FIRST DAY FANCY

The thrill of taking part in the opening day of an event


Many of my friends in college had a craze for seeing a new film on the day of its release itself. They went to extraordinary lengths to assure themselves of a seat in the first show.


This involved going to the theatre very early, and waiting for the gate to be opened. And then there was a mad scramble to the ticket window with a lot of jostling and shoving to get favourable positions in the queue. It was a strenuous exercise for the sake of a film that may not have been worth all that trouble.
Some showed the same enthusiasm in buying stamps on the first day of issue. I somehow never had such compulsions, and was content to see a film even a month after its release - if it was still running. And as for stamps, I just used them to send mail.


The Biggest Theatre

But this first day frenzy caught hold of me on two occasions. One was the opening of the Thangam Theatre, said to be the largest in Asia. We were all thrilled by the thought that the largest theatre in Asia was in our town. So I joined some friends who were planning to be there for the first show, and perhaps, if lucky, get the first tickets. We didn't bother about the film itself.


We had heard that it had been scripted by Karunanidhi, and featured a new hero. But our first day zeal was for the theatre only.


We went to the inaugural show, when the building was still incomplete.
The screen had been fitted to a kind of lattice structure since the wall had not yet been fully built. But the theatre was magnificent. We gazed at the all-white structure with awe and admiration.


I think we managed to get the first batch of tickets.
The film was `Parasakthi', and the new actor was Sivaji Ganesan.
It took me 25 years to whip up the same kind of enthusiasm again. This time it was not for a theatre, but for a railway train.


The Fastest Train

I had read about the Vaigai Express even when it was in the planning stage. It had many `firsts' to its credit. It was the first train to cross the 75 km/h speed limit for metre gauge trains, covering 492 kms in seven and a half hours, the first `classless' train, the first train to have fully upholstered seats, and the first fully reserved train on the metre gauge system. To make the journey smooth, the rail joints had been welded extensively.


I booked a ticket for the first day, 15th August 1977. The ticket was in a colourful little envelope which was a gift from the TVS group, and they gave a booklet about the Vaigai Express along with it. The train was decorated elaborately, and was spotlessly clean. It had eight coaches and a pantry car.


The crowd on the platform cheered as the train started on its maiden run. When it started speeding up, we experienced the thrill of traveling at about 100 kms an hour. The train rocked and rolled as it broke the metre gauge records. The staff were all smiles and courtesy. We were plied with tea and snacks, all free.
There were only two stops en route At Dindigul a band gave us a rousing welcome. The Grain Merchants' Association of Dindigul gave each of us a greeting card hailing the occasion. Some other organization served ice cream to all of us. Many came in and asked us how it felt to travel at such speed. There was tremendous excitement all around. There were resounding cheers as the train started again.


The same thing happened in Tiruchi too. And all along the way people stood on either side of the track waving to us. It was a memorable trip. Even today I feel glad that I was on that train that day.


I have never had any first day experiences since then.




J. VASANTHAN
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