Amitabh Bachchan

Amitabh Bachchan has been writing blogs, tweeting short messages and is being followed by hundreds of thousands on social media.  All of us know that – some admire his enthusiasm; some brush it aside as just another internet addict.  However, last night while I was watching a regular quiz program on the television, I got to understand that Amitabh has been writing a blog regularly, every day, for the last 1999 days continuously.  That was a brilliant piece of information that made me pause and mull over that for some time.

Imagine someone following a regime for the last 5.5 years, without fail, rain or sunshine, on work or on holiday, offshore or onsite, high spirits or low morale.  Having a flair for writing or the ability to comment on something and everything is one aspect to be envious of; the sheer discipline that a person can follow is yet another. Mind it, he is not a retired man that you and me can complain about. He too leads an extremely busy work life and still has managed to stick to this discipline. 

While he always was one of my favorite actors, I had never liked him as a person in eighties.  I had read about his indifference to fellow workers but that of course was projected as his extreme professionalism – and I agree that a thorough professional he was, in the world of lazy, lethargic actors who always reported late on sets, he was the one who stood out by sticking to his committed schedules.  Later on, I had read as to how he had closed all his Bank loans that his failed venture ABCL had left him with.  With his political clout in those days, he could have well managed to give that a miss. The case would have gone on for many years. That again reflects his professionalism.

For a while, I was disappointed with his hobnobbing with certain political personalities but to my comfort that had to end.  He has stayed away from politics for many years now, perhaps a reflection of this straight forward person who values his internal peace more than anything else.

There is no doubt that he has risen from the ashes like a phoenix and has maintained majestic demeanor all through his good and bad times.  He has adapted to the changing times – be it an angry young man to a comedian-hero, be it from big screen to television, be it social media; he has changed himself to stay relevant with the times. An amazing personality indeed - that can inspire many generations.