (Here metal should be confused with mettle if people want literal things!)

The poem that I mentioned- sorry folks difficult to get the time to provide translation as of now! Some other day in some other mood!

कवि का सम्मान
फिर आज कवि के मन में
कोई उपज पनपती कविता है
(कवि ने सीख लिया था जग से)

कैसे कहां किसीसे कब क्या
जग में कितना कहना है

भीतर मन में उमड रही है
शब्दों की लटपट धार कहीं
झांक लिया अपने मन में
फिर एक बार हो ध्यान मग्न
भावों को संचित कर अपने
अपने कर में एक लिये कलम
(लिखना कवि ने प्रारंभ किया)]

मस्तिष्क की सीमाऒं कॊ चीर
कवि जग में था बन गया पीर
चंचल चपल चतुर चंदन चुन
रच दिये गीत देकर नई धुन
अपने अधरॊं पर उन्हे सजा
जग के सम्मुख कर दिये लजा

वह बच्चन था या कॊई अन्य
कविता पढ़-सुन जग हुआ धन्य
कवि चला गया जब इस जग से
जग ने कवि का सम्मान किया

क्या जग ने कवि का सम्मान किया?
– अभय शर्मा
मुम्बई, भारत, 9 जुलाई 2008।

Post Script: This is my frequency when I am short on time! Yep! I do try to be short like you not for pleasing the lone blogger which Rochelle brought to your notice - But for lack of time- I think that is more true of you than for me! You had been giving away so much of that valuable time that in terms of money maybe quite a millions! Yet you should continue to write as and when or what ever you wish to write or for whom you choose to write - you are indeed the best judge!
I did not get to see more pictures or maybe you did not get much time to take pictures! It could also be the weather that snatched away any possibilities and of course when you finished before schedule in KL- you have kept very minimal time for your personal entertainment during this stay। Happy with the first set of pictures you had provided.

I hope the Wharton trip of Abhishek was as well or even better than your times in KL at the same time! My love to him! Shanouk is biting a lot - I would better not plan to visit you during these times! (Smiling!)। I would not be planning to meet you so easily! I will need a very good reason to disturb you- You the living legend of the World of Cinema – your every moment is so valuable. Poor Shanouk, after all I have nothing against him!

IPL sparks debates that elections are more important and the political parties battling it out as an issue ! something unique to India, we can politicise anything and everything and then we expect that our government servants should not discuss politics in public or net! It is OK, who is so interested in discussing the politics! Yet I would wish that people in the country go out to cast their votes! that is important!

Seeking your blessing to be a better human being!

Abhaya India March 23 2009 10:49 PM IST.

Day 329 of AB - Dr. Bachchan had the support!

... My Mother was a strong believer in this and never failed to give my Father that space and time he needed for his creativity and for his writing. I never ever found my Mother demanding domestic attention from my Father or complaining about it to him or to us. She knew what her husband needed for his work and she diligently created the right atmosphere for him.

Dearest lovely brother,

I endorse what you have said of the kind of support that Teji Bachchan ji, your dear mother provided to Dr. Bachchan your illustrious father. What you missed of it is that the couple had moved quite often to other places whether In Allahabad or when in Delhi, in fact, I remember there were many occasions when the couple were in Mumbai with you - that their movement and a movement with all their paraphernalia always moved along with them almost at regular intervals. The ones who have read Dr. Bachchan's autobiography would not fail to get the point that I just stated.

I had been finding the going not so easy, I am torn between lot of attention that the home and work and the blog. Given that Amrit has to face his annual chore of final examinations for his fifth standard at Atomic Energy Central School Number 2, that I may against my wishes not be able to find enough time to be able to write here.

No brother, I do not think that a lunch with you is what I would have loved. For me, it would be sufficient that you keep writing here and I too be able to follow the line! That alone constitutes a situation blissful enough for me! I hope Gods be kind enough to me to allow me atleast this much from you! Not that you really owe it to me - you it to thousands of the blog readers.

