Now.....
He was finally on the stage. Hundreds of people cheering. Thousands of eyes staring at him incredulously. The spotlight on him felt good. The brightness was blinding. So was the adulation. So were the claps.
It felt strange. There was this brightness. There was this darkness around. In that darkness, it wasn't emptiness he saw. It was a world full of opportunities. A world where you can succeed. Life isn't always about being booed or shooed away. It isn't always about failure. It isn't always about being ridiculed on your failure. You aren't a comedian. Even if you are, you can succeed. With success, you become hero.
He was one. Today. Atlast. "We welcome, the winner of the day's mega mega maha maha event, Mr. Chapram!!!!"
His already swelled body swelled even further. His friends were whistling. He could he hear it all.
Few Months Earlier......
"Do you know what it is?"
"Ye.....s.... Sir."
"What's this?"
"It is a ....."
Before he could finish, the coach said "Did I hear idli?!"
"No sir."
"You would have said. You would have taken this to be some idli your mom makes."
He smiled inside. Actually it looked and felt exactly like the idli his amma makes. It was actually a disfigured rubber ball.
"Now catch this!". Saying the coach threw the ball at him. He fumbled and put the ball down. "I wonder what you are going to do in your life..... Pick the ball and please don't eat it. Remember it isn't your mom's idli." Saying, the coach turned towards Mani, the college peon who was waiting.
Chapram didn't feel offended. He felt cheated. When the college cricket team coach was training everybody else with proper leather balls, he was throwing rubber balls to train Chapram. Deep inside he knew that he was day dreaming expecting the coach to select him for the team. Still, he couldn't be denied his share in the sun. And hence, this effort. All of a sudden, he felt hungry.
"Sir...."
The coach turned back. His eyes indifferent, smile on the corner of his lips. "Enna, you are hungry now, is it?"
"Yes sir. Suddenly feeling very hungry....."
"Suddenly?! Ha ha ha ha. When were you not hungry? Go have your food. Do spare some for others as well. But let me remind you, as of now thats your only ability. And am not sure if it will take you anywhere."
"Thank you sir!" Saying Chapram quickly moved his hulk towards the exit gate of the cricket ground, with all of 128 Kgs of solid mass.
Now.....
"Here we have!" The man at the MC's desk was screaming. "Mr. Chapram! Winner of todays event! Beating all the participants fair and square! His count was 59 and the next highest was 36. 23 clear of his nearest competitor! Ladies and Gentlemen, we welcome and bestow Mr Chapram, with the title of 'Saapaaturaaman' for his ability to eat 59 idlis, and emptying couple of buckets of Sambar and half a dozen bowls of chutney!"
Chapram was all smiles! He received the cash award, a certificate and couple of gift wrapped boxes. The host of the event got closer to Chapram and asked, "How did you manage it?"
"Practice!" Chapram said it with such conviction and resoluteness, you would have mistaken him for some sportsman. "Practice makes a man perfect."
"Oh..." The host managed to maintain his composure, and managed to say "Wow! But still fifty nine is not a small number."
"I have eaten more." Chapram said it with the same seriousness. And there was a huge round of applause around. Lots of whistle. Wolf whistles to be precise.
The host couldn't control his smile and he laughed out loud. "But, I have a doubt. Don't mistake me. I know all your fans would like to have this clarified. With such a diet, don't you think it can cause some stomach trouble? What do you do about that?"
"Simple. I would like to suggest this for all my fans out there." Chapram was darn serious. There was no hint of fun on his face. "It does pain, sometimes. No Pain. No Gain." And then he said his simple cure. The host had this shock reaction on his face. He couldn't react. He was too stunned by what he heard. There was a huge roar from the crowd, which brought down the entire auditorius crashed down. Chapram had said "To manage it, I have two plates of curd rice to maintain balance."
"Now catch this!". Saying the coach threw the ball at him. He fumbled and put the ball down. "I wonder what you are going to do in your life..... Pick the ball and please don't eat it. Remember it isn't your mom's idli." Saying, the coach turned towards Mani, the college peon who was waiting.
Chapram didn't feel offended. He felt cheated. When the college cricket team coach was training everybody else with proper leather balls, he was throwing rubber balls to train Chapram. Deep inside he knew that he was day dreaming expecting the coach to select him for the team. Still, he couldn't be denied his share in the sun. And hence, this effort. All of a sudden, he felt hungry.
"Sir...."
The coach turned back. His eyes indifferent, smile on the corner of his lips. "Enna, you are hungry now, is it?"
"Yes sir. Suddenly feeling very hungry....."
"Suddenly?! Ha ha ha ha. When were you not hungry? Go have your food. Do spare some for others as well. But let me remind you, as of now thats your only ability. And am not sure if it will take you anywhere."
"Thank you sir!" Saying Chapram quickly moved his hulk towards the exit gate of the cricket ground, with all of 128 Kgs of solid mass.
Now.....
"Here we have!" The man at the MC's desk was screaming. "Mr. Chapram! Winner of todays event! Beating all the participants fair and square! His count was 59 and the next highest was 36. 23 clear of his nearest competitor! Ladies and Gentlemen, we welcome and bestow Mr Chapram, with the title of 'Saapaaturaaman' for his ability to eat 59 idlis, and emptying couple of buckets of Sambar and half a dozen bowls of chutney!"
Chapram was all smiles! He received the cash award, a certificate and couple of gift wrapped boxes. The host of the event got closer to Chapram and asked, "How did you manage it?"
"Practice!" Chapram said it with such conviction and resoluteness, you would have mistaken him for some sportsman. "Practice makes a man perfect."
"Oh..." The host managed to maintain his composure, and managed to say "Wow! But still fifty nine is not a small number."
"I have eaten more." Chapram said it with the same seriousness. And there was a huge round of applause around. Lots of whistle. Wolf whistles to be precise.
The host couldn't control his smile and he laughed out loud. "But, I have a doubt. Don't mistake me. I know all your fans would like to have this clarified. With such a diet, don't you think it can cause some stomach trouble? What do you do about that?"
"Simple. I would like to suggest this for all my fans out there." Chapram was darn serious. There was no hint of fun on his face. "It does pain, sometimes. No Pain. No Gain." And then he said his simple cure. The host had this shock reaction on his face. He couldn't react. He was too stunned by what he heard. There was a huge roar from the crowd, which brought down the entire auditorius crashed down. Chapram had said "To manage it, I have two plates of curd rice to maintain balance."
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