Cinq

It was a countrywide search for five girls. Five girls who would
make up a band. The band was to be called 'Cinq' which meant five on
dice. Young ladies from all over India sent their applications. The
requirements were rather basic. You had to be between 18 and 25 years
of age. You had to be proficient in the English language and you
obviously had to know how to sing. Auditions were held all over the
country in six major cities. A large majority of those who turned up
did not know what 'band' meant. All they knew was that it was a chance
to become a singer. The event was covered by all major television
channels. In the presence of the camera a lot of stories came to the
fore. One of the candidates was a lady who was in the family way. She
was quite overwhelmed by the hustle-bustle all around. She was merrily
practising her songs and conversing eagerly with the other girls. There
were some girls who had come directly after attending class at college.
They were eagerly discussing the finer points of the organization of
commerce and also the mannerisms of a particularly strict professor.
There was this young lady who had come with her little daughter. The
two of them were singing away in each other's company. There was a lady
whose hair was completely gray though her actual age was difficult to
guess. When someone asked her how old she was she haughtily said,
'Twenty plus.' A very tall girl had brought along two German Shepherds.
Through the eighteen hour audition the dogs had to be fed three
times.
After a month of auditioning and another month of discussions,
background checks etc five girls were chosen. There was Melissa from
Calcutta. She was tall, lanky and spoke very fast. When she sang her
high-pitched voice shocked everyone. Then there was Sonaa from Bombay.
She had a fiery temper and was known to throw things at people when
angry. Rinita was from Delhi and knew kick-boxing. For obvious reasons
few people dared to contradict her. From Madras came two members of
Cinq, Lina and Tina. They were not siblings. In fact they were as
different from each other as possible. Lina was a hard rock fan while
Tina was sold on syrupy pop ballads. Nevertheless all five
girls-Melissa, Sonaa, Rinita, Lina and Tina were now prospective
celebrities. Even though their first album titled 'Cinq' was yet to be
recorded they were on television, radio and in newspapers and
magazines. People wanted to know what they wore, where they went and
what scared them. At first the girls said grand, sublime things but
with time they learnt how to talk with important people. It was now
time to record their album.
The album had eight songs. All songs were written by famed poet Jed
Atar. Atar's lyrics were set to music by the composer Louis Banks. The
songs were about the life of a young girl in India-her dreams, desires,
failings and loves. The youth of India, particularly the college-going
girls began making enquiries about the album even before it was
recorded. The recording process itself was eventful. Each girl wanted
to sing the songs as she perceived them. Sometimes the composer took
suggestions. Nearly always he asserted the fact that he was boss. In
the end the whole recording process took six months though it was
scheduled to take only four. But the delay was of no consequence. The
album 'Cinq' sold out completely hours after appearing in music
stores.
Thus, it was decided that there would be a concert. A live concert
featuring Cinq. The event would be held at Belvedere stadium. The girls
were nervous but thrilled too. To sing in the studio and record after
many takes is one thing. To perform live before one million people is
quite another job. The day before the concert the girls visited the
venue with Tooktook who was their manager. A lot of people were working
on the stage. There were the men involved with lights, people
associated with sound. There were those who were creating the 'look'
for the concert. The make-up room was being renovated. The musicians
who would accompany the vocals were practising. An informal rehearsal
was held. The girls felt a sense of responsibility that they had not
known before. It seemed that the whole world depended on them. It was a
bright and sunny the next day. The band members were all excited in
their rooms at Hotel Belvedere. Accident struck when Sonaa hurt her
eyes with an open door. The eyes became red and began to water. It was
decided that Sonaa would take stage in dark glasses.
When the band of girls descended on the stage in a helicopter they
could not believe their eyes. Belvedere stadium was filled to the brim
with unfamiliar people who were all cheering lustily for Cinq. As the
music started and the girls performed their first ever song, 'Cinq' the
whole stadium listened awestruck. As the song ended, the spectators
waited for a second and then burst into thunderous applause. The sound
of their clapping could be heard by ships moving through Calcutta
harbour. It was the beginning of a remarkable musical journey.