Vanakkam !!

The South Indian ethos for welcome and greeting.

And presenting to you the early morning vista of the Vivekananda Rock and the grand statue of Swami Thiruvalluvar. This is around 8 in the morning. I got closer to it, through narrow by-lanes, full of multiple curio shops and object des arts.

… and I am back in the room, having started at 5 am and driven some kilometers to the location, wigged and bearded and finished work for the early part of the day. Quick, efficient, punctual, well planned… work eases out smoothly.

We wait for the sun to gain some strength and to get back again to yesterday’s location, by the water. Wig and beard is off so I can feed myself. With it on is a process if you want to consume food. Make up department admonishes you, because jaw movements undo the glue that is used to stick beard. That would not be a pretty sight in the shot to observe. Here a minute ago, gone now !!

I shall utilize this time to write to EF of course but also to put my mind together to write the forward to my Father’s ‘Madhushala’ - a fresh elegant large coffee table sized version, having the original verses accompanied by the English translation by Marjorie Boulton of the Oxford University and decorated by paintings done on the subject by my niece Namrata Bachchan. The proof is looking very good. The paintings are unique and hopefully with the written forward should form a fitting tribute to my Father’s 101 st anniversary.

Namrata, as I have said earlier is a poet and has written and published some of her works. She also studied art at University in the United States and has done some very different and exciting art work during the years after coming out from the US.

But what a task for me to put down my impressions on my Father. It’s almost sounding impertinent that I be given this responsibility, but everyone insists I should do it. And so I shall, irrespective of how daunting it would be. Have many son’s have written forwards to their Father’s works ???

I shall pray and hope for some inspiration from the sublime serenity of my present location !!

Give me the strength dear Lord to accomplish this mission with fortitude and grace. With the tenacity and wisdom that this great and inspirational writing so richly deserves. May I in my most limited and illiterate thought be able to bring across the depth and true value, so justifiably essential for this masterpiece. And may it be worthy of an acknowledgement from the heavens where my Father now resides.

More later..

Amitabh Bachchan