a feeling
[This is not any story in the real sense of the word...but my thoughts which i have encountered on my way home oneday........i hope people reading this will appreciate and understand my feelings in the right earnest. place....bangalore.....the Happenning city of the world]
WATER OF INDIA
A DYING ART
A LITTLE PRINCESS
The BMTC bus stopped as scheduled in Maruthi Mandir bus stop.Yes its my last stop for the day after my class finished around 12:30 p.m.Actually there is a Mandir (Temple)right on the right side of the main road,Maruthi Mandir,which is why it is called so. I was hungry and as I looked around my purse,I found my only lucky coin staring at me,it was my 10 paise coin.Its my lucky coin,I dont remember the exact date when i found it but I fell something special about this 10 paise which was lying down in a dark corner of my house,since then it became my faithful companion.
I then went for the nearest SBI ATM ,its like a "Ginny" to me, whenever I need money I just go there and by clicking few buttons He oblizes me with a charming note.For those of you wondering the source of it,its my mother who is putting the cash in my home town in Agartala.Thinking of the ATM reminds me of the great Magician PC Sarkar the junior from West Bengal.As a kid I was lucky to watch him perform live.In between his Magic tricks he used to lift a Pot( in Bengali it is called "Kalsi",which the village women carry to fetch water) and amazingly water used to flow from it,he used to empty the pot keeping it upside down. He used to keep it in a corner and then carry on with his Magic tricks.After few tricks again he used to lift the pot and amazingly water used to flow from it.He used to call it the "Water Of INDIA".And these used to go on till the end of his wonderful show.Thus the thought of ATM reminds me of Water of India.Though it has got many names like All Time Money,Any Time money,Automatic Telloring machine,etc etc.Infact one lover once said he feels it to be his beloved and defined in his own way by putting ATM as "Anytime Think of Me".
I collected my share of water of India and thanked my Mother for her generosity and then i went to have my lunch in a family hotel just near the road,it was as usual packed.I somehow managed to get my lunch coupon.I started with the "Purri" and "sabji" and then went on for "Sambar" mixed it with rice and lastly the "Rasam" with "papad".I was suffering from the daily "Yes\No Syndrome" whether to eat "Curd" or not.While I was in two minds suddenly my eyes went towards the sound of the drum,a small "Dhol" to call it correctly, being played near the road side.Infact It caught everybodys attention.It was a scene which we often dont see or may be we dont have that much "Faltu Time" to waste for these kind of Gimmicks.
As I was watching, I thought to myself to watch it from there,for going closer and seeing it I have to pay money for which this so called "Gimmick" was all about.But something stuck inside me and I decided to go exactly near them and watch it.My eyes were concentrated on the young girl,who was hardly four or five years of age, not only balanced herself on the rope being tied on both sides with two sticks each, but also she was shaking the rope in harmony with the beats of the drum.She had a Bamboo tied around her neck to balance herself and she was performing one trick after another.She was like the fairy who did not belong to this earth as she was dancing on the rope with such elan. I felt even mother Earth forgot to use her force to pull the girl down seeing her amazing zeal and dedication.She was the centre of attraction for everyone watching there including myself.For few minutes the Earth was under the control of this little princess,yes thats the perfect way to describe her, who had this magical power to take everyones' attention.For people forgot to catch their buses,Salesman stopped selling,a baby who was crying stopped crying.After finishing her amzing skills our princess came down,people started to throw coins on the cloth just below the rope.Even myself who was completely under the magic spell of this little princess,for the first time started seeing around .I saw a little baby of few months sleeping in his little world,and a lady who was playing with an aluminium plate sitting with the man who was playing the little drum.And our little princess, She was running around everywhere to collect whatever money people gave.I gave a ten rupees note to the man and asked his name,though no amount of money in this world could match for the little princess but still "May be she was doing it without eating anything from morning ", I whispered to myself,for they have to do it for their survival,which people like me who doesnt have to worry for food two times a day, with Gods grace and ofcourse never forgetting "Water of India" ,may not understand or for that matter can escape from the scene after enjoyng from a distant calling it a one more "Gimmick". His name was Vinoy and the lady,who was playing along with him,was his wife.The little princess' name was "Geeta" and the sleeping prince was his little brother. It is their small world.They came from Raipur,the capital of Chattisgarh and on asking ,Vinoy told me "We travelled doing this show from Kashmir to Kanya kumari,from Bengal to bombay,whole of India"."It is called "Circus" in Hindi and "DANGCHEGHA" in our own tribal language in Chatthisgarh", Vinoy continued.I shook my hand with him and wished him luck.
As I was on my way to my home I was thinking of this dying Art ,where there is no stage,no advertisement,no promotion to preserve this once ancient Indian Art.WHY SHOULD WE?For we are more comfortable about Multiplexes,shopping Malls and Crossover movies and the likes,where this "Circus" quite doesnt fit in and honestly we dont have Faltu time for such kind of "Gimmicks".
Life goes on. But as a Dreamer and as an Optimist I have this dream where ,oneday Vinoy Would be settled in his life in his hometown of Raipur and have his own stage where trained artists will be performing on stage different ancient forgotten Art form and his wife will be busy making his little prince ready for school .And if one is thinking of our Little princess,well she will also be in school and would be dreaming of becoming a doctor oneday and serve her people.
