He is a small clown in a busy Circus. The circus has many animals, trapeze artists, jugglers the guys who ride around in the Death Well. The clown takes a walk around the circus waves to Samson the lion, pats Jumbo the elephant then he bends to pick up some hay .This he gives to the horses who are getting ready to take the kids for a ride . He slowly trudges off into the extreme right of the Circus .This is where the Circus manager has his office .The clown has been summoned by the manager this morning .He has some important and rather urgent news to share with the clown . The Clown is in his mid thirty has a paunch, broad shoulders with short skinny hands . He is wearing his red nose and his hair are colored orange and red .They are long and shoulder length. He walks with a little hunch and stoop of his shoulders.
The clown stops at a near by tent the sign reads 'Circus Manager' .The Clown stops he dusts himself up , combs his long hair , fixes his red nose and enters the tent. The circus manager greets the clown and offers him some tea .He is in a reflective mood the manager and slowly comes to the point .
“Look here Hari, I know you have been in the circus for a long time , and we owe you a lot .In the last 2 decades you were a rage young acrobat and mega talented. We have done hundreds of shows together and made a lot of money .You know what they say buddy, Time and Tide wait for none.Things have changed, now the movies are the in thing , the disco’s , the night clubs, nobody wants to come to the Circus .You know the family system is breaking up all around the world .People go to strip bars for fun these days or maybe watch football at home. Circus is just not the in thing these days."
The Clown took a deep breath as if to contemplate that the worse was about to come. His words were making him edgy as if a bomb was about to be dropped on him .
“In the light of the above Hari, old friend, we will have to ask you to relinquish your services to the Circus , we are going to have to ask you to leave.”
It came as a big shock , he had been with the circus for over a decade. The circus was what all he had known as a child his only home. This was all he had ever known . He had no skills to survive in the outside world. What would he do ? How was he to support himself? These questions were whizzing past his head.
Where would he go , he had no home apart from the circus , he would be on the street .
“Shankar, I have served the circus since a child for over twenty years , I would not know what to do.”
He took off his wig and nose and kept it on the table.
”I mean I don’t even know now what the real me is . Am I Hari or am I just the clown. Which face is for real and which is not”.
With these words he started sobbing , as tears rolled by the circus master realized that this was not going to be an easy task . He kept his arms around Hari as if to reassure him, that things were not all that bad . He took out his cheque book and wrote out a check to Hari .
As Shankar handed him a cheque the clown started coughing and wheezing . He took the check nevertheless and kept it in his coat pocket . Shankar looked at him with concern in his eyes . He then escorted Hari out of the tent . The impact of what had happened had just hit Hari as he slowly walked towards the rear end of the circus where his tent was. His strides where slow and unsteady .He walked into his tent and looked around .There were trophies on the wall , photographs with governors of past years , photo’s doing his juggling act . The vast variety of masks , coats , fur and hats adorned the walls . The clown slowly opened his cupboard and started to pack his belongings into a case.
He first kept the clothes ,shirts , trousers and boxer shorts then he started packing his photographs ,his red noses lying on the table .He couldn’t control himself now , he sat on the bed and started to cry . With a heavy heart he finished his packing . Now finding the tent totally empty he found himself totally alone . He paused for a while then switched off the lights and left his tent.
As he strode out into the fast field he saw the animals again one by one .The lions , the elephants and the horses .He slowly waved them good bye , the animals nod as if they were replying to him. He saw a bunch of trapeze boys having their morning tea .
"We will miss you Hari old mate .” One of them cried out .
Hari waved to them and did a little juggling act with the red balls , something for which he was famous for. He walked up to the iron gate where the gatekeeper is waiting for him to come . He opens the gate for him and then takes his hat off and bows , just out of respect . The clown gives him a nod and a wave and passes by the circus gate .He trudges along and then turns back as if to see the gates of the circus for the last time. He has a tear in his eyes and takes a red handkerchief out to wipe them off.
Now he is all alone, unequipped to live in the real world. He finds a near by park in the middle of a busy street and sit’s on a bench . He looks around to see traffic passing by , noises of the city resonate in the air . He slowly takes a sweet bun out of his pocket and begins to eat it .He then realizes that he has a check given to him by Shankar in that pocket too. He takes the cheque out, looks at it and looks around .He sees a bank and walks right in to encash the check . As he goes through the bank's revolving door he comes into a huge lobby .He sees a busy man in a suit and tie sitting in a cubicle marked Bank Manager.
He tells the man he has a check to encash and that he wants to apply for a job in the Bank. The manager looks at him with disdain .The clown was looking ridiculou with his fiery red hair and red nose asking for a serious job in the bank .The manager refutes the idea and asks him to leave immediately .The clown looks around and sees advertising posters, banners and pamphlets of the bank. All these are making huge service product promises like our bank has over a million satisfied customers, our bank makes people smile, we keep customers happy. He points out to the manager saying,
“See that’s what working in your bank is all about, it is about making customers happy and about putting a smile on their faces. I have been doing just that for the past years in the circus .I Hari the Clown has been making people smile, who could know that better then me”.
