Sangeeta pursed her lips in contemplation as she stared at her wardrobe – full of rows and rows of expensive sarees, dresses and kurtas. She ran her fingers down the rich folds of kanjeevaram silk, tussar and brocade and gave a sigh of regret. Unfortunately with her advancing years, it would soon be not seemly for her to be seen in such vibrant colours. She would have to opt for softer shades. Her regret was that she did not have a daughter to whom she could pass on her exquisite collection. She opened the drawer of her dressing table to peep into her cosmetic box. Her collection of lipsticks was renowned in the family. There was not a shade which was not in there. Maroon, violet, black, gold and all shades of the rainbow! How she loved to spend her time decked up in all her finery. Her love for clothes and cosmetics was only second to her love for the theatre and cinema. She had been a fine actress during her college days, starring in all the lead roles of her college and university plays. She had even had a chance, a rare opportunity to study drama at the London School of drama at one time. But sadly her conservative family had not agreed to this at the time, and she was too timid to protest about it. Just after her graduation she had been married off- a respectable match with her husband chosen by her family. Nowdays she still waited for the festivals when plays would be staged where she could once again show off her histrionic skills.
“ Hi, Ma,” Shravan, Sangeeta’s college going son came into the room with a melancholy expression on his face, nursing his left arm which was encased in bandage and clearly injured.
“What happened Shravan? How did you get injured”, Sangeeta said, with a horrified expression on her face. “Weren’t you supposed to be in the tryouts of the basketball competition at your college?”
“Yes, Ma, that’s where it happened-the accident-I fell down”. Now no more athletics for a month now!” said Shravan with a glum expression. “Now God knows how I will make the extracurricular grades to get into the US University”, I was banking on playing in the finals of the badminton championships to get a certificate!” . He looked at his mother morosely.
Sangeeta thought about this for a while wondering how to lift him out of his gloomy mood. Her son Shravan was extremely fond of all sports and had also set his heart on going to US in the fall on a scholarship. “Now that basketball is ruled out, why don’t you take up some dramatics activities in your college? Extracurricular activities can involve theatre and drama as well, right?”, she asked him, “ if you get selected for the main role in the college play, you can make the grade as well, can’t you? “ she asked him.
“Oh no, that I can’t, “ said Shravan with a disgusted expression on his face.
“As you know our college is males only. Still they are doing the mythological play –Mahabharat where a lot of female characters are pivotal as well. All the male roles in the play are already selected, only some female parts are still to be finalised,” he said, “ and surely you don’t expect me to try for those, Ma!”he said sounding shocked.
“Why, not?” said Sangeeta. “ Acting as a female will not make you one. It’s there in your genes- I used to do drama in school and college. I am sure I could give you some pointers if you are selected for a part. There is no harm in doing a female part. In fact a good actor should be able to play the part of any character convincingly- whether male or female. And in Shakespeare’s time the best actors got the female roles you know!” she said enthusiastically trying to convince him. Sangeeta was thinking that here was her opportunity to mentor her son. Through his growing years it was mainly his father whom Shravan had turned to for advice on his studies, sports and hobbies. Although he loved her dearly she had a feeling that he looked down upon her for feminine love of finery, cosmetics and jewellery. Now would be her chance to tutor him, teach him that art was not something to scoff at. It required brains and intelligence to become a good actor just as sports required discipline and rigour. In fact she was happy that a hidden facet of her son’s character would be come out of this adversity.
Shravan stared at her angrily and said, “there you go again about your song and drama! I don’t have any interest in these things and I never will” he shouted . “I think drama is stupid, dressing up is stupid and even your lipsticks are stupid! “, he stormed taking out all his anger and frustration on his mother.
Well, then forget about getting a US scholarship Shravan”, said Sangeeta, with rising anger, “as clearly you don’t deserve it”.
Shravan walked out of the room in an angry huff leaving Sangeeta perplexed and sorry for him at once. He had taken totally after his dad- interested only in masculine activities like sports and athletics scoffing at anything remotely feminine or emotional. It was impossible to convince him. How she missed having a daughter! She missed talking about clothes, cosmetics and spicy gossip. All they ever discussed as a family were cricket scores and football.
