Being all excited with my first post, I was on the look out for something good to blog and it seems like I have the Alchemist's 'beginner's luck' with this! Only a day had passed by, and I witnessed a wonder, a show I had witnessed never before. That very moment I knew what my next post would be. So, here it goes!
It had been a usual week at work and to everyone's delight, it was Friday. I was just about to plan something for the evening and that's when I noticed a rather unusual card lying in my wallet. A black card, hosting a lion's face. It said 'The Lion King, Friday, 7pm'. It was an invitation I had received a week back, from a friend of mine. Wrapping up work early, I made way towards the violin-shaped Chowdiah memorial hall that was hosting the show.
This was turning out to be a different Friday for me. A dinner with friends and a movie later generally make way to the evening agenda. I am not a fan of plays in general and hence I was not very sure how the experience was going to be. After a slightly rough ride to the hall, I met up with my friends who were hoping that the traffic would let me reach there in time. The atmosphere was cheerful and everyone was all smiles. Smiles have their own nuances. Some were reflecting a sense of achievement and some, a sense of respect. The show was about to begin and we grabbed our seats. On the seat, a small brochure greeted us and announced the cast of the play. It was going to be a stage adaptation of one of the most brilliant efforts in animation history - 'The Lion King'.
The curtains raised and a brilliant array of lights lit up the stage. It was the first scene and in the middle of the stage was Simba, a special one. I say he was special, for a reason. For it was not his limbs, but his mind, his heart which supported him. Yes, it was a show marking the silver jubilee of the 'Spastics Society of Karnataka' and it was its students who were performing the act. The wheel chair, making its place between him and the ground grabbed the first attention. But it took no time for Simba's presence and dialogues to shift my focus. My emotions were following the shift too. Pity gave its way to admiration and a heavy heart turned light as the show progressed. At one point, the wheel chairs just blended into the scene losing their semantic existence all together. The show went on and more special people introduced themsleves as lively characters on stage. It was turning out to be a great show and I was enjoying it thoroughly.
My level of involvement in the show had reached such a level that it was hard to believe the show had actually come to its end when it did. It was amazingly brilliant and more enchanting was the jubiliation of the kids performing. A standing ovation greeted the performers and the expression of achievement the kids had on their faces is inexplicable in words. We were then introduced to the woman behind the show, a free-lance show director who has spent 8 years of her life training such kids to perform on stage. A passion was visible in her eyes and in her words. She inspired a different outlook towards special people in the society and that has probably changed my perception of life in ways more than one.
Later in the evening, the performers of the show were still making rounds of the illusionary stage in my mind. They were making a point, about life. Its said that life is not fair and no one can change that fact. But what one can change is the approach to the underprivileged part of it. Its all about believing that there is a good approach and finding it. Once you have found the right approach, what follows is natural and just a part of you. It applies to all of us. Its visible in some cases and just implicit in others.
I have never seriously thought of doing charity in life but the bit I did by buying the ticket that day really made me feel good. From Saturday on, life caught up to its usual self but this show has definitely changed something inside me and the impact is there to stay. That evening went far in strengthening my belief in wonders!
It had been a usual week at work and to everyone's delight, it was Friday. I was just about to plan something for the evening and that's when I noticed a rather unusual card lying in my wallet. A black card, hosting a lion's face. It said 'The Lion King, Friday, 7pm'. It was an invitation I had received a week back, from a friend of mine. Wrapping up work early, I made way towards the violin-shaped Chowdiah memorial hall that was hosting the show.
This was turning out to be a different Friday for me. A dinner with friends and a movie later generally make way to the evening agenda. I am not a fan of plays in general and hence I was not very sure how the experience was going to be. After a slightly rough ride to the hall, I met up with my friends who were hoping that the traffic would let me reach there in time. The atmosphere was cheerful and everyone was all smiles. Smiles have their own nuances. Some were reflecting a sense of achievement and some, a sense of respect. The show was about to begin and we grabbed our seats. On the seat, a small brochure greeted us and announced the cast of the play. It was going to be a stage adaptation of one of the most brilliant efforts in animation history - 'The Lion King'.
The curtains raised and a brilliant array of lights lit up the stage. It was the first scene and in the middle of the stage was Simba, a special one. I say he was special, for a reason. For it was not his limbs, but his mind, his heart which supported him. Yes, it was a show marking the silver jubilee of the 'Spastics Society of Karnataka' and it was its students who were performing the act. The wheel chair, making its place between him and the ground grabbed the first attention. But it took no time for Simba's presence and dialogues to shift my focus. My emotions were following the shift too. Pity gave its way to admiration and a heavy heart turned light as the show progressed. At one point, the wheel chairs just blended into the scene losing their semantic existence all together. The show went on and more special people introduced themsleves as lively characters on stage. It was turning out to be a great show and I was enjoying it thoroughly.
My level of involvement in the show had reached such a level that it was hard to believe the show had actually come to its end when it did. It was amazingly brilliant and more enchanting was the jubiliation of the kids performing. A standing ovation greeted the performers and the expression of achievement the kids had on their faces is inexplicable in words. We were then introduced to the woman behind the show, a free-lance show director who has spent 8 years of her life training such kids to perform on stage. A passion was visible in her eyes and in her words. She inspired a different outlook towards special people in the society and that has probably changed my perception of life in ways more than one.
Later in the evening, the performers of the show were still making rounds of the illusionary stage in my mind. They were making a point, about life. Its said that life is not fair and no one can change that fact. But what one can change is the approach to the underprivileged part of it. Its all about believing that there is a good approach and finding it. Once you have found the right approach, what follows is natural and just a part of you. It applies to all of us. Its visible in some cases and just implicit in others.
I have never seriously thought of doing charity in life but the bit I did by buying the ticket that day really made me feel good. From Saturday on, life caught up to its usual self but this show has definitely changed something inside me and the impact is there to stay. That evening went far in strengthening my belief in wonders!
