Durban, South Africa
First
Night of the Show
The young man who plays the leading role in
our drama is Boikanya from Pretoria. He
told me, after his splendid performance, “I’ve never done anything like this
before.”
Boikanya was like a hot ocean of salt water
when we embraced. He was hot and sweaty,
like all the boys whom I exchanged hugs with, to express my gratitude for their
effort. With the girls, I offered my pranams and an additional air hug. Remember, I'm a monk. All the performers were in thick costumes, on
a stage with hot lights overhead. The
movement of air was almost nil and the dance/martial arts moves built up body
heat. The audience was no less than two
thousand—a packed house.
Boikanya said, “It was scary.”
It’s understandable that he was
nervous. He plays the role of Karna, a
tragic character from the epic, The
Mahabharat. Before he came to Durban,
he had never heard of the story before, let alone the main character.
I let him know he was a natural as an actor
playing a warrior. “It’s in you. It’s like walking. We are designed for that. Walking takes little training. Totally natural.”
I really appreciated that Boikanya and all
the other marvelous boys and girls in this production of, “The Queen’s Secret,”
gave it their all. The audience stood up
in approval when the entertainers came for their curtain call. And that was over the recording of Nina
Simone’s soothing voice in “Here Comes the Sun.”
I love that piece of music. It’s like the voice of an elder Kunti,
Karna’s mother, expressing resolve.
May the Source be with you!
5 km
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