Saira Banu: Dilip Sahab was the most desi man I have ever known

Mumbai, Aug 15 (IANS) Veteran actress Saira Banu has reflected on her connection to India despite being raised in an English society and also talked about how her legendary actor husband Dilip Kumar was the most “desi man” she had ever known.

Saira took to Instagram, where she shared glimpses from the 1986 film “Karma” with the song “Ae Watan Tere Liye” playing in the background.

She wrote a long note in the caption section, which read: “15 AUGUST, 2024 (INDEPENDENCE DAY). Some memories don’t just live in photographs or words they breathe inside us. Mine often return unannounced, like a gentle breeze carrying the scent of home. Though I was raised in an English society, my heart never truly left my beautiful homeland, India.”

“It lived in the adab Appaji so tenderly taught me and Sultan Bhai… in the aromas of home-cooked delicacies I would savor, one plate after another. Even from miles away, my soul was tied to the traditions of my motherland.”

She called Dilip Kumar her greatest blessing.

“Today, when I look back, I see how everything fell into place as if written by the Almighty Himself. He knew where I truly belonged… and in that destiny, He placed my greatest blessing my beloved husband. Dilip Sahab was the most desi man I have ever known, a soul who carried his roots with unmatched pride and grace.”

Saira said that Dilip Kumar’s patriotism wasn’t loud, it was lived.

“It was in the quiet ways he served his people, in the generosity he extended without expectation, in the values he never compromised. He was respected by all who knew him from dear friends like Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru Sahab, Atal Bihari Vajpayee Sahab, and P. V. Narasimha Rao Sahab, to the leading lawyers, economists, and industrialists of our times.”

“But what I admire most is how he understood that freedom was more than a privilege it was a duty. A duty to give back to the soil that cradled us, to carry the weight of our actions with humility, and to lift up those who had less.”

She concluded the post: “Today, as India completes 78 years of independence, my heart is filled with gratitude for the journey, for the people, for the roots that have shaped me. Independence is not just about breaking free; it is about being true to who we are, cherishing our heritage, and honoring the legacy of those who gave their all for this land. Happy Independence Day.”

--IANS

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