I seem to have a habit of getting
to the extremity of my emotional self by missing people whom, with the course
of time, I have come to like more than I thought I liked and then write a blog
post. [;-) :-P] I hated the people of Delhi so badly during the initial months
of my stay there, reasons were many! I kept wondering, why of all places I
always wanted to be in Delhi? Was it because my paternal family has been residing
there for decades now or was it because I couldn’t resist being somewhere else
given the fact that my brother landed up in Delhi? Questions were many with a simple
answer- It was just the curious mind of a little girl who visited her grandparents
every summer in Delhi but never actually got to see and explore the city!
Now having spent almost a year in
Delhi, people at my hometown ask me how I like the place. And I find it hard to
answer. Like I said I hated being in Delhi in the beginning and now I am longing
to go back to that place. I say to them, after a certain thought, that now I am
in love with Delhi.
It is not the beautifully
designed historical monuments that attract me, it is not the crowded Connaught place
that attracts me, it is not the underground metros that I love travelling in
attract me, it is not the food courts of the malls or the chat streets that keep
me attracted! What keeps me attached to Delhi is the Dramatics Society of my
college, Ram Lal Anand - HASRATEIN!
Being a part of drama society had
always been on the top of my bucket list which got struck off not so easily. I
had no experience in acting and I still suffer from acute stage fright. My
journey in Hasratein marked the beginning of my happiness at Delhi. For the
first time I met a group of people who did not ask my caste as soon as they
came to know my name. That attracted me the most because ‘CASTE’ was something
really important to the people I initially met there. (I still do not
understand why!)
The warm ups before the practice
actually took the ‘tiny amount’ of stamina out of me and I was hardly left with
any energy to be my usual ‘chatter chatter’ self. Even though the people there
were all welcoming, I couldn’t make myself to be comfortable with them. I totally adore them not only for their acting skills but also for the personality they carried. I got the nick name 'Cadbury' by one of the senior members of the society and I completely love being called so.
As the time passed, I looked
forward for the classes to get over so that I could get to the practice. The
scorching heat, the thorny dried grasses, the dirty clothes after the practice
in college ground, my parents’ constant suggestion to quit dramatics because it
left me drained out at the end of the day, my unstable health conditions were
some drawbacks that I faced. And I remember shouting back at my parents over
the phone that no matter what happens; I am not leaving the society- not now
not ever! Yes, I meant every single word. This was something I really wanted to
be a part of.
Even though I did not know how to
act I was learning. If it were not for Hasratein then I wouldn’t have bothered
to think about the India-Pakistan partition and prostitution which were the themes of
the play ‘SORRY’ which for some reasons couldn’t be enacted. Euthanasia wasn’t even
a word in my world even though it is one of the major social issues though not
much talked about. It was our play ‘Deergh Aayu Bhawa’ that made me think about
and understand the concept of Euthanasia and Death with Dignity.
I hate getting wet in rain but practicing
for our first performance of the year completely drenched in rain was a
wonderful moment. (People who have known my hatred for rain wouldn’t
believe it but it is true.) I was utterly sad when the whole Hasratein went for
the IIT, Khadagpur Spring fest leaving me behind. It was my choice to stay back
considering my 'then' health problems. I remember waking up every morning with a
gloomy mood and talking to my roommate just about Hasratein. I am not leaving
any such opportunity in future. Days passed by and with every practice, I fell in love
with the team which eventually became family!
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| Hasratein performing 'Deergh Aayu Bhawa' at IIT, Kharagpur. |
The warm ups, continuous run
throughs, the last minute improvisations, the kattas during the play, the
bakchodi during the breaks, the repeated practice of the songs from 'suno dekho to gali gali ab sheher sheher', the bread
pakodas and samoses, the one lunch box being shared by 15 people, the Razia and Samim (the characters of our stage play Lakeer), the grudge
round and every single moment that I spent with Hasratein in last one year has been precious. Hasratein
was the reason why I smiled in Delhi. I feel sad about not having given my 100% to
the society, but I am glad I am still in there.
It’s been more than 48 hours that
I have been longing to go back to college and meet these awesome people who
have been a crucial part of my life in such a less time! Making a status update on
facebook couldn’t bring peace to my mind, I hope now with this blog post my
mind comes to rest though not missing Hasratein is still out question! [ ;-) ]
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| Hasratein 2013! |
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