Shravan’s anger had not died down as yet. In fact it had only increased when he thought about how close he had been to getting that US scholarship. How stupid of him to get hurt at this time. He was feeling angry with his mother because she had taunted him about not getting the scholarship. How stupid of her to suggest that he play a female role. He imagined his friends laughing at him decked out in his mother’s saree, wearing her lipstick and became angrier. He decided to teach her a lesson. He went into her bedroom after peeping into the drawing room to ensure she was still there. He opened her dressing table drawer and took all her prized lipsticks and put them in a black garbage bag. “Serve her right for being so fond of these stupid things”, he thought to himself. He then went stealthily to his room and hid the bag in his cupboard. “I’ll just wait to see the fun when she screams and shouts on not finding them,” he thought to himself. “Then, I’ll give them back to her”.
Next morning there was a hue and cry when Sangeeta discovered all her lipsticks gone from her dresser. Shravan, who had spent the night and most of the morning in deep slumber from his injuries woke up rubbing his eyes and feeling guilty as well as foolish for his stupid act. He immediately went to his cupboard, but to his horror he found that the black garbage bag had vanished. He ran helter skelter to the kitchen asking the maid Janakamma there “Did you clean my cupboard?”. Yes, said the maid righteously, “ I found a lot of garbage which I threw out, “ she said. “Oh NO ! said Shravan”, clutching his head in misery. “Now what will I do when Ma, finds out?”
And find out she did. Shravan was very severely chastised by both his parents when they found out about his misdeeds. Sangeeta even stopped talking to him. Shravan was most upset at this because of course he had never expected this to happen. All the troubles in the world seemed to have found him at once. He started to think deeply about the idea given to him by Sangeeta. She had only suggested it to help him get into a good college, have a good career. She was the one person who gave him good advice and had his best interests at heart. It seemed unfair to him that he might miss out on a good scholarship only because he didn’t like drama. So what if his stupid friends laughed at him a little! He would have the last laugh when he was sitting on the plane to US where they had the best facilities for sports. How jealous they would be of him. What was the harm in trying out for a part? He might not get chosen after all! In this frame of mind he appeared for the auditions of the college play.
His mother walked into the room just as he was about to apply her new lipstick. She was startled. “What are you doing with my lipstick? It’s new.... I haven’t used it so far. Couldn’t you have waited?” He smiled and handed it back to her. “I forgot to tell you.... I am playing Draupadi in our college production.....rehearsals start this evening.”
“ Hi, Ma,” Shravan, Sangeeta’s college going son came into the room with a melancholy expression on his face, nursing his left arm which was encased in bandage and clearly injured.
“What happened Shravan? How did you get injured”, Sangeeta said, with a horrified expression on her face. “Weren’t you supposed to be in the tryouts of the basketball competition at your college?”
“Yes, Ma, that’s where it happened-the accident-I fell down”. Now no more athletics for a month now!” said Shravan with a glum expression. “Now God knows how I will make the extracurricular grades to get into the US University”, I was banking on playing in the finals of the badminton championships to get a certificate!” . He looked at his mother morosely.
Sangeeta thought about this for a while wondering how to lift him out of his gloomy mood. Her son Shravan was extremely fond of all sports and had also set his heart on going to US in the fall on a scholarship. “Now that basketball is ruled out, why don’t you take up some dramatics activities in your college? Extracurricular activities can involve theatre and drama as well, right?”, she asked him, “ if you get selected for the main role in the college play, you can make the grade as well, can’t you? “ she asked him.
“Oh no, that I can’t, “ said Shravan with a disgusted expression on his face.
“As you know our college is males only. Still they are doing the mythological play –Mahabharat where a lot of female characters are pivotal as well. All the male roles in the play are already selected, only some female parts are still to be finalised,” he said, “ and surely you don’t expect me to try for those, Ma!”he said sounding shocked.
