The day before.

The show is tomorrow. I'm so excited – I really want to see what the finished production will actually turn out to be like. What are the others thinking? Are they excited, nervous, tense? I wanted to find out – so I asked. Here are some excerpts:

Abhijeet was the first to reply, within a few minutes of the email going out, “tense :-( I am trying to convince Shafaq to play for me in all songs...haha.”

Himi wrote, “I know who would want to write a lot!!!! MY MOTHER !!!!! about getting casted as a volunteer... he he he”

Jhilmil answered, “Honestly, I think I'm most nervous about the thought that my sari is going to fall off on stage... or that I'll trip over it going to the mike!”

Sujan Kabir wrote back, “This girl......Jhilmil......I am yet to get introduced to, and the song she's going to sing (Ta, ta......) is banging inside my head since morning today. This is Sujan (MIT). I shouldn't have gone for the rehearsal on 15th. Now I eat, drink & sleep Amra Kojon”

Nadia perked in, “Jhilmil, same with audi and me -- for the few minutes we see of each other during the week, we spontaneously break into singing Pa, Pa Ma Ga Re Sa! What have you done!”

The voice of reason and reassurance comes from Tuhin bhai, “I am not worried at all. Those of you are worried "I got your back". A Kuna Ma Ta Ta. “

Shafaq wrote, “Me, I have "Shat Bhai Chompa" stuck in my head. Especially the interludes. Last Friday night I went to sleep with the 'ta na na na na' stuck in my head, and Saturday morning I woke up with the song still firmly lodged in my head. I listened to the song at least 25 times on my way back to New York from Boston. Ektu ghumai, ektu gaan shuni [I sleep a bit, and I listen to the music for a bit]. And guess what, even now I can't get it out of my head.

He khoda [Oh God]. Someone save me. Please.

Da na na na
na na na
jabo na jabo na jabo na re
da na na joubon jala
tomay deke deke shara
da na na na

arghghhhhh!!!!!”

Tanvir bhai wrote, “Initially, Sujan bhai more or less coerced me into buying a ticket for this show. Then I found out that my wife’s cousin, Anila, will be performing so I got the ticket to see her. Now I am finding myself working as a volunteer....Amazing transition for me....hahahaha. “

Past 2am Auditi wrote, “How strange, do people on this list never sleep?” leading to a string of an entertaining late-night exchange.

This morning, Himi wrote, “For some reason I have Mukta's 'jete dao amaye dekona' stuck in my head. That's what I am singing all day. I can't wait for the after party!”

Tuhin bhai chimed in, “T - 31 hours and 18 minutes.”

Pusha wrote, “This is one active group!!! Lots of energy, no desire to sleep...perfect for AK! verrrrrry excited about tomorrow!”

Jhilam wrote, “Sujan... it's true, I don't think I've met you. Yet from the sound of all these emails, you've been to all these rehearsals. How did I miss you? Were you hiding under the keyboards? To all of you- I apologize... my songs are completely stuck in everyone's heads... and I can't imagine the kind of banging Dhe Dhe Ta Dhe Ta Dhe will cause in people's heads if it's on replay! Thank god I get to sing it and just get it out of my system! haha.”

Later on, I was speaking to Abhijeet on msn messenger, and he commented, “I am not really tense for the show, but I am tense for 'after the show', since the beating would be all after the show based on how good/bad you performed....”

There's this vibrant energy in the air somewhere. I have a splitting headache from not sleeping much throughout the week, and yet its fun to blast music in Taposhda's dining room as we work frantically trying to make posterboards, checking last minute packing details and figuring out logistics of trying to move a few truckloads of decoration material from Providence to Boston.

-Naina
on behalf of Amra Kojon