Terror Shall Never Breed in Our Homes: Amitabh Bachchan on 26/11

Amitabh Bachchan told a crowd in Mumbai that “collective solidarity is too strong to be broken by cowards.”

The actor told the crowd gathered at the Gateway of India that collective solidarity is too strong to be broken by cowards.

(Photo: Altered by The Quint)

On the tenth anniversary of the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks, Bollywood Actor Amitabh Bachchan said on Monday, 26 November, revoked his pledge to never give shelter to terror.

Bachchan, who was speaking at the Gateway of India at a memorial organised by The Indian Express, said: “On this very day, at the same place last year we pledged that we would never give shelter to terror, determined that this parasite called terrorism shall never breed in our homes. Today, we want our dream to be realised, to reawaken to the power of love and of oneness.”

The actor told the crowd that collective solidarity is too strong to be broken by cowards and parasites.

"We have drawn lines, continents and nations on this planet, but our planet is one. We have drafted scores of faiths and beliefs, but humankind is one, humanity is one. Our oneness, our unity, our singularity is not limited to fighting terror and anti-social ideologies. Our singularity is too vast to be shaped by limited horizons. Our solidarity is too strong to be broken by cowards and parasites.”

“We must define ourselves, not by what we are against, but by what we are for, and what can we be for, if we aren’t for each other.”

Amitabh Bachchan, as told to IE

'Terrorism Divides Humanity’

Speaking on the anniversary of the attacks that killed at least 160, Bachchan said terrorism is designed to destroy the integrity of our oneness.

"Terrorism is not just about holding the power to kill us... it is designed to destroy the integrity of our oneness. It is a desire to make children become slaves of their worldview of victimhood. It is a kind of collective selfishness which divides humanity into parts and portions for eventual consumption which means the oneness has no time to work on its main purpose – which is development and growth.”

Stressing on unity and how it shapes our existence, Amitabh Bachchan said oneness has varied meanings and is a concept, a living reality.

“Oneness is more than common... oneness is one joy, one pain, one pride, one life. Oneness is not a concept, it is a living reality. It is the essence of our existence.”

Amitabh Bachchan

"There is a word, which has its origins in the Bantu languages of Africa – Ubuntu. When translated it means, 'I am because you are'. It is an acknowledgement of the fact that we owe our self-hood to others, that we are bound together in ways we can’t possibly fathom; that there is an inherent unity to mankind... and we succeed, by sharing with others. This is oneness," the actor said.

The actor also differentiated between solidarity and oneness.

"Yogic meditation is not divided. Such too is oneness. If oneness is seen as a cluster of differences which are united for a reason, then it will not perform. That is like a fist of different fingers. That’s solidarity, not oneness. Oneness is the hand to which the fingers belong, it's the kind of singularity from which other singles spring out. The fist is a union of diversities, the hand is the oneness," he said.