To those that send their concern for Aishwarya, sincere thanks. She had a restful day and there seems to be a slight improvement in her condition. The swelling inside the mouth below the tonsil is not tonsillitis as was presumed. It is something else and that is worrying. When you cannot swallow water even, it is more worrying. But today the anti biotics seem to be working and there is some relief. The infection abates. The rash and swelling on the face reduces. She has been able to take in some liquids, but her speech is still labored.

To those that showed allegiance to my words of anger at the concerned lady, I am grateful that you understand the condition of the head of a family when a medical emergency takes place. Those are anxious moments. Just when you are in the middle of providing relief and summoning the doctor and generally in the midst of worry and anxiety for your child, and you are pestered by repeated sms’s from a journalist only interested in her function and her needs, you will explode. I was still civil about it and at least responded. Many would have simply ignored the call. No one wants to appreciate that. Some in the FmXt actually sympathized with the journo.. good for you.. this is a free platform and one that invites all kinds of comment. But you must understand, any sickness in the family disturbs me no end. I cannot bear to see it and yes, I do get edgy. So what ? And for those who wish to know of the final outcome - we did send Abhishek to collect the award and represent her on stage and make a speech, and he got a standing ovation for it ! And yes, I am going to talk about my family in this blog and yes I am going to praise my film and promote it. And yes, if there are some, that I read, have objections to this practice, they are not obliged to read it. This is my blog. I write what I feel I need to write. Which law states that I have to comment on every and each incident that takes place in every corner of the universe.

The internet is a faceless wonder. It forms a remarkable shield for those that wish to voice and not be known. Fair enough. It is easy to stand behind protective walls and throw all the garbage you possibly can on the other side - you would never have to clean up the mess and more, no one would ever come to know who threw it. But come on the other side of the wall and live our lives. Wear our shoes. Walk on fires and brave the arrows strung against us. Today you may talk of one issue, one incident. Today you may have an opinion which you may cast. Today it would not matter whether the opinion remained valid or not. But what of tomorrow. Can you predict or give assurance that your sublime opinion would stand the test of time and be valid at every turn of events, or would you have discarded the shoes that we had urged you to wear, claiming that they no longer fitted you !! Ladies and gentlemen we are no fools. We live and exist in this world and have existed with pride and dignity all throughout. Had there been the slightest blemish we would have been punished a hundred fold. Had there been the slightest blemish we would not have been around. So …

To those then, that are ignorant and ill informed, use restrain and pull in the reins of your galloping imaginations and conjectures. Suppositions and presumptions can enlighten you for a momentary conviction or even lame judgement, but they are limp and weak and insecure. When smashed to the ground they break into pieces that can never be put together again. Do not ever compel anyone in any situation to demolish any ‘tions’ to the ground. Your worth and your credibility shall be devoured by the vastness of the earth that you walk upon !!

In Bengali there is a famous saying - Joto dosh ! Nando Ghosh ! For every fault for every error, its always Mr Nando Ghosh. Its a sarcasm on life and the way some of us allow it to function. The skill lies in how best to pass the buck on to that one vulnerable person. Peg all on him or her, build the circumstances, and then dig his or her grave and bury them. But caution ! Bury him yes but never completely. String the coffin down, but avoid the earth from being thrown in. You may need to pull it out again to plug another accusation over it. Do another Nando Ghosh !! Covenient is it not ? Where to go now searching for another Mr Ghosh ? Nando is good enough. Already castigated and convicted. It will be easier to stick it to him. He has lost his voice in any case ; drowned as he is in the cacophony of lies and disbelief. Put it all over this sucker !! It shall be more believable and convincing. Up you come Mr Ghosh, thank you, and now back down there where we pulled you up from, in the dark dungeon where you were laid and from where you shall never be heard !!

I acknowledge those that stay with me in thought and belief. That show affection even in despair and despondency. I acknowledge them for their sincerity and faith. And I care less for the accusation, that this platform is but a forum of ’sycophantic pandering, built up of wide eyed and hapless NRI’s’ as has been expressed harshly by a responsible member from an irresponsible tabloid. From the day this communication started there have been deliberate and concerted efforts to scuttle destroy and malign our page, our post, our little inconsequential world. I have out of shear disdain for them never mentioned it ever to the FmXt. But I want to now. And I want you to know that I have remained silent with the hope that better sense shall prevail and that, what is most important in life is the fact, that there is nothing more valuable than peace and harmony. But ‘beware the fury of a silent man’. Regard him with care and caution. If you shall have the temerity to cast a finger over me, I shall overcast you with five more ! So help me God !!

It is Pran saheb’s 90th birthday today ! There is a small gathering of his friends and family at the Royal China in Bandra. 90 years for this most endearing character actor of Hindi cinema, this humble man who etched his position as the most feared villain in Hindi Cinema and then when he changed to playing sympathetic roles the world accepted him with the same ease that they had despised his characters he played as a villain. A remarkable career graph. A quiet disciplined senior colleague. Never late on set despite the intricate and cumbersome make up he had to do on almost all his films. Indeed he used to be, embarrassingly for us, the very first on set. Non interfering, diligent, never a harsh word or comment for anyone. Just quite the opposite of every character he portrayed on screen. 90 years today ! And his children and grandchildren and great grand children invite a few of us to celebrate this momentous occasion. And as I walk in I am numbed to see the warmth of his gracious smile, the embrace and the gentle whisper in the ear - ‘aap ne hamari izzat rakh li !’ , thank you for securing my dignity. Its a very common phrase used by all hosts when they invite someone to their home. Accepting an invitation is akin to acknowledging the dignity of the host - something most honored and respected in our cultural ethos. For in our culture and in our social and moral epics -‘ athiti devo bhava ‘, the guest in our land in our home is respected like a devta, a God !

And as I stand back away from him and urge him to remain seated, I pay my reverence to two other greats, one of them my idol. Dilip Kumar and Shammi Kapoor.

Age has now withered them and time and illness have wheel chaired them. But not their spirit. That remains bright and ebullient. They clink their peg of whiskey and seek permission from those around as they gently devour the first sip, another rare custom among most elders. I had noticed it among royalty on many an occasion, particularly during one of my visits to Nepal when I had the privilege to be in the company of the King and his family in Kathmandu, during an informal evening get together. Before consumption they sought the customary respect from the Queen Mother who was present there as well.

What a moment as you see these three stalwarts of cinema, sitting and laughing together, reminiscing old times I am certain and perhaps recollecting the many films they did together. The one common factor for them, being Pran.

Apart from his children and grandchildren, I am perhaps the youngest at the evening and I wonder what the younger generation of today would keep with them of the times and the films these icons were attached to. The contribution made, the examples set for us to follow and marvel at. And I wonder. It shall not be too long before I too shall be in similar state.

Lost in age, withered and forgotten !

Life is delightful and shamelessly harsh too. To life then, to the joy of it and to its fulfillment .. with love ..

Amitabh Bachchan