The morning hour as the day begins, seldom indicates what lies in store for the rest of its time. The peace and solace of those early hours is almost synonymous with the gentle warming from the rising sun. That deep orange hue from the brightest element in the earth’s hemisphere, so pleasantly visible as it emerges from behind a hill or stack of high rises, then gradually, as it progresses forward, begins to burn out its size and shape and countenance, now unable to be seen through a naked eye !

There is a bearing with life’s day almost, within this act. Pleasant and peaceful as it starts, and then gradually as the day progresses and all its complications overtake us, everything around us becomes unbearable and unable to be seen, in its complex existence.

It is a peculiar simile, but one that reflects a most understated comment on nature and human. As the sun burns through the sky and heats up the atmosphere, so do we not warm ourselves up to the intricate twists and turns that life provides us ?

Ahh … never mind ! Just a reflective aside before settling down to more mundane thoughts on the day and hour.

The Federation of Indian Commerce and Industry, FICCI, conducts an Annual conference in this majestically intricate city, called FICCI Frames, and for this year Frames 2010 honors artists for their work of excellence during the year. They honored me tonight for PAA.

The Conference has grown in stature from year to year, attended by some of the greats of entertainment in the entire world. Last year if you remember it was dedicated to the US of A. This year its the Nederlands. A large delegation has come across and very few are aware of the involvement of the Dutch in matters concerning film and television. Many large Hollywood films get financing from them, and several TV shows find the concepts originally belonging to this fascinating country.

I have made a quick entry and an even quicker exit, ably assisted by the ever accommodating Mr Yash Chopra, who realizing my urgency to leave, set up my award out of turn, presented it to me and allowed me to leave, for, I had to rush back to the premier of ‘Vihir”.

‘Vihir’ is a Marathi film produced by us in AB Corp and has been directed by a young Gold Medalist from the Pune Film Institute, Umesh Kulkarni. Picked up by Jaya as her junior she entrusted this film to him after having seen his Diploma film and then gave him an entirely free hand to make it the way he wanted to make it. After being invited to several international film festivals it has now been released in India, in Maharashtra and we hope that as many of you shall go and see this film. The youngsters in the film are incredible !!

As a company we have been promoting and paying interest to regional cinema for long. Tamil, Telugu, Bengali and now Marathi have been all made within limited budgets, with an eye to encourage young regional talent. We at AB Corp are extremely happy with the results and there is a sense of pride and achievement for this film. I do hope sincerely that as many people as can, will go and see this film and give it the well deserved attention and praise that it needs.

Rushing back from one end of town to the other was exasperating. But I made it just in time to pick up the family and go across to the premier of the film. It was a sober yet interesting occasion and heartening to see so many Marathi manoos joining us in their large numbers. There was a great sense of accomplishment in the evening and many blessings were received for the great pride they felt towards us for this effort for Marathi Cinema.

Also the morning was spent in finalizing the other important occasion to be held in Pune - the Maharashtra 50 year celebration and its own 83rd anniversary of the Marathi Sahitya Sammelan. An evening dedicated to the great relevance that Marathi literature and poetry has had on the cultural edifice of this most impressive portion of western India. They wish for my presence their and the possibility of me reciting some lines from one of Maharashtra’s great writer and poet. There is more to follow the next day as an opening of an amphitheater in a new complex wishes me to recite Babuji’s works. And … the next day, a morning spent with the students of the faculty called Symbiosis. They are a modern and most accomplished campus, educating the future of the country in management and corporate entities. They wish that I spend some time with their boarders and allow them to interact with me on the aspect of cinema !! Cinema apparently, being one of the courses that they seem to have introduced for study. It is in this context that they will need me there. And I shall go. The location is just above the site we had chosen for our film ‘Teen Patti’ to be shot. You know ….?

That lovely green basin of undulating landscape, away from worldly cares and desires and in the middle of all this an educational institution, where we shot most of our film.

You now tend to appreciate, that as the sun hots up so does our society and its living and its existence. There are many that bear the heat in its starkness and in its severity, but it is only the determined that despite the health of the sun, wear it down by the sincerity and honesty of their work !!

I wish nothing else for our family extended, than the ability to stand up to the pressures and heats of the atmosphere and come out unscathed or tanned. Well tanned may be ambitious … so just let it ride … aimlessly !!

Sleep well dear ones, and worry not with the anxiety that my health sometimes causes. It has been ordained that there shall be suffering, but it has also been ordained that those that resist and fight for their claim of leadership, also achieve.

Love to you in abundance xoxoxoxoxoxox xoxoxoxoxxooxoxoxoxoxoxox - thats a lot of hugs and kisses, and with the hope of seeing you tomorrow, less burnt or tanned by the strength of an element that is itself unaware of it.

Amitabh Bachchan