When I was in third year, Our HOD wished to open the Civil Engineering Association (CEA). He wanted us to organize a small cultural event (really have no clues of why he asked us to do so). So we decided to give a group dance performance. We gathered 10 girls from my class. My friend selected a beautiful patriotic song which was very famous during the Kargil war time. It was an album sung by Shuba Mudgal and Sukwindher Singh and the song was “Rangilo Maaro Dolna”. The song was a fast, long and a tough song. We decided to dance for only half the song, as it would kill 200 on a stretch. Anyways the idea of dance actually was to bunk class sessions.
We gathered near a small room in our dept building to practise daily. The whole fun behind it was, we danced but never danced for the song we were supposed to dance (problem started here). Instead we switched on the radio, discussed on stupid topics. Ya we did occasionally dance for the song we were supposed to dance. Daily dance, bunk classes and we had a gala time.
We had 5 pairs in the dance, one in a pair has to wear pyjama kurtha to act as a guy and other was a girl. Ofcourse I was always elected to act as a guy. My partner usually gets nervous and forgets all her steps. So I start laughing in the middle. The day before the performance, we framed steps almost for the needed stretch of the song. We decided on pyjama kurtha for guys and gagra choli for the girls.
Next stage was to rehearse for the song in the hall we were supposed to give our performance. I went to inspect the hall. To my horror, the capacity of the hall was max 300 (since this was a program only for Civil Branch) and the stage was about 10ft breadth and some 15 ft length…. I called my choreographer (she actually dint teach us dance, but she just organized. We started calling her choreographer). I told her listen, it’s really impossible for ten of us to dance on this stage mapu, please don’t be stubborn. She tried to convince me a lot, but I said don’t make the audience realize that we are fools in real life. We decided to call it off. I left for my home at 4.30 pm waving my troupe bye coz they weren’t satisfied about the stage as well….
It was 10.30 in the night; I got a call from Vasu (nick name), one of the girls in the troupe. She said “Dance programme will go as scheduled machi. We have changed the last step. Kindly come early in the morning to college and practise. Please arrange costume for your jodi and for you”. She dint allow me to utter a word. I couldn’t say a NO and scene pottufy coz all agreed. My bedroom was in the first floor and I had to beg for pyjama kurtha from my uncle staying in the ground floor and the gagra from his daughter (I cannot ask in the morning coz I had to leave early). I saw the clock, it was already 11pm. I went down to find the main door was locked. I was banging the door and you know wat would have happened. My uncle and aunt were mad at me. What to do, to gain something you have to lose something. I saw the costume, there was only kurtha and the pyjama was missing (shame shame puppy shame). I jumped into my own wardrobe, searched for half an hour like a lunatic, to find a off white pant. At last found one and it was not even closely related to my kurtha. It was already 11.30 and so I had to make up my mind. Went to bed at 11.45pm
Next day morning I was in the college by 7 am. I had to practise the last step for half an hour. The function was proposed to start at 9am. I was unfortunately given the responsibility of singing prayer song. Irony behind it was, I had to be in SAREE then. So first I wore sari and asked my friends to keep my other costume ready. The function started. I finished the prayer song and ran to the costume room, changed to pyjama kurtha with big tilak on my temple. People commented that I looked exactly like a SAETU PAYYAN. I told my partner “Ranju please don’t sothapify, I will start laughing in the stage.” She gave me a remorseful look and said “Podi, I will try my level best, don’t ask expect more from me”.
Our dance performance was announced on the stage. Oops now what problem?? Yes, a girl was missing from the troupe. Total damage. I again went to stage to adjust it by giving a horrible solo performance. Nope I dint dance, I sang again with that ghastly costume. I looked exactly like a filthy beggar who actually begged for a night dress (with unmatched pyjama and kurtha). After a frantic search we found the girl. Happa there was a great relief (for both audience and us).
The whole fun began here. The song actually starts with female playback. So females will dance first and men would enter the song when their playback comes. I was standing off stage waiting for my turn. Bad omen took over me that time. My choreographer stood besides me and another girl and said “Mapi nalla suthi suthi aadanum (rotate and dance well)”. The girl standing besides me started laughing. She has got such an infectious laughter that I started laughing. If I start laughing, I ruin the entire stuff. I tried my level best to control it. The effort I took was inversely proportional.
Finally entered the stage. My position was front left along with my partner. I had just a feet space before me. If I happen to dance with full enthu, I might go underground. I couldn’t control my laughter. So the whole dance sounded like some Lollu sabha dance. Audience started rolling on the floor laughing and HOD was warning me “PAATHU ADU MA, YOU WILL FALL DOWN” (with his usual tone). That is it; I started bursting out with laughter. Then a moment came where I controlled myself, but illuck played its part again. There was a step where all the dancers have to come in a line. But a girl alone was standing in the corner of the stage giving solo performance. Inorder to pull her into our line, her partner shouted, “yei puppy (nick name again) shaniyanae, thuuu vanthu line la ninnu aadu (thu, come and stand in the line and dance).” (Ya there was a SOLO in a GROUP dance). Look how entertaining was our dance performance. Now I again start buhahahahahaaaaa. There was no order, no steps, and no change of position. We were dancing like hooligans.
Already the audiences were on the verge of pelting stones, tomatoes and raw eggs at us. But they had to control themselves, thanks to my HOD. You know wat he said, “Please enjoy the performance” (Seriously manasatchi (conscious) illa antha manushanukku). Finally the climax came. Biggest highlight of the day. I stepped on spilt oil (spilled out from the kuthu velakku). Couldn’t avoid coz the stage was too small. You can imagine wat would have followed. I fell down on the stage dragging another girl with me (she was not my partner. So u would have guessed the order in the dance). Without Slightest embarrassment, we were still laughing holding our stomach. My friends took lots of effort to drag us out from the stage.
We took our heals from there. Never turned back to see wat happened. Hid ourselves in classroom. We never even attended the valedictory function ( I asked my friend to switch on the tape recorder for national anthem). We were laughing like fools in the classroom. For next one week, we couldn’t show our face in the public. Why? We couldn’t even face our classmates. From Hod to class staffs, from office bearer to Principal we were given high respect. We later came to realize that there were few students from other department as well. So our fame wasn’t restricted to our department alone, it spread to the whole college. Why it was even spread to my friends from other colleges when they came to my college for symposium that followed after a week of CEA inauguration. I was well regarded for this performance at home by my aunt and uncle . My friend narrated the entire incident to my aunt (Sathigaari) when she came home the next day. Buhahahahha….. However, that was the best moment that happened to me in college life.
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