Asif Currimbhoy's Plays

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ASIF

CURRIMBHOY’S

Go

gle

PLAYS

ASIF CURRIMBHOY

Digitized

by Goc

gle

Original from INDIANA UNIVERSITY

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INQUILAB THE

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DOLDRUMMERS

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THE REFUGEE “DARJEELING

TEA ?””

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PUBLISHING

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SONAR BANGLA

OXFORD

99,

CO.

CALCUTTA

2

The Doldrummers €) copyright 1960 by Asif Currimbhoy Goa © copyright 1964 by Asif Currimbhoy Inquilab © copyright 1970 by Asif Currimbhoy “Darjeeling Tea ?” © copyright 1971 The Refugee © copyright 1971

by Asif Currimbhoy

by Asif Currimbhoy

Sonar Bangla © copyright 1972 by Asif Currimbhoy. All Rights Reserved, in part in any form. Caution

including

the right

: Professionals and amateurs

of reproduction

are

hereby

in

whole

or

warned

that the above plays, being fully protected under the copyright laws of India, U.S.A. and the British Empire, including Canada and all other countries of the world, are subject to royalty.

All rights, including lecturing, public

professional,

reading,

radio

amateur,

motion

broadcasting,

picture,

television

and

recitation, rights

of

translation into Foreign/Indian languages are strictly reserved. Permission for any rights must be secured from the author Asif Currimbhoy, care of the publisher, or directly at 20 Napean-Sea Road, Bombay.

Note:

All the names in this volume are fictitious and any resemblance between characters and events is coincidental,

Published by Mohan Primlani, Oxford & IBH Publishing Co., 66 Janpath, New Delhi-1, and printed by Kamal Dhawan at Kay Kay Printers, 150-D, Kamla Nagar, Delhi-7.

THE

COMPLETE

WORKS

1959

The Tourist Mecca The Clock

1960

The Doldrummers

OF ASIF

The Restaurant

1961

The Dumb Dancer Om

1962

Thorns on a Canvas

1963

The Captives

1964

Goa

And Never the Twain Shall Meet The Kaleidoscope

1965

Monsoon

The Hungry Ones

1966

Valley of the Assassins (scenario)

1967

The Temple Dancers The Lotus Eater

1968

Abbe Faria The Mercenary

1969

An Experiment with Truth

1970

The Great Indian Bustard

1971

“Darjeeling Tea 7”

1972

Inquilab The Refugee

Sonar Bangla

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CURRIMBHOY

vi ASIF

CURRIMBHOY

.

t

Born in a distinguished Khoja baronetcy family in Bombay, he studied in a Jesuit Mission school, graduated from California, worked in France, and then travelled extensively through India in his present job as executive for Burmah-Shell. Family man with wife and three children. Articulate, physical, liberal, remote, he is drawn to the human condition everywhere, and now plans to write on Tibet and China.

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This volume is DEDICATED

To my wife Suraiya whose love and encouragement sustained me during my difficult and disturbed years as a writer... and to our children Tabrik, Tarek and Nahed

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I remember a few friends over the years with warmth and affection whom I would like to mention in this book. They

are—

Mateo Letteunich, the first to spot my

plays almost

ago,

10

years

Porter McCray, Alan Campbell of the JDR IlIrd Fund, Ellen Stewart, mama from Cafe La Mama, Eustace (and Maude) Seligman, godfather, Ellen Neuwald, dedicated authors agent

who

ran

up

against

a stone wall,

Patricia

Newhall,

for “Goa”,

whose

devotion

involved

much

sacrifice

Faubion Bowers, who helped when needed most, Joy Michael, amongst the first to produce my plays at home. Arun Sachdev who learnt what “the right to fail” means, Swaran Chawdhury & Jimmy Hafisjee for with “Doldrummers” in Calcutta, Tarun Roy and his wife “Inquilab” production,

for

the

their

forthcoming

breakthrough first

Bengali

P. Lal of Writers Workshop who pioneers the “Indo-Anglian” movement despite envy and prejudice,

Dilip Banerjee who risked during the dangerous days property in the Bengali publication of “‘Inquilab”,

Subhas Saha, assiduous undisturbed,

biographer,

Also with affection to— my brother and father who died

my mother and sister who live.

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who

‘

left

my

life and

privacy

INTRODUCTION As someone who has spent a number of years involved in Asian theatre and delighting in any number of Asian playwrights, it is

perhaps permissible for me to be honest and say that the standard

of playwriting on modern subjects was not as good as I made it out to be publicly. My theatrical contacts go back to 1940 when I was first living in Asia, and my deep personal friendships with Tsao Yu in Peking in 1949, with Kinoshita Junji in Japan in 1956, for instance, and with stars of the likes of Alkazi in India coloured my judgements, not so much because of their enormous celebrity, but because they were such geniuses as people. I always wanted them to be better men of the theatre than they were, then, and I always wondered—with the illogical conceit of a man picking winners at a racetrack—what would become of them as professionals, since modern, contemporary, talking, straight plays were a Western innovation to Asia, in essence a colonial importation. As the years passed, it became possible for one or two of their shorter plays to be published abroad (usually subsidized), and once or twice colleges would stage a sampling. They were received with a thud. For the most part, their plays were derivative of Ibsen, O’Neill or Odets—old hat to us. Further, Asian problems for a long time simply didn’t interest us, above all the kind of American who puts up money for a theatrical production. I also found myself constantly confronted with two imponderables. There were playwrights who were idolized in their home country but unable to communicate further than a national boundary, and yet Kurosawa and Satyajit Ray were absolutely ignored, until they were successful in the West. (Kurosawa’s Rashomon ran for three days in Tokyo, and Satyajit Ray couldn’t raise a rupee from his fellow Bengalis until after The World of Apu struck it rich in London and New York. Ray still has trouble drawing box-office in India.)

In between, we had a

score

of

pseudo-Asians

washed

up on our shores who spoke for their countries and bamboozled us, despite the fact that they were malcontents unable to live where they were born, all the time earning their living from pronuncia-

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x

mentos about their native lands. obverse—Americans inaccurately.

revealing

Now

the secret

we

are afflicted

of Asia

to

with the

us—equally

In sharp contrast to our own playwrights, very few Asians have been able to be prophets both at home and overseas, especially in theatre. Rabindranath Tagore was an exception, although it was his poetry which got him the first Nobel Literature Prize

ever: given to an Asian.

Mishima was another, although not even

his bizarre love-suicide (according to the Japanese) has resulted in a successful production of any of his many marvellous plays. Another exception is Asif Currimbhoy, I think, for he has now begun to emerge more and more clearly as a playwright of international stature. Perhaps Currimbhoy did get his start in America in 1965 when, after nearly 15 years of writing without ever seeing a single one of his plays produced, the University of Michigan staged Goa

and

the Dallas Theater

Center

put

on

Monsoon.

Three years

later, Goa was produced at the Martinique Theatre on Broadway and 34th Street, The Hungry Ones at the Theatre Company in Boston, and La Mama exhibited The Dumb Dancer (with Kathakali dancers, sitar and all) and later, The Hungry Ones again, which

outraged the Village because it presented Allen Ginsberg’s

trip to

India as Indians saw it, which is a polite way of saying “like it was” or more bluntly “for what it was worth”. In this connection, there had earlier been an Actors’ Studio tryout of The

Doldrummers,

a clever-clever word coined by Currimbhoy to indi-

cate the doldrums which settle over a group

who

“‘haven’t

of hip

young

people

worked for a year of Sundays,” who live in a shack

on fashionable Juhu Beach in the suburbs of metropolitan Bombay,

who are “too close to reality to live the life of imagination,” whose “idealism has turned theatre folk was chilled by this

and

to cynicism”. That audience of hot tropics of a drama. “Why

put on an Indian play,” one director said to me, “when it could just as soon be Haight-Ashbury ?”’ Like most questions, the answer

is already

“That’s why !””

in

the question itself.

Word that something was going on

trickled

back

to India.

The only response was,

with

Currimbhoy

clearly

In 1969 The Doldrummers was put on by

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xi the Little Theatre Group in Delhi.

This, after the play

had

been

banned by the State Censors in India nine years earlier, and it took a battery of big guns to revoke the ruling. Top names in India’s writing firmament, such as Khushwant Singh aud Mulk Raj Anand, wrote letters to the Times of India editor, Sham Lal, himself a titan in the intellectual world anywhere. All this furor and flap was necessary to palliate the profound blow censorship action

had

on

since

the

the government’s

own

ostensible

encouragement

\{national indigenous theatre, absent, in any event,

golden

days

of Sanskrit

drama

at

in the

a high

of a level

8th century.

Fortunately, The Doldrummers, a deeply affecting play, was worth the candle it lit. However, the principle of censorship was so vile ‘many Indians would have fought for the cause regardless of the case, like going into Goa in 1961, the Indo-Chinese conflict in 1962, entering Bangladesh in 1971, events which are best encompassed by reading Currimbhoy’s plays, to wit, Goa, The Captives, and The Refugee respectively. Ever since the Delhi performance of The Doldrummers, things have continued to pick up for Currimbhoy, at least in one way, if not quite altogether. In 1970 Goa was chosen to open the

Indian National Theatre Centre for the Performing Arts in Delhi, the equivalent of the Kennedy Center in Washington, by the brave veteran Joy Michael.

in Calcutta,

the

intellectual,

It was followed by

cultural,

Zhe

Doldrummers

and, for political ferment,

capital of India. More recently Revolution, The Refugee, and one which he is writing now on Sonar Bangla are being translated in Bengali, a significant contribution to the thought and letters of

Bengal, which has evoked considerable excitement there.

“Revolution’’ (Inquilab) is one of those plays you read only to find the characters leaping off the page and seizing you by the

throat. It deals ostensibly with the Naxalite revolt, where agrarian Communists opt for violence. But the canvas Currimbhoy paints here is one massive dilemma composed of a hundred small ones —‘“the devil and the deep.” One of the peasants hesitates ; If he joins the Naxalites he becomes a landlord himself,

jail.

The

local government

is caught

between

or

lands

in

‘administrative

skill’ or ‘law and order”, between brutally supressing the revolt or losing their piddling power by having the Central (Federal)

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xii

or Government come in and take over. The Professor lectures to his students : ‘Processions ? Strikes ? Gheraos? Violence? Bandhs? Breakdowns of law and order? Naxal revolt, my Are there bombs in your friends ? Slogans of Gandhi or Mao? head or brains, gentlemen ?” The wife of a peasant’ talks to her When it all husband : “You seem to have forgotten your dream.

started, all you wanted was a small piece of your own

made

me

revolution.

“Why?

more.

happy.

Now

you

want

thing.

The

That makes me unhappy.”

It’s the same more

There’s

That

land.

to lead the whole nation into And the husband answers,

gets something

better man

to life than a small plot of land.”

only revolutionaries didn’t grow up, governments

could

Yes, if

cope.

In

the final scene—a horrible unleashing of blood—you begin to understand why the goddess of Bengal is Kali, the deity of death,

destruction,

murder,

in whose name and worship assassins

act, and from whose cult the word language.

“thug”

entered

the English

To Currimbhoy, ‘Revolution’ has special significance, and not merely as a peopled portrait of a city and a province. ‘The play is the nightmare and the redemption of today’s Calcutta,” he

wrote

to

me,

and added,

“Amidst

all the uncertainties, I am

still trying for what is most precious to me: a Bengali-language production in this heart of disturbed Calcutta. This is the only thing that will give my own disturbed heart some peace.” And in another letter written at the height of the Bangladesh War, he mentioned as a post-script, “The war is a tragedy. Can’t understand

why

others

the hysteria grips

don’t

see it the same way.

all opponents.”

And

The blood flows—

regarding

The

Refugee,

he wrote again, “Yet there seems to be very little choice. A mistake committed at a particular point of time seems to have a

cumulative effect, and one inevitably gets drawn into it all.” voice of sanity lost in the din of unreason.

A

Currimbhoy is India’s first authentic voice in the theatre. He has written that country’s first plays of.dissent. He presents | life as it is, not as something it should be, the age-old curse of , Indian’s classical theatre. Once again, art, that discredited wonderbox of illusions, finds itself telling the truth while politicians lie and people look the other way. I am not necessarily

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xiii saying the Currimbhoy is a great

dramatist.

Nor

am

I saying

that he should be read mainly for his visual politics. (One of the most electrifying scenes ever written occurs in his An Experiment with Truth, a sexual biography of Gandhi that outdistances Erik Erikson, where you have as a means of torture an unwashed untouchable making sexual advances to an orthodox Hindu.)

But I am saying it is inconceivale to me to estimate what it has meant for Currimbhoy to believe in himself so fiercely, to work

for so long totally alone (in theatre—otherwise he has a devoted wife and three children, one of whom is a six-foot, 20-year old son who takes his father to college plays imported from the West on Che Guevara), to be a Bombay-born non-practising Muslim (he’s from baronetcy stock of the Khoja sect, fotlowers of the Aga Khan), to confirm and yet create, to obey society (he’s an

executive in Burmah-Shell oil company in Calcutta) and yet destroy it with death-ray words, to write plays like bullets needing only the trigger of a national event, and even to live in this

unappreciative world where fame is awarded to others so cheaply and on such a flimsy basis. I am also saying it will be a

generation before we can really take the measure of Currimbhoy’s true worth. Meanwhile, he reminds me a little—just

playwright

1 have

known,

Wu

Han,

a littlek—of

the ex-mayor

another

of Peking,

whose play Hai Jui’s Dismissal From Office started China’s Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, precisely what Currimbhoy, I suspect, is desperately trying to stave off

by

prescience

and

fore-

sight—future is in the present obviously—and contrary to what many of his audiences in India may incorrectly think when they

feel the blast heat of Currimbhoy characters taking them along catwalks over furnaces of truth and fact. FAUBION

BOWERS

[This review article has appeared in The Village Voice, New York. Faubion Bowers has written extensively on Asian theatre and is the author of a com-

prehensive book on that subject].

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Original from

INDIANA UNIVERSITY

CONTENTS Acknowledgement

viii

Introduction by Faubion Bowers

1.

ix

GOA A Tragedy in Two Acts

2.

INQUILAB A Play on the Naxalite Movement in Three Acts

3.

THE

DOLDRUMMERS

A Play in Two Acts

4.

THE

“DARJEELING

SONAR

203

TEA ?”

A Comedy on Contemporary Manners in Two Acts

6.

133

REFUGEE

A Play in One Act

5.

69

235

BANGLA

A Historical Play in Four Acts

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283

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GOA A TRAGEDY

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IN TWO

ACTS

NOTE

GOA was first produced

in India on October 24th 1970 at the Centre for the

Performing Arts, New Delhi (a merger of YATRIK and THEATRE), with the following Director, cast and staff :

the INDIAN

NATIONAL

DIRECTOR : Joy Michael CAST

Raghu Sudon Zarin Chaudhuri

: KRISHNA ROSE PORTUGUESE. ADMINISTRATOR GOAN

NATIONALIST

GOAN

HINDU

OLD WOMAN MAN

Marcus Murch

SMUGGLER SENHORA

MARIA

MIRANDA

ALPHONSO

YOUNG

Himansu Jani Pramod Kumar

Felix Sequiera Gitanjali Aiyar Anil Dang

VICAR OLD

Peter Moss/Barry John

PEOPLE

Sai Paranjpye/Joy Michael Trevor Page

Arun Dang

Prabha Gupta Tapan Haldar

Lalitha Manchanda Himmat Marwah Sunita Montero Bunny Page Janet Sealy

Inocencio and Sofia Montero

SINGERS

Tony and Loretta Furtado

Bruno and Edna D’Souza

Jose and Sybil Faleiro Raul Rodriques The Goan folk dances and music were arranged and provided by Goan community under the direction of Inocencio Montero. PRODUCTION

Stage Director and Set-Design Set Adviser Asst. Stage Manager

Lights

:

Marcus Murch Bruno D'Souza Barry John R.K. Dhingra

Inocencio Montero

Music Costumes

Bunny Page Margaret D’Silva

Edna D'Souza Prema Karanth

Properties

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members

of the

PREFACE

My friend Mario comes from Goa.

’

He often tells me: “When I think of Goa my thoughts go back to my own village, nestling amidst the green hills and valleys, the rice fields and the rivers that make Goa a paradisial land...” This is his description of a Goan village : The village square is dominated by the immense white with

a patio

facing

it...just

opposite

church

is the post-office where the

folks meet in the mornings to collect the mail, read each other’s newspapers and discuss current events. The building also houses the local administrative'quarters, the old communidades now called the village panchayat... (Mario régime.)

always

gets a bit excited

---The meetings here were always

when

loud

he

and

talks

lively,

of ‘the new

but

with

the advent of freedom of speech (after liberation) they have become violent and vociferous. The other buildings comprising the square include the hair-cutting saloon, the little tea-shop (very popular with the young) and the grocer’s, today providing a new and rare sight to the square...the sugar queue. The market place is all noise and bustle, scents and smells, a strange mixture of fish and flowers. Buxom, garrulous fisherwomen, with sweet-smelling saios in their hair, are busy enticing the wily customer to buy their delicious river fish. Business is brisk and by noon the market is deserted. After the

shouting and the haggling, to quench one’s parched throat, there’s always a glass of cold (Indian) beer available at the bar . next door.

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4

GOA

(The only disappointing thing about Mario is that he cannot cook the hot Goan fish curry, but for that he always invites you to Goa.)

The church feast, like the feast of the patron saint, is a great day for the entire village. Besides the long and elaborate church ceremonies, it means fun at the fair and fireworks, the village band, processions and the sermons in the patio. There is the smell of incense and finim in the evening air, and at home hot sara-

patel with sanam and wines awaits the revellers. Rejoice, says the vicar, for it is a “Dia de Festa”. It is always a day to remember. (Mario is temperate in his habits: few

though

sometimes

after a

drinks together his voice flows, beautifully, capturing for me this

beautiful image of what Goa means to him.)

The village band consists of five or six seedy individuals in frayed black suits playing rather ancient brass instruments. They

are at their musical best at weddings and on feast days, delighting

the crowds with their loud and booming renditions of Strauss waltzes, a rich melody of marches and mazurkas, and an occasional

tango for the sophisticated.

On feast

day

their

music

starts

at

dawn when they gather at the church patio and play the alvorada. The big bassoon and drum do their utmost to awaken the sleeping village. The band does have its more serious moments, such as accompanying funeral processions and enveloping the entire village in the melancholy strains of Chopin’s Marche Funebre.

As a matter of fact it is known that many a dying man’s last request has been that his funeral should be carried out to the strains of the macabre music of the ‘Banda Nacional’. (No

description

can

end

without

a word on the Taverna, says

Mario)

The “Taverna” is to the rustic Goan what the pub is to the English Cockney. It is a cosy spot for a quiet (and sometimes not

so quiet) little drink, after a long day’s hard work in the fields. A capito of finim or urraca, and one for the road, an exchange of

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PREFACE

5

local gossip, a talk about the crops and whether, a silent prayer the

church

bell

tolls

the

Angelus,

dreaded Prohibition, and just

worker’s

day

is done.

At

one

eight,

and “Taverna” closes for the night. way

night.

home,

as

the

village

a song or two, a curse for the

more

for the

the church

The

is enveloped

road,

and

the

bells chime again,

labourers

wend

their

in the dark folds of the

(Thank you Mario)

,

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as

ASIF

DRAMATIS

PERSONAE

KRISHNA

ROSE PORTUGUESE ADMINISTRATOR GOAN NATIONALIST

GOAN HINDU PORTUGUESE VICAR OLD WOMAN . OLD MAN SMUGGLER SENHORA MARIA MIRANDA ALPHONSO STAGE The

scene

of the play

CENTRE of the stage.

is the

~

DETAILS patio.

An

immense

square in the

To the NORTH of the square or patio

(facing

the audience), a white church, built on the foundation stone of a temple with Hindu carvings (as some churches are in Goa). To the

WEST of the patio is the Taverna. To the East of the patio, jutting out partly on the square, a trellis balcony with a partial view of the

residence,

around

which

most

of the action of the play takes place.

Vasco

da

Gama,

the great Portuguese explorer.

minor

changes

before

the. Indian

Some benches in the MIDDLE of the square, with perhaps (statue,

throughout the play.

etc.),

this

main

scene

a statue

of

Except for afew remains unchanged

The action of the play takes place some

time

takeover of Goa (on December 18th, 1961) when

Goa was a Portuguese colony.

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.

ACT I

SCENE I

TIME : Evening

AT Risz : A few characters sprawling on the benches. exhausted after the day.

They seem

One can see that they are “regulars”

who meet every evening at the patio benches, not too far away from the tavern. Present are : The PORTUGUESE LOCAL ADMINISTRATOR from the communidades and the GOAN NATIONALIST—the OLD WOMAN with a repertory of old wives’ tales and an OLD MAN. with black frock coat and tie (worn out)—the PORTUGUESE VICAR and the GOAN HINDU—the SMUGGLER (an all-rounder). i They form several groups yet one group at one and the same time. Each individual is talking to the other and sometimes each

couple exchanges some remarks with each other.

But their voices

are inaudible to the audience. It is not as though this scene were pantomime, but merely that their voices are either not loud or clear enough to be overheard. There is a reason for this method which will be explained later. Now we come to the first single important action of this scene which introduces us to one of the main characters in the play : SENHORA MIRANDA, a fair-looking woman of about forty, splendidly dressed in the latest Portuguese fashion with colourful parasol in hand, comes down the steps of the bar-tavern (West side of stage) slightly tipsy, and walks slowly across the patio to her residence

(East

side of stage) in the course

of which

sue finds

herself

obliged to pass by the benches in middle of the square. The conversation of the “regulars” stop dead upon seeing her. They stop and share. This lasts almost fora full minute, iia self-conscious movement of time. SENHORA MIRANDA is fully aware of the effect sHE is creating. sHE walks slowly and carefully to avoid showing the effect of any tipsiness. As SHE passes the VICAR, SHE bows slightly in acknowledgement. As SHE passes by the

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8

GOA

ADMINISTRATOR,

the

latter

lifts

his

hat

and

sHE bows

coquettish smile playing around the corner of her lips. the rest : the local people.

When sHe has to

pass

the

again, a

SHE ignores SMUGGLER,

SHE almost gives a huff and transfers the parasol to cover her from his sight. But her walk is the same : a slightly exaggerated movement around the hips, a tone of feminine self-consciousness mixed with artful coquetry which sHe obviously enjoys. Immediately after sue has passed the bench-watchers, they get into a huddle of twos and fours, obviously remarking on her, looking back at her walking, then gossiping once again. Suggestion of a nudge and a smile, while the vicar pretends to look away. This is important: the long patio walk. By the end of this Act, three of the main characters will have taken this walk, before the eyes of the bench-watchers and it is their reciprocal reactions which must reveal to the audience a lot about the characters of the

three players.

.

Now, the second important action (and character) emerges from the background of the first scene. When the curtain opened on this scene, ie. right from the beginning, but not obvious

until now,

there has beén

a YOUNG GIRL sitting on the balcony

(East side of stage) and a YOUNG MAN standing on the patio looking up to her. It appears to us that they have been talking for some time, for there has been the occasional sound of the GIRL’s voice.

The Girt is dark-looking and about fourteen with a beautiful innocent face and a strange voice. The YOUNG MAN is somehow different-looking from the other GOANS around the place. As mentioned

earlier, they have been the background to this scene for

some time, but they were not particularly noticed because of the action being centered around the middle of the stage-square. Only once,

when

SENHORA

MIRANDA

is crossing the square within view

of the balcony, does the YOUNG GIRL disappear in the house, only to come back after SENHORA MIRANDA (her mother) has been in the house for some time. LATE EVENING : The REGULARS (Bench-watchers) gradually leave by ones and twos as the stage gradually begins to get dark. (In the house, underneath the balcony there is the sound of a gramophone playing, occasional laughter of a male and female voices, the clink of glasses mixed with drunken “‘hushes”’...)

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ACT I SCENE I

9

The Girt and Boy are still on the balcony like a Romeo and Juliet scene.

Now, we come to the climax of the

and

scene.

The

terrace,

much

GiRL’s

voice

is heard : clear, beautiful, yet very strange. This is the reason why no single distinguishable voice was heard earlier : it gives

further emphasis to hers.

GIRL (ROSE): (Her voice comes like a single light)

silvery

shaft

of moon-

are

unknown

It’s getting dark now. I can see your lips no longer. I do not know what you say... But may heart is full of love to me

: the more

for

you

and I would love...this secrecy... Were it not for the absolute dread of this loneliness in the dark when I can no longer see your lips and know not whether I whisper or shout

in this stifling stillness... (Her voice undergoes a strange, uncontrollable change)

But when it’s light I know for I can then see myself in other people’s faces...

T can see...what I must be saying to them

.. for they can hear... (Boy climbs up to balcony and gives her a rose) Yes...that’s my name how did you know ? Did I whisper it... or was I screaming... (Withdrawing her hand, frightened) No, don’t touch my hand

don’t touch me touch me not

stranger...

Did I hurt you ?

Is there something you want to say ?

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10

GOA

Stand under the light...the lamp-post light ...whereI can see your lips...

(Boy moves under lamp-post light) No sounds please; no sounds

nor your touch and I shall love you all the more... (The Boy moves his lips; the Girt “hears”. The darkness becomes darker, as the scene gradually fades with the BOY’s mute words and the GIRL’S strange voice.)

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ACT I

SCENE II

TIME : Following day

SCENE :

The patio with the regular Bench-sitters.

RISB; Zhe PORTUGUESE LOCAL ADMINISTRATOR and the GOAN NATIONALIST are sitting on the porch outside the tavern (adjoining the Bench-sitters) having a glass of beer. The OLD WOMAN and OLD MAN, the PORTUGUESE VICAR and the GOaN HINDU are sitting on

the benches.

.

PORTUGUESE ADMINISTRATOR : (Slow

whisper,

deep as the light

that

grows on him) Goa...Goa... This is Goa...my home, no less than Lisbon where I was born. And when we, the Portuguese, came to India almost four centuries ago, we made of GOA an enclave...(Dim light falls on the GOAN NATIONALIST Who is sitting across from him drinking beer.)

Ah,

but

my friend here, who calls himself a...a... (Suggestion of a deprecating snigger)...Nationalist insists we made this into a...colony... instead of a small part of Portugal. (Takes a gulp of beer, looking across to the NATIONALIST, continues to talk in soliloquy—it is apparent through play of lights that his speech is reflective of his thought process and cannot be heard by others on the patio.) Then what even if we did? We feel the same way about Goa, despite our political differences...Goa...Goa...this is Goa, my own, nestling amidst green hills and valleys, the rice fields and rivers that make this paradisial land...Look at the patio in front of you. This is the heart of each village in Goa. (His arm floating across the patio and pausing momentarily across the imaginary scenery)...the white cross...the white cross...the Taverna...the trellised balconies .always surround the patio...the patio...where everyone meets...

the old and new...those alike and different...like me and my friend here. The meetings here are always loud and lively, with nothing to hide...on market days there is all noise and bustle scents and smells, a strange mixture of fish and flowers. Buxom, garrulous

Google

12

GOA

fisher-women, with sweet-smelling saios in their hair, are busy .enticing the wily customer to buy their delicious river fish...the church feast is a great day for the entire village. There is the village band, with fair and fireworks...the smell of incense and finim

- in the evening air, and at home hot sarapatel and.wines await the revellers. Rejoice, says the Vicar, for it is a Dia de Festa...

Ah, yes, it’s always a day to remember...(Pointing) Ah, Vicar

there,

isn’t

he

imposing?

He

comes

that’s the

from

Portugal too.

get the feeling...that this curious imbalance...cannot

last, beauti-

The man next to him? You mean who’s he? Oh, he’s a Hindu ...a Goan Hindu. Oh, you should hear the two of them bicker. Tm afraid of the Vicar’s being converted...(Laughs loudly, pensively, seriously)...there is therefore...a peculiar meeting point here...of cultures and religions...of different political attitudes...I sometimes ful though it is. Time...often seems to go either too fast or too slow, as though each were trying to make up for the other...I

want time to stand still here...(A break in the pensive-mood brought about by the sound of the mouth-organ and a mad little dance

by the smuggler. The SMUGGLER is playing on the harmonica and dancing a quaint little tune all to himself.) PORTUGUESE ADMINISTRATOR: Nice day. I always enjoy a glass of beer in the sun. GOAN NATIONALIST :_ Don’t you ever work ? PORTUGUESE ADMINISTRATOR: Certainly. I’m here to keep you out of mischief. GOAN NATIONALIST : Your days are numbered, friend. PORTUGUESE ADMINISTRATOR : to count.

GOAN NATIONALIST:

There’s nobody here who

knows

how

Yes, you made sure of that, didn’t you.

PORTUGUESE ADMINISTRATOR: No, I want...a glass of beer in the sun...

give

the

GOAN NOTIONALIST: Like me. I like this too. thing more. You understand.

PORTUGUESE ADMINISTRATOR:

Yes.

PORTUGUESE

(Screwing

people

But

what

I want

they

some-

GOAN NATIONALIST : And you won’t let me have it. PORTUGUESE ADMINISTRATOR : I’m here to keep you out of mischief. GOAN NATIONALIST : You're exploiting us. dirty word.

ADMINISTRATOR:

Google

up

his

nose)

That’s

a

13

ACT i SCENE Ii GOAN NATIONALIST:

You're exploiting us.

PORTUGUESE ADMINISTRATOR : If you come up to my office I'll show you some figures of income and expenditure. It’s costing us more to

keep

up

this colony than

what we earn from it.

Oh sure, we

control the mining industry and all that, but it’s nothing compared to what it’s costing us. You can get up on a platform and say we're

exploiting

all are. GOAN NATIONALIST :

you,

but

you know damn well how content you

You're exploiting us, friend.

PORTUGUESE ADMINISTRATOR:

(Wearily)

I think

we

need

another

glass of beer. Waiter...(More beer poured out, with animation) Look how it froths in the sun ! GOAN NATIONALIST: Beautiful. PORTUGUESE ADMINISTRATOR: Like Goa. GOAN NATIONALIST; Yes, we drink to that. (They drink) Wouldn’t you like to go home sometime ? PORTUGUESE

ADMINISTRATOR:

(Dreamily)

Yes...No.

(The

GOAN

NATIONALIST nods his head understandingly. The PORTUGUESE ADMINISTRATOR looks at him sharply) Now, what did you mean by that ?

GOAN NATIONALIST :

(Jnnocently)

PORTUGUESE ADMINISTRATOR :

Mean by what ?

(Suspiciously) N...nothing.

(The GOAN

‘ NATIONALIST smiles to himself, quite pleased for having scored the point. The PORTUGUESE ADMINISTRATOR continues to look at him closely) You know, sometimes when you don’t talk, I don’t trust you.

.

GOAN NATIONALIST :

(Smiling gleefully) That’s why you're

keep me out of mischief.

here—to

PORTUGUESE ADMINISTRATOR: (With irritation) The way you talk people would think I have no work to do but to sit out bere and waste my time drinking with you. GOAN NATIONALIST:

(With anger) What

the

hell do you

think I’m

doing here! Spending my time usefully? I got my reputation too with the nationalists and it does me no good to sit here drinking with you. (Both glower at each other, not trusting themselves to say any more. The church bells chime and the vicar calls out to them from the bench...) VICAR: Don’t forget to come to church now, both of you. (The PORTUGUESE ADMINISTRATOR and GOAN NATIONALIST wave back their

consent

to the VICAR,

Google

The VICAR turns benignly to his compa-

14

GOA

nion on the bench, the GOAN HINDU.) And when to my church, brother... GOAN HINDU: I'll worship from outside, father. VICAR: Why from outside ?

GOAN HINDU:

My temple, father.

will

you

come

You built-your church on it.

VICAR; What do you mean ? GOAN HINDU: (Pointing to the foundations of the church) See the foundation stone to the church, father ? Look closely. That ancient carved motif is the lotus flower, and my gods sublime. That

was my House of God...

vicaR: ...and still is, my son. Come inside. GOAN HINDU: No. (Conversation shifts to the OLD MAN.)

OLD

WOMAN

and

OLD WOMAN: ...and the sea waters rose like mountains around the old city of Goa, and the fires ranged, and pestilance came...

but there was no repentance... OLD MAN: ...abh... OLD WOMAN: ...who would have thought this paradisial island where peace flowed like the pure water of rain would form dread-

ful avalanches of death and destruction...

OLD MAN: ...ahh... (Zhen the SMUGGLER changes deliberately, offensively. A bright jarry tune. He joyfully, yet with a sense of the macabre, and comes to the OLD WOMAN, shaking his hips, suggestively, in imitation of SENHORA MIRANDA. Reactions of the

\follows—a GOAN

guffaw from

NATIONALIST—an

the PORTUGUESE

amused

smile

the melody, dances half prancing up an obvious group are as

ADMINISTRATOR and the

from

the

vicaR

and

the

GOAN HINDU—frozen silence from the OLD WOMAN, but a suppressed

grin from the OLD MAN.)

