Its the final show and I can only imagine the stress and chaos under the scorching sun at the Calungute Football Assosiation Ground this afternoon. "I must’ve been drunk when I thought of this project" complains Erica!! Its only yesterday that all 200 children got together for a complete practise. There have been too many unforseen obstacles this month. Taps with no water and tubes with no electricity when you need it the most. It was a real sight when the clowns returned home after a hard days work under the sun to find no water for two whole days. There was water everywhere in Goa, but at the clowns’ residence!! Behind the energy and smiles there was so much stress but our clowns do it all with a smile!!
This has definately been difficult. Working with two hundred street children of various ages for a team of five Italians in India is not a joke after all. They sweat all day to create smiles. Its rather dissappointing dealing with the attitudes of people around, especially matters of time and commitement. Not just the people but even the air in India is peculiar. Untimely rains on their arrival made things uneasy. But we all know right from the start, that this was about generating positivity and Smiles!! Did I see anyone wanting to give up once?? Not at all!! Even the times it seemed almost impossible.
The Teatro team for the laboratory of smiles has great balance and its amazing to watch them do their thing. I do wish that for all the efforts that they are putting in they were appreciated more.
And today, when those children go up on stage, each one having discovered so much about themselves over this month, I know it will be magic. There will be a deep sense of satisfaction in every heart that was a part of this.
When I unwillingly took the bus to back to Pune last night I saw the night sky in Goa pass me by. It was filled with so many tiny and bright stars. And Each child that I left behind at El Shaddai touched my heart. With Fantasia, each one of them will shine like a star. There will be colour and there will be smiles. And all of us who cannot be there in person, I know will still be a part of the audience applauding our children proudly.
Here’s to the clown in us, the child in us, the stars in us. A warm hug to all.
Smile on, Shine on…..
Tanushree Biswas
