Story 7: Tamatar Tinku's Big Acting Debut

In Sabzi Nagar, Fridays were movie nights. But this Friday was special. The town was hosting its first-ever “Sabziwood Talent Show”, and the theme was “Be Your Best!”

Everyone was preparing something.

• Mithu Mango was writing a poem called “Juicy But Wise.”

• Bindi Bai was planning a Bharatnatyam dance—complete with ankle bells.

• Aloo Amma was going to sing a lullaby from the old farms of Punjab.

But the most excited (and dramatic) of all was Tamatar Tinku, the little red tomato with a big red heart.

“I shall act!” he declared, wearing a scarf and sunglasses indoors.

“You mean like… pretend?” asked Bhutta Bhaiyya.

“Pretend? My dear Bhutta, I was born to emote!” said Tinku, flinging himself onto a haystack. “I’ve been practicing falling off tables dramatically since I was a baby salad!”

He picked a monologue: “The Cry of the Crushed Ketchup.”

It was emotional. It was tragic. It was… a bit too much.

At the rehearsal, Tamatar Tinku got so into his role that he actually rolled off the stage and fell into a bucket of onions.

“Sniff sniff!” he sobbed. “These onions are helping my performance!”

On the day of the show, the crowd gathered. The lights came on.

Tinku stood in the spotlight, raised one leafy hand, and said,

“I was once whole… now I am paste! But in every drop of ketchup, my soul lives on!”

There was silence.

Then—

CLAP! CLAP! CLAP!

Sabzi Nagar loved it.

Even Bindi Bai wiped a tear. “That was… beautifully pulpy,” she sniffled.

Tinku took a bow. “Thank you, thank you. I dedicate this performance to tomatoes who dream beyond salad bowls.”

Moral:

No role is too small when your heart is full of passion (and pulp)!