OLD WOMAN : Oh go away, you filthy man !

SMUGGLER : (Raising himself up with hauteur, and putting a monocle tohis eye) Me? Filthy? Why, you old crow, I give you satins and laces, genuinely smuggled at discounted rates. I lavish cigars and beers and perfumes to the...(Waving his hands)...wide, wide interior...(Indignantly) Who said I was a smuggler! I’m a... a...commission agent. Why, some of the best families...are my

friends. After all, it is I who risk imprisonment for them. Ah, but look at my clothes; the latest striped shirt from Portugal, and pointed black shoes that set me up as the first

Google

in

fashions

in

ACT

I SCENE II

old-fashioned

. Goa.

15

Certainly

I was

filthy once.

I never

came

from the landed Goan-Christian aristocracy. 1 came from the fields and wore a loin cloth. But I was smart. I can now speak Portuguese

like the Portuguese, not the locals. Yet I am more nationalist than

the nationalist.

from outside.

put

together.

and plays

I worship the Church from inside and the Temple

I can tell more old wives’ tales than all your So

madly

now

on

tales

I am filthy...rich! (Giggles like a baboon

the mouth-organ.

The bat-doors of the bar

open, and a large man stands lurching, crooked up on either elbow ‘on the bat-doors, with a genial sheepish smile on his florid red face. This is ALPHONSO, another of the main characters in the play. If one had to type him, he’d be the Portuguese beachcomber type. For once, the reactions of the entire group are unanimous. THEY~ all smile indulgently at him, for he exudes a certain charm.) GOAN

NATIONALIST

:

(Smiling)

Hello Alphonso ! Come and

have

a

drink with us. (ALPHONSO descends,. staggeringly, swoops his hand and picks up the PORTUGUESE ADMINISTRATOR’S glass, and gurgles it down).

PORTUGUESE

ALPHONSO

ADMINISTRATOR

:

Chico!

(Puts

:

up

Hey!

That’s mine.

three fingers

Does not wait for his drink but moves on). PORTUGUESE ADMINISTRATOR : Hey ! Come

to

the

back

waiter

and

have

Chico.

your

drink (But ALPHONSO moves on. As he passes by each of them...) vicar : Hello Alphonso (Repeats). OLD MAN : Hello Alphonso (Repeats). SMUGGLER : Hello Alphonso. (Repeat...He waves back genially at them. This is important—the sound of genuine “‘hellos’. As ALPHONSO passes by the OLD WOMAN, he bows with exaggerated graciousness (being intoxicated) to which the OLD WOMAN titters with pleasure. So he makes the long patio walk, like SENHORA ¢ MIRANDA did before him, while the BENCH-WATCHERS see him through, reacting with fond admiration, talking about him between themselves...as he walks to the end of the line...where SENHORA MIRANDA waits on the balcony, her head tossed up with pride and admiration for her man, while the others watch his drunken entry

into the

MIRANDA

down

house,

and

gets up with

gossip again poised,

the balcony inside her home.

Google

between themselves.

self-conscious

dignity,

SENHORA

and

comes

The action now is transferred to

16

GOA

the house as the rest of the patio darkens and the others are not to be seen. Once out of sight of the watchers, SENHORA MIRANDA rushes up like a little girl to ALPHONSO.)

SENHORA MIRANDA :

(Throwing

herself in his arms)

(She kisses him long and tenderly) You smell

again...(They kiss) and have another. ALPHONSO: Kiss or drink? (Laughing)

SENHORA

MIRANDA

:

(Fondling

his

of drink

Both!

passionately, then runs around and comes Ah ! that’s my girl.

Alphonso !

but kiss me

(She

kisses

him

Girl...Girl...I

am

back with bottle in hand)

bull

neck)

your girl. ALPHONSO: (Drinking) Yes. SENHORA MIRANDA : I’m your mistress and your wife. ALPHONSO: (Still deep in his drink) Mmm... Yes. SENHORA MIRANDA: (Pouring hers) But then I should Senhora Alphonso.

ALPHONSO time.

SENHORA

:

(Patting her) Allin good time, my

MIRANDA

ness) It’s not

is it ?

:

(Baiting

as though

we

him,

yet

with

were merely

dear, a

all

trace

having

be

of

called

in good

a good

serious-

time,

ALPHONSO : Of course not. SENHORA MIRANDA : (With mischievous eyes) Though I know how to give a good time too. ALPHONSO : (Catching the twinkle, dragging her for another kiss) The best screw I’ve ever known. SENHORA MIRANDA : (Acting coquettish, trying to elude him)

Now...Now...Don’t be vulgar, little boy.

ALPHONSO: (Repeating) Little boy...little boy. (Laughing vulgarly) That’s why I can call you little girl. But I know you’re whacking

big!

SENHORA MIRANDA : (Not knowing what to say) Ha...ha... ALPHONSO : I guess it’s age that gives experience. SENHORA MIRANDA : (Wincing slightly, peppering her make-up) hell-of-a-lot more

goes with it too, Alphonso.

know, my love. ALPHONSO : (Heavily) Right there. SENHORA

ALPHONSO

MIRANDA

;

Me?

:

Take for example you.

Google

Huh...we

A

should

ACT I SCENE

II

17

SENHORA MIRANDA : What gives you so much experience, Alphonso ? little girl ? ALPHONSO : (Not knowing what to say) Ha...ha... SENHORO MIRANDA : (Half-teasingly) A big hulking man like you

-you should be ashamed of yourself.

ALPHONSO : Well, you'll admit...(Stops) SENHORA MIRANDA : Admit what? ALPHONSO : Well, youth...is youth. SENHORA MIRANDA : You’re getting very profound, Alphonso. ALPHONSO : (Shifting) Where’s that drink ? SENHORA MIRANDA : (Holding the bottle) Here. ALPHONSO ; Give it to me, SENHORA MIRANDA : (Holding bottle at arm’s length, partly joking and partly serious) Huh-huh. (Negatively) ALPHONSO : I said give it to me ! SENHORA MIRANDA: (Slightly shaken, trying to carry the joke) A little bit then.

A

then.

We've

ALPHONSO: (Pouring himself a drink) long evening to go.

That’s

to go.

SENHORA

MIRANDA

:

ALPHONSO : (Nodding, spoils the fun.

little

bit

got

a

right.

long

evening

We've

got

And too much drink spoils the fun.

drinking,

repeating)

and

too

much

a

drink

SENHORA MIRANDA : Ah, be cheerful, Alphonso. I love you that way. It’s so much fun then. Be cheerful, Alphonso. For my

sake, tell me about Portugal...wonderful Portugal. Ahh, wouldn’t T look beautiful there...and young too. The climate...does things ...for your skin. Makes it firm and tight...for you, my dear. And

rosy.

ALPHONSO : (Dully) Rose ? SENHORA MIRANDA: (Sharply) I said rosy! (Then softly, trying to get back to dream-life) Rosy. Pink and red. See how white my skin is ? It would turn pink and red. ALPHONSO : Like a lobster. SENHORA MIRANDA : flushed, Alphonso.

(Artificial laugh) You’ve seen me when Then I’m like them, am I not ?

SENHORA

(Holding

ALPHONSO

:

Rouge ?

MIRANDA

tubbed out.

:

When

him)

Yes,

when

you take it all away.

Google

the

rouge

I get

gets

Hurt me so I could

18

GOA

scream...Then you see me coming...real! (She says it with such passion that it makes him stop for a moment out of his intoxication).

ALPHONSO :

Maria ?

SENHORA

(Quietly

MIRANDA

:

and not

untenderly)

(Almost

tearfully)

What

do

want

you,

I

:

you

want,

Alphonso.

You. You make me feel it. I’m in heaven. Portugal. I’m there though I may never have been there before. Walking on the patio, with my heels clicking, and the young men looking at me admiringly. Noblemen. From the aristocracy. Admiring Senhora Alphonso. You then walking

next to me, holding my pometanian dog, with arm linked in mine,

smokinga strong

husband.

cigar.

It...it

reminds

me...of...of my

He was like you, tall and strong.

former

like a bear.

Shaggy

too. Fair like you. We were to have settled in Portugal, where : his mother lived. Oh, he sang beautiful love songs. It was one long happy

there

can

moment...of

ever

be an

youth,

end...till

whisper) He died, Alphonso.

died.

And

there

was

anything about it.

when no one

never

(Softer)

it comes.

He

merely

ever

(Her

died.

believes

voice hardly a

Unbelievably

anything—nobody...who

Not

even I.

Nor

those

churches that stand like spectres in the moonlight... ALPHONSO : (Heavily) I come from a dirty little town T love this place, but one day I shall return home. SENHORA MIRANDA : We, my love, we. ALPHONSO

:

(Looking at her distantly)

No long patio walks.

SENHORA

MIRANDA

:

I dread having to cross that patio.

don’t say that!

Day in and

could

great

he

do

white

in Portugal.

What would you

The one here is long enough.

(Panicky) No,

that

do there ?

I hate it here.

night

out.

Like

something predatory. ALPHONSO: Portugal is pretty to you only because it is far and unreal.

SENHORA MIRANDA from here.

No,

:

not

{(Emphatically) Yes, because it’s far away from because

it’s

unreal.

My

mother

told

me

stories about her home, and it was real. Or else I would not have believed it. ALPHONSO : (His eyes narrowing) What about your father ?

SENHORA MIRANDA : (Unprepared) My...My...father.

from somewhere around there.

ALPHONSO :

And told you real little stories.

Google

He also came...

Bedtime ones.

ACT

19

:

I SCENB II

(Hard) Yes, like you. He was another, like SENHORA MIRANDA: you. They all come, like you. Men. ALPHONSO : How different are you...as a woman. SENHORA MIRANDA : (Looks incredulously at him for a long moment) Why Alphonso, you’re not so drunk after all. (Then bursts a gurgle of near-hysterical laughter) Ah, what’s all this sopinto

stuff about ? Let’s dance, honey.

And

Put on that record.

give

me a sip of that drink. ALPHONSO: (Getting up energetically) Ah, that’s my girl. Let’s both get drunk as dodos. SENHORA MIRANDA : (Music and drinks turned on) And paint this bloody town red. ALPHONSO : (Getting together on a dancing stride. Softly as romance must have it.) Yve got something for you love. SENHORA MIRANDA : Oh, let me guess. ALPHONSO : I'll give you a hint.

SENHORA MIRANDA : More expensive than the last one ?

ALPHONSO: Yes. SENHORA MIRANDA : (Delighted, kissing him) Of silver ? ALPHONSO : No, gold. (Squeezing him joyfully) Oh, you need SENHORA MIRANDA: than a kiss for that. Give. ALPHONSO;: SENHORA MIRANDA : First tell me what it is.

more

A_

gold

ALPHONSO:

(Removing

from

his

pocket)

ALPHONSO:

Heavenly

gates.

We

all

necklace.

A

necklace. Witha chunk of gold at the end. A cross weighing godness knows how many ounces. (Taking it in her hand and feeling ity weight) SENHORO MIRANDA: Why, it’s heavy...(Looking at the figure of Christ on the cross)...and beautiful. I'll wear it to Church. Won’t the Vicar be happy. Like me ? ALPHONSO: (Looking mischievously) In a different sort of SENHORA MIRANDA: way, I guess. want

gates. And the keys are made of gold. Why Alphonso, that’s SENHORA MIRANDA: remark. And practical'too. Like you, huh ? ALPHONSO:

Google

to

a

enter

the heavenly

very

philosophic

20

GOA

SENHORA MIRANDA:

You should know.

Oh my dear, you

should

know. ALPHONSO : I wish we'd stop talking. SENHORA MIRANDA : (Softly) Whenever you want, Alphonso. ALPHONSO : (An edge to his voice) Yes, I know.

SENHORA MIRANDA: But darling, that’s the way you want it. Whenever you want, isn’t that right 2 Or do you want me to play hard to get ?

ALPHONSO:: (Derisively) Hard to get. SENHORA MIRANDA: (Hard as nails) What makes you think you’re easy, Alphonso ? ALPHONSO: (Mumbling, not wanting to get into a fight) I’m a man.

SENHORA MIRANDA: dogs

..are

are

dogs.

made

(Laughing

And

of sugar

bitterly)

girls...(The

and

spice,

And

men

hysterical

and

laugh

everything

(ALPHONSO takes her roughly and kisses her). SENHORA MIRANDA: No. (Shoving him away) Not

drunkenly and stupidly.

ALPHONSO:

Your

ALPHONSO:

No

husband

same

evening

so that

with a whore. SENHORA MIRANDA:

and different.

men.

And

that’s

nice.

way.

Not

huh?

He

again)...girls

that

That’s not how a man should do it. used

to

do

never came home drunk. SENHORA MIRANDA: He never pretended. of course

are

not.

the

Came

it differently,

home

and

made

love

the

wife would not suspect he’d been out

(Abstractly to herself) To feel new,

Secret to the touch.

Violent

too,

and strange

yet tender.

It

comes from freshness and innocence. ALPHONSO:: (Looking at her unbelievingly) What do you say ? SENHORA MIRANDA : (Distantly) I forget. I forget. It was too long ago. ALPHONSO: (Softly) Yes, you got more than that. More than a roll in bed. SENHORA MIRANDA: (Smiling tenderly) So have you, Alphonso, so

have you. (They kiss, almost with a touch of innocence) Your kisses burn, Alphonso. But it was made of drink a little while ago.

ALPHONSO:

woman.

I

find

you...strange

Google

and

different.

Not

the

same

41

ACT I SCENE II

SENHORA MIRANDA: Is that the only reason why your kisses burn ? Must it always be strange and different ?

ALPHONSO:

I don’t know.

I do what I feel.

ALPHONSO:

Kissed the girls and made them cry.

SENHORA MIRANDA: That’s nice, Alphonso. In a way it makes it so much easier. Come, sit with me by the couch. (She sits. He lies with head on her lap) My | What a thick mop of hair you’ve got ...(She passes her hand through his hair and grips it like a mane) ...like a boy. What were you like as a boy, Alphonso ? Tell me. ALPHONSO : I was hot-blooded. SENHORA MIRANDA: (Giggles) That I know. Tell me more. SENHORA MIRANDA: More likely you made them except...when you left them I suppose. ALPHONSO: Why should I have left them ?

SENHORA MIRANDA :

laugh,

Alphonso,

Left them and came to Goa.

ALPHONSO: Oh...that. SENHORA MIRANDA: Alphonso...? ALPHONSO: ... Yes ? SENHORA MIRANDA: Will you promise me something. ALPHONSO :

(Drinking thoughtfully)...Sure.

SENHORA MIRANDA: No. 1 mean really. ALPHONSO: (Distracted...drinking to himself) Really what ? SENHORA MIRANDA:

ALPHONSO: Sure. SENHORA MIRANDA: Portugal.

Really promise me something.

That you'll

never

leave

me

and

go

back

to

ALPHONSO: (Frowning) Now why should I ever do that? I’m quite happy here. Got a lot of friends.. and comfortable here. Nothing costs very much. And it’s easy being Portuguese. You know what I mean? So I like it here. SENHORA

MIRANDA:

But it can’t be forever, Alphonso.

can’t be living like this forever.

ALPHONSO:

Why not?

SENHORA MIRANDA: Alphonso ?

Plenty to eat and drink.

I mean

you

No worries.

But...but...wouldn’t you like to do

something,

ALPHONSO: The Local Administrator gives me a job or two from time to time...and pays me handsomely. SENHORA

MIRANDA:

Yes,

Google

because

he

doesn’t

want

you

hanging

22

GOA

around with nothing and no money. It wouldn’t do any good to see a Portuguese doing that. ALPHONSO: Perhaps. SENHORA MIRANDA: Wouldn’t you like to go back home? ALPHONSO:

Yes,

when

(Dreamily)

I was

May

not

be

a boy...something

such

a

bad

idea

of your

early

sticks...but I suppose it’s never the same again.

sometime.

life always

SENHORA MIRANDA: You can always make it that way. I know, Alphonso. You have a lot of determination when you want to be that way.

ALPHONSO: You think so ? SENHORA MIRANDA: Of course I do. I know any job if you put your mind to it. ALPHONSO: Even the Administrator’s ?

so.

You

can

do

SENHORA

MIRANDA:

Why not ?

SENHORA

MIRANDA:

Why not...if you were to return to Portugal...

ALPHONSO: You mean...(Getting slightly excited)...you mean I could really take over from the Administrator if I really want to...and live like him. .in that huge mansion ? ALPHONSO :

What does that have to do with it ?

SENHORA MIRANDA:

to qualify your

home

for

his

It’s quite

post.

thought

dear.

You’d

have

It would require training and work...in

country...before

Administrator. ALPHONSO: (The

simple, Alphonso they

send

seeping

you

through)

out

Is

here

that

as

the

so?

That

servants

and

wouldn’t be too hard, I suppose. (Puffing out) After all, I’ve got a lot of experience here. But imagine, Maria! (Getting more

and more

grandness... SENHORA

excited)

MIRANDA:

The

big

house

(Emphatically)

and

Then,

all

and

the

only

then,

would

return to Goa. ALPHONSO: (Exicitedly, thinking to himself) Yes, yes, that would be wonderful. And all that cellar of wine. I’d call my friends over every day... SENHORA MIRANDA: (Jnterrupting) Which friends...? ALPHONSO:

Oh, anybody who wants to be friendly.

Consider

I

that

Watching over friends. is the job of the Administrator. SENHORA MIRANDA: (Sighing) Perhaps...the job of the Administrator

may

not

suit

your...your...temperament

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quite

so

well,

ACt I SCENE It

23

Alphonso. You're carrying me away with your dreams. ALPHONSO : (Full of self-confidence now) Me? Dreaming? do any job I put my mind to. Remember? Anything ! SENHORA MIRANDA:

Yes,

Alphonso.

I

am

sure

of

it.

I can But

let’s

start small, shall we? Anything...regular. Not when the Administrator finds it necessary...from time to time. ALPHONSO : (Suspicious) You mean a job, don’t you ? SENHORA MIRANDA : Yes. ALPHONSO: Here ? SENHORA MIRANDA: (Torn between dreams and reality) Yes...No. No, not

here.

We

can start...anywhere.

But not here.

ALPHONSO: What about...Diu or Daman ? SENHORA MIRANDA: Well...it wouldn’t be here, and if it meant a regular job..: ALPHONSO: (Teasingly) What about...Lisbon ? SENHORA MIRANDA: (Jn dreams and alnost tears) Lisbon. Lisbon. . How musical it sounds. How different I feel. Oh, Alphonso... (Her voice breaks)...don’t tease me, Alphonso. Oh, I hope so much, Icry, I cry, Alphonso. (She puts her hand on his chest and cries.)

ALPHONSO:

(Overwhelmed, not having expected this, and touched;

softly) Maria...Maria...It means so much, does it ? SENHORA MIRANDA : Ob Alphonso, I’ma woman. Woman. No different, you understand. I hope, naturally. Perhaps even more because

it sounds so unreal. But I want it so. These desires...that of youth...passed. The longings become different as time goes by,

but just as strong. bring

Perhaps...it’s

part

of my

nature.

But

you

it out, Alphonso. You with your thick hair, and your feeling

ways, as though nothing else ever mattered... ALPHONSO : (Out of depth. Back to his drinks) Whatcha -saying ? Whatcha saying... ? SENHORA MIRANDA: I’m saying that I’m common but you're not, though everything seems the other way around. Yet we find some-

thing incommon.

ALPHONSO:

Now isn’t that hilarious

Yes, very funny.

But a lot of talk.

?

SENHORA MIRANDA: Why, Alphonso, I’ve seen you talk for hours on end...with your friends. ALPHONSO : Oh, they’re different..,

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24

GOA

SENHORA MIRANDA:

with...all of them.

I should hope so.

ALPHONSO: What do you mean SENHORA MIRANDA: Oh, I mean the Administrator, or have a (Shrugging her shoulders)...of ALPHONSO: Why, what’s wrong SENHORA MIRANDA:

I wish

you

wouldn’t

mix

? it’s alright if you have a drink with chat with the Vicar...but the rest... the Goans... with them ?

They...they don’t have

the

same

background.

You understand. Oh, it’s alright I suppose if you occasionally meet them, but this idea of being too friendly with all and sundry isn’t exactly becoming. ALPHONSO: Why not ? SENHORA MIRANDA: Well,I don’t have to do I? We...We’re different, you know.

ALPHONSO:

keep

repeating

myself,

...We ?

SENHORA MIRANDA:

Yes, I remember my

SENHORA MIRANDA:

But this one

parents

telling

me...how

. it was necessary to keep the distance. ALPHONSO: Your mother and your father. SENHORA MIRANDA : (Jmpatiently) Naturally. It takes two to make parents or don’t you know ! ALPHONSO : It also takes two to make children. SENHORA MIRANDA: (Alert) What do you mean ! ALPHONSO : (Wavering) Well...you know I’ve never been conscious of colour. We Portuguese aren’t. is!

ALPHONSO : (Cautiously) That could be a bit embarrassing—for you. SENHORA MIRANDA : (Sharply) Why ? ALPHONSO:: (Trying to be evasive; wanting to change the subject) Well...well...(At a loss for words; then recalcitrant) How the hell should 1 know ! SENHORA MIRANDA: (Jnsistent) You said it would be embarrassing forme. Why ? ALPHONSO: (Sympathetically) I thought it was fairly obvious, my dear. (Softly) Why do you press me to hurt you ? SENHORA MIRANDA:

(Clasping the cross

mean...(Her voice in a hush)...Rose. Whispering to herself) Rose...Rose...

Google

around

her

(ALPHONSO

neck) Oh...you

does not reply.

25

ACT i SCENE II

ALPHONSO: (Softly) Nobody would have known it...if you had said so yourself. And I’m glad you did. SENHORA

:

MIRANDA

though she

is.

(Hushed tone) Yes,

Rose

is my

child,

not dark

'

She’s the fairest flower in all the world, Maria. ALPHONSO: SENHORA MIRANDA : (Looking up to him) Why don’t you ask me ? What ? ALPHONSO: SENHORA

MIRANDA

Alphonso,

you.

ALPHONSO:

yet

:

You

may

not

understand

me

completely,

there are few things that your instinct does not tell

My dear, I drink like a bear...

(Running her fingers through his hair and grippSENHORA MIRANDA: ing him determinedly at the hair above the nape of his neck)...with his passion...(They kiss passionately) Why don’t you ask me... whose child she is! (They break apart) ALPHONSO : I don’t like to hurt people...even when they want to be hurt.

SENHORA MIRANDA :

(Jnsistent on drawing out blood) Why don’t you

ask me...who her father was ?

ALPHONSO: You've already told me...he was Portuguese. SENHORA MIRANDA: Why don’t you ask me...who my father was ?

You've already told me ..he was Portuguese. ALPHONSO: Ah !...But it’s evident that I’m lying someSENHORA MIRANDA: where. That girl’s either got the blood of her father...in which

case he wasn’t Portuguese...or she’s got the blood of her grand(ALPHONSO is father, in which case my father was not Portuguese.

silent) Why are you silent, Alphonso 2? Would’t you like to know where I’m lying ?_ Either my child’s a bastard...or I am. (Quietly) I told you before...it makes no difference to ALPHONSO:

me.

Ah, but it does tome. Can you imagine my SENHORA MIRANDA: feelings, Alphonso ? Now you know why I don’t like coloured people. They make me feel dirty. Rose is the cleanest girl I. know. ALPHONSO: SENHORA MIRANDA: No doubt. No doubt. But give her time. She’s only fourteen, you know. Time may come when she’s no different from me. Only I’m fair, and she’s dark. ALPHONSO:: (Slowly) Rose is Goa. Goa is Rose.

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26

GOA

SENHORA MIRANDA: my

womb.

(Said with peculiar emphasis) She

from

Dark and bloody as the night when she was conceived.

Oh, the pain; the dreadful pain.

They say it should

love when it’s cut out from your own different. A constant reminder...

ALPHONSO :

came

flesh.

What a dreadful love is yours, Maria.

SENHORA MIRANDA:

My

love

SENHORA MIRANDA:

(Quietly)

about nothing. Let us forget. ALPHONSO : Who’s that ?

is

tender,

give

rise

to

But the colour is

It’s frightening.

Alphonso.

We

quarrel...

(Sound ofa strange singing voice)

Rose.

ALPHONSO: Her voice is strange. SENHORA MIRANDA : She tries to remember what a voice must sound

slike.

ALPHONSO: When...When did she...become deaf ? SENHORA MIRANDA: In her late childhood. A congenital defect.

ALPHONSO :

Who taught her to read

ALPHONSO::

(Lapsing into silence) Hmmm...

SENHORA MIRANDA :

Herself.

lips ?

SENHORA MIRANDA: (Trying to break out of it) Well ! Well ! Your drink has evapoarted fast. How about a drop for both of us ? ALPHONSO : No. SENHORA MIRANDA:

(Almost aggressively) Why

won’t

you

have

a

drink ! ALPHONSO : I just don’t feel like it. SENHORA MIRANDA : What does feeling have to do with it ? It’s... it’s just not natural your not having a drink. ALPHONSO : I find you take advantage of me when I drink. SENHORA MIRANDA : (Indignantly) 1... take advantage of you...when you drink ! ALPHONSO : What I mean is that you say all sorts of things I don’t

understand when I’m drunk.

SENHORA MIRANDA:

sober, that’s it ?

And you think you’d

if you

were

But if I were to drink...wouldn’t that sort

of...

ALPHONSO : I just might. SENHORA MIRANDA : equalize us ?

ALPHONSO:

/

I never thought of that.

Google

understand

ACT I SCENE It

‘

SENHORA MIRANDA :

27

(Pouring out two very stiff ones) Well Alphonso,

dear, that should not be difficult to find out.

(They drink it down.

She pours another) They say men love to drink each other under the table. Well, cheers, Alphonso darling...(They drink it down. She pours out yet another) What do men talk about when they drink, Alphonso? Women? (Her voice loses humour) That must be fun. (She pours out some more) Viva! Woman have greater capacity, they say. You don’t believe it, do you, Alphonso ? That’s

because

you’re a man...a Real Man...(And some more)

ALPHONSO: (Slurring) That’s the quickest I ever got drunk. SENHORA MIRANDA: (Patting him on his thighs) Never mind, one, we'll soon get to the point...of equalization...(Pours out more) They talk a lot, don’t they, at the Tavern? I’ve never in there before, you know, so if old Chico ever tells you I

he’s a bloody

liar.

(Pours

little some been have,

out an extra one for herself) Who do

they talk about? Rose and myself? Or just Rose? Or just myself ? ALPHONSO:: Nobody talks about Rose. SENHORA MIRANDA : Oh, so they just talk about me, do they ? What do they say, Alphonso ?

Do you listen to all they say, or do you,

put in your two-bits too ? Never want to hurt me, do you, darling ? You great sweet Bull. What have you got at the back of

your dirty little mind,

you Ox?

I know just screwing me is not

all you want, you innocent bastard...(ALPHONSO gets up violently sending the table and bottles in a crush.) ALPHONSO: (He slaps her) You bitch ! SENHORA MIRANDA: Haaa...that’s more like it, Alphonso. I got to thinking you were just another tame slimy prick ! ALPHONSO leave.

:

I’m warning you, Maria.

You behave like

this

and

I

SENHORA MIRANDA : (Tantalizing him) Oh, have 1 offended your inherent Portuguese nature ? You're not used to these kinds of tortures, are you ? You're full of sensibilities, you damned Portuguese. Don’t give me that about loving Goa and all. I know

what goes on...and on...and on...

ALPHONSO :

I’m leaving, Maria.

SENHORA MIRANDA :

(Becoming more possessed

now : regretting

her

outburst, apprehensive, but not wanting to change positions too soon) Leaving, are you ?’ When will you be back 2? When the beer has

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28

GOA

turned flat and there’s no more froth left 2. When your bar-chums have gone, no more man-talk left to be done; when your crude

dulled

desires hunger

ALPHONSO:

for woman’s flesh...

(Dead serious now, her remarks having gone to the

core)

I’m leaving, Maria...for good ! SENHORA MIRANDA : (Realizing he’s serious, finding herself having to change positions earlier than expected) Leaving? (Her voice goes through a strange change) Leaving ? No, no, Alphonso. (Jt becomes a whine) No, you can’t leave, Alphonso. You won’t leave. You

had promised me you wouldn’t.

Or that you’d take me alongwith

you. Take me then. To Diu or Lisbon orI don’t care where. (Sobbing) Just take me. (He is about to leave, but she grabs him) No, stay a minute. Justa minute. 1 swear to GodI won’t keep you longer if you don’t want to stay. (Calling out) Rose ! Rose, my dear ! Where are you? Where are you? (She goes out; ALPHONSO sits hypnotized. A few seconds later SBNHORA MIRANDA /eturns

with ROSE.)

SENHORA MIRANDA: Rose...(Turning ROSE around to face her)...see me, dear...Rose, we’ve got a guest. He wants to go but I want

him to stay. You understand ? (Rose nods) He talks at lot about you. Calls you an innocent white flower...(Rose’s hand goes to her heart) says Rose is Goa and

Goa is Rose.

Is terrified of me,

yet comes and often stays. (ALPHONSO cannot bring himself to look up at her) Hoping. Hoping. That’s why he comes back over

and over again. See, what he gave me? A necklace...of gold. With a cross that weighsa ton. Here, I'll put it around your neck. No, no, don’t be frightened. He’sa harmless animal. I know. (She gently puts the necklace around the neck of her daughter) Now, Alphonso. Look up. Look at her. Nothing to be

ashamed of.

She’s innocent

is perspiring,

he can’t look up) You'll

fair like you.

Look

and beautiful.

up, you dog.

Look

And she’s dark. Not

up at her!

never see her

(ANPHONSO

again if you

go for good. So see her now! Look at her! (ALPHONSO raises his eyes slowly, guiltily. Then he bursts out at MIRANDA.)

ALPHONSO ; YOU

BEAST!

YOU

HORRBILE

BEAST! (Gets up and runs

out. SENHORA MIRANDA turns her daughter's face around, and looks gravely into her eyes.) SENHORA MIRANDA : (Quitely) He’ll be back. CURTAIN

Google

FALLS

ACT

I

SCENE III

TIME : The same evening SCENE : NOBODY on the patia, except near the balcony where the Boy stands as in the first scene with the GIRL (ROSE) on the balcony. AT RISE: Under the balcony, in the house, sits SENHORA MIRANDA. She sits still for a long moment. Then she sighs and moves the curtain aside to look across the patio.. She sees the BOY.

She notices that he seems

to be moving his lips for she hears no

sound. Then with curiosity she looks up, and finds ROSE sitting on the balcony. She studies the situation quietly for a minute. Then

she smiles strangely to herself.

Taking the umbrella in her hand,

she raises it over her head, and knocks on the balcony. ROSE is immediately alert. She recognizes the communication (presumably from the vibrations on the balcony), and raising her finger quietly to her lips to

caution the Boy, she leaves

and comes down the stairs

to her mother. SENHORA MIRANDA : (Looking at Rosk’s face) Rose.

ROSE : (Her voice wavering) Yes, mother.

SENHORA MIRANDA : (Speaking slowly with pronounced lip movements) What were you doing upstairs ? ROSE : Nothing, mother. SENHORA MIRANDA: Who’s that outside? (Rose catches a sharp breath) I said who’s that outside, Rose. ROSE : (Her hand to her breast) Boy. SENOHORA MIRANDA : He looks more like a young man to me. Who’s he ? ROSE : I don’t know. SENHORA MIRANDA : (Looking closely) You don’t know ? ROSE : (Looking unblinkingly at her mother) 1 don’t know. SENHORA MIRANDA : But he talks to you. ROSE: Yes.

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30

GOA

SENHORA MIRANDA : Have you ever met him before ? ROSE: No. .

SENHORA MIRANDA : But balcony.

he’s spoken

to you

before...across

the

ROSE : Yes.

SENHORA MIRANDA : (Turning her head slightly and raising the curtain sideways so she can see without beeing seen) He’s a stranger here. Ican make it out. He’s not like the others. Dark, yes, but not

like the others. (She’s now talking to herself. ROSE cannot read her lips because her head is turned sideways as she muses, to herself,

- looking out at the patio.)

SENHORA MIRANDA : Alphonso is there somewhere. Probably in the Tavern. A good thing for him...to think things over. So also for me. (Thoughifully) Yes, it would be interesting, wouldn’t it...to be occupied instead of...available...with more strings...Why don’t you call him in...(As she says it she turns her head to ROSE. ROSE gusses that something must have been said to her but cannot make it out)... said why don’t you call him in, Rose. ROSE : (Not sure now whether she has read the lips correctly...in? SENHORA MIRANDA : Yes, dear. Call him in. He seems well dressed and respectable. He also seems to know you and I think I ought to be introduced to him. (RosE hesitates as she goes to the door) Cal! him in, Rose, call him in. (ROSE opens the door slowly, and

calls out to him.

