Acting

ACTING

I think everybody will have an urge to act [on the stage, I mean] at one time or other in his life.
When I was in 8th standard, I wanted to be on stage very much. So I contacted my classmate G who is a great Tamil scholar, orator and actor
He used to stage dramas every year in the Pongal festival and had already started preparations for his drama called "Ruzo" a Greek hero. .
Since I pestered him he agreed to give me a small part as a soldier who has to appear in only two scenes and had only scant dialogues. But I was thrilled and went dutifully for rehearsals which took place near his house.
Though it interfered with my reading hours my parents actually encouraged me.
Unfortunately I had fever and could not attend school or the rehearsal for a week.
When I attended the school again and contacted G he told me that he had removed me from the part and had given it to some other person.
Though I explained that it was not my fault he refused to accept it.

When I was lamenting about this in the USIS library to my classmate M he asked why not stage a drama ourselves. I replied we don't know anything about acting or anything connected with it.
At that time it was the custom to select a maximum of two dramas from one class. Already there was a drama about farmers, which was on full flow and which was a surer for selection. If we put forward a drama then it has to be better than the Ruzo to be selected.
We thought all about it and carefully and cunningly formulated a fool-proof plan.
First we selected a small English drama called "Romulus and Remus" from a book in the library itself.
It was about friendship between two heroes.
We made sure that there were only a few characters, few scenes, and small dialogues and most important the drama must be in English.
Then the master stroke of it all.
We went to our class teacher [who we knew will be one of the selectors!] and asked her to be the director for our play. She accepted it gladly.
The rehearsals took place in her home and she directed us while the other students, who have come for tuition, gazed helplessly.
The costumes were our teacher's sarees !!
Needless to say our drama was selected over Ruzo and we earned the full wrath of G.

The D-Day came.
We entered the stage with our hearts in our mouths, full of stage fear. Like well oiled machines we just rattled off the dialogues with stiff motions.
It was doubtful whether people could follow the dialogues but we were past caring.
The drama was at last over and there was thunderous applause mainly from our well wishing friends.
The climax came at the end with the Pongal drama securing the first prize and ours second mainly because it was the only English Drama and as the teacher said -"it had to be encouraged”!!

Our thirst for acting was forever quenched.
My parents were very proud of it and used to narrate it to the disconsolate audience whenever they could, much to my discomfort.

Ruzo was staged next year.