Sunday, January 14, 2007

…And all the men and women, merely players

They say life comes full circle eventually. Only in this case, I suppose this eventuality occurs every week. Here we are again, at a distance of 7 days from the last post. The fading sounds of this weekend’s beating retreat.
I sometimes don’t believe the curtain has to rise. I mean, hold on… can’t you see, we are still fixing the fucking footlights… And the mikes, and the sound system, and the violin whose bow is missing again. I don’t know what I am going to sing when I am on the stage once more. Where’s the goddamn song? Where are all the actors? Where is my dress rehearsal? More importantly, where is my dress?
Where is my mask that I need to put on? Still lying broken in places, from last week’s overuse. And from all the acid the audience threw on it. In anger or desperation, I would not know. Maybe they wanted to know what I was hiding. Maybe they just didn’t like the contraption itself. But do you know what’s the worst part of wearing a mask? Apart from your makeup going waste (which perhaps, is trivial), your mirror fails to recognize you.
This is how it feels every time the doors finally close and as the last late entrants among the audience have stumbled into their numbered chairs. That’s when you start missing the musician who met with a heart attack yesterday. And the director who met with a road accident. And the script-writer who met with a writer’s block…
And as the players assemble to enact, you find yourself feigning ignorance for some, and recognition for others, as your eyes search through the holes of their masks.

Welcome home, ladies and gentlemen. Let the show begin…

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Boss,

Please excuse my ignorance, but I couldn't comprehend the head or the tail of your post... Usually it is your choice of words that make me spend half an hour on dictionary.com. But this one, is above and beyond any comprehension.

So please be kind enough to write something which lesser mortals, two legged humanoids like me can understand.

~Alok

Sharad said...

All I am trying to say in this post is that on a number of occasions, we have to act out what we are actually not (i.e. we become actors with masks). Simple :)

NK said...

hmm Ok thats true ..that on a number of occasions we have to become actors with masks...but for how long one can survive wearing it..may be for 1 min. or 1 whole day or for 1 whole month..but not for 1 whole life I beleive or may be...for how long can ones true self breathe under the burden of tht mask....Isn't it so tht if one just always be what one actually is, then life becomes less complex and more enjoyable...wht do u say... :)

Sharad said...

Precisely the point... if only we have to be what we really want to be...