A chief guest was invited for the annual function. The whole
school was in preparatory mode as the annual function was approaching.
The chief guest was an ex-champion batsman and the teachers who were once upon a time his huge fans were determined to make their best presentations and the dresses that they would put on for the day would be the best of what they had in their wardrobes. If the best was absent from their wardrobes, then they were going to buy a new dress soon.
Annual days are a like a true dream, at a time they seem at
a distant far away distance but within few batting of eyelids they are right in
front of you.
When that day finally arrived, everybody were in tip top
condition. They could have gone to the Oscar’s or the Nobel Prize ceremony in
the clothes that they were wearing. Such was the zeal with which they had
prepared and dressed themselves.
The stage had been beautifully decorated and all were ready
thirty minutes before the chief guest was supposed to arrive.
He finally arrived. But before him, his bodyguards came out
of the car looking hunked up like a three-four storied buildings and did a
round check-up of each and everything. When he finally stepped out of the car,
it was a comical, funny and an unbelievable sight.
Once, who had been a hero, was now a nearly bald man with a
paunch and a timid expression.
He came forward and the school principal went to welcome him. He garlanded him and with folded hands asked him to enter the school.
The function was about to begin, so all the dignitaries took
their seats and the annual function began.
After two dance performances got over, the chief guest was
asked to say a few words to all by the speaker.
He went to the microphone and before he could speak, he started giggling. At first everyone thought that it might had been some sort of cough or maybe he may have remembered something funny. But then he gave a snort sort of giggle and again he giggled and did it one more time.
This time the children standing in the front row burst out
laughing seeing his giggles.
He took hold of the microphone and the efforts he spent in trying to hide his giggles were very visible. His face had become magenta coloured.
At last he said-“I am sorry. I can’t control myself.
Whenever I see a huge audience before me, I become nervous. It’s actually the
fear of students which grips me.”
Everybody looked onto him as if he was from some another
planet.
On seeing their faces, he said-“Don’t look at me like that.
I too was once upon a time a schoolboy as you all are. What goes through
everyone’s mind I know that very well. Even in my life as a cricketer, I seldom
spoke. Once, a chief guest had visited my school and he had slurred so much
that I had thrown a minutely small stone on the stage for which I was nearly rusticated.So
the memory of that chief guest often haunts me.”
Then suddenly he started laughing and everyone thought that
he was off his rockers.
But he responded by saying-“I am your Chief Guest for the
day. So whatever I need and have to say, i I will say. Please listen to it with
concentration.”
He spoke in a rapid manner, said a few things about life,
studies, asked the students to study hard enough so that they could become
whatever they wanted to be and about cricket also he spoke. At the end he
thanked everyone for being kind enough that they listened to him.
All the students, teachers and the dignitaries clapped for
him and suddenly he cried a bit
He-“These are the tears of happiness. For I could finish my
speech, conclude it and a round of applause has been given to me.”
Seeing his hysterics the children were bit confused as to
this man was sane or not. Once a big cricketer, now seemed as if he wasn’t sure
with and off himself.
But the teachers who were his fans, didn’t mind him and they
all rushed for his autographs and selfies, just before he was about to leave
the school.
After he went away, all the students were discussing and
laughing about him,that maybe he was a nut case, but one of the students who
was standing at the front, said-“I noticed that his shoelaces were untied.
Maybe for being a big man, he was unable to tie his shoelaces, so he was
laughing. After all a cricketer must know how to tie his shoelaces.”
Such chief guests are often more
than required. But they have another side too, which shows despite being big in
life, often life remains a 9 to 5 job for them. Anything out of that and they
start squirming. Plus sometimes they act as weirdos despite being normal and
having everything possible in life.
Adios!
Before You Travel. 