Anat Magen .. I am most distressed to learn of the report from your doctor and the possibility of your trauma. I want you to know that you are constantly in our thoughts and prayers and we wish that all goes well with you and the baby .. Have faith and be strong .. we are never able to know of God’s will .. but we do know that whatever it is that ordained has His blessings and that He shall never ever do anything that would cause undue harm to us.

We often wonder why there is suffering and pain in the world we live in. Each individuals anguish is like a dagger thrust inside them. We all empathize with them, pray for them, hope for them. But what will happen shall happen. Why nature does this to us is never resolved or answered through centuries of questioning. We all live each day to face and perhaps find solution. Some are fortunate and find it, many do not. Those that do, feel blessed. Those that do not feel tormented. This juggle, this jigsaw is the worlds greatest mystery. It was because of this mystery that we were drawn and attracted to the supernatural. To a force that we did not imagine or believe to be true, but knew it was there. This force then took on the shape of our God’s and from then on grew the strongest manifestation that the human ever embellished - religion !

Today it is the cause for war, for separation, for belief, for disbelief, for gaining strength, for gaining territory, for destroying and capturing. Religion was designed to glorify the force of the unknown - God. To be disciplined to a belief ; on conduct and prayer, on rituals and in celebration. But look around us and we shall find that there is not a single space of turmoil where religion does not play a part. Is this the reason it was designed - to divide us, to bring us into conflict and confrontation ? One likes to live in hope and prayer for a better tomorrow, but would it come, this tomorrow. Would it ..??

I like belief. I like the thought of believing even when there is nothing to believe. I am not an agnostic. I would like to give the argument that yes, there is a force that moves and binds us. But what it is and how it functions is something that I am completely unaware of. We live in hope forever for its benevolence, but we do not know its functions. In a modern world, a world where science and technology has an answer for everything, it is ridiculous that we still do not know much. In fact we do not even know that. Many desire that they should be in the knowledge of knowing what abounds around us, many wish that that knowledge be left alone. Who knows what lies in store for us as we get closer to the Almighty and who knows what path we need to take in the matter. Great philosophers, scientists, technologists and so many qualified personnel spend hours and hours of work to come to any credible answer to this, but fail. Maybe it is better to accept failure, and  give way to rational argument. But where does argument ever become rational. There is always the matter of the other side, or the other opinion. So at times it is best left alone.

At the Film City today completing the promotional TVC’s for KBC, we shot at the studio floor one and a whole lot of memories came flashing by. Floor No 1 that we were on, was inaugurated by me and it was on this very same floor almost 30 years ago we did some of most honorable and distinguished films Barsaat ki Raat, KalaPathar, Sharabi .. the list is endless. But what was most endearing was the ‘junior artists’ at the shoot. Some of the ladies in the crowd have been with me since the 70’s, older but still junior artists. Remarkable longevity of these very noble artists, but sad in a way that they never matured on to something bigger. They sat there wondering if I would recognize them, talk to them - but I did and it was a joy as ever.

The evening finished somewhat early and driving back to home was as nightmarish as a horror movie. The traffic, just does not abate.

A welcome change though was that Jaya was back and had cooked the delicious ‘ragda petti’ as the evening snack. But a ‘ragda’ is never a snack - its an entire meal !! And as we devoured bowl after bowl the thought suddenly sunk in that tonight - THERE SHALL BE NO GAME TO BACK, NO TEAM TO CHEER !! The feeling of nothingness fell upon us and the terrible possibility of an evening of ‘what to do’ ?

Thank the Lord for this incredible invention of the mobile, music, tv, and other worthy utensils. We will never know the reason for it to appear when it is supposed to disappear.

The Almighty has His ways and they may not all seem very encouraging, but I believe that there is reason in its execution. So help me God …

Amitabh Bachchan