‘Adi, wait! Where are you off to in such a hurry?’ Parth asked, trying to catch up with Adi. 

‘To the auditions. I don’t want to miss it,’ Adi replied, rushing ahead with a sheet of paper in his hand.

‘But the auditions are tomorrow,’ yelled Parth, running behind his friend. ‘Which role are you auditioning for?’ he added, munching on mouthfuls of peanuts as he finally caught up with Adi.

Adi grabbed the packet of hot and spicy peanuts. ‘Ram, Hanuman and Angad. Which role are you auditioning for?’ he asked.

‘I am fine with any role,’ Parth mumbled.

‘Are you sure about the date of the auditions?’ Adi asked.

‘Yes. I mean, that is what I remember Rajat and his friends saying,’ Parth replied. ‘Why don’t we double-check with them? They are usually playing cricket in the park at this time.’

The two boys reached the park and found it empty. 

‘There’s no one here . . .’ said Adi.

Parth tried to think of a reason. Scratching his head, he said, ‘Maybe they went to a different park, or . . .’ 

‘Or the auditions are actually today!’ exclaimed Adi. His doubts had been confirmed. ‘Those older boys lied to us.’

‘What? They lied to us?’ repeated Parth in disbelief, finishing his spicy peanuts and wiping his hands on the back of his shorts.

Each year, the colony children got together and enacted the Ramlila. Adi had been participating since he was five years old. For five years, he had played the role of a monkey in Ram’s army. It was a role with no dialogue and minimal action. Initially, he was happy to get that role. But now that he was ten, which made him a senior actor, he wanted a meatier role. Something with at least a few dialogues. ‘I won’t accept a minor role anymore,’ Adi said with determination. 

Parth agreed and said, ‘Let’s rehearse the dialogues before the audition and get bigger roles!’ 

‘First, let’s find the others,’ said Adi, walking ahead. 

After a few minutes, they came across Shruti and Myra, who were practising their dance steps.

‘Shruti, Myra, have you seen the others?’ asked Parth. The girls shook their heads and kept rehearsing.

‘Let’s go to Binni’s place,’ suggested Adi, ‘They could be there on the rooftop.’ The common roof in Binni’s building was where the Ramlila was performed every year. 

‘Oh no! That’s Block B. That’s where Jackie is!’ Parth trembled, ‘Jackie always barks at me!’

‘Come on! Jackie won’t do a thing,’ said Adi, grabbing Parth’s hand and walking towards Block B. 

Jackie was fast asleep by a pile of shoes and didn’t bother to bark when the boys crossed him on their way to the roof of Binni’s building. 

As they reached the top floor, they heard a din of voices. 

‘See, the auditions are on. Just like I told you!’ Adi exclaimed.

All the older kids were there. The moment he got there, Adi insisted he should be given a fair chance like the other actors. 

Rajat, who always played Ram, rolled his eyes and said, ‘And which role do you think you can do besides being a monkey-soldier?’

‘I can be Ram or Hanuman or Angad,’ Adi said boldly. 

Everyone burst out laughing. Hiding her smile, Anokhi, who always played Sita, said, ‘Adi, these are senior roles for the seniors, and you are still too young to play them. We have already decided that Rajat will be Ram, Vibhor will be Lakshman, Jay will be Ravan and Aryan will be Hanuman.

Adi crossed his arms and said, ‘I am a senior too. I am in grade five now.’

Shonali, who was to play the role of Queen Kaushalya, came up with an idea. She whispered something in Anokhi’s ears. 

Meanwhile, Adi and Parth auditioned for several roles and were told to come back the next day. They went back to Adi’s home, where grandma had made spring rolls for them. 

‘These are the best spring rolls in the whole world!’ Parth said, licking the oil from the rolls off his fingers. 

Adi’s grandma loved to watch the kids perform every year. She even helped with the costumes and props.

Adi told grandma all about the auditions. ‘I want one of the big roles, but I have auditioned for several smaller ones, too.’

‘Adi, no role is big or small. Just do your best in whichever role you get,’ she said. 

Then she asked Parth, ‘How about you? Which role do you want?’

‘I wouldn’t mind any role as long as I get one. Even if it is the queen’s!’ said Parth, picking up the last spring roll.

The three laughed as Parth pretended to be a queen.

The next day, Adi and Parth were the first ones to reach the rooftop. Everyone present was handed folded chits of paper. They were supposed to open these chits and read out the roles they had received when they heard their names being announced.

Adi and Parth were excited and resisted opening their chits before their turns came.

Ankit’s name was called first. He opened his chit and read aloud, ‘Meghnaad.’

Eshan got Jatayu. Vipin got Janak. Parth got two roles—Shatrughna and a monkey-soldier. 

Adi was getting restless; all the good roles were getting taken quickly.

Amar got Mareech and an unnamed demon in the Asura army. Deep got to be Bali. 

Finally, it was Adi’s turn. Excited, he opened his chit and read aloud, ‘Shurpanakha, Queen Kaykeyi and a monkey-soldier!’ 

‘Wow! Three roles!’ exclaimed Shonali. ‘Nobody has ever got three roles! Three big cheers for Adi!’ 

Everyone clapped and cheered. Adi didn’t get an opportunity to say anything. He was confused as to whether he should be happy or sad for receiving three roles.

When they got home and he told his grandma, she seemed happy. ‘You have so much scope to act. And so many dialogues and scenes!’

Parth nodded in agreement. 

Adi’s older sister, Juhi, who was in charge of the head gear, face masks and jewellery, laughed. ‘You will do well as the angry Queen Kaykeyi because you are angry all the time!’

Adi glared at her.

Samar, who was the costume designer, was creating Jatayu and the golden deer’s costumes. He chuckled and said, ‘And Shurpanakha! I can’t imagine anyone doing it better than Adi. During the auditions, I was only watching Shurpanakha!’

‘Hmmph,’ said Adi annoyed. He wondered, though, ‘Do I really act well?’

It turned out that Adi acted very well. After the show, Shurpanakha was called to come on stage to perform the scenes again. Adi enjoyed being in the limelight. Especially the nose-chopping scene with that long fake-balloon nose of Shurpanakha’s. The little kids loved it! They wanted it to be enacted again and again.

After the performance, the actors and those involved in the production gathered backstage to celebrate with coke, chips and doughnuts.

‘Giving these roles to Adi was my idea,’ Shonali said proudly, eating a chocolate doughnut.

‘True. But remember, none of the girls were willing to do the roles of Shurpanakha and Queen Kaykeyi because they are negative characters, and that’s when we thought of Adi,’ Anokhi reminded her.

‘But you have pulled them off so well, Adi,’ said his grandma with a smile as she folded the curtains. ‘I told you—it is what you do with the role that makes it big or small.’

‘You’re right, Grandma! I had so much fun playing these characters!’ Adi said happily.