Once upon a time at Harkirat Singh Theatre

This incident is of a place “where tireless striving stretches its arms towards perfection” stretching arms at the right time but at the wrong place could have proved fatal had somebody not cautioned me that day.

It was a fine weather day when the rain showers had just stopped with the sweet smell of the earth refreshing the inside of mind and body. The raat ki rani around the theatre with its sweet smell further added pleasure to the environment as I and my wife entered the gates of the open air cinema without showing any tickets being CMEites. The Bhuttawala was giving a blow to the burning coals of his hearth for roasting the corns for intermission, the Bhelpuriwala was organizing the spices for making the mix in the matka for distributing the ingredients subsequently  and the coffee stall was being made ready by filling the coffee packs into the machine adjusting its steam flow. Beautiful ladies in their coloured dresses added to the ambience spreading the aroma of their perfumes as they crossed. The newly weds of the degree courses adjusted themselves at their convenient places on the rear concrete benches while the senior lot on the seats near the projector. The fighter planes in the sky were high up as were making themselves ready to disturb at the appropriate time after the movie started. We chose a convenient place on the concrete bench somewhere in the middle as the back rows were full. The wind blew and gave sweet shivers as it was getting colder at night. The movie commenced soon and the murmur also subsided with time except for the kids sprinting on the aisles whose parents stopped trying to hush them after their repeated attempts failed till they got exhausted and finally settled down when the scenes of their interest started to appear on the big screen.

It was a good movie with a mix of romance, comedy, violence and excellent stunts. We closed in with each other joining our shoulders to keep ourselves warm. As the movie progressed it became more and more interesting as gripped us with thrill and suspense in the story. The rush was quite a bit and during such times it is always advisable to get your eating stuff either well before the half time or after it to avoid cluttering up at the Bhelpuri wala stall. My wife asked me to get coke and bhelpuri for her but I  did not feel like moving from the warmed up position but after she goaded me time and again I got up keeping my eyes on the screen so as not to miss the movie and proceeded to the stall descending the steps. I got a coke and bhelpuri immediately but wanted a bhutta (sweet corn) for myself which was to take time to roast. I told the bhuttawala to roast the same meanwhile I shall drop the stuff and return back. Saying this I went to my wife, handed over the stuff to her and returned to collect my corn which was still on the hearth with corns blasting like crackers as was being roasted. I sat on a bench under the tree waiting for the process to complete and kept watching the movie from there. Soon my order was ready and the corn was in no time between my incisors while my tongue had already tasted the warm spicy bite of lemon and salt by then. Holding the corn I moved to my seat by when the movie had become more interesting.  I could hardly take my eyes off the screen. I settled down on the concrete bench which had become colder by then but I was totally engrossed in the movie. I adjusted myself to the position and joined shoulders again with my wife as before to avoid cold. Everyone was silently watching the movie as the scene was serious and thrilling even the kids were silent. It continued for long till such time the hero saved the heroine travelling in an open car which was to fall into the river shortly due to the broken bridge ahead. The heroine was trying to grasp hero's  hand who was hanging from a chasing helicopter to save herby clasping her hand with his from a helicopter flying over it. The movie was “True Lies”. As this scene finished   everyone relaxed. I, holding the corn in my left hand placed my right hand on my wife’s lap and rested my back on the backrest of the concrete bench from my erected back posture. Soon I heard a very calm voice,

“I think you are committing a mistake”.

I first thought that I misheard something as the meaning of the sentence did not fit into the story of the movie at that time but when I moved my neck towards the source of sound I saw a matured lady with large framed spectacles staring at me on whose lap I had kept my right hand. I was not shocked as I could not understand the situation for about 3 seconds and was confused. But when I got to my senses and realized what had happened I got a shock and pulled my hand immediately. She did not raise any alarm but quietly said, “I think it happens at times inadvertently” Seeing her demeanor I absorbed all the shock within me so as not to expose or let anyone in the audience know what had happened and just smiled with seriousness on my face saying ”I am so sorry Mam” , got up from there with my sweet corn still in my left hand and right hand dangling when I saw my wife sitting two rows behind laughing gesturing with her raised hand to come near her while  I stood perplexed. It was then I understood that I had sat next to that lady by mistake in the darkness of the theatre courtesy the interesting movie, eyes on the screen and the tasty bhutta in my mouth. When I got back to my seat and told my wife about the incident of joining shoulders and stretching my arms to keep my hand on some lady’s lap, tears rolled down from her eyes with laughter. I did not recognize who that lady was as I had seen her face in darkness nor did I make any attempt to glance that side after the movie finished. I guess how she must have tolerated all the time when we shared the warmth to protect ourselves from the cold; maybe she also was equally engrossed in the movie. It was the intent which saved me from embarrassment when I think of that incident even today.