Muhammad Yusuf Khan, popularly known as Dilip Kumar is celebrating his 96th birthday today (December 11, 2018). A legendary actor in every way, Dilip saab has been influential and played a seminal role in shaping the acting skills of many generations of actors. And in this journey, his one strongest pillar of support and strength has been his wife, Saira Banu. (Recommended Read: Age Gap Of 22 Yrs And 52 Yrs Of Marriage, Love Story Of Legend Dilip Kumar And Saira Banu)
On the occasion of his 96th birthday, Saira Banu says, “We have no party plans this year. Our plans are for prayers for good health and wonderful duas from friends like you always. Every day that God gives me to spend with sahab is a great celebration of a day well spent. I am blessed to be with him and I treasure every moment, each second.”
Recalling Dilip Kumar’s best birthday celebrations, Saira ji shares that his 89th birthday was the most memorable one. The yesteryear actress reveals, “It was an elaborate celebration as the entire industry met here at our Pali Hill residence and made a great evening of happiness, music and dance.” When asked if younger actors of this generation ever drop in to wish him, she replies, “Yes, they do visit as Dilip sahab had made a habit of regularly visiting his seniors like Ashok Kumar sir, Om Prakashji and Naushad sahab.”
Saira ji has shared the most heartfelt note on Dilip saab’s 96h birthday. Her note starts by calling her husband ‘her Kohinoor’. It states, “He is my world, my love, my soul, my Kohinoor, the most precious gift from Allah to me. By now, the whole world knows how my desire to be his wife began at the age of twelve when I was a school girl studying at a private school in London. I lived with my dream day after day, praying for my dream to come true while my mother, grandmother and brother imagined it was an infatuation and I would get over it when I grew up to adulthood.”
The Junglee actress retorts, “Those, who have read Yousuf Sahab’s autobiography, have written to me to say that the most engaging chapters in it are those where Yousuf Sahab has described how he courted me in his own dignified way, proposed marriage to me and sought my mother’s consent followed by a fortnight-long dream-like, fairytale romance that culminated in a quick and sensational announcement of our nikah.”
Recalling her wedding, Saira Banu shares that her dream of marrying Dilip saab finally came true, “The dream I treasured came true on October 11, 1966. I began a new life with a man who was raised in a large Pathan family by a loving mother and a physically and emotionally strong father, a superstar adored by millions of cinema lovers, highly respected by the motion picture industry for the excellence he consistently pursued in his work and above all a man whose inherent goodness, chivalry and humility showed up in everything he did.”
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Elaborating further on challenges of the new life, Saira ji pens down, “If you ask me whether it was a challenge for me with my background of growing up in the UK within the protective care of small close knit family comprising my mother, a star in her own right, grandmother, a renowned classical vocalist, brother, possessing all the refinements of a western education, to adjust to a life in a large family, I would say that it could have been a challenge if Yousuf Sahab had not enfolded me within the folds of his mature understanding of my needs and expectations and gave me the same thoughtful care he extended to his sisters and brothers and the respect of being his wife. He made life a joy to live with simple gestures and pleasant surprises that made me feel I could not be more blessed and fortunate than I was. I realized that years of being the emotional and moral support of his younger siblings and his mother, who doted on him, had made him a strong, responsible individual who was ever willing to give unconditional love and concern without the slightest expectation of reciprocation.”
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In her own words, if there is one person who has taught her more about life than anyone else, it’s Dilip Kumar. Saira ji retorts, “I was consciously and unconsciously imbibing his qualities and adding to the values that had already strictly been instilled in me by my mother and grandmother. It made me very happy one day when in a casual conversation Yousuf Sahab revealed that the one crucial factor that egged him on to choose me to be his wife was the manner in which I had been brought up. He had noticed that I was respectful of the core values of our country’s culture and secular beliefs despite my shifting to London in my early impressionable years.” (Suggested Read: Katrina Kaif And Deepika Padukone Follow Each Other On Instagram, Putting An End To All The Hatred)
How has her marital life been with Dilip saab? Answering this question, Saira Banu writes, “No marriage can be flawless and perfect. Our marriage too had its hiccups but the best thing about our hiccups was that they brought us closer and made us more thankful of God’s benevolence and greatness. In the very early years of our marriage, I took seriously ill and I had to be hospitalized in London. Leaving everything aside, my Jaan was by my side, staying awake at times while I slept secure in the knowledge that I have strong hand clasping my hand and praying silently for my recovery. I can go on and on about our journey together and our learning experiences that drew us closer each time and made us wiser and happier in our togetherness.”
And finally, she writes how the two spend their time together now, “I am often asked how we spend our time now. I would say that if anything has changed in our sharing of the simple joys of life that the Almighty has blessed us with it is only the way we enjoy each other’s company. To those who wish to know how to preserve the joy of togetherness and nourish a relationship with it in the years when aches and pains, unpleasant twists and turns in health cause inevitable anxieties and fears I would say that it is difficult but not impossible to retain the glow if one works at it with a complete trust in the might of the Almighty to grant prayers that go straight from the heart to Him.”
She further adds, “If it was a bracing game of badminton that we enjoyed together in our youthful years, now it is a quiet dinner at home with soft Hindustani classical instrumental music playing in the background. I feel blessed when I play mother to him now by feeding him his light meal while he enjoys the soft strains of the music and gives me the smile that Mashallah still sends hearts aflutter. If it was a long drive at one time, it is a short drive now and coming back home feeling refreshed and sharing his favourite soup made from one of his own recipes. The one thing that has not changed or diminished is the contentment we share of a life lived meaningfully by being always there for our dear friends and family and of course for each other. If I have another life at all, I will once again beseech Allah to give me the blessing of living this life again.”
Dilip Kumar’s friend, Faisal Farooqui told IANS about the former’s 96th birthday celebrations and said, “He has not done that in a very long time and birthdays are occasions where the family gets together and some close friends get together. So, Saab’s brothers and sisters would come, (his wife) Saira Banuji’s extended family will come and then my family and some close friends gather together. Even when Saab was active socially and personally, he was not fond of big celebrations. So, doing justice to that tradition, Sairaji has not planned anything big.” (You May Like: Isha Ambani And Anand Piramal's Pre-Wedding Celebrations Were A Hub For Hilarious Memes)
Happy 96th birthday Dilip saab, and it inspires many married couples out there to see your wife, Saira Banu standing by your side as one solid pillar.
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