He shall carry his own burden

Ramu and Krishna were more friends than cousins. Born as the sons of the two brothers in the same year, they were naturally together most of the times. They lived in the small beautiful town, situate on the banks of the river with fine and clear water flow, with the old dilapidated fort in the background. They went to school together, playing all the way through the mile long distance. Evenings were again spent together playing in the river bed and the trees lined on either banks of the river. What started in the morning walk to the school continued till evening when both were constrained to go to their respective houses, separated by a street.

Those were the days when there was no concept of pre-school education and private schools charging hefty donations. The faithful government schools were the only ones available, except in big cities that had some private schools. A child admitted to the first standard would go on till middle school or high school, depending on his family's value for education. There was a nominal fee to be paid each year and many households found it difficult to pay even that. There used to be only one book for study each year till fourth standard. The only subject to be studied till then was one's mother tongue. Note books were not used till middle school. Slates and chalk was the source for writing practice.

There were no note books but there was homework. The extent of homework was confined to the area on both sides of the slate. Writing down on both sides of the slate was not a big order, but keeping the writing safe till it was shown to the teacher was indeed tough. The regular homework occupied sometime for the students as the writing had to be legible and neat. There could be a beating on the knuckles from the wooden frame of the slate, if the writing was not neat. Of course, no parent would fight the teacher for such blows on their wards. Students generally used the clay slate, though tin slates were available. Tin slates were unbreakable and light, but clay slates were good for writing with chalk pieces.

Krishna had the practice of finishing the homework on the way back from the school. He would take a look on the road ahead and write a word on the slate before taking another look. Thus his homework would be finished by the time he reached home. Ramu was not used to this practice and did his homework only after reaching home, but before proceeding to the evening play on the banks of the river. On a particular day when Krishna called out to Ramu for the evening play, Ramu had not yet finished his homework and needed time to finish it. Krishna became impatient, snatched Ramu's slate and finished the homework and urged Ramu to accompany him for the evening outing. Ramu followed him and they had a good evening games round. They returned after sunset.

Ramu's father had students coming to his house in the evening for tuitions. When Ramu entered the house, all the students were already sitting with their books and slates. Ramu hurriedly joined them and sat down. Krishna was curious to know the reaction of his uncle when he saw Ramu's slate. He stayed near the door expectantly. His uncle checked all the slates and asked for Ramu's now. Ramu was hesitant to show. "Where is your slate, Ramu", his father asked for the second time. Ramu did not respond. His father raised his hand and immediately Ramu handed over the slate. His father recognized that the handwriting was not that of Ramu. "Who wrote this?", his father asked in a stern voice. Ramu looked at the door. His father saw Krishna standing there and beckoned him to come inside the house. Krishna was afraid, but followed instructions.

"Did you write in Ramu's slate?", his father asked. Krishna acknowledged by the shake of the head. A blow landed on his back before anyone realized what was happening. Krishna and Ramu were both in tears. Ramu's mother intervened before another blow could land on Krishna. Both Ramu and Krishna were taken into the kitchen by her. Tuition for others continued and concluded shortly.

"You have beaten Krishna today. His father has never beaten him in his life. If he comes to know of this, he will come to beat you", Ramu's mother told her husband. He had cooled down by this time. He called Krishna and Ramu to sit near him. "Why did you write in Ramu's slate?" asked Ramu's father. "I wanted to help him finish his homework fast", answered Krishna. "Do you think what you did is right?", the uncle asked Krishna. Krishna was in no position to reply. "What is the result of your action, do you understand? You have done your lessons twice whereas Ramu has not done it even once. You may get an extra mark in the examination, but Ramu could fail", he said. 

"What you did is not help. Instead of helping, it will put Ramu into more difficulty. He becomes lazy. Your idea of help is all wrong. You are welcome to help anyone. But help in studies does not mean doing their studies. Helping should be by way of making them do their studies on their own, but not doing their work. Each one should do his own studies, reading and writing. Each one should carry his own burden in life. There are no short cuts. You cannot walk someone's distance. You are too young to understand now, but both of you should remember this. This will help you in your future life", his uncle concluded. Ramu's mother had some sweets ready by this time. The blow Krishna received was somewhat softened now.

Krishna went home but never mentioned this to his parents. He was not prepared for receiving another blow from his father or watch a fight between his father and uncle. Decades later, he still remembers the lesson. Each one shall carry his own burden. There are no short cuts in life.

