Had
Dilip
Kumar
been
alive
he
would
have
turned
99
tomorrow
(December
9).
Ahead
of
his
birthday
anniversary,
the
late
actor's
wife
Saira
Banu
penned
a
heartfelt
note
in
his
memory
for
a
leading
tabloid
in
which
she
recalled
her
fond
memories
with
him.
In
her
letter
printed
in
ETimes,
the
Padosan
actress
said,
"December
11,
1922.
Peshawar,
North
West
Frontier
Province
in
pre-partition
India.
On
the
bitter
cold
night
of
December
11,
while
a
raging
fire
fanned
by
the
force
of
freezing
winds
was
blazing
in
the
Qissa
Khwani
bazaar
in
Peshawar,
my
Jaan,
Yousuf
Saheb,
was
born
to
Ayesha
Begum,
the
beautiful
wife
of
Mohammad
Sarvar
Khan,
a
leading
fruit
merchant
of
Peshawar,
as
their
fourth
child.
This
year
on
December
11,
which
is
tomorrow,
it
will
be
his
99th
birthday.
Indeed,
millions
of
fans
and
I
(his
Fan
No.
1)
are
going
to
celebrate
the
day
quietly
by
ourselves
knowing
fully
well
that
he
is
with
us
in
our
lives
forever.
Explaining
how
he
was
a
class
apart,
she
wrote,
"The
fact
is
that
Dilip
Saheb
was
very
happy
and
proud
that
he
was
born
in
an
undivided
India
and
he
grew
up
in
a
large,
happy
family
which
was
united
by
the
bonds
of
respect
for
elders,
cared
for
the
younger
members
and
women
and
had
unflinching
trust
in
one
another.
Saheb
took
pride
also
in
the
patriotism
his
father
instilled
in
his
sons
and
daughters
and
the
freedom
he
and
his
eleven
siblings
were
given
to
choose
to
mingle
with
people
from
all
communities
and
social
and
economic
backgrounds.
Therefore,
all
through
his
illustrious
life,
Dilip
Saheb
was
a
class
apart,
completely
at
ease
with
people
from
all
walks
of
life
and
all
strata
of
society."
She
continued,
"In
his
own
eyes
he
was
a
simple
man
with
a
family
and
a
challenging
job...
nothing
more...
and
certainly
not
a
celluloid
God
as
superstars
are
sometimes
given
to
believe.
Fortunately
for
me,
my
mother
too
brought
me
up
with
my
feet
on
the
ground
despite
her
success
as
an
actress
and
the
affluence
and
glamour
that
accompanies
stardom."
Saira
wrote
that
post
her
marriage
with
Kumar,
she
had
no
difficult
in
getting
accustomed
to
his
lifestyle.
"After
my
marriage
to
Saheb,
I
had
no
difficulty
in
getting
accustomed
to
a
life
wherein
unannounced
visitors
and
guests
were
received
even
at
odd
hours
and
made
to
feel
comfortable
and
welcome
and
were
treated
to
scrumptious
meals
in
true
Pathan
style.
All
the
special
occasions
in
our
life
saw
the
house
filled
with
people
and
flowers,
lit
up
neither
by
candlelight
nor
electric
light
but
by
the
presence
of
Saheb
in
the
drawing
room,
foyer
and
garden
giving
attention
to
each
guest,
irrespective
of
professional
and
social
status.
Saheb
had
more
friends
outside
the
film
industry
and
our
community
which
surprised
many
who
came
to
the
open
house
we
had
on
occasions
like
birthday,
anniversary,
Eid,
Diwali,
Christmas
etc," Saira
wrote
in
her
letter.
Speaking
about
what
he
loved
the
most
about
the
legendary
star,
she
wrote,
"What
I
admired
most
was
that
he
would
take
extra
care
in
ensuring
a
comfort
level
that
few
stars
of
his
stature
are
capable
of
extending
to
the
simple
folks
who
are
in
awe
of
them
and
their
larger-than-life
screen
images.
He
went
festival
and
birthday
shopping
with
me
without
the
slightest
hesitation
and
enjoyed
a
stop
at
small
bhel
puri
stalls
and
ice
cream
cafes
much
to
the
consternation
of
the
owners
and
managers
of
the
joints.
'When
a
common
man
gives
me
a
warm
handshake
and
tells
me
how
much
he
enjoyed
viewing
my
films,
it
is
the
highest
award
for
me,'
he
has
confessed
in
his
autobiography
and
I
know
that
humility
and
grace
are
what
sets
him
apart
from
the
other
legends
and
mega
stars."
"As
I
said
on
the
occasion
of
our
wedding
anniversary
two
months
ago,
he
is
very
much
in
our
midst,
gently
holding
my
hand
and
expressing
his
feelings
without
words...
by
just
the
unmatched,
inimitable
eloquence
of
his
eyes.
Once
again
I
know
I'm
not
alone
now
and
forever.
Happy
birthday,
Jaan," she
concluded
her
letter
on
an
emotional
note.
Dilip
Kumar
was
referred
to
as
the
'Tragedy
King'
in
Indian
cinema
and
was
known
for
films
like
Devdas,
Madhumati,
Mughal-E-Azam,
Naya
Daur,
Ram
Aur
Shyam
amongst
others.