Dear Pat

Letter 21

Dear Pat,

It was a full house.

The theatre, I mean. I know I'm being dramatic but it really felt so. If I hadn't been given tickets by the lead actor himself, I wouldn't have gotten seats at all. It was a large auditorium. Probably could hold 500 people and there were people everywhere when we walked in.

I decided to go, Pat. To the play. Meghana wanted to go. In the envelope with the tickets, there was a note as well.

'For you and Meghana. I hope you come. Nothing would make me happier than to see you smiling in the audience.

Tanmay.'

I was astounded to see the sheer volume of people. I knew he was popular and I had heard Meghana talk about him but this was...a lot.

When we walked in, the lights were beginning to dim and we were making our way to the front where our seats were. I looked up to see Dada sitting in the row up ahead. As soon as he spotted me, he broke into a wide grin and waved me over. He was dressed in his best in neatly pressed kurta pyjama and a vest over it. It was the sweetest thing, Dada's pride in Tanmay's play.

As we made our way over to the front, I kept looking down to be careful of the steps. That's when something caught my eye. It was someone's cell phone backlight. Someone had just unlocked their phone in the dark. I peered at the screen and noticed the wallpaper. It was a picture of Tanmay hugging a girl. At first, I thought I was imagining things. Then I realized it was really his picture. I looked up and saw the girl. The phone lit up her face. She was of course lovely. She had a pixie cut and a nose ring. She pushed her glasses up her nose and switched the screen to the main menu. That's when Meghana asked me if something was wrong. I slowly shook my head and walked ahead to the seats. The image was still fresh in my head. Even in a small picture, I could see they looked perfect together.

With all kinds of thoughts running in my head, the lights dimmed out completely and the curtains rose.

The next hour...I understood the reason for the crowd. I understood the reason for those articles. I understood the reason why anyone would be a fan.

The play was about a modern day couple finding an old diary full of love poems in a vintage cupboard. They try to track the love story through the poems and come to realize the fate of the couple. Tanmay played the role of the shayar, the poet from the bygone era who fell in love and captured every emotion he ever felt for the love of his life.

I was mesmerized, Pat. I forgot everything else the minute he walked onto the stage. Such was the power of his stage presence. I don't think anyone else could look elsewhere. His face lit up when the girl he loved was near him. His love for her shone in his eyes. From the time he met her to the time they were married to the time she passes away, his actions and poetry reflect his love and devotion towards her.

Many of the lines in the play stayed with me long after the play was over.

One:

'Kabhi gaano se toh kabhi nazmon se,

Tumhare pyaar mein chand ne apna sab kuch tumhe saup diya.'

Another:

'Unn lafzon ne apni duniya paa li

Jis din aap unhe padhke anjaane mein hi muskuraliye.'

Another one:

'Tukdon tukdon ko jodkar nazmon ka ek guldasta banaya hai.

Baahon mein leke dekho,

Ek pura dil paoge.'

When the curtains fell, the audience simultaneously rose and filled the auditorium with thundering applause. Us included, of course!

As the cast walked out one by one during the introduction phase, we all waited for Tanmay. The minute he walked over on stage in his white kurta, dishevelled stubble but the same beautiful smile, the audience went nuts. He broke into an even wider grin as he heard the response and waved at everyone. His eyes then landed at someone behind me. He brightened even further. My stomach took such a dip when I realized who was sitting behind me. His eyes then found me and he waved at me. I pasted a smile on my face and waved back.

The applause thundered on.

Meghana saw the expression on my face and asked if I wanted to get out of there. I nodded.

It was a beautiful night, Pat. But I still felt a little sad.

All my love,

L.

P.S. I'll talk to you soon.