Darkness !! All around !! Switched off the lights in keeping with the campaign to preserve the usage of power and thereby repairing the environment. Promptly at 8:30 we put out the light. For an hour !

‘Put out the light and then put out the light !’

Darkness must have been so frightening to medieval times. I sit in front of a battery lit screen and that is all that I can see. I shall remain so till its turns 9:30. But the human in the times before electricity was discovered was what… difficult to imagine. And difficult to imagine too how they existed. Like today’s generation questions the absence of the mobile and how we communicated without them. Tomorrow this too shall become obsolete and some new and fresh invention shall be shaking its wares in our faces…

I shall retire early today. Not because of the darkness but because of the light. Before the time period passes and we get flooded with the excess. Listening to scripts and arguing suggestions can cause permanent brain damage !! Ha, ha just kidding ! Its just that I am not used to talking so much. Having to do that with some compulsion has been draining.

But worth it I feel. Interesting plots and stories. Interesting young makers with dreams in their eyes. Anxious, determined and confident. It is tough to stay away from them. But how can one ever accommodate so many. I would require another lifetime. Crushing enthusiasm is perhaps the worst deed. I hope I never do. We were all there not so long ago. So how does one do it. It requires a certain guile. The guile to not hurt, yet to protect your interests. You could lose a few friends in such procedure.

It is getting close to the hour. The dark period shall be over soon. The lights shall come on. We would have made our symbolic gesture and we would be very keen to know what the outcome was. Did the others follow suit, how they felt about it and so on, along with some statistics that could possibly inform us the results of this exercise.

AH !! The brightness once again. It is blinding after a long bout of darkness. Its almost philosophical, but nature willed it so.

The mythology and ethos of our ancestors had created their own code of conduct ; most of it coming from years of observation. Do that one good deed for the day, your ‘karma’ for the day and you shall live in peace. I just did. I inaugurated another Hospital close by and donated some funds to it. Asha Parekh ji, that heartthrob of the late 60’s had started a hospital. It had run into trouble and then redeemed itself. Today she requested me to come over and join the others in its restoration and added space and equipment.

Doctors, nurses, specialists are messengers and angels from the Almighty. They follow no caste creed or religious distinction. They put their entire acumen behind any patient. The motive is to bring him relief and cure and health. They fight for his life, they put theirs in jeopardy. But unselfishly they remake what the Almighty had given to as near a perfect state as possible. I shall ever remain indebted to them. I shall carry that debt on my shoulders and never be able to pay back. May it remain so.

Abhishek and I spend time together for most of the day. Men of the house discussing several subjects. Essential I think. To agree, to disagree, to debate with rational intent and without any prejudice. Some good shall always emerge of this and I am happy for that.

Shobha De wrote a piece on blogging, which I attach herewith -

I am happy that there are some that enjoy most what I enjoy ; criticism and all, on my retaliatory powers, when attacked. Hurray !! I have achieved acceptability. No matter if my immediate response to a negative piece disturbs the outspoken Shobha De..

Remain well dearest ones -

Amitabh Bachchan