Hey NRIS how does Independence Day affect you? Do you feel nostalgic, connected or indifferent?
Well, this is how I spent the last one.
Only a mad woman would decide to put on a skit involving 20 excitable kids a week before the date in a language they are not too familiar with. Of course that mad woman is me.
But to my credit, I very quickly decided against a story from the freedom struggle. Since both the players and the audience don't understand English, it would be wasting everyone's time. But it had to be in English since I was conducting English classes for them.
So it became a medley of little vignettes- all connected together by a TV watching , channel surfing family. The news - both local and national; a dance show; a singing choir(tough- this one); sports and a comedy show.
I consulted my consultants.
The News show had little asides - like a leapord being caught and a new violet rose..
The dancers were to wear blue jeans and white shirts and rock. The choir had Do-re-me ( the only song both I and they could manage) word perfect. The sports channel was great- with a terrifically non-stop incomprehensible cricket commentary. The Olympic games had a few boys doing kuttikaranams (for acrobatics) ; tennis, 100m run and boxing. All backed by a angelic faced rascally commentator whom I longed to whack .
The news readers forgot to bring their scripts and extempored a bit.. but the asides did their bits very well not bothering about the news being read.
The dancers had dressed in bright sarees for another dance and were to change but in the incomprehensible way of programs this one came first so they did their break dance in all their finery.
The choir got all the lines mixed up but of course no one really knew.
The sports and comedy show got a lot of cheering ..
So altogether, a fun show. and..all the kids came up to ask ..how did I do?
If one reaches for the stars; then one does fall far short but its still worthwhile.
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