WATER OF INDIA
A DYING ART
A LITTLE PRINCESS
The BMTC bus stopped as scheduled in Maruthi Mandir bus stop.Yes its my last stop for the day after my class finished around 12:30 p.m.Actually there is a Mandir (Temple)right on the right side of the main road,Maruthi Mandir,which is why it is called so. I was hungry and as I looked around my purse,I found my only lucky coin staring at me,it was my 10 paise coin.Its my lucky coin,I dont remember the exact date when i found it but I fell something special about this 10 paise which was lying down in a dark corner of my house,since then it became my faithful companion.
I then went for the nearest SBI ATM ,its like a "Ginny" to me, whenever I need money I just go there and by clicking few buttons He oblizes me with a charming note.For those of you wondering the source of it,its my mother who is putting the cash in my home town in Agartala.Thinking of the ATM reminds me of the great Magician PC Sarkar the junior from West Bengal.As a kid I was lucky to watch him perform live.In between his Magic tricks he used to lift a Pot( in Bengali it is called "Kalsi",which the village women carry to fetch water) and amazingly water used to flow from it,he used to empty the pot keeping it upside down. He used to keep it in a corner and then carry on with his Magic tricks.After few tricks again he used to lift the pot and amazingly water used to flow from it.He used to call it the "Water Of INDIA".And these used to go on till the end of his wonderful show.Thus the thought of ATM reminds me of Water of India.Though it has got many names like All Time Money,Any Time money,Automatic Telloring machine,etc etc.Infact one lover once said he feels it to be his beloved and defined in his own way by putting ATM as "Anytime Think of Me".
I collected my share of water of India and thanked my Mother for her generosity and then i went to have my lunch in a family hotel just near the road,it was as usual packed.I somehow managed to get my lunch coupon.I started with the "Purri" and "sabji" and then went on for "Sambar" mixed it with rice and lastly the "Rasam" with "papad".I was suffering from the daily "Yes\No Syndrome" whether to eat "Curd" or not.While I was in two minds suddenly my eyes went towards the sound of the drum,a small "Dhol" to call it correctly, being played near the road side.Infact It caught everybodys attention.It was a scene which we often dont see or may be we dont have that much "Faltu Time" to waste for these kind of Gimmicks.
As I was watching, I thought to myself to watch it from there,for going closer and seeing it I have to pay money for which this so called "Gimmick" was all about.But something stuck inside me and I decided to go exactly near them and watch it.My eyes were concentrated on the young girl,who was hardly four or five years of age, not only balanced herself on the rope being tied on both sides with two sticks each, but also she was shaking the rope in harmony with the beats of the drum.She had a Bamboo tied around her neck to balance herself and she was performing one trick after another.She was like the fairy who did not belong to this earth as she was dancing on the rope with such elan. I felt even mother Earth forgot to use her force to pull the girl down seeing her amazing zeal and dedication.She was the centre of attraction for everyone watching there including myself.For few minutes the Earth was under the control of this little princess,yes thats the perfect way to describe her, who had this magical power to take everyones' attention.For people forgot to catch their buses,Salesman stopped selling,a baby who was crying stopped crying.After finishing her amzing skills our princess came down,people started to throw coins on the cloth just below the rope.Even myself who was completely under the magic spell of this little princess,for the first time started seeing around .I saw a little baby of few months sleeping in his little world,and a lady who was playing with an aluminium plate sitting with the man who was playing the little drum.And our little princess, She was running around everywhere to collect whatever money people gave.I gave a ten rupees note to the man and asked his name,though no amount of money in this world could match for the little princess but still "May be she was doing it without eating anything from morning ", I whispered to myself,for they have to do it for their survival,which people like me who doesnt have to worry for food two times a day, with Gods grace and ofcourse never forgetting "Water of India" ,may not understand or for that matter can escape from the scene after enjoyng from a distant calling it a one more "Gimmick". His name was Vinoy and the lady,who was playing along with him,was his wife.The little princess' name was "Geeta" and the sleeping prince was his little brother. It is their small world.They came from Raipur,the capital of Chattisgarh and on asking ,Vinoy told me "We travelled doing this show from Kashmir to Kanya kumari,from Bengal to bombay,whole of India"."It is called "Circus" in Hindi and "DANGCHEGHA" in our own tribal language in Chatthisgarh", Vinoy continued.I shook my hand with him and wished him luck.
As I was on my way to my home I was thinking of this dying Art ,where there is no stage,no advertisement,no promotion to preserve this once ancient Indian Art.WHY SHOULD WE?For we are more comfortable about Multiplexes,shopping Malls and Crossover movies and the likes,where this "Circus" quite doesnt fit in and honestly we dont have Faltu time for such kind of "Gimmicks".
Life goes on. But as a Dreamer and as an Optimist I have this dream where ,oneday Vinoy Would be settled in his life in his hometown of Raipur and have his own stage where trained artists will be performing on stage different ancient forgotten Art form and his wife will be busy making his little prince ready for school .And if one is thinking of our Little princess,well she will also be in school and would be dreaming of becoming a doctor oneday and serve her people.
posted by cosmic clown at 28.9.06
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