Mum for the moment

This is how I got to see Kenny, my comedic son, live and well for the first time!

This goes back to March of 2017, when Bengaluru-based stand-up comedian Kenny Sebastian decided to grace small town Guwahati with a stand-up performance! At the time, we were living in Shillong, Meghalaya, where my husband was the Director General of the Assam Rifles, the illustrious paramilitary force. Our home was a four-hour drive away from Guwahati in Assam, and news got to us late, and we learned of the show only once it sold out. 

I had just begun to follow Kenny on YouTube and was keen on getting to see him perform live. I begged my husband to inquire with contacts who could make this happen (I promise it was the first in over 30 years). After exhausting all avenues, a request was sent to the governor’s office for tickets. (Sorry, but I was desperate; we got very little in terms of entertainment in those parts, so no judgement, please.) It was perhaps also the first time the governor’s office had received such an odd request, but thankfully, it fetched up, and though there were no seats still, two chairs were being provided for a friend and myself. 

On the day of the show and a long drive down, due to the unconventional seating arrangement, I was directed to meet a staffer who was to get us in before the show was to commence. Told to follow him into the club, my friend and I made our way past the long queue waiting to get in as some youngsters pouted sulkily, with “not faaair” and “how meeean” coming our way. When the not-fair and mean talk got thick and fast, and with a now visibly embarrassed staffer still bravely leading the way, I decided to step in and announce, “Listen, I’m Kenny’s Mum.” Immediately, there was a hushed silence followed by many a “sorry aunty” and a deferential parting of the crowd like the Red Sea for Moses.  And that’s how I got to see Kenny, my comedic son, live and well for the first time!