The Yellow Pearl Harley Davidson VRSC Sequel

The conference hall soon filled up and there was a buzz of excitement. The two friends had seats in the front row. In front of them was a stage with a podium for a speaker.

On each side of the stage were mounted two huge screens which would show the speaker or the DVD material clearly and in full colour to all corners of the hall.

When they looked back, they saw a sea of faces. Men and women wearing formal Western or Indian garments.

Jason looked at Raj. "Wow! You sure picked the best seats in the house. We'll have the best view of everything."

"You certainly will, Jason." The way he looked at Jason made the latter look once again at his friend intently but Raj's fleeting expression had immediately disappeared.

The first speaker walked up to the podium and held up his hands while he looked to the right, the middle and the left of the audience.

He welcomed everyone and briefly summarised the purpose of the gathering and then introduced the first of the three movies.

The audience was given an oversight of currently used flight training methods and equipment, from the earlier flight instructors to the latest types of expensive flight simulators.

Someone then announced that there would be a 15 minute break, to be followed by a song and dance number.

Raj turned to Jason. "Come let's get a drink, quickly. We don't want to miss a second of the dance show that will soon begin."

"Raj! I didn't know you loved dancing so much."

"In this case, I certainly do."

Jason, once again, thought that he had seen a mysterious glint in his friend's eyes.

When the two men returned to their seats, there were still a few minutes to spare.

"Raj, it seems to me that in a few years, in every country of the world, rich or poor, many pilots will be trained on the superb yet low cost Excelsior machine."

"Yes, my friend... and we will be part of that success story."

"I'm amazed by what I've seen and heard so far. What a wonderful evening this has been."

"Yes Jason, but our joy is only beginning."

At that moment they were interrupted. The entertainment number was being announced.

"...and tonight's show will be given by Excelsior's own classical dance group and they will sing a song composed by one of its members."

Six musicians were sitting on the floor in front of their instruments. As they began to play their evocative rhythms, a hush fell over the crowd but expressions of anticipated joy began to be seen here and there.

Six men and six women, in colourful costumes, began to dance onto the stage and do a vibrant group dance. As they spread out, they left standing in the centre of the stage, a previously hidden young girl, holding her head down and keeping her back to the audience. The spotlight was fully on her. Suddenly she lifted her head and flung her arms upwards, in a movement that seemed to indicate her anguish. She turned dramatically to face the audience.

Jason looked intently at the girl. Then he sat bolt upright in his chair and looked at Raj. His friend was looking at him. He smiled a little and nodded his head and reached over to pat Jason's shoulder.

The girl began to sing in a romantic thumri style. She was silhouetted against the bright golden glow behind her. Her voice complemented the sounds of the musicians and matched the purity of the flute.

Haya's make-up emphasised the beauty of her eyes. Her blue and silver sari, bangles and jewellery, perfected the image of a young girl in love. A vision that is timeless in our hearts and ever a joy to behold in others.

Sometimes the men danced around her, but then she would gracefully slip through the ring and dance away from them. She danced on one leg and then the other. She lifted one hand over her head and placed the other on her hip. She swayed her hips enchantingly to the music but sometimes she struck and held a classical pose.

While continuing to dance, she began to sing. With the help of a small microphone, it was possible to hear her melodic voice clearly even while she danced.

"I looked up to see where the eagles soar.

I knew the world.

I've walked the plains.

Oh, how I yearned to see what they saw."

"I climbed up a mountain top to the sky.

Birds swerved by me.

They swooped along.

I knew that like these birds, I had to fly."

"My soul had now seen its chosen way.

It would find wings.

It'll soar up high.

Soon I would be like the eagles at play."

Jason had been staring transfixed at her. He grabbed Raj's forearm. Raj felt the strength of his grip and understood the emotion that lay behind the firmness of the grasp.

"I knew that it was her! The moment she began to sing. Oh, my God! She is so beautiful."

"Jason, my son. She has kept her silence for far too long. Tonight she wants you to hear her heart speak, at last."

"Then down from the sky a man descended.

He did a dance.

He sang a song.

And I then knew what God had intended."

"But, with a leap, he left and was no more.

He was no bird.

He was pure man.

But he had shown me how the soul can soar."

"I have travelled far and I've searched the sky.

But where is he?

Will I find him?

Come to me, my love.

Teach my soul to fly."

She began to dance closer and closer to where Jason was seated. He sat motionless. He had begun to, at last, accept the fact that he was in love... in love with the radiantly beautiful woman before him.

When he looked again, he saw her on the stage with her arms outstretched towards him. The percussion instruments kept on repeating a phrase over and over again. The musicians, no, everyone in the hall, were waiting for him to respond.

When this trance-like state abruptly broke, he leapt to his feet and nimbly ran up the stairs onto the stage.

Haya, first danced as if she was unconcerned by his presence, and even looked the other way. Jason danced up to and behind her and placed his face to one side and then to the other of hers. Each time she drew away.

Then he danced away from her and she responded to this by swiftly dancing up to him and placing her head on his chest. When he embraced her, she leant over backwards, until her hands touched the floor behind her.

The dancing continued until Haya assumed a pose, standing with one hand held high in a classical stance. Jason went up to her and whispered: "Haya, I have always loved you. I can't live without you. Will you marry me?"

At that moment, both of the dancers were disconcerted and unable to continue dancing because the whole audience had begun to chant: "Yes-yes-yes-yes-yes!"

Jason had forgotten, for the moment, that Haya's microphone was still on. His proposal to her had been heard by everyone in the hall and by everyone looking at the TV broadcast.

Haya touched Jason's cheek and ran off the stage. Jason looked at the audience, placed his hand on his heart, bowed and climbed down the stairs.

Raj, now on his feet, stepped forward, placed an arm over Jason's shoulders and guided him back to his seat.

"Well done, Jason. It's true love, if you are prepared to tell it to the whole world."

"My dear boy, keep this seat between us open. She'll come once she has stopped blushing."

When she came in from the side and walked past the front row, she was met by Jason and her father. The audience, having sensed the drama of the situation, applauded loudly, especially when the three faced them and waved their hands in appreciation of the warmth shown towards them.

Jason and Haya were in no state to benefit from the demonstration that night. They both knew that they would have to learn about those marvellous features at another time.

That evening, they were happy to be in each other's company. He held her hand tightly as if he did not want her to slip away. Once, he lifted her hand to his lips. It was the very first time that he had kissed her.