Amitabh Bachchan, who was honoured with Sayaji Ratna Award recently, shared some interesting anecdotes from his life
Soumitra Das (BOMBAY TIMES; November 25, 2018)

It was a whirlwind trip alright, but it takes a megastar only a few seconds to conquer his audience. And things were no different when Amitabh Bachchan visited Vadodara on Tuesday afternoon, after a long gap of 32 years. The veteran actor was honoured with Sayaji Ratna Award, which was presented to him by the BMA (Baroda Management Association).

There, he recited a few lines from the famous poem Agneepath, which was penned by his father, poet Harivanshrai Bachchan, much to the delight of the gathering. “I don’t have words to express my gratitude for receiving this award,” he said, adding, “I feel really overwhelmed and on this day, I am reminded of all those people who have inspired me and played a big role in my life, especially my parents.” Excerpts from the speech...

LEARNT A LOT FROM BABUJI
Just spending time with babuji, reading his poems and watching him at work taught me some invaluable lessons. No matter what you do in life, you can’t really move ahead without the blessings of your parents. Today, when I read about stories of aged parents being abandoned by their children or being neglected and sent to old age homes, I feel really pained. I would urge this generation to take utmost care of their parents because whatever we achieve in life is because of their blessings.

EARNING MONEY IS NO EASY TASK
I distinctly remember how babuji would travel to neighbouring cities and take part in kavi sammelans. There were times when he would return at 3 am, and I would open the door.

I would ask him, “Babuji, aap kya karte hai, itni der tak kaam karte hai? Ye sahi nahi hai!” He would smile and say, “Beta, paisa badi mushkil se milta hai!” Later, I joined the film industry and in those days, we would work on three films at a time. So, the first shift would be from 7 am to 2 pm, followed by 2 pm to 10 pm and 10 pm to 6 am shifts! So, occasionally, I would go home around 5 am and my father would open the door.

This time, it was his turn to ask, “Beta, kya karte ho? Kitna jyaada kaam karte ho?” And I had to admit, “Babuji, paisa badi mushkil se milta hai!”