My quarantine talent

Birkarnelzelzit Thiyam
How’s quarantine going on for everyone? Staying home has never been this hard to be honest. Because of this loneliness, I have developed a lot of “wathi ngangba’ skills. But never thought this also has the potential to be under the umbrella of talents. So, here goes my story.
Recently, I am rushed with so many questions from my readers about finding what we should do in life. But, to my surprise – when I talked with few of them, the way they present their thoughts on finding what they want is deadly hilarious – that questioned me for they are trying to find something using what they already found. To break it down – let me throw-back something from my old diary.
Understood perfectly that every gift needs an equal chance, but not have this thing call, “Wathi Ngangba” been considered to even cocoon itself as a talent. If a talent can make someone laugh out loud and kill off the pain for a while, then that can be one of the kings of all talents.   I have been growing as a person who loves to talk nonsense publicly, but having brought up in a closed environment, I never had the courage to walk in this path. Yes, I have been writing and talking as a motivational writer and orator, but never did I checked my courage to be myself onstage. Of-course I did, but all I questioned myself was, “will people laugh at my joke or at me?” and that question was always answered negatively because of the fear of external voices.
But, been four years that I started putting comic element on every show and talk of mine, trying to come closer to the best version of myself. Have done stand-up show in few clubs of Canada, never had I ever got such happiness of being myself on stage. And finally, after all that I went through, through in the sense of all the comments. I have had people call me that I am boring, I am stupid, I am weak in comic timings, but I keep convincing myself that, “they say so because they don’t know what I can do.”  Finally, for the first time, the biggest, made a sold-out stand-up comedy special in Manipur with all my longings put it together in one and half hours. I made it, without any comparison, I got the chance to live my dream.
I have been thinking that fear is a hurdle and I had to over-come it but lately I realised that fear is just a feeling that can be controlled. You need not overcome it but just ignore it.  This forgotten talent is found in plenty, in every class - there is this person who is called the noisiest but without that person, class turns deadly boring. That very being has been shut and kicked out of the class for being so disturbing, never had any thought – that disturbance in the class is not really a curse but a cure to many pains, that’s a gift, not any can do or has that.  And if those forgotten talent can be brought on stage, they can shine as a stand-up comedian. For a place like Manipur, where we change the channel when a romantic scene pops up, but rape case never stops coming out of the cocoon, we need more stand-up comedians. For clearing up more, stand-up comedy is not all about mimicking and performing some dramatic jokes but speaking out something that people can’t by using comic licence.
I, being one now, I had the honour of telling out everything which I have been carrying heavily in my heart. See, the best part about walking in this path is realizing the feedbacks that I receive. “Oh! I have been thinking like that and been feeling that way, but you said it out,” this is the commonest response. So, now what I am trying to pour out is, this really creates an openness amongst us.  And I know there are many who have comic essences, don’t end up just being a mimicking artist but yes, use that talent to speak out everything that our society needs. We need more comedians like doctors and engineers.  I know it’s new yet very old inside you, don’t think this talent is a waste, it’s the need of the hour. If you think you can make someone laugh, believe that there is something not all have. Because making someone laugh is also can be counted as one of the most difficult jobs on earth and if you think you are good at that, don’t end up just being the last bencher, we don’t want to see you even in first bench but on stage. Trust me, you have something which many longs to have. Most are not really earned but born with that; the world needs you.  The writer is based in Canada.