The Art Of The Copycat

Mimicry has many forms.

- Clifford Martis

The art of the copycat or the mimic is one of the most interesting and entertaining arts. Mimicry is an audiovisual cartoon. People who are able to mimic are very popular and are admired. They become the soul of any party instantly. Literally mimicry means imitating or copying any action or speech.

Usually people mimic the cries of animals like the barking of a dog or the mewing of a cat. This seems to be the easiest thing to do. Some go a little further and imitate men and women like political leaders, film actors and others. In offices, it is a common sight to imitate bosses. In schools and colleges students imitate their teachers or lecturers.

On one occasion they had a big exhibition in Bengaluru. They brought an old man, shaved his head, made him wear a dhoti, gave a staff in his hand and put Gandhi type spectacles on his nose and made him stand on a pedestal. The man would stand absolutely motionless for several minutes at a time and would relax a little just for a short while in between long spells of motionless sessions. When the governor paid a visit to the exhibition he was requested to garland the statue of Mahatma Gandhi. When his excellency stepped up on the pedestal and was about to place the garland on the neck of the statute, the statue moved forward and bent the head slightly. The governor was shocked. He never knew that the statue was actually a living person!