AB by MC
On Amitabh Bachchan's 81st birthday today, I am reminded of the actor, playwright, and director Peter Ustinov, more specifically his delightfully witty autobiography 'Dear Me'. Although it was originally published in 1979, I got to it only in 1990. I was immediately hooked because of Ustinov's effortlessly witty and hilarious writing style.
I had bought a copy for me sometime in late 1990 and was itching to gift one to someone. That is where Amitabh Bachchan comes in. That Bachchan shared Ustinov's profession was a good enough reason for me. Add to that the fact that I knew that the superstar was a voracious reader.
After an interview with AB sometime in January, 1991 for the New York-based weekly India Abroad and its wire offshoot, India Abroad News Service, I sent him a couple copies of the paper as well as some other newspaper clippings of my wire service story. For good measure, I also sent him a copy of 'Dear Me'.
As is his wont, AB made it a point to send a formal letter of thanks. In particular, he mentioned that he was reading Ustinov and found it "thoroughly" enjoyable. That was 32 years ago when AB was not yet 50. I had an instinct that he would enjoy Ustinov's wit and evidently he did.
P.S. The headline to this short post accords me too much lumens per square meter or lux. (I refuse to explain whose unit of measurement lux is.)