We in Jhalwa

Then the day crept in. We have been taken to jhalwa, our main campus by bus. The performers were given a room for their pre-stage preparations. Everybody was putting their costumes and abruptly I saw two faces in dilemma. Nobody knew how to put up the Gandhi dhoti. So here Mambo and Prabhash were standing in mere underwear, having Dhoti in their hand and looking at each face to get some help. I had to come in the scene. I recalled my Grandfather and anyhow managed the dhoti to our Gandhi, Mr. Mambo. I just came to knew I was good in this too. In fact I have to be good. After all B2K4 pride was going on the stage with these dhoties. I just prayed Dhoties not to dodge us on stage. Sharad artistically covered Mambo’s upper half in Multani mitti to give him a look of Gandhi Statute. Sharad was both in dance and skit; but as we found a fair gap between skit and dance, so it was not an issue. We were all set.

Somebody opened the door and came in. Gosh!! B2K4 girls. They more than smiled on us for our costumes. We just smiled imagining how they would have reacted for the embarrassing scene if they would have entered a bit earlier in between the topsy-turvy of Dhoti. Uhh!! How weird yet exciting imagination! Well even this costume was not that comfortable in front of them. We just asked what they were doing here and they replied that I have been called from the comparer of event. I crept out advising others to lock the door in order to avoid these kinds of female invaders.

Comparer was one of our senior he asked the title of play and suggested the title “Majboori Ka Nam Mahatma Gandhi” as I was having no title in my mind there. This title was really interesting so I agreed for this, what if the title was nowhere matching with the script. We have been given third slot on stage.

We have been called for stage, Mambo; the statue was placed on a table in between of the stage. Now each character was to enter from one side and exit from other steeling on of the articles from statue. I just could here the huge clapping and laugh form the auditions side after each entrance. The spectacles, the Gandhi watch, lathi, Janau, the dhoti and gamacha and at least the whole statute was stolen showing the low knowledge of common people about Gandhi ji and the poor behavior for the statues having historic importance. We passed message and laugh both in a compact mime and the huge applause after the finish was the proof of the same. We jumped in the air with joy at back stage. B2K4’s first presence and triumph in IIIT-A.

We helped Sharad and other dance performers to get ready for the performance. We were waiting and suddenly we got the news that probably they cannot put our dance on stage due to time constraints. We felt humiliated, we felt angry, we felt dishonored, we felt unlucky, and we felt every damn low feeling. Our faces turned red. Was this the damned result for which we practiced that hard? We had left with nothing but just to urge the reconsideration if possible as we needed mere 5 minutes of stage for performance.

Luckily we got the positive response; probably for the low time needed to perform. Our dancers performed and the performed well. Again the same cheers. Director Sir came onto the stage and praised ours performance. He also announced one thousand cash money prize for Mambo for his unstirred statue performance. I would like to quote here that later this skit had been repeated three time in IIIT-A for its compact humor and massage. We felt like conquering the world.

We moved on for the senior boy’s hostel for our lunch. In fact the main event was ragging instead of lunch. We have been queued in the middle of hostel ground. We have been ordered to honor nineties to all the seniors who were glaring furiously and thundering from their balconies. I think every one must have bowed around average half thousand nineties and had given around a ton intros that day. We have been ragged well enough but still would say lightly and assured that in turn we will get the previous year papers which are tend to be repeated year by year.

We return back to naini with lots of stories of seniors and ragging.