today the curtain comes down on yes!, the dance theatre that has held delhi transfixed for the last seven days. however, all of you who have seen yes! today in all its visual splendour — with over 80 dancers, scintillating lights, brilliant sets, powerful sound, and stunning costumes — do not know that it has been carefully nurtured to life, over the last 18 months by its producer, meera jain. therefore, it is only appropriate that the creative consultant of yes! the spirit of triumph, takes us for a nostalgic walk down memory lane. this journey spans the time from when yes! was just a concept, to today, a bright neon sign on the landscape of our city. a painting is not made, it is created. a sculpture is not made, it is carved. a picture is not made, it is developed. so was yes made? well, actually it was evolved. first there was an explosion, a realisation, a flash of inspiration. then later over many weeks, months, many rehearsals, many brainstorms the show reached creation. my mind races back to a warm summer evening last year when i was summoned to a brainstorming session to decide on a fitting theme for a powerful new dance theatre that was being created. producer meera jain's brief was as simple as it was demanding. 'it must be young, it must have energy, it must be memorable and, above all, it should mean things at many levels.' energetic. memorable. powerful. life changing (or as vir sanghvi told me after the show 'life affirming'). young. it was truly a tall order. i immediately started looking for the nearest window to jump out of, but they strapped me down to a chair; so the meeting began. we examined many themes over the next few days. the circle of life. the energy thing. dare to dream. soon we started getting nearer to it. action-oriented words like 'go', or 'go for it' or 'reach'. then, in a blinding flash of light, it hit me. and i fell backward in my chair, completely knocked out with the force of the thought. when i opened my eyes the others were peering at me. 'are you okay' they asked. with a smile that began at the corner of my mouth and ended in africa i said 'yes.' and that was that. it's a word that at its most unequivocal and powerful is screamed with joy and force because yes is truly the spirit of triumph. triumph against circumstance. a victory against the odds. a win against the tide. yes! the spirit of triumph was officially baptised. now it had to be taken forward. we were all aware of the old truth 'god lies in the details.' which songs were right for yes. would roxanne be too adult or was it all right? and how about the lion king, would that be too childish? the phantom of the opera had terrific power and a haunting message, but would audiences in india appreciate it? there were no rules to go by. we were not looking for some esoteric arty evening, we wanted a show that had the blood pounding and the heart leaping. a message for the times we live in. every aspect of yes was thought into. a 100 ways to write the word till we found the one that worked. a bold flourish script with an exclamation mark. our production values had to be comparable with the world's best. the ad campaign too. it had to capture the energy of 120 minutes in half a page. the regime was punishing. the quest for show stopping quality was relentless. finally in april of last year, yes! made its debut in delhi. this opening show had as its most special guest none other than hrithik roshan. he came. he saw. he was conquered. he spoke with enthusiasm and danced with energy. he was a yes! convert too. so, when less than a year later the show travelled to mumbai, he was happy to be there too. for 10 pounding shows it brought the city to a standstill. even seasoned veterans of the entertainment and ad world surrendered to the spell. the head of the largest ad agency in india, mike khanna, told me, 'i felt like a little kid again, ready to dance till the roof came down.' hema malini, rekha, sunil shetty, karan johar, kajol —for once all these names were part of the same enthralled audience. and then the birla group said yes and became a partner in the cause. with the louis philippe brand at the masthead yes! reached out. new acts like moulin rouge were added. a brand-new stunning invocation dance was incorporated. yes! reopened in mumbai to a house-full in september this year. a month later it came a full circle, returning to the city it was born in — new delhi. and what a pulse-rocking, heart- pounding, foot-stomping, energy-injecting, rhythm-shaking, nerve-tingling, body-jamming, finger-snapping, senses-lifting week it's been. everyone in delhi is really happy with the show. except for me. i'm cursing it. and i'll tell you why. with 20 passes to give out to family and friends, i thought i was in pretty good shape. but hoo boy was i wrong! even 200 wouldn't have been enough. everyone who saw the show told 10 people to see it. i've been mobbed, cursed, pleaded-with, cajoled, threatened and warned. requests came through phone, fax, e-mail, pigeon mail, and blackmail. i'd like to apologise to sunita, kavita, dipankar, teressa, atul dev, reet, sushil, sid's family, piyush's family, the people on the fourth floor, fifth floor, sixth floor, my creative team, my tennis team and all the others. i have applied for immigration to canada. all i can do is request you to put up with me till i leave. basically we were prepared for a storm, not a tornado. beginning at 7.30pm tonight, it is the 8th and last performance of the show as it is. so till then this is how it's been. 18 months. non stop brainstorms. rehearsals. endless cups of coffee. arguments. deadlines. tension. satisfaction. but is it the end? or a beginning? because last we saw producer meera jain, she was wondering around with a spark in her eye and a smile in her lips muttering something about her next yes project!
