To Sharmila on her birthday on the 9th of April, greetings and our wishes for a most wonderful year and years to come. Remain well and healthy and content. And with smile ! Love

The magnificence of an achievement fulfilled to perfection .. the thrill of the patrons that adorn it .. and the eventual victory of the participants .. is a heady mixture ! To realize it and to be a part of it, even more so.

For quite some time now one has been hearing talk of a facility for the game of cricket at Pune and the immense time being spent in its concept and preparation. Tonight at its inauguration one witnessed the quality of its presence and the impressive completion of a dream, promised and executed as promised.

The Subroto Roy Sahara Stadium at Pune, or to be precise near Pune, or on the outskirts of Pune was a sight to behold. Modern, hi tech and a most apt mixture of man and machine, art and technology. A true emblem which would make the country most proud.

As one drove out from Jalsa on a Sunday afternoon, the heat not withstanding, one could sense the traffic easing out, but determined to get back to us as time flew by. Traffic in Mumbai is at most times, a night mare. I do understand that it is a fairly common topic for most other cities and countries, but here in Mumbai it is an exhibition of massive time consuming proportions. One could be sitting minutes away from final destination and not be moving for hours. In a rush, it is wiser to take a short walk or pinch a passing bike, request for his helmet to camouflage the face and zoom off to destination in time. I do not think that the traffic is bad. I do not also think that the traffic police does a bad job of it, in such situations. But I do believe that the lack of road and driving skill or routine, that needs must be followed as per the training required for a license, is missing.

Driving inside the city is entirely different to driving on a highway. And using the same yardstick for both facilities results in either a bad accident, or a bad jam that jars. Looking at some of the way people drive their cars in the city and on the highway, I could safely say that were I or any official designated to test drive would have a nightmare staring at them most rigidly ! And so I believe that when the basics are wrong, and wrong by huge margins, there shll never be an apt solution for congested traffic.

In life then much like in driving a vehicle in a crowded city, one must entail the basics to be correct and ably followed. Ignored or not put to the right use, can cause immeasurable damage. It is disturbing and most frustrating to see and experience this phenomena each day, when initial grounding falls short. One may possess the best brains in the business, but I can say with utmost humility, that if your base is incorrect, the buildings and edifices that one desires to build, shall fall at the slightest test.

There are many that argue that the pursuance of this factor may not be necessary or essential. And they would quote many an example to justify such feature. Yes there have been exceptions. Men and women of great genius, who have through some extreme gift of nature not needed the grounding that we talk of. Blessed are they that are gifted and secure in their functioning. But the world is not filled with genius at every step. The world is filled with opportunity, an opportunity for those that can through resolve and perseverance of study, accomplish great feats.

The resolve of perseverance and study has never betrayed mortals. It may have taken time, a great deal of time maybe, but eventually it has sprung results of immense proportion.

Many show wonder at the fact that even at this late stage I tend to exercise my abilities of rehearsal. So what is wrong with that. They marvel and applaud those that perform instinctively, and continue to surprise us and others by giving different facets of the same situation without any study at all. For me then, they are craftsmen of exception. My position along with them is untenable. They are superior and any comparison should be avoided or kept at bay. For me what matters is what I was able to give in performance ; what I was able to leave behind of some worth for posterity. How I got there is not the subject of their knowing, for, in the first place, that is not what they came to see. They came to see a product, to either like it or reject it. Yes if they were to be a part of a study, an analysis on the craft then I would be up for debate, not otherwise. When the Beatles ran a tape backwards quite by accident and discovered that what they heard was worthy of being constructed into a song, they held on to the technique or accidental discovery and recorded a song which became one of their most popular numbers. We loved the song, sang it, played it again and again, shared it at parties and with friends, and enjoyed its presence. Would I have enjoyed it less if it was given to me how it was prepared ? Difficult to agree upon !! Or maybe not. Who can tell? Would lyrics of a song written in the peace and solitude of a beach front, matter if it was written on a running train, I wonder !! I would imagine that I would first get attracted to the song and then if I was to find out later, much later how it was done, I may like it even more … !!

The ability to create a base then does not bother. I need it. Others may not. God bless them. I am inferior then and shall remain so. So what ?

My love to all … and my love as ever …

Amitabh Bachchan