5000 years - 2

siva squinted , ramalingam stopped eating. they looked at each other and realized the lady was addressing the audience in that strange foreign language that they have unsuccessfully tried to understand. usually they would clear their throats and tell the person english would be preferable if you would like a response. but in the theater, they thought it would not be wise. this too shall pass thought siva philosophically and then we can enjoy the movie. after sometime everybody stood up. again quizical looks were exchanged. ramalingam remembered when such things happened in farway old world. before a movie which was about dying for the country and saving the country from extra terrestrial animals, they would generally play a song. and the procedure was for people to stand, not smile a bit, look seriously in far space and sing along if possible. then once its done a strange silence would begin but exponentially vanish.

ramlingam was happy he decoded what was going to happen in new foreign land. however there was no music. the lady uttered a few more words and looked around at people expectantly. siva and ramlingam watched the proceedings with utmost detail. suddenly some people raised their hands and some people did not. ramlingam got worried, was it the announcement of the arrival of a historical figure. then his flow of thoughts was interrupted by the lady who uttered a few more words. then a few people sat down but there were others standing. siva's calm eyes were on the verge of exasperation, and that i would like to emphasize takes a lot of effort. then the lady started uttering a few more words and looked around expectantly. this time ramlingam and siva were prepared. they knew what was coming and they could not be fooled. looking around they immediately raised their hands wanting to be part of the lets-raise-hands-after-lady-utters words group. then the same procedure followed.

suddenly someone interrupted, "could you ask the questions in english, its much easier to follow then" a moment of clarity struck them and they realized it was a question answer game they used to play in kindergarden. they were excited now. the lady is question turned to english and suddenly ramlingam realized thats really a sweet voice. then the lady asked the question and added, "if you agree with the statement raise your hands ,if not keep still". at this point neither of them understood the question. but they have been trained very well keep guessing answers in the old world. so both of them raised their hands. the lady replied to the crowd, ""people who have raised their hands, keep standing for the next question." ramlingam and siva decided their respective startegies. siva decided he will alternatively raise hands or not. ramlingam was not a mathematical genius but he decided, 2 consecutive questions he will raise his hands and then for 2 more he wont. and then the question-answer session continued. eventually the not genius mathematician was among the 2 last man standing. this was the moment of truth. this was the moment that will decide what stuff champions are made of.

the lady asked the quesion first in dutch and then repeated in english. from what ramlingam could figure out she was talking about a big colosseum type theater maybe in rome or greece that will be closed from next year. the question was how many years was the shows at the theater running for. ramlingam was impressed thats a long time for a theater of ruin. but the new world people were crazy. the lady turned to him and asked him, ""so whats the answer young man". ramlingam stammered, "well i have no idea". the kind lady said, "its alright just give me a number". ramlingam shifted his legs, thought for a swift second and turned to siva. siva thew his hands in the air. damn i have to go it all alone. he answered, ""5000 years" and suddenly he heard gasps and huge sounds of surprise. the lady trying to control her emotion turned to the other person who replied, "40 years". the lady was a little more relaxed and said "the right answer is 33 years".