KALLOL junior in "Khelar Putul"

Yes, we "KALLOL junior" have done it again. After gaining confidence from "Abol Tabol Shopno", we the "Khude Kallol" have gone up on stage and rocked it again!

It was indeed fun. 

Fun to rehearse together.

Fun to play together.
Fun to perform together.

Fun to be applauded together.

ক্ষুদে কল্লোল   (Kallol junior)

একটু নাটক, একটু ছড়া,
আমাদেরকে জড়ো করা |
একটু কঠিন একটু সোজা,
অনেক কাজ তবে অনেক মজা|
কখনো বা বুঝি না মানে,
হাসছি কেন কেউ কি জানে?
তবে একটু মোদের বুঝিয়ে দিলে
 হাসি তখন সবাই মিলে ।
মনে মনে বাড়ছে টান ,
আবোল তাবোল-এর অবদান।
দূর বিদেশে থেকেও মোরা ,
বাঁচিয়ে রাখব মোদের গোড়া ,
পুরনো নতুন মিলে মিশে
সুন্দর দুনিয়া গড়ব শেষে ,
বিলোবো খুশী , ছড়াবো হাসি
আমরা global ভারতবাসী ।।

The target was to bring the kids TOGETHER and enjoy the TOGETHERNESS. I think we have succeeded. After the final performance, one child walked up to me and asked, "when is the next rehearsal?" .That is big evidence, right?
 

As the curtain opened and the lights switched on.....oh what a scene! A room full of kids dressed up as the most beautiful toys that you have ever seen. 
Smart, sweet, handsome, cute and beautiful ! --OUR kids !
Kids who put in so much effort to make this happen!
KALLOL junior! Khude Kallol! Well done...we are so proud of you.

Now for the plot and the performance.
With the advent of super technical games like Wii and Play station and DS and what not, the charm of simple toys are gradually vanishing. Kids have been exposed to so much action at their finger tips (literally) that simple, stationary and soundless toys do not appeal to them anymore. The plot is of such a toy shop in a small town where the shopkeeper is frustrated and unhappy because he cannot sell his simple toys anymore. Everyday, he and his wife still opens the shop with hopes of selling some toys. They look at each toy and wish that the toy  could do a bit more to attract customers. With each such wish, the toy comes alive and performs. Finally their wish is granted and a customer comes and buys all the toys of his shop!!!
What a performance !!!Each single toy, "woke up" at the right cue and walked up to the microphone and performed their best. Brilliant! We had flawless recitations, cool guitarists, smart keyboard players, humorous actors, beautiful dancers, classical violinists... 
Yes, the kids were undoubtedly the stars. 
But the adults who helped were no less.
A-da, makes sets with passion and it shows...brightened up the stage totally.
K, arranges and plays the music..one big box of flickering lights and buttons totally under his control.
T has personally visited each light (up on a ladder near the ceiling), hence he knows them so well that magic happens when he switches them on.
T, on my request became the prompter. But at one point , I was so so so off the script that she said, "ki prompt korbo, kono line-i to bolcho na script theke!!"[ What shall I prompt, you are not saying ANY line from the script]. I hope she will still prompt next time.
S controlled the curtains perfectly. No rehearsals...first time..instant hit!  I recruit him as our curtain-man from now on.

All the rest proudly and happily clapped and encouraged us from the audience.
Now, with so many kids, their instruments, the microphones, the set and the toys on stage.....the script demanded for adult presence on the stage...for control and safety. That is how Panchur baba (shopkeeper) and Khendir ma(his wife) were born, in the script. Both turned out to be equally bad in memorizing the script. Between you and me, one had his script in his "hisheber khata (notebook)" , the other had the script stitched on the back of her duster!!
Anyway,the way they were talking on stage, mainly about sharing work loads in the family, it was clear that they were both married people in real life, quite accustomed to the daily khit-khits and did not need a script to continue!! Their real life partners smiled from the audience as they recognized bits and pieces of the conversation.
Panchur baba struggled a bit with his moustache while Khendir ma definitely suffered from a very misfitting hair cut!
But all ended well and alls well that ends well.

Look at the fantastic toys we had in our shop....

Hoping to continue like this for years to come....ALL TOGETHER....
Are you guys with me??
 

The special recipe for Junior Kallol  will follow soon.....

No story is complete without food and no food is complete without story.