He enters. He’s not as boyish as he looked earlier.

There’s a strange precocity about him, a distant mystery) Ah, good evening, young man...sENHORA MIRANDA at her charming best gets up and shakes hands)...my name

is Senhora Miranda, and

my daughter, Rose. I believe you’ve met her. KRISHNA : (Quietly. Looking at ROSE) Yes, I’ve many times.

seen

her

this...is

before...

SENHORA MIRANDA : (Raising her eyebrow quizzically) Indeed. KRISHNA : (Continuing to look at ROSE) My name is Krishna. SENHORA MIRANDA

: And

mine is

Senhora Miranda.

(KRISHNA

now

turns around and looks at her. He smiles, self-confidently. SBNHORA MIRANDA stiles back at him.) KRISHNA : I’m sorry. I was facing your daughter...because I know she cannot hear.

SENHORA MIRANDA ; And I can.

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ACT I SCENE Ill

31

KRISHNA : Yes (A pause) SENHORA MIRANDA : Won't... won’t you sit down, Mr. (They sit down) You're a stranger here, aren’t you ?

Krishna ?

KRISHNA; Yes.

SENHORA MIRANDA : I recognized youe

Won’t you have a drink?

that at once...the first time Some whisky perhaps ?

I saw

KRISHNA : (Looking again at Rose) Thank you, Senhora Miranda, but

I don’t drink. SENHORA MIRANDA : KRISHNA : (Turning then. (They both SENHORA MIRANDA : being...occupied. KRISHNA : (His gaze talk much in your SENHORA MIRANDA :

Maria... his look again to sENHORA MIRANDA)..,Maria smile again momentarily at each other) I don’t like...formality. It comes in the way of again reverting to ROSE) Your daughter does not presence. (Looking at ROSE) Well, Rose? (RosE looks from

one to the other, her eyes bewildered)

KRISHNA: Ah, you’re

confusing her, Sen...Maria.

She

cannot look

from one to the other so fast. (Looking steadily at Rose) It takes patience, doesn’t it, Rose? Care...and a lot of patience. (ROSE smiles shyly) It took years, didn’t it? And a strong urge...to understand. (SENHORA MIRANDA has been looking from one to the other, a strange excitement Jilling her being.) SENHORA MIRANDA : (Her voice a bit choked. Turning to Rose) Rose,

get us some

tea please.

(Rose /oaks

at her)1

said get some

tea, Rose. Some tea. (RosE leaves) (Then turning to KRISHNA) That was a very impressive speech, Krishna. Clearly said. Cleverly too. No fumbling or mistakes. Not like any boy. Nor like any man, You’re a strange one, Krishna,

KRISHNA : Senhora Miranda...

SENHORA MIRANDA : ...Maria ! KRISHNA : Maria then... ENHORA MIRANDA : No, just Maria. KRISHNA: Maria.

SENHORA MIRANDA : Does not sound like Rose, huh ?

KRISHNA : Sounds only matter to us, Maria, but not to her. SENHORA MIRANDA: What matters to her, Krishna, since you to kno

w her so well ?

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seem

32

GOA

KRISHNA : (Pauses before replying) You. SENHORA MIRANDA : (A bit staggered) You’re not a boy, Krishna. You're a man. Are you a real man? (KRISHNA smiles) Do you

ever go to the Taverna ?

KRISHNA : No. SENORA MIRANDA : Have you ever taken the long patio walk ?

KRISHNA : What’s that ?

SENHORA MIRANDA: You'll know one day. (KRISHNA shrugs shoulders. Looking at him fixedly) Then you don’t drink? KRISHNA: No.

SENHORA MIRANDA : Are we on the point of equalization ? KRISHNA : ...Then what ?

SENHORA MIRANDA : Never mind. (Pause) Why don’t you KRISHNA : ...Ask you what ? SENHORA MIRANDA : Why Rose is so dark and I’m so fair. shrugs his shoulders indifferently) Like you are dark and (KRISHNA looks at her) Like he is fair and she is dark.

ask

his

me?

KRISHNA I’m fair. (KRISHNA

frowns) Therefore, it should mean something; your being dark and

my being fair. KRISHNA: You’re mixed up, Maria. It does not always work that way. SENHORA MIRANDA : (Angry) No? Why not ? Like you are younger and I’m older. Like he’s older and she is younger. There’s a thyme to it somewhere.

KRISHNA That’s all there is, Maria.

SENHORA MIRANDA : (More angry) Like you’re a stranger

stranger.

Like

he

is not

Krishna ? KRISHNA : Not to me, Maria.

Listen:

and

she

is not.

Doesn’t

and

it

I’m

a

match,

Like I’m dark; so is she

Like I’m young, so is she... That rhymes. Like I’m a stranger; she is not Like she is; Like I’m...

That matches, Maria, that matches. SENHORA MIRANDA : (Furious) which he catches.)

KRISHNA ; I don’t hit, Maria.

Google

Why you...(Raises

her hand to strike

I don’t commit violence either.

ACT I SCENS III

33

SENHORA MIRANDA : (Quivering) You'll never get to her...(Rose enters with the tea and KRISHNA speaks looking at her.) KRISHNA : (Passionately)

Nobody’s

going

to

stop

me,

Maria.

Nobody’s going to stop me. I’ve waited for her too long. It took care and patience, and long years of understanding. You see, we had something in common. It ryhmed; it matched. Bit it was more than that. I love her, Maria. She’s tender to the touch, though

I never touched her. She watched my lips...speak through the night, afraid to close her eyes, and be embalmed in the terrifying stillness of it all. And I felt equally. Terrified that my hands should hold the uncrushed flower...so pure...and fragrant. (Both the women look at him hypnotized. ROSE stands still with the tea

tray in her hands.) SENHORA MIRANDA : (The first to

° Going up to ROSE) Thank

recover.

you, dear. I'll get the tray now. (She takes it from ROSE’S lifeless hands) How many spoons of sugar, Krishna ? KRISHNA : One. SENHORA MIRANDA : I always take two, and Rose always taken three. (She

makes

the tea in silence and then passes it around.

ROSE sits

down and drinks the tea quietly. SENHORA MIRANDA gets up, balancing the cup in one hand, and walks slowly around the room, her hips undulating

slightly

as

though

it were

the patio

she walks

behind

walk,

while

she

talks, partly before her daughter, partly behind her daughter, so that her selected bits of conversation may not be heard depending upon her position in the room.)

SENHORA

MIRANDA

:

(Said as

Rose)

Neat.

Very

neat, Krishna. Where did you learn to speak like that? Almost rehearsed, yet very moving. More things unsaid than said. And many

more

things

meant...(Said

at

she

walks

in front of ROSE)

Rose must have a sweet tooth to take three spoons of sugar. She likes things sweeter than most...(Said as she walks behind Rose) ..and

many

more

things

meant...than

said.

Dark

you

are,

Krishna; darker your thoughts are too, in spite of the light which you claim to shed on her...(Said as she walks in front of ROSE)...

I suppose that’s because she has a sweeter tooth than most. That’s how she remembers her voice; it’s a taste in her mouth...

(Said as she walks behind Rosk)...It’s not going to be easy, Krishna. (Softly) You see, Krishna, I come first, like two

before

three.

No

one’s

Google

going

spoons

of

sugar

to stop you, Krishna,,,but you'll

34

GOA

have to pass by me first...(KRISHNA laughs. MIRANDA.

She

breaks

her

slow walk.

looking at her eyes steadily, speaking,

clear

lip movements...) Hear

me,

It infuriates SENHORA

Now she approaches ROSB,

sofily hardly audible,

Rose.

with

I speak softly but you

don’t need sound. You only need me. Understand ? (Rose nods her head like one hypnotized. KRISHNA shifts uneasily) I’ve got a guest here. He wants to stay, but I want him to go. Tell him

to go, Rose. (Hardly a whisper, but the lip movements are very clear) Tell him to go, Rose. (Lip movement) Go...Go...(At first

ROSE’S mouth quivers, mouth, like the young.

then it catches the vowels of her mother’s Gradually it becomes articulate.)

ROSE: ...G...G...Go...Go...(Her mother nods her head, like instructions to a child. KRISHNA looks on, speechless and horrified) ROSE: ...Go Krishna go... KRISHNA : (Screaming to SENHORA MIRANDA) YOU BEAST ! YOU BEAST ! SENHORA MIRANDA: (Twisting around violently, with a terrible gleam in her eyes) Ahh ! What happened, Krishna ! What went

wrong ! What became of your calculations ! Slap me! Why don’t you slap me ! ...(ROSE cannot see all, nor hear anything, but

she guesses intuitively, claps her hand ‘before her eyes, her ears, her face, pathetically, moaning slightly, like some dump animal, who not being able to stand the torture, dashes away...KRISHNA makes a move to go after, but is stopped by SENHORA MIRANDA) Ah, but you'll have to get by me first. Nobody’s going to stop you, Krishna, but you'll have to get by me first...(Her hands go up to his black hair)...your hair, Krishna, it’s black and thick...(She catches him by the hair at the nape of his neck)...strong Krishna,

though you may not be violent...though...(She laughs queerly) you may be full of love, you carry the hate potential...I come first

Krishna or else you go...(Her movements becoming more passionate)...you're like a bull too Krishna...a big brainy bull that gives more promise...(Her eyes partly closed, her breath sharper, her lips closer to KRISHNA who stands tense, immobile, but under terrific strain)...me first...me ..me...me...(Her face closer as she repeats it, the veins on his neck taut as he does not bend, till she releases him, with hate in her eyes.) SENHORA MIRANDA : ...GO THEN...GO KRISHNA...(Softly)...I know

you'll be back...(Door bangs open and ALPHONSO lurches, in almost totally drunk; a high peal of penetrating laughter from SENHORA

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ACT I SCENE III

35

MIRANDA) You've come back, haven’t you?

~I tell you so, you great bull of a man...(She

he picks

her

up in a passionate

I told you so. Didn’t

goes

up

to him

and

embrace)....’ve got your finger

marks still on my face. You’ve got some swing, Alphonso, you have got some swing. Many a younger man could learn from you, if they could only use their brains, if they could only use their potential...of which you have none, my dear Ox... ALPHONSO : (Blubbering drunkenly while KRISHNA watches like a

frozen stone)...Rose...Rose... SENHORA MIRANDA (Soothingly) All in good time, you virgin. All in good time. We’ve got a lot of things to to improve on, you know, for I was. always first...(The gathering

over her face)...in that dark bloody

night,

: impatient do first... darkness

fertile

with

It takes time, but it gets nearer you come

every

horror, in that dark bloody night, fertile with horror, was I...(The darkness passing)...what was I saying ?...ah, yes, all in good time... it can’t be today.

time, so do not waste time...

ALPHONSO: (Blubbering wretchedly, while KRISHNA watches with tears in his eyes)...Now...Now...

SENHORA MIRANDA :

Patience, patience, you big

Ox.

You

would’t

like to hurt, would you? It takes time, getting used to. Therefore, I always take on first; a protection in a peculiar sort of way, if

you know what I mean, you drunken fool... ALPHONSO: (Pleading, falling on his kness, while eyes

tight,

KRISHNA

shuts his

raises hands to blot out ears)...Maria...Maria...

SENHORA MIRANDA : (Eyes satanic; herself almost exhausted through sheer victory) Ah, that’s the way I like to hear it. Maria. Maria. Not “Maria then.”

But “Maria”.

Just Maria.

Maria

alone,

like

when we're no longer formal. Then is the right time...for introduc-

tions. tion.

I’m

So that we come to know each other......well...EqualizaAlphonso, this is Krishna. Krishna, this is Alphonso, And

Maria,

without

beginning

or end—make

your

friendship,

Alphonso. Say “Hello”. I know Alphonso loves to hear the world “Hello”. 1 know, Krishna, you don’t believe in it, but it’s quite necessary. Say it now, Krishna. See my words...(Moulding her lips in a clear “ Hello” ...as though she were telling or teaching her daughter)...“Hello’’...that’s right, you’re getting it now. KRISHNA:

(Partly hypnotized,

Google

lips

quivering) H...hello.

36 SENHORA

GOA MIRANDA

:

(The

sheer

lust of victory will not leave her,

exhausted as she is by this ordeal) Abh...so sweet. But the function’s not over yet. After every “Hello”, Alphonso likes to be taken to the Taverna. I know you don’t drink, but that does not

matter; Alphonso does. And you can see the poor dog can hardly stand on his feet. A few drinks, Krishna, that’s all it will take. Aren’t we after all all victims of survival ? His feet are getting heavy.

He’s

not even once.

crossed the patio many, many times, while you have

So, take him along for the last drink

that wasn’t

meant for the road...and come back alone...along the long patio walk...for me...me...(KRISHNA gets up, dazed, but not unpossessive, of his senses. He goes over to ALPHONSO, and takes him by the elbow leading him towards the door. ALPHONSO goes with him unprotestingly, too drunk to know what is happening. KRISHNA leads him out, across the patio, which is empty, to the Taverna. The evening lights get dimmer. MARIA leaves the room downstairs and goes to her bedroom and through transparent curtains we see her changing her clothes into bright scarlet with a black scarf and dark red lipstick across her white expessionless face. Then slowly she

leaves her

sits and

room

waits,

and

looking

climbs up the stairs to the balcony where she across

the patio.

The

BENCH-WATCHERS

gather. In twos and fours and in a group, mirroring everything. The bat-doors of the Tavern open to frame one single man; KRISHNA He emerges, and takes the long patio walk. The BENCH-WATCHERS watch. Now we see the third pattern of reaction across the face of Portuguese Goa. Hate distrust, fear; of this stranger, not too unlike them, but an outsider nevertheless, an unown element, too unpredictable, yet outwardly calm and peaceful. KRISHNA takes the long slow walk, looking neither left nor right, the BENCHWATCHERS silent and pale, some reflecting the above reactions, while he walks, slowly, calmly, peacefully towards the balcony, towards

where

MARIA

sits and

watches,

enters her house, herself with across her face.)

then stands

proud

and

CERTAIN FALLS

Google

.as he approaches and

triumphant

smile

written

ACT II

TIME:

SCENE:

The

SCENE I

following day

On the patio with the regular BENCH-SITTERS.

AT RISE:

The GOAN NATIONALIST

is sitting

across

the

PORTUGUESE

ADMINISTRATOR with glass of beer in his hand. GOAN NATIONALIST : There isa change coming...inevitably. And, my friend, you will be in the midst of it. You know I’ve got my ears glued to the ground. And while you think you are trying to keep me out of mischief, you are ignoring the greater danger.

Normally, I couldn’t care less, and often I have to do what I must,

but...I’ve got used to you and would be sorry to see you go. PORTUGUESE ADMINISTRATOR: Ahh, my good friend, it’s good of you to say so, but I’m afraid you’re underestimating me. GOAN NATIONALIST: (Shrugging his shoulders) Suit yourself. PORTUGUESE ADMINISTRATOR : (Breaking the froth of the beer with his finger absently) Mind you, I’m not saying it can’t be done. It...it just wouldn’t be logical. Not after fourteen years. You’ve got develop a cause...and you can’t doit as a pacifist. GOAN NATIONALIST: There is a breaking point to all patience. PORTUGUESE ADMINISTRATOR : We've been here four hundred years. We’re old as the hills. We're part and parcel of this life whether you like it or not...and I don’t see why you shouldn’t like it. It’s not as though we were obstructing you...except that there are limits of course. GOAN NATIONALIST: Ahhh... PORTUGUESE ADMINISTRATOR : But there’s no such thing as limitless freedom. You know that as well as I do. GOAN NATIONALIST :

But there is such a thing as liberty.

PORTUGUESE ADMINISTRATOR : GOAN

And how do you get liberty

NATIONALIST : If it is not given, then it must be won.

PORTUGUESE ADMINISTRATOR : And how would it be won ?

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?

38

GOA

GOAN NATIONALIST : If need be...through liberation. PORTUGUESE ADMINISTRATOR : You mean through invasion. GOAN NATIONALIST : Call it what you like. PORTUGUESE ADMINISTRATOR : I thought maybe you were going to say say self-determination.

GOAN NATIONALIST : We tried that and failed.

PORTUGUESE ADMINISTRATOR : I thought maybe you were going to satyagraha,. GOAN NATIONALIST : We tried that too; we tried passive resistance and

failed.

‘PORTUGUESE ADMINISTRATOR : Liberation is

X_ exploitation or invasion!

I wonder

a dirty word

to me; like

if you will come to the same

‘conclusion if it should happen that one day I am not here.

GOAN NATIONALIST : You were

never before

PORTUGUESE

Ah,

means to an end.

ADMINISTRATOR:

°

but

much concerned that’s

because

about I

never

pretended. GOAN NATIONALIST : If there ever were any violence, I would not like to see you hurt. PORTUGUESE ADMINISTRATOR : Nor I you. GOAN NATIONALIST : Strange that we should be on different sides of

the fence and yet have so much in common with each other.

PORTUGUESE ADMINISTRATOR:

__ each other’s lives.

GOAN NATIONALIST ; And

I told

you ..we are part and

yet it is inevitable

:

that

we

parcel of

break

away.

There’s bound to be a reaction, of course, but that is again unavoidable. We do it for the larger good of the larger people in’ the long run. PORTUGUESE ADMINISTRATOR : Everything you say sounds like an expediency. Like bringing in an outsider. Like an unnatural alliance. GOAN NATIONALIST : Perhaps ..but a necessary one. There’s nothing ...nothing...you can do to stop the basic desire. You could float this enclave in milk and honey and yet we would want for ourselves

that abstraction with all our hearts, and nobody, no-one

will ever

be able to stop us, even though we may be ruthless to ourselves and others in getting it. And if freedom cannot be won alone, I'd be willing to join the devil himself to get it.

Google

39

ACT Ii SCENE i PORTUGUESE

ADMINISTRATOR: That

want most. GOAN NATIONALIST: Maybe, prevent it either,

but there’s

even if I wanted

ourselves, you understand.

will

way...you

to.

lose

nothing that I can We

you

what

are compelled

do

to

within

PORTUGUESE ADMINISTRATOR : (Wearily) Frankly, my friend, I do not know who’s right and who’s wrong, or even whether I should bring moral values into judgement. GOAN NATIONALIST : (Raising his glass) Let us drink this beer while

it lasts.

Look at the froth shining in the sun.

PORTUGUESE ADMINISTRATOR : (Raising his glass) Beautiful. Like Goa. (Across to the benches) VICAR : (To the GOAN HINDU) When are you going to come into my

Church, son ?

GOAN HINDU : Why? Will it remove caste distinctions ? VICAR : All are equal in the eyes of God.

GOAN HINDU : Then why is it that the Catholic-Brahmin looks down upon the Catholic non-Brahmin and the Portuguese Catholic looks

down upon the Jesuits... VICAR : (Interrupting) These are social evils; not religious ones. GOAN HINDU: One thing or another, it’s all the same to me. But tell me, Father, why don’t you come to my temple ? (Conversation

shifts)

OLD woMAN : Beware.

armies.

Death

catastrophes.

Beware.

resurrected.

The wrath of God.

Thunder

and

Like invading

lightning;

limitless

OLD MAN : Abhh... OLD WOMAN: It will strike...(Waving a finger overhead to the cross on the top of the Church),..out there ! OLD MAN : Abhh...(The SMUGGLER plays the mouth-organ once again, desolately, He dances an unmerry tune, with false, unmeasured steps. Then stands, awkwardly, self-consciously, before the audience or before the BENCH-SITTERS, and points to himself...)

SMUGGLER : Me? I live off the fat of the land. And if there’s no fat, I scrounge off the dustbin like an emaciated cat with a full fish-bone stuck in her mouth...So if smuggling: should come to an

end, why then I shall stick my head in the dustbin to find other ways of subsistence...But I shall not go back loin-cloth into the fields, for I have now developed the rich taste of a parasite. A

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40

GOA

tourist guide.

A swanky hotel.

party.

A municipal campaign.

object,

I shall

Money

to me...cutting

corners

have one on

safety valve of the nation,

lism...breeds,

An industrial boom.

A

A political

prohibition era; all this means

of course...And

you...for Iam

if you

should

the necessary evil; the

where corruption, linguism, communa-

So let me free or keep me in bondage; either way

I flourish. (A harmonica laugh covering the full octave. Playing the mouth-organ first with the right hand and then with the left) You see...I’m ambidexterous. (Scene darkens towards the patio

gradually blotting

out the BENCH-SITTERS,

and

begins

to

brighten

inside the house of SENHORA MARIA where the action is transferred. KRISHNA is lying on the sofa with head on the lap of SENHORA

MIRANDA much in the same pose ds ALPHONSO was in the first act.) SENHORA MIRANDA: (Caressing his black hair and holding it in her hand behind the nape of his neck from time to time) Isn’t it nice.

I feel relaxed. Like I had surpassed the point of...equalization. Krishna, you’re a sweet boy after all. A passionate child.

KRISHNA : (Looking up and smiling) Satisfied ? SENHORA MIRANDA : (Nodding her head affirmatively) Huhhuh. I wasn’t sure to start with. Like all burning curiosities I was afraid of hoping too much. Oh, but I was proud of you; when you took that long patio walk, I was proud of you. KRISHNA : You looked more victorious than proud. SENHORA

MIRANDA

proud for you.

the vultures!

: What’s

Isaw

They

the

them look

were afraid,

difference;

KRISHNA: (Smiling) You're you. \

SENHORA MIRANDA:

No,

Krishna,

letting your Ive

myself;

got

afraid

of you.

They

They withdrew and shrunk

you !...my quiet

no.

for

at you sitting on the benches...

didn’t ‘‘hello” and act pals with you.

and evaporated, Before potential of a giant !

victorious

peaceful boy.. with the

imagination run a strong

instinct

away with too...like

Alphonso. And look at the way you handled Alphonso, That took more than imagination. It took action. KRISHNA: (No humour. in his eyes) It also took a bit of help from you...Or don’t you remember, Maria ? SENHORA MIRANDA: Abh, there's no harm ina bit of competition, is there, Krishna ?

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ACT II SCENE I

41

KRISHNA : Between who ?

SENHORA MIRANDA : Why, you and Alphonso, of course. KRISHNA : For whom ? SENHORA MIRANDA : (Innocently) Why, for me, of course.

KRISHNA : What about...Rose ?

SENHORA MIRANDA : (Unwavering voice) What about Rose? Oh, you mean the competition...(KRISHNA ‘ods)...between you and Alphonso ...(KRISHNA ”oods)...for Rose...? KRISHNA nods.) SENHORA MIRANDA : Now isn’t that strange. All along I thought you were competing for me. KRISHNA : (Sighing) I’ve got a present for you, Maria. SENHORA MIRANDA : (Excited) Not really ! KRISHNA : (Takes a small box from his pocket and chucks it over to

SENHORA MIRANDA) No need to guess.

Diamond. A diamond ring.

SENHORA MIRANDA: (Opening the box and Www...Wow ! KRISHNA : (Smiling) Like it ?

looking '

with

wide

eyes)

SENHORA MIRANDA: Like it! (Grabs hold of him and kisses him) It’s wonderful! And diamonds are more expensive than gold. They weigh less, but they’re worth more. Like some people, I guess.

KRISHNA : How do you weigh people ! SENHORA MIRANDA: I measure them first, from tip to toe, from circumference to height. Then I look at the stuff they are made

of...are they made of air...or are they made of beer? Then multiply the two, and pronto, I get their weight.

KRISHNA : (Smiling) Ingenious. SENHORA MIRANDA : Now take you ..(KRISHNA Jooks)...I put my arms

around you like this; that’s

volume; I squeeze

times you

than

you

tight;

that’s

you

remind

density...(She kisses him)...that’s your indication of weight. KRISHNA : (Smiling) Amazing. SENHORA MIRANDA : (Suddenly serious) You smile like a boy. Someme...of

seem...no

deeper

horror.

older

Then

too,

Rose.

there

Rose. Where are you from, Krishna ? KRISHNA : (Expressionless) Not far from here.

SENHORA MIRANDA : Who are you ? KRISHNA

: Anyone.

SENHORA MIRANDA : I’ve got a long memory.

Google

Sometimes is

an

I

innocence...like

43

GOA

KRISHNA : So have I. SENHORA MIRANDA : Would you ever be here? KRISHNA: Why? I like it here ? KRISHNA:

Why

not?

I’ve

always

able to

felt

take me

this...was

away from

mine.

Always

wanted to posses it. You, this house, Rose. Like I had a right to it. , SENHORA MIRANDA : Thank you for asking me. ' KRISHNA: Looking upstairs, then at MARIA) I’ve never hidden from you what I wanted, Maria. I never looked at Rose with a feeling of guilt... Now we’ve got something in common, You called it equalization. We'll get used to the rest. (Looking upstairs) Because you know there is something more I want. Patience, that’s what you said to Alphonso, didn’t you. Patience, so he would play up to you to feel secure and hopeful...Well, Maria, I’ve got patience too, but I don’t whine like a dog. And I don’t make half-way bargains either, so remember that, Maria.

SENHORA MIRANDA : (Stung) God, you’ve got density. You’re made of stone.

.

KRISHNA: You’re wrong there. I’ve got a heart that yearns. But I’ve been stopped too often. It develops callouses. Not dead callouses, but callouses that burn SENHORA MIRANDA : (Zough herself ) There’s a long way between here and upstairs.

KRISHNA : I know.

But don’t try my

take sides. You may have white It doesn’t prove a thing. .

patience too long.

skin, but

And don’t

so also have

albinos.

SENHORA MIRANDA: (Aroused) What do you mean! What do you mean ! KRISHNA: You’ve got shades of black within you, Maria. Rose wouldn’t come out dark unless there was dark blood somehere... What do you think Alphonso was talking about before he passed out at the tavern last night

2?

He was

trying to find out whether I

was your father or your former husband.

SBNHORA

MIRANDA

: (With

husband ? KRISHNA: It’s pretty obvious out dark unless

me.

incredulous

amusement)

what he meant.

either your husband

In terms of colour, therefore,

Google

.

Rose

or your father

I was either

Father

or

couldn’t come

was dark like

your husband or

ACT If SCENET

43

your father. Something incommon. You've got shades of black within you, Maria. See it right and won't be conscious of it any more.

SENHORA MIRANDA; (Looking at him meaningfully) How far...are you conscious of everything within you, Krishna ? KRISHNA : (Facing her, taking up the challenge) Tell me. SENHORA MIRANDA : You are not soft, Krishna : you’re hard.

KRISHNA : Soft...to Rose. SENHORA MIRANDA: hate.

You

don’t

have

love,

Krishna.

You

have

KRISHNA : Love...for Rose. SENHORA MIRANDA : You’re not peaceful, Krishna; you’re violent. KRISHNA : Peaceful...to Rose. SENHORA MIRANDA : (Pause) Is that...how Rose sees you, Krishna ? KRISHNA: Yes. SENHORA MIRANDA : Take care...that’s all I can say...just be careful, — Krishna. KRISHNA : (Trace of scorn) Of whom ? SENHORA MIRANDA : (After a pause)...Of yourself...of what you see... as yourself, of what you appear to me. Of what you are to Rose. (Then softly, gently) Why are you so full of opposites, Krishna ? Soft and hard. Love and hate. Young and old. Peaceful and violent. Yes, you have potential. You cover the full range of the known and unknown. But there is also that crack within you, Krishna. You don’t let your opposites come into full play. You're pushing one side too hard. So be careful, Krishna. Rose may see you as soft and loving and young and peaceful. But I know your potential is hard and hateful and old and violent. So

be careful, Krishna.

KRISHNA : Why do you worry, Maria, why do you worry? For the moment at least you are victor. That should please you.

You found...the vulnerable in me and worked it to your advantage. I am aware of that, so why worry...

SENHORA MIRANDA: Don’t cast your image too high and too wide. Everyone who falls within its range gets taken in. Perhaps that is your intention or perhaps you believe in it yourself. I wouldn’t know. It’s dangerous; that’s all I can say; it’s dangerous.

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44

Goa

KRISHNA: (Looking

MARIA full in the face,

Maria, listen to me... There is only one thing (Whispers)...Rose...And I'll have her at any SENHORA MIRANDA: (Whispering as though to moments when Alphonso was terrified of when I fear...this vision of you.

_ KRISHNA : (Herself

whispering)

\ Maria. ,SENHORA MIRANDA: No.:

No.

| KRISHNA : It comes from within. own soul.

What

you

From the

with fearful intensity)

I want out of life... cost. herself) There were me; there are moments

fear

is only

darkest recesses of your \

SENHORA MIRANDA : (Fearfully) No. KRISHNA : From all you want to hide about your real self;

XN

yourself,

you want to tear out of others.

from

all

SENHORA MIRANDA : (Terrified; shouting) No ! (Pause)

KRISHNA : (In sheer contrast to the situation,

KRISHNA smiles and says

softly) Maria, Just Maria. Not Maria then. SENHORA MIRANDA: (Poised uncertainly for a minute, then goes into his arms) You're a naughty boy, Krishna. To frighten me so. KRISNNA : I’m sorry. SENHORA MIRANDA: (Hugging close to him) I’m very...vulnerable myself, you know. I’ve got a woman’s vulnerability.

KRISHNA : ... Yes ? SENHORA MIRANDA: craving.

A

woman needs

to be loved.

It grows...differently with each person,

how it needs to be satisfied.

It’s a sort of...

depending

upon

KRISHNA: ... Yes. . SENHORA MIRANDA: It’s not likea man...turning hot and cold. A woman likes to keep something every time, like squirrels who gather nuts before going into hibernation. KRISHNA : (Looks at her quizzically and wondering what she is driving at)...Hmmm... I store, then hibernate. SENHORA MIRANDA : That’s me, you know. (Sound of Rose’s voice singing) Ah, that’s Rose singing. Wouldn’t It was an accident, oh you like to know how she became deaf? my dear, it was an accident. I’ve never got over it...(KRISHNA continues to look at her carefully) My mother...she was Portuguese She was a you know...like my father too...was very upset. She said Rose was deaf because she was superstitious woman.

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+ oe

ACT I SCENE I

dark.

Like

45

some

original

sin

had

been

committed...(Laughs

strangely)...imagine that! (KRISHNA doesn’t say a word but turns his head slightly to catch the sound of ROse’s voice) That’s why I always thought Rose’s defect was congenital, having been originally there, rather than by accident. You know what I mean. If

something

is

inevitabte,

it

becomes

congenital,

rather

than

accidental... : ‘ KRISHNA : No, I do not know what you mean. Either you were responsible for it or you were not. SENHORA MIRANDA: (Wide-eyed innocence) But my dear, that’s saying alot. It’s also saying nothing. Rose...is growing up to be an

independent child.

I’m not responsible for her.

KRISHNA: (Sighing) No...I mean yes, it’s as you say. SENHORA MIRANDA : I’m glad you agree. Though sometimes I wonder what will become of her...after I’m...gone.

No, I don’t think we'll

ever be separated. Cut out from the same flesh, we were...I saw her coming out from my womb when she was born...dark hair... it emerged like a black fountain from the impure spring...I kept wondering why they did not wash her clean, till they put her to my breast and the milk ran dry...(KRISHNA looks at her again deeply, not saying a word) The burd unfurled itself like a flower. That’s why

I called

her Rose,

the colour of blood that broke when she was

conceived. Now you understand why she’s—immaculate...Purity, ) like the rose flower, always comes from the dungfilled soil...(Sound/

of door-bell.

No one moves or seems to hear for a while.

KRISHNA

is still lying on the couch. Maria is in a world of her own. The door-bell rings again, and MARIA starts...getting up and going to the door) Twonder who that can be? (She opens the door and large ALPHONSO stands framed init. Voice like bells; not losing her composure) Why, it’s Alphonso! Hello Alphonso. Come in.

Come in,

Don’t just stand in the doorway

like some

Vasco

da

Gama statue. Come in. You know. I get a sense of repetition... and yet something is missing. Oh! 1 know now. You're sober. (Sternly) Alphonso, you are sober! ALPHONSO: (Pointing a shoulder) What’s he dojng here?

SENHORA MIRANDA : Now don’t be rude, Alphonso. Same as you.

cosy ?

And he wants to stay.

Google

Same

as

He’s

you.

my guest.

Isn’t

that

46

GOA

ALPHONSO : For whom ? . SENHORA MIRANDA: (Turning io KRISHNA) Heard that, Krishna? Who said he was dumb? He’s got the instinct of a horse. ALPHONSO : You're a cow.

