Time constraints and stress on the eyes after removal of the prosthetics caught up and kept me away from the EF, beyond the customary evening post. I have been up for a while and felt I should first write to you before getting down to enjoying my day off.

So, I must at the outset express my deepest gratitude and love and affection and thanks to the multitude of respondents that have taken the trouble of wishing Shweta a very happy birthday. She has felt obliged and very moved by this show of affection and has asked me to thank all the EF. Yesterday was her husbands birthday and a double celebration. We send our wishes to him and pray for their well being.

The sun came out bright and strong almost magically. Bright blue skies, and no a trace of cloud anywhere. Quite an amazing site here in KL, which traditionally barely ever rids itself of rain and overcast weather. And the speed of our work resulted in the end of this location schedule. We are on time and within our limits. We now shift to Taiping for the remainder of our work and should also be through with it in the next couple of days.

Rahul Nanda, that exceptional designer of publicity, was over to get some initial work done on PAA and I found his concept and ideas most interesting. He has been a versatile and ingenious input in so many of our great films. Unassuming and quiet by disposition, yet bright and innovative in his creativity, he has the ability to bring out the essence of every film he gets attached to with such brilliance. I have often wondered where these people get their ideas and inspiration from.

There is surprise and questioning on the BigAdda communication for the celebration of the completion of ONE YEAR of my blogging. Yes this is factual. They have been over and discussing the best way to put up a celebration and they do want to make it memorable and personal as much as possible. I have agreed to the concept of having lunch with a winner, though how the modalities will work, is still in progress. Once I get back I shall seek more information and perhaps personally apprise you of what goes on.

Because the eyes and skin swell up after the removal of the prosthetics I have been unable to progress on the writing of any material other than this blog. But today is a rest day from shooting and I intend to do just that after I have changed my location to the new city. Someone observed that they find my blog more contemplative and of greater substance when I am out of Mumbai. This could be a valid observation. At home and in the confines of Mumbai, there is a constant demand of attention which perhaps takes away from the concentration required. This could well change the thinking process and thereby the content. Yes it is a great desire by every writer to be left alone in some peace and quiet to think to contemplate and to write.

My Mother was a strong believer in this and never failed to give my Father that space and time he needed for his creativity and for his writing. I never ever found my Mother demanding domestic attention from my Father or complaining about it to him or to us. She knew what her husband needed for his work and she diligently created the right atmosphere for him. In every house that we shifted to, my Mother’s first act would be to set up a study area for my Father - his writing table, his books and the seclusion he required to write and work in a harmonious atmosphere. My most vivid memories of my Father have always been that of him on his desk, either reading or writing. And when he desired absolute privacy he had devised a method to inform the rest of the family that he did not wish to be disturbed at any cost. He would hang a small painting outside the closed door of his study. Till it hung there, no one either knocked or entered.

Clouding ones mind with today’s norm of multitasking is either a valuable gift if you can achieve desired results, or a curse. There are several individuals, that in the times of impressive communication facilities and relevant skills in operating them, feel quite at ease in attending to different and divergent jobs at the same time. Whether the job gets the required amount of concentrated attention is another matter but, factually this is an achievable exercise. And I marvel at the dexterity with which these individuals are able to function so efficiently. For many that belong to the old school, this is a nightmare. At this late age, I find myself wishing to accomplish even a small portion of their task with hopefully substantial success. I do not know whether I achieve it or not, but what I do know is that I find myself seeking to do something even in hours when I do not need to do anything. This may be helpful in keeping the mind occupied and attentive all the time, but is that really what we want from our mind. Are we pushing for it to perform extremes. Would there not be fatigue in its functioning. Maybe not in the way of the young, but certainly in the old.

I find myself putting on the computer for example and while I wait for it to boot, to be attending to the mobile and its messages. Then if some require immediate attention by a response, I shift attention to the writing of the message and in the few seconds it takes to announce ’sent’, I come back to the computer to activate the browser. And while the browser takes time to boot up a quick sip of the morning hot drink and a glance at the newspaper headlines occurs. In the middle of all this the office calls for a decision. You hold that to seek guidance and advice from a senior. By the time you ask the operator to get you a connect to him, the browser has put out your blog and you get drawn to the responses. As I skim through the hundreds of EF talk, the wife and the children are seeking domestic attention. Ignore that and you could end up with the MacBookPro being smashed on your head. That would not be a pleasant condition. Inadvertently and with great casual ease the staff shall walk by at that very instant and drop the call sheet and scenes for the shooting for the day. Your inquisitiveness and the love of your work drives your attention to that and as you read through, you start preparing for the scene in your mind - learning your lines, deciding how the words need to be spoken, the shot to be designed. Computer and mobile now a flickering display in front of you demanding attention. Domesticity demanding attention. Breakfast too. And you are lost in the scene.

How in living hell does one get the response on the mobile, or the text on the computer right, is a mystery that can only be solved by the great masters of multitasking ! And there are a few out there that indeed do master this craft rather well ! And I shall never find even the narrowest of spaces in that lot !

So having put all that down in 1282 words at last count,( er.. actually 1321..computer just changed that) I have lost count of what needs to be packed when and where, before I set off to next destination. And I have not even dared to look at my mobile, in case there are dead line waiting responses to be given to impatient byline columnists !

So…err.. where were we..?

See.. I’ve even forgotten where we started from !!

Multitasking !! The killer of all that stands for harmony and relaxed existence..

Ok, bye.. my mobile’s ringing.. its the wife !!!!

Naaah..! Just kidding…

Love to all

Amitabh Bachchan