Merry Christmas to all the Ef .. happiness and joy fulness and prosperous times and laughter and all the joys of life .. its the time to be merry and out on the streets with song and dance .. and in the midnight in prayer at the midnight mass, so solemn and pure and a giver of so much warmth and stability in out otherwise impersonal lives .. May the Lord bless all of you and give you all that you need and desire .. along with the sumptuous Christmas cake !!

And its Anu’s birthday tody and we all wish her a most wonderful and happy one … with love from all !!!

And birthday greetings to Irfan Nuyani .. so devoted and kind always .. !!

And thank you’s to Kishore and Deepak Taunk, who dropped by to see me shoot for the Dabboo Ratnani calendar at Aurus, and all the goodies they so generously gave me for myself and the ‘little one’ .. enjoy your stay in India and keep safe and well ..

Contemplating before the shoot starts. This is not the calendar picture – its something else and quite original and a bit wild. But I thought I would whet the appetite so to say, till the calendar is out .. ha ha ..

And then for some more of Shanouk -

That is him with his own pup .. had him mated a year ago and he sired 12 pups .. ahem ..!! he did not seem too concerned with his progeny and we had to give them all away because as per the protocol on dog breeding, the male gets the option of one and the female gets all the rest .. so when his interest waned on the pup that you see we sent it back to the Mother ..

In the sea at Juhu beach .. not too happy with the water it seems .. and yes had to leash him before he decided to swim out to Dubai – its just across the Arabian Sea as you may well know .. !!!

And all the cat lovers .. this is Shanouk at his flirtatious best at Jalsa .. I think these were some of his very first reactions to the feline species, realizing soon enough that they were not to be given too much affection. He now chases them as soon as he is set free all over the place, until they seek higher plains, like the roof of the cars, planters and really narrow corners, where they know this rather large tormentor shall never be able to get even his tail through !! Cats are smart !! – Daisy, Rochelle, Renate shaking their heads vigorously in approval .. !!!

But on the lawns Shanouk is a possessed animal .. wildly chasing that plastic bottle – his pet play station ! I shall do some of those on another day .. he looks frighteningly possessed and in great action !!

But back to Christmas and Kolkata and the best place to be in around that time of the year ! Kolkata is a whole new world during this time. The city that was the first Capital of the country under the British Raj, filled with Christian culture and rituals. The large community of Anglo-Indians bringing and celebrating with that same vigor and festiveness that marked the end of the year. What an atmosphere it was in the early 60′s when I had just migrated to this wonder city in search of a future and a job. The clubs and the restaurants and the Hotel locations – the Grand, and the Golden Slipper, Nizams, Trinca’s, Moulin Rouge, Mogambo, Blue Fox, Flurry’s and Princes inside the Grand … ah ! Such a variety … and a mandatory visit to all of them in one night, since they were all situated within a few feet of each other on that glorious Park Street … !! What times they were. Surviving on a salary of Rs 500/- a month and never a moment of regret on the amount .. and the music and the bands and the orchestra … most of them now migrated to Mumbai and working in film music .. a treat and a slice of La Dolche Vita … almost !!

Those days shall never return again. There have been many visits to the city in recent times, the city and its vibrancy remains the same, but that something, of those times is missing ! It still is a unique place, nothing quite like that anywhere. The people the masses and their appreciation for the arts and crafts, their passion for cinema and everything to do with culture and the classic, their craze for football much much before the Champions League and the Barkley’s of the soccer world invaded our psyche through television, Eden Gardens and the cricket, a paradise for all the cricketers of the world, the season in October and Puja for Durga and the devotions around it … all now fond memories of the past never to return again … sad but true !!

I want to watch a film tonight .. it is late and I know I shall invite anger and wrath of the Ef, but I shall be careful .. shall be in bed .. and when it gets too long shall switch off and sleep ..

Good night dearest ones .. may this fresh day bring fresh thoughts of happiness in your lives .. and of course to bring all within the circle of our lovely intimate little world that we have created ..

Love

Amitabh Bachchan