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Our correspondent realises that being an usher is not exactly entertaining

Our correspondent realises that being an usher is not exactly entertaining
AS A FILM-CRAZY teenager who would devour shows after shows of the same Bollywood blockbusters,I would envy the men who would navigate us across aisles to the comfort of our seats. Men who would seem to know the place of my dreams like the back of their hands. And most importantly,men who could watch movies for free,show after show.

But as soon as I stepped into an ushers shoes at a south Kolkata multiplex,my preconceived notions about the profession fell through. I was told an usher doubles as ticket-seller and a food counter assistant. Ushering is only part of the job, said Vikas Syal,regional general manager of the establishment. On a busy day,an usher has to deal with as many as 3,000 patrons in a span of 12 hours,and he has to do so with a smiling face,I was told. Besides guiding people to their seats,he has to ensure that the two odd hours the patron spends inside the hall are comfortable.

You’ll get the hang of it soon, said Syal,as I donned an oversized trademark red tee shirt. Wait a minute. Arent I supposed to memorise the seat numbers? And what about checking the fittings? It’s no big deal, reassured Sujoy,operational assistant and my mentor for the day,as he observed beads of sweat on my forehead.
I followed Sujoy into the semi-lit hall number 1,which was being readied before the matinee show of Dev.D could begin. Its easy,seats number 1 to 10 are to your left,and 11-20 to your right, he said. I had to stand at the gate of the hall,check the ticket numbers of the patrons and tell them which way to go. This should be a cakewalk, I said to myself.

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If only I knew. A lovey-dovey couple was the first to walk in. By the time I greeted them,they calmly walked past me. I ran after them to help them find their seats. Excuse me. Can I have your ticket number? I shouted. But we know where to sit, was the brusque reply. Great,I told myself. Regulars.

When I was greeting the fifth patron at the gate,Sujoy gently took me aside and told me that I had been misdirecting the patrons so far. Since you are facing them,your left is their right, he said patronisingly. Oh,yes, I mumbled.

After the hall was filled,I was rushed to hall number 2,a 348-seater,which was screening Luck By Chance. The next leg. Guide the patrons to the seat, Sujoy said. Hall number 2 had the least complicated layout and even a layman can find his way here,Sujoy claimed. The rows were divided alphabetically,A-S,and were numbered accordingly. If the ticket says A-10,it is the tenth seat of the last row of the hall, explained Sujoy emphatically. I nodded but nothing really registered. Numbers are okay,but if you mix numbers and alphabet in my mind,its a potential disaster.

So,you are okay right? asked Sujoy. I smiled weakly in reply. I went to the gate and pretty soon was ushering a burly Sikh man into the hall. Q-5 said the ticket. Q would mean the third row from the screen,no the fourth. L,M,N,O,P,Q,R,S Where is it? growled the man. The fifth seat of the third row from the screen, I exclaimed. As I smiled to myself,and observed the man settling down in his seat,I felt a pat on my back. Hey,you are a natural,dude, said Sujoy. I am a natural indeed.

Premji said that Wipro would partner with the Government "to find a lasting solution for Bengaluru's mobility challenges".

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