Day 22 - 10 Ka Dum

What I found is that it is extremely entertaining and educational to interact with the contestants coming from small towns like Akola, Muzzafarpur, Kanpur etc. These days, small towns are in focus because a considerable number of our cricket stars have come from small towns and cities. Like a new life force is emerging…

What thrills me most is that they face cameras with great confidence. In earlier times ideas and fashions took a long time to travel out of the metros to the rest of the country. Today technology has narrowed these distances and barriers. Ideas and fashions reach small towns in a matter of days. Small-scale industries are growing and reaping the harvest of fashion and ideas. Contestants play with gusto and enjoy every bit of the show. They have no inhibitions in being themselves even though they might be a little anxious… they believe in expressing themselves whole heartedly and living in the moment… a wonderful way to live, indeed.

Day 21 - 10 Ka Dum

“Haroge tab bhi mazaa aayega” our slogan says it all…that even if you don’t win loads of money in 10 Ka Dum, you will still enjoy it. That’s what I feel, that contestants and the audience at home enjoys every bit of the unlimited fun on the show.

What has really surprised me that my contestants do not hesitate in revealing their personal things in front of the camera. Personal fears and dreams are on display with gay abandon. And this kind of uninhibited and open communication is the essence of their being. I think the best books of knowledge are human beings and 10 Ka Dum has given me a platform to increase my understanding of people and appreciation of life. Though these human books are a little difficult to read…the heart and eyes alone help to read them. In a certain respect our set becomes a confession room and I am enjoying the role of a confidante. If we extend this metaphor further the confidante here is no saint and personal feelings are no crime.

Watch me tonight and tomorrow at 9 PM only on Sony Entertainment Television!

Day 20 - 10 Ka Dum

I was sent to Scindia school in Gwalior along with my younger brother Arbaaz. It is an excellent boarding school with unlimited sports facilities. I have always been fond of swimming and my coach believed that I could be a National level swimmer. I have been frittering away chances since childhood, therefore it’s nor surprising that I did not do Baazigar or Chak-de-India. I vividly remember my days in school. It was fun, frolic and sports all the way. I was extremely naughty and loved to play practical jokes. It is really surprising that despite all that I did, my teachers loved me.

Our father does not like to demonstrate his love but he did miss us very badly and once came to Gwalior to fetch us for the summer holidays. He made elaborate plans for us for the month long vacation….we went to see a circus playing near our house, in Bandra. We were thrilled to see acrobats and trapeze artists creating paintings in the air with their magical movements. Next day, I decided to copy them atop the water tank…fell tumbling down, breaking bones in both my arms, resulting in plaster casts for the whole month! Our father had taken a month off from his work especially for us, to make our holidays memorable and he was terribly annoyed with me. However, the silver lining was that for entire month my mother fed me all meals with her hand! And for me food never tasted more delicious! God has bestowed mothers with special powers to enhance the taste of food. They have magical fingers….

I like those who enjoy food…but I am a small eater myself and rajma-chawal is my favourite. Nothing of course beats the jumbo prawn curry my mother cooks and the biryani from her kitchen I can eat loads of. She is a great cook but even I manage to rustle up a dish which consists of left-overs redone in ample butter. Trust me this mixture is delicious - my food fantasy. I am not a gourmand but gourmet – I just love to taste a bit and not completely gorge.

Day 19 - 10 Ka Dum

We would often rehearse and shoot for 10 ka Dum late into the night. So once I invited the unit members to dine at my place after pack-up. But they felt that bringing guests home past midnight would cause inconvenience. I assured them that my mother is super-organized and so used to this that in my house, food is ready at any given point in time. In fact, she – the eternal hostess, would be surprised and hurt if guests were not brought home for a few days. We brothers have inherited this streak of bringing friends and guests home unannounced at all hours, from our father.

All of us, love giving parties and are always looking for an excuse to do so. Once my father was surprised to see a lot of guests at home in the evening. He was thrilled to learn that it was in celebration for his blood test results. That morning, he had gone for a routine check up and all his reports were normal. Friends and people close to me don’t need an invitation, it’s as much their house as it is mine and everyday is a cause to be together and celebrate. So, as I was telling you, I insisted that everyone from the 10 Ka Dum team, come home with me. That evening it was our unit member Aradhna Sharma, who was in for a big surprise… I had ordered a cake for her…she had not told me about her birthday but I overheard a conversation during rehearsals. It was good to see the expression on her face and everyone was laughing out loud.

I remember as a student, at Saint Stanislaus – a stone’s throw from our house our teacher wanted some students to bring extra tiffin for those who lived far away, in particular students studying on dole. So I took a dozen such students to my home and my parents invited them to come daily for lunch… till the time we didn’t pass out of school three years later! My father believes that guests oblige us by coming to eat the food that was destined to be theirs… It is a Pathan belief.

Day 18 - 10 Ka Dum

Dedicated to the ones who wait for us across the rainbow bridge…

When I return home from shooting everyday, as a routine, I first spend time with my two champions, whom I’ve named Myson and Myjaan. They are my life and I am passionate about them. While I do not humanize them I dislike referring to them as dogs or my pets. This is because they are a part of me, my family and they share my every joy and sorrow. They understand me completely and there is such a big bond, such a rapport that I share with them that it moves me beyond words. The best time whenever I get a Sunday off is the time I spend being with them. Myjaan is far smarter and naughtier than Myson, she always insists I pet her first and creates a big fuss if I get to Myson before her. They are also my sounding boards, they ground me and help me to think.

When I go on long outdoor stints and cannot take them with me, I speak to them on the phone. I have an amplifier system installed at home, so that they can hear me loud and clear…and I can feel them close with the sounds that they make. My domestic staff tells me that they recognize my voice and respond to it. Myjaan of course has to be first to run to the door in breathless anticipation but Myson - he is smarter and more patient. He knows that I’m away and that I will return. Time stands still for them and the sun shines once again when I am near them… like I am today!

From them I learn patience and forbearance. The unconditional love that they teach me to share is timeless and beautiful. Love like this is the highest kind of love. It finds joy in others no matter what, because it recognizes the freedom of those we love, and doesn’t chain them to our own wants. It is the same kind of love God has for us.