Thematic Annual Convocation Drama -Watch Your WATCH
Thursday, November 22nd, 2018
Students of SSSIHL presented the convocation drama entitled ‘Watch Your WATCH’ this evening on the sidelines of the XXXVII Annual Convocation here, in Prasanthi Nilayam.
The drama that weaves around the theme time served a pointer to the fact that time is the most precious gift one possesses, that is available to one and all in equal measure. An hour that is bright at one point in the day is dark at another. Every moment brings in memories of the past and expectations of the future, but the reality is in the Now. One needs to leave the past, not to worry about the future, and learn to live in the present, in the Now, and thus the story-line for the evening.
The drama presents the protagonist Beejoy Das, a nonagenarian watch maker for over 65 years from the city of Kolkata, whose interesting life becomes the theme for the drama. As an inquisitive reporter from ‘The Times’ approaches Beejoy with the intention of having his story as the cover-story for his next edition, the drama unfurls, the story of the priceless value of invaluable time.
The story-line soon gets into the ‘flashback’ mode of his past, with lessons galore on the valued of time and life.
Being an ardent follower of Bhagawan right from his teen days, Beejoy and his son had the great good fortune of receiving twin identical watches from Bhagawan’s Hands. Putting the watch on his wrist, Bhagawan had an advice for him, “Watch Your WATCH”, allegorical of Watching the Word, Action, Thought, Character and Heart.
Inspired by this priceless message, Beejoy had even named his shop ‘Watch Your WATCH’.
As time passed, a life-twisting, ill-fated incident happened in his life that left him shattered and remorseful. After losing his wife to monstrous cancer, his ambitious son who wanted to be in the film industry was given an indifferent treatment by a irritated, uncontrolled father, who, acted indifferently in the spur of the moment, much against the advice Bhagawan had given while presenting the watch.
In his fit of anger he asked his son to leave him once for all. …And the son was ‘long-lost’ for over 40 years, leaving the father aggrieving and repenting. As was his heart that was hurt, so was the WATCH that was equally hurt, which stopped working ever since that ill-fated moment.
It was a long journey of self-introspection for the nonagenarian watchmaker, who in the process learnt to forgive and move on…practising Him, forgiving all, forgiving himself, valuing the priceless time.
In the climax of the interview, on the day of his 90th birthday, he opened up to narrate the ill-fated incident to Arush, the journalist. As the near and dear ones decided to treat the old man with a rejoicing dinner, the nonagenarian had the best of the surprised of his life in store. Arush brought his father into the scene, who was none other than the long lost son of the watchmaker. …And it was not alone a reunion of two parted souls along with the grandson, it was the time the nonagenarian really won Him by being in His Presence in the Now. And to the sheer joy of Beejoy, proving his righteous point, his ‘long-lost’ watch started working again.
Bringing parallels from the epic Mahabharata depicting the Pandavas in sheer predicament after losing the dice game, the presentation brings in the message of Krishna for the Pandavas that, ‘This Too Shall Pass’, as no difficulty in life is a permanent one. Everything passes on, like passing clouds.
Kolkata touch with vernacular Bengali ‘fillers’ and a Durga Puja dance made the drama interesting. Superb acting coupled with dialogue delivery, apart from being thematically excellent made the evening a rejoicing one, full of Sai Wisdom.
Bhajans followed and Mangala Arathi to Bhagawan brought the curtains down for the 37th annual convocation of SSSIHL.
II Samastha Lokah Sukhino Bhavantu II
Posted in Prasanthi News |
