A movie with friends

A movie with friends

Ages ago, students of the primary section of the school I attended were taken to the movies. I was in Class 3, and my elder brother was in Class 4. My brother wore spectacles as he found it difficult to read from the blackboard clearly. The doctor had instructed my parents to give him food rich in Vitamin A and to avoid watching movies, as the movies were screened in the dark and the glare from the screen did a lot of harm to the eyes. TV sets had not yet invaded our homes. My brother and I were brought up conservatively, so we were not taken to the movies as a rule. The doctor's instructions totally sealed off whatever little chance we had of going to the movies.
The announcement for the movie was made by the class teacher, and the ticket was nominally priced at Re 1. We were to visit the theatre on a Saturday, which was half a working day as a rule. The notice from the school read that the students were to be there at the theatre at 9 in the morning and could be taken home once the movie was over at 11:30. I broke this news at home and first shared it with my Amma, who was more approachable than my father. My question was "Can we go?" Amma said that she would discuss with father and let us know. My brother was apprehensive and waited with bated breath for my father's permission, and was exalted when he said yes. He instructed my brother to wear his glasses (something he hated to do) throughout the movie.
We carried the amount carefully and paid it to our respective class teachers. There was a lot of excitement among students as it meant an outing and a movie with friends. My friends used to go to the movies regularly and were equipped with knowledge of it. I dared not share that I hadn't been to the theatre even once in my life lest they did not believe me or make fun of me. They would say how frightened they felt when the lights were switched off, and there were fight scenes on the screen. We, in our child-like way, would discuss who would sit next to whom during the movie, the snacks we would carry, and so on. Once home, I would share this information with my brother. He said that he would not watch the movie lest his eyes get damaged even more. This was a routine thing till the day of the movie.
On the day of the movie, we were dropped off at the theatre by our father. He asked us to wait at the gate till he came to pick us up. Our class teachers and a few of our classmates were there at the theatre, and we went to report to our respective class teachers. Our class teacher asked us to form a queue according to our heights, and we trooped into the theatre. I looked with wide-eyed amazement at the hall and took in everything I could about the theatre. We sat in our seats, and after a while, the lights were dimmed. A children's movie was played, and I remember to this day the actor Paintal was in a comic role. His presence on the screen had us rolling with laughter in our seats. We enjoyed ourselves a lot, and then it was time to go home. We queued out and my brother and I wished our teachers and headed for the gate. There, as we waited for our father to come and pick us up, my brother and I discussed the movie. He shared that he, too, had watched and enjoyed the movie, and his promise of not watching it was all forgotten.
Since then, I have been to the movies umpteen times, but this visit has a special place in my memory.