My First Performance on the Stage:

In grade 8, I participated in my first ever play as an actor. We were competing to be in the school play for our annual gathering event. I auditioned along with many other students, and I was selected as I was fit well into one of the characters; my voice was suited for that role.  A few of my best friends also got selected, which made me more excited.

We prepared well by rehearsing after school. Our teacher was good at teaching us basic acting skills for performing on stage. We did the look test for each artist, and then did a final rehearsal in costume. It was, overall, a good experience for everyone; plus, a bonus was all of the good tips from other actors and friends.

On the day of our gathering, I played the role of a father of a young girl. My costume was an Indian dhoti, jacket, Maharashtrian-style turban, and a big, thick mustache. I even colored my hair grey to look old enough.

The stage was all set, and the audience excitedly sat in our school auditorium. We started the play with great energy and enthusiasm. My daughter in the play was my friend Gopal, who was playing a double role: a boy and a girl. In the first half of the play, Gopal was wearing a girl's costume; a kind of long skirt (Indian ghagra) and a top. The play was going awesome, and the audience was enjoying the gripping story.

At one point, Gopal had to exit the stage and re-enter as a boy. He went backstage and began removing the ghagra, which was tied with a thick string (nada). At a certain point, he could not remove the knot as it was tied very tightly. Time was passing by quickly, and the audience was expectating the entrance of a new character. Our teacher, and the backstage team, saw Gopal struggling. They went running and began helping him out, but it was no use.

Meanwhile, on stage we were waiting for Gopal's grand entry, but Gopal could not be seen near the stage. So I glanced backstage and realized that the situation was really worrying. Uff!! And we were sweating!! So,  all the actors on the stage decided to add one quick scene to our play to continue the sequence and keep entertaining our audience. We began searching for Gopal in the audience and asking questions to the actors on stage. Have you seen Gopal? Have you seen Gopal?  We were counting the time by simultaneously looking at the clock and asking God to send Gopal on time; the audience was laughing about the’ slow motion’ performance of everyone on the stage.

Phew!! Backstage, after a lot of struggle, our teacher somehow managed to open the string knot, and Gopal entered the stage with an awesome boyish look, taking in compliments from the crowd. The play which was supposed to be a serious one turned into a comedy show!! The audience started laughing uncontrollably, which showed that they were enjoying the performance. We continued our play, and after sometime, somehow finished it.

It seemed that all our friends and teachers too enjoyed our performance, but I enjoyed it the most, being one of the main character of the play.

Now was the time to breathe deep, as it was the time for prize distribution. Remembering God, hands completely sweating, and heart beats running faster than ever, we unexpectedly were announced the first prize winners for our play. We were looking at each other with our mouths wide open!! It was an achievement for all. We laughed a lot (till our stomachs growled!!) after taking the prize.

Later, whenever we met in groups, we remembered that cherished moment.

Life is full of moments; good and bad. We remember the good ones and laugh at them. I want to go back on the stage and perform that play again with all my best friends!! I want to see that string again which made us laugh and gave us the do or die situation!!

I want to color all my wonderful black and white memories from my childhood!!