The Latent Talent
Sahana Rao
Monday, December 19, 2011
92 Comments
We had to attend a friend's son's birthday party. We were dressing-up. As I kajal-ed myself, I shifted my focus on the mirror to the background. He looked 'So good!'. Before he caught me, I shifted back my focus. And..,
Me: That jacket looks awesome on you! Why don't you wear that often?
BH: (Smiling, as he combed his hair) I often wear ironed T-shirts. That is why.
That answer pissed me off!
At the social-gathering, after the cake-cutting formality, we had some free time before lunch. The party hall provided a mike and music system. What more does one need for the fun to start? We sat in the second row corner. A few elderly ladies started off singing some devotional songs. I buried my smart head into the phone. (Oops! did I use the adjective in the wrong place? ). Then, I heard a familiar voice which said "This is straight from my heart..." BH was holding the mike. I looked at an empty seat next to me (Now, you know that the adjective was certainly in the wrong place before!) He sang "Deewana hua baadal" a romantic song from Kashmir ki kali. My eyes 'moisturized themselves'. HE SANG SO WELL! I mean it.. His voice.. Hold on the breath.. Shook the ground below me! He looked eye-to-eye, I don't know why? I was feeling shy. :D I thought I liked public display of affection. But..
There was a roar of applause as he finished. I was proud of him. He never told me he could sing. He always made me sing over phone in our late night calls. Whenever, I asked him to sing he said that singing isn't his cup of tea. I was is no mood to put this under "You lied to me" category.
Then, he got a phone call and he went out. Was it my turn to surprise him? ;)
I asked the organizers about the songs they had. I chose some songs with thumpy beats. The first song was "Yeh ishq haaye" from Jab We Met. The music started, so did rhythmic jingling of anklets. I thought, he should have come back in by now. My eyes were hunting high and low for him. And finally, he entered when the lines were "Poochona Poocho mujhe kya hua hai....". He did not know I could dance, and in front of a packed hall! He smiled. Walked up to the front stage, cross-folded his hands and watched. My heart was already racing like a horse because of the heavy steps of the dance, now it started skipping beats because of the "near" dear one.The next was a Tamizh song. "Randakka Randakka" from Anniyan. I do not understand a single word in this song. But, the beats are heart (th)robbing. The introduction bit started, I danced like no one watched. People were shouting their heads-off. My ego boosted, the movements became even more smooth and flexible. I bent backwards in a beat, I saw BH dancing! Next, few seconds I danced like a cat-who-just-got-an-electric shock! But, I regained rhythm quickly. He did moon-walking ('o') Of all people, I never expected him to dance. Even if he danced, moon-walking?
Amazingly, we matched our steps so well for the rest of the song, that I realized, I have a perfect dance partner too. (dunce me?).
To my horror! The last step, he took-off the jacket – in style and threw away. "All this style to reveal a creased shirt?? Face-Palm moment arrives!", I thought. Thankfully, he was wearing a wrinkle-free shirt :D He hugged me tight on stage! I was so damn happy about his shirt, I reciprocated.
As we descended off the stage,
Me: You never told me you could dance
BH: But, I had told you that I would be with you in every "step" of life. And I just lived up to it.
