Its been a month that I chanced upon the magical world of Manik and Nandini. It's such a pity that the personal equations between the cast turned so sour that an epic story of love and friendship had to untimely die out. However, I feel they (Manik...
One look at Nandini, and Manik knew there was no point in asking her anything. She was in a bigger shock than him.
He would have felt bad for any other person in a similar situation, but to see Nandini and her tiny tots go through this was painful almost to the point of chocking. She had been so excited about it, they had worked so hard for one whole month..
Manik started stroking his chin 'Think Manik, think... you got to do something real quick, you can't let this happen'
An idea struck him. He walked up to Nandini and told her "Nandini, go to the EMCEE (meeting coordinator) and tell her, your team will perform last."
Nandini was still in a trance. Whatever Manik was trying to tell her wasn't getting registered in her mind. She gave him a blank look, without a word or a gesture.
"Nandini!!!" He shook her with both hands
As if coming back to senses, Nandini flinched. He cupped her face and looking straight into her eyes, he spoke softly to her "Listen to me Nandu, do as I say ok, go to the EMCEE and tell her to rearrange the sequence and give you the last slot."
"But Manik..." Her eyes had begun to well up.
"Do you trust me? " He asked with utmost sincerity. To Manik, this question & its impending answer had a much deeper meaning & a much larger implication than what the immediate situation commanded.
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She nodded her head and following Manik's instructions silently, went backstage to speak to the EMCEE.
While she was gone, Manik gathered the children who were by now almost panic stricken. They huddled into a nearby classroom and Manik locked the door from inside.
"Bhaiyaa ab kya hoga? They stole our song" of course the first one to speak had to be Chiraag.
"Ok listen guys, first and foremost, calm down. Agar tum chup chap meri baat sunoge then we can figure out something. Ok?"
Not every child in Nandini's troupe was as amiable to Manik as Chiraag. Even though, they had seen him before, even though he had sent them muffins, it was only natural for them to have little or no bonding with this perpetual stranger.
Now, that things had already gone horribly wrong and even their Nandu madam wasn't around, they all sat with drooping shoulders and pale faces, their slouched postures giving away their shattered morale.
Manik had no prior experience of dealing with kids. He had no idea what clicked with them. "Things don't always go the way we think they will. When we walk into an exam hall, hame questions pehle se pata rahte hain kya ? No right? But do we run away without attempting to answer the paper? It's the same here..Life mein sab kuch planned nahi hota, sometimes we have to embrace the change and make the most of it."
Still no reply. Manik looked at Chiraag. He knodded his head sidewise.
Perhaps this pep talk was way too complex for these 3rd standard children to comprehend. How would he get down to their level and explain to them in a language they understood? He couldn't shout at them, he couldn't flirt with them, he couldn't even bribe them. How on earth did Nandini manage them day in and day out, he wondered. In all honesty, he wanted to run away from here. It felt to him like he was talking to a wall. But he had promised her he wouldn't let her lose, and he knew it better than anyone else that he was her only hope, even though she wasn't exactly banking on him.
