Wife Wanted!

Bijoy Gupta

Rukhsana Khan

Rukhsana Khan today jumped out of her skin when Bijoy Gupta, in full public view, accosted her with the question: “Will you be my wife?”
Anybody, in any other place, would have immediately taken offence. But Rukhsana smiled. She understood Gupta's compulsion. And all others within earshot figured out the context in which he had made such an 'indecent proposal'.
Gupta is desperately short of actors for his play to be staged at the Annual Day function this December. It is a husband-wife comedy (with a sultry, seductive girlfriend thrown in) and over the past one week, he has not found a single person willing to play any of these parts.
Rukhsana however, agreed to sit for a 15-minute narration of the script outside the China Hut and finally gave her verdict: “I won’t be able to memorise any of those lines,” she declared. “The lines are too long.”
This was neither here nor there. “Nobody is saying ‘no’ to a role, nor is anybody saying ‘yes’,” Gupta flared up. “What am I to make of this? If none of you are interested,

Unusually low attendance for a Saturday morning

why do you tell me to keep on writing? This is not some kind of joke. I have three plays ready right now. I can’t possibly be acting in all the parts. Where are the other actors?”
Gupta’s concern is genuine. We were supposed to have a crucial meeting today (ref post of September 22) to take stock of the talent available in the Club, but in view of low attendance, it proved a non-starter. “Don’t compel people into something they are not interested in,” Banoo Apa warned. “Otherwise they’ll back out during the rehearsals or make your life hell. We faced this problem last year.”
In the absence of any initiative, interest, aptitude or ability, Arun Patil came up with a simple Plan B. “Why don’t we utilize the funds for Annual Function on a paid picnic to Khandala?” he suggested. “You can have your play, skits, songs and dances… whatever you like there. You may even combine a few sporting events and celebrate Sports Day as well. This way, we’d kill two birds with one stone!” Coming from the Hon'ble Secretary, this certainly provides food for thought.