This seems to be a good year for the Bachchan family. The year began well with daughter in law Aishwarya Rai receiving the Padma Shri award. Amitabh Bachchan and his father, the late Harivansh Rai Bachchan, too have been honoured with Padmas by the Government of India. And now the Big B is traveling to Davos to receive another prestigious honour.

The Big B will be awarded the Crystal Award by the World Economic Forum in Davos. The other recipient of this award from India is noted danseuse Mallika Sarabhai. The award is being conferred on them for their outstanding excellance in art and having used this art to reach out to other cultures. This crystal award pays tribute to the role of art and culture in bridging boundaries and furthering the cause of peace. The Big B, as usual, gave a very grounded and humble reply, saying that the award not only honoured him but the country that he comes from as well. The Big B is currently in Davos for the award ceremony. Davos sees a congregation of world leaders, economists and leading business lights of the world coming together on one platform to address global issues. The topic of this year's discussion really needs no guesses. It is rightly, the global recession.