I am not known for kindness to anyone but I shall pray to God that he grants me the ability to be more soft specially when speaking to someone of your stature, of your dignity and your intelligentia that does not come over night! If I had been harsh over some issues in my last couple of posts, I may please be pardoned and cordoned to believe that our relationship can not crumble under the strains of my such infrequent and unexpected behaviour.

I have decided to be short and before I take a shut down of the net and the PC let me extend my wish to Mr. Nikhil Nanda - a happy birthday, even if it is again a case of belated wishes!

Enjoy your day off, go get some beautiful pictures for us from the beautiful Kuala Lumpur. Have a great day.

Abhaya India March 19 2009 8:26 AM IST

Amitabh Bachchan - Day 327

.. I shall tell you what it does to me. It embarrasses me and encapsulates me in self-consciousness. I, immediately on its occurrence, start estimating myself. What was the last good deed that I was involved in.

Oh Brother, dear Brother!

The last good thing you did was initiated this blog! You came out to not only share your thoughts with us also touched our lives in most human endeaour of a life time! he blog has shown us the Amitabh Bachchan that we craved to know more about.. the blog promised to be a centre of activity where thousands could pour out their impressions about you.. the blog constitutes an act bigger than all your acts of 40 years of great contribution that we all know you had given to Indian Cinema.

Yeh kahan aa gaye ham
yun hi saath saath chalte
teri rahon mein hai janam
hain phool ham bichhaate..

I am sorry for parodying this wonderful song of Silsila. If I have never told before let me state that the Silsila song is among the best song ever from your films .. majboor yeh halaat idhar bhi hain udhar bhi ..

aap likhate raho
ham padhate rahen
to maza jeene ka
aur bhi aata hai

Oh! I am trapped into parody mood, I thought I could only write silly poetry I could also do a bit of parody helps me to a bit of self-praise. We all should once in a while not only evaluate ourselves but also indulge to acknowledge our good acts to ourselves. Giving a pat on our own back is a good physical exercise.. I would have loved you to learn a bit of it.. having done so wonderfully well for nearly 40 years .. why should you question yourself of what you had to say in the above lines..

I am happy for two reasons may be more reasons but primarily two reasons of some value.. first that I am extremely happy to be writing to you on daily basis.. and second that I have found a huge number of new friends .. It was such a great pleasure to hear Reeham talk to me over phone today morning that words alone can not describe my joy.. that I coud exchange IMs with Rose for sometime now is difficult to beleive.. I am Happy for knowing Kashmira di, Subhash Kaura and Ravi Malhotra and again I can not put down several names does nto mean that the rest are not important.. they are equally important or rather more important.. I have decided to give a serious flick to learn a bit of Russian and German to be able to wish and talk to my friends from these two countries on the blog.. someday it is going to be a reality.. some day soon..

I love you brother in totality and I would not like to add any conditions for my love.. If some day I do come and meet you it would be more for the reason that I could come and share the joy and the wonderful experience with the fellow bloggers..

So that I could sing to them ...

Mere paas aao mere doston ek kissa suno ..

main milane gaya thha amit bhai se
duaayen tumhaari liye saath mein

yahi sochata thha kahunga main kya
kahani tumhe main sunaaonga kya
Tabhi baat Reeham ki dil mein uthhi
Vahin Rose ki yaad aai tabhi

thhe kisse kai thee kahani badi
milane ki chhoti thee meri GhadI

aage bhi to bolo phir kya huaa..

Khuda ki kasam mazaa aa gaya

lagaa bhai ke paaon chhoone mai jab
gale se unhone lagaya thha tab
aankhen meri nam thee hone lagin
sudh budh bhi tan ki thee khone lagi

kisi ne tabhi mujhko jhataka diyaa
sapane se apne thaa main jag gaya ..

...

Oh friends I would not even be able to translate this song, you will have to only assume what could be the content of the story when anyone of you would have gone to meet Amitabh Bachchan..

