BACHCHAN SAHAB , KYA AAP KO YAAD HAI WOH DIN JAB .... By- Ali Peter John

I was passing by Prateeksha , the first bungalow built (was it rebuilt?) by you , Mr Bachchan . It was a place where I had seen history taking shape - Ali Peter John

It was a place from where you rose from a struggling actor to a flop actor to a star and a superstar and finally to the star of the millennium .

It was a place where your parents , Dr Harivanshrai Bachchan and Mrs Teji Bachchan ruled and you were the ruled.

It was the place where you had the most grand Holi and Diwaali festivals . It was the place where you were the host to politicians like Mulayam Singh Yadav , H D .Deve Gawda and other big politicians on the chess board of politics .

It was the place where your children Shweta and Abhishek were born and grew up . It was the place you returned to after spending several scary days at the Breach Candy Hospital .

It was the place where you found the idea of founding ABCL and also the place where you saw ABCL falling like a pack of cards.

It was the place where you also fought back with a film called "Mohabbatein" and the show KBC which was to create history in the world of television .

It was also the place where you had your little office where you had faithful secretaries like Sheetal Jain , Khare and Gangadaran.

It was the place where you had your right hand man Pravin Jain who knew all your moods and moves and made you comfortable under all situations and circumstances.

And how can I forget Wilfred Vaz , the one time Indian Air Force man who was in control of the entire security at Prateeksha and its people and who Dr Harivansh Rai Bachchan called the "Estate Manager " of Prateeksha and all those men in white who worked in the kitchen and in different departments created in Prateeksha .

But , like they say times changed. You took charge of a bungalow called "Bindiya" which was the bungalow of producer N. C Sippy who lived in it with his sons Romu and Raj Sippy.

It was said that you were coming up with a bungalow for your brother , Ajitabh who had played a very important part in the early stages of your career.

But , gradually you came up with the massive and magnificent bungalow called "Jalsa" which is now one of the best known addresses in India and also known in countries wherever you are known .

And now Prateeksha seems like a part of history . I have heard that you drive down from Jalsa to Prateeksha every night and spend the night in Prateeksha and return to your Jalsa house the next morning from where you go to shoot or dub or you go to your plush office in "Janak "

You had one Wilfred Vaz in Prateeksha . You now have an entire team of security men and Black Cats and other kinds of bodyguards.

You had simple men like Sheetal , Khare and Gangadaran , now you have Rosy Singh , Barbara and another team of secretaries and a complete staff in which the only ones from Prateeksha are Adesh ,Subhash and Santosh Saroj who works in what is called the script studying team.

Your family lives with you , but I have heard that Abhishek and his family are moving into their own house.

There used to be massive crowds to catch a glimpse of you at Prateeksha . The crowds continue to throng outside Jalsa , but the excitement is not the same , especially with all the faithful bodyguards and security guards all around the bungalow and you.

No , Mr Bachchan , the magic is no longer the same and will not be the same again , I think as a man who has seen the magic a hundred times at Prateeksha.

When I passed Prateeksha this morning and saw that little office and the temple inside Prateeksha, nostalgia gripped me and I remembered that evening when I had an appointment with you at 5:30 pm and had rushed from Nariman Point to Prateeksha only to see you waiting outside the gate with an umbrella held over you by yourself.

You were waiting for me in the heavy rain and how you welcomed me ! How can I forget how you took me under your umbrella and had led me into Prateeksha and asked for a large towel to dry myself up and asked your kitchen staff to make some hot snacks for me and a hot cup of coffee.

And it was only when I was entirely comfortable , you started talking to me about the Bofors gun controversy and our talk lasted for more than two hours and when I didn't take any notes or had not carried a tape recorder, you had asked me the same question , " how will you remember all that I have told you and especially the numbers and the figures when it came to money ? " I had no answer to your oft asked question which you also asked at the function where you presented me with my first award in the name of K A Abbas who is your mentor and my guru.

PS The next time you enter the gate of Prateeksha , please look very carefully at the solitary white plastic chair which has been kept for the security men one of who some months ago didn't even allow me to stand near Prateeksha and take a photograph and very gruffly informed me that " aaj kal Amitabh Bachchan yahan nahi rehte ". What a twist of fate life takes sometimes!