The manager is not pleased, says
”Look Hari you don’t have the experience or the qualifications required to work in a bank, we would not know what to do with a clown."
The clown is persistent and takes out four juggling balls from his pocket and starts to perform his juggling act. Everyone in the lobby is pleasantly bemused and start looking at what the clown is doing . He then takes out more balls from his coat pocket and starts to throw the balls higher and higher . As he stops everyone has gathered around him and start to clap and smile. The kids start to dance for joy to see the clown in such a mood . When he stops he looks at the bank manager as if to say
”Look I made your customers smile in minutes , how am I not qualified to work for your bank”.
The bank manager is having none of it and asks the guards to throw the stupid clown out of the house . As he is being taken out from the other door a little girl walks up to him and gives him a lollipop .The clown looks towards her with compassion and has a tear in his eye. The little girl pats the clown and the clown gives her a red nose and squeezes it . The girl giggles and the clown is ushered out of the door.
He goes back to the park bench and sits on it again disappointed that the real world has no place for him where he could make a living. He looks around again with a sense of helplessness and despondency . He sees an airline office, ah! his eyes light up with glee .
He walks into the airline office .The big doors usher him in. He sees the way to the manager’s cabin, sits on the chair and introduces himself. The airline manager who has just finished having a banana , looks at him as if to say.
“What can I do for you now.”
He tells him the same story that he is Hari the clown and wants a job at the airline. The manager looks amused. He waves the clown away saying that he had no merit to be working for an airline.
The clown is persistent in his efforts , he looks around to find banners and posters proclaiming what a fine airline it was . How they made millions of customers smile .How happy each customer was with their service etc. The clown asks why he is the most qualified to work here , since he has made people smile and be happy all his life .He takes out his red balls and starts to do his famous juggling act again.
All of a sudden people start to come forward into the lobby and start to cheer the clown, who is busy doing his juggling act. The crowd begins to clap and smile. Laughter bellows through the lobby the prospective customers are in a state of delight . The airline manager however hates the commotion that the clown was causing and asks him to leave. Two guards come and catch the clown by the hand and take him to the door.
Hari finds himself at the park again. There is a turmoil inside him.
"What will I do? How will I feed myself?" He mutters struggling hard to keep out the tears.
His eyes falls to the lollipop given by that little girl from bank. Smilling, he starts sucking. Memories flood him as to how he was so famous amongst little children. How they would laugh and giggle. How he would laugh seeing them.
His eyes suddenly lit up. He knew exactly what to do. This time he went to the bank again with the sole purpose to encash his cheque. He goes back to his shanty and removes the traces of his profession. Wears clean clothes and goes out.
Standing in front of the Advertising Agency, with a sense of purpose he walks in.
"I would like to throw up an advertisemnt."
Tne officer gave him a form to fill up the details. He submits the form and pays the money.
"I do, what I do best" He says to himself.
The caption of the advertisement read "Clown available for children birthday parties"
The clown stops at a near by tent the sign reads 'Circus Manager' .The Clown stops he dusts himself up , combs his long hair , fixes his red nose and enters the tent. The circus manager greets the clown and offers him some tea .He is in a reflective mood the manager and slowly comes to the point .
“Look here Hari, I know you have been in the circus for a long time , and we owe you a lot .In the last 2 decades you were a rage young acrobat and mega talented. We have done hundreds of shows together and made a lot of money .You know what they say buddy, Time and Tide wait for none.Things have changed, now the movies are the in thing , the disco’s , the night clubs, nobody wants to come to the Circus .You know the family system is breaking up all around the world .People go to strip bars for fun these days or maybe watch football at home. Circus is just not the in thing these days."
The Clown took a deep breath as if to contemplate that the worse was about to come. His words were making him edgy as if a bomb was about to be dropped on him .
“In the light of the above Hari, old friend, we will have to ask you to relinquish your services to the Circus , we are going to have to ask you to leave.”
It came as a big shock , he had been with the circus for over a decade. The circus was what all he had known as a child his only home. This was all he had ever known . He had no skills to survive in the outside world. What would he do ? How was he to support himself? These questions were whizzing past his head.
Where would he go , he had no home apart from the circus , he would be on the street .
“Shankar, I have served the circus since a child for over twenty years , I would not know what to do.”
He took off his wig and nose and kept it on the table.
”I mean I don’t even know now what the real me is . Am I Hari or am I just the clown. Which face is for real and which is not”.
With these words he started sobbing , as tears rolled by the circus master realized that this was not going to be an easy task . He kept his arms around Hari as if to reassure him, that things were not all that bad . He took out his cheque book and wrote out a check to Hari .
As Shankar handed him a cheque the clown started coughing and wheezing . He took the check nevertheless and kept it in his coat pocket . Shankar looked at him with concern in his eyes . He then escorted Hari out of the tent . The impact of what had happened had just hit Hari as he slowly walked towards the rear end of the circus where his tent was. His strides where slow and unsteady .He walked into his tent and looked around .There were trophies on the wall , photographs with governors of past years , photo’s doing his juggling act . The vast variety of masks , coats , fur and hats adorned the walls . The clown slowly opened his cupboard and started to pack his belongings into a case.