Brother, I owe you so much yet I have to tell you that such a meeting is not a major desire.. I meet you here everyday.. that is quite sufficient for me..

Abhaya Sharma, India March 17 2009 11:52 AM IST.

Day 325 - Actions and Reactions

How did the first inhabitants of this beautiful planet cope with it for the first time. How wonderfully, seeing and experiencing this great phenomena, did they design and form our seasons, then the festivals around them and the rituals that followed. And how century after century human kind diligently followed it, without discovering the science behind it all.

Oh My Dearest Brother
Love regards and respect

What an extremely interesting post you have penned down, I assume that you still do the writing on paper before putting it across to us. That your words are correct and there are not typos unlike me, I have chosen what I did on top.. for a discussion on your today’s post.

There are several issues that could be picked for example the love for mother tongue's, the great advancement of Hindi Cinema or even the origin of inclement weather and not human reactions to it.

We were taught that every action has an equal and opposite reaction. True, that is science but otherwise also we react to many phenomena and events as if they were some sort of acts or actions. In fact they are as they all are possible only when some energy is spend, and when energy is spend some work is done, and that in the language of basic physics constitutes action. Yesterday itself you meant something of a reaction of the co-traveller and also your possible reactions to his actions. Human mind has been trained to respond to some of the actions with a particular kind of reaction.

How did we pick up to react is what is more basic question that faces us, how did the life really originated on this earth is the most difficult question to answer that possibly does not have a unique or rather a satisfying answer. All living things act to react to some stimulus. The science does not exist in our having accepted and naming of the festivals, seasons or colors or whatever we finally named what we named them (Though some of my friends would disagree with me! That is the science of nomenclature!). It was just formed from some collective beliefs and probably lot of assumptions which nobody thought useful to question or find answers to. Yet we all know that time which is the basis of all our celebration rituals of our existence, is a unique parameter of their occurrences and is a bit of a science.

In fact, there is not one soul on this earth who would not do things in some time frame - useful or otherwise including sleeping, eating or whatever one does. Who can be a better judge of the value of time than you- who did not let go the most opportune time to act in as many films as was humanly possible when it mattered most - I remember there were times when you did five shifts in a day! a good concept of the importance and a clear understanding of the significance of the time was involved.

Time, we all know is a physical quantity that has been very well defined and has a role played by the sun and the moon and our earth! Atomic clocks or ordinary shadow clocks they both were used to tell the time. Even today villagers can tell the time from the length of their own shadows. So, when we speak in terms of time we are having a scientific bend of mind without actually knowing it. Time has been accepted as the fourth dimension in science.

I do not say that every one of us is a practicing scientist by doing so - it only goes to prove that some of the science has been integrated into our existence without our knowledge of it being accepted as science. You ask any housewife whether she would use clippers for holding hot things or use bare hands- the knowledge of the fact that hot is hot and that heat burns comes to us from our years of experience and is almost woven into our genes- we do not treat it as science but the moment the heat is used to convert into some other form of energy say electrical energy - we immediately register that it is science.

Oh! I do not know where this discussion is heading and what kind of conclusions I want to convey to the readers of this post. When this happens we call such ideas and minds as unchannelised or sometimes incongruent thoughts. The other day you were expounding upon the concept of multitasking and had a genuine question - whether it is good or bad for our development. I would say both! If multitasking was so simple and easy we would have no classification and specialisation of fields and personnel! If it was the other way round - the life would not have progressed thus far in terms of development. If there were no brains who could co-ordinate the knowledge assimilated from different disciplines by way of discussion or understanding we would not have had any types of the power reactors (symbolic sense) . The intermingling or interdependency of one subject over another is sometimes very obvious and at times not so straight forward. You ask anyone the utility of the knowledge of Physics and Mathematics in any engineering venture and you will find that there would be a great consensus about this theory! I think I am going really wild in emphasising the role of science. It is not so essential. Everyone can not be a scientist or rather everyone need not be a scientist.