SENHORA MIRANDA: Alphonso excels in repartee. Come, darling. Come and sit down. Let’s have something to drink. (Looking at KRISHNA) Or shall we have some tea, with one, two, three lumps of sugar. ALPHONSO : You’re crazy too. SENHORA MIRANDA : I am all that and more. Alphonso dear, I have mad moments of you...and Krishna. It’s flattering, you know, to be courted by both of you. Occupied...nor available. (ALPHONSO gaping looks at her) Oh ! Shut your mouth, Alphonso. You look so stupid. You should be stroug and silent like Krishna here. He may be small, but he’s worth his weight in...diamonds, Yes, that boy has a lot of...density. ALPHONSO: (Pointing a finger at KRISHNA) What’s he doing here ? KRISHNA (Coolly) I stay here.

ALPHONSO : KRISHNA:

ALPHONSO:

(Unbelievingly) What did he say

I said I stay here.

(Thunderingly

I’ve taken

red;

makes

?

your

place.

a move

to grab

hold of

KRISHNA) Why...you...little...swine...(SENHORA MIRANDA intervenes, laughing till the tears come into her eyes) SENHORA MIRANDA : (Hardly able to contian herself) Alphonso ! Don’t

spoil the fun.

Not

yet

anyway. We’ve got a long way to go. A

little drink at a time, my impatient one. ALPHONSO : (Mumbling) I’m not impatient. SENHORA MIRANDA : Oh, but you are. Oh but you were. You should have been yourself last night. I called you “the impatient virgin” ...(Beside herself in laughter)...those books at the bookstalls... ALPHONSO: (Shifting his foot in embarrassment) 1 was drunk. SENHORA MIRANDA : (Gurgling away with laughter) Drunk ! Drunk ! My dear, you were painting this town bloody red. A solo performance. (The laughter dying out gradually) Krishna should know. He was playing nursemaid to you.

ALPHONSO :

(Reminded; glowering at KRISHNA) Him ? Him

SENHORA MIRANDA :

7?

(Watchful, in her element; her eyes darting from

one to another; goading on the tournament) Yes, him.

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47

ACT II SCENE I ALPHONSO: he was.

suppose.

(Scornfully) Was he playing nursemaid ? Yes. I guess Pumping me with whisky while he was drinking milk, I

All nursemaids drink milk.

It gives them

virility.

SENHORA MIRANDA: need milk for that KRISHNA : (Quietly) drinking for both

Don’t they ? Goat’s milk.

(Egging him on) Oh, but, my dear, ! I didn’t need to drink anything. of us. :

ALPHONSO: Yes, you saw to that, din’t you?

he

doesn’t

You

were

But I’ve drunk

for

more than two people at a time before. I’ve never passed out before. KRISHNA : You were in a delirious condition. ALPHONSO: (Screwing his eyes and looking at him suspiciously) There’s something of a Micky Finn in you. SENHORA MIRANDA: Ah, you’ve got it, Alphonso. Right instincts. I always said you had right instincts. Yes, he certainly has that in him.

He can knock anyone out cold before they know it.

ALPNONSO : (Rolling his sleeves) I'd like to see him try.

SENHORA MIRANDA : (Holding him) No, no, Alphonso. Just as he doesn’t drink, he doesn’t fight either. He says he doesn’t believe in violence. If he finds you objectionable, he just won’t co-operate with you, that’s all. He’ll resist you passively...

ALPHONSO : (Mumbling tion.

again) 1 don’t

need

his bloody

SENHORA MIRANDA : Oh, but he’s so sweet, Alphonso. harm a fly. Look, how young and innocent he is. Principle

co-opera-

He wouldn’t He stands for

~T

.

ALPHONSO : For what ?

SENHORA MIRANDA : Principle ! Principle ! The rights and wrongs of life. What he wants is rights. What he can get is his. So, he wants this house, and everything and everyone in it. And he says he’s been patient, but he does not intend to be patient any longer. He says he’s waited for fourteen long years. Now, what do you think of that, Alphonso ? : ALPHONSO: Over my dead body, honey, over my dead body. (SENHORA MIRANDA takes ALPHONSO in her arms and kisses him.)

SENHORA MIRANDA : You’re my hero, you

Google

big ruddy

brainless

bull,

48

GOA

you are my hero.

(She.kisses him again.

KRISHNA

gets

up from

the couch, slowly, deliberately) KRISHNA : (Clearly) Well, I’m glad you had your say. Exactly what you wanted to say, leaving the real truth of the situation unsaid. (Moving slowly, treading carefully) And you're just the kind of sucker, Alphonso, to swallow it all, hook, line and sinker. She’s using you, fool, just like she’s using me...(MARIA’S eyes sparkle, snake-like) Whose idea

do you think it was, that last drink for the

road in the Tavern, across the patio, with your feet already heavy as lead, needing only that last drink to put you down 7? (ALPHONSO looks incredulously, first at KRISHNA then MARIA) Yes, it was I who took you there, more intoxicated than you yourself, more under the influence of the

compulsion than you were

on your knees like a dirty whining and

looks

at MARIA,

when

you

dog...(ALPHONSO

staggered ..)

Who

stood

begged

turns

around

triumphant at the

balcony while I took that lonely walk, spilling my guts on the road, too ashamed to stop and pick them up...for fear that I

might

lose myself further...(He

. caring about others)

is talking

to himself now,

Closing, shutting out, killing that one instinct

of pure love which had to be whored in order to get to staining itself on the long

‘both of you...

SENHORA KRISHNA Maria, should

lived

not

long way,

leaving

me

no

pure

love,

better

than

MIRANDA : (Screaming) You bastard ! You bloody bastard ! : (His teeth clenched) 1 won’t go into your antecedents, but just in case your Big Bull still appears a hero, I think I also tell you a thing or two ..(MARIA is stock-still) So, he

in this

house before me, did he ?

Well. what did he do for

you? Did he make love to you for yourself or was he imagining someone else when you wrapped your legs around him...(ALPHONSO

winces;

MARIA flushes)

charming and amusing.

And

Have

when

you

he drank, you thought he was

ever

seen

him

drink

at

the

Tavern ? How do you think he makes his friends there ?. Compar-

ing,

Maria,

comparing.

Like

game-trophies

hung

on

a

wall.

(ALPHONSO quivers with rage; MARIA withdraws) And now he comes here and you fall into his arms. Even you must know what that means...(Rapidly) Look into his shifty eyes, Maria...(Slowly)... even you must know what that means...

ALPHONSO : (Intimidatingly,

you’ve said enough.

hoarsely) You’ve

said

enough,

And that’s the last thing you'll ever say.

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boy,

ACT II SCENE I

49

KRISHNA: Not here. We meet at the Tavern tonight, Alphonso. At the Tavern. Tonight. : ALPHONSO: (Approaching menacingly) 1 choose my own timings, boy. SENHORA MIRANDA : (Stopping him again) No, Alphonso. Wait. ALPHONSO : (Flushed) You didn’t believe everything he said, did you, Maria? He’s a bloody liar. (Pleading) Maria, Maria, he’s a stranger. I’m not. I’ve been with you many years. (MARIA hesi-

tates.)

‘

SENHORA MIRANDA : I...I don’t know. ALPHONSO: (Talking like he’s never talked before) Lisbon, Maria. Ill take you to Lisbon. Remember the musical sound. I will take you away, Maria, away... SENHORA MIRANDA : (Almost in tears) Oh, Alphonso. ALPHONSO : 1 may not have done much for you, Maria,

but I’m used

to you. YouknowI am. And you know me well enough to see through me...to know that I never designed, never meant ill.

SENHORA love, I ALPHONSO him to

MIRANDA : (The tears coming now) Yes, yes,, Alphonso, my know, I know. : Ask him yourself. He has Principle, you said. Ask speak the truth. (MIRANDA looks at KRISHNA. KRISHNA stands

tight-lipped) Well

boy,

speak

out.

when you want to say something.

KRISHNA: (Quietly) I warn

you,

Maria.

(MARIA moves closer to ALPHONSO.)

You

Be

have

wise

plenty in

of words

your

choice.

SENHORA MIRANDA :I’m afraid. KRISHNA : Afraid of your choice ? SENHORA MIRANDA: (Abruptly) No, of you. Alphonso, tell him to go. (Before ALPHONSO can say anything, KRISHNA moves swiftly and dashes upstairs to ROSE’S room. Screaming) Stop him! (But KRISHNA is already there. He'opens the door. Stops.) KRISHNA : (Impellingly) Wait! Rose must decide, Rose. Rose. Come here, Rose. Come with me. Downstairs. To meet your

mother, and an old friend. (ALPHONSO, who was half way up, stops in his tracks. ROSE stands on top of the bannisters. Then she comes down slowly, looking around. All now face each other in the room downstairs.) SENHORA MIRANDA : (Going over and clasping ROSE) Rose. Oh, Rose.

My child.

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50

GOA

KRISHNA : Leave her, Maria.

Let here decide for herself.

She’s not

achild any more. Let her decide. (Approaching rose) Let her remember...when she first saw me...outside her balcony...whenI spoke to her for endless hours of my love unblemished...stole from her loneliness and sadness...gave her a rose in hand which said “touch me not, stranger...andI shall love you all the more’’.., (ROSE goes towards him.)

SENHORA MIRANDA: (Stopping her) Wait, Rose, wait. Don’t listen to him. KRISHNA: (Continuing with hypnotic voice)...and we did love each other all the more, in our simple pantomime, myself speaking unspoken words, herself, remembering her most precious words,

which

flowed,

likea clear shaft

of moonlight,

night...(ROSE is within touching distance of him.) SENHORA MIRANDA: (Desperate pleading) No,

Rose,

through the still no.

Don’t

-him touch you, Rose. Don’t let him take you away, my (But she advances andis almost in his arms) Wait, Rose.

let

child. Wait.

There’s something you ought to know. He lies. He said something that was a lie. Can you understand me, Rose? Can you follow what I’m saying ? He said a lie. He said...his love was unblemished. But it’s not ! It’s blemished! He’s whored his love! He said so himself ! He's stained it. He’s whored it...(Her voice breaks into a cry)...to me! (ROSE raises her hand to her mouth to stifle the agonizing scream. KRISHNA’S face contorts with fury...He Slings himself towards rose, crushing her in his arms, trying to kiss her frantically...)

KRISHNA : (Struggling with her) You're mine, Rose ! You’re mine ! ROSE: (Screaming) Don’t touch me! DON’T TOUCH ME, STRANGER ! ELSE I SHALL HATE YOU ! (KRISHNA Wont’t let go of her. ALPHONSO catches hold of KRISHNA and flings him against the wall. ROSE runs to her mother first, but before the mother can touch her, she changes her mind and runs to the other side of the room, holding on to the wall. KRISHNA gets up slowly. Blood flowing over his face, KRISHNA gets up painfully, but does not attempt to strike.)

ALPHONSO : (Spitting on him) Fight, man,

fight.

ALPHONO knocks him down again

time it takes

KRISHNA

fused, frightened.

longer to get

up.

fight ! (But

KRISHNA

with a vicious blow.

This

ROSE looks, alarmed, con-

She runs up to ALPHONSO catching his hand.)

Google

won't

ACT II SCENE 1 ROSE : No!

No!

51 No more!

Don’t

beat

him,

please.

Let...him...

go. (KRISHNA stands, blood flowing from his face. There is hate ~ in his eyes. His face is now old and hard and violent. He goes to -~ the door, then turns around, looking at all three...)

KRISHNA: (A slow closes.)

but

clear whisper)

CURTAIN

Go

gle

We...meet...tonight.

FALLS

‘

(Door

ACT II

SCENE II

TIME : It is night—J8th December 1961 SCENE : The invasion of Goa.

AT RISE: There is rain and thunder and dark ominous clouds. blows

hard,

Wind

screaming, swirling the rain across the deserted patio.

No sign of life, except a faint light

two men outlined against the

window

is the clap of thunder and lightning cing, human scream.

A scream

in the Tavern,

Silhouette

curtain of the Tavern.

of

There

accompanied by a sharp, pier-

of surprise

(N. B.:

Ifthe producer wishes to dramatize

waiting,

and

and pain

and

this further,

death.

he

can

show the earlier entry into the Tavern of one or both of the men in the dark howling night. One of the men is KRISHNA who was

the other

was

ALPHONSO

who

left the

house

of

MARIA and walked across the patio to keep his appointment with KRISHNA at the Tavern, which was the challenge that KRISHNA had flung across to him earlier.) An awful stillness of nature and man for a few seconds after the scream when all the elements die

out awaiting recognition of the awful dead.

The

bat-doors

of the

and deeply buried.

one

of surprise, the

bar are flung open and the figure of a large man staggers out, clutching on to his heart, trying to pull out the stiletto that was violently

(Since

the scream

was

dagger could equally well have been plunged in his back.) ALPHONSO collapses. Again complete silence of few moments, and again thunder and rain. Slowly another figure emerges from the door of. the Tavern. A flash of lightning reveals his identity; it is KRISHNA, his violent and hateful face distorted almost beyond recognition. He goes over to ALPHONSO, removes the dagger, and plunges it once again

into the corpse in fanatical vengeance. He gets up breathing heavily now, with bloody knife in hand. For a long time he stands, swaying slightly, the dark clothes becoming wet in the rain and the howling wind. Then he walks, again the long patio walk with nobody on

the balcony, stalking his invisible shadow, till he reaches the house of

Google

ACT ii SCENB it

53

SBNHORA MIRANDA. He pushes the door open and enters. SENHORA MIRANDA is alone in the room. She looks up, a momentary expression of fear flashing across her face, which she overcomes through forced naturalness... SENHORA MIRANDA : Krishna...Krishna. (KRISHNA comes in the light. Forced laughter) Why, you give me a fright, Krishna. Barging

in like that.

me remove

No?

You're soaked...soaked wet in the rain.

Here, let

your clothes...(KRISHNA raises his hand and steps back)

But you'll catch a chill,

Krishna.

What

a dreadful

night

cross) W...what

are...

itis. I...I wasn’t expecting you. (KRISHNA recedes further into the darkness, not uttering a sound) Don’t just stand there, Krishna. Come in. You're wet...and you’re shivering. I... wasn’t expecting you. Yes, I said that earlier, didn’t I? It’s this thunder and lighting; it upsets me. (KRISHNA stands alone and silent) W...why are you so quiet, Krishna? I...1 hope you're not...upset, about earlier this evening, that is. I... couldn’t help it. Neither could Rose. You...you brought it on yourself. Alphonso is a man with a terrible temper. And he’s possessive...like you. KRISHNA: (Throwing the bloody knife on the table) Not any more. (SENHORA MIRANDA : looks at the object incredulously. She stares at it, her eyes becoming large and frightened.) SENHORA

MIRANDA:

(Her

hand

what are you saying, Krishna? ...do you mean ?

holding

the

Wh...why the...the knife 7

KRISHNA : (Quietly) I’ve killed him. I’ve killed Alphonso. have her...before he. She...is...mine. SENHORA MIRANDA : (Her voice tremulous, breaking

out

What

I had

to

into hysterial

screams) No. NO! (KRISHNA comes over and holds her hand impellingly.) KRISHNA : Yes! Yes! This, and more ! SENHORA MIQANDA: (Incredulous) Y...you’re joking, Krishna. Y... you’re doing this to frighten me. You wicked boy. (Pleading) Aren’t you a wicked boy. It’s not true. (Screaming) 11’s NOT

TRUE !

KRISHNA : (With fury) Why not? Why not ? You saw the potential in me, didn’t you? What did you say then? Yes, old and hard and hateful

and violent.

Yes,

you have

strong instincts, Maria.

.

But mine are stronger ! (His bloody hand staining hers...She sees it for the first time.)

Google

54 SENHORA

GOA MIRANDA

: (Stunned)

You...killed...him.

My

Alphonso.

You killed him. You, who wouldn’t hurt a fly. Did not fight back. Who to Rose was young and peaceful and innocent.

KRISHNA: (Hissing) You robbed me of that, Maria, or don’t you remember ? Blemished me, with compulsion greater that my

own. SENHORA MIRANDA : (Trying to snap out of it) You killed him.

Alphonso. My...love. KRISHNA : (Hating) No better than you coming to me. She was almost in my

killed arms.

about my having whored her love...with you.

My...

mine. She kept Till you spoke...

SENHORA MIRANDA : (Pleading) Then me! It should have been me ! Not Alphonso! Not him. KRISHNA: (Softly) It is going to be you too. No, I won’t kill you, Maria. I need you now. SENHORA MIRANDA; (Distractedly) Need me? (Breaking out into a scream) YOU MURDERER! YOU KILLED MY ALPHONSO! (The realization dawning more) YOU KILLED MY ALPHONSO! (KRISHNA slaps her viciously to break her out of the hysterics.) KRISHNA (Low and soft) 1 killed him. Realize that. I killed

him.

Accept

it...I

killed

him.

Then

you

won’t

have

to

scream it out any more...for nobody here except us can hear you...(Thunder and more flashes of lightning. MARIA now crouches, shaking less, realizing more) 1 need you now, Maria. Not the way Alphonso needed you. My own way; worse than killing. It is but half-done yet. The rest...in collusion. (MARIA looks up, her deepest anxiety showing behind her fear) Blemished ! The blemish

was not only mine.

It also had

to be yours.

You

can’t

leave

when it suits you, Maria. No half-way bargains, I told you right from the start. (MARIA looks unblinkingly) You were quite right to fear me; just as right as when you saw the innocence and peace

within me. But now...now Maria ..remember your deepest - horror? (MARIA recoils. KRISHNA crouches over her, dominant) How did Rose come out? Like the black fountain from the impure spring! Why was she named Rose? Becauce she was conceived in your blood! What was the night of fertile horror ?

. It was a night such as this. SENHORA MIRANDA : (Screaming, closinp her eyes) NO! NO! KRISHNA. (Persistent, penetrating) Why was she black? Because of your

Google

ACT Il SCENE Ii husband?

Or

55 because

of

your

father?

Or because

there

neither husband nor father, but just another man like me...

was

SENHORA MIRANDA : (Whimpering) No...No... KRISHNA : (Merciless, without change of breath)...whom you came to hate. With deepest horror, Who made you impure. Who wasa

stranger like me.

blood. mouth

Who conceived Rose in your womb gushing with

WHO RAPED YOU? (MARIA looks up gasping, eyes wide, wordless, clutching on to her cross, besides herself in

distraction.) KRISHNA:

Who

‘

took

your

horror...innocence reminded

innocence,

in

that

night

only...by Rose.

fertile

Bringing

with

back

that

memory; constantly reminding. Rose. Rose. Who was born of your original sin. Rose. Rose. Dark Rose. Who was colour of blood that broke out when she was conceived. Rose. Rose.

Dark

Rose.

WHO

RAPED

you?

me,

Maria,

now.

Rose

stranger, colour of Rose, who raped Who reminded you of Rose. Rose!

Understand

Rose.

A

man,

dark,

you. Who was IT? Rose! Who reminded you of Rose.

Understand

closes her eyes in delirium, in part-consciousness, conditioned to his compulsion) Why was it Rose?

closely.

(MARIA

yet with mind Why was she

innocent ? When you were fair and blemished yourself ? If Rose was he, and he was Rose, what would be the best vengeance? A nail for a nail, and a tooth for a tooth, Maria. That which cannot remain

innocent

herself) So, you,

any

longer if blemished.

Maria, not I, started

(MARIA

the game.

is praying to

Dangled Rose \

before us, not through competition for you, but for her. Made us whore with you, not for yourself, but for her. Used us, not to rape

one who had already been raped, but to rape one who had not been

raped!

(She stops praying) Who constantly reminded you of your

former self. Whom you wanted also on your point of equalization.

Who was taught not to be touched so that experience of the rape would be a real one. (He pauses) Rose. Rose. Maria, it is Rose. Single your intentions. Use me astep further. Pour your hate not on me but on Rose. Relieve yourself of this guilt through

Rose, For she was the cause of it all. Then remember; did she scream like you? Feel your pain and horror. For then only she becomes you. (He stops dead and looks at her penetratingly. There

is a gurgle in her throat. It shapes into laughter; laughter driven to insanity. He lets her laugh insanely; to let the insanity capture her

Google

56

GOA

completely. Then, without a word, he takes her gently by the hand, and they climb up the stairs together to ROSE’S room. They reach up to the door. They stop. KRISHNA turns around to MARIA. There is an indescribable expression on his face ashe enters the room. A Sew moments of silence. Then...ROSE screams. She screams and Screams. MARIA’S eyes seem to turn within themselves. She collapses to her knees. There isa flash of lightning outside. It

strikes the cross

atop the church, which falls.

with pain and horror and a deeper death.)

KRISHNA’S VOICE: Now!

Now!

Come, Maria!

While Rose screams, Hold her!

Hold

her...by the black hair! See for yourself ! Feel...for her { (MARIA rises fainting, beyond herself, yet rising to his command) Come Maria! Now! Now! HOLD HER! MARIA goes in. The scream ’ itself reaches a pitch of insanity, then goes dead in the faintest sobs.)

CURTAIN

Google

FALLS

ACT

II

SCENE

III

TIME : A few weeks or months later SCENE : Revival of the patio scene. AT RISE: A mere spotlight on the GOAN NATIONALIST as he Soliloguizes, articulating to us but implying a mental process.

GOAN NATIONALIST : (The spotlight on him, surrounded by darkness, as

he sits outside the Tavern, by himself, with a glass of beer in his hand)

That was the day of the invasion of Goa: The Indian troops marched in and liberated

years

of Portuguese rule.

18th December 1961. Goa. It ended 400

At last the Portuguese enclaves of Goa,

Daman and Diu were no longer “pimples” on the face of India... herself a young Republic fourteen years old. But in the process the innocent and peaceful and moral image of India was blemished

with her first act of violence.,.tarnished was the rose worn in the lapel. (He lifts the beer glass and drinks) Some say there was great rejoicing when the Indian troops marched into Goa. I was party to it, of course, being a nationalist myself, working in collusion with the liberator to free my people from the yoke...a yoke which

many did not seem

to mind.

After

the invasion

there was

the

occasional case of rape, but on the whole the troops were very well behaved...(Sighs and drinks the glass down) The troops have

withdrawn now and we have of

choice.

There

differences, the

is

the

civil administration and the freedom

usual

party

politics,

occasional sabotage, but on the whole

the

regional

there

is, I

suppose, a sort of “progress” for the future. Meanwhile I should like to have my beer with some peace and quiet before they bring

in prohibition...(Orders

another glass of beer) I won't

hide it

from you, I miss my old friend. I said “hello” to him countless times and enjoyed the glass of beer together and enjoyed our little quarrels. It was good fun and games and we never really intended to be serious till...(He looks around surreptitiously)...they wanted the invasion. And we found we wanted it too. (Pause)

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58

GOA

GOAN NATIONALIST: I guess it was inevitable, though I wish there had been some other way out. (Slowly and seriously drinks his second glass) What will become now, I don’t know. Tourists will come and industries will develop and this pleasant sleepy town with the Portuguese atmosphere will metropolis, giving opportunities to all.

develop into an Indian But I sometimes wonder

/ (Softly)...1 sometimes wonder...what will become of that stranger, \ that invader, that “liberator”, who will now have to find his own

\ peace, within himself...(Lights open on the patio scene. The GOAN NATIONALIST is sitting where he was, breaking the foam of beer pensively with his finger. It is obvious that we have followed his

thoughts. The BENCH-SITTERS are all present, except that the PORTUGUESE are no longer there, and have been substiuted by their counterparts. . Where the PORTUGUESE ADMINISTRATOR was sitting there is perhaps the VILLAGE PANCHAYAT...another GOAN NATIONAL

~in the company of an INDIAN wearing a Congress-cap. They come over and sit down on the same table as the first GOAN NATIONALIST

who lifts his glass of beer and moves over to another table. In place of the PORTUGUESE VICAR, there is perhaps a GOAN VICAR or @ CATHOLIC VICAR from some part of India. He seems to find nothing in common with the GOAN HINDU, because although both of them are sitting

common

with

on the same bench,

each

WOMAN and the OLD

~—

other,

even

they seem

a dispute

on

to

have

religion,

MAN are also sitting mutely, with

nothing

The

in

OLD

long forlorn

looks. The OLD WOMAN turns around and looks up at the church top, where the lightning had struck the cross on the night of the

invasion.

The OLD

MAN looks up

too.

Perhaps the

cross has not

yet been replaced, or perhaps it is still under repair and is receiving ja fresh coat of white paint. Only the SMUGGLER is not there. Incidentally, the statue of VASCO DA GAMA is now being replaced by that of a man in loine-loth. There is none of the animation and gaiety of the first scene; only estrangement, and after a while all the occupants leave, and darkness settles once again, sombre and heavy. Some time passes by. One by one everyone leaves the Tavern. Time comes to close up. Once again the rain begins to fall, the clouds become ominous overhead, there are indications of thunder

and lightning, forecasting yet another night like that of the invasion.

Now the rain falls,

the thunders

The bat-doors of the bar

come loud, and lightning flashes.

open, and A

Google

DRUNK with dark

clothes and

ACT Ii SCENE Ii

59

collar turned up, with

bottle to mouth

_ bottle.

While

momentarily one

bottle in hand, reels

outside the door, putting |

and raising his head to take the last gulp from the

his face

is up

there

is a flash

recognizes the remnants

of lightning

and

of KRISHANA’S face. It is

sapped and withdrawn and degenerated, burned within its own fires of hell, and violence, drawn into itself, unable to cope with its seemingly opposite. When the lightning shows his face, he hides it, covers it withdrawing within the collar and dirty and torn clothes. He looks across to the balcony which is empty and desolate. He .

hesitates.

He withdraws into the shadow upon hearing the sound of a

mouth-organ. It is a macabre melody, played by the SMUGGLER, who dances insanely, in peculiar soliloquy, on the patio, whose once smart clothes are themselves in shambles. Unknowingly he comes close to the shadow, and gives out a help on finding KrisHNA hiding there...) SMUGGLER : (Holding on to his heart like as though he had received a shock or heart attack) Phew! Christ! you scared me. Hiding

like a scarecrow in the dark. I’m easily frightened, you know. Bad enough having this weather like that night without having you playing hide-and-seek. (Going closer to KRISHNA who slinks in the shadows) Anything left in that bottle, friend ? I’m a scavenger, you know, likea cat that goes to herself a bony fish. I’m a parasite

live off anything or anyone,

misery

a dustbin and pulls out for too, ambidexterous, who can

included...(Looking closely at

his prospective customer) Are you in need of anything, friend, because I’m here to supply at...at a fee. No more smuggling left

for me.

So, I’m the tourist guide of the seamy

side, the industrial

licensor with the greasy palm, the political promoter with promotional prospects. You see, I’ve got the talent...for survival «..(Coming closer to KRISHNA) Ill be frank, I look upon you as a prospective customer. As I said 1 trade in all. Name your...

specifications.

I know

every sewer

in town,

from the mucky

to

the sophisticated. What do you want ? (KRISHNA points across to the balcony. The SMUGGLER smiles) Oh, there. (Slowly) There. You are sure it’s there you want to go ? I’ve got many more places to show you. Gayer, better places. You don’t’ want to go there, friend. KRISHNA : Why not ? SMUGGLER : ‘Cause they’re normal any more, that’s why.

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60

GOA

KRISHNA : Who ? SMUGGLER : Sure, the young one and the old one. Something seems to have happened that night. No-one knows what. Her friend, the Portuguese, was killed in the invasion. She, the older one, went crazy.

The other...the younger one...

KRISHNA : (Holding his arms) Yes 2 SMUGGLER : (Curiously) Why do you want to know? (KRISHNA lets out a cry and clutches him by the throat) L...let go. Let go (The grip relaxes) Y...you crazy too ? KRISHNA : What happened to the girl 7 SMUGGLER : (Feeling his neck tenderly) 1 dunno. I dunno. Why don’t you see for yourself? KRISHNA : I’m a stranger.

I can take you there.

SMUGGLER : That’s alright. The stranger, the better. KRISHNA : I...don’t want to be seen. SMUGGLER : But you want fo see, huh? And you want something more...something more every time. KRISHNA : How would you know ? SMUGGLER : I know.

I know.

It happens every time.

KRISHNA : (Looking across) The lights are low. SMUGGLER: You won’t be seen. You won’t be recognized. I assure you of that. And you'll be able to do whatever you like...Whatever you like...that’s part of my business...and service. KRISHNA : (Still looking) The balcony is bare.

SMUGGLER : What

matter?

What

ghosts, they say, that whisper

matter ?

Sometimes

there

through the night, clear as a

are

silvery

shaft of moonlight, in that balcony bare... KRISHNA : (His voice falling to a whisper) The house is quiet. SMUGGLER : There is no longer the need for any words. They do not talk to each other. They only see each other...as patches of darkness. Yet, they are aware of each other’s presence. KRISHNA : I want her. I want her. SMUGGLER : Come with me. (He starts to move, but KRISHNA holds him back.) KRISHNA : No,

no.

It

They’re watching...me.

is a

long

They

walk

want me

But I can’t...I can’t any more. SMUGGLER: (Looking at him closely,

across.

to take

They’re

the

suspiciously) Who’s

(Pointing to the empty clunches) There’s nobody there.

Google

walk

sitting.

alone.

watching ?

ACT Ii SCENE itt

61

KRISHNA : I want her still, I want her more. SMUGGLER: Then come. Follow me, Lurk in my shadows.

You

won’t be seen. Do what you want, under the cloak of my shadow. You won’t be seen. Under my cloak. Like my shadow. Easy to become like me. Ambidexterous. An instinct for survival. No past or future. Not having found, lose yourself within me.

Walk

without

a shadow.

Perform

the essential

service

of

_

a

scavenger that nobody else will. See without being seen. Do without being caught. Hang upside down like a hat in the night..

Shadowy vampires.

‘

KRISHNA : (Looking closer, suspiciously) W...who are you ? SMUGGLER : (Whispering

brother, myself.

in KRISHNA’S

We

are substance

ear)

and

I’m

your...your

shadow.

I can

friend,

merge

myself within KRISHNA looks

you...(Darts behind KRISHNA in the darkness. around in panic as though the devil-of-the-smuggler

him)

for

had got into him. Looking

captivated you.

The SMUGGLER me...within

laughs...comes out from

yourself ?...like

some

devil

behind

.

had

Perhaps then, there is yet another dimension, yet

another potential, that does not rest...on opposites. It has some-,” thing to do...only with you. (KRISHNA looks around for him in the darkness) Look at you now. Look at you. Your face...your hands (Jutting his macabre face in the light) Like mine! (Jutting out his claw-like hands in the light) Like mine ! Look around for your shadow in the light...it’s missing! Therefore...you become

devoid of substance, were once so proud.

of the mountainous

substance of which

you

KRISHNA : (Whispering with fear) Who’re you? Who’re you? (Screaming) GET AWAY! GET AWAY! (No sound. The shadow of the SMUGGLER disappears. KRISHNA catches hold of his own throat) What’s happened 7 Where are you? Why does my voice sound «like yours ? Or is it mine really? Where have you gone...this part of me called substance? Why have even the shadows... disappeared? (Pointing out to the bare balcony) Where are the sounds of ghosts, whispering

lovers that died long ago?

through

the

night,

the

sounds

Is there then...any resurrection?

of

Did

Inot dig the grave...to take her in my arms...AND RAPE HER! (Sounds of echoes of his shout, rolling across the empty patio and

balcony) But scavengers do dig, don’t they, for pieces of tarnished bone. They pick up pimps and whores, for collusion, deception,

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.

62

- GOA

and obliteration

itself.

Sometimes they

pick up the remnants

of

their own selves...in limitless horror. (A tremulous whisper) Yes, 1 want her the more, dead though she dies within herself, living though she lies within me...(Calling out to the SMUGGLER) TAKE ME THERE ! TAKE ME THERE ! (The SMUGGLER appears as though out of nowhere, playing his macabre tune on the mouth-organ, like the Pied Piper, while KRISHNA follows, merging within each other’s substance

and

shadow,

sometimes

becoming

one

and

sometimes

emerging as two, till they reach the house.

Ring.)

lights.

the bed, but he doesn’t

SMUGGLER : (Calling) SENHORA MIRANDA !_ SENHORA MIRANDA! (The door opens, SENHORA MIRANDA Standing there, haggard and considerably aged, with an air of complete distraction about her) Ah, Senhora, I’ve got a customer for your house. (KRISHNA cowers in the corner with coat covering him) He’s shy. He doesn’t like

He doesn’t mind

mirrors around

lights. He doesn’t mind mirrors around the bed, but he doesn’t like lights. Perhaps he can see in the dark. Anyway, please dim the lights, Senhora. He must have a reputation to protect. He doesn’t want to be recognized. Yet he looks very

much like me.

He can stand against the wall...and disappear.

So,

don’t press him too much. He’s shy, like a boy, doing it the first time...(Bursts into high-pitched laughter)...Senhora. Senhora. Strange. (Awfully serious now) I’m beginning to look like you now. Atleast I’m speaking like you. (Pause, then in sensible voice) Do you mind lowering the lights, Senhora, they hurt my client’s eyes. (SENHORA MIRANDA lowers the lights to bare dimness) SENHORA MIRANDA : He’s shy, like a boy, doing it for the first time.

