The Odd Couple

That was the name of the play I went to watch in the evening. The setting was wonderful. And unlike most places, not hounded by security personnel. The atmosphere was quite vibrant and people were distinctive in their sense of fashion, not like sheep belonging to a herd.

The campus of 'Rabindra Bharati' has an slow easy-going sort of charm to it, where people were free to be. The entire experience of driving all the distance to watch the play was nice and fulfilling. The play itself was good. The acting was strong. But again, its primary motive was humour and it made the audience laugh. No great insights and perhaps that wasn't the point either.

Near me however, there were a couple of people who kept on speaking rather loudly in their native language and attending to phone calls in the same way. I do not think they would even understand english or anything else the play was about. They were uncouth in their loudness and lack of consideration. At times, they made it difficult for us to listen to the actors. India is a diverse country. Calcutta, where I have been raised, is a city where people have a reverence for art, and other cultural activities. There is a large degree of sophistication and intellectual activity. But here in the part of the country where I live now, the situation, sadly is very different. It disappointed me. But having lived here for a while, I haven't come to expect much more.