I had actually started writing this post yesterday, but as usual other things came in the way and I never got started. It's funny how frequently I keep getting interupted when I seem to get started on doing something...
A lot has happened since my last post..well, it's been more than a week since the post in question and it should be obvious that a lot would have happened in seven days. After all, God created the world in seven days-or so the Bible says (OK! So that was not a very humble comparison!!Sue me!). So what happened? Well, I had the rare privilege of having a few days off without having to apply for leave. Had 4 days in fact! And off I went to Chennai..(EJ and Cindy, if you're reading this, then Chennai is about 10 hours away from my place by train..and when I say 'train' don't think Japan, bullet train, think India, choo-choo train :-) )
You know that you have a friend when you arrive early morning at the station at 6.30 and you find Jimmy there, a tad bleary eyed, but there all the same. As usual, he carried a couple of DC comics in his hand. Aah people, it felt good to be back!
My nanoscopic vacation was largely spent lazing around in the flat Jimmy shared along with two other friends of mine..All three of them work at unearthly hours for reasons best known to the guy upstairs and economics...and so there was not much of the 'let's go hang out someplace'kinda thing..I did meet a few of my other friends too, some old, some new (at this juncture, I'd like to express my heartfelt gratitude to blogger again for the second one!)..in short, an idyllic, slow-paced vacation..just what I was looking for..
So when Jimmy said that he had a show to cover and asked if I'd like to come along, I didn't think twice. The show was s'posed to be a tribute to Women (Wonder when they would have something titled "Man-a Tribute..nobody celebrates Man!! It's always Women!!Aaargh!!The unfairness of it all!!)After all, you don't always get to go to these small shows where the audience is generally restricted to the kind that just go 'clap-clap-clap' and not more when one would normally go for a more unrestrained applause or cheering..and of course, there was the opportunity of getting to see a few pretty faces in the crowd..
There weren't many pretty faces in the crowd..in fact, there weren't many faces at all. But there was a very charming face on stage..don't know what her name is, and now I have even forgotten her face..but I won't forget that she was gorgeous (Ok , so she had studs enough on her right ear to compete with the nails on a horse shoe, but that was ok). Adding to her charm was the fact that she was reciting Maya Angelou's Still I Rise..
The beautiful one with the studs was followed by a lady of past 50. But she looked quite healthy and strong for her age..The lights were out on the small stage and she sat on a solitary chair that was placed there. Lights came on..She started talking to us..She was acting the role of a mother who had been told by her daughter of the latter's decision to start a family.."But your life will change", the lady said, speaking for the mother. And she stopped speaking. Till then she was looking at our faces in the sparse crowd. But for some reason, she started staring into nothingness..she tilted forward...slided off her chair..and fell on her face onto the floor..
For about 5-10 seconds, none of us moved. We probably thought it was part of her act...and it was a damn good performance..It was when other members of the cast rushed onto the stage that we realised that it wasn't a performance but she had actually collapsed..There were a lot of people around her trying to revive her..and she seemed to have recovered after someone sprinkled some water on her face..they soon took her to a hospital. The organizers announced that there would be a break and that the show would start in a little while..
The people slowly started to leave the venue but we hanged on as Jimmy had to cover the full event..but we were soon told that the show had been cancelled..and we went back home, and had a couple of pizzas on the way..
The next morning, I came to know that the lady had died. She had a heart attack and died before they could take her to the hospital. I had actually watched a person dying. This was a first!
It's funny again..she never looked the kind of person who could die just like that you know..but she did..it was sad..but it was a natural thing to happen..and like one of my new found friends Sam said, what better way for a thespian (the lady was apparently one of the renowned theatre artists in Chennai) to die than on the stage?
My return journey was as usual very usual..the same moronic faces in my compartment, the same whining children, and the same upturned nose of the only thing that came close to being called a pretty face! Some things never change..that apart, there are a few things that occassionally jolt you. The last weekend, the live act was one of them.
Cheerio.
Shain(u)
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