A Cup of Tea

(1) A Box of Sweets

[ Written for the event 'Glitters of Diwali - November 2023' hosted by AmbassadorsIN ]

[ Chosen prompt :

Prompt 3 —

"Soan Papdi is a given in Diwali but who knew that a box of Soan Papdi from an unexpected person was all that you needed to bring back the light on your face." ]

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I was sitting at the table and chewing my pen. I took the pen out of my mouth and observed it carefully. No, I am not a philosopher. I just like to waste my time. I keep procrastinating and then keep cursing myself for doing that at the same time.

It had been three months. I had to write a new play for the theatre. Trust me, it is an exhausting job. I was playing with the pen in my hand when I heard a sound.

"You're my pumpkin pumpkin,
Hello honey bunny
I am your dumpling dumpling,
Hello honey bunny
Feeling something something,
Hello honey bunny honey bunny toko toko
You're my pumkin pumpkin,
Hello honey bunny......"

It was my phone's ringtone. You might recall singing this song a few years ago when there were advertisements of 'Idea network' on the idiot box.

I don't use an Idea sim card but still, I had that song as my phone's ringtone. You might wonder, "Is that what a grown man does?" In response, I can only nod my head in affirmation.

I received the phone as it was the call of the owner of the theatre group.

"Hello"

"Virendra??"

"Yes, that's me."

"So...when will the play be ready?"

"...Aaaa... I'm still working on it. It will be finished by next week."

"Didn't you say the same thing last month?"

"Dinesh Sahab, the work is in progress. It will surely be over by next week."

"I have waited long enough. I can't keep waiting for the whole year. If you aren't capable of doing that, I will find someone else who is capable."

"I promise... I will surely hand over the script to you next week...Dinesh Sahab...Hello? Hello? Hello?"

I realised that he had disconnected the call. I kept the phone on the table and sighed.

Dinesh Sahab owned the 'Damini Theatres' and used to direct all the plays that were performed by that theatre group. You can say that he was very successful in this field. At the same time, he was very strict. He wanted everything in a way which suited his taste. I am not saying that he has a bad taste, but altering the story and making amends in my script is one of the things that I hate the most. Why? Because just like that man, I too want everything to happen according to my wish.

Dinesh Sahab is an artist. But still, he refuses to acknowledge the plight of a writer like me. How should I make him understand that writers cannot write as and when they want? Writing is a form of worship. The books, the pen, the paper, the ink, all of them are living beings with lives of their own. We cannot force them to do something which they do not want.

Each and every character of a play is very dear to the playwright. Why? Because a character takes birth not from the womb of a woman, but from the mind of a playwright. And the dialogues are born out of the playwright's thoughts and experiences.