Friendship Is For All Time And Forever, Or It Is Not Friendship The A.B/A.K Story 

Ali Peter John

All through  this  day ,starting as soon as  i looked  into my mobile  and  saw the  social media splashing  the  story about  Amitabh  Bachchan  sending  a message  to his one-time good  and powerful  friend, Amar Singh on the  occasion  of  his father's death anniversary, i have  been  thinking  about what this relationship called  friendship is all about  .Amar  Singh who was one of the most  powerful  politicians  some ten years  ago was lying on a  sick bed in Singapore  where he has been  undergoing  treatment  for a serious  kidney ailment and was looking  like  a  pale shadow of his  glory  days  and was talking about his "battle between  life and death".He was  highly  emotional  about  receiving  a  message from  his  long  lost friend  ,Amitabh  Bachchan and had taken  the opportunity  of his  father's  death anniversary to try  and build bridges  between himself,Amitabh  and  his family. He  profusely  apologized to  Amitabh for all that  he had  done to wreck their  friendship  which  was  the  most  talked  about association  ten years ago. And my mind went  into a  flash when two men were talked  about  in the  same breath and  all kinds of  motives  were read into their friendship .

What indeed was the  association  or call it  friendship  between "A.B" and" A.K"?There were all kinds of  loose talk and gossips  and rumours  about  their  friendship .Some said, it was Amar Singh  who acted as  the  bridge between  his  powerful  friends like Mulayam Singh Yadav and  Saharashri Subrata Ray ,who  he talked  into  bailing  out Amitabh  from the  financial  mess he had  got  into  after the fiasco of ABCL and who together,it is  said had bailed out Amitabh  helping  him  wipe out more than  the hundred and  fifty crores he owed to more than  ninety  creditors  ,for which  Amitabh  ,Jaya  and the  family  were indebted to him .

Amar Singh  is said to have  gone several steps  further to help the Bachchan's to find back their  footing  .He was  supposed  to be  the man  who got huge roads and  squares in Lucknow named after  the  parents  of  Amitabh  and even  after  Amitabh  and  Jaya ,who  happened  to  perhaps  be the first  Indian  celebrities  to be honoured  like this  even  while  they were alive. Amar Singh arranged  for  some  of the  most crucial  meetings  between  Mr.Mulayam Singh Yadav,H.D.Gowda and others at his bungalow  and Amitabh  agreed even though he had actively  quit politics more than thirty years ago. All this  was happening  as people  said only to please  Amar Singh  who  had saved  the  Bachchan's  from  humiliation  and disgraced  .Amitabh  had once again  showed  that  he was gratfull man who never forgot favors and  those who did him favors.

The  friendship  between the Bachchan's  and Amar Singh  grew stronger  when  Amar  Singh  made sure that  Jaya was nominated  to the  Rajya Sabha as a representative  of the  Samajwadi Party  in spite of Amitabh  having  his own  reservations  about  it and  Jaya is still  a  member of the  Rajya Sabha  representing  the  Samajwadi Party .

It was  some ten years ago that the Bachchan's  even  had  a room specific  for Amar  Singh  and he was  treated  like  family  and  the  younger  brother  of  Amitabh .But like they say,too much  of  closeness  can sometimes lead to  a  rift that can not  be easily repaired  .Amar Singh  was getting  closer  to  the  personal  problems  between  Amitabh  and  Jaya and Aishwarya  Rai Bachchan  and made the great  blunder  of making certain  personal stories  of  the  Bachchan's  open in the  media,which  Amitabh  naturally  did not  take lightly. He raised the  issue with  his  friend  several  times  but  was not  satisfied  with  his  answers and  this  led to  a kind of  cold war which  ultimately  led  to  the  painful  rift between  the  two  great  friends  of just a  few years  and  Amar  Singh  was out of  the  inner circle  of  the Bachchan's  and that was  how it was for a long time  According  to  Amar Singh's own  admission  ,it was  his mistake  not  to  try and  mend the  rift ,even  though Amitabh  kept sending  him  cordial messages on all his birthdays  and all the  special occasions  in his  life  and in  his  family .

Amar Singh has been  so overwhelmed  with  the  recent  message  from  Amitabh  that he  has confessed  to  all the  mistakes  he made when  he was  riding high  as  a  politician ,specially  in the  case  of The Bachchan's  .He said  that  he should not  have  talked  about  Amitabh  and  Jaya  living  in  different bungalows  ,he in Prateeksha and  she in Jalsa.He said  he should not have talked about the cold relationship  between  Jaya and  Aishwarya  ,but all that  is  like so  much  water flown down the  river of time .He now  says that  he hopes,Amitabh as his elder brother  would  forgive  him,at least now when  he  is  no longer  a symbol  of  power and  is just an ordinary  man fighting  his battle  between  life and  death.

Amar Singh,the one-time  all powerful  politician is now  looking  for  a  new lease of  life in which  he will  find all that  he had  lost  when  he was driven  blind by the  ruthless  power of  politics .But  will  Amitabh  who has given him a sign of hope ,go a few steps further  and let  bygones be bygones and try abd build new bridges of friendship  because  time  is no longer  on their  side and they will both  have to find reasons  to live  a peaceful  life in the  years to  come. Time is not going  to  wait  for  anyone,not even for its devotee ,Amitabh .Who will  take the  big  steps  to  give  friendship  the  dignity  it has been loosing  in these difficult  times when  every  value  ,every principal  and  all that has been  good  for  thousands of year are being  put through  a  grim tesr test by man who claim to  be leaders of  the people  ,but  are only  leaders  who are leading  the  country  back to the dark edges  and turning  this country  of our forefathers into  jungle raz where values  which  have  stood  the  test  of  time  are being  challenged  and threatened  of being  thrown  into  the  dustbins of  history.

Take up the  challenge  ,take up your first  tall  and  bold steps  ,Bachchan  and  Amar Singh  and you will be  assured  of  a  place  in history,i am not  sure whether  i can asure  you both  places  in "Jannat "(Heaven) because I  have  still  to  grow old  and  foolish  enough  to  believe  in  places  like  heaven and hail.For me, if you  both patch up in the  true spirit it is  heaven and  if you don't  ,it is  hell for  worse.

हिंदी में पढ़े:  10 साल बाद, Amar Singh ने बच्चन परिवार से पब्लिकली मांगी माफी, ऐसे शुरु हुई थी तकरार

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