Veteran screenwriter and lyricist Javed Akhtar arrived in Mumbai on October 4, 1964, at 19, with just 27 'naya paisa'. Reflecting on 61 years in the city, he wrote on Saturday, "Went through homelessness, starvation, unemployment, but life has been too kind to me." Expressing gratitude, the 80-year-old said he can only thank his country and all who looked at his work kindly.