They call him the ‘common man’ - the aam aadmi. The one that is not a celebrity, not someone important, the everyday person, one that goes about his or her work unnoticed. And they design every aspect of society around them. Not a moment goes by when he or she is not made reference to in our daily existence. They hardly feature in the news, they do not have a face, except the one caricatured by that great cartoonist RK Laxman. No titles are ever given to them. They remain quiet occupants of our society without being labelled. And they exist ; exist in the largest numbers in the country. They hardly ever come up for recognition, nor do they feature on the covers of coveted magazines. They generally remain dormant and confined to their condition. Yet whenever there is talk of decisions that affect the polity or the demographics of a nation, their mention pops up. Everyone talks about them, but no one ever talks to them. I did. I talked to them today. Today at the first episode of KBC I met the common man, talked to him, brought him through his talent on to the hot seat and listened to his aspirations, his dreams, his desires and most importantly, his will to no longer remain ordinary. They come from small towns and kasba’s with the confidence and will of some of the most accomplished in the land and they express their desire to be the most known, to become the best, to bring glory not so much to themselves but to the place of their birth, their home, their little village. Their simplicity stuns one into humility. Their determination fills you with pride. You wish to do so much for them. To hold them, guide them, assist them to their destination. But all they really want is the opportunity to be in the company of the exalted and unapproachable. To bow their heads in reverence, perhaps to seek blessing, to just be able to say - yes I was in the same air as ‘them’ - them, the larger than life, the greats, the people they had always looked up to. They are the true greats that hide behind the shadows of those that have achieved. For, in their thoughts and deeds they have been far superior. For them I do salute out of respect, out of pride and position. The cruel and grinding day for the first episode has just ended. Its merits and demerits shall be known sooner or later. But what shall remain ever in the mind will be the time spent with the common aam aadmi. The one that no one knows, yet should know !! What a new world television has brought to our nation. The sheer magnitude of its reach and impression, the importance of its visual and the value that it creates. The minds that think and devise and execute. The race that they face through competition. The numbers that they employ control and put to work. The technology that they deal with and the several fresh vocations that they invite to be tapped. Absolutely marvelous !! We were shown concern over our growth in population. We in India are one sixth in the world. Every sixth person in the world is an Indian. And so when the demographics are often brought to us as an obstruction for our society, it balances off so beautifully with the numbers and ‘eyeballs’ for a Tv programme. And no one is objecting ! They bring in the TRP’s, the general entertainment factors or whatever it is they seek for commerce. They are the ones that watch in numbers. They are the ones that, influenced by the commercials on the tube, get the bugs for consumerism. And they are the ones that contribute the most for its fulfillment. How ever could they be termed ‘common’. They are not. They are the heart and the pulse, the gaze and stride of any society. I met them today and I am blessed to have done so ~ Good night … goodbye and god bless you !! Amitabh Bachchan