Big B says he belongs to no cast or creed

Amitabh says it’s ‘imprudent’ to let surnames define one’s identity

MUMBAI: With the cancellation of Ghulam Ali’s concert marring India’s image, megastar Amitabh Bachchan opted for a cryptic way to send out a message that an artist belongs to no ‘caste or creed’ and is ‘universal’.

“I am Amitabh Bachchan and I do not know my caste or creed. I am universal and find no reason to bring differentiation among us all,” Big B shared on his official blog. The film icon, who has carved a place for himself with performance-oriented films, such as Don, Black and Paa, noted that his father and late poet Harivanshrai Bachchan instilled in him the values of treating all castes as equal.

“My father did his best. He removed caste altogether in our birth … a non de plume became our identity, and shall continue to be forever. But that has never come in the way of any discretion or wiser counsel,” he wrote. “‘Bachchan’, his non de plume or his revolution, did not signify any caste creed or side ... it conveyed equality and a levelling among us all and it shall remain ever after.”

Read: A celebrity is an insecure and isolated individual: Amitabh Bachchan

The actor, who will be seen on the small screen with the show Aaj Ki Raat Hai Zindagi, said surnames are used to define one’s nationality, which is not wise. “Surnames give nationality and an inkling of the where, how and who within our own backyard. This may not be considered as prudent often. In today’s times, one would fall short of arguments defending either aspect,” shared Big B. 

Published in The Express Tribune, October 12^th, 2015.

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