Tickets Tickets

Tickets Tickets!!! 9th Sep 2006

How comfortable is one when u r forced to do things in a strange but funny situations…I am highly uncomfortable, but gave it a try this time.. man wonder from where I got the guts... Was on a weekly off, checked out with some old colleagues who were slogging in the office. One of them wanted to go for a movie applying for a short leave.. Crazy was what I thought but wanted to enjoy that too..why stop the person..So opted to move on and checked the tickets as I was free. Lage raho munna bai.. For the first time I was in the theater 2 hrs before. With nothing else to do, moved on to Pizza corner with “Shantaraman”. Never in my life would I have had a thought that I would be able to read such a huge, voluminous book. Gregory Robert, yep I have fallen for his writing. So with a sprite and Conniza in hand was engrossed at the corner table until the look of the couple waiting behind me made me to pay the bill and move on. Checked in at crossword and found nothing interesting, that is when I get this message saying one has dropped out due to genuine reason, so could not grumble on her either.. no message from the other on arrival.

Rs 150/, how the hell would I sell this ticket. Forgetting the cost was easy, but I answered my self if I would pay this money instantly to a needy that came on my way. How many times I would have paid some one more than ten bucks? Truly speaking, don’t remember doing so. So this money going to no one was not worth to be held as a ticket in my hand. It was totally embarrassing. And who would buy a single ticket. With family and couples returning back seeing the house full board, watching the kids crying, weeping and refusing to return back without seeing the movie, with friends scolding the roommates for coming late and of all watching the young couples fuming on each other in silence and irritation, was fun for me to stand at the ticket counter with a ray of hope that someone would buy the additional. How would one know that I have one? Good question L So daringly I move ahead to catch with some one who took out cash equivalent to a single ticket.. Fundoo re J (I praised my self for coming out with such a tough idea of locating the right person). Wanted to write on the houseful note- “one ticket available please contact”. …situations drive u towards crazy thoughts. Thanks that at least I was in a formal trouser and not in my office uniform. Else they would have thought it was one of the internal people who were selling in black. Look of the people I approached made me feel so.

Finally when it was 15 min to the show, I gave up and said the embarrassment was costlier than the ticket and went to the counter to give away for free.. Seeing some office colleagues pass by with a stair was even worse. To my luck I found a person asking for a single ticket, jumped into the opportunity and grabbed it. Was it my luck or the right timing? Anyways with a relief as I moved to the first floor and watched the crowd waiting for the other friend of mine, could see another group of guys waiting at the counter to sell of their single additional ticket. I saw a person who was paralyzed and moved to the counter see that the board showed a houseful sign and move with frustration. Wanted to call out to the guy at the counter and say, “ hey u got ur customer, go catch him’. But felt it would ensure that I have mastered the skill of “ticket, ticket” within a day at the multiplex and silently moved on seeing my colleague rush in at the nth minute passing the polluted traffic of Pune.

Well to conclude in Shantaraman style, life teaches you much lesson in day to day situation. You don’t want to see others in the same pain that you have gone through but it is very tough for us to come out of the cobweb that we have surrounded ourselves for long under the name of tradition, status and up bringing. That is where we draw a line between self and rules for the rest. Why I did not call out to the guy at the counter and help him sell that single ticket, I had no answer and that time but wish I would not only have an answer during another similar situation but see myself in action.