The human kind has found that a coexistence of several disciplines in form of knowledge encompasses us into multi-tasking entities. Not just for our survival but also for achieving excellence. For example - Human body is a multi-tasking machine - the understanding of many different concepts is not an easy thing when one goes deep into a subject - but a peripheral or working knowledge of several subjects does help us a great deal.

I admit here that this particular post could be too dry for many readers who have taken to like to read my posts. Some of them may be driven away from me and I am sure some others might also get attracted as well. As such the length of my posts is a hinderance in itself, the amount of time one may need to spend on these posts could be a seriously limiting factor in my popularity on the blog!

I finally conclude today’s blog with the words that more and more of us are moving towards multitasking and acquiring greater amount of knowledge in a wide variety of subjects to manage ourselves well in an evolutionary fashion!

Abhaya Sharma, India March 14/15 2009 12:36 AM IST

Two poems submitted on Day 321 and 322

Brother this poem I dedicate to you for the Holi, I wish you sing it for jaya ji whenever you get time! I offer a possible translation I had to include the Hindi work again for comparison!

आदरणीय भाईसाहब
सादर प्रणाम

होली के शुभ अवसर पर एक गीत प्रस्तुत कर रहा हूं

एक गीत सुनाता हूं मन का
मन मीत कहीं ना खो जाना
हो सके तो भूले से ही तुम
इस जीवन में फिर आ जाना

एक गीत सुनाता हूं

है प्रीत अगर सच्ची मेरी
सपना बनकर ही आ जाना
मैं आंख बिछाये बैठा हूं
फिर वापस आकर मत जाना

एक गीत सुनाता हूं

हो सके तो फिर से जीवन में
जीवन का गीत सुना जाना
सुनकर मैं गर सो जांऊ कभी
फिर भी प्रियतम तुम ना जाना

एक गीत सुनाता हूं

अभय शर्मा, भारत, 11 मार्च 2009 10.54 रात्रि प्रहर

Post Script : I shall attempt a translation in a while for friends like Rose, Reeham et al

I sing along a song of my heart
Oh my beloved don't ever get lost
If by any chance alone
Do return to my life once more

I sing along a song

If my love is true indeed
You come to me in dreams
My eyes are set on the path
Never go back once you come

I sing along a song

If it were possible in the life
Come sing me song of life
If I get asleep in that while
Don't go away for a mile

I sing along a song

Brother and the rest of guys who could read the Hindi version would find that there is not exact meaning and flow in the English version but the essence is very much there. I hope it was likable, I am not a big poet nor do I wish to become one, if I could please even one person with my writings I would consider that Gods have been kind to me! I was telling Rose about this post a short while ago, and I am sure she would definitely try to read if she gets time!

My translation is specifically for my friends in Russia - (E)Lena, Lyudmila, Zhenya, Tatiana (US based) and several other non-Hindi speaking friends on this blog. Reeham, Rasha and several others may understand the spoken Hindi but I doubt if they can read the Hindi fonts. And I had forgotten my German and Brazil friend earlier, It is also meant for them !

Brother this poem I dedicate to you for the Holi, I wish you sing it for jaya ji whenever you get time!

Love to all

--

Respected Brother and family,
Love, regards and never ever ending affection to all!

Brother, I am pleased with your words, not for the beautiful mention of Dr. Bachchan- your father and our kavi but also for your generosity to take him where he belongs in the hearst of people! He was always there for me and several more on this land of ours yet not given his due recognition during his lifetime. That reminds me of Munshi Premchand who most of his life lived an ordinary life with his extraordinary work. Why is it that we always tend to remember our genuis only after they depart!

I am thankful to Lena, Carla and others for beautiful words for rather ordinary though a meaningful poem, I hope and pray that the family that has been brought up by you through this blog always prospers, progresses and promotes peace on this earth. They are so special that I consider myself rather extremely fortunate to be one part of it! With you as the head of this family we can only imagine that you would continue to be of great value to us always and nver ever leave us. Man meet chhod kar mat jaana ...

