If Amitabh Bachchan can sit till 4 am in the morning and blog about a show he hosted in the evening, it must surely be an ‘evening well spent’ for him.
Big B talked about his experience of anchoring The Greatest Indian After Mahatma with Rajdeep Sardesai in Filmistan Studios in his blog recently. The show was actually the finale episode of a nationwide poll that was conducted by HISTORY TV18 & CNN IBN to spark a debate on who can be given the status of the greatest Indian after Mahatma Gandhi.
Courtesy: Amitabh Bachchan Tumblr account
Millions have already voted and the 10 finalists namely Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, APJ Abdul Kalam, JRD Tata, Indira Gandhi, Mother Teresa, Lata Mangeshkar, Sachin Tendulkar, Atal Behari Vajpayee, BR Ambedkar and Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel have been short listed. On Monday night, Amitabh Bachchan witnessed the discussion about these eminent personalities, learnt about their contribution towards the society and was amused to hear little anecdotes about them.
While The Greatest Indian after Mahatma Gandhi will be selected by a jury which consists of Madhuri Dixit, Shabana Azmi, Harsha Bhogle and singer Kailash Kher, Amitabh Bachchan took the opportunity to talk about some great Indians himself.
Talking about the Olympics, Bachchan praised woman boxer Mary Kom from Manipur and said, “Mary Kom has had an amazing life and her story is such a fairy tale. It would be difficult to imagine what all she went through to get where she is today. A mother of two taking up boxing for India and coming out victorious is nothing short of miraculous. How she lived in meagre circumstances and without any support from any sporting agencies, either private of state, she emerged through sheer will power and love for boxing to be a medal winner in the London 2012 Olympics … salutations and respect and a prayer for her to continue her victories in the days to come ..”
Bachchan also pointed out how, with time, Indians are forging into new arenas. In the field of sports although India’s “medals tally is minimal and almost unknown.. it [is] wonderful to see India being associated with certain disciplines that were never there on our radar before!” he said.
Senior Bachchan also said that he was extremely touched when he heard some physically challenged kids sing the National Anthem and looking “at the smiles on their faces, despite their challenges, the confidence and happiness and the joy that they exuded, never to be looked upon as ones to have pity over, was amazing !” he added
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Disclaimer: The Greatest Indian after Mahatma Gandhi is a poll conducted by HISTORY TV18 & CNN IBN which is a part of Network18. Firstpost is also owned by the same group.
