Roshmilla Bhattacharya (MUMBAI MIRROR; February 8, 2014)

This could be your chance to bring home beautifully framed, hand-written verses written by four generations of one of Bollywood’s most cultured families.

According to a source, Rahul Bose had gone to Javed Akhtar for some of his poems but when the writer-lyricist heard that he wants to auction them to raise money for his NGO, The Foundation, he pulled out some Urdu poetry and Krishna bhajans written by his grandfather Muztar Khairabadi, and romantic verses by his father Jan Nisar Akhtar, along with writings describing his dreams of an independent India. "What’s more, he even convinced his children, Farhan and Zoya, to contribute some of their writings to the cause, while Shabana Azmi donated the gold medal that she had won at the FTII," adds the source.

Winning this top acting prize was what had encouraged Shabana to pursue a career in films rather than theatre. Exactly three months after she won the medal, she landed a role in Shyam Benegal’s Ankur for which she bagged the National Award for Best Actress. The gold medal which had been lying, half forgotten, in a cupboard, will go under the hammer later this month, along with the bundi (jacket) worn by Aamir Khan in Lagaan. 

The source elaborates that 16 memorabilia contributed by 16 iconic Indian from diverse fields will be auctioned off at an event titled The Idea of India which seeks to reinforce the idea of India as a secular, inclusive and democratic country.