Mumbai, Sep 22 (SocialNews.XYZ) Veteran superstar Jeetendra on Tuesday visited Pune for Ganpati darshan and spoke about his deep-rooted connection with Maharashtra.
He recalled his childhood memories of celebrating the festival and his struggling days before becoming an actor.
Speaking to IANS at the venue, Jeetendra said he believes that Bappa calls him to visit and that he could not miss the darshan despite not keeping well.
“See, number one, Bappa calls me, I don't come, that's number one. And second thing is, his love, Nimbalkarji's (organiser) love, affection, he remembers me, he calls me, he calls me with a lot of love. And I feel good to come for him. Today I am not well, but I can't go wrong.”
Asked about his wish from Bappa, the actor said he wants to remain physically independent for as long as he lives.
“I want to walk on two legs till I die. This is my only prayer. I want to come to visit Bappa till I die even if it means coming on a stretcher.”
On what he prayed for his children, Jeetendra said, “Peace of children, love, affection of people and good health, that's all I asked for.”
The actor then recalled his childhood and said Ganpati celebrations had been an integral part of his life. He revealed that he lived in a four-storey building where around 100 families resided and that he was the only Punjabi among the largely Maharashtrian and Konkani residents.
He also added that at his house in Mumbai, they have been celebrating Ganeshotsav for around fifty two years.
Recalling his early days, the jumping jack of Bollywood said, “We had hundreds of families, a four-storey building. And on each floor there were 20-25 rooms. So there were 100 of us. And I was the only Punjabi. The rest were Maharashtrians and Konkanis. So everything in my house was Maharashtrian. My mother also spoke Marathi.”
Recalling his childhood memories of Ganpati and other festivals, Jeetendra remembered the simple joys of receiving bundis and saving them in his pockets.
“In Ganpati, let's say it's Diwali or Ganpati. We used to get ‘boondi’. We used to take boondi and put them in our pockets. We used to eat them one by one.”
He said such simple moments brought a kind of happiness that is difficult to experience today.
“We don't have that fun now. Right? The small things that we used to enjoy in our childhood, we don't get in big things now.”
Jeetendra also recalled the modest circumstances in which he grew up, saying that having a fan at home was once considered a luxury.
“If I look here, even in Mumbai, there is a one-bedroom flat. Everyone has an AC. Everyone has an AC in their house. There was a fan in my house. The whole building came into view saying, “there was a fan in their house”. I stayed there for 17 years. After that, by the grace of God, I became an actor.”
However, the veteran actor said the peace and satisfaction he experienced during his childhood remain special to him. He also emphasised his strong Maharashtrian identity.
“But the fun, the peace, the satisfaction, I am more Maharashtrian inside and outside. Because I have a lot of Maharashtrians around me. I am talking about Maharashtrians of my time. I have never met such good people. They never had any ego or attitude, but they had a lot of self pride and self respect. They would be completely self dependent, and never be dependent on anybody.”
–IANS
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Source: IANS
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