The natok I performed!

Incase if you are wondering seeing the title, yeap I did perform in a drama. It was just a school play but a real stage performance, when I was in sunrise kindergarten school in class 2. The storyline was a from a common fairy tale, sleeping beauty. I definitely wanted to get the part of the prince but my teacher (who was my most favorite in the school and was also in charge of casting and production) casted me for the king. She consoled me saying that as I was the tallest boy in class I should take the part of the aged king :(. But the real reason was kawnain, who was the first boy of our class and undoubtedly the sweetest boy to become the prince ( he was a big chapabaj too, he convinced us to believe that his father was a formula 1 racer and I never liked him).

Anyway the fun part begun when we started to rehearse for the play. My friends started to khochafy (teasing) me with Sadia from class 3 who was casted to become the queen. As I was for the king and she for the queen, so it made us husband and wife and hence we should marry, that was the point of the whole gang. I was so ashamed of myself hearing the teases that I immediately refused to act as the king. I went to the teacher and told her that I was not going to act. She asked why but I couldn't tell her the reason behind it (How can I tell such a shameful thing that I had to marry just to act as the king!). She became disappointed and called amma and explained her the situation that her son didn't want to act. So when I came back home, amma asked me about it and I didn't tell her anything either. ( she still doesn't know a thing about this incident). Any way she then asked me whether I am just afraid to act? But my point was not that. I told her I won't do the king which made her disappointed too.

Now let me tell you about some of my friends first. After I spent my early childhood at moulobhibazaar near sylhet, we came to dhaka at the end of 1988. So amma admitted me into that school which was nearer to our home when it was September/October. I still remember my first day at that school. When I saw her going away I started to cry. I still don't know why I did that. Because it was not my first school. I spent my nursery class at moulobhibazaar and half of my KG class there. And I didn't cry a single day there(except for the day when I got beaten in a fight by tanim who later became my friend, now living nearer to us at shyamoli). Anyway so I started crying and two completely unknown kid came to my aid. They were rizwan and arup. I lost track of rizwan after class 8 but I still have contact with arup, who just joined BAT (British American Tobacco) after completing from IBA. And amma consoled me for some time saying look at these kids, they aren't crying, only you are. And those two kids were really helpful, so I stopped crying and made friends with them. That was the start. May be the new atmosphere or the "smart dhaka kids" frightened the fresh mofosshyol kid i.e. me.

Now the story I began involved those two kids heavyly. Arup was the man who was leading the team teasing me about the marriage and rizwan was his right hand. Arup was given the part of the rakkhosh (monster?) as he was quite tall too. So I thought of a plan to teach arup a lesson. I went to my teacher and asked her why didn't she switch arup and me? She agreed at that instant as she really wanted me took part on the play(likings are mutual, right?). Anyway so I was waiting happyli for arup to come and also to see the expression on his face after the teacher broke the bad news to him that he's going to act the king and me the rakkhosh. But to my amazement arup happily agreed to become the king (how smart those dhaka kids were!!!) making me the complete looser. Later I tried to gather those kids who were teasing me but none of them seemed interested. So thus my first stage performance went as the rakkhosh :D

Now let me introduce you to a few who starred on that play..

Guys from left Rizwan (the doorkeeper), Arup (the happy diplomatic king ($@#$!@##!)), Khaled (another doorkeeper), Afzal ( bengoma, the talking bird who knows all the secrets of the fairy tales ), and finally me (the rakkhosh). The only girl in the frame was the bengomi( mrs bengoma, but no one seemed to be noticed the fact, only there was I to be teased :( ) but I forgot her name. And also I can't recognize the boy on the right most corner of the picture. :(

I've already told you about kawnain, rizwan and arup, now let me tell you about others. I lost contact with khaled after I left that school in class 3. But from rezwan and another friend ali ( ali azam bhuyan , I still remember his full name :D ) I came to know that khaled was died from an accident but when I was in class 8 I stumbled on him oneday on the way and he was alive and kicking :D .

Ali azam bhuyan always claimed that he lived nearer to us. He used to visit me till my ssc. But I never found his house, following the directions he gave me. That's still a mystery to me. After SSC he stopped visiting and after that we never met.

Then there was afzal who was a year older than me. After sunrise I moved to dhanmondi govt. boys high school in class 3, Afzal was there too and was admitted in class 3 with us but in different shift so we hardly met. Another friend of mine was zakir hossain, whose family was not well off, and at that very little age he seemed to aware of that fact. While we were in class 2 he stole his brother's watch and brought it to the school to show that he has a watch. Now when I think about him, it makes me sad. He couldn't complete his education. I lost his contact after my ssc.

Finally there was this kid named masum, who wasn't by any far masum (innocent). As far as I can remember he was the most nottorious amongst all of us. He somehow cracked his head so we used to call him 'matha fata'. I lost his contact after class 3.

Now let me tell you about my girl friends in the school. I was too shy to play or even to talk with girls. But I still remember one name, habiba who used to play kumir danga with us. I lost her contact after class 3.

During my HSC while I was in first year, one day while I was doing math in shibley sir's class a very tall girl came towards me and asked "remember me?". I was speechless as I cant. She understood and told "I am fouzia, we used to read in the same class, remember sunrise??" I still can't remember her as my classmate there. By the way after the day during hsc I never met her again.

Finally after I got myself admitted into BUET, oneday amma was giving me lift with the car and suddenly she pointed towards a girl and told "Remember rakhi? she was with you in sunrise." I really can't remember. :( 4 years have passed after that but still I didn't ask her whether it's her with me in sunrise, I don't know whether she recognized me or not!

Now as the post's getting bigger and bigger, I realized how many memories I had with sunrise, and only a friction of those I shared here. The funny thing was although I read there in KG, class 1 and 2 but most of my leisure time at sunrise went in the playgroup class. That classroom was awesome. I still remember those puppets I used to play with. Those were simply great. And I still remember my most favorite teacher there. She used to take our singing class and let me finish with the song I learnt for the first time in my life from that class...

"Indy bindy shonibare,
Gacher aral theke robibare,
Ekdin naki shure gahilo ke gaan?
Tai shune indi bindir ure gelo pran.

Indir khide pelo,
Gach theke neme elo,
Khichuri khabe bole kaa dilo re,
Maa eshe boke dilo,
khawa taar ghuche gelo,
Raag kore indy bindy shute gelo re."

The lyrics may seem meaningless to you , but it still is my favorite and at times I still sing with the tune, that's why I can remember all the words of it and cherish the memories.

Memories! I am feeling so nostalgic right now :(

By the way, if anyone mentioned above have somehow come across this post or is reading it now, please do contact with me.

Filed Under : Personal, School, Natok, Reminiscence.