Yes, that’s what I would have said.

SMUGGLER : ButI said it for you.

SENHORA MIRANDA : (Bursting out into insane you did. SMUGGLER : I’m like your shadow, SENHORA MIRANDA: Relax. There with laughter) How can there suddenly—the SMUGGLER goes

Senhora, he doesn’t want you.

Senhora. are no shadows, here. (Gurgling be shadows in darkness? (Then over and whispers to KRISHNA)

He wants your daughter.

SENHORA MIRANDA : But I always come first.

I’ve got

tender?

to be

protective.

hysterical laughter) So

Is he clean?

Like

lumps

Doeshe

of

hurt?

sugar.

Is he

He has to pass by me first, picking up my innocence

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ACT II SCENE Il

63

and my dirt. (Absently) For dark you are, friend, and darker are your thoughts, in spite of the light which you claim to shed on her...(More distracted) For sometimes...you remind me of...a deeper horror. (Thunder and lightning outside) What’s that! Who did that outside? Who started the thunder and rain ? Does the lightning still streak across the sky...and strike the cross?

The

heavy

spectres

cross.

in the

sky.

Made

of gold and

diamonds?

I carry it to heaven

every night

Like white whenI

go

upstairs. To put my baby to sleep. To hold her tight. (The SMUGGLER turns to KRISHNA and taps his head lightly pointing his face to SENHORA MIRANDA.)

KRISHNA: W...what’s her name...Senhora? (SENHORA MIRANDA turns around like a flash, then the distraction over-comes her, and she looks past him.) SENHORA MIRANDA : (Part-recognition) What’s her name, did you say? Whatis her name? But that didn’t sound odd. It’s the way you called my name “Senhora” that sounded odd. Not Senhora then. Just Senhora. Senhora by itself. Her name is

Rose, Sir.

She’s

made of sugar and

spice and everything that’s

nice and it will cost you only twenty rupees for a single time. Above all, she’s a virgin, Sir. I should know. I was there. I was there when her innocence was born. You see, I taught her :

to be innocent, to fear the

horror

of love.

touch, to be

Isn’t that

afraid of peace,

to have

what a mother should do to equalize -

her love? KRISHNA : Y...you have made of her...a whore. SENHORA MIRANDA : Clean to the touch, Sir, clean to the touch. It is ...an honest living. She protects me in many ways, Sir. She tries them out first, to match my innocence and beauty. She has a feel...a peculiar feel...that tells her the truth. Most of all, she waits...and waits, and waits, lying there like some warm and

tender animal. She is Rose.

SMUGGLER: Ah,

She’s

nota

whore, Sir.

Iam

And Rose is Goa; and Goa is Rose. yes, quite, quite,

Senhora.

Now

that but not to

get

down

her. to

business...my customer is getting impatient. SENHORA MIRANDA : Is he ? Is he an impatient virgin too? Did he have to wait fourteen long years? Poor boy. Poor boy. He grew up to manhood so suddenly. Unrecognizably. Unbelievably. One moment he was offering a rose with the beauty and simplicity

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64

GOA

of young lovers; the next he was monstrous and horrible, fertilizing madness, while the blood oozed...(Her voice going up shrilly) ..in the rape, tore through me twice...twice in one life time. SMUGGLER :

(Holding her tenderly) Senhora...Senhora...Senhora...be

peaceful, Senhora.

SENHORA MIRANDA: (Breathing deeply) Peace and tranquility. Peace and tranquility, my son. What happens to one who has forsaken it? Are his tortures the same as mine and that of my daughter ? Does he listen: in silence...the awful stillness and loneliness of ‘the deaf. Does he blind his eyes against the terrors that all sight shows...was he ever a man of principles, son?

victorious, as I did once the long patio walk ?

standing on

Or does he

the balcony

return

while he took

KRISHNA : (Emerging. His emotions and expressions unknown) Senhora, he wants to return home, but does not know how. So, he chose the way to go further...not one step more, but the last step of all, this time alone, not in collusion, answerable to none...save himself. SMUGGLER

: (Saying

almost

together)

Senhora,

he

went

to church

and didn’t find peace. Senhora, he went into the temple and didn’t find peace. Senhora, he tried to make friends but no-one would

say “hello” to him.

KRISHNA:

MIRANDA

The

Girl!

takes

.

Now!

her

.

Rose!

umbrella

Now

and

! (Withouta word

knocks

upstairs.

SENHORA

They

all

wait in silence, expectantly, while KRISHNA withdraws further in the dark. The curtain in the room upstairs moves open, and ROSE

walks out slowly, wearing a bare

negligée, her slim brown legs flow-

ing bare, but her face unseen because of the darkness that falls across it. Even an she decends down the stairs, slowly, carefully,

feeling her way, the shadow persists across her face which cannot yet be seen. She stands at the bottom of the stairs, her face still in the shadows.

There is a sharp breath from KRISHNA.)

SENHORA MIRANDA : (Going up to ROSE whose hand is on the

and putting

her fingers

Do you approve?

I’ve

banister,

lightly over RosE’s hand) There she is, Sir. taught

her

everything

I know.

It was

almost like teaching myself over again. It took a bit of help, of course. A bit of remembering too. But she’s a fine girl. She’s like me, though we may see opposite. She does everything the

customer wants—everything,

Google

ACT II SCENE lil

65

KRISHNA : (In anger) Why don’t you let her speak for herself ? (SENHORA MIRANDA touches the daughter's hands as though it were

a code between themselves.)

ROSE : (Her voice more strange than give...everything.

ever) I...allow...everything.

I...

KRISHNA : (Tearing SENHORA MIRANDA’S hand away from ROSE) Leave her alone ! Why don’t you leave her alone? Why are you telling her all the time what to say ? SENHORA MIRANDA : (Standing in front of ROSE) Come here, Rose. Come here. (Turning to KRISHNA) You see, Sir, she cannot hear.

(Standing in front of the light and facing Rose) Read my lips, Rose.

Come here. I said come here. (ROSE does not move, SENHORA MIRANDA furns around and looks at KRISHNA.) KRISHNA: (Apprehension in his voice) Well...why don’t she come ? (SENHORA MIRANDA Stretches out her hand, brings Rose forward so the light now catches her face. There is a gasp from KRISHNA as he sees her face...unchanged except for a blind across her eyes) What’s that ! What’s she got across her eyes ? SENHORA MIRANDA: A blind. KRISHNA:

W...why ?

C...can’t she see ?

SENHORA MIRANDA : She can, Sir. KRISHNA : Then...then why the blind ? SENHORA MIRANDA: She wants...only darkness. She wants to bear... only silence. But it won’t detract from your pleasure, Sir. She

can still feel.

She can still feel from what’s

left of her.

darts across to ROSE with his hands going up to her blind.)

(KRISHNA

KRISHNA: (Shouting) TAKE IT OFF! TAKE IT OFF! (His hands almost touch her face and the blind across her eyes when he stops himself in mid-air. Whisper) No...No...She’s deaf...and now she’s blind, isn’t she. That means...she can’t recognize. She can’t know. She can’t be reminded. She can only give ..everything! Not knowing she will give, to me, like to any other... (Whisper) You

..you say she is stilt warm and tender...like

some living quivering

animal that lies helplessly in the dark, with her eyes and ears closed, unable to withhold... (Whisper) There can be no violence about it then. I revert...to my former self. AsI always wanted it, not as I was forced to take it. It could...couldn’t it then...

approach

|

pure

love,

as though

Google

nothing

hed ever happened...

66

_GOA

(Whisper) For all we want to do is blot out our senses and

forget.

tear off this blind ?

live...

Just as Rose is doing. Just as I took the drink before I...I came here. Leave only one sense to operate...touch. Like the touch of my hand when I gave her the Rose. (Whisper) Why should I then this pleasure...in

Why should I face...myself.

anonymity,

dreaming

of my

Let

former

me

self...like

scavengers who chew on tranished bones...(Whisper) For this heat within me drives me further, wanting to drain

the

last

vestige

of

sanity...even

if

purity, in a revival of innocence, where nothing ever mattered any more...then...to

go

deeper

and

deeper...beyond

necessary into its deepest hiorror...(A/oud) Senhora, I’ll have

her...

on her own terms of detachment...and on my own of intimacy. Would you please tell her to go upstairs, and await me? I follow.

(SENHORA MIRANDA touches her daughter’s hands.

ROSE turns around

quietly, and ascends the stairway slowly, feeling her way to her room.

KRISHNA follows, his form rising into the stairs, into the darkness, pausing for a while to look at the empty balcony, before he enters ROSE’S room. There’s now no rain, no thunder, no lightning. The sky is clear, and the balcony stands silhoueted in the moonlight... A voice is heard as though from

ROSE...incredibly

light.)

the

empty

clear and sparkling,

ROSE’E aOice : It’s getting dark now. I do not know what you say...But

balcony.

It

is

that

of

like a silvery shaft of moon-

I can see your lips no longer; my heart is full of love; the

more for you’re unknown to me...and I would love...this secrecy... Were it not for the absolute dread of this loneliness in the dark

when I can no longer see your lips and know not whether I whisper or shout in this stifling stillness... (Her voice undergoes a strange, uncontrollable change) But when it’s light—I know...For I can then see myself in other people’s faces...I can see...what I must be saying to them...for they can hear...(Pause—implying act of giving rose) Yes...that’s my name. How did you know? Did I whisper it...or was I screaming...No, don’t touch my hand...don’t touch me touch me not...stranger...and I shall love you all the more... (The sound of the voice now seems to be coming from the room) and I shall hate you all the more. Don’t touch me...Don’t touch me. Screaming) DONT TOUCH ME...MOTHER |! DON’T HOLD MBE! IT’S HIM, MOTHER ! 1T’s HIM ! (A Scream that turns hoarse. SENHORA MIRANDA

and the SMUGGLER are already halfway up, when

Google

ROSE

emerges, still

ACT II SCENE III '

with blind over

67

her face, the negligée torn and blood

stained,

to her

mother’s arms, crying. MARIA holding her, holding her tight...) RosE: Take the blind off, mother ! Take the blind off! I want

to

see...I want to see...I won’t have to wait any longer...(With tremb-

ling hands the mother removes the blind. Slowly, Rose disengages herself from her mother’s arms, walks back to the room, shifts aside

the curtain, as KRISHNA’s nude body falls, our, with’ heart.)

[CURTAIN

Google

CLOSES]

a dagger

in

his

Digitized by Google

Original from

INDIANA UNIVERSITY

INQUILAB. A PLAY ON THE NAXALITE MOVEMENT IN THREE ACTS

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CHARACTERS

MAIN

SUBSIDIARY

Professor DattalWife

Sarla (Shomik’s wife)

Amar (son)

Dada (Shomik’s father)

Suprea

Old Woman (Shomik’s mother)

Jain (Landlord)

Upperclass Type|Goonda

Ahmed

Inspector

Shomik

Big Wheel (Politician)

Devdas (Politician)

GENERAL Villagers]/Peasants

College boys/girls

A few months elapse between Act II and Act III Scene I. A few more months elapse between Act III Scene I and Scene I.

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ACT I SCENE I

There are basically three scenes in this play, without formal divisions or structures, i.e. there is transitional fluidity from one scene to another through lights focusing at different levels and parts of the stage where sets are built to conform with the different scenes. The sets are basically threefold (corresponding to the scenes) : The first and main scene is a classroom in one of the colleges of Calcutta. Sets show part of the college building with communist slogans

scrawled on the walls and a red picture of Mao with hammer and sickle. The second scene is the prayer room at the residence of the Professor.

Sets suggest a modest home conservatively decorated with a library containing leather-bound books on law lining the shelves and walls. The third scene is the beautiful green Bengali countryside, portion of a fertile plot of cultivable land, and suagestion of the ostentatious Zamindar’s house beyond. Because of transitions in

time and

space, the

sets have

to be both

realistically suggestive and symbolic. Framework of structures should be built, preferably at different levels of the stage, to depict this. From time to time we revert to the classroom scene and therefore there would be some merit in having it placed at the rear (if it is a proscenium stage) which can be partially or fully blanked out with transluscent/opaque curtain and lights with a range of colours and intensities. Background music in the non-dialogue scenes would also heighten the dramatic impact of certain violent climaxes. Classroom scene : Professor leaning on dias. Distinguished looking man of about 50 with a conservative air, old worldish, and the hint of a British traditionalist approach (from the colonial days when Calcutta and the Bengali aristocracy bore the stamp of the old British capital with its cultural and political values). Young students,

alert, intelligent,

at the same

The electric air of revolt surfacing from

Google

time bored,

time to time.

restless.

Amongst

72

INQUILAB

them the son of the Professor, young Amar. The period of time is THE PRESENT : with Naxal revolt and violence having reached University campuses. PROF. DATTA: Ah...Yes...aren’t we. all...understandably...restless... before the break of Durga Puja holidays...(Slight nervous laughter amongst students. Tension already there) Perhaps...(Voice toning down)...this is the time for...reflection over the past. The taking

of...decisions that sometimes become...historic. (Shuffle of feet) Impatient ? Let us not get carried away, young men. Difficult times, I admit. Calcutta, my Calcutta, a ‘dying city”? _ Processions ? Strikes? Gheraos? Violence? Bandhs ? Breakdown of law-and-order? Revolt? Naxal revolt, my friends? Slogans of Gandhi or Mao? (Gradually anger building up with each interrogation-that whips the students alert like repeated lashes— the under-current of vibrant anger in the older man) Are there bombs in your head or brains, gentlemen : I hear...there are some amongst you...the tyranny of the minority I call it...who question these holy institutions of learning, like our holy mother Durga... (Provoked rebellious students who start banging desks with fists, rulers and chappals, slowly at first, more furiously later, all in rhythmic unison. Shadow of a man outside the classroom window... the stranger...the protest of students is like a morse code that gets translated in stacatto teleprinter tape messages that are flashed on the walls already crowded with slogans.) Flashed on wall near stranger, voicing student slogan belief : BOURGEOIS ! BOURGEOIS UNIVERSITY ! PROF. DATTA: (Raising his voice over the din of deskbanging noise) These are institutions of democratic learning in a democratic government ! Teletype message flashed in mental telephonic reply on wall in red

letters : BOURGEOIS-LANLORD GOVERNMENT OF INDIA.

PROF.

DATTA:

Principles

founded

on

freedom

of

thought

Repeat, repeat : (THE CRYSTALLIZATION OF REVISIONISM.

HE IS...

speech by Gandhiji, the father of our nation !

and

PROF. DATA : (Raising voice louder over din) A free economy, socialistically

oriented,

ownership

of private

property

a

fundamental

right, protected by law, enforced by law, enforced by police, and if necessary, the army ! (Sounding sloganish himself.)

Google

ll

———

ACT 1 SCENE i Repeat:

73

CLASS

MURDABAD!

ENEMIES!

POLICE

CLASS

ENEMIES

MURDABAD! INQUILAB

MURDABAD

! JOTEDARS

INQUILAB ZINDABAD!

(The Professor is aghast. Blackout.) (Light on library with Professor sitting alone and distraught, lightly touching the leatherbound yolumes of books on law, looking up to the painted portrait of Mahatma Gandhi, feeling likea blind man trying to probe

meaning from the venerated statue of Sir Asutosh Mukherjee.

This

is a meaningful scene in itself, suggested through his soliloquy.) PROF. DATA: (either sound of tape voicing memory, or articulated through whispher) Gandhiji...Gandhiji...how to make them undersstand 2? That when you broke the law, the old British law that

you respected so much, it was because it came in conflict with your natural law of justice. The Divine Law. Gandhji...with whom I fought for our freedom...how to make them understand that when

you broke

the law,

you asked

for

punishment! Yes,

your own punishment, because you still recognized that the law of civilized society would have no exception! Gandhiji...whomI

worshipped as

my own

father...how

to

that nonviolence is an active philosophy. to fight violence.

happened then?

Remember...our

You

make

them

understand

That it was used by you

Noakhali

pilgrimage.

didn’t die a disillusioned man,

What

did you,

Bapu ? (Going up to the statue of Sir Asutosh Mukherjee, and touching his features lightly) Many were your chelas, those inspired by you

who rose to eminence, brought this great nation together...Sir Asutosh, Vice-Chancellor, Chief Justice, a true Tiger of Bengal... those humbler too...like me...(Amar enters) Ah, there you are, Amar. Comein,comein. Don’t slouch. young people slouch these days...

AMAR : Not upright like the last generation,

Can’t understand why

huh ?

PROF. : (Suspiciously) What do you mean ? AMAR,: (Shrugging his shoulders) Oh, nothing. PROF. : (Mumbling, grumbling) Nothing...Now...Nowhere.

culate mumblings.

Half-baked slogans.

Are you a rebel, son 7

AMAR : Huh ? pror.: I was...when I was young. as you call it.

Bengal has a

great

the side of the British...the Mogul to be ashamed of.

Google

Inarti-

(turning around, suddenly)

And proud

of it too.

Upright,

Empire too, earlier.

Nothing

tradition for revolt: a thorn on

|

74 AMAR:

INQUILAB The

traditionalist

revolutionary,

traditionalist. PROF. : What’s that ? AMAR: Revisionist. pror. : I don’t know what you mean. AMAR: You believed in rules of the game, game

of cricket.

.

the

father.

pror.: If you mean that we didn’t indulge terrorism and violence, you're right. Ours and we fought the right way. Amar : Oh, yes, moral conscience. The right before. There’s another side too, father, proletarian internationalism. pror.: (Equally sarcastically) Ah, I’ve heard front paw of India’s revolution”, they say.

accent

being

on

The old British

in senseless acts of was a national cause, way. I’ve heard that that fights today for that before too...“the

Radio Peking, isn’t it 7

AMAR : It’s not the v.o.a. ! PROF. : (Suddenly tired, finding argument fruitless) In the classroom. Isaw youthere. With the others. Banging on the table with the chappal... AMAR : (Unexpectedly smiling)...like old Khruschev at the U.N.... PROF. : (Smiling wryly)...like Khruschev...yes...(Looking at him) you smile at the most unexpected times, Amar.

AMAR : True, father. pror. : Do you think I lack a sense of humour ? AMAR : Sometimes.

PROF. : It takes more than a sense of humour to deal with so many “rowdies” in college. AMAR : (Smiling) I guess there must be less hazardous professions. PROF. : (Meeting the smile, momentarily you do respect some of us.

close to each other) Ah, then

AMAR: Of course I do, but that doesn’t mean I agree.

. Pro. : Would you rather agree to disagree 7 AMAR : No. . accepting You’re Amar. pror.: But surely that’s sensible, fundamental democratic doctrine if you agree to disagree.

AMAR : (Suddenly passionate) I don’t. to it.

Norules

the core.

of the game.

Google

No

I disagree.

a

That's all there is

present system.

It’s rotten

to

ACT I SCENE I

75

pror.: Why, Amar, why ? I don’t understand ! AMAR : (Going up to him, almost pleadingly with a sense

urgency)

Listen,

father,

disagree.

There’s no

understand.

of profound

I'll say it only once.

This

is my passion, my poetry, my cause. Look around, father, open your eyes: the poverty, the terrible poverty. People dying of hunger, father. Look at the gap between rich and poor. It’s growing, father, dangerously...and unfairly. It’s true, the city’s dying, your old beloved city of the privileged. Do you feel the stranglehold ? The bustees growing, enveloping the city with the strench of faces and dirt. Trams coming to a halt, burning burning, the extra2 paise increase in fare more than the dying man can bear. Not logical, is it? Not the game of agree to

time for that.

We’re drowning

under

the

Hooghly, silting up with doomed humanity. The processions will grow, like nightmares, death processions of the 10 million around the funeral pyre of the burning city. (Shouting) And you talk of

EDUCATION,

father {

Institutes of

education

that

have

now

shackled us for generations and generations. What for? WHAT FOR, 1 ASK. So that there can be more unemployed millions 7 So that your bourgeois hierarchy remains intact! So that you’ve doped the masses sufficiently into complacency and resignation ? You can have it, father, you can have it, but don’t stuff it down

our throat ! You were the Gods that Failed, father ! (Father slaps

him, breaks up the hysteria.) PROF. : (Quietly, not untenderly) A moment ago you were smiling, Sane. I can hardly believe it. I can hardly believe you’re my son. AMAR: (With equal deadliness) 1 belong...to the cause...of the revolution. (Zhen whispers almost to him) and my guru...outside... (suggestion of shadow of the stranger? Blackout. Light and scene shifts to the prayer room, the Professor’s wife decorating a statue of Durga, ten armed, with sword and spear carrying traces of blood.)

PROF. : (Looking at her from a far, again in meditative soliloquy) Whom do you wait for, dear wife, dressing the statue of Durga, or

is it horrific Kali, with strand and straw, and clay from the depths

of Ganga, infinitesimal strand and straw, Penelope who wove by day and unravelled herself destroyed, while she waited patiently Grieve no more for the elder son who was hills, wait no more for his home-coming

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patiently waiting, like by night, created and for beloved Ulysses... lost afar in the Mizo at Durga Puja, thou

76

INQUILAB

Mother of Earth with fertile ilons, for your child was lost long ago and will never return again. Bring back to your distraught mind...sanity, for it is like a fever that grips all of us...(Enters prayer room aloud) Mother.. wiFE: (There is a strangeness ‘about her distraction) Is it you ?

PROF.: WItE:

Me. (Returning to her work) Oh.

PROF.: WIFE:

Whom did you expect ? No one.

wie: PROF. : now,

Did 1? (Jntent on drawing blood) Yes. (She turns around—face him with steady withdrawn eyes) You're waiting for your elder

PROF. :

But you turned around with expectation.

son’s return, aren’t you ? (Pause) He’s dead. (Turns back and starts working on the statue) Every year it’s the same thing. Every

Puja you dress that damned statue, then drown it in the Ganga. Homecoming. Homecoming for the Puja holidays... WIFE: (Quietly) It’s true. I wait. PROF. : (Stifling his anger, unable to contain-himself) He’s dead, don’t you understand ! (She turns around, her eyes in tears. He wavers...) My dear...it was so long ago. And none was to blame. It just happened. It was one of these tragedies. How far are you going

to draw it through

your life ?

And

how

deep...

? There are

others too. Your husband, your son. I’ve been talking to Amar. Sometimes I think he’ 's as crazy as...He needs guidance. He needs a home.

wiFE: There’s nothing won’t cure,

wrong

with

the

boy...that

understanding

PROF.:

(Stung) Nothing wrong with him!

Understand?

I under-

PROF.: WIFE:

(His eyes widening) Shakti. (She continues with the statue.) (Softly) Yes...

stand him very well...very well indeed. He believes in force... wire: (Adjusting the spear arm) Does he... ?

PROF.:

(Almost to himself) It’s true...you came

side. Picked up...the superstitions...

WIFE: pror.:

...superstitions ? ... ...beliefs without logical

foundation.

from

Yes,

the country-

your

son

has

inherited his passions from you. And so...(comes closer and touches her) I was attracted by you too...(for the first time we see

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ACT -

I SCENE

I

71

her intense form and vitality. Much younger than her husband, there is a definite sensuality about her)...fearing at the same time... (Whispering)...your demanding sensuality. wire: You wouldn’t know. You came from the city. Had western education. Everything for you...has to have a logical foundation. PROF.: (Smiling) My dear...I suspect divinity in your motherhood

too.

WIFE: (Attending Durga) Do you know...what it means...to have a child torn out from your womb! The cry of the mother that is at once a relief and a despair too. For the child that is born is the child that is lost. PROF.: (Shaking his head) 1...1 don’t understand. wire: And then one day he returns and demands all that life had promised but never fulfilled. All that the Mother had instilled when he was born as child, and returned as man.

PROF.: (Withdrawing; whispering) Witchcraft and demons. from the pantheon. Madness. WIFE: (Shadows darkening over blood red clay) You'll see...

Gods

(Jadeout )

(Feast at home: ware receptacles

diya lights—cotton wick in kerosene with earthendecorating Goddess Durga; thalis of food being

eaten squatting on cbhatai at Professor's residence with wife, Amar, and two visitors : Zamindar Jain and daughter Suprea.)

son

JAIN : (Licking his fingers) No one can cook, my friend Datta, better

than your wife. Delicious. (A slurping lick) Absolutely delicious. (A little belch; nudging his daughter) Hub Suprea 2? When will you learn to cook like this ? Your mother, bless her dead soul, was equally good. Made me fat like this...(Showing his big tummy and laughing easily; all laugh : mood of cordiality) But you watch

out,

young lady. Love husband first, then love food. Youth...ah youth is like...the overripe mango... ? ...feed it too much and it falls ! SUPREA: (Embarrassed) Father ! JAIN: How beautifully she blushes. The quality of a true bride’s innocence.

SUPREA :

Jain:

(Almost in tears) Father !

Oh, well.

restraining hand.

I’m sorry. Get carried away, you know. No wife’s

Only pride for the daughter.

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_

INQUILAB

pror.: And nothing could be better, Jain. You look after her well. Much better than I can, my son. Huh, Amar 7 What do you say? , : AMAR: (Busy eating, mumbling) I can look after myself. PROF.: By the same token are you suggesting that Suprea cannot look after herself? (There a distinct pause now, while Amar looks ot Suprea and she looks back at him.) AMAR :

(Grunting)

Huh.

-

PRoF.: What’s that supposed to mean ? MOTHER : (Who has been serving the food) It means she can look after herself too. (All laugh, except the two self-conscious young ones who smile wryly.) PROF. : (Jn a change of subject)

jain:

pror.:

How are the crops this year, Jain ?

(A bit slowly, careful) Oh...alright.

You don’t sound very convincing.

JAIN: Nothing’s wrong with the crops, with the men.

pror.:

Jain:

Datta.

Something’s

wrong

What do you mean ?

You know we’ve been having trouble with the labourers. (Shak-

ing his head) Can’t understand it. They’re part of my...family. Yet

suddenly

they’ve

turned

around...viciously

! Like

damned capitalist ! AMAR: (Quietly) To be a benefactor is the same thing. JAIN: (Surprised) How do you mean 7 AMAR: they

Tell me, they’ve been with you for many years, haven’t ? Possibly their fathers and grandfathers were serfs to your

ancestors ? JAIN: Yes.

AMAR:

I were some

And you looked after them, like one big family.

problems

were

your

problems.

And their

In fact you were like a father to

them, indulging yet correcting them, with a firm and gentle hand. jain: Yes, what’s wrong with that 7? I’ve seen lots worse landlords. AMAR: (Still with a trace of sarcasm) In fact you were one of the more

you.

progressive

In

being

ones.

absolute

. No

adhiyar system of contract labour for

master

you

could

charities, and still keep them in their place. JAIN:

(Still uncertain about him)

I still don’t get you.

wrong with that ! (Amar doesn’t reply.)

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measure

out

What’s

your

so

ACT I SCENE I PROF.:

79

(Dryly) He thinks you're a revisionist, my friend.

JAIN: A what? PRoF.: Revisionist.

Revisionist.

A pdcifier for maintenance of

existing order. An order of vested interests.

an

Jain: Show me one better. AMAR: Land to the landless. Collective farming. Community holdings. A distribution of surplus land to be done immediately. JAIN: (Nodding his head slowly) Ob, I see...you’re one of those.

(turning to Professor Datta) Haven’t you been able to knock sone

sense into him, Datta ? PROF.: The distribution of surplus Government objectives.

JAIN:

lot

Jand

is one of the accepted .

I didn’t mean that ! I mean the other thing!

of young people take to it, but it’s dangerous.

and underprivileged, Datta.

He’s my friend’s son !

Oh,

I know

a

He’s not dirty

AMAR: (Standing up, spilling the food, in anger) Now, you look here, old man. I’ve had my fill of you. Yes, I’m one of those, and I’m here to stay. Like your dirty landless underprivileged, labourers, who are also your friend’s sons by your own definition...

pror.: AMAR:

Amar ! No, Dad, let me have my say.

whether

he believes me or not.

And I mean it for his good,

Time’s changing.

Jainji, time’s

changing. And you'll be swept with the change unless you change too. Listen, listen to me. It’s no longer a question of distributing surplus land. You’ve flauted that law, laws that well-intentioned men like my father made. It’s too late now...(With deadly earnest) We'll grab the land, old man, because the young like me are impatient and hungry. Then there'll be no distinction between the

good and the bad landlord, because being landlord is bad enough ! (Jain gets up in anger.)

Jain: Enough ! AMAR: (Measuring his shout) That’s what I say ! Enough ! You have enough land { Don’t go putting it in your brothers’ and sisters’ and dogs, names. Don’t go on having captive labour through complusion or reward. The land belongs to the tiller ! JAIN: (Quivering with anger) It belongs to me ! Me ! Me ! My father, my grandfather, son, my grandson! No one’s going to

grab it from me! I’ve worked as hard, harder than my labourers...

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80

INQUILAB

Look at my hands, son! Look at the callouses { Just because I’m fat and rich doesn’t mean I don’t sprout theories like you, nor write law books like your father. I work with my hands. (Passionately) That land’s mine, son. I’ve tilled it, and I shall reap its harvest

till I die. (His teeth clenched, this man who grows in stature

till he’s a gaint) And I shall kill anyone who lays a hand to grab it. Even my friend’s son, be he the labourers or men with whom

I break my bread ! (Amar looks at him with furious hate, then leaves

the house...presumably

leave after him.)

to the garden

outside.

Mother

about

to

JAIN: (Softly, tenderly) No Ma-ji, let him go outside. Cool off. (Raises hand to Datta who is apologising) No, Datta, my dear friend, the fault’s mine. I’m older. Hisis the young passion. I should have restrained myself. I’m sorry. Go, Suprea, bring back your young hero. He'll respond...to you. (Slapping the old Professor on the back affectionately, yet somewhat disturbedly) My God, Datta, what a son you have! A real mastaan, and I mean it in the best sense of the term. What I wouldn’t give to have a son like him...(Lowering his voice)...though he does need breaking in...Cheer up, Ma-ji, I...(Looking around to make sure Supreais absent)...perhaps I..we shall have grandsons by him. Oh, I hope

Suprea’s

not

listening.

She’s

always

pulling

me up....(Scene in

garden outside. Amar pacing restlessly, kicking stone, plucking flowers, throwing to ground. Suprea comes behind him. Just stands for a while. Suddenly sensing someone’s presence, he wheels

around.)

AMAR:

.

Ah...it’s you, (She merely looks at him,

knowing

why) Come to spy

on

my

thoughts,

belligerent

I bet.

without

(She still

doesn’t reply) I...I bet those...people sent you here...to pry the secrets out of me. (No reply; angrier without knowing why) Isn’t that true ? Isn’t that true?

SUPREA: Yes. AMAR: (Victoriously) Ah, I knew it ! sUPREA: But I would have come anyway...to with you. AMAR:

around see.

(Uncertain, glowering) 1...1

have

share

no secrets.

your

secrets

(Then turning

defiantly) Yes, I have them, but they’re clear for anyone to

Iwrite them on the walls, I write them

the destiny of the nation,

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on

the

streets.

It’s

ACT 1 SCENE I

81

SUPREA: But what about us, Amar 7? AMAR: (Fumbling, avoiding her eyes) Us? Us? SUPREA: ‘Yes, you and I. AMAR: I...I have a mission. It’s dangerous. It leaves...no room .-for other things. SUPREA :. (Her eyes clouding) I see. . AMAR: No, you don’t. I’m possessed, Suprea, don’t you see’! My heart and soul go out to everythingI see in life. The poor, the needy, the down-trodden.

I walk the streets of

Calcutta

and

the

for

me.

hands of the beggar tear at my insides. I roam the green acres and the tiller’s sweat touches my brow with the taste of salt on my tongue. I say then...that my life does not belong to myself. Do...do you understand ? . SUPREA: (From the docile to the defiant) No...no, I don’t ! I see life that was meant for us to live! Not sacrifice. I see the earth and the sky same as you, Amar, but to be shared by us. Not lost and wasted...Amar...Amar...take my hand...(She touches him)... and put it to your heart. Let the fever drain out. It is your passion that I love...and I beseech

(Amar

others

boyish.. pulls at Suprea’s hand...)

SUPREA AMAR: SUPREA AMAR: SUPREA: AMAR: SUPREA: AMAR.:

you

keep

some

takes her hand and smiles) Ah....you smile so easily, Amat.

Why then do you make

AMAR:

that

:

weep

?

(Amar

relaxed,

smiling,

Come, we play a game !

(Laughing) No, no...they may be seeing us. (Dragging her) Oh, come on. : (Suspiciously) What’s the game ? A kiss. No. Yes. (Suprea disentangles and runs behind the tree.) Do you call that a game ? (Chasing her and laughing) ‘Yes.