“Why, not?” said Sangeeta. “ Acting as a female will not make you one. It’s there in your genes- I used to do drama in school and college. I am sure I could give you some pointers if you are selected for a part. There is no harm in doing a female part. In fact a good actor should be able to play the part of any character convincingly- whether male or female. And in Shakespeare’s time the best actors got the female roles you know!” she said enthusiastically trying to convince him. Sangeeta was thinking that here was her opportunity to mentor her son. Through his growing years it was mainly his father whom Shravan had turned to for advice on his studies, sports and hobbies. Although he loved her dearly she had a feeling that he looked down upon her for feminine love of finery, cosmetics and jewellery. Now would be her chance to tutor him, teach him that art was not something to scoff at. It required brains and intelligence to become a good actor just as sports required discipline and rigour. In fact she was happy that a hidden facet of her son’s character would be come out of this adversity.
Shravan stared at her angrily and said, “there you go again about your song and drama! I don’t have any interest in these things and I never will” he shouted . “I think drama is stupid, dressing up is stupid and even your lipsticks are stupid! “, he stormed taking out all his anger and frustration on his mother.
Well, then forget about getting a US scholarship Shravan”, said Sangeeta, with rising anger, “as clearly you don’t deserve it”.
Shravan walked out of the room in an angry huff leaving Sangeeta perplexed and sorry for him at once. He had taken totally after his dad- interested only in masculine activities like sports and athletics scoffing at anything remotely feminine or emotional. It was impossible to convince him. How she missed having a daughter! She missed talking about clothes, cosmetics and spicy gossip. All they ever discussed as a family were cricket scores and football.
Shravan’s anger had not died down as yet. In fact it had only increased when he thought about how close he had been to getting that US scholarship. How stupid of him to get hurt at this time. He was feeling angry with his mother because she had taunted him about not getting the scholarship. How stupid of her to suggest that he play a female role. He imagined his friends laughing at him decked out in his mother’s saree, wearing her lipstick and became angrier. He decided to teach her a lesson. He went into her bedroom after peeping into the drawing room to ensure she was still there. He opened her dressing table drawer and took all her prized lipsticks and put them in a black garbage bag. “Serve her right for being so fond of these stupid things”, he thought to himself. He then went stealthily to his room and hid the bag in his cupboard. “I’ll just wait to see the fun when she screams and shouts on not finding them,” he thought to himself. “Then, I’ll give them back to her”.
Next morning there was a hue and cry when Sangeeta discovered all her lipsticks gone from her dresser. Shravan, who had spent the night and most of the morning in deep slumber from his injuries woke up rubbing his eyes and feeling guilty as well as foolish for his stupid act. He immediately went to his cupboard, but to his horror he found that the black garbage bag had vanished. He ran helter skelter to the kitchen asking the maid Janakamma there “Did you clean my cupboard?”. Yes, said the maid righteously, “ I found a lot of garbage which I threw out, “ she said. “Oh NO ! said Shravan”, clutching his head in misery. “Now what will I do when Ma, finds out?”
And find out she did. Shravan was very severely chastised by both his parents when they found out about his misdeeds. Sangeeta even stopped talking to him. Shravan was most upset at this because of course he had never expected this to happen. All the troubles in the world seemed to have found him at once. He started to think deeply about the idea given to him by Sangeeta. She had only suggested it to help him get into a good college, have a good career. She was the one person who gave him good advice and had his best interests at heart. It seemed unfair to him that he might miss out on a good scholarship only because he didn’t like drama. So what if his stupid friends laughed at him a little! He would have the last laugh when he was sitting on the plane to US where they had the best facilities for sports. How jealous they would be of him. What was the harm in trying out for a part? He might not get chosen after all! In this frame of mind he appeared for the auditions of the college play.
His mother walked into the room just as he was about to apply her new lipstick. She was startled. “What are you doing with my lipstick? It’s new.... I haven’t used it so far. Couldn’t you have waited?” He smiled and handed it back to her. “I forgot to tell you.... I am playing Draupadi in our college production.....rehearsals start this evening.”
