Both festivals celebrating that time of the year when the harvesting is done and over and there is a time for special food to be cooked and a general feeling of well being and prosperity and happiness is expressed.

For me the entire day has been a rigorous routine at Film City, recording numerous promotional’s for the launch of the Hindi Channel, COLORS in the UK and USA markets. Fun !!

This morning thank you for informing me Jasmine that there had been no post. I had written it the previous night and had assumed that it had been posted. But no it had not. I had perhaps due to sleep deprivation, forgotten to activate it for the public. On switching on the computer I discovered to my embarrassment that indeed that was true. The post was in private mode and if it remains thus it does not go out to you. Hastily did I switch it to public and quite obviously the low responses for today speak for the disinterest in the blog if the new DAY is not up !

My apologies !!

Ok .. time to blow my trumpet and put you through an article that came out today by a most respected columnist that writes for the Asian Age -

Generous and kind of Shiv Vishvanathan. He has been a constant compassionate writer as far as I have been concerned and so giving him due prominence is an honor for me.

I was happy to learn of the amount of interest that my Father’s words had on many and seeing the response I shall make it an endeavor to bring more of my Father to you. In his philosophy, in his thinking, in his absolute ability to express the most complex situations in life in such an easy manner, he has been quite quite remarkable.

There are some among you that have been anxious on the state of my mind and what it is that has been disturbing me since a few days. Nothing really, absolutely nothing. But it is rather strangely coincidental that there were two issues that had been challenging the senses of my mind and both of them were addressed in a tabloid today that emerges every middle of the day !!

Did someone read this overworked one third dysfunctional brain of mine, or did the facts of the moment convince the press on the deed. Or should I say deeds of the day ? Who knows, and who would tell. But in all honesty, this was exactly what had bothered me. And it bothered me because I find it most difficult to believe that such practices exist, and if at all they do, that they are attributed to members of my fraternity, whatever the circumstances may have been !!

What of our ethics in matters such as this ? How could it be possible that someone would have the courage and gall to even think in such manner, leave alone actually go out and practice it. Just so difficult to comprehend.

But .. enough no more, ’tis not so sweet as it was before !

India lost to Sri Lanka in the tri nation at Dhaka, Bangladesh. And to think that the producers of RANN were going to fly me there to present the player of the tournament award !! I think they have taken Ritesh, but I never saw the end so I would not know whether he actually did perform the rites he was taken for.

Abhishek returned from Udaipur where he had gone to record a schedule for Colors and Bingo, the show he now does for them, but straight into a studio for trials for his forthcoming shoot, CROOKED that starts work in a couple of days. Up and down, up and down is the travel for these young men and women. Tomorrow early morning they leave for Chennai to meet Mani Ratnam and back by the evening to Goa for the last few bits of KHJJS and then into Mumbai and the long schedule for Crooked, that goes on the floors tomorrow.

This constant travel keeps us apart for rather long spells of time and is something that we cannot help at all. But my friend that came to see me last night from ‘Dainik Jagran’ and whos’s house in Delhi we had been to ; where I had greatly appreciated the existing joint family system, proudly invited me to their abode in Kanpur, merely to witness the number of family members that stayed together under one roof in harmony and peace and togetherness. 42 members of the family all together as one big organization, living in happiness and joy. What an achievement in today’s times where we, or at least some of us, influenced deeply by the western world, are fast forgetting our old values and customs - respect and care for the elders in the family and to live as one cohesive bunch or block, without malice and discord. 42 members under the same roof, happy and content.

In a sense I do too feel a sense of great pride in our little FmXt. This dedicated family that lives and exists together under one roof. The roof of the BigAdda blog, in peace and harmony and with love ..

May our tribe grow even further and may we continue to acknowledge each other in much the same way that most other joint families live and exist. Inshallah !!

Keep well my dears … keep warm in freezing climes .. may the warmth of your love spread to each one of us in equal abandon … and may it blossom like the prettiest flower ever ..

Amitabh Bachchan