5 reasons why Amitabh Bachchan is and will always be my HERO

Like most of the kids from 80’s, I have grown up on an overdose of Amitabh Bachchan movies ..I loved his films ..his angry young man avtar ..his comedy. Who can forget the iconic scenes in like Amar Akbar Anthony, Namak Halal, Sholay.

When I think of him, can’t help but get nostalgic about those times …I remember when I was still in school and hated going to the movies (yes, strange but true), the only movies, I would go to were the ones starring him…. and then came 1984 elections and his plunge into politics. Until then, he was just a film star, whom I adored for his larger than life image. With no access to any kind of film journal or news, that’s all I knew about him. But elections came and suddenly, he was all over the place …interviews, family pics…in all newspapers and magazines and I greedily devoured it all and even saved some clippings.

His larger than life persona, was embedded so deeply in my psyche,

The Elixir (short story)

She was the reigning super star of the 70’s the quintessential diva …..thousands swooned over her beauty and her fan following spread far and wide……then one day to the utter shock of her fans and patrons, she announced her wedding to a famous music director, 20 years older to her …a confirmed bachelor- apparently due to a heart break in his early years.

Inspired by another working woman -my maid!

(this a satirical take on the maids of today……)

Another busy morning and I was running around with my daily chores …..then comes my maid and drops a bomb… “Didi I will not be coming tomorrow”…..please note it was not – “can I take a leave tomorrow?”

I immediately reminded her that she was already taking the next week off to visit her village…pat came reply- that’s why I need to go shopping tomorrow. I tried negotiating for a while and finally gave up…..

Should i discipline my child for bad behavior

Recently, I was reading a post on social media …strong reactions to a father punishing his child severely. Views came from opposite ends of the spectrum – while some believed it was critical for a child’s right development, but most disapproved, and that got me thinking!

This also reminded me of a childhood instance…. where a close neighborhood Aunty literally dragged her 8 to 9 year old to the police station for stealing some money from her purse……the boy was a pampered child from an affluent family and the mother conscious of value-based upbringing wanted to nip this habit in the bud….and as I recall most mother were appreciative of her stand. But then that was a different era with altogether different ethos!

She walks in Beauty…

“She walks in beauty, like the night 

Of cloudless climes and starry skies; 

And all that’s best of dark and bright 

Meet in her aspect and her eyes”

After a long time I chanced to read this poem of Lord Byron…and as I went from verse to verse, one face kept emerging  ……its been a little over 5 years now, but how can I ever forget that face …..

Bright eyes, …..dusky complexion….her oiled hair tied in a neat pleat, her steady steps with one hand supporting the Basket on her head and the other holding a toddler by the arm….

This was about 8 years back …..I was new to the city and had just moved into an apartment complex in a residential locality ..and for the 3 years that  I stayed in the that apartment, my day started with her effervescent smile as she dropped in every morning to deliver fresh vegetables at my door step…she was a regular visitor and almost everyone in the apartment complex knew her…..she shared a special bond with each one of us as her   ‘amma’ …”didi….’aunty’ ..or ‘madam’. She had become such an important part of our lives.

Shanti( as she was called ) ran a small temporary veg shack on the pavement near the main gate of our colony.Enterprising that she was…she had a number of permanent clients for whom she did door delivery of fresh veggies every morning, before starting off her shop.

She was no ordinary woman but a living story of grit and determination…..her life had been beset with a series of challenges, struggles and misfortune ….something that her face never betrayed…

Initially, all I knew about her was that she lived in the nearby ‘ basti in a single room with her daughter and husband, but a few months down the line, during  a random

conversation with an old neighbour,  I got to know her story….Shanti was an uneducated village girl and had moved to the city post marriage…her husband was an auto driver. Life was fine until her husband lost both his legs in an accident …..it was just 6 months into her marriage. Her husbands family did not offer any kind of support. Her own family offered to take her back to the village, but were not willing to support her now disabled husband. This was not acceptable to her. With no other option in sight …she decided to take charge and  over night , the coy, village girl had transformed into a fiery, strong woman willing to take on the world at her own terms!