Gully Life – the story of Divine

July 2nd, 2019. Jubilee Hall. A thronging crowd of two hundred students of the Bhawanipur Education Society College (BESC) were treated to the story of a boy-next door, with no knowledge about hip-hop making it to the top of the heap, becoming in the process one of India’s most sought after musicians.

A rage, after Ranveer Singh portrayed the epic journey in the Bollywood blockbuster, the real life story has everything that fires the imagination of the youth – a desire to succeed against all odds, fortune favouring the brave, the saga of raw talent triumphing over all else, foot stomping music – that too built into a rags-to-riches story with a splattering of teenage, bubble gum romance.

 

 

As prof Dilip Shah, the Dean of Student Affairs of the BESC pointed out to the students, the story of Vivian Farnandes, the principal protagonist in the movie, is much more that glitz and glamour of show business. “It is about the grit of the youngster – the desire to dream big and pursue the dream with single minded devotion. It is a lesson that if one is able to make the transition from the good to the great, all the world becomes his stage. It is lesson that for those who dare, irrespective of the content of their dreams, there are opportunities that can be had”. He also pointed out how the successes of the musician and then the movie that followed, have made rapping fire the imagination of the Nation, which was till the other day restricted to a handful of dedicated exponents, pointing out that one does not need a road to take one to the chosen destination – for those who are truly committed to the cause, the path they tread on, becomes the road.

The documentary was hugely enjoyed by the students, made more enjoyable by the explanatory comments provided by Prof Shah, which added a deeper dimension to the entertainment that was provided on the face of it.

Perhaps it is this connect with the students – the ability to give them what they want, yet, be able to spice it up with life lessons that makes the BESC what it is. Great students can be coached academically, but unfettered minds that go out and conquer? Guess, BESC is one of the few institutions that has not only figured the way out, but is also walking the talk.

(This report has been filed by Preeti Jain with camera person Shouvik Das of the Expressions Collective of the BESC)