He first kept the clothes ,shirts , trousers and boxer shorts then he started packing his photographs ,his red noses lying on the table .He couldn’t control himself now , he sat on the bed and started to cry . With a heavy heart he finished his packing . Now finding the tent totally empty he found himself totally alone . He paused for a while then switched off the lights and left his tent.
As he strode out into the fast field he saw the animals again one by one .The lions , the elephants and the horses .He slowly waved them good bye , the animals nod as if they were replying to him. He saw a bunch of trapeze boys having their morning tea .
"We will miss you Hari old mate .” One of them cried out .
Hari waved to them and did a little juggling act with the red balls , something for which he was famous for. He walked up to the iron gate where the gatekeeper is waiting for him to come . He opens the gate for him and then takes his hat off and bows , just out of respect . The clown gives him a nod and a wave and passes by the circus gate .He trudges along and then turns back as if to see the gates of the circus for the last time. He has a tear in his eyes and takes a red handkerchief out to wipe them off.
Now he is all alone, unequipped to live in the real world. He finds a near by park in the middle of a busy street and sit’s on a bench . He looks around to see traffic passing by , noises of the city resonate in the air . He slowly takes a sweet bun out of his pocket and begins to eat it .He then realizes that he has a check given to him by Shankar in that pocket too. He takes the cheque out, looks at it and looks around .He sees a bank and walks right in to encash the check . As he goes through the bank's revolving door he comes into a huge lobby .He sees a busy man in a suit and tie sitting in a cubicle marked Bank Manager.
He tells the man he has a check to encash and that he wants to apply for a job in the Bank. The manager looks at him with disdain .The clown was looking ridiculou with his fiery red hair and red nose asking for a serious job in the bank .The manager refutes the idea and asks him to leave immediately .The clown looks around and sees advertising posters, banners and pamphlets of the bank. All these are making huge service product promises like our bank has over a million satisfied customers, our bank makes people smile, we keep customers happy. He points out to the manager saying,
“See that’s what working in your bank is all about, it is about making customers happy and about putting a smile on their faces. I have been doing just that for the past years in the circus .I Hari the Clown has been making people smile, who could know that better then me”.
The manager is not pleased, says
”Look Hari you don’t have the experience or the qualifications required to work in a bank, we would not know what to do with a clown."
The clown is persistent and takes out four juggling balls from his pocket and starts to perform his juggling act. Everyone in the lobby is pleasantly bemused and start looking at what the clown is doing . He then takes out more balls from his coat pocket and starts to throw the balls higher and higher . As he stops everyone has gathered around him and start to clap and smile. The kids start to dance for joy to see the clown in such a mood . When he stops he looks at the bank manager as if to say
”Look I made your customers smile in minutes , how am I not qualified to work for your bank”.
The bank manager is having none of it and asks the guards to throw the stupid clown out of the house . As he is being taken out from the other door a little girl walks up to him and gives him a lollipop .The clown looks towards her with compassion and has a tear in his eye. The little girl pats the clown and the clown gives her a red nose and squeezes it . The girl giggles and the clown is ushered out of the door.
He goes back to the park bench and sits on it again disappointed that the real world has no place for him where he could make a living. He looks around again with a sense of helplessness and despondency . He sees an airline office, ah! his eyes light up with glee .
He walks into the airline office .The big doors usher him in. He sees the way to the manager’s cabin, sits on the chair and introduces himself. The airline manager who has just finished having a banana , looks at him as if to say.
“What can I do for you now.”
He tells him the same story that he is Hari the clown and wants a job at the airline. The manager looks amused. He waves the clown away saying that he had no merit to be working for an airline.
The clown is persistent in his efforts , he looks around to find banners and posters proclaiming what a fine airline it was . How they made millions of customers smile .How happy each customer was with their service etc. The clown asks why he is the most qualified to work here , since he has made people smile and be happy all his life .He takes out his red balls and starts to do his famous juggling act again.
All of a sudden people start to come forward into the lobby and start to cheer the clown, who is busy doing his juggling act. The crowd begins to clap and smile. Laughter bellows through the lobby the prospective customers are in a state of delight . The airline manager however hates the commotion that the clown was causing and asks him to leave. Two guards come and catch the clown by the hand and take him to the door.
Hari finds himself at the park again. There is a turmoil inside him.
"What will I do? How will I feed myself?" He mutters struggling hard to keep out the tears.
His eyes falls to the lollipop given by that little girl from bank. Smilling, he starts sucking. Memories flood him as to how he was so famous amongst little children. How they would laugh and giggle. How he would laugh seeing them.
His eyes suddenly lit up. He knew exactly what to do. This time he went to the bank again with the sole purpose to encash his cheque. He goes back to his shanty and removes the traces of his profession. Wears clean clothes and goes out.
Standing in front of the Advertising Agency, with a sense of purpose he walks in.
"I would like to throw up an advertisemnt."
Tne officer gave him a form to fill up the details. He submits the form and pays the money.
"I do, what I do best" He says to himself.
The caption of the advertisement read "Clown available for children birthday parties"
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