Gurdaspur Diary: Gurdaspur lad tries to make it big in Tinsel Town

After Dev Anand, not many people from Gurdaspur have made a mark in Tinsel Town. Happy Kalizpuria, an unassuming and unpretentious young man hailing from the non-descript village of Kalizpur in Dinanagar sub-division, is trying his best to leave an indelible impression on celluloid. He remains modest to the core for he knows that there have been many before him who got blinded by the bright lights of Bollywood before they could achieve even a modicum of success.

His latest TV series, ‘Indian Predator: Murder in a Courtroom’, has become a hit on the small screen. So much so, the show is trending at No. 2 on Netflix. He may be a small-time boy from a small-time village but nevertheless he is staining every sinew to earn name and fame in the slippery and deceptive-world of cinema. Son of an Army man, Happy studied in different Army schools before doing a degree in Bachelors in Performing Arts from Lovely Professional University, Jalandhar. Later, he post-graduated in drama from the Bhartendu Academy of Dramatic Arts, a prestigious theatre training institute in Lucknow. This talented young man got a scholarship and made the most of it while in the city of Nawabs. He kick started his film career by acting in a Punjabi film ‘Amanat’ and then moved on to Hindi films. His movie ‘The Last Resort’ screened on Netflix and earned him kudos for his acting capabilities. Several of his films are lined up for release next year. Kalizpuria’s village is just a kilometre away from the ancestral house of Dev Anand in Gharota on the Dinanagar-Pathankot road. As a parting shot, he reminds you of the people who come to watch movies and how important it is to be in their good books, “An audience can live without a movie but a movie cannot live without an audience. People always remember two things in life — their first love and the money they spent to see a bad movie.”

Paddy stubble-burning still going on

Notwithstanding regular meetings being held by the district administration and the Punjab Agriculture University (PAU) officials on one side and the farmers on the other, paddy stubble continues to be burnt. PAU has been organising camps to educate farmers about the disadvantages of burning and the advantages of direct seeding, but no concrete solution seems to be in sight. Farmers wait for night to ignite the stubble. Officials clandestinely admit they are actually fighting a losing battle. On their part, farmer unions say the government should give them a viable alternative if the fires have to stop. The issue is a complex one and at least in Gurdaspur a solution eludes officials.

(Contributed by Ravi Dhaliwal)