A 7am private jet to Agra for the launch of Max Vijay a scheme initiated by MaxNewYorkLife that has a unique insurance policy, where policies do not expire, where you are not bound by committed premiums, where there is no definition of the amount that needs to be put in every month or year and where you can start a scheme with as minimum as Rs 1000/- and keep adding to it whenever you wish to put something in, and get a secured amount five times the value of what you put in in the unfortunate event of a mishap.

Agra, the land of the Taj Mahal, the land of so much history. Agra the hub of great craftmanship. Of marble in lay work, of handicrafts of international quality and of gifted artisans. I never knew that most of the designer foot wear of the world is manufactured here. The designs are sent in and hand made shoes of the biggest brand names are exported out from here.

But today there is a public gathering announced for the launch of this product and thousands turn up at a vast ground. There is orchestra and music of the gifted Kailash Kher and there is the presentation of the Max Vijay scheme. A well organized event and it all ends up well within schedule and without incident.

Back in the room an interesting evening is spent with some of those attached with the event, in particular the brain behind the campaign for this product, Mr Piyush Pande, the vibrant and respected advertising guru. Modern technology, the future of entertainment, inventions that tend to break new hemispheres are all up for discussion and debate. It is so revealing and educative to hear what some of the great thinkers in the business opine.

There is talk of the presence of the 3G technology invading our lives and that perhaps India would not want to wait for this and jump straight to the 4G technology or its world, whatever that may mean.

There is talk of how Nokia mobile looses its market share to the later inventions in Apple and Palm and BlackBerry and how the facilities available on the latter have outdated those that came with the former. With 3G or 4G the downloading of movies and music would become so predominant on the mobile, whether the movie going audience would diminish, and so on and so on.

I listen with care and little else. My knowledge of all the terminology is a barren desert. No matter what they do with modern inventions, somewhere the basics will always remain the same. Content will remain king. And if we are in the business of manufacturing content then whether there is operational change, or whatever else, we are still in contention. What will they show for its use if there is nothing to show. Best to just be making movies or television, than get sucked into the vortex of how to display and distribute them. Would you not think ??

From one extreme to the other the evening progresses. Surrogate motherhood, BPO’s that manage and attend to calls and inquiries on the subject. Sperm and eggs required for birth are impregnated in Indian woman surrogates at really soft rates and packages of required cells arrive by courier and impregnated into women who bear children for others at a price. Women from Gujarat, the north in Punjab and in Hyderabad being the choice picks. How impersonal and unreal it all sounds, but how very evident it is in reality. Once the child is born, the parents, if they can be called that come over and ‘collect’ their child. Its a delivery service almost, for procuring your own children, when you have no intent of carrying pregnancy on your system for 9 months !! Most of these cases are from overseas, since cost of bearing the child is cheaper here than in their own land. I almost convulse at the thought of such a practice, but it prevails and thrives. The comparisons in cost - $100,000 - $200,000 in the US to $ 10,ooo in India !!

Then the unfortunate tragedies. Husband and wife decide to contribute for a surrogate baby. The process is tied up and started. Surrogate Mother is 4 months into pregnancy, when husband and wife divorce ! What becomes of the child ? It remains in the country after its birth, because of some peculiar law in such conditions which puts the ‘parent’ in the category of one that is adopting, and that is a complicated legal issue. So, what did the child do to deserve this situation.

A pity.

And you wonder as you think back, where we are all heading. What will become of our children and what will they be subjected to in the years to come. How will they cope and adjust, or will they ever.

The only solace that comes to mind is that, our parents thought in similar vein when we were born around them. We have survived or are surviving and so shall I hope our children and theirs.

Tomorrow early morning to Delhi and straight into hectic press activity for the promotion of ‘Aladin’ and then fly back to Mumbai and prepare for BB3. Life is catching up on time and place and matter. A busy schedule is welcomed because it keeps the mind occupied and the body alert. A troubled health however is that nagging fear. But then who said life would be easy and controlled and comfortable. So long as there is life, there is struggle !

Better believe it !

Good night

Amitabh Bachchan