THE METAMORPHOSIS OF BABY LION! #WriteAPageADay

 

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Baby Lion was unhappy. He was a chubby four-year-old who was playing the role of a lion in an LKG school play. From day one, as his little friends danced and sang and spoke, all Baby Lion had to do was to rush out, roar a bit, do a few daring moves and act fierce.

However, our little lion was not inclined to be fierce. He stood on the wings, tears running down his cheeks as he kept whimpering. His teachers cajoled him, offered him treats even, but their remonstrations did not work. He wept as he stood, and continued weeping as he wandered on to the stage, listless and morose. His teachers were made of sterner stuff. They knew that stage fright was common, and they let him be.

On D Day, the children looked wonderful. They chattered like excited little monkeys, thrilled that their parents were coming to watch them perform. The trees waved their fronds, the flowers tossed “their heads in spritely dance”, the elephants trumpeted and the actors “strutted and fretted across the stage”. The music swelled across to the audience who held their collective breath in anticipation, as they whispered to one another.

“I hope Apoorva remembers her lines.” “Doesn’t the stage look resplendent?”

Baby Lion’s mother sat somewhere in the middle because she did not want her little one to catch a glimpse of her. The teacher had warned her that he was a weepy little lion and she did not want to be the cause of further tears. Her fingers were tightly crossed.

The play began with a magnificent trumpet call, the curtain rose to a scene in the jungle. The tree and the flowers played their roles to perfection as tiny animals gambolled and birds spread their wings. It was a scene to gladden any parent’s heart. The music soared as the main actors delivered their lines on how to preserve forests and love Mother Nature.

It was time for Baby Lion to make his entrance. He looked wonderful in his costume with his shaggy mane, but his woeful expression continued. His friend, the other lion, nudged him forward, but Baby Lion was frozen. As tears streamed down his chubby cheeks, he began to crawl across the stage, even as his teachers gestured to him from the opposite wing.

“Move faster, Baby Lion! Good boy!” Their gestures and stage whispers had no effect. Baby Lion continued to crawl across the stage as the music moved on.

The next moment, the other little lion gave him a massive shove and overtook him. He pranced and he danced, a fierce little creature terrifying all the animals in the forest. As he took over the stage, Baby Lion stood and watched, weeping and rubbing his eyes for all he was worth. The act ended with the active little lion being chased away by a hunter. As the play came to an end, there was a thunderous round of applause from the appreciative audience.

The fact remains that Baby Lion received more than his share of eyeballs because he stood out and took the road not taken! In fact, he took no road, but froze on stage, but his stance was so adorable that the onlookers went back with a smile on their faces and a tug in their hearts.

Maybe, there is a lesson to be learnt here… maybe a few lessons!

1.     When you stand out and take the road not taken by others, you get noticed. Baby Lion did garner his share of attention.

2.     If you are not convinced about what you need to do, it is better to stick to your own stand. Even if it is remaining frozen, mid-stage!

3.     Forcing a flower to bloom is not advisable. It is gentleness, not force that Mother Nature uses. In the above case, the child was allowed to do what he wanted, even though he needed to be part of a whole.

4.     Finally, we go back to the old adage… laugh, and the world laughs with you. Cry, and you cry alone! Baby Lion cried right through but the world accepted him and smiled gently at his antics. There was no mockery there, only a sense of empathy because it could have been any of their children standing on stage, teary-eyed.

 Postscript:

Baby Lion went on to do well in his later years in school. He did an amazing job as Shylock from The Merchant of Venice, proved himself in academics and finally ended up as the Head Boy of his school. He is presently doing Engineering from a prestigious Government Engineering College.

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