*****

There are many complaints about malpractices in various examinations. Many students believe that they are helping their fellow students when they allow them to copy from their answer books in the examination hall. They think that suggesting answers by gestures and symbols is a form of help extended to their friends. They believe it is a form of help when they log in proxy for their classmates using their user-ID and Passwords for doing their assignments. 

The lesson given by Ramu's father to young Krishna is even more relevant today. Each one should carry his own burden. There are no short cuts in life. Such help does more harm indeed. Yes, we should remember that "He shall carry his own burden".

Two Grandfathers; two approaches

She was quietly sitting there, watching her daughter taking part in the parade at school held on the occasion of "Grandparents Day". There were about 50 children in the parade and there were parents as well as grandparents. The parade concluded and all visitors moved to the area serving refreshments. We were on the same table now, sharing cup cakes and fruits. "Did your grandparents also attend such an event when you were in school?", I asked.

She was surprised at the question, but replied with a smile. "There was no celebration of "Grandparents day" in the days when I was in school", she said. After a moment she added, "I wish there was one".

"Do you have any memories of your Grandfather?" was my next question.

"Oh, I have many fond memories of both my granddads", she replied enthusiastically.

"Can you recall any of them?", I asked. What she recalled is in her own words.

*****

My maternal grandfather was a well known writer and social worker. He was associated with many organisations working at different levels. He would be busy, attending some event or the other every day. Whenever he was at home, there would a number of visitors. When we visited his house and he was free from all other activities, he had time for us, his grandchildren. He appeared very strict in his dealings with others and initially we were not very free with him. As we started growing up, we understood him better. He always dressed in white and was simple in his habits. He was also a very good speaker. When he spoke in the meetings and functions, there would be pin drop silence. As kids we did not understand what all he spoke, but it made us feel happy. His way of life taught us discipline in our daily lives. Towards the latter part of our association with him, we were more relaxed and played with him. 

He was a good cards player and allowed us to play with him. Children being associated with a card game was not liked in those days, but his view was different. He was firm in his conviction that any game on its own is not bad at all. It becomes bad only when betting and wagers were allowed to creep in. He held a view that playing cards sharpens one's brain and is good for growing children. Rules to be followed during the game were announced at the beginning and we were taught to follow the rules strictly. It was difficult to win while playing with him. But occasionally we won a game and it made us very happy. We later realised that at times he would deliberately let go a card needed by us to enable us to win a game. 

My paternal grandfather was a teacher and lived in a distant place. We saw him when we visited his place or when he visited us. He was a master storyteller and had a story for every occasion. There was never a dull moment when he was around. He had a joke or anecdote for all seasons. He was comfortable with any age group. Once I cooked a meal and served him. I wanted to know how he felt about it. I knew it was not like what my mother or my grandmother cooked. He silently had the meal and did not say anything. I was excited and asked him about his assessment of my cooking. "You have passed in first class. I gave you 60 per cent marks", he said. "When will I get more marks?", I asked. "You keep on improving and you will get higher marks", he said. With the urge to get better marks I took more interest in cooking. Once he gave me 90 marks and I was very happy. "Grandpa, when will I get hundred per cent?", I asked. " The maximum you get is 90 percent. Your mother gets 95 per cent.  Full marks are only for your grandmother!", he said smilingly.  

He taught me some popular games played in the villages. One of them was "HuliGhatta" or "Tiger and the goats". There were four tigers and goats used in the game. The goats have to restrict the movement of tigers to win. Tiger has to jump and kill goats to win. He would always win, irrespective of whether we chose to be tigers or goats. Once I told him that my other grandfather let go cards to enable us to win. "I want you to win on your own without any outside support. With practice you will win one day against me as well. Concentrate and practice hard. You will succeed", he said. He added mischievously, "If I let you win once, it will be easy for you thereafter. Once you start winning, you will never play with me!" 

*****

"Which of the two approaches was better, allowing you to win occasionally or making you win on your own?", I asked.

She thought for a moment and replied. "I feel both approaches were good in their own way. One believed in a small dose of encouragement to motivate to do better. The other approach taught that nothing came easy and one has to strive hard to achieve anything in life. I have learnt from both approaches and use it alternately to suit the occasions."

