The Fab four wannabees of India

When recession hit the Philippine soil after the 9/11 incident a lot of business and foreign investments were affected. The animation industry where I work is not being spared.  A number of animation studios here in Manila closed.  The slump leaves hundred of artists scrimping and trying to cram themselves to what was left on the food table.  Being a single father of two I have no options but to accept offers abroad. At that time India came with the offer of working on their new established animation industry.

 India is such an old civilization and it was my first time away from my country--homesickness hit me real hard. It’s a good thing that I have fellow Filipinos working there as we lean on each other trying to comfort away from the dreaded loneliness.  That’s when the song Imagine by John Lennon plays a major part in consoling us. There were four of us room mates at the studio. We sit in one working area where we can work within close range.  India has no nightlife at all, at least in Hyderabad a province somewhere south of the capital where you have to travel 30 hours by train to get to New Delhi. That explains why we rot our butt off working until 3 in the morning and come to office at 10am the following day—hard work!

 We walked the streets of Sri Nagar from Studio going home to our flat.  The street alleys were half-dark (its 3am what do you expect?) and full of trees alongside old lamppost in gloomy yellow light. You can only hear crickets chirping in the middle of our echoing footfalls and rustling leaves at that unholy hour. Although Hyderabad is relatively a peaceful province, you can’t help but immerse deep into the hollow silence of the atmosphere. We walk briskly; we’re tired and hungry but always alert as if there is something or somebody we have to watch out for ambushing us at the next bend. 

 The routine goes on for quite sometime for the four of us; we walked together every 3 in the morning on the same path going home.  Ernie, the funny guy among us accidentally or maybe intentionally opens up his 3G cell phone and played a song that officially became the theme song for us walking in the middle of the night—Imagine. From then on we played that song every morning as we tread along the dark streets. Singing along sometimes, as we noticed that there were four of us just like the Beatles were. Creepy feelings were suddenly changed into funny and dreamy moods, as we try to imitate the fab four’s character—me being John Lennon as I wear eyeglasses (ugh!)

 Friendships were born in the dark streets of Sri Nagar, with Imagine by John Lennon played along and breaking the deafening silence of India’s dark alley.