'Dilip Kumar believed the soul of India lies in its people': Saira Banu reflects on Republic Day

Veteran Hindi cinema star Saira Banu has reflected on the idea of India her husband and late megastar Dilip Kumar believed in and wanted to protectldquoHe often said that the soul of India doesnrsquot lie in its monuments or history books it lives in its people In their kindness In their empathy In their belief that we rise by lifting others For him humanity wasnrsquot an ideal It was a responsibilityView this post on InstagramA post shared by Saira Banu Khan sairabanuHe believed that when compassion guides us even the impossible becomes achievableDespite all our diversities of caste culture language or belief what truly unites us is dignity for every human beingThat was the India he believed inAnd that is the India we must protectrdquoTalking about her idea of Republic Day Saira said ldquoRepublic Day has never been just a date on the calendar for meIt has always been a feelingrdquoRemembering her childhood days in England she said ldquoAs a child I moved to England and spent my growing years in London But strangely distance didnrsquot dilute my connection with India it deepened it The farther I went the closer my countryrdquoShe added ldquoLiving away made me realise something profound nations are not remembered for their borders or buildings They are remembered for their humanityrdquoThe actress further added ldquoPeace and humanity may sound like different ideas yet one cannot exist without the other True peace is born only where humanity breathesIn every corner of this land from crowded streets to silent villages there lives an unspoken truth we may look different speak different languages follow different customshellip yet our hearts beat with the same instinct to help to care to stand by one anotherrdquoThe actress further added ldquoSometimes itrsquos just a glance of reassurance from a strangerSometimes a hand that reaches out in difficult timesSometimes laughter shared without a common languageThese small moments define us far more than grand speeches ever couldDilip Sahib deeply believed in this very spirit Happy 77th Republic DayrdquoFor the uninitiated Dilip Kumar fondly remembered as the Tragedy King of Indian cinema was also part of several films whose main plot revolved around deep patriotism and love for the countrySome of his notable patriotic and socially rooted films include Shaheed in 1965 and Kranti in 1981On the personal front Dilip Kumar shared a legendary love story with Saira Banu The couple got married on October 11 1966 despite a 22year age gap They then went on to become one of Bollywoodrsquos most enduring and admired pairsDilip Kumar passed away on July 7 2021 at the age of 98This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever