This one by the Arabian Sea off the coast at Dwarka in Gujarat is one that had been posted earlier during my visit to the shrine. But now it has my Father’s lines from one of his famous poems ‘Iss Paar, Uss Paar’ handwritten by me ~

‘Iss paar priye madhu tum ho, uss paar na jaane kya hoga !’

On this shore there is, my beloved, wine and you. One wonders what shall be on the other shore !

It is a reflection of an entire poem, which one day I shall put up in its completeness, to describe the poets thoughts on existence and life, in his own inimitable philosophy. It was written at a time in his life when he was coming out of despair and pain after losing his first wife, who had struggled for long in illness, finally succumbing to it. They were desperate days, for, he was from a most poor family and never was able to provide sufficiently from his meagre earnings, to afford care for his partner. Most and all of his works spoke of darkness and sorrow during that period. It was only after my Mother came into his life that hope and happiness, quietly strode in through those closed doors of anguish, to bring cheer and expectation of brighter moments.

How incredible then the worth of a poets work that suffers and exalts through the measure of his own life ! How then the thought, that we would never have been witness to his sadness had he not been through it in his personal experience. And equally would never have partaken in his joy had he not indulged in it.

Creativity possesses these unique qualities. It holds a mirror almost to the inner self of the creator. Were we to study some of the great lives of the masters of paint and music and writing, would we not be able to gather the inner self of these great and exquisite personalities. Would not a painting speak the mind of a Rembrandt or Picasso, or a symphony the mind of a Beethoven ?

So too with actors I believe. Does not the performance of one speak about the state of his or her nature or personal character ? Do we not judge the qualities of a person through his conduct and behavior. The body language, the speech, the movement. Do they not all exhibit generally, what the individual in person would be ?

A study I would like to believe, most important and worthy of research !

There are exceptions at times too. The most distasteful antics from some of the negative characters played on screen, turn out to be some of the most docile, honorable and lovable humans. Pran Saheb, Prem Chopra come to mind instantly, among many others. And sadly the reverse too. The most humble and kind hearted on screen, defy that character in the personal domain. Viva la diference !

I have been impressed and happy on the reactions to the different religious occasions that have found space on the blog and truly applaud the open mind with which we have all shown respect to each others beliefs. We are but a minuscule dot in this horizon, but my belief says that every individual, no matter how small, is and has the capacity, to change the lives of millions. We are not in the business of change, but we are in the business of humanity, a humanity that believes that one change can inspire many changes.

Love me, hate me … but help me to pursue the path of happiness always for those that join me each night !

Amitabh Bachchan