The correction on the idols of the deity in Jagganath Temple - they are changed every 12 years and apparently not buried in the earth. Thank you FmXt for the information !

So … back at the familiar address, tired but still full of energy. The flight more smooth and calm today and most of the flying hours spent in catching up on films missed out - Kameenay, Wanted, New York, Love aaj Kal and on … Revealing !! All of them, in more ways than one. I should not shy away from protocol and discuss them. But I am not sure in what spirit they will be taken. Generally whenever my name is involved, there is the obvious tendency of finding deliberate fault with it, irrespective of what the conditions or circumstances are. Guess my comments would stir up the beehive above Mayawati’s head as she addressed a public function recently. This is not an original. A cartoonist in one of the dailies did one where he addressed this very moment by stating ‘the bee hive must be the doing of the Big B’. ROTFL !!!!

It is, as another FmXt observed, more a desire to find sensational content, than wishing to address an issue or problem. What would I be doing in Gujarat that could possibly be of adverse interest to the polity, politically. I would talk of the Somnath Temple, Gandhigram,the white sands of the Rann of Kutch, old civilizations of Harrappa, the Gir lions and their extinction close by and try to entice as many visitors I could to this glorious land. Where is the connect with the glorification of the present Government ? Nothing ! But when you tickle and titillate in order to camouflage fact and detail, you do great disservice to the institutions that flourish and exist there.

Making me deliberately political, the idea is not to dissuade me from accepting the position, but indeed to get many of their facets and shortcomings an endorsement for integrity. You want to stop me from promoting tourism in a State, because you have reason to believe that there are political connotations to the event. This is such rubbish ! All I shall be doing will be the working in a short film that shall highlight the various places of interest in the State, so that it encourages more tourists to visit the region. And that is what I would precisely do when I would be asked to similar acts in Kerala. It is a petty act of cheap convenience to prevent me from doing that, and by pitting me up against political connotations and maneuvers without paying any respect for the actual work that would be done. Fair enough ! I shall abide by the judgement of the State Government. I did not ask them for it, they came forward with the invitation, I accepted, now they want to decline it, fine. Not the first time such incidents have happened. Invitation to be chief guest at the Goa International Film Festival and when I get there, they decline it. Fine !

It is a common Indian media trait - finding fault at any cost to any act or event. Merit for the moment and the work, not interesting enough to sell and so …. demerit the moment ! And in such matters if you could highlight a celebrity, preferably from the film world, into the matter, you would have discovered a way and means to keep the story rolling for a few weeks.

You take umbrage at my association with Gujarat, but never have the guts or courage to stop a Ratan Tata, or an Ambani from investing in the state and running successful factories and ventures there. Would you have the guts to tell them to not associate with the State, to pull out all their investment and man power they build through years and years of their ‘association’ ? I guess not. You would happily bring politics into the matter just to dissuade. But what good does that do to a person that is non political. Reason and common sense overrides all else in moments like this. Such a shame really. You visit a foreign country and they decorate you with respect and dignity - Morrocco, UK, USA, France, Mid East, South Africa, China Hong Kong … and you come back to your own country and they have nothing but ugliness for the subject and your merit.

Reason enough to leave this excessive topic and move towards more pleasant times !!

Tomorrow the Government of Maharashtra invites me to inaugurate the opening of the remaining four lanes of the Sea Link connecting Bandra and Worli. Time for media to start finding fault in that as well. May the lord god almighty bless you and keep you from all evil … Amen !!

Love to all .. this has been a rather scrappy post … but what can you expect at 2:52 AM after a 5 and a half hour flight !!

Amitabh Bachchan