My batch joined CMC Vellore in 1969, which meant that in August 2019 we had our silver jubilee reunion in Vellore. All of us were between 65 and 70 years old. Everyone had some ailment or other, a constant pricking thorn in the side, boxes of medication, one of us even carried a cane.
That did not deter us. As students, we had often shouted: "We are the best batch." We actually believed it.
We were determined to make our entertainment memorable. We hired a dance teacher and gave him several instructions.
"No balancing on one leg. No jumping. No violent twisting movements. Not more than six different steps."
The last instruction was too much for him.
"Why no more than six steps?"
"We can't remember," I said, "we are too old."
He muttered, "My grandmother is 58, and she sits in front of the TV all day."
He seemed to think we should do likewise. Perhaps carry a projector on stage?
Needless to say, he quit.
We found another teacher from the Xpress Dance Academy. He decided that teaching us was a challenge.
It really was. People were all over the world. The dance video was sent to them on Whats App.
They all lied to their teeth about practice. Some didn't even look at the video. The women did though, and most of them practised.
On the final day, the men developed right to left disorientation. Many tried to hide in the back. One did not come up on stage at all. Two of them started arguing on stage while the dance was going on, whether it was move left or right. They bumped into the adjacent woman who was doing it correctly. One man managed to reach backstage and had to dance back on again.
The dance master asked to see the video. Reluctantly I showed it to him. He started guffawing and zooming in on the bloopers.
"Can I have a copy?" He asked. "It's very nice".
I looked at him in disbelief.
"You know I run a local TV channel called Xpress TV?"
"Yes," I said.
" Sometimes We don't get enough advertisements. We need comedy clips as fillers. If you don't mind."
Fame in any form works I guess.
http://velloretimes.blogspot.in/
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