IIt was my love for the English language that got me admitted to the University College, Thiruvananthapuram. Plus, it was just a five-minute walk from my house. And two of my family members were already in college – my father as a professor and my older sister a postgraduate student.
During my second year in college, its women’s club decided to hold a festival. The line-up consisted of a tableau, a folk dance, a group song and a play. There were four prizes to be grabbed, and the identities of the judges were kept secret.
The students were selected for their talent for dance, song and skit. Since I didn’t have any special talent, I got the role of Goddess Saraswati in Jhanki. My only asset was my long hair that almost reached my ankles. As for my look, the secretary consoled me, saying, “Don’t worry, the makeup wizard will turn you into a beautiful goddess.” I didn’t tell anyone at home that I was attending the event. I wanted it to be a surprise.
D-Day arrived, and all the participants gathered in the Green Room at 1 pm. Grabbing a bag full of his magic potions, the makeup went to the magician.
The first object was the tableau, I was his first victim. “So are you Goddess Saraswati? Once I make you, the real goddess will be jealous of you too,” he said. After finishing his work, triumphantly glanced, he took a mirror out of his bag and looked at my face. I almost fainted at the face that was staring back at me. I looked like the pink goddess printed on the calendar.
By 3 pm, the stage of the tableau was prepared. I crawled into an artificial lotus with two co-stars. One of them kneeled on my left side, holding a brass plate filled with lotus petals. The other girl was leaning behind me with her pink hands, which made it look like I had four hands like a goddess. Sweet music was played and the first girl slowly started sprinkling petals on my feet. The front line was occupied by the heads of departments and the principal. To my surprise, I saw my father there. I thought that heavy makeup would hide my identity not only for my father but for the rest of the people as well.
Suddenly, I heard someone in the audience saying, “Saraswati is not breathing, I am sure she has turned into an idol.” The comment made me feel that my role was really successful.
kind of victory
Tableau was adjusted to second best. Eight out of nine judges gave This is the first place. The one who was not there was my father. She recognized me despite the heavy make-up. I still regret that I didn’t tell him that I was participating in the show. He certainly would have excused himself from judging. Hearing the result, two of my co-stars stared at me. Even after all these years he never forgave me. All three of us are grandmothers now!
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