As we moved into the parking lot to board our respective cars, she looked back and said, "The two approaches were the two faces of the same coin. Weren't they?"

Instead of replying her question, I smiled and said: "Your grandson or granddaughter may give you full marks for cooking!"

I tend to agree with her view that both approaches of the grandfathers were two faces of the same coin.  Do you?   

My Fair Lady - the Play

George Bernard Shaw, the well known Irish playwright has the distinction of being the only Nobel-prize and Oscar winning person. "My Fair Lady" is a musical play based on his play "Pygmalion". It is said that Shaw wrote the play in 1912 and it was first staged in 1913, more than hundred years ago. It was a big hit and attracted wide approval. It became one of the all-time popular musical play in due course. Pygmalion is based in Greek mythology, about a sculptor who fell in love with his own carved statue. It refers to the phenomenon where higher expectations lead to higher performance. This higher expectation leading to higher performance is also known as Rosenthal effect, named after Professor of Psychology Robert Rosenthal who did extensive work on expectation-performance and non-verbal communication. It is believed that higher expectation of teachers leads to better performance of students.

When "My Fair Lady" was first staged by Broadway in 1956, Julie Andrews played the lead role of Eliza Doolittle with Rex Harrison as Professor Henry Higgins. This performance gave her much acclaim and led to further success in stage plays as well as films like Mary Poppins (1964) and Sound of Music (1965). When the stage play was produced as a film in 1964, Audrey Hepburn played the role of Eliza Doolittle while Rex Harrison was retained to play the role of Professor Higgins. The film was an outstanding success and is enjoyed by musical film lovers even today. It pocketed eight oscars (academy awards) including best picture, best actor and best director. It still attracts huge audience when presented on stage in different parts of the world. Songs like "I could have danced all night", "On the street where you live" and "Wouldn't it be loverly" became hugely popular with the audience. NewYork Times review called it as the "perfect musical".

The story of "My Fair Lady" revolves around a Cockney flower girl Eliza Doolittle and Professor of English Phonetics Henry Higgins. "Cockney English" refers to the accent or dialect of English traditionally spoken by working class Londoners. Higgins laments as to why many people do not talk proper English. He is of firm conviction that only the language separates classes and not money or customs. He wagers with another Phonetics scholar Colonel Pickering that he can turn Elizabeth Doolittle into a lady in six months by teaching her to speak properly. Colonel Pickering challenges Higgins to do so and agrees to bear the expenses of her training. An intensive training in speaking, dresses and mannerisms follows and Eliza comes out successful at the Embassy Ball. Eliza tells Higgins that she became lady not because of the teachings but due to the way Colonel Pickering treated her as a lady. Eliza finds that she cannot return to her old life now and Higgins cannot live without her as he has developed attachment to her. The play ends with the indication of a possible reconciliation between them.

Village Theatre is an organization dedicated to performing arts and functions from Issaquah, Washington state, USA. It's Francis J Gaudette Theatre in Issaquah, about 20 miles from the city of Seattle, presents stage plays regularly. The 35 year old 500 seater auditorium provides facilities such as sound proof family rooms for watching play (so that parents with small children can see plays with them, but not disturbing other theatre lovers), dressing rooms, rehearsal rooms, shops and other amenities. The theatre has staged over 85 musicals and also provides kid stage that offers theatre classes to children and youth in the age group of 3 years to 20 years through its art enrichment pre-school. Village Theatre is a popular destination for theatre lovers in its surroundings.

We were privileged to visit the auditorium last fortnight and see a performance of "My Fair lady", staged by a group of about 30 local artistes. The performance of the artistes on the stage was of a high standard and well supported by the music, light and sound. The three hour play was performed without wasting a minute. The stage provided for moveable fixed sets with real staircases, balconies, furniture and other physical displays. Change between scenes was effortless and quick. The entire performing team worked as a well-oiled machine and brought the true pleasure of watching a musical like "My Fair Lady". It was also great to watch many youngsters and senior citizens alike visiting the theatre and encouraging stage plays.       

Aspects of Love - The musical

We were in the "Walnut Street Theatre" in downtown Philadelphia and a visit to the oldest theatre in America would be incomplete without watching an actual performance on its stage.  We had no confirmed reservation and fell back upon the "Standby" ticketing system, which provides seats in case confirmed seat ticket holders do not show up before the doors to the auditorium close, for whatever reasons.  The show time was 8 PM and we were asked to wait in the lobby.  Just before the show was about to commence, we were allowed entry and advised to take the nearest available seats.  To our luck, we found excellent seats which may not have probably been available had we reserved in advance.

