Gerald D'Cunha

  “People are sheep. The TV is the Shepherd.” Jess C. Scott S ome thirty years ago, one afternoon, it’s raining heavily. I had kept my classroom door closed, and my students and I were totally focused on the proceedings inside. There were some forty or forty-five students inside, who had parked their umbrellas and windcheaters in two large buckets which were placed outside. After the class got over, when my students went outside, there was a commotion… All the umbrellas and windcheaters had disappeared from the buckets! We were all shocked! Missing of one or two umbrellas or windcheaters would have gone down our throats, somehow… But, this wouldn’t. Being their teacher, and the owner of the class, I was answerable. “What is the mystery? Is it a theft or some freak accident or whatever that is?” … We had no clue. My students were kind enough not to create any scene, and, they all – young colleges students – merrily dispersed getting drenched! For a week, since then, I tried ...

Pic.: Anima D'Cunha S econds before my wife and I walked into the theatre, last evening, I received a phone call from one of our friends, a lady. When I told her that we were walking into the theatre, she asked, “Which movie?” “Udta Punjab,” I replied. “It’s a dark movie,” our friend warned, “It might disturb you.” Both my wife and I knew ‘Udta Punjab’ would be a hard-hitting and a no-nonsense movie and we were prepared for it… So, I did not let our friend’s view cloud mine… My wife and I both loved the movie. And, yes, we both have been great fans of Alia Bhatt… and, here was one more reason why we had to admire her even more. To me, the movie is about ‘hope’ and ‘despair’ of individuals… There is this one scene where Shahid Kapoor and Alia Bhatt, who were deeply addicted and who were on the run, meet at a hiding place. They click. Shahid, despite tasting stardom as a rock star, now has resigned as a ‘Loser’… He has even declared it ...