I had some other unreported works of my poetry that I felt shy of sharing here but the kind of response I have received I shall share with you and the rest whenever I get time to be able to do so ..

किसने है कितना प्यार दिया
इस पार हमारे जीवन को
है मतलब नया दिया किसने
यह सोच रहा था बैठे मैं

उस पार ये क्या संभव होगा

है लगा हुआ एक मेला सा
फिर भी मन मेरा अकेला सा
किस पार चला यह रेला था
एक चाह लिये अलबेला था

क्या पायेगा अपनी मंज़िल
कहीं टूट तो ना जायेगा दिल
सपने कितने देखे है मन
अपने हरदम है खोजे तन

कहीं दूर से ही आभास मिले
सूखे उपवन में फूल खिलें
चल बगिया में पानी दे दें
जीवन अपना निर्मल कर ले ।

अभय शर्मा, भारत 12 मार्च 2009 8.25 प्रातः

This one is more difficult to be put across in verse mode without much serious time devoted! So I give a meaning for my friends (E)Lena, Carla and the rest –

There was this query in mind who has loved us lot on this side of the earth
Who has been able to assign a new meaning to this life I ponder upon a while

Whether it would ever be possible on the other side as well

Here celebrations do abound yet
I find myself in solitude
Where this caravan is headed
With thoughts so precious plated

Whether the ultimate could be achieved
Or the heart won’t again be deceived
The dreams that mind has conceived
To few ones to be always received

Let me get a distant feeling alone
That deserts one day shall bloom
I put water in the garden of life
To purify so hope is able to groom!

I don’t know every time, I say I would give a prose translation, the god tries to makes it sound like a poem, I know it is a crude one yet a song of my heart it is! Thank you God!

The Credits List of Indian Cinema - posted to AB day 317

Respected Brother,
Sadar Charan Sparsh,

I am listening to some old melodies the last song - Main pyaar ka raahi hoon.. It sometimes appear that our old songs have been done with so much of heart and head gone into writing lyrics, composing and singing that they are true masterpieces of some kind. Those who have heard some of these songs and understand them would appreciate what I mean to say.

Dekho rutha na karo .. is so simple worded yet so very meaningful and pleasant to the mind.. simply love some of these songs. Another song I was listening just a while ago replays on my playlist it is the wonderful duet jhoomta mausam mast mahina .. from Ujala a great movie featuring Shammi sahab and lovable Mala Sinha.. These songs captivate mind and my intention of telling you here is to take a resort in listening to the wonderful Indian film music from yesteryears to rejuvenate and feel relaxed..

Of late, I do feel that you have been taxing your mind and body a great deal.. so many movies in the pipeline .. everyday blogging routine .. meetings .. interviews and appointments .. it does take a toll of one's faculties.. you see what I mean ..

I am not complaining of so much action from the hero of our times, all I intend t confess is that take a break and give yourself a more relaxed approach to the life..

Let me select some more songs for you.. just a minute let me pick some old romantics .. no not the waqt ne kiya kya hassen sitam some more light hearted songs like bhooj mera kya naam re nadi kinare gaon re .. or still better leke pahla pahla pyaar bharke ankhon mein khumaar ..

The other day I was recollecting the contribution of Indian Cinema when we were discussing your statement in an interview after winning the crysatl award.. How could I have missed the Indian music as one of the greatest contributor.. well I did include the music directors but that is only one third of the story .. a Hindi song is a credit as much to its musicians as it is to its lyricists yet the biggest credit goes to those who rendered them ..

I would like to start with Rafi sahab - The most golden voice of our kind of cinema.. Mukesh Sahab who is sometimes truly credited with the great success of Raj Kapoor sahab - The actor, showoman and one of the stalwarts of Hindi Cinema, Kishore Kumar could sing exactly like Rajesh Khanna and Amitabh Bachchan would have sung their songs- almost.. and how can one forget the Lata Mangeshkar another of living legends that our industry has produced and her sister Asha Bhonsale who was so mischeivous ( what could have been a better word for chulbuli and shokh adaa) in her voice yet highly melodious that I rate her higher than the elderly Lata ji ( No intention to question her supremacy, it is my perception, it is my choice and it should be treated simply as that!), Then there were Geeta Dutt, Begum Akhtar, Noor Jahan and Suraiya who must all be credited with huge success of Hindi Cinema and its popularity over the years simply because of the songs that they rendered in Hindi films.