SUPREA: Are you solving the problems chasing a poor defenceless girl ?

of

the

world,

Amar,

AMAR: (Just missing her) Playing games. SUPREA : (Almost allowing herself to be caught) Where will it end ? AMAR: You know where. SUPREA : Not till after... AMAR:

(Stopping)

After...what ?

SUPREA: . Run, Amar,,,my turn

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to

chase

you.

or

82

INQUILAB

AMAR: (Playing the.game fully; turning tail and running while she chases him) After what, my love ? SUPREA: You know what, you rogue! Ah! Almost caught you ! AMAR: Hush! Our parents may be watching. SUPREA: Damn them ! : AMAR: (Eyes twinkling mischievously) What did you say 7 SUPREA: (Returning the same look) I said damn them! (Both laugh and fall into each other’s arms.) SUPREA: (Jn his arms) Oh, Amar, let’s not laugh any more...or else Ishall cry. (She turns her face to kiss tenderly. She does cry. He touches her face lightly.) AMAR: (Softly) It’s true...you cry, my dear. supREA: Oh Amar, Amar.. (Concern, joy, anxiety all written over her face) AMAR: (Protective, consoling) Hush...Suprea...all will be well... eventually...but I must realize myself first, you

understand.

SUPREA: (Showing her character, will and understanding) Yes, yes, Amar, I understand. If I ask you to be careful, you still may not. So, I’ll only ask you to care...care for me. This my faith. You.

AMAR: (Sincerely) I promise, Suprea. always will. Come, let’s go inside. (They enter, and the three elders look at JAIN: (Putting his arm cordially around prodigal son returns,..tamed, if I may AMAR:

(With

a smile

in

his

I more

than care...and T

them.) Amar’s shoulder) Ah, the say so, by the maiden...

eyes)...temptress...(Whispers

aside)

...and spy...(Earlier tension broken, everyone laughs.) MOTHER: Come and finish your food now; it’s gone cold. JAIN: (To Mother) The Durga statue, Ma-ji, it’s beautiful. MOTHER : (Absently) Yes 7 PROF. : It’s a good occupation, Jain. It keeps one’s mind away... away from...(Voice tapers off.)

JAIN: Each year the intensity of the statue which form it will take.

MOTHER:

Autumn

(Eyes afar) comes, I

I wait.

still

smell

The

the

grows.

monsoon’s fresh

wet

I never

end.

know

Puja’s here.

earth, longing for

planting of the new seed...(Al/most sharply) for it’s all barren { The

new harvest, the new green.

new

generation.

The food for survival, turning of the

It needs to be planted with crre.

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For the earth

ACT

I SCENE I

83

is fresh and fertile. Only the seed must be strong...like the growth of new revolt ! (Everyone is taken aback; even she is not _ conscious of what she has just said.) AMAR: (Quietly) I’m...I’m expecting a friend to come shortly... MOTHER: (Absently) What...what did you say ? AMAR: I said I’m expecting a friend soon. MOTHER : (Awake, flustered) But...but you didn’t tell me. Is he coming for dinner ? AMAR:

No.

PROF.:

Who’s he ?

AMAR:

Oh, just a friend.

PROF.:

What friend ?

AMAR: (Smiling, mysterious) We call him Guru. PROF.: That doesn’t say much. AMAR : He doesn’t speak much either. PRoF.: Who’s he? Where’s he from ? AMAR: I don’t know. He has an ease of...association, and yet he’s very far away. MOTHER: When...when is he coming ? AMAR: (Looking out) I...1 think I see

enters. His face is resemblance to Amar, in partial darkness. at anyone else. She come in, Ahmed. Let

him

now...(The

stranger

care-worn and deeply lined. A remarkuble though older. An indefinable age. His figure He comes in quietly. Looks at the mother, not stares at him, unknowingly, afar.) Come in... me introduce you to my family.

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ACT

I

SCENE

II

Same as beginning of the first scene, i.e. the classroom the

important

except

with

difference that this is a clandestine night study with a

Sew student-Naxalites and the man tionary leader, Ahmed.

standing

at the dias

is revolu-

One of the students present is Amar.

AHMED : (Cool, soft) Gentlemen...or should I say my “rowdy”? comrades...(Snigger from students)...what better place to hold our secret meetings...our own classrooms...than here... But remember: revolutionary theory without revolutionary practice means nothing. Everything that you learn here, must be put into practice outside. Marxism-Leninism holds that “force is the midwife of every old society pregnant with a new one”... (Flashes of light, stacatto-like, on wall, subconscious messages, as in early first scene: sound of table

tapping,

intence

and

prickly)

MAO’S

THOUGHTS.. MAO’S

THOUGHTS.,.PEOPLE’S WAR...PEOPLE’S WAR.. PEOPLE’S WAR...PEASANT MASS ACTION...PEASANT

MASS ACTION...(Students

in

rapt

attention.

No shuffling of feet, no banging of chappals on table; these bright alert passionately intelligent faces, all absorbed; lights dimming and brightening to indicate passage of time...)

AHMED : Parliamentary democracy is not an effective weapon for socialist revolution: an armed struggle is inevitable... A revolution in backward countries can only be brought about by peasants : start organizing peasants for militant action...

Flashes ; GUERRILLA SQUADS...GUERRILLA ++. VILLAGE MILITIA...

SQUADS...VILLAGE

MILITIA

AHMED : I repeat, “without the poor peasant, there can be no revolution, To reject this is to reject the revolution”. Remember the

four commandments : One, we must go among the masses and concern ourselves with their weal and woe. Two, the mobiliza-

tion of the people will create a vast sea in which

to drown

the

enemy. Three, seem to come from the east but attack from the west ...avoid the solid, a‘tack the hollow...deliver a lightening blow, seek a

lightning decision.

Four, the only way to

the strategy of protracted war.

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final

victory

is

Act 1 SCENE II

85

Flashes : THE RED BOOK...THE RED BOOK...THE RED BOOK... AHMED : (Voice steely, hard but still cold, chillingly dishing out the hot words) Establish peasant bases. Appoint area committees to launch violent struggles...As Mao put it bluntly, ‘‘It is necessary to bring about a brief reign of terror in every rural area”. Learn to combine persuasion, terror and aid...Organize the Peasants’ Union, the Krishak Sabha... (Semi-darkness) Your weapons : bombs, spears, knives...yes, the sickle too, for these are peasant armaments «(The students lay them down

on

the desk for

examination...more

darkness, dim lights, as though they were in the background learning and preparing...perhaps a semi-transparent screen, while the action changes to the front...in the front are two scenes: first, a Peasants’ Union taking place in the village farm-land, and the second is a peasant’s home... First scene : Peasants’ Union, a clandestine meeting of peasents with an outsider, the Naxalite organizer, young

man

who

might well have been one of Ahmed’s students.) YOUNG MAN : (To villagers squatting around kerosene lamp) You get what you deserve : disease, hunger, want and death. You give your children an even larger share: scurvy, slavery, deprivation and death. Every bigha of zamin you toil for, you'll make them toil harder. For whom? For whom, I ask ? (Rustle of discontent amongst peasants; shouting) For the demand, bloody, greedy zamindar ! who never worked a day in his life! who sucks your

blood

like leeches, grovels in food and luxury!

What gives him

the right to own, and you to suffer! Peasants ! (Spitting) Peasants (Protest noise; all want to speak together, but one of the older holds up his hand.)

VILLAGER : (Older but not too old) Ah, hold on, young man ! Brothers, may I speak for you? (Others nod; turning to the young man)

You're from the city, aren’t you 7

YOUNG MAN: Yes. VILLAGER: Well, I suggest you go back and learn some coming here to teach us.

more

before

YOUNG MAN : (Taken aback) Huh? (Villagers smile at his astonishe ment.) VILLAGER :It isn’t quite like what you say. As it happens, our landlord is not atyrant. He is also working wirh his own hands. And for your information, we do not starve. YOUNG MAN : (Disappointed) Oh ! (Villagers nod consent.)

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INQUILAB

86

VILLAGER : And we're not ignorant peasants either. The literate amongst us are fully aware of ceilings on land holdings, and the political workers of the present Socialist State Goverment keep us informed about reforms being introduced by them. YOUNG MAN : (Completely dejected) Oh... VILLAGER: (Kindly) Byt don’t be downcast, young man. We would not have asked for someone to come from your side if we were content to let things be. (Laughing dryly) After all...we have our firebrands...(Turning to one of the young villagers)...huh, Shomik ? {As though by understood invitation, Shomik stands up and the villager sits down.)

SHOMIK : Comrades, both sides are right, but our cause is the only cause that matters: liberation through revolt! (Af once a new electric feeling.

Here is a natural

leader

amongst

men.

Murmer

of consent) Nobody denies that our landlord, Jain, is just. No» body denies that the works as hard as we do. (Raising his voice effectively without shouting) But he’s working on our land and not we on his ! (Cheers; animated consent amongst villagers) We want our law! Not the landlord’s, and not the Government’s ! How long have we heard the political workers come here and tell us about land reforms. Our fathers were serfs, and even if we’re not, we're not free either ! (More cheers, hot consent to this persuasive

firebrand) No...No...No

more

waiting.

The

law

cannot

work

equally for both of us. It’s either ours or theirs. At the moment it’s theirs, so we have to reject it. But the only means we know: fight ! Ficnt! (Picking up his lathi/spear. People clap him on the back, Applaud. Shomik holds up his hand. Calls the young man and embqaces him) Brother, we. agree with everything you said. (smiling) We only wanted to bring you down a peg or two. Now we need your help. You need ours too. So, let us clap with two hands...tell your people...we’re ready, (Fadeout, with peasant Shomik

returning

to his

village

home:

old father,

blind mother,

anxious wife, playing children. Children run out to greet him, at doorway; relieved, smiling, in the privacy of their house, he touches her face...) SHOMIK : Worried ? (Wife nods, turns her face away) About what 7 SARALA : I...I don’t know. SHOMIK : Then why are you worried. (She turns away) You couldn’t be worried for nothing.

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87

ACT I SCENE 1 SARALA SHOMIK in his no.

: (Looking at him gravely) No. : (Trying to change the subject) Ah, so it’s something. (Smile eyes) Another woman ? (She looks back reproachfully) Ah... (Staring beyond) That’s nothing new. What's left ? Money?

Maybe, it’s drinking.

No, that couldn’t be; I don’t drink...much,

that is. (His hands going up subconsciously 10 the light iron rods lying on the ground which he picks up and twists in his powerful hands) What could it be? (More restless, using his strength and

sweating over the iron rods) What could it be ? (His wife looks at his

hands, SARALA : SHOMIK : ing to

he does: too, self-consciously.) It’s there. A strong...cruelty. A fierceness that frightens. (Laughing artificially) Don’t be absurd. You’ve been listenMother’s nonsense. Her blind visions. (She looks at his

hands) Oh, this? It’s...it’s like the plough. I have to use my strength to furrow the ground. Plant the seed. Grow the food +680 We can give most of it to our landlord !

SARALA: Ah! I see. sHOMIK : You don’t see, my dear woman. frightening, so you blot it out ! SARALA : ...at nights, in bed... SHOMIK : (Touching her hair, the same strong

you, doI...?

You blot it out.

hands)...

don’t

It’s

hurt

...these cruel hands... (She kisses his hands in tears.)

SARALA : It’s not what you doing to yourself.

do

to

me, my Jove.

It’s what

you're

SHOMIK : (Looking outside, eyes afar) I’m rightinga wrong: something that should have been done long ago... Unlike our city friend, I’m involved. Because I am poor, but, not humble, unlike my father...and I believe. I am teaching myself to think, Sarala, the thoughts that great men have on equality...and revolution. SARALA : (Shaking her head, not understanding, trace grief, swaying slightly) What are you saying? saiyng ?

of apprehensive What are you

SHOMIK: Our children. Our children, Sarala, I’m doing whatever I’m doing for our children. SARALA : (Like a flash) You're doing this for yourself ! (Shomik recoils; anger breaking through desperation) Yes, for your own power

and glory; I don’t want you to be their leader. I want you to protect this house; bring safety for yourself...and your children.

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88

INQUILAB

SHOMIK : (Angry, raising voice) You don’t know, ignorant woman, you don’t know anything outside of this house. How we work, what we do... A dog...you want me to be a dog the rest of my life. Or hike those animals ploughing those fields... I’m aman. I’ve gota soul, I earn my bread. I work hard. I want my respect, RESPECT | . SARALA : (Slowly, trying'to understand) You...want...your...respect.

SHOMIK : We’re not starving. God Almighty, in spite of all the propaganda, we’re not starving. What we have is not much, but the hunger that consumes me is not food. It’s me, my self-respect, my freedom. — . SARALA : And you'll have it with your...your...revolution 7 SHOMIK : (Clenched teeth, : twisting iron rod again) 1...want...my revenge ! SARALA: Revenge 7 Why ? What for? Has anyone harmed me, your children? Your parents? This I don’t understand. SHOMIK: (Unreasoning) Others have been harmed. Do you know thost of the peasants still live almost in a state

of cruel slavery ?I

can speak for them. Ours is a common cause. I must show it. : SARALA : (Jnsistent) I what way have we been harmed ? : SHOMIK : (Angry again, eyes burning, looking afar) 1 want my revenge:

A leader of the people. One of them. They believe me. No city men can lead the revolt : they need me. My hunger and theirs is the same. Some for food...some for the things beyond. And I shall get it...the only way I know...(7he iron bar now lies out of shape, Shomik sweating, his wife frightened and quiet. Another part

of the house; Jain and Politician enter to meet the old man and his blind wife)

JAIN : (Clasping the old man) Ah, Dada, how are you? looking more fit than ever; more than my father ever: did age. DADA : Your father worried about others too much.

You're at your

JAIN : (Laughing, going up to old woman and folding hands respectfully) Ma-ji.

(The blind woman touches his head)

Ah,

Dada, I'd like you

to meet my good friend, Devdas...(‘‘nameste”) politician... papDa : A good friend, you said...?

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Devdas

is a

ACT I SCENE if

89

JAIN : ...as good as many politician can be, Dada. (Smiling at Devdas)

Not like you and me, of course.

DADA: I’m a poor old man...(His wife tapping her stick as she moves blindly around)...with a blind old woman. DeEvpas : You have a very...fiery son. papa : Ah! But all young people are hot-headed. MA-JI : (Stops tapping her stick ; her ears alert) Has he done anything wrong ? JAIN: (Almost together) Of course, not. DEvpas: Not yet. JAIN : (Covering up) The young still have to learn in life, huh Dada ?

DADA : (Shaking

more,

his head)

JaInN : Don’t worry.

tant man, you know.

,

They

don’t

listen to old people

any

Devdas here is very persuasive. He’s an imporBelongs to the present Government.

(Looking

almost slyly at Devdas) Keeps me abreast of all happenings. Finds

ways out. DADA : (Almost pathetically)I don’t know anything about politics. JAIN ; (Patting him reassuringly) And you don’t need to as long as

I’m here. Tell me, how’s Ma-ji keeping ? DADA : Oh, the usual ailments. You know old people... JAIN: (Interrupting) Yes, yes. You should get her some medicine. Here...(Stuffing some money in the old man’s breast pocket in spite of his feeble protests; the old woman taps the stick and laughs

weirdly.)

,

MA-JL: (Like cracking dry stick) He'll spend it on food. DADA : (Angrily to wife)

How can you say that ?

JAIN : Don’t you have enough to eat ? DADA: Yes, we do. Don’t listen to the old feeble as her eyes.

woman.

MA-JI: (Spurt of vituperation) Not so feeble as to hear Dada! Yes, Jainsahib, there’s enongh to eat, but the right things. My husband has lived longer because he’s eaten roots and barks of trees in the died through too much rich food and wine. My for that any more ! DADA : (Raising his voice) Shut up, old woman

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!

Her you not than old son

-mind

is

eat greedily, enough of your father days; yours won’t stand

90

INQUILAB

MA-JI: (Stick tapping, going away) Plenty of time for that...when I’m

gone...(Her voice fading)...because my bones ache so... DADA : (Resignedly) I apologise. We old people... JAIN : (Gesture of quietening him)...Yes. I konw, Dada. (Nodding his head) I know.

DADA: T’ll go and fetch looks at Devdas.) JAIN: Well?

my

son.

(He

leaves.

Jain turns

around,

DEVDAS : He gets his ideas from the old man.

JAIN: Wrong.

He gets his ideas from politicians.

DEVDAS : We wouldn’t put him up to this kind of thing. JAIN: I’m not saying it’s you. It’s the others: those

who

broken away from you. , DEVDAS : I can’t be held responsible for every politician’s views.

JAIN: Sure, you can be held responsible! You’re the Government! You are responsible for law and order ! DEvDAS : Nothing’s happened here yet.

have

present

,

JAIN: But it will, unless you watch out, I can feel it...in the air. There are secret meetings, 1 hear. Today it’s me here, tomorrow it’s you there, in the seat of power.

DEvpAS : (Wringing his hand) What can Ido? What canI do? JAIN : Stop placating them. I’m not blind enough to believe that I can have larger and larger holdings of land. But what I have is mine, and I shall be protected by law...and if necessary you, Devdas, if you can’t stop them, I will !

DEVDAS : Be careful.

There’ll be no end to it if you

JAIN : (S/yly) You’re

no Gandhian,

your own hands too. things you’ve done.

Devdas.

DEvDAS (Pricked) What do you mean?

force!

take

1 warn

law

I’ve seen the kind

into of

What do you mean ?

JAIN: Come now. Now-a-days neither the peasants, nor the landlords, are ignorant, Each of us..are important voters, quantitatively and qualitatively...(Devdas looks at him attentively) Peasants form

large votes.

I can buy

Until I have a trouble-shooter. quiet. DEVDAS: How ?

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them,

or

most

of them.

And then it’s for you to keep him

ACT I SCENE II JaIN: You have

91 your

own

ways, I’m sure.

(Carefully) Inier-party

conflict is not a new thing...(Devdas is sweating)...That’s how you came into power. Yau stood for constitutional change, the other for revolutionary overthrow. Not only of me; of you too ! Devdas

quiet, watching) Why are you telling the police to soft-peddle them! Are you afraid of losing your peasant votes? You're under-estimating me...(Laughing humorously) My good friend, (Devdas stockstill) Do you know what I carry in my pockets ? (Removes from one a purse with coins, and removes from the other a revolver) Power? From the barrel of the gun? Or from the purse of gold ? (Laughs and leaves. Devdas wipes his brow with the handkerchief, the tap-tapping of the old woman's stick being heard, the sound of voices as the old man reappears with the son.)

DADA : Here...but where’s Jain-ji ? DEvpAS : Er...he has left. DADA : Oh! (Ruefully) I wanted to give him a cup of tea. In my humble home. But never mind. You'll stay? You wanted to meet my son, didn’t you 7

DEvDAS: Yes.

(Both men look at each

other, sizing up; casually) 1

was wondering ..(Shomik looks at him) How the two of you could be so different. Father and son.

DADA: My son is not too different from me. DeEvpAS : Oh, I wouldn’t say that. DADA :I’m old, of course... DEVDAS: ...of course... DADA : But when I was young... DADA: ...yes... ? / papa : (Sighing) Er...(Trying to recollect)...Hum...(sighing again) 1 guess I was different. DEVDAS: (Smiling) Ah. (Turning to Shomik) No opinions on this, young man?

SHOMIK : You didn’t come to see me to talk about the difference between father and son. DEvpDAS : Abh...quite. Quite. (Then suddenly) But when I saw your father taking money I somehow thought you would be different. (Father yelps fearfully, indignantly too. Son turns to father with angry eyes.)

DaDa : It wasn’t anything like that !

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92

INQUILAB

DEvDAS : Oh, I didn’t suggest it was bribery. It was...a gesture of friendship, gracefully accepted. SHOMIK ; (Stretching out his hand, steadily) Give it to me, father. DADA : (Moaning) It’s mine. He gave it to me. His father and 1 were old friends. SHOMIK : (Unwavering, hard) Give it to me, Dada. DADA: (Almost pleading, yet trying to maintain self-respect) It was for Ma-ji. Her ill health. SHOMIK: (Palm extended, whiplike) Here! (Old woman appears as though from nowhere, in and on the way out.) MA-JI (Cracking voice) Give it to him, old man. Or he’ll thrash the life out of you. (Laughing weirdly)! know my son. (Old man almost has tears in his eyes as he waveringly and reluctantly puts the money in his son’s hand. The son looks at it, spits on the money, throws it out.)

SHoMIK : (Shaking with fury) Charity! He should be begging your mercy, father, instead of giving you charity! (Old man leaves, bowed, with wife.) DeEvpas : (Calmly) You don’t respect your father much, do you ?

sHOMIK : Wrong

there.

I respect

him

in

ways

you

understand. DEvDAS : (Nodding his head) 1 thought you were different. SHOMIK : Wrong again.

Devpas: SHOMIK: DEVDAS: SHOMIK:

around.

wouldn’t

He and I are the same. Both peasants.

Ah, you have your unity... ...and strength. But not everybody feels the way you do. Many of the young people do. Those that don’t will come

DEVDAS : How ? SHOMIK : We have our ways, Devdas-ji, same as you. DEvpDAS : Wouldn’t it be better to pull together 7? Instead of different

directions.

SHOMIK : As long as you work

together with landlord Jain, there can

be no meeting in our ways. DEVDAS : (Shrugging his shoulders) I have to keep up with him, understand, but peasants,

SHOMIK : I see.

the real

people

I’m

interested

in

are

you...the

You'd be ready to cut his throat, wouldn’t you 7

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you

ACT I SCENE II

93

DEVDAS : Only metaphorically. either.

I can’t

afford to believe in violence,

SHOMIK : You don’t or you can’t afford to. DEVDAS : In practice,

it’s the same thing.

As

long as you

represent

Government, even if it is made up of a coalition of parties with different views, you can’t afford...outwardly...to condone violence. SHOMIK : ...outwardly... 7 DEvDAS : Correct. Even the maintenance of law and order, you admit, involves force.

SHOMIK : Yes. DEvpAS : So, if I’m faced with a difficult situation, I might, ultimately, have to resort to it.

SHOMIK : (Shrugging his shoulders) 1 don’t blame you. this concern me ?

But how does

Devpas : (Nonchalantly) Sometimes, even outside of my control, there

are inter-party conflicts. SHOMIK : So 7 DEvpaAS : A lot of people get eyes)

killed.

(Shomik looks at him with cold

Good men who could have worked for us...get deflected, you

understand...So, violeace meets with violence, so prevail. (Suddenly laughing) Ironical, isn’t it? would never have believed it...(Shaking his head)

SHOMIK : (Quietly) Are you threatening me? DEVDAS : (Feigning surprise) Good lord, no. the people

here.

Ihave to.

You

Swayer of passions, the

that peace can Ah, Gandhiji

Shomik, champion

of

village messiah...Me...

threaten 2? Good lord, no. (Again sudden change) Look Shomik, let’s be practical. I’m not here to bribe you, or threaten...unless want more wages,

better conditions of work,

give it to you. SHOMIK : 1 want land, my own. DEvpas: If you work for my parfy. even going to be distribution of waste... SHOMIK : Not waste! Productive! DEVDAS : ...productive land.

is possible.

There’s

I’ll see to it that your name comes

Your father is the oldest tiller here. arrange it. SHOMIK : (Coldly) I want this land... DEVDAS: ...this... ?

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that

It may

take time,

I'll

but

up.

I'll

94

INQUILAB

SHOMIK : ...now ! (Fractional pause) DEvpas : (Angrily) Oh, come now, too soon !

SHOMIK; (Catching Devdas by his Devdas. Generations! And have? Ceiling of 50 acres? make the loopholes to play use me.

No, Devdas,

no.

Shomik !_

You want

too

much,

coat) I’ve been waiting too long, tell me, how much land does Jain I know he has much more, You his game...and now you want to

You have

your friends...I have

mine

too...Ah, I think I see them coming now. Yes, you should meet them, Devdas. They come at the right time...(Enter Ahmed and

Amar; clasping Ahmed’s hand, nodding greeting to Amar) Ab, Ahmed, good to see you. Come in, both of you. I want you to meeta good friend of my landlord. Politician Devdas, Jack-ofall-trades, come to offer me party-membership, who says “join

me...or else”...(Devdas flushes;

turning to Devdas) That’s what my

father felt like when you trapped him. DEVDAS: (Flushing) Insolent man ! You've pushed me too far !

SHOMIK:

DEVDAs: there’s

Yes, and what are you going to do about it ?

I’ve got my ways, as you so discreetly put it. I suspect more talk than muscle with you and your friends. (Hot-

headed Shomik catches hold of him to beat him up.) SHOMIK: Did Jain leave his pistol or his purse with you ? Or did you think your political position will save you? Let’s see now ! (Pulls him up)

AHMED: (Very softly) Leave him. (Shomik is ready to beat him up; purring even more softly) I said let him go, Shomik, (Something in his voice stops Shomik) Shomik, not that kind of muscle. Give me a few minutes with him. (Shomik lets him go. Devdas tries to recover courage and dignity, and fear is quickly replaced with indignation.)

DEVDAS: (Foaming in the mouth) You’ve gone too far, Shomik ! I warn you. (Turning to Ahmed) You're in this goonda-gang too, aren’t you? I'll remember all of you ! (Then looking at Ahmed again. Coming closer.) You...have I seen you before? (Looking closer, the thin prickle of fear starting.) I have ...a long memory... (Then breaking it) A few minutes you wanted, to show me real muscle. What is it ? AHMED: (Approaching, looking him in the eye) Yes, Devdas, we met

long ago, in your old days of struggle for power,,-when you didn’t

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ACT I SCENE II

95

care how you got it...But

there was

a weak

point

within

you,

Devdas. Fear. Fear, Devdas...terrorists and counter-terrorists, do youremember ? When violence came slowly and stealthily... There were traitors, of course, to the cause. Easier to compromise when rewards are so close at hand. That was your other weak

point,

Devdas,

greed...Greed.

(Devdas

to ward off the compelling fear.)

is again sweating, unable

DEvDAS:

(Unsteadily) 1...I stood for socialism as much

AHMED; DEVDAS:

You stood for yourself, Devdas. The...the socialist revolution will come,

else.

done constitutionally. AHMED : These are opposites,

DEVDAS:

Devdas.

It...really is absurd that we should fight.

but Ours

as

anyone

it must

common cause. It’s just that the methods are different. AHMED: As between heaven and earth, Devdas.

is still

be a

DEVDAS : Your way won’t work. You're too few. We can achieve more through votes. : AHMED: In order to get votes you are following the same old dirty path, having to pander to people like the landlord, who in the last analysis still controls the Government. DEvpAS : Is your path any cleaner ? It’s washed with the blood of innocent people. AHMED: As innocent as yours, Devdas, remember that. DEvDAS:

AHMED:

Are you...are you threatening me ?

(Approaching) Look

closely,

Devdas,

and remember... In

the Mizo Hills...long ago. A para-military party was sent out, by you...to catch a terrorist, one single terrorist who was single-

handedly bringing about a revolution. None returned, your party .-all dead, all hideously tortured, and murdered...because they dared to turn the inevitable tide that was ordained on that man, who was planting the seed of violent revolution. (Devdas literally. shrinks

with fear on recognition.

His eyes become wider, his mouth

goes dry, and without a further word, he turns and leaves quickly, Shomik and Amar look at Ahmed, quietly, respectfully, and no one mentions a word. A long movement of silence.) SHOMIK :

(With quiet confidence and friendship) Good to see you out

of that damned

classroom,

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Ahmed.

(Ahmed

smiles; there isa

96

INQUILAB

quiet understanding between the two men) Why

did

you

send

that

raw recruit to meet us here ? AHMED : (Still smiling) Because he’s good material, and I wanted him

to learn something outside of the classroom. AMAR: There’e nothing wrong with the classroom. Revolt starts from there. It must be taught to grow, fed with ideas and ideologies of the great men.

SHOMIK: There were no in the field. AMAR: Nor were there minds of men with quiet humour from one SHOMIK: Balls !

great men

who

did

any revolutionaries that indelible pen. to the other.)

not

prove

themselves

who did not fire the (Ahmed is looking with

AHMED : That has its place too, my friends. (All laugh.) AMAR: But seriously, Ahmed, 1 do think we are laying too emphasis on the rural areas. The real unrest industrial complexes : strikes, lockouts, bundhs,

much

starts from the gheraos, That's

where we should flame the fires of discontent...(Amar raises his hand to stop Shomik from interrupting) No, Shomik, let me have my say. Half of Bengal lies in Calcutta and the Eastern Coal & Iron Belt.

Here we have the real boiling pot ready to burst. You’re spreading out your revolt too thin in going into a relatively peaceful countryside. SHOMIK: (Like a tiger) Nonsense ! There’s nothing peaceful about

the countryside, Amar. It’s lurking there, under-neath our skins, revolt against this unspeakable tyranny we’ve suffered on the lands .. Listen to me, Amar, you’re like a blood-brother to me, but your place really is in the classroom and those ineffectual bombs you

keep

throwing around the city to frighten a few people.

real revolution starts here, here Amar,

on

the

and spreads...till it engulfs the whole country.

land...and

The

spreads

AHMED : (Raising his hands, wanting to both encourage and stop this Sriendly duel) Hold on. Hold on, both of you, my true mastaans. Of course, both of you are right, because revolution carries no

separate

or individual ideology.

true test is still to come. survive...

But, my friends, let’s wait.

The

What stuff we’re made of, and who shall

AMAR: You...you’ve seen action before, Ahmed. And much more. Neither of us really have, What is your...individual...thinking ?

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ACT I SCENE II

97

SHOMIK : (Also turning to Ahmed) Yes, Ahmed, you’ve never really spoken your mind before. (Ahmed in deep thought. He moves over to the bagful of rice, takes it in his fist, walks outside the door, presumably in front of the fields.) AHMED: (Softly, distantly) There isa personal meaning in it for all of us, you in the classroom Amar, you in the fields Shomik, others in the factory, those who have gone undergound, the martyrs who have died, the search and cry that calls out to all of us, who refuse to stay unmoved...Such is our mould, sometimes heroic, sometimes

selfish

too,

in those

obsessive

human

ideals

of the

future, the frantic struggles of the present, that moves us on and on and on until death and fulfilment...So, I search for the ultimate : the cause and effect. Thecycle of generations that revolt. The great burning desire within us that is prepared to kill and recreate. Build the new world that is as close to God’s image as Man is...(Opening the palm of his hand and seeing the rice) It’s all here. Inthe seed. The urge, and longing. The creation that rebels the moment it’s born. And there...(Looking at the fields)... the earth lies fertile. Me What do I want out of life ? (Laughs peculiarly) There ! (He flings the rice seed to earth beyond...) THis ! ‘

(shutout darkness)

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ACT

Daytime.

II

Classroom, Professor lecturing to students

PROF. DATTA : ...Some have described land-grabbing as moral, legitimate and legal. I am not here to contest the moral aspect of the problem : this is purely subjective. I will give you...my legal opinion...(Goes up to the black-board; writes : INDIAN CONSTITUTION,

ARTICLE 31 SECTION (A)(1), ARTICLE 19. As he writes, he speaks)... our Constitution guarantees...all citizens...the right to hold or dispose

therefore

of

private

to grab

(messages flashing

property ... including

land on.

is an

the

wall

land...any

attempt

attack on this fundamental right... as

before : BOURGEOIS LANDLORD

GOVERNMENT...PEASANT UNION...MASS ACTION...PEOPLES’

WAR...)...if

excess land held by some persons is to be made available to those who are deserving and desirous of using it for agriculutre, our law provides the power to acquire land for this purpose...But it also

protects

the

owner.

...under

Article

31,

no

person

can

be

deprived of his property save by authority of law. Section 31 (A) (1) (@) provides that any law, providing for acqisition of any estate or any right therein or the extinguishment or modifica-

tion of such rights, cannot be void...(4 loud yawn from one of the

students : general laughter : Prof. taps on the tion)...cannot be void on the ground that it or takes away or abridges any right conferred ...(Louder yawn of tiresome protest and longer

Boys! Attention

please.

This

is vital,

the

dias to restore attenis inconsistent with by Articles 10 and 31 laughter) Gentlemen !

point

I’m trying to

make. Look at the board. What does it say? It says that in a democracy where the rule of law prevails, the action must be through appropriate legislation...(Teletype messages : CLASS ENEMIES

MURDABAD...INQUILAB...INQUILAB ZINDABAD...) ( fadeout)

Scene shifts to field with two peasants Typically laconic. Equivocating.

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sitting

on

their haunches.

ACT

99

Isr PEASANT : Well, what do you think ? 2ND PEASANT : (Taking out a pan and preparing it) Difficult to say.

1st : Should we or should we not join ? 2nD : (Offering him the pan, taking one himself) Yes. Ist: On the one hand, we could become landlords (Benign smile)

2nD: (Chewing slowly; then faster) Yes. Isr:

ourselves...

