Many years ago, a young woman was singing a song in front of an audience mainly consisting of soldiers. She was singing a song that was the part of a drama that was being staged there. As she was singing, her voice began to tremble and in a short time, she was unable to sing anymore. She lost her voice and only a gush of wind came out of her mouth. The manager of the show became angry as the audience began to get restless. After a moment of embarrassment, the singer ran into the green room. She was overcome with sadness and shame. The audience kept shouting because they thought the money they paid was in vain.
Meanwhile, the five-year-old son of the singer was standing behind the stage. Suddenly, an idea sparked in the manager’s mind. He took the boy by holding his hand on to the centre of the stage and announced:
“This boy will entertain you. He will sing and dance for you!”
The boy was startled to hear that. He had never thought of such a twist to happen in his life. When the manager left him on the stage and disappeared, he had no other way than to sing. The manager had noticed the boy performing some tricks earlier when he came along with his mother for the drama rehearsal. That was the reason why he took him on to the stage.
Anyhow, the boy began to sing the famous song ‘Jack Johns’. The orchestra accompanied his voice. While he had sung half of the song, the audience began to applaud. It was followed by an avalanche of cash.
The little singer was startled. He stopped singing and began to collect money. Seeing that, the audience began to laugh. Then the manager came with a large handkerchief and collected the money. The boy thought that the manager had come there to steal the money. He said it aloud and the crowd burst into laughter again. When the manager left the stage, the boy followed him. Uproars of laughter followed them. They thought that it was a smart show by the boy. In fact, it was the helplessness of the boy that created the laughter. The boy was relieved only when he saw the manager handing over the money to his mother.
He returned to the stage and began to sing more songs. He began to communicate with the audience. He danced. It was a festive mood all over. The audience was pumped up. A large sum of money flowed to the stage. The audience began to like the boy. It was the birth of a great artist. That artist was none other than the legendary Charlie Chaplin!
The life of Charlie Chaplin was a journey of miracles. He had to pass through insults, rejections, loneliness and poverty.
He used his own experience in his movies. That was why he could say that humour emerges from celebrating pain.
