USS SHAAM KO DUTT SAHAB NE MERE LIYE SHAANDAR SHAAM BANA DIYA

I woke up at 3 30 that morning twenty years ago and started writing like a man gone mad. And I kept writing for the next five days and nights after which I had realised how that I had written the story of my life till I was fifty - Ali Peter John

I had even found a title for the story which turned out to be my autobiography . The title was " Life Bits and Pieces ."

I had written the whole autobiography in long hand and with a cheap ball - point pen and I knew it would have to be typed .

I was in Indore at my little sister's place and told her about my desperate need for someone to type for me .

Her son , Anand , who was only twelve years old offered to type for me and had completed typing my manuscript in three days as I kept marveling at how the little boy could move his fingers on his mother's computer , like some amazing and out of this world pianist.

I came back with the typed version of what I had written and first showed what was typed to my dear friend Kulbushan Gupta who was a journalist before circumstances had taken led him to be a Hindi film producer.

He read my so called autobiography overnight and called me to his office next morning . He received me with a warm embrace and said only one line , "this just has to be published ".

I asked him who would publish it . He said , " I will " and took me to a printer - friend in Goregaon and finalised the financial aspect of the book . And the book was in the press .

I had not even thought about a cover design . I had a lunch meeting with M F Husain at the Grand Maratha Sheraton ( he loved the food there ).I casually mentioned that I had written what I believed was my autobiography .

He didn't even take a second to ask me who was doing the design and before I could fumble for an answer , he said , " I want the pleasure of painting your cover , you come and have lunch with me again in the same place and I will bring the design for you at one in the afternoon . I didn't know what was happening to me .

I reached the Grand Maratha the next day as he had asked me to . He arrived in his black Mercedes and walked down towards me bare feet and said he had painted my design the whole night and had kept it ready at Joy Shoes at the Taj Mahal Hotel and had forgotten it there I asked him to sit with his chartered accountant and have lunch and I rushed to the Santa Cruz station , got into the luggage compartment without a ticket , reached Churchgate Station and ran to the Taj and breathed only after I saw the design at Joy Shoes .

I traveled back and Husain Sahab was still waiting for me while having his favourite cup of tea .

I had no words to thank him , I could only say thank you to him with the tears of joy forming in my eyes .

He ordered lunch , sorry , a feast for himself and for me . It was like a series of miracles happening in my ordinary life.

I was sitting with Sunil Dutt at a quaint little eating place called "Round The Corner" ( Dutt Sahab was another lover of good food ) and as we were having our tea , I told him about my book and how the cover was painted by M F Husain and he said , " tum kamaal ki cheez ho, Ali , gumsoom gumsoom lagte ho , lekin kya kya kamaal karte rehte ho " . And in the same breath , he said " Iss kitaab ko hum aise launch karenge ki duniya dekhti reh jaayegi "

Dutt Sahab had fixed up the hall of The Spastics Society Of India as the venue . He printed the invitation cards with the top line reading , " We , Sunil Dutt and the admirers of Ali Peter John cordially invite you to the launch of his first book , " Life, Bits and Pieces " , which coincides with the celebration of his 50th birthday ". I was moved to say the least .

He asked me to invite all those I wanted to and asked my permission to invite some of his friends , M L As and Corporators from his constituency .

Who was I to stop him from doing what he wanted when I knew that whatever he was doing was for me .

I only arranged for some good singers from Manohar Iyer's "Keep Alive Group" and of course the anchor of the evening who was Divya Dutta who was heartily approved by Dutt Sahab .

I and my wife , Usha reached the venue an hour earlier than the marked time and Dutt Sahab arrived at the same time.

I couldn't believe why this great man was taking so much interest for a truly small man like me and he just said , " apni biwi ko lekar ander pahli row mein baith jao . Tum aaj ke dulhe raja ho ".

I did as he said and I could see my wife looking visibly embarrassed and even getting angry for reasons I still can't fathom . I kept walking in and out of the hall which only showed how nervous I was .

And then the guests started arriving . The first to arrive was the most respected Dr B R Chopra in a wheel chair.

He had overcome all the objections his caring family raised as he was very sick , but he told them that he wanted to be at the function as it was ,," Ali's function ".

He was followed by his brother Dr Yash Chopra and from that time there was a continuous flow of some of the leading names , celebrities and legends .

Soon , I had in the audience names like Dev Anand who came dressed in black corduroys ,a black silk shirt and a matching cap, he and M F Husain saw that there was no place preferred to sit on the steps and the other VIPs who walked in were Ramanand Sagar and his sons , Shakti Samanta , Kiran V Shantaram , Dara Singh , Vijay Tendulkar , Gulzar , Anupam' Kher , Javed Siddiqui and too many other dazzling names that were beyond my imagination then twenty years ago and still are .

The speaches made by legends like Ramanand Sagar, Shakti Samanta , Sunil Dutt himself , Gulzar and the icing on my birthday cake , the one and the always one, Dev Sahab .

The snacks and tea was served by the MLAs and the corporators under the orders of Dutt Sahab .

My wife who rarely attended such functions couldn't understand what was happening and kept looking at me as if she felt that the Ali Peter John everyone was talking about was really her husband .

The function got over at 7 30 pm and as people were feasting on the snacks and delicacies selected by Dutt Sahab himself, Javed Siddiqui came up to me with a samosa in his hand and put his arm around me and said , " Ali , Inn logo mein jaise tumhare baare mein bola , aise toh log kisi ke marne ka baad bhi nahi bolte , "

That night Dutt Sahab sent me home like a real dulha , with me and my wife in a car decorated with flowers and a huge truck following us with hundreds of bouquets and gifts and I think my wife was too dumbstruck for words after seeing all that had happened that evening .

But , the best gifts I received were the reactions to my book from Vijay Tendulkar and Gulzar , two writters I idolised since the time I was in college .

Most of the big names who were there that evening have left this world, perhaps to attend bigger and better functions , but how can I forget how they shone out at my function organised by Dutt Sahab, a function I will not even be any to have in my wildest dreams .

I didn't thank Dutt Sahab that evening and I am not going to thank him now because I know he would have blushed then and may blush even now .

I know he will be happy wherever he is with what I have made of my life after that celebration of my life .

Incidentally , Life Bits and Peices " has been translated into Hindi, and Marathi by known authors .

The late Tom Alter has done a one man show and Kirit Trivedi a Friend of Amitaab Bachchan had signed a contract with me to make a film based on my book with Irfan Khan and Tabu supposed to be in the cast .

But all good dreams don't come true
DUTT SAHAB AAPNE MERE LIYE KYA NAHI KIYA . AAP MERE KYA LAGTE THE ? MUJHE SIRF ITNA MALLOOM HAI KI AAP SIRF SHABDO SE MASEEHA NAHI THE , AAP CHAMATKAAR KARTE THE AUR AAPKA EK CHOTASA CHAMATKAAR MAIN BHI HOON