Like the Science Congress event, this one too leaves a mark in the minds of the batch in general , and those who orchestrated it in particular. This again is about 'US', the group of highly talented people [atleast WE believed so totally], who could not SING, couldnot DANCE, PAINT, RUN lik a sprinter, wern't xceptional at SPORTS, werent xactly Aamir khan in their heydays, werent the ROCKERS either who could flaunt their Guitars in public, but still thought were SECOND TO NONE.
So just when you thought we were one amongst those ordinary losers, the likes you see in the novels of Mr. Bhagat, second yourself. The stage is set not just for the regular song and dance nos, there is sumthng calld Theatre and Drama as well that it's so renowned for. And if sumbody in the old sleepy town of Godda still took interest in this thing calld Stage Act , WE were the ones.
Being grown up having watched our good old hindi movies, we have sumhw at times felt that we too can act. We sumhw hv had this pseudo belief that acting comes naturally to us. Our belief strenghthened by the fact that we had so far done quite a few stage acts by now and we felt the air of being a pro in the field. So when Miss Jommy planned this stage act with WE the actors in mind, we were only happy and ready to oblige at first instant , unlike the Science Congress case which we did under sheer pressure.
Miss Jommy, the phonetics guru that she was, had come up with the idea of an English play. I still distinctly rmmbr the day Miss Jommy had her first class at St. Thomas. She had come to take English for us, the then 5th standards. As she began in her usual phonetic tone, the class burst into laughter. A lil nervous and conscious, she asked me was sumthng wrong.? I said , 'Nothiung really Ma'm. Just that the students are not habituated to this kinda accent'. And since that day our chemistry with the new English teacher was incredible. English never remained the same for us after she left the school wen we were in 8th std.
Cut to the moment. She came to us and narrated the theme of the Act to us. It was a play with George Washington as the protagonist. The play had the backdrop of the slavery system that was order of the day in the then US society. History gives no mention of a full fledged movement against slavery by Washington.But he did oppose it in his later yrs. Anyways, the play had a scene in which a b'ful girl was to be auctioned in public. Miss Jommy told us to find a girl frm the class who wud do the role. Naurally every good (read pretty) girl declined. We didnt approach those who were ordinary looking, the reson being that the script demended a b'ful girl. So we told Miss Jommy to find some junior who wud do the role. We proposed Sapna's name for the same. Sapna agreed. This enthused (most if not all) members of the group.
So started the job of fitting people in their respective roles. I was so happy that whenever during the rehearsals, sum1 cudnt get their lines and look/expressions right, I wud be calld to demonstrate the scene. That also meant I was the lawyer one day, Washington's brother-in-law the next and Mr. Washington himself the day next to it. Sumhw every1 started fitting into their roles. I finally took the lawyer's role. Divya Prakash was the one who had to do the auctioning of Sapna the slave.
All thru the rehearsals evry1 waited eagerly for the auctioning part of the act, barring Divya Prakash ofcourse. He used to turn pale doing the auctioning act b4 a crowd which at times included members of staff and at times Father himself. The lines to be be spoken at the auctioning made his life evn more difficult and ours evn more entertaining. He had to go lik : 'Hello gentleman. Here you have at ur disposal this incredibly b'ful slave who can be all urs at just a few bucks. Just look at her face . She s all Mona Lisa. Look at her legs - Marble will take a beating.....'
With lines as provocative as this the audience was bound to go hysterical.
As a result of this auctioning sequence our play was already becoming a hit with the audience. So after weeks of rehearsals came the day whn we actually had to present the act. But suddenly for some reasons unknown to us, the venue shifted frm our school to the 'Town Hall' . We unanimously declined to go ahead with the act. We knew the crowd wudnt endure a word in English. The very thought of audience senpresenting an English play b4 a Godda t shivers down our spine.But repeated assurances frm the Principal and the authorities made it a yes. So we went ahead. Initially there was a bit of restlessness, which only grew wid time. The situation had come to a point where missiles would soon be targetting us. But to our fortune the auctioning scene just started, generating a loud rage frm the crowd. We sumhw felt bad for the poor Sapna but it was important that crowd didnt get overly impatient. Or else hell cud break loose.
Life was more important than a bit of cheap applause.
And thus ended the dangerous English Act b4 a Godda audience.
That was the last english act we ever did. This near life saving incident always brings back memories of Miss Jommy and her accentuated English. Was quite an xperience.
Ma'm wherever you are [m sure you are doing fabulously well and are happy], I on the behalf of the class just want to reiterate (in case we never earlier did) that we have all the way loved and admired you. You had been such an influence on us as kids, and today as grown ups we wish we have had more of ur lectures. Thanks for being the lovely English teacher you were. Wish we meet sumday.
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