The play for the day was a musical, titled "Aspects of Love", based on a novel by David Garnett.  It is a romantic musical filled with passion, love and loss across three generations of a family and their companions, and is set against the background of 1940's France and Italy. Alex Dillingham, a young student traveling through France, falls in love with the alluring actress Rose Vibert. As the pair embark on a passionate affair, the unexpected arrival of Alex's uncle changes their lives forever. This is a love story spanning twenty years binding six people and three generations as they come to appreciate that "love changes everything." Andrew Lloyd Webber's soaring melodies touch our heart and make this an enjoyable musical evening.

The play unfolds in a total of 38 scenes, 21 before the intermission and 17 thereafter.  The places are Paris, a small theatre and a cafe in Montpelier in Southern France, Pau again in France, Venice, a military camp in Malaya, and in two Railway stations, inside a Railway compartment, a Circus, A Registry Office for Marriages, Back stage of a Grand Theatre in Paris and a Vineyard in Pau, besides inside a house in Pau.  The total impact of the play was highlighted by the use of the stage and arrangement of the sets, in pace with the movement of the story.  The moving stage area was perfectly and fully used to show the change in locations without any loss of time.  Though the action shifted from one place or location to the other, there were no interruptions  and wastage of time.  By the time one scene is completed, arrangement for the next set is completed behind the stage and the rotating movement of the stage brings the other part of the stage to the front,  before the actors move and enter from the other side.  In most of the drama we see, much of the effect is left to the imagination of the audience and the stage does not show the physical evidence of the time and place.  Here the actual items were physically present and together with the light effects and projection of slides took the audience to the time and place of action itself.  A subtle use of the projectors, optimum use stage space and the sets with appropriate lighting provided the total impact as if the action is actually happening in the location being mentioned as well as in the time period in which the action is said to be taking place. 

One of the scenes was in a Cafe in Montpelier immediately after a scene in a small theatre.  Just as the theatre scene ended, the rotating stage moved and there was a cafe ready with a mini bar with all the liquor bottles and glassware of different shapes and sizes, four tables as they use in a bistro, in its original Parisian incarnation of  a small restaurant serving moderately priced simple meals in a modest setting. As the main players went on with their actions on one of the tables, there was continuous action on the other three tables as well, with guests being given the Menu, waiters taking orders, wine and food being served, guests eating and drinking and bills being presented and paid.  If any spectator is watching the other tables only, ignoring the main characters, it was a bistro at regular and brisk business.  The other players like the customers and  waiters moved in and out unobtrusively and without affecting the movement of the main characters.  There were three bedroom scenes in the play and there were in actual three different full size cots, a wooden double cot with a bed and accessories, a steel double cot with accessories and a bed and a child's bed for the child artiste.  In a Green Room scene, there was a regular big mirror, all the make up material and an actual ten feet tall wardrobe with three to four dozen different dresses in them!  When a person had to enter a room, the entry was through a 15 feet high decorated door as we see in Paris and Europe.  The Circus scene was full with men, women and children holding balloons, a juggler with his hat-trick show,  two artistes making jumping scenes and a full range balloon shooting outfit with rifles for shooting balloons and toys and stuffed rabbits being given away as prizes. A scene for serving breakfast actually consisted of a servant bring in a breakfast tray with regular breakfast items and coffee pots.  The railway station scene brought the full effect of Gare Du Nord station in Paris by a subtle projection of the ceilings of the station and other fittings giving an impression that we are actually revisiting the station.  

The total effect of all the above has a considerable impact on the viewer and enhances the experience.  It is possible to bring any effect in a movie, but considering the limitations of space and time available to a drama troupe, the effort was a display of dramatic excellence at its best.  

Among the forthcoming plays this season are "The King and I" (remember the film by the same name with Yul Brynner and Deborah Kerr), "The Mousetrap" and two other musicals.  We did enjoy every moment of our visit to the "Walnut Street Theatre" as well as the show "Aspects of Love".

