my brief moment of fame

Posted by califpoppy on November 16th, 2007 | Categorized as Stories | 146 views and 1 Comment

When I lived in New Delhi,I took ballet lessons once a week. One day before class,the teacher told us he had some exciting news for us. We had all been invited to help celebrate the fifteenth anniversary of the founding of the UN,culminating in a recital and
show at the biggest auditorium in the city. We were all very excited and found out that even if we weren’t in a solo or group dance,we would be on stage at the end of the recital. We were all dressed in native costumes from countries around the world.
All the performers did their dances and we were all asked to come out after the end of the show to bow and hear the applause of the audience. While we were bowing,out in the audience,there was an audible gasp of surprise and clapping that grew louder by the minute. We thought it was for us,but then the people watching us weren’t paying attention to the dancers anymore,but turned around to watch someone make his way onto the stage. Since I was halfway down the stage,I couldn’t see who it was. Then suddenly,I felt an arm going around my shoulders and so did the girl standing next to me. I turned around to see who it was and nearly fell over when I saw that the man standing behind me was none other than Prime Minister Nehru! Flash bulbs were going off from every direction and the applause was deafening! He patted us on our heads and moved down the row to the next group. I was so stunned I was speechless. I still couldn’t believe he stopped nex to me. After I came down to earth,I rean out and told my parents,who had seen it all. We went home and I finally went to sleep. The next morning my dad came in,holding several newspapers,all of them with my picture with Nehru on the front. That photo now has a prominent place on my wall,wherever I live.
That was quite a moment for me,however briefly it lasted.

melissa miller

Lived overseas from 1960-67,in India,Turkey and Thailand.Still love to travel,and do so as often as possible. Favorite countries: England,Turkey and Italy.