There were few other big contributors who must also be credited with their due - Pran Sahab for his villainous appearance and Helen ji for her breathtaking dance numbers.. There can never be a complete list of how many talented man and woman have taken Hindi Cinema to its glorious heights.. I would be happy if we could ever pay back to their kind of achievements in Hindi Cinema.. No award could actually define the success of Rafi sahab , Lata Mangeshkar or Amitabh Bachchan. Their contributions are beyond any requirement of being awarded.. yet I respect Awards including Oscar though it is somewhat alien to us ..

Bekarar karke hameni yun na jaiiye .. by Hemant Kumar has been selected from some folder on old singers which reminds me that Kundan Lal Saigal too gave some memorable songs especially ek bangla bane nyara..

How many names can an ordinary mind of Abhaya sharma recollect you have lived 40 years in the film industry you ought to be knowing its greatness than I can ever compile.. I simply wanted to raise your spirits and also wanted to share my views with the fellow bloggers.. I am afraid my foreign friends in Rose, Reeham, (E)Lena, Carla, Cora(Brazil) Roschelle may not be able to make much head or tail of my story ..

I have to get back to work for official website

Love and regards

Abhaya Sharma India March 7 2009 8:08 PM IST

Bachchanalia Quiz- My Answers!

The Quiz friends is available on my other blog ! http://abhayakavi.blogspot.com

Respected Brother,
Sadar Charan Sparsh,

I think you have robbed me of a chance to win Bachchanalia. It is all right. I still sbmit my answers to you though the quiz has been over, had you mentioned of the quiz earlier, I probably stood very good chance, I think I am only unsure of Shweta's birth time. Rest all ar most likely the correct answers. Have a look

Q1. Saat Hindustani heroine - Shahnaz Agha
Q2. Deaf and dumb role - Reshma aur Shera
Q3. First mvie with jaya Bhaduri - Bansi Birju (After second thoughts I feel my first answer Ek Nazar was probably right, kya farak padata hai, I am not winning the book! anyway!!)
Q4. Producer of Bomay to Goa - Mehmood
Q5. Decision to marry Jaya - Zanjeer
Q6. Earlier name of Abhimaan - Raag Ragini
Q7. Initail choice for mother's role in Deewar - Vyjayantimala
Q8. Shweta born – Sholay
Q9. First hit movie with Rekha - Khoon Pasina
Q10. Original choice as adaptation of Devdas - Muqaddar Ka Sikandar (A guess!)
Q11. First bilingual - Barsaat ki ek Raat
Q12. Last year with Prakash mehra et al. - 1984
Q13. More than three sogs - Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham
Q14. Ban on smoking - Family
Q15, Diverticlitis - Nishabd

Now brother, if I am right on all the answers, do I get a fifty percent discount vouchers to buy Bachchanalia ( Smiling and joking!, why will I need to have a copy of it and do I really deserve it!). Jokes apart, I would like to know my score. I think the answers along with te winner would be published by the Mint Lounge in a day or two. I am not sad for not winning the book but for the fact tha I could not participate in the Quiz- where I probably stood a good chance.

I read the interviews and also the five pages of Mint write up, The mint thing was very well done. he interview presented by you and the original interview had one question on slumdog missing here! It is OK.

Have a great day and if you do consider that I do deserve a copy of Bachchanalia anyway, I would not mind paying half the cost! Should I send a cheque to you ! ( for Rs. 1750 smiling - dabi dabi muskaan ke saath!)

The whole of the Mint thing was pretty good and worth for being made available in Hindi as well, ask them if they have thought of it being translated, if they looking forward to a translator, I might like to give it a shot! and that is not meant as a joke.

