It is the moment in our lives when we all sat stunned and helpless, shocked and angry, pained and hurt by the drama and carnage and the senselessness of it all, two years ago. It was today that 26/11 happened and those visuals haunting and utterly disturbing kept playing in front of our eyes. We saw the carnage, we saw the devastation and we saw how inadequate each one of us felt, as the marauder brought damage to our city and to our people.

We saw also how innocent lives were lost. Mercilessly and ruthlessly eliminated in shocked surprise. We saw with baited breath how our uniformed personnel fought back and claimed a death defying victory over the oppressor. But we saw too how those who were there to protect us, bravely gave up their lives, so we could live.

What prompts them into such acts ? What motivates them to give away that which is most precious to them ? Where do they get their strength from ? It is the pride of being born on the earth which we call our Mother. It is the joy and the immense dedication to the country that gives us our identity. That gives us a classification of a region, a flag, an anthem, a song, a culture. How many can we remember, that through the ages, have willingly given fight to the invader, to the conquerer, to the ruler ? It will be an impossible task to do so. Yet there are hundreds and thousands of those men and women who have gone by unnoticed and un heralded in their act.

And through out our history millions of such patriots, nationals, freedom fighters have struggled to give voice and action to get rid of the enemy - an enemy that has forcibly taken over our land. There are so many untold stories, forgotten heroes, great sacrifices made that we know nothing of. But those that did it for us, that set us free, that gave us the just cause, are today either forgotten or relegated to a few lines in texts for posterity.

I can only say this - long may you live in our hearts and minds. Long may you continue to inspire us. Long may your painful yet fulfilling work be an example for us all through ages. We breathe this air of freedom because someone whom we did not know and perhaps would never have known, fought for our right and gave it to us.

I bend down in humble homage to all of them … in humility and in compassion.

This generation is fortunate to have been born free. They never had any inkling of what it meant to be suppressed and oppressed. To be in possession of your own home and to be told that it does not belong to you. But many of our countrymen, our brave countrymen did and did what they felt needed to be done. Their work results are what we today enjoy, and may we ever do so.

We hear our anthem and an emotion swells up within us. A mass of people voicing in unison a ‘VandeMataram’, brings within us the adrenalin required to conquer the world. It moves us activates us, propels us into action.

The strength that we enjoy in being able to call our country free is the greatest gift. This gift came to us by birth, but also was fought back for us from centuries of battle and sacrifice by brave citizens, who valued their contribution in protecting us most.

I salute them ! I idolize them ! And I thank them for what they did for us - unnoticed, unafraid. No words will be able to describe that feeling of gratitude and pride for them …

Amitabh Bachchan

It is my Father’d Birthday today the 27th of November. He was born on this day in the city of Allahabad in 1907. He would have been 103 today !