I often ring up my sisters, who study in the prestigious Jawahar Lal Nehru-JNU- university and tell them, “I am the manager of Priya cinema speaking” asking them why they are not frequenting the multiplex more often. They laugh at me.

Now, one of them is going to go out of JNU to IIAS Shimla.

“That was the place where the signing of our country’s partition was finalized” I told this history scholar, a bit of history from the common man’s perspective. The Viceregal lodge which today houses the IIAS was where the big ‘leaders’ decided to divide a people and the sufferings continue to this day.

“These oldies love to try to manage other people’s lives” someone told me the other day.

“Is she telling me” I thought, as I too am getting older day by day.

“Managing the lives of others, evading their own failures by trying to focus on the shortcomings of others?”

The new man/woman cannot be made in the image of tired old players.

“God made man in his own image?”..or do we try to mould others in our own image?

Who are we to manage other people’s lives?

Sitting on the “katta” of Ganga Dhaba of JNU, drinking Chai and munching  Bun-omellette, watching the aeroplanes fly above, one can feel the freshness of the scholars who are facing the world with new knowledge, new interpretations and openings.

Who are we, the people of yesterday, to tamper with these?

The Big Great Society-kills many spirits.

They will know of things which we never knew and will never know. We should let them grow and respect the process and retain the dignity of the individual.

“What was your thesis on?” I asked the Economics scholar-the younger sister.

“On outsourcing” she answered.

“So, Karl Marx was not that wrong, was he?” I smiled and winked as we walked past fallen leaves.

Those who do not move, do not notice their chains-the great words of the German revolutionary Rosa Luxembourg were painted on the walls.

They showed me the door of the office of their revered teacher Mr.Ferreira, the Portuguese scholar.

When one comes in contact with such scholars, one feels one’s level rising a little bit, even though just for a little time. And then we go out of this mileu and the traffic snarls of Delhi, the flight coupons and the “real world” catches up.

Are we..The managers of Priya Cinema? No, we are not!