Nothingness is, in all reality, a most fascinating state to be in. Having a digital luminous time keeper in the bedroom is the virtual precursor to a nothingness that will follow as a result of it. The alarms may be set, on the clock, on the mobile, on the wrist watch, yet it is the call of nothingness that keeps requesting you to push that pillow back a bit, come out from under the summer duvet and check with ‘digital’, on whether it is time to be up or not. There is nothingness that abounds around you as you dress for the gym. You are not inventing some new fashion and neither is there a desire to impress the trainer. Its routine - strap up the stomach to comfort the numerous surgeries, slip on the belt along the pelvic region, pull up the battery belt around the heart to check its rate through the heart rate keeper horologe on wrist. Track pants on, matching track sweat shirt on, sneakers on over tennis socks, cap on, bag slung on with glasses mobile keys to the kingdom .. ha .. backing out from the gates and zooming through the by lanes and early morning pedestrians, into Janak, into lift, into 3rd floor, into the morning drink and 2 dates … and on to nothingness .. er ..tread mill !! Time, weight, age speed in … okay … move your legs old man, the tracks below you move now .. TV screens light up .. an MTv song and dance routine of the latest promos on releasing films, the morning hour news, a football game on another, your days’ horoscope through grey bearded man on another … and another and another and another …

Nothingness … the repeats on the machines, the repeats on the weights, crunches for the abdomen, a prayer to the sun, pranayam, avilom vilom to the chants of OM, a quick note for the record, a reading for the BP, message to doc, done with the routine and back to nothingness …

Driving back and trying desperately for others to follow traffic signals and basic road rules and protocol. No one does. Its morning hours and time to break the red light, turn in on the wrong side of the road and when checked or shouted at, get shouted back.

Back into nothingness and to favorite and worn down comfort chair to go through all office paper work, news and a quick look at the blog. And then … nothingness. Lunch with the wife who has just returned huffing and puffing from the gym too and then … nothingness.

Alright time to catch up on events and schedules of travel, meetings to be set up and then … no wait .. a film .. well 2 today. Enjoyed the way MNIK, is Khan opened and getting so drawn in by the way it has been shot, the way Kajol is the most natural among all, and how sincerely Shahrukh has performed … getting a bit stretchy in the second half, but what a great effort and then a few meets later … Ishqiya !! Delightful !! The characters so beautifully etched and so marvelously performed. Arshad and Naseer exemplary and such a change over in Vidya. But amazing how each and every small character that you see, is so genuine and correct. Fresh faces. New and never before seen, but such a command over the language and the performance, especially since they recreate the North Hindi speaking belt from UP and MP. The technology and screenplay, the camera work and editing and the music and the haunting voice of Vishal Bharadwaj’s wife Rekha, a most consummate singer.

When you witness something appealing, the eyes moist. Its a funny reaction to a creative high. There were moments in MNIK and moments in Ishqiya when the hair on the hands rose. Two contrasting locations for the films, yet not a moment left to feel that there was something that was amiss in their recreation, merits standing alone on the other side with their own value systems.

Its spurring me on to get in front of the cameras, even before asap .. but …

At the end of all this its still nothingness …

Work and employment are such an essentiality. One needs it to survive yes, but one needs it to survive on other fronts as well - mobility of the mind, mobility of the body, mobility in thought. Stop this for a while and it begins to tell. Tells you that you are moving fast towards nothingness ..

But in the nothingness of life there is desire to do, to give … Give away that which is past its usability, give away that which is in excess, that which is not essentially required. And give it away to the needy and aged who are in the care of institutions and homes. Such a fulfillment when you do that. To watch the expressions of joy on the face of the receiver … for in this does nothingness dismiss itself … finally !!

My love to all … in joy and fulfillment … in the remote presence of nothingness .. and in my submission to the cause … the cause that you build each day each hour !!

Amitabh Bachchan