TRADITION

Sehmat had seen her mother pray to Lord Krishna and sing hymns of

the legendary Meerabai since she was a little girl. Performing Radha’s

role at school and college was easy. But to be in Meerabai’s shoes, and

also give a befitting reply to her critics, was a challenge that she was

keen to take on. In order to enter into the skin of the character, Sehmat

had spent many hours in the college library, reading all the available

literature on Meerabai, and rehearsed her part like one possessed.

D-Day approached and with butterflies in her stomach, Sehmat walked

on to the stage dressed in the jogan’s, devotee’s, attire: in a pale orange

cotton sari, holding a small dotara, a two-stringed instrument, in her

hand. Mitali entered from the other side of the stage, aptly dressed as

Radha. In comparison to Sehmat’s simple-looking attire, Mitali was

decked out in a bright costume, jewellery and make-up. With folded

hands, forming the traditional namaskar, the two dancers faced the

overpacked hall. Amidst catcalls and whistles, the audience erupted in

loud applause and continued to clap till the two women took their

designated places centre stage.

The background music began slowly and swelled into a high pitch as

the two dancers picked up rhythm. The strains of the bhajan, devotional

hymn, flowed into the hall. Both competitors picked up pace,

synchronizing their movements with the poignant lyrics of the song. It

was plain for all to see that both the girls were leaving no stone unturned

to cast a lasting impression on the audience and the judges.

With her near-professional touch, Mitali let it be known that she was

performing to win the competition. The crowd was mesmerized by the

delicate movements of her hands cutting the thin air, appealing to LordKrishna to bless her with his divine grace. Holding a flute, Mitali moved

artistically on her toes, encircling Krishna, pushing, nudging and cajoling

him to succumb to her demands. She danced with perfection and

elegance, swaying the entire audience with her captivating performance.

Her colourful costume added to her performance and kept the audience

on the edge of their seats.

The challenge was tougher for Sehmat than she’d thought it would be.

Even though she was the more graceful of the two, Mitali was flawless in

her performance and successfully drew more applause from both the

judges and the crowd. But Sehmat didn’t give up. Being a natural dancer,

her movements displayed an amazing dexterity. She merged with the

character effortlessly as the song progressed. As if transformed by

heavenly powers, she became the legendary Meerabai who’d devoted all

of herself to appease Lord Krishna. She displayed no animosity or

jealousy towards Radha whose Krishna enjoyed playing hide-and-seek

with her. Unlike Radha who demanded love in return, Sehmat, now

transformed as Meerabai, only desired a glimpse of the lord.

Mitali kept pace with her competitor, fully aware that she had the

upper hand. She was pitched against Sehmat, a Muslim girl who was

playing the part of a larger-than-life character. She had to win, no matter

what. Being a Hindu girl from a traditional Brahmin family, she simply

couldn’t afford to come second to Sehmat Khan.

As the show progressed, Mitali felt something sticky beneath her feet.

She looked closely, while maintaining her rhythm, and realized that her

toes were covered with blood. Her concentration faltered for a bit. She

thought it was blood from her own feet and abruptly stopped her dance

to look down. To her relief, her feet bore no trace of injury. Her eyes then

followed the blood trail to Sehmat’s feet. And what she saw left her

dumbstruck. Sehmat’s right foot was soaked in blood, which was

painting the wooden floor red. Her eyes were shut, oblivious to the

commotion she was causing on the stage. The attendants too started

lining up on either side of the stage, watching Sehmat in disbelief. They

could not muster enough courage to stop her from continuing the

Performance of her lifetime. Filled with awe and admiration, they stood together, not knowing what to do.

Thank you for your support 🙌 ❤

I am grateful!!!

***Download NovelToon to enjoy a better reading experience!***