Anna Hazare greets me with his humble self, listened in by Dr Kurrien … what company I enjoy !!

The lovely Shweta and I enjoy a moment together .. Fathers and daughters have a special link do they not .. they at times even look so much alike !!

Ronjan Sodhi, world champion in trap shooting .. sharing a laugh because he confided his wife never accompanies him to the various award functions he goes to but came to this one when she heard I was going to be there. We laugh because when I walked up to meet his wife, which he had gently suggested on stage that I must, she had disappeared to the wash room .. I did though meet up with her as I departed, pushing my way through the crowds that converged soon after …

the fiery women from Manipur, the Manipur Women Gun Survivors Network (MWGSN) who resist the presence of the gun by the Army battalions there on duty and the guns of the insurgents in the state …

… and the ‘eloquent’ Lalu Prasad Yadav, seated next to me, responds to Anna on stage on his take on who the Indian of the Year should be ..

Its been a glorious night at the CNNiBN Indian of the Year Awards. Yes we won, the team KBC and yours truly, but what a galaxy of great stalwarts of the country coming together on one platform and giving an inspiration and strength of a lifetime to viewers and the country.

One cannot describe what it feels like to be standing side by side with Mamta Banerji, Chief Minister of West Bengal, a colleague of mine in the Parliament when I was there and who single handedly, despite being a woman defeated the mighty Communist power in the State after over 30 years of their rule ; Dr Kurrien, that indefatigable entrepreneur who started the milk revolution in the country, making it the largest in the world ; Anna Hazare and his social movement to rid the country of corruption ; the fiery gun survivor campaigner from Manipur ; sportsmen of the greatest merit – Dhoni, Yuvraj, Ronjan Singh Sodhi the world champion in shooting ; army navy and air force Generals who fought and won great wars for the country against Pakistan and in the liberation of BanglaDesh ; stalwarts in business Mr Shanghvi ; Yesudas that singer with the divine voice and with all of them the equally prominent presenters and guests …

An evening filled with a very strong emotion, a concern and a wish to be able to do something for the country after seeing and hearing the impassioned voices from all these very committed personalities.

When you look back at what you have contributed and compare it with what the co winners tonight did, you cannot but feel a sense of guilt, when efforts are compared. It makes one conscious of the fact that these great people sacrificed their self in the honor and integrity of the country. They did not care for themselves, they cared for the nation and their sacrifices for it cannot but remain inspirational.

Its been a warm night within … in thought and temperament, but a cold Delhi winter outside. Actually not cold cold, but a tolerable cold ..

Be safe, be warm and be with me in love …

Amitabh Bachchan