Page 17 - SeniorsToday May20

a job as a telephone operator for Rs 30 a
An introvert, Guru Dutt kept his sadness to himself
the shadows the diyas created. There was
a little outhouse in the backyard – there
was ‘houda’ (a tank full of water) where the
children played paper boats during holidays,
a tin shed where Guru made kites. He was
fond of flying kites. In the same shed during
Diwali he would make firecrackers. He had
a parrot as a pet, and he would teach it a new
word every day and make the parrot repeat it
the next morning.
“I remember Atma fought with me often, he
would pull my long plaits and Guru would
intervene and take my side.”
To keep the children entertained, every
weekend their grandmother would take
them on a tram to their uncle BB Benegal’s
home. The children eagerly waited for the
weekend as all the siblings (the Padukones
and the Benegals) would spend the entire
weekend watching films. Visit to uncle
Benegal’s was a place of inspiration. Uncle
Benegal was a film publicist and his house
had all sorts of paintings, posters, art – the
atmosphere was a stimulus for the young
creative minds.
Guru Dutt’s sister Lalitha Lajmi Shouldering responsibility
At the age of 15, Guru passed his
matriculation and had the desire to study
more – go to college. Unfortunately, paying
fees for his further studies were not possible
as he had to shoulder the responsibility of
the house being the eldest son. He took up
SENIORS TODAY | ISSUE #11 | MAY 2020
month. With his first salary he got presents
for everybody – a sari for his mother, a coat
for his father, a shirt for Atma, a frock for
Lalitha and a copy of the Bhagwat Gita for
his teacher.
The Saraswat community held intimate
cultural gatherings – more so a picnic every
month. There would be performances, food
and a lot of fun. Once Guru decided to put up
a performance, too. He put on some makeup,
wore a dhoti and a velvet jacket and did a
surprise performance of a snake charmer.
Everybody enjoyed it while uncle Benegal
shot it on his 8mm camera.
On his sixteenth birthday uncle Benegal
gifted him a box camera. It was then he
discovered his passion for photography.
He would click pictures of the community
gatherings and family, and sister Lalitha
would be his model. He would make her
strike different poses, try different angles.
He also took pictures of the shadows created
by the diyas in his grandmother’s pooja
room.
Guru Dutt had an everlasting thirst for perfection, and his
work reflected that
The performance bug bites
One day Guru went to watch dance maestro
Uday Shankar. After the performance, he
was so moved that he decided he wanted
to become a performer too. He told his
mother about how desperately he wanted to
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