Abhaya Sharma, Inda March 6 2009 2:03 PM IST

Gratitude - AB day 315

Gratitude not for what I did. Gratitude to the Almighty, that He gave me the ability to do it..

Good Morning!
The most respected Indian cine actor!

I am extremely pleased to read the contents of your today's post. Somehow I believe that you as Amitabh Bachchan have been a bliss to the country not simply for the fact that you are an actor par excellence but for the fact that you are also a human par excellence! The concern, the willingness and ability to be of help to those who need speaks your management skills!

The account of your day to day life is what can not be achieved in one ordinary meeting with you, the amount of love and compassion fro your extended family is much above the odd autograph and sharing this blog with you routinely is in no way less than having a photograph with you! I say all this as it has still not crossed my mind to come and see you, shake hands with the mighty superstar care to get your signature on some autograph book or request you to pose for a photo shoot for memory! We are blessed indeed to be with you on a daily basis sometimes more than once in a day and often with many other bloggers views to throw light on what life is all about. It gives me happiness beyond meeting you or to be photographed along your side. Ina nutshell I will not make any conscious effort to disturb your busy schedule to allow one Abhaya Sharma his moments of glory! I hope I have not displeased you with my cranky frankness!

I love and respect you more as a good human being than the superstar of the millenium. You are here with us almost as dutifully as with your own career is worth a thought- it symbolises the oneness amongst us, it also signifies that written words still carry much weight than becomes obvious that a man if he wants to communicate with his near and dear ones need not be face to face!

I am proud of you, I wish I could imbibe some of your most treasured qualities - that define the human side of Amitabh Bachchan to be able to love to be kind and to be soft and forgiving!

भावुकता अंगूर लता से खींच कल्पना की हाला,
कवि साकी बनकर आया है भरकर कविता का प्याला,
कभी न कण-भर खाली होगा लाख पिएँ, दो लाख पिएँ!
पाठकगण हैं पीनेवाले, पुस्तक मेरी मधुशाला।।४।

Literally the emotions and imaginations make up the wine and the poet is there to serve and poetry as wine in his goblet. This wine is almost infinite and not going to get over even if millions drink from it. The readers assume the role of the connosieurs and the book itself becomes the tavern on the way! (Madhushala).

Oh, what beautiful words from the poet - The Dr. Harivansh Rai Bachchan - we all love to read him non-stop and his work is bigger than what the physical Madhushal could havce offered. Philosophically the Poet has assigned that poetry itself is like a wine and one can get beautiful high as one reads and provides its readers an endless love. ( Rach do ab nai madhushala!)

I think I have to be short to not to consume lot of your time! We did celebrate the two decaeds of BRIT yesterday, Dr. Iya ( 82 year old scientist who is largely believed to be tha father of country's Isotope programme!), Dr Banerjee (Director BARC) and Dr. Kohli (CE BRIT)addressed the gatherings and the film – In pursuit of excellence by Rajiv Shah on BRIT was beautiful. They must show such documentaries on Doordarshan not for promotion of BRIT but to make the country aware of its significance!

Abhaya Sharma India March 5 2009 8:56 AM IST

First Innings of the first ODI- India likely to Win

Respected Brother,

Good Morning,

I think my comments on the vigyaan ki puja and preview of the first ODI did not find favours with the server, it is all right, I have posted the comments on my abhayakavi.blogspot.com

The game though reduced to 38 overs yet India posted a total that they cold actually defend even if the match was actually a 50 over game. Now, if Vettori and his black caps can pull a victory from here it would deserve a full merit to them. I would not rate it as an impossible yet it does sound a herculean task from the word go. My special congratulations to the apatain for his well paced 84, to Sehwag for the swashbuckling start and Raina for maintaining the great momentum. A total team effort from the batsman, it is now upto the bowling departement to utilise the tailor made beginnings of the ODI series to India's favour. I am afraid, Praveen Kumar and Munaf will have to put up their very best to contain the flow of runs from McCullum to avoid any chance for the NZL to make a match out of it!