Agatha Christie's Black Coffee

George Bernard Shaw, the famous Irish playwright and one of the founders of London School of Economics, once sent two complimentary tickets for the first show of his stage play to Winston Churchill. Shaw was known to be very bitter and sarcastic in his criticism and though many prominent personalities admired him, they also disliked him. A note attached to the tickets said, "Please bring along a friend, if you have one". Winston Churchill returned the tickets with a note "Unable to attend the first show due to other engagements. But I will definitely come to the second show, if there is one".

It was certainly not for the play "The Mousetrap". The Mousetrap, written by Agatha Christie opened at the  Ambassador Theater in West Street, Near Charing Cross Road in London on 25th November 1952, before many of us were born, and is still running! It ran till its 21st anniversary in 1973 at this theater and, due to higher demand for tickets, moved to the bigger next door St. Martins Theater thereafter. A visitor to London can see the play even now by buying a ticket for 45 to 60 Pounds. The play has been staged over an astounding  24,000 times and still attracts houseful shows. Three generation of actors have acted in the play and David Raven holds the Guinness world record for appearing in 4575 shows as Major Metcalf and  earned the title of  "Most Durable Actor".  

Agatha Christie, who lived between 1890-1976 wrote 66 detective novels and 14 short story collections besides stage plays. She also wrote lesser known romances under the name Mary Westmacott.  Her novels have been translated to over 100 languages and claim over a billion readers all over the world. Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple, two characters created by her have been very popular with crime story readers. Her stories always ring with authenticity as she has used the familiar surroundings and places she actually visited in her life time, as a setting for her books and plays. Many of her novels have been enacted on stage as well as made into movies. Some of the stories like "Death on the Nile", "Murder on the Orient Express" and "4.50 From Paddington" have been made into movies many times over. 

When our host informed us that the play "Black coffee" was being enacted by the neighborhood Newtown Arts Company during this week and we can see if we are interested, we jumped at the offer. The offer was made at 6 PM for a show to start at 8 PM.  Tickets were available and booked over phone. When the actual place of the show was located on Google, it turned out that the place was not so neighborly and 60 miles away.  Just for orientation, it is like traveling from Mandya to Bangalore. After an early supper we stated at 6.45 PM and our journey itself was a suspense adventure, considering the evening traffic. Theater officials are very strict here and close the doors of the hall two minutes before the start of the show. We had only an hour to travel, find a parking place and go over to the theater for collecting the tickets. When delayed for catching a flight or train we hope that the plane or train is also late. Here there was no such hope. When we parked the car it was exactly 8 PM and we had no hopes of getting in. The theater manager realized that we had traveled far and made us an offer. He would allow us inside but we will not get the original seats allotted to us, but the nearest to aisle so that other guests were not disturbed. We accepted the offer and in the bargain got probably better seats. Total seating capacity of the theater was about 300 and well maintained. The play had just begun and probably only three minutes were lost. Only the first three characters had entered the stage.

"Black Coffee" is the first play written by Agatha Christie and produced initially in 1930. This first piece  launched a successful second career for her as a playwright.  Hercule Poirot and his friend Arthur Hastings are summoned to visit a famous physicist, Sir Claud Amory, but they discover on their arrival that he has been murdered. The plot revolves around a stolen formula for manufacture of explosives, with Poirot deducing which of Sir Claud's house guests/family members is the killer.  The action unfolds in the library of Sir Claude Amory's estate at Abbot's Cleve, about twenty-five miles from London, less than half the distance we traveled to see the show. 

I came to know some interesting facts about Agatha Christie at the theater :

• She worked as a Nurse during the First World War at a hospital in her home town. She liked the profession and called it one of the most rewarding professions that anyone can follow".  The job influenced   her much and many of the murders in her books and plays, including "Black Coffee", are carried out with poison.
• In 1930 she wrote in her diary that "Poirot was insufferable and an egocentric creep", about a character created by herself.
• She wrote her autobiography and it was published after her death because Christie told the Publishers, "If anybody writes about my life in future, I'd rather they got the facts right!"
• Her tombstone reads: "Sleep after toyle, port after stormie seas. Ease after war, death after life, does greatly please".   

The show lasted for two and a half hours and was well acted and conveyed the heart of the plot in clear terms. The trade mark mustache of Hercule Poirot was there and we thoroughly enjoyed the show. The artistes and the Director received standing ovation at the conclusion of the play.

"Mousetrap" did not get  fit into our calendar.  We at least got Black Coffee!