Yes.

...on the other hand we could land up in jail. (downcast gloom)

2nD: (Chewing slowly once again) Yes. (Long silence; shifting pan from one cheek to another) There’s another side too.

the

Ist: Yes? 2npD : If we do join, we’re brothers...all united.

Ist; Yes. Yes. 2nD : If we don’t join, we’re outcasts...victimized. Ist: True. (Shaking his head) Only too true. 2ND : (Raising his finger) But... Ist: Huh ? 2nD : But there’s a third side to it too. Isr: What 7 2nD : The Politician and the Police. Isr : (Shooting out a spitful of juice in reply) 2nD: No. No. Don’t forget them. Just because they haven’t taken any action yet does not mean they will not. Ist ; They’re afraid. 2nD : Of whom ? The terrorists... ? Ist: No. They’re afraid any action against us will upset their votes...or at least Shomik says so.

2np : Ah, Shomik ? (Shoots out a spitful of pan in disdainful reply) 1st : No, no, my friend, don’t underestimate him.

2np : Bah ! Ist: He has friends. They don’t talk; they kill. (2nd peasant carefully silent; no reply. Another long pause.) 2np : So, we're caught between the devil and the deep, are we ? Ist : E don’t know...(Then thoughtfully)...’ve been thinking... 2nD : (Surprised) Yes ? Isr: (Ignoring the facetiousness...there is an underlying humour about this scene) Are we ?

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100

INQUILAB

2npD : (Now irritated) Are we what ?

1st : Are we between the devil and the deep ? _2ND : (More irritated) That’s the question I asked you ! Ist : You did ? 2ND: Yes.

1st : Well, I’ve been thinking... (Second one in quiet exasperation, keeps quiet; thinking away, repeating for the last time) I’ve been thinking that we should join. Look, we've really got nothing to lose. Land-grab is taking place everywhere. Even this State government has a sneaking sympathy for it. 2np : What if they jail us ?

lst: What if they do? Our greatest leaders were once in jail fighting against the same sort of unfairness. All this means is that they’ll change the laws faster, or make sure there is less delay in seeing that the laws apply to us fairly.

2np: Yes,

they won’t keep us long in jail if we're fighting for a just

and moral cause, ' Isr : There’s only one thing I don’t like. 2nD : What 7 1st : Where to stop. Oh, you know and I know, or think we know, how far to go. But when leadership is in the hands of...of extremists, I’m afraid it may not stop with the land-grab.

2np : What do you mean ?

Isr: I don’t know...yet. But I’ve got a strong feeling something’s going to happen soon. Therc've been secret meetings held of late : an inner group that seems to control and guide.

2np:

As long as I get the extra land, I don’t care.

1st : I hope so... (Darkness.

Scene

shifts back

,

to college...corridor

with 2 or 3

boys and maybe a girl grouping around for a chat.) 1st Boy : I don’t know how you feel about it, but I’m quite fed up. 2nD Boy : Fed up with what 7

1st Boy : Oh, the whole bloody thing. doesn’t

know

how

This damned University that

to teach or what to teach.

They’re a hundred

years old . backdated in their ideas. 3RD Boy : Still...a degree here can land you with a job.

GIRL (Butting in) : How many and whom ?

3RD BOY : What are you worried about?

You're a girl.

GiRL ; (Not to be put down) Who do you think you have for a Prime

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ACT It

101

Minister today ! (Everybody laughs) Though my ideals are different.

I'd rather be a Leila Khaled or a Angela Davis today.

2nD Boy : Who’s that ? Isr Boy : (Dryly)...Palestinian commando...Black Marxist... . 2nD BOY : (Quiet, slightly awed, slightly frightened) 1...1 see. ...never quite thought of girls that way. (Others laugh again. There is a humorous freshness, a pleasantness about them, which can immediately become serious and frightening.) You ..you... mean you’re a Naxal. (The girl does not reply; she opens her compact and begins to put on lipstick.) Ist Boy : (Looking at her and winking) Naxals don’t talk. They do. 3rD Boy : Look, Let’s not get carried away. Being a Naxal sympathiser is not being a Naxal. A lot of us in College are sympathisers...for various reasons, not all of it political. Ist Boy : For once I agree. GIRL: What difference does it make? Activist or sympathiser ? It’s the same cause.

Overthrow of this present rotten system.

3RD Boy : What’s so rotten, for argument’s sake. GIRL: Anil said a little while ago they were antiquated. 1 can add afew more. Would you say they’re...honest with us ? Or purposeful? Have they done anything to fulfil their promises, either with us or themselves ? Ever since they grabbed power 23 years

ago, they just kept perpetuating British colonialism.

. Ist Boy (Anil) : Right. 3rp Boy : Oh, it’s not as bad as all that. Mind you, I think the College could do with a lot of improvement, but to throw it all overboard saying that it’s bourgeois or rotten to the core does not solve the problem. 2nD BOY : (Yawning) Me? I love holidays. GIRL: What do you do? 2np Boy : Oh, at first I just wait in queues. Queues for trams, queues for cinemas, queues to thake a pee. But there are so many of us

who are not prepared to whether it’s the tram, fight for survival...(From them are moved by the none.)

wait... So, when we see the end we rush, the cinema ticket or the w.c. Then it’s a the humorous to the deep thought. All of philosophical content, which has escaped

1st Boy : What about the poverty ?

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INQUILAB

2np. Boy : What about it? It’s disgusting, that’s all. Girv : Disgusting that it’s there, or that it is allowed to remain ? 2ND Boy: Never thought much about it. GIRL : (Softly) Amar often talks about it.

set-up.

Blames it on the

present

3rD Boy: Amar? He’s a poet. Deeply moved, emotional. Not the stuff that activities and politicians are made of. Isr Boy : (Looking at him; it is clear that each student respects the

other,

despite their honest

agreements

think so 7 3RD BOY : (Looking back steadily) Yes.

‘GIRL : (Pensively) Some

say he belongs

Being a poet may be a pose.

Isr Boy : You

never

know.

3RD Boy: Still

it must

Till the

or disagreements) Do you

to the

“inner

sanctum”’.

police start gunning.

the suspicion gets deep, the real ones go underground.

Prof. here.

be awkward

When

for him to have a father as a

Or rather the other way around,

2ND BOY : I smell trouble. My nose...is intuitive. GIRL : Why don’t you give it a holiday too sometime. 2nD Boy : (Lumbering up to her) Then how will I “sniff” “sniff” you. (All laugh as she gives him a playful push) Gosh ! I'd hate to fool

around with you never knowing when your couple of bombs go “bang” “bang”. (Ogling her, others laughing louder, she somewhat embarrassed and angry now.)

GIRL : Oh, you ! (She whacks him on the head with her

baghand

and

runs after him as he disappears zig-zagging out of the corridor, to the genial laughter of the groups.) (Blackout) (Another quick scene, this time the suggestion of two prisoners in a cell being interrogated by an Officer [Intelligence] and a policeman. One of the prisoners looks like a real goondaand the other a slightly upper-class type. The latter could be the same young man who was talking to the peasants in one of the earlier scenes. All these peasant and plebian scenes of course are in the vernacular or regional

language : not English)

GOONDA : (Lying down, smoking the Char Minar) Well...look who’s here. (As the Inspector and Policeman enter, closing the iron-barred

door.)

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“ACT It

103

UPPER-CLASS TYPE: Reception Committee. GOONDA: Where’s the Mayor, and those ladies with fat arses and fatter purses.

I-o-v-e-l-y

fashionable

POLICEMAN: Shut up!

INSPECTOR : (To Policeman, coolly) I presume it’s the other one. GOoNDA : Oh, so you've come here to question my friend. I-n-t-e-rT-0-g-a-t-i-o-n. (Jo the U.C. type) That’s another word. For beating you up, chum. POLICEMAN ; (Jo Goonda) You're itching for it, aren’t you ! GOONDA : (Scratching his balls) I got only one itch. INSPECTOR : (Jo U.C. type, ignoring others) So, you look upon him as your friend too, do you ? U.c.T : (Steadily looking back) I know you're not mine. INSPECTOR : (Coolly taking out note book, reading...) Name: Ashok Chandra. Family: the Chandra Group...(Looking at him significantly) Occupation : Post-graduate...drop-out...Correction: Present Occupation : No more the armchair intellectual : the active Naxal caught red-handed in the act of throwing a petrol-bomb on a police-van...

U.C.T.: (Coolly) As

up your arse...(He

my

friend would

cannot complete

say, too bad it wasn’t shoved

the sentence because the police

Inspector has slapped him hard across the face; hair and turning his head to face the goonda.) INSPECTOR : (Turning

angry

fist) Look

here,

you

then

catching

his

fucking bastard!

Look what you’ve become ! A bloody goonda who only knows violence and hate! (For a mesmeric moment to Goonda and U.C. type stare at each other.)

v.c.T : (Softly) For a purpose.

For a purpose you

wouldn’t

under-

stand. . INSPECTOR : I understand all right. That’s the trouble. We've been too patient. Too kind. Too understanding. Maybe it was political. Idon’t know. But you’ve gone too far. And you don’t change. You’re worse than the criminal type. What I can’t understand is why you do it. You're privileged. Alright, so you’re inspired. For the good of mankind, you're prepared to kill. It’s the same thing. There’s no difference between you and he. You're worse. GOONDA: (Raising himself with facetious dignity) Now don’t you go

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casting

aspersions

on me,

police

Inspector

sahib.

(Policeman

raises his baton and he cowers giggling away in the corner.)

INSPECTOR: (Not unkindly) Now listen to me, young pressures on many

sides.

Building

up.

Your

man.

my boss is gunning, the political party is gunning.

I’ve got

father’s

gunning,

Still I have to

do my job. And my job is first and foremost to protect my own people: the policemen on duty. One drop of blood from my brother and Pll cut your throat. (Then earnestly, trying his last)

Why the policeman, you idiot, why the policeman !

v.c.T : (Softly, almost hypnotically to himself) Symbol of law-andorder. It didn’t matter earlier : you didn’t come in my way. We

stepped up our activities.

Now you do, so you better watch out...

(Stands up, looks out of bars, back to others) No use being armchair intellectual. Universities... Armed Police...all the same... (He is almost talking to himself, so his words almost appear disjointed as

he rationalizes to himself)... Symbol of Authority...of Government

built on preserving the Good and the Rich and the Powerful. But there are others too...humanity that suffers...reaches the point of

no and of can to

return...then retaliates !_ (Nobody interrupts his almost sacred passionate discourse with himself) The overthrow...involves use all methods...most of all terror and violence. Leadership... only come from the intellectual few...to stir up the masses in-

revolt...organized

so that

they

replace

the

present

corrupt

administration when the time is ripe. I...must be actively involved...or withdraw into cowardice and abstraction, believing but doing nothing like the older generation...(Then suddenly coming back to the present, turning around)

lay off! Lay off us, or we'll kill you.

Ym warning

you,

Inspector,

INSPECTOR : (Laughs dryly, the cold killer glint in his eyes too; softly) There’s nothing...I love more than a direct confrontation. I tried my best with you (Rolling up his sleeve and baring his knuckles, shoving the policeman and goonda aside

fearfully,

while

his opponent’s) But you've brought out

on!

who

moves

away

me.

Come

the Inspector’s muscles build up to twice the size of

Fight, you fucking bastard

!

the

brute

in

(Blackout) (Shift of scene again to main-line story : light sharply focussed as

narrow

beam

a

on a cultivable field, and then the sudden plunge of a

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ACT It

105

spear...gradually circumference of the light enlarges to reveal a large

group

of peasants, armed with lathis and spears and sickles asserting

themselves in the process of the land-grab. The spear is of course the inarticulate assertion of their claim. Shomik the leader.)

SHOMIK: (With raised challenging voice) Any man ..who removes this spear...gets it in the throat. (Wild cheers; an excited crowd) We have staked our claim, brothers. On the same spot where your fathers worked as slaves, you will earn your freedom . (Cheers again; men with measuring tapes busy demarcating...) That’s right. Each man an equal share.

VILLAGER: Jainsahib carries 4 revolver... SHOMIK: (Raising a lathi) Let him try! (applause) ANOTHER: The police carry lathis... SHOMIK : (Raising the sickle; laughing) Let them try ! (More Gaiety mixed with nervous excitement) ANOTHER: Politician Devdas... SHOMIK: (Interrupting, glowering) Ah, as for Politician (Leaves sentence unfinished, but that is enough) Brothers, ago was it that Politician Devdas gave us promises of tribution... VILLAGERS: ...long, long ago... SHOMIK: And how many promises has he fulfilled...? VILLAGERS: ...nothing, nothing...

applause. Devdas... how long land dis-

SHOMIK : How long are we going to what, huh? Till we grow old and infirm ? Meanwhile he makes deals with landlord Jain and others like him who control the Government (Nod of consent and approval) Let’s not fool ourselves. We are taking laws into our own hands...because this is the only law that produces results ! (Nods of wide approval, the measurer of land whispers to Shomik. Shomik turning to crowd.) SHOMIK : The measurements of land are complete. As I said before, each one equal share. But I have an extra person to suggest for equal share.

crow: Who ? sHOMIK: Landlord Jain. ONE OF THEM: Huh? SHOMIK : I want landlord Jain to share alike because he is prepared

to work

with his hands.

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Let it not be said that we do not

106

INQUILAB

dispense justice ! (New idea; crowd still baffled) I also want him to feel...a sense of humiliation. This is our revenge, brothers. . No more will he order us around. He will grow his own...and stand on his own feet. (Drift of crowd in his Savour; pretty soon all agree; cheering) If he resists...if he resists, my friends...( Again, leaves sentence unfinished)...we shall have to try him out, according to our own laws...(Others puzzled again) Every revolution has its own laws. Its Courts and Councils of justice...(Laughs) All of you needn’t worry. Leave it. to our inner Council. Meanwhile, let us have your expression of confidence ! crowp: (Slowly at first; then louder in volume and anger and collective threat) JOTEDAR MURDADBAD ! INQIULAB ZINDABAD !

INQUILAB ZINDABAD

SHOMIK: again. crowD: first

!

(Jn frenzy) Again. Again and again. Louder and louder . / (The volume growing to frightening proportions; this is the

occasion

when

the

words

are

collectively uttered; the earlier

ones were silent written ticker-tape flashes) JOTEDAR INQUILAB ZINDABAD ! JOTEDAR MURDABAD !

SHOMIK:

villages,

(Real demagogue)

Right ! Now let us

march

to new fields! To grab...and call our own. (fadeout)

MURDABAD on,

to

new

(Again sharp transition back to college scene with sound and flash of

sudden

sion,

which

explosion

: a

bomb planted or thrown...a cocktail.

Confu-

shouts, screams presumably on road adjacent to college campus has

its immediate

repercussions

on

the

excited

students.

Students running helter-skelter, forming animated little groups.) IST STUDENT: ...bomb thrown... : 2ND STUDENT:

...police van...

3RD STUDENT:

...one dead, two

. 4TH STUDENT: STH STUDENT:

injured...

...pedestrian too... ..-assassin unknown...

ONE OF THEM: ...presumed Naxalite... ANOTHER: ...Who else...? YET ANOTHER: ... warnings... ANOTHER: ...and counter threats... AND SO ON: ...confrontation...

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!

107

ACT Il BOUNCED BACK & FORTH: ...bound to explode... FRAGMENTS OVERHEARD : ...wonder if it was a student... AGAIN: ...Who else...? ANOTHER: ...easy to get lost...

BACK AGAIN 3+ ...amongst us...

ANOTHER: ...blood everywhere... AGAIN: ...land-grab becoming violent too... ANOTHER: ...building and property grab to start

AGAIN:

...good thing.

I’m sick of monopolists...

too...

ANOTHER: ...the rich make me vomit... AGAIN: ...but wait. Violence no answer... ANOTHER:

...nO time to wait...

AGAIN: God! The blood I saw... ANOTHER: ...it’s quite another thing to theorize... AGAIN: ...that’s all we learn here. Theories, and theories, and theories... ANOTHER: ...s0 you want to go out and bomb too... AGAIN: ...not that far! Not somuch! Protest that must stop. ANOTHER :_ ...Where...? AGAIN: ...I don’t know... ANOTHER :_ ...do you doubt ?... AGAIN: ...I[ non’t know... ANOTHER: ...do you doubt ?... AGAIN: .. God, no ! ANOTHER: ...No God? Do you believe in God ? AGAIN: ...what atime to ask! ANOTHER: ...What a time to die. AGAIN: ...I believe in nothing... ANOTHER: ...I believein a New World... AGAIN: ...a Brave New One ? ANOTHER: ...anything better than the old one...

AGAIN:

...yeS...

AGAIN:

...1 feft sick seeing so much blood...

ANOTHER: ...and then what ? Are we going to commit mistakes... AGAIN: ...at least it will be our own... ANOTHER: ...ones we are prepared to suffer for...

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the

same

108

INQUILAB

ANOTHER: ...serves them right... AGAIN: ...as long as it wasn’t your own... ...I am prepared to die... ANOTHER: AGAIN: ...but what if the man you kill is innocent...

ANOTHER:

...too bad.

ANOTHER:

...bloody hypocrites...

...no! It matters very much. It...bothers...me AGAIN: ...conscience 7 You suffer from conscience 7 ANOTHER: ...vote of conscience, they say in politics... AGAIN:

AGAIN:

clean.

ANOTHER: anyone

AGAIN:

thinking

is

You'll learn to become as dishonest

as

IS THIS GOING

TO

We maybe wrong,

...yeah.

...give it time.

else...

but

Talk for yourself {

at least

ANOTHER, ANOTHER, ANOTHER : WHEN THE HELL END ? AGAIN, AGAIN, AGAIN: NEVER, NEVER. NEVER!

our

,

( fadeout)

(Same scene. Fadeout on students, brighter light on Amar, dishevelled, restless, pacing, waiting for someone...until Suprea comes.

Dashes up to her.)

(Holding her hand, almost with sense of urgency) Suprea ! AMAR: (Wide-eyed, fearful, almost hysterical) Where have you supREA: been, Amar 7 I’ve been frantic searching for you. AMAR : I...I was...caught up in the rush.

Imagine SUPREA : Close. It was just next to our college building. ...this happening in broad daylight. Nobody’s afraid...and yet of course they are. AMAR: the...the... supREA: How terrible ! How terrible ! Did you see dead and injured... AmaR (Eyes afar) No. Just a blur... (Her excitement lessening; returning more to normal)...just SUPREA: a blur... just That’s how life is, Suprea. It travels fast and deep... AMAR: a blur...and before you know it...it’s over. supREA: Is it...? life Like the moths who are born in the day, cover their AMAR:

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ACT

IL

109

span in a few hours, and die by evening. SUPREA: ...unless they are drawn to the flame... AMAR: Meaning ? SUPREA : Meaning you can destroy yourself earlier too...

AMAR:

It’s what you do during those few hours

that matters.

SUPREA: Yes,even moths propagate before they die, and in so doing, learn to love life. Indeed, find it beautiful too... AMAR: (Facetiously banging his head on the wall) Oh, that I were a moth. Dear God, oh that I were reincarnated a moth ! SUPREA: (Laughing, and cupping his face in her hands, the transition from fear to love to laughter so easy for the young) I'd ask to be born a mothess then...(Both laugh) but seriously, Amar, here we are laughing in the middle of horror...a tragedy. Something must be wrong with us. AMAR : (Knocking on her head) Yes, Vl have to get your head

examined.

SUPREA: (Pushing him away) Oh, silly ! (Then looking at each other, the glee in their eyes suddenly fading, her eyes gradually becoming clouded, coming in his arms with her head protected by his chest) Oh, Amar...Amar...

AMAR:

SUPREA:

You're not going to cry again.

(Looking up) I’m worried, Amar, I’m worried sick. ‘T want

you to protect me like this...always.

AMAR:

SUPREA:

It will pass.

It will pass.

But I’m

worried.

Oh, you should have seen them, lying in the pool of blood,

moaning with pain...

AMAR: ...the risks of being a policeman... SUPREA: (Separating from him) What are you saying ? Amar... ‘they’re...they’re human beings...with flesh and blood like you and I... AMAR: JI... was merely suggesting...that theirs is a dangerous profession...

SUPREA:

It didn’t sound that way

were justifying...

AMAR:

It’s a war.

It’sa

war,

to me...almost

Suprea.

That’s

as though

what

they

Any attack on a policeman is a war with the Government. fair in love and...

SUPREA:

No. Amar, no, It’s not fair.

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you

claim.

All’s

Because it’s not human,

110

AMAR:

SUPREA:

INQUILAB

Both sides are prepared. And the innocent

ones...?

AMAR: None are innocent. None can abstain. We're all involved. SUPREA : Even the poor woman who died on the footpath near the police van, and the child who was injured ? AMAR: (His composure shaken for the first time) C...child 2? Woman ? SUPREA: Yes. These things happen in a blur. There are innocent bystanders in life, Amar, or don’t you know ? AMAR: (Repeating) I...1 didn’t know...there was a...woman and child... SUPREA: You don’t know a lot, Amar, and yet you’re prepared to pass judgement. AMAR :

(Angry, retaliating without

knowing

why)

As

though

do !. What would you know living in that well-protected

your father.

SUPREA: I know a

lot !

AMAR :

(Blurting out) Well, do you know your father is

AMAR:

N...nothing.

AMAR:

Y...your father carries

SUPREA: SUPREA :

farm

you

of

in danger !

(Silent, shocked, realizing) Wh...what are you saying ?

(Jnsistent) What did you say just now, Amar

inviting trouble.

a gun.

That’s

!

dangerous,

That’s

SUPREA: (Holding him, urgently) What do you know, Amar ? AMAR: (Harassed expression, undecided, moved by his concern for

her) His

suPREA : AMAR:

resist.

land is being taken...forcibly.

(Turning around to

leave) Ob!

(Catches her) Wait ! Wait, Suprea.

The mood’s bad.

Tell...tell

Anything could happen.

him...not to

.

SUPREA: (Alarmed) He will resist. I know he will { AMAR: (Holding her with greater urgency) Tell bim he must not ! Let

things cool.

supREA : (Wanting to tear herself away) Let me go. AMAR : (Holding on) In a moment. (Trying hard) Suprea...Suprea...

supRBA:

(Apprehensive,

not

moving,

What’s it, Amar ? AMAR: (Steadying himself) Suprea...I

while...

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not won’t

resisting, be

seeing

sensing

him)

you...for

a

————”

ACT Il

111

SuPREA:

(Afraid now) What do you mean?

Why ?

AMAR: (Holding back in spite of himself) 1...1 can’t tell you...now... supREA: D...did it have anything todo with the bombing now 7? (No reply) D...does it have anything to do...with my father’s land ...) (Amar opens his mouth, but no reply. She turns around, crying and dashes away, whilst Amar stands helplessly, alone.) (Blackout)

(Scene moves to Professor’s residence. ...dim light on table with light.

Professor Datta in his study

wife decorating the statue. Professor working on He has a troubled, distracted air. Shadow fall,

stranger, Ahmed. Professor looks up with a start, trying to focus his eyes through glasses; momentary disbelief and apprehension.) PROF.: ..A...Amar ? (Ahmed steps into the right) AHMED:

pRoF.: AHMED

(Quietly) No, it’s me, Professor Datta.

:

(Abstractly) Oh...I thought for a moment... (Repeating firmly) No, it’s me.

pRoF.: Ahh...yes, Ahmed. I...we...were expecting...hoping for Amar’s return. (Ahmed does not reply) He...he’s disappeared. Perhaps you

may

know

something.

You’re

his

friend.

very highly about you...too little though... AHMED : If he’s missing, why don’t you call the Police ? PROF. AHMED PROF. AHMED _

Spoke

: (Stammering, hesitatingM...1... : It’s their job to find missing people. : (Helplessly) They...they were here, ; Oh...in that case they’ll be searching for him.

PROF. : They are.

(Ahmed looks at him.

He falters again, they blurt

out.) They...they think he’s connected with the police slaying! AHMED : (Deadpan) I see. PROF. : You don’t think he’s responsible for it, do you? I mean...I

mean it’s one thing to theorise, quite another...to...kill.

the type, Ahmed.

He’s not

He...(Almost pathetically). he’s like me...invol-

ved in his own abstractions... AHMED : You don’t seem very sure about your own son. pro. : He...he always was remote. Poetic by nature, I said. But there was a ferment within him I could neither understand for control.

AHMED : (Softly) Perhaps you didn’t try...

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112

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INQUILAB

PROF. : (Awakened from reverie, provoked) Try? To understand ? His mother said that too. Have you thought of it the other way around? Did he try? To understand me? The inner lawr and philosophies that the older live by. The young can be selfish. AHMED : (Softly)...sometimes shy to show themselves, sometimes resentful at being discovered...

PROF. : (Mildly surprised) Strange. You seem to know his qualities well. Like someone close. Yes, he is that. AHMED : Then there was not any deep confict between you. pror. : Are you asking me whether there was love between us?

The

answer

is yes.

But

if you’re

asking whether there was any

conflict the answer is still yes. We stood poles apart. AHMED : (Hard smile in his eyes) 1 understand.

pRoF. : He’s seen me...over the years...engrossed in teaching. rationalism of laws.

it.

He willnot.

In objectivity and fairness.

However much

Yes.

he tries.

In the

He cannot escape

(Ahmed quiet) That’s

why I cannot believe he’s guilty. AHMED : He might have his own standards of action and judgement. PRoF.: No doubt. But mine are bound to wear off on him...somewhat. AHMED : You might be right. Perhaps that’s the source of his own trouble...a sense of doubt... pror. : (To himself) Maybe...I was...too rigid. Too inflexible outside, too weak inside...(7o Ahmed) Where do you think he’s gone ? AHMED’:

Underground.

Probably in the countryside.

PROF. : (Again introduction) effete...to cope with

Sometimes...I

everything.

Too

feel...too

close

to

the

detached, end,

too

unable

really to understand. His mother.. his mother is the opposite. A strong instinct...all consuming...And I too removed...(Ahmed Stiffens imperceptibly.) AHMED : (Very softly) ...his mother... PROF. : (Unbroken mood)

His mother...suffered

terribly...the loss

her first child. Somehow never forgave me, as responsible. He was lost...lost, you understand.

of

though I were

AHMED : (Co/d) You never...search for him.

pror. : (Weakly, lamely) How? Where? Oh, yes, the usual things ..-Police, friends, enquiries...But she expected me to turn the whole

world jnside out,

She was like some mad beast, possessed.

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A

ACT II

113

frightening passion.

I felt paralyzed...paralyzed, you understand !

AHMED : (Hardly audible) No. PROF. : (Intent on convincing himself) him out. Out in the wilderness?

She kept insisting that I search Where there was no chance for

survival...in those primitive hills...either for

him

or.me?

There

was no proof that he was alive. How wasI to convince her, a primitive superstitious woman, who unreasonably drained me... AHMED : (Softly) You began to wish him dead, didn’t you. PROF, : (Self-hypnotised, his eyes wider) Yes, yes! I began to wish him dead! For she was killing me. Every day...(His voice rising) -every night I wished that some evidence would turn up...bloodstained

clothes,

a torn

doll...teethmarks of a wild animal or the

bloody knife of a savage !...(Closing his eyes, controlling himself)... forgive me. Forgive me...these demons of the night, which she creates from clay and fleseh, make me wonder, drive me frantic, how insane her desire, how craving her fertility, that she takes from me my last vestiges of manhood, and then keep searching on and on for her lost sons... AHMED: (Gently pushing him aside) 1 will see her now... (Professor

tired, slumps back in chair, saying nothing. Ahmed enters her prayer room. Some of the horrentous expressions of the faces of the victims...the slain devils, evils in fatal combat, animals, man in combat...are taking shape. So are the weapons of destruction... clubs, spears, knives, axes...and the determined, serene face of

Goddess Mother with her full voluptuous figure. Ahmed enters. The Mother looks at him without saying a word, one hand to her heart and the other tremblingly stretching out to touch him.) (Blackout) (Scene shifts go field at night with

kerosene

lamp and “Council

of

Justice” squatting on the ground in a circle. This is the “inner sanctum” meeting, with peasants giving summary justice, along the

methods adopted by the Maosit revolutionaries. Tied in the center is landlord Jain, mouth muffled, Ahmed, Amar and Shomik are there. Ahmed one hardly sees, but his presence is always felt. He is not an active participant, but his authority is unquestionable. Surrounded

by peasants, excitable, rebellious, thirsting for blood.) AHMED ; (Raising his hands to hush them) Friends. Landlord Jain trespasses. Yet he calls this Jand his own. Some have called

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114

INQUILAB

him friend: others enemy. must prevail.

Who’s to judge?

The laws of society

You.

But fairness

one such as we have created in

our midst today. Jain’s on trial. His freedom or punishment is for you to decide. Is he guilty, or isn’t he? I nominate...Shomik as prosecutor... (Cheers) To find a defence is difficult. Perhaps we are as biased on this side as they are on the other. Absolute justice...there is none. So, we shall try and come close...examine the doubts that there are...by one most suitable: young Amar here...(Slight restlessness and comment; softly) I withdraw...(He

disappears into darkness.)

SHOMIK : (Getting

up,

coming to the centre, pointing finger at Jain) 1

accuse ! (Pause; abruptly) He’s guilty. That’s all there is to it. AMAR : (Intercepting) This is a trial; not a verdict. SHOMIK : I’m giving him as much chance as he gave us.

AMAR:

You’re giving him none.

SHOMIK: Exactly. AMAR : (Turning to the Council) Look, I’m not one of you.

But I’m

with you, you understand. We decided on something: a trial. Let us have the honesty to persue it. (Nods from Council members)

SHOMIK: So, the first round goes to you. Alright, we'll play it your way. I hear you’re the son ofa teacher, a lawman. Friend of*

landlord Jain, they say. AMAR : (Flushing) That has nothing to do with it. SHOMIK: We'll see. . AMAR : (To Council) Let us judge Jainji as an individual; not a class enemy. Everybody admits he’s been fair in his dealings, and a hard worker. Look at his calloused hands if you don’t believe me +-(Jain’s

eyes flicker with new recognition at Amar)

father if you don’t believe me... SHOMIK : (Flushing) That has nothing to do with it !

Ask Shomik’s

:

AMAR : We'll see. SHOMIK : (To Council) Don’t be misled by his cleverness.

forked

tongue of the privileged class.

never die within us. For him, the loyalty to his us the hatred that burns for generations.

AMAR : That’s not true ! We’re looking for justice. On

reason.

They

amount to the same thing.

today are the laws that will survive tomorrow.

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He has the

There are some things that own

people;

for

Laws are based

The laws we make

Let us not start

ACT

115

on the wrong footing.

SHOMIK : Jain must be judged as a class enemy and not an individual. Every

cause,

AMAR:

time

you

make

excuses for the individual you weaken the

(Sweating) There is no such thing as a system.

only individuals that find themselves caught in it.

There

are

sHoMIK : Anyone that perpetuates is as guilty as the doer. What are you fighting for ? Your right, or Jain’s charity? The charity is meant to humiliate us, deprive us of the will to oppose. AMAR: Oppose by all means. Change through opposition. Be careful before you overthrow...(Distantly)...harmless lives may be involved...

SHOMIK:

Constitutional change did us no good.

We

waited...and

waited. Until hope died and the new life withered. Cruelty... (Reminiscing)...is inevitable. Let us suffer it no more than we have to. Enjoy it no more than we must. AMAR: There is no summary justice. It must come painfully. Once you use a revolt to your own ends, it destroys what could be most meaningful. SHOMIK: Enough ! No more platitudes. We’ve come here...not to learn...from the son of a schoolmaster, but to take...corrective action ! (Sounds of consent from crowd; aside to Amar) Hear them, Amar. They’re judging you too, you know. It’s one thing to be defence counsel, another to be...defector ! AMAR:

(Aside to Shomik) You're using this for your personal

Shomik !

ends,

SHOMIK : (Aside back to him) What’s your loyalty, Amar! If you’re willing to do this for your father’s friend what wouldn’t you do for your father and the other bourgeois.

AMAR:

(Aside reply) I’d do what I think is right.

AMAR :

(Whispering) Jain. No time now.

SHOMIK : (Aside again ) Even break up what your father stands for ? AMAR: (Sweating) Yes. SHOMIK : (Aloud to Council members) Comrades, the real test lies outside, for all of us. Come, let us reach a decision. Is Jain willing to repent ? Or is he going to be stubborn 2 (Amar goes up to Jain. Removes the cloth from his mouth ; whispers urgently to him.)

‘Google

No after-dinner discussion.

116

INQUILAB

This is it. Listen to cannot be...unmoved.

doubt

doubt...myself,

me. Possibly...1 break my principles. Justice...cannot operate in...vacuum.

too.

my...father

For my sake, your own, hers too, Plead guilty. I’ll seek your release.