Well done team India, It would not matter so much even if the unexpected happens and India loses ( a 1 out of 10 chance!). We are proud of the current form of Indian cricketers, that we now have a fielding all-rounder in Suresh Raina, he has shown he cn bowl at times, I would very much like that Dhoni utilizes the services of Sehwag, Yuvraj and Raina in case the wocket really helps the slow turners. It is expected that the batsman would need to put extra efforts to send the slow bowlers crashing to boundaries.

Yet the game of cricket especially the ODI format is one where it would be termed foolish to choose the winner before the last ball has been bowed. A great game is in the offing! Good luck team India. It is all right if Dhoni bhaiya could notmake room for Ojha. He is still young and there is nothing much to worry about his future opportunities. Well Played India!

Abhaya Sharma, March 3 2009 11:47 AM IST

Day 310 - AB's blog

Respected Brother
Sadar Charan Sparsh

अधरों पर हो कोई भी रस जिहवा पर लगती हाला,
भाजन हो कोई हाथों में लगता रक्खा है प्याला,
हर सूरत साकी की सूरत में परिवर्तित हो जाती,
आँखों के आगे हो कुछ भी, आँखों में है मधुशाला।।३२।

The poet literally says that - Whatever be on his lips the tongue identifies it to be the wine; whatever be the container in the hands it appears to be the goblet to him, and yet again every face visible turns into the face of the beautiful bar-maid, let anything be in front of eyes, the yes only reflect back the tavern on the way (Madhushala).

In essence however, what I feel that Dr. Bachchan conveys is a that focused mind only sees what it desires to achieve, such important are his presentations that I sincerely wished that it could be put into english verse, atleast this one yet I do not give it a try for my inability.

There must be some of you who may have read Madhushal in Hindi and felt differently of the meanings and expectations of Dr. Bachchan - probably the easiest is to associate the Madhushala with its physical understanding, in reality poet has addressed the life itself and issues pertaining to life. The poets world over do not convey direct meanings to their works they let people find the meanings of their works in their (readers) own interpretations. I am a slight exception, though I could hardly be called a poet in the first place! ( and I am serious at self-doubting!).

mere adharon par to mere
bhhav hruday ke khilate hain
bhale bure kaise bhi ho sab
man me mere aate hain!

( My utterances are a reflection of my heart, whether good or bad they still are my own thoughts!)

Brother, I could not visit the blog yesterday and did not miss anything new from you there were still the bloggers who kept pouring their thoughts. Special mention To Subhash! I find that the freedom to expression is certainly at a loss if what he writes SC's verdict on blogs/bloggers etc. Though it is not good enough to coy me down I would continue to blogging along side of you! and if I do not write what comes to my mind, it would be unfair and meaningless to spend so much time here. I rate this activity a self-refection, one who writes here is at times always trying to judge himself as well! You write so beautifully and exceptionally (most of the times!) that it would not be possible for me to be able to withdraw from the blog! Someday, I may not be able to contribute, some other days I may not be able to read the blogs of many fellow blogger, yet on no day I shall miss your point of view on the blog. Happy times with your ever growing blog- which is no less than a Madhushala itself! We are proud of such an association!

Abhaya Sharma, India March 1 2009 8:43 AM IST

PS The other day when I was relating to some of the wonderful contributors here, may I take the liberty of adding few more names that I might have missed the other day. I am indeed indebted to the International folks on the blog - of Indian and foreign origin - The Russians - Lena, Zhenya, Tatiana The Germans Carla, Lily (she may be Indian!). There are so many Indo-Americans that besides Sunil, Preeti K I find it difficult to keep the track- budha bhi to ho raha hoon! ( I am getting old!), Kishore, Reshmi and Amrit in UK besides several others. Oh! my dear fellow bloggers it is such a great privilege to be with you through this blog. Sometimes, you should take time to tell more of the life in these countries as well (I know it can not be different than in India!).