As our car drives inside the Sanjeev Kumar Auditorium, I recall all my meetings with the actor and suddenly feel emotional. If he was alive today he would have felt so proud of this hi-tech, fully equipped with the latest technology auditorium built by the BMC in honour of their Surat celebrity. There is still time for the show to begin and I am introduced to the Mayor, the MP and the minister of the state. I am told that no function in Surat begins on time because the business community packs up work late and never leaves home without dinner.
At 9:30 Finally, the evening begins with a mono act based on the book to be released today. This is just a trailer for the larger picture to follow but before that, some formalities have to be observed so all the honoured guests are invited on stage and what follows are speeches. The minister makes a diplomatic speech, the motivator packages a social presentation and as the chief guest, I entertain my audience with stories from the film world. The topic for the evening is women and I pay tribute to all the women in the film fraternity who have influenced my worldview as a journalist.
It is imperative that I speak about the author Ajita Italia who has courageously penned her intimate thoughts as a diary in the form of a book. It is not as simple or easy as it seems. I’m curious to know what made her write Yours Sincerely, curious to know her conflict and anxiety during the process and curious to know what she is feeling at the moment but for that, we have to first release the book and for that, you will have to wait till tomorrow…
@bhawanasomaaya