CHERISH with HARISH

11 pm, Gurgaon. Was a lovely workshop. So, I had a lovely time with the senior citizens of an organisation, which had called me to take a theatre workshop for them.They had called it 'HAPPINESS THEATRE WORKSHOP' and my idea was to make them play some games, which made them happy. I ended the workshop and while coming back home, this idea crossed my mind. The idea, I would like to call 'Circles'! May be it would be clearer if we call it 'LOOPS'. Our life is full of so many loops. When I looked at these older people, I realised that our lives are a combination of loops. To explain it further, one loop is the 'day'loop: We get up every morning, get ready for work, do our work every day, have coffee time every day, have lunch every day, come back in the evening, have dinner and we sleep off. And when we get up, the same music begins again! There is nothing wrong in it. May be I had a problem with it, always. I have so many of my friends who are wor...

As a little kid, sitting right next to the tape-recorder, while listening to the song, I would look at the cassette cover, and wonder that the voice is of the singer singing, sitting inside the tape recorder. How wonderful! But as I grew up, I was taught and told, that there is no singer sitting inside the tape-recorder. All my dreams crashed, Now, I just wish, I had not grown up. Why?

The Moon story As a kid, some friend told me, that on the moon an old woman sits under a tree, with lots of stories. Whenever I would look at the moon, I would imagine, the old woman, sometimes scary, sometimes mischievous. But as I studied more about it, my lovely story was lost. The child in me was sad. That there is no 'Old woman', but just rocks! I just wondered, why did I grow up!

Gurgaon, 10:44 am Last Friday I woke up a little early. I was called to a government arts center, for a selection interview to improve the condition of theatre teaching in the capital. They had actually selected a list of theatre directors to take a summer workshop in some school for the month of June. I was very happy. They had called only those people whose plays had been funded by the government center. ('DRAMA JANTAR KA', our last play was funded by them). So, it was a big thing for me. I was getting ready for the interview. I had taken out an ironed T-shirt and a formal trousers. I had taken out the originals of the photocopies I had submitted. Three days ago, I had got a call to be there for the interview at 2 p.m. I got to know about this kids' workshop, through this official who was dealing with Kamaan (my group). He asked me that I can apply for it. He said only directors till the age of 40 can apply. Isaid, I will be 30 this year. He said, "Bahot time...

11:06 pm, Gurgaon. My uncle (my father's real brother) called him after centuries and he wanted to talk with me. He asked a simple question, "Harish, I have a doubt, what do you do now?" This was a question which shook me and because of lack of answers, I simply smiled. An old friend had asked me that day that I don't work anywhere,I have my group's rehearsal only on weekends, I just need to teach slum kids twice a week and now there is a summer vacation now, so the college work is closed for sometime. So how am I so busy, always? But when I look inside, I like having so much of work that there is stuff left after the day too. But where does this work come from? I guess I love 'inventing' work for myself. I have been busy writing a street play, writing a new stage play, and directing a short film, but the worst part is that I like being busy. Only the film part gives me money, and all the rest gives me more pleasure than money. I also get plea...

"Is 'Change' actually constant?" The neem tree opposite my balcony hasn't changed, the universe has not changed a bit, the clouds are still the same. the fresh breeze hitting my face, on a summer afternoon is still the same, Change does not exist for nature, nor for the Universe. CHANGE is 'constant' only for MAN, n no one else. Isn't it? - KHS, Apr'18

Gurgaon I have always believed that if you want to see India in the best possible way, take the Indian Railways! We had started about a fortnight ago from Delhi to basically rest to Hyderabad, but I had no clue that there was so much in store already. I had gone with no expectations, but just to meet my aunt, Tuffy and lots of rest. But I had surely expected train journeys, which always make me think, think and may be think more. But I got gifts which were not material, but very emotional. I loved Hyderabad's evening breeze, which is amazing always. That I guess is the only constant in this ever changing city, for the better. This breeze is an icing on the cake after you get up after a nice afternoon nap! But what was nice was meeting and chatting with my cousin Nannujiji, who had come from Brisbane, who had come back without any airs. I like it when people don't forget their roots and habits. She was exactly the same person I had seen when she left India, twenty years ...