Memories
It was that time of the year again. Spirits were high. Each one wanted to give his/ her best performance. My turn was approaching. I walked up to the line, read out the lines as required and joined my friends on the other side of the room. I had just given my audition for a role in the school play for Playfest 1998. Playfest is an interschool drama competition conducted every year in the month of November, by The Times Of India in association with the Newspaper In Education programme. My school was a part of the programme and an opportunity to take part in a fest with participants from different schools all over Bangalore thrilled me. I desperately wanted to be a part of it – somehow – with whatever role.
I was a member of the school Dramatics Club. That meant special preference would be given to me over non-members. It was considered a privilege to be a part of the Dramatics Club. We met officially every Thursday evening, between 4 to 6 pm (after class hours) under the guidance of a dramatics instructor, who was brought in specially to train us. Our weekly sessions consisted of breathing exercises, voice modulation drills and interesting activities to improve our speech, vocabulary, interaction and communication skills. We had to present short skits, advertise interesting make believe products, debate, play word games, etc. In short, it was something I loved doing the most. That reminds me, I terribly miss those days.
With the auditions over and the announcement of the selected ‘actors’ impending, it was an uncomfortable, edgy feeling of whether or not one would get selected. Finally the coach declared the results. Some of my friends got selected. Some didn’t. My name hadn’t appeared yet. I felt a dreadful sinking feeling –what if I didn’t make it? Just then I heard my name being announced. I was selected after all. It obviously left me overjoyed.
The play was entitled ‘ Jamun Ka Ped’. It was set in a pre-independence era, the plot about a small village, in which life mainly revolved around a tree. I was assigned the role of Gujjo, a petty manual labourer, troubled by poverty. I didn’t have much to do, but being a part of the team itself gave me immense contentment.
The whole affair kept us busy over the next month. Permission was granted to participants of the play to practice during class hours. Moreover the suspense we created among the rest of our classmates was incredible. The art department got busy with making of the tree, which was the main prop, being the central theme of the play. Every branch and leaf was painted by hand, while our acting instructor taught us timing, expressions, voice and accent modulations. Rehearsals and re- rehearsals were held. Everything was set.
The d-day finally arrived. Playfest spans over three days. Our play was on the second day. After obtaining good wishes from the entire school, we left for the venue. We staged the play and everything went as planned. After watching performances by other teams (and booing them), we got back to school with high hopes of winning the prize the following day. With well pressed uniforms and shining badges, we went back to the prize distribution ceremony. After all the miscellaneous prizes were announced came the most awaited moment – the prize for the best play. The announcement came and went. Some other school walked away with the honour. We were left shattered.
Everything said and done, this was the best group effort experience I’ve ever had so far. But as someone said, don’t bother about the result ; what matters most is the effort you have put in. In the end, we all learnt something from each other and this episode will remain with me for the rest of my life…..among my most treasured memories…………
I was a member of the school Dramatics Club. That meant special preference would be given to me over non-members. It was considered a privilege to be a part of the Dramatics Club. We met officially every Thursday evening, between 4 to 6 pm (after class hours) under the guidance of a dramatics instructor, who was brought in specially to train us. Our weekly sessions consisted of breathing exercises, voice modulation drills and interesting activities to improve our speech, vocabulary, interaction and communication skills. We had to present short skits, advertise interesting make believe products, debate, play word games, etc. In short, it was something I loved doing the most. That reminds me, I terribly miss those days.
With the auditions over and the announcement of the selected ‘actors’ impending, it was an uncomfortable, edgy feeling of whether or not one would get selected. Finally the coach declared the results. Some of my friends got selected. Some didn’t. My name hadn’t appeared yet. I felt a dreadful sinking feeling –what if I didn’t make it? Just then I heard my name being announced. I was selected after all. It obviously left me overjoyed.
The play was entitled ‘ Jamun Ka Ped’. It was set in a pre-independence era, the plot about a small village, in which life mainly revolved around a tree. I was assigned the role of Gujjo, a petty manual labourer, troubled by poverty. I didn’t have much to do, but being a part of the team itself gave me immense contentment.
The whole affair kept us busy over the next month. Permission was granted to participants of the play to practice during class hours. Moreover the suspense we created among the rest of our classmates was incredible. The art department got busy with making of the tree, which was the main prop, being the central theme of the play. Every branch and leaf was painted by hand, while our acting instructor taught us timing, expressions, voice and accent modulations. Rehearsals and re- rehearsals were held. Everything was set.
The d-day finally arrived. Playfest spans over three days. Our play was on the second day. After obtaining good wishes from the entire school, we left for the venue. We staged the play and everything went as planned. After watching performances by other teams (and booing them), we got back to school with high hopes of winning the prize the following day. With well pressed uniforms and shining badges, we went back to the prize distribution ceremony. After all the miscellaneous prizes were announced came the most awaited moment – the prize for the best play. The announcement came and went. Some other school walked away with the honour. We were left shattered.
Everything said and done, this was the best group effort experience I’ve ever had so far. But as someone said, don’t bother about the result ; what matters most is the effort you have put in. In the end, we all learnt something from each other and this episode will remain with me for the rest of my life…..among my most treasured memories…………
Comments
on the contrary i loved it, simple in itself,just a reflection of the times gone by, how we won,how we lost, how we will never hav those times back, but all in all in the end it is how we played the game that matters!!!!!
elegant and nostalgic
ss
missin it man...
BN here. Was just going through this short write up of yours. This took me right back to 1998 of Presidency NLO. Well my experience at school was extremely contradictory. We were a bunch of guys, always envying all the attention got by some privileged once. But while reading this, I could feel how ppl taught from the other end. Really a nice effort to capture and recreate all those moments through words.