Only Suprea

I I

I believe.

do one thing : plead guilty.

JAIN: (Looks at him steadily in his eyes, a look of concern and care, more for the young man than himself) NOT GUILTY. (Blackout)

(Now from low tempo to high climax. The tension should be felt reaching a crescendo. Scene switches to politician Devdas, the Police inspector, and the big-wheel politician from the Centre.) BIG-WHEEL POLITICIAN FROM THE CENTER : for yourself, Devdas. DEVDAS: (Slight subservience difficult situation. BIG WHEEL:

before

What do you have to

Greater

(Dryly) I’m aware of that.

Authority)

say

Difficult, .

But we each have our

own

jobs to do in the party. Me in the Centre, you in the State here. It’s a tight-rope walk...with us on either side of the balancing pole.

DEVDAS:

(Wiping his brow with handkerchief)

I'm

aware

of

that...

T’m aware of that. B.w.: Well, the situation is getting out of hand here. No law and order. Or rather no semblance of law and order. DEvDAS: I called the Inspector here to give you the latest report. B.w.: Well, Inspector ? INSPECTOR :

Sir, I can only go as far as you allow meto.

to wait for trouble, then it’s bound to precede me. special powers...for preventive detention.

B.w.:

Easier said than done; Inspector.

B.w.:

I’m

Our leftist

IfI

have

I need to have

colleagues

will

tear me apart in the Centre if I ask to invoke the P.D. Act. INSPECTOR : (Shrugging his shoulders) Then how can you expect me to stabilize things ? (Pensively) Behind every garbage-dump there’s a goonda, and behind every college desk is a potential Naxal. I’m no magician. afraid

you'll

Central Reserve Police balancing act too.

DEVDAS:

have

to

to

come

be

on

one...unless

top of you.

you

What does the C.R.P. have to do with this ?

Google

want

the

You're in the

ACT I

117

B.w.: It’s not only the C.R.P, Your own neck’s in the noose, Devdas. If the situation gets any worse, the Centre will intervene. DEVDAS : (Bewildered) What do you mean ? B.w.: President’s Rule. (There is a moment's stunned silence.) DEvDAS: (Sweating) But...but they can’t do that to me. B.w.: (Humourlessly) Can’t they ? DEVDAS : (Stammering) Th...they can’t strip me of my po...position. Yo...you must stop th...them. Th...that’s your job in the Ce... Centre. B.w.: (Almost wearily) Don’t be naive, Devdas. I don’t want it

any more than you.

We’re caught between the devil and the deep,

A revolutionary left that’s taking the wind out of our sails: a conservative right that’s trying to edge us out...(Laughing bitterly) Ironical, isn’t it, that in trying to be constitutional we appear the greatest villains. True, we’re important in the Centre, but not that important we can have a ruling say...At best we play the

game of checks and balances...

INSPECTOR :

B.w.:

Yes, Inspector ?

INSPECTOR: tion... B.w.:

(Coughing apologetically) Sir ? This...this is outside

my...my

sphere...but

Yes, Inspector ?

INSPECTOR :

The problem at its roots is not one

and

order.

(Giving the Inspector a nasty stare) Easier said than

done.

It’s...(Coughing)...one of administration.

B.w.:

a sugges-

(Turning to Devdas) Well, Devdas

DEVDAS :

of

law

?

We’ve got fourteen splinter parties in Government here.

you were the minority in the Centre;

here, but it doesn’t vying for a vote here.

back.

We're

You said

well, we are the majority

make the problem any simpler...Everyone’s And everyone’s climbing on each other’s

jockeying...with

the lead now, but there are a pack

of wolves behind me. I handle the situation too tough, and the Political doves flutter; handle it too soft, and the hawks start

pecking. (Laughing bitterly too) So, you see than you. INSEPCTOR :

It seems we’re forgetting the B.w. & DEvDAS: (Together) Yes ?

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basic

: I’m

no

problem...

better off

118

-

INQUILAB

INSPECTOR : (Takes a deep breath, shuts his eyes, saying all that he’s ever wanted to, once and for all) Poverty. Unemployment. Injustice Refugees. Corruption. Filth. (Opening his eyes to see them both) Politics, Shall 1 continue? (Both stare at him murderously, momentarily too astonished to reply) (Before anyone can reply, Suprea comes in, breathless.)

SUPREA: Devdas. wrong.

DEvDAS:

Devdasji.

Father hasn’t come yet.

Something’s

I know something’s wrong !

Sit down, Suprea.

Take it easy.

SUPREA: (Urgently) No, please come. I heard Inspectorsahib was with you. (Looking at the Inspector) My father’s in trouble. I know. (Before her affirmativeness both men waver) Please don’t question me.

You're

the fields... know

wasting

where

he

time.

went.

(Inspector briskly makes a decision.)

Precious

Bring

INSPECTOR: (Picking up his cap)’m coming. look at him. Then decide to follow.)

time.

the

.

There...in

torch

along.

(The two politicians

(fadeout) (Three men and a girl out in the field. Darkness. The glow of the flashlight, and its beam cutting through the night. Silence. Hard breathing, the cold of the night. Is the shiver that of the cold? The three plod silently, purposefully, in the certainty of a find that nobody dared guess. Unusual. Almost psychedelic. Another part

of the stage : separated in time and space: an eerie mystique : the

statue of Mother Durga, now complete. 'The Durga statue in darkness too: but flashes, pops of light...technically done through ordinary camera flashbulbs fastened at different points on the statue...flashing the blazing face now, the demonic cries then, the whirring arms with weapons of destruction, all leading to one arm carrying something not yet clear...Meanwhile, mesmeric teletape on wall,

on

blackboard,

everywhere

: RED

TERROR...RED

TERROR...

BATTLE OF ANNIHILATION...ANNIHILATION...ANNIHILATION...CHAIRMAN...CHAIRMAN MAO...CHAIRMAN. MAO...DEATH TO CLASS ENEMIES ... ANNIHILATION... ANNIHILATION...JOTEDAR MURDABAD...ZAMIN-

DAR

MURDABAD...A

scream;

Google

a penetrating

horrifying

scream:

ACT Il

119

Suprea’s; shattering, completely shattering...Simultaneously two images : the tenth arm of Durga carries a bloody severed head of clay and together the beam of the torch shines full on Jain’s severed head hung on two poles, eyes dilated into death, hair dripping with

blood.)

(Blackout)

Google

ACT III

SCENE I

A few months later.

In the beginning of earlier acts the scene opened with either Professor Datta or Ahmed lecturing to the students. Beginning of this scene is again the classroom but with a difference; both Professor Datta and Ahmed are standing on two separate daises under beams of mellowed light, as though separated from each other in timing and event but with a singular connection. In place of the full-classroom-daytime-students, the present meeting is a hardened-inner-core-of-Naxalite-students-in-clandestine-night-time-meeting, with a distinct similarity with the peasants’ ‘inner council’. This is important : the parallel between the ‘inner council’ of the earlier act, and the

students’ ‘inner

council’ now

because both

are in the

act of passing judgement. (Incidentally, there is no communication between Professor Datta, Ahmed and the students. It is as though the two were silent and subconscious witnesses to events which will involve them later.) The student Naxals. ONE OF THE LEADERS : Is Amar guilty or not ? SECOND: Defector. THIRD : No, loyalist. AND SO ON: To whom ? . ANOTHER: That’s the purpose of our meeting. To pass judgement and punishment. YET ANOTHER : Let’s reconstruct.

BACK TO LEADER AGAIN: Amar is chosen to defend landlord Jain ih

the peasant trial. He defends well. perhaps too well. His integrity’s suspect. Why? Because he is the son of his father ? Because he has his own doubts? God! If only there were God left to pass judgement, it would be so much easier for all

of us.

SECOND : Let’s forget God for the moment. THIRD : If I start to defend him...Amar that is...J’// become suspect.

AND SO ON : I always had doubts about you.

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———

121

ACT Ill SCENE I

? This is no peasants’ ANOTHER : Are we going to degenerate swayed by ideological meeting. Worse, we should not be propaganda. onceived notions : YET ANOTHER: Yes, let us dismiss all prec ) yes, even flower capitalists, power, peoples’ power...(Smiling judge Amar as one power, it’s all the same : a blind dope. Let’s put in a difficult of us, with honest conviction, who was perhaps .

position.

AT RANDOM Now : That’s the acid test. you react ?

Under pressure, how would

That’s when your true colours come out.

come by it. So, why ANOTHER : Temporary insanity. We're alll over not a man who stops to think ? dangerous: thinking. You're AND ANOTHER: That could be cally) implying a freedom...(Laughs cyni are ruled by terror ? ANOTHER : Are you suggesting that we

YET

ANOTHER: I don’t know

you, but 1

about

As though the situation had gone

sometimes.

frightened

get

out of hand,

and

don’t mean to catch. we're chasing something we really A spell in the action squad BACK AGAIN ; You just lack conviction.

would do you

good.

veteran by now. AGAIN : Surprisingly

That’s one

the

police

thing I'll say

don’t

for Amar:

have anything

on

him

he’s a yet.

thing. They haven’t been able to prove a to go U.G.? He’s just BACK : Then why the hell did he have arousing suspicion. pause) AGAIN : On which side ? (Slight is assumed innocent until one: (Clearing his throat) 1n law ..a man proven guilty. y

two : It’s the other way

around with around with

us: man’s guilt

. Summary justice. until proved innocent. How would you like it ? THREE: It might be your turn next.

FOUR : This is an emergency.

A sort of...military trial.

t anyway ? Five : Whose law are we talking abou

SOMEONE : The natural law of justice.

are talking of the SOMEONE-ELSE : There is no natural law...unless you faw of the jungle.

voice:

Is

jungle 2?

this then...the

concrete

jungle: worse : the classroom

Grown on foundations of great men.

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122

.

INQUILAB

ANOTHER : What do you think of the statues of great men ? ANOTHER : They should be smashed. Decapitated. Unless of course it’s the statue of a worker. YET ANOTHER: Can’t stand this cult of the great men any more. They give me a pain in the neck...(Smiling crookedly) looking up, that is. ATHIRD: Yeah. Statues should be at eye leval. Made of you and

me.

FourTH : What about Amar ? ANOTHER : Yes, getting back to Amar... ANOTHER: ...this classroom... ANOTHER : ...his father... ANOTHER : ...resolve his doubts... ANOTHER : ...and ours... (Momentary silence) CHIEF : (Getting up to close meeting, looking around) I think we under-

stand each other.

Know what we’re going to do.

him to the test.

Let us...put

(Blackout)

Scene shifts in dim surrealistic light to blind old woman (Shomik’s mother) and Amar’s mother. OLD WOMAN : (Scraggy laughter) You have finished with the statue of ’ Mother Durga ? A’S MOTHER ;: Yes. OLD woman : (Blindly feeling for her stick) And you repeated the

works I told you ?

.

A’S MOTHER : Yes.

OLD womaN: (Finding the stick) Ah, here it is. In the dark, who but the blind can see. And in life, the dark shadow... of death. A’S MOTHER : You think of death, old woman; I think of life. OLD WOMAN : Can one exist without the other ?

A’S MOTHER : I don’t know.

I think of Mother Durga...

OLD WOMAN : ...Kali... ? 4’S MOTHER : Most of all the wound within me... OLD WOMAN: It heals. It heals. Time... A’S MOTHER : And the expectancy. Oh, the burning expectancy... OLD womaN : And then the realization, my dear. All the doubts

* and uncertainties of life.

All the fears...

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1

ACT lil SCENE I

123

A’S MOTHFR : (Amazed) How did you know ? OLD woMAN : How did I become an old woman? How doI come to love death...without having loved life at one time ? A’S MOTHER : (Shaking her head) 1... cannot think of becoming old. OLD WOMAN ; Your husband ? A’S WOMAN : (Faltering) My...my husband ? What about him 7 OLD WOMAN : He lives in the past, doesn’t he ? He’s reached...the turning point...whereas you still have a long way to go. A’S MOTHER : (Reflecting) I was young...village girl,

He, much older,

when he married me...

OLD WOMAN by.

: City dweller.

Didn’t

believe

in

the

things

we

live

A’S MOTHER : Old woman ? OLD WOMAN : Yes ?

A’S MOTHER : When my first child was this world. Did he...did he...?

born.

You brought him into

OLD WOMAN : Yes ?

‘A’S MOTHER : Did your blind eye see something mine did not ? invisible identification.

A certainty that would

A vision of the future... OLD WoMAN : Give me your read.

widen.

hand.

Old woman utters a scream.

(Hand Stick

dispel

stretched.

drops.

A’s mother steps back triumphantly.)

Her

An...

all

doubt.

Felt.

Lines

blind eyes

(darkness) (Scene

Centre.)

shifts to Politician

Devdas and

the Big-Wheel from

B. W.: I told you to watch out. You brought it on yourself. DEvDAS : We’re regrouping for a fresh election. B. w. : (Laughs hard) You won't get it. President’s Rule is here stay for a while.

the

to

DEvpDAS : (Sarcastically) Can’t say there’s been any improvement in the law-and-order situation since the Centre intervened. B. w. : How much can you do through remote control ? DEVDAS : So, how are we better off ? B. w. : The rate at which you were going, there would revolution...

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have

been

a

124

INQUILAB

DEvDAS : (Interrupting)...which you would not

as you were on the right side.

B. w. : Oh, come now, Devdas.

have

Speak for yourself.

we're office-bearers mean, we have a responsibility

minded as long The

to

the

fact that

existing

order... (Devdas laughs bitterly in reply; the voice hardening)...so, why don’t you join them? Isn’t there a saying that if you can’t lick them, then join them 7

DEVDAS : I got over madness in the early years of the political arena. Besides, I don’t think they’re going to win...ultimately. B. w. : I can’t say they’re even winning now. What with Act and C.R.P., we'll have normalcy pretty soon.

the

P.D.

DEVDAS : There won’t be any “normalcy” ever in Bengal. And you robbed us of it, friend. Exploited this state through taxes without ploughing any of it back. B. W. : There was the rest of the country to be thought of. DEvDAS: At what expense! Do you know, I think there was something to what the police Inspector said the other day. These root causes of unemployment...and politics... B. w.: Look, who’s speaking. DEVDAS : We put you there in the Centre. To represent us. NowI find you burrowing your own hole there. B. W.: Well, at least I didn’t make the mess you did here. DeEvpAs : How do you expect me to control millions of unemployed poor? Why, every boy coming out of college expects. a whitecollar job and often ends up being a labourer. Come down from your pedestal and work here one day with us. B. W.: (Softly) I’ve been through it before. We’re...veterans—or have you forgotten, Devdas ? DEvDaS : (Removing his Gandhi cap) Oh, hell I haven’t. What are we arguing about anyway. We’re both trying to make the best of a

bad situation. (Unlocking his cabinet) What we need, friend, is a drink of the good old Scotch whisky. (Both laugh.) (Blackout)

(Shomik and his wife Sarala. He is hastily packing his clothes.) SARALA : How long will you be gone ?

SHOMIK ; I don’t know. SARALA : Where ?

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ACT lil SCENE I

125

SHOMIK : I don’t know.

SARALA : What will you be doing ? SHOMIK: (Turns around irritably) I don’t kuew. I don’t know. I don’t know. (Sarala catches her breath, the tears in her eyes. He softens.) Sorry. I’m sorry, Sarala. You wouldn’t understand. And if you did, it would be dangerous for you to know. SARALA: Why do you have to run? What’s become of your friends

the hundreds

SHOMIK:

that were there behind you...

They’re still there.

The real ones...they’re

unseen.

And

SARALA: You seem to have forgotten your dream. When started, all you wanted was a small piece of your own land.

it all That

they’ll always be there, as long as there’s discontent. made me

revolution.

happy.

Now

you

That makes me

want

to lead the whole nation into

unhappy.

SHOMIK:

Why ? It’s the same thing.

SHOMIK :

There’s power.

SHOMIK:

It's greater.

The

better man

gets some-

thing more. There’s much more to life than a small plot of land. SARALA: Is there ? Is there ?

There’s undreamt of power in the plough.

You can then possess men who possess land. SARALA: Is that better ?

Or

even

to

crush,

lawyers.

Much

ideals that men

greater

speak

than

ownership

you

money.

of...It’s greater than poets...or

When you revolt, you’re never defeated. revives

or

all the more.

Every

attempt

It’s made from strong men.

Yes, even the ruthless. Someone said once you had to be cruel to be kind. I was much impressed. SARALA: JI...1...don’t understand. SHOMIK : (Touching her tenderly) But you love? SARALA: (Kissing his hands) Yes. SHOMIK: (Whispering) Yet you fear my violence. SARALA: Yes. ‘ SHOMIK: It’s the same thing. I wouldn’t know how to love...without

being

violent.

In

a

way,

it’s

like cruelty...and kindness...

(Leaving) Don’t worry for me. I'll be back. Look after my children. I'll be back. They'll never catch me. As long as I have the

breath of life in me, Ill return. I promise, my love. (Laughing suddenly) Revolutionaries like me never die or give up.., (darkness)

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126

INQUILAB

(Amar and Suprea) AMAR: (Trying hard) S...Suprea...(Suprea sits with her head bowed, a look of sadness and distraction) Suprea...(She turns around to see him, almost listless; he tries again) Suprea, you must get over it. It’s

been months now since he...he...died. SUPREA: (Softly, recalling yet supressing) It was...horrible. AMAR: (Tenderly) Yes...I know. SUPREA: (Searching) Monstrous, Amar. How could people things like that ? AMAR:

(Distantly himself) Yes.

do

I know.

SUPREA : (Turning to Amar) How much did you know Amar ? (Amar does not reply; repeats) How much did you know, Amar ? AMAR: (Hesitating) I...1 knew some. Dreaded to know, all. SUPREA: And yet you didn’t do anything to stop it. AMAR: I couldn’t do anything to stop it...(Suprea turns her head away) I couldn’t do anything to stop it, Suprea. You must believe me. SUPREA: I.,.don’t know what to believe.: My...my father looked upon you as his son. Felt that one day we...we’d be married, and that you’d carry on the tradition. AMAR: Weill. We will, Suprea. SUPREA: (Bitterly) But then you don’t believe in marriage or traditions, do you, Amar? No, you believe in causes, and martyrdom

...and endless

suffering...

AMAR: Don’t say that, Suprea. SUPREA: What do you expect me to say? right

thing,

and dearest...

AMAR:

you’re

Go on, you’re doing the

peace and happiness to your nearest

bringing

Stop, Suprea, you’re not

being

fair.

SUPREA: How fair were they with my father ? to the man and the father that he was ?

Did they do justice,

AMAR: They ..they didn’t see him as an individual; but a system they hated. suprEA:

And you? You too

as

part

of

?

AMAR: I...I don’t know. I saw him...I think...as your father. I +I recognized him...as an individual with the right to live, yes,

¢ven make mistakes,

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127

ACT III SCENE I

SUPREA : He was prepared to recognize your mistakes : so, why not you his ? . AMAR: There’s something merciless about a cause, Suprea. It leaves no room for mistakes,or even someone as near and dear as your own father. SUPREA: Are you speaking about my father ? AMAR: No, I was speaking about mine. SUPREA: What do you mean ? AMAR:

know.

I don’t know!

Don’t question me too closely!

I just don’t

There’s something wrong in our society, our teaching... just

as there was something wrong in the way your father...was

supREA:

What are you

saying,

killed.

Amar ?

AMAR: (Almost in agony) I can’t find my way, Suprea. It’s as though I were suddenly blind; after coming soclose. I was never ...traitor. They now want me to prove...my loyalty. Loyalty ? (He laughs harshly) To whom ? To whom, I ask ? SUPREA : (Concerned, moves, broken from her earlier withdrawal and reproach; touching him tenderly) Are there...so many to whom you owe loyalty ? What about...yourself ? AMAR:

(Tortured)

AMAR:

(Sheedishly)

Tm not sure.

I’m

not

sure,

Suprea.

I ‘keep

driving myself...to believe, but can’t make it there. I hear my father saying the same things over and over again, at home, on the dais in the classroom, and I feel like tearing the whole world apart... SUPREA: (Caressing his hair) My dear... laugh

at

me now.

My

hardened...revolutionaries,

would

SUPREA: Is that why.you don’t want to give it up 7? AMAR: (Withdrew, pride slightly offended) Ym not playing Suprea. This is a matter of life and death. SUPREA:

AMAR:

There must be some midway answer in life that is complete.

know...for

sUPREA;

games,

(Steady) I should know.

No, not really

really

acompromise.

save

A belief...that others can share. Do you

a moment...when

I

tried

him, I almost had it there.

to save

your

Then why do you persist in this madness ?

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father,

yes

128

INQUILAB

AMAR: Because...I’m coming close. Very close. It comes...from a pull...in opposite directions, My mind and heart are taxed...to the extreme. The next...will be the most revealing. The ultimate

test or loyalty and guilt.

SUPREA : Are you going...to hurt more people...to prove : yourself... AMAR:

things

to

(Looks at her, troubled, worried) 1 don’t know.

(Blackout) Back to Professor Datta, alone, contemplating fondly on the books in the library, rearranging carefully the statue of his venerated Sir Asutosh...Sudden violent invasion by a band of Naxal students, well organized and planned like commando tactics, who burst into the room and start fury of the active alienated. It’s like a blitzkrieg of anarchists, dedicated to the, total cause of destruction. The change from Professor’s quiet academic contemplation to violent revolt must be stark and startling. Amongst the leaders is Amar. Professor’s face incredible with alarm and amazement. Shout from the boys : DESTROY ! DESTROY ! OVERTHROW ! OVERTHROW ! BOURGEOIS ! BOUREOIS ! BOURGEOIS LANDLORD UNIVERSITY | BOURGEOIS LANDLORD

GOVERNMENT ! REVISIONIST EDUCATION

proressors! (/f the director wishes,

blackboard

walls

since

thesecould

| REVISIONIST

be flashed on

the

the shouts are really quite confused and one

can only hear the smattering of sounds and words.)

PROF. : (Protest rasing to a scream) BOYS! BOYS! ORDER! ORDER ! DEMOCRACY ! DEMOCRATIC FREEDOM ! PROTEST WITHOUT VIOLENCE ! RATIONALISM! SANITY ! REASON !| CONSTITUTION ! THE ULTIMATE ! MAN'S LAW IN SOCIETY ! LAW AND ORDER ! (Again, these

are random shouts on his side, and these could equally be flashed on the opposite blackboard walls; one piercing scream) AMAR! AMAR !

(Amar freezes, his face and body under considerable strain and sweat

faced with the crisis within himself and around, pretends not to hear his father, and furiously applies himself to destruction.) SHOUT FROM NOW !

ONE OF THE

BOYS: THE

LIBRARY!

No!

(Shelves ransacked, books torn

BURN THE BOOKS !

PROF.: (Aghast, alarmed) and flung, bonfire)

BOYS : GET GANDHI {

No!

THE GANDHI BOOKS !

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GET

THE

LIBRARY

ACT III SCENE I

129

PROF. : stop ! (He is flung back, becomes conscious and alarmed for the first time of physical impact.) BOYS : AND NOW ASUTOSH’S STATUE! TAR IT! BREAK IT! (Professor shouting “‘No\” gets up to protect the statue, is flung down again, his glasses broken, the blood now showing on his face and clothes. Amar is nowhere to be seen.)

BOYS:

AMAR! WHERE'S AMAR?

(Amar’s taken a bicycle chain and

swiped it across the face of the boy who pushed and hit his father.) AMAR : (Softly) Touch him again and ll kill you. (Dead silence. All looking at him, encircling him, with knives, chains, sticks.) AMAR : (Turning around and shouting, breaking desk, tables, fan, books, the whole lot; in frenzy) 1 WANT TO TEAR THE WORLD APART! (Cheers. Cheers from the boys, who attack property around with abandon.)

ONE OF THE LEADERS : I APPOINT...AMAR AS PROSECUTOR, JUDGE AND JURY TO CARRY OUT VERDICT IN THE EXECUTION...OF SIR ASUTOSH ! (Cheers, then pindrop silence; each student shuffles quietly to his desk, takes out his chappal, and start pounding it systematically in rhytm till it reaches a crescendo. Amar in sheer sweat now, axe in hand, approaches the statue of Sir Asutosh, father looking on horrified. As he walks up to the statue, there are flashes on the screen /wall] blackboard of Jain’s decapitated head with blood, Kali’s victim. The beat of chappals is like the beat of the drum reaching the climax. Amar is like a man hypnotized, working on a conditioned reflex with a look of insanity in his eyes. Flashes of blood and Jain’s head. {Memory recall] He stops in front of the statue,

gradually raises the axe.)

PROF. : (Screaming) NO AMAR! falls, breaks apart the marble

NO! MYSON! My SON! (The axe head from body, as the students shout

and scream in victory, take hold of Amar in exhilaration

and leave.

Dead silence. Loneliness and dead silence. Professor Datta alone lying on the floor, feeling for his glasses, slightly bloody, putting them on, trying to wipe the tears from his cheeks, blinking unbelieving, like being confronted with disillusioning, shattering nightmare. Darkness and silence, faint perceptions of light, same scene, with shadow of man, a stranger, yet not, too unlike Datta himself : Ahmed standing in the shadows. He does not move. Stands as though he had been there all along: a silent witness.

Professor Datta peers, tries to see beyond darkness to recognition,

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130

INQUILAB

, @ recognition that goes back over the years, a cry within himself too poignant to describe. Professor staggers up. Ahmed still unmoving in partial

darkness.

Exhilaration,

fear,

love,

all

written

in

Professor's face as he staggers up to Ahmed, practically falls and clasps to his breast.) PRoF.: (Hardly a breath) It’s you...you...(Ahmed’s face expressionless, unmoving; Ahmed slowly disentangles one arm. It holds a peasant’s sickle. With a jerk he buries it deep into Professor’s back whilst still in the embrace. No scream. Just a gasp and a deep pain. An undescribable expression on Professor’s face before he falls lifeless, still in Ahmed’s arms, the moist kiss drying on his cheek through which serpents a streak of red blood. Pitch black darkness and silence.)

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, ACT IIT

SCENE II

A few months later.

Last scene: Amar and Ahmed, outside of Professor Datta’s house. Heavy silence for long time as though both were in deep personal

thought and silent dialogue. AMAR : It’s all over, isn’t it 7 AHMED : For you? Forme! For them ? AMAR: No, I was speaking for myself. I was wondering for you. As far as they are concerned, it continues, as it always will. AHMED: Do you mean you’ve given up...the cause. AMAR : No, I still believe in the socialist revolution. But I disagree

with their methods.

AHMED : Meaning ? AMAR : (A faraway look of sadness) 1...1 think...my father was right.

I mean...his approach was right.

That...that change should come

through the will of the majority...expressed through a free vote...That society...such as we live in, must follow certain norms...of law and order...to make such democratic expression

possible...(Suddenly conscious, then almost shyly) Am I talking like my father...a bourgeois...

AHMED

: (Smiling) You always

geois. ~

did,

like your

father,

not

a bour-

AMAR: I... fell reponsible for his death. Suprea...Suprea warned me beforehand...that in finding myself... would harm others

...Closest to me...I...I didn’t realize then...

AHMED : (Almost sharply) You had nothing to do with your father’s death. Remember that. It happened after the Naxal raid.

That’s all. AMAR : (Looks at him puzzled) They harm my father.

AHMED : Yes ?

AMAR: (Shakes

different.

Nor

swore to me

they would

(Ahmed doesn’t reply) My mother...

his head,

not understanding

the same

Google

person

I knew.

again)

She’s

not

become

True, she grieved for

INQUILAB

132

father.

I think she thinks of him But

she wait expectantly. No brims...with new life... AHMED : (Softly) Yes.

more

less now.

Durga statues.

does

more

No

She sometimes

AMAR : It’s all over, you see. I’ve found my path...and the same as that of my father. (Ahmed is silent.)

it will

be

AMAR : Do you think I’ve betrayed the cause ? AHMED:

No,

Amar.

The cause

is larger

than either

of

us.

And

each of us still continue to follow it differently. Our friend Shomik is bocoming a great leader. Perhaps, one day, you'll battle each other again, on the methods, but not on the cause, because both of you believe in equality and social justice, and who’s to say who’s right and who’s wrong...

AMAR : (Softly) Ahmed? AHMED : Yes ?

AMAR : (Looks up, meeting his eyes, a permanent bond between the two)

What

about

you?

I...1 never

did

understand.

thought your...revolt...was not political at all.

AHMED : Whose was? struggle. Each of

Sometimes

We were all caught in the vortex us searched the ultimafe in our

emancipation... Yes, mine

had turned

full circle,

I

of a own

or so I thought.

People, events, this life, meant nothing to me. Only the root cause of revolt and liberation...Where passion reaches furthest, the unrealizable becomes true, and life...life is reborn in a desire that defies all fulfilment...So, revolt is conceived. The seed thrown in the fertile soil. There is the harsh inevitability about it, the struggle for birth, for survival, where one has to kill to live again...(This is almost likea soliloquy as the light dims on him. There is the sound of Suprea’s voice calling out ‘Amar’, “Amar”, Amar leaves silently. Ahmed is alone for a moment. Then, in the balcony of Professor Datta’s house comes his wife, witha tray of rice from which she is picking out the healthy seeds...She looks at Ahmed with profound distraction, recollection and desire. There is the faint sound of shehnai music, much like a marriage, very faint; very suggestive...Ahmed looks back at her as she flings the rice into

the fertile green soil...)

[DARKNESS & END] Google

THE DOLDRUMMERS A PLAY

Google

IN TWO

ACTS

NOTE THE DOLDRUMMERS was first produced by I. L. Dass of the Little Theatre Group

and directed by Popo Pruthi at the Fine Arts Theatre in New Delhi on October 16, 1969 with the following cast : TONY

Raju

RITA

JOR

Peter Lugg

LIZA UNCLE LOLIPOP

Naini Nanra Mahesh Sahai

DRUNK

Popo Pruthi

FIRST BOY

Anil Robert

SECOND BOY POSTMAN MORON MOE

Christopher Lugg S. V. Balaram Pramathesh Rath

POLICEMAN

Anil Kapur

Set designed by

THE DOLDRUMMERS

directed

by

Swaran

Marwah

Shalini Singh

Inder Dass

was presented again by Jimmy Hafesjee of the

Chaudhry

1971, with the following cast :

FAT & BALD DRUNK MORON MOE

Cedric Spanos

+

MAN

POLICE OFFICER

Sumita Dutta Godrej Engineer Renu Khanna

Pradip Roy Chowdhury Jimmy Hafesjee Howard Hurst

Mihir Bose

Sets by Malik A. Omer Music by Bobby Roy Guitar Instruction by Flavien Beaucasin

Poster by Ratan Pradhan

Stage Management by Om Prakash Mehta

Google

and

at the Kala Mandir in Calcutta on January 9,

TONY

RITA JOE LIZA

Oskars

CHARACTERS

Tony Jor Rita Liza

Fat & BALD MAN Drunk Two Scxoor Boys POSTMAN (PASSER-By)

FRIEND (Moron Moe) POLICEMAN

ACTI

Scene1 Scene 2

— —

the first day a few months later

ACT II

SceneI

—

a few months later, late evening

Scene 2

—

the following day.

SCENE A Shack at Juhu Beach, in the suburbs

of metropolitan

Bombay.

The shack is made of thatched cocoanut-palm, and one section of it is

visible on the stage.

This is one of the less fashionable areas, comp-

rising of the local inhabitants (an English-speaking community),

live in this colourful but poor environment. The flooring has fine sand, and distantly one can hear

sometimes monotony.

who

the waves,

lulling and at other times irritating in its intensity and The sea-breeze is similarly erratic and either blows hard

or is terribly still in consonance with the tides. At night the kerosene lamps cast shadows on the curtains and one sees the pantomine of life, mutely played. Somewhere, the rasping sound of an old (hand) record player churns out a tune.

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136

THE DOLDRUMMERS

There is a hammock tied to two cocoanut trees. Init liesa man in shorts and nothing else, except for a guitar that forms very much part of him. tony is a pleasant, easy going young fellow, with a

slightly vacuous smile, and a magnificent torso.

The barefooted girl

leaning on’ the tree and fondling with his hair is ntva. She is a young thing, fully physical, and very much in love, Sitting at the foot of the opposite tree, ogling at Rita’s legs and things, is another small young man, with ratty intelligent eyes. This is JOE. - Tony is singing.

There’s a magnetic aspect

to

his

singing.

It’s

raw. He beats his guitar, strums, hums, talks and yells. It’s not a “rock”, and it’s certainly not Victor Silvester. It’s something quite original to him, but he makes the mood and meaning felt, and it holds... , He has now chosen for the song one of the current film hit tunes, but has improvised on it with his own variations. As soon as it comes

to an end, Rita claps enthusiastically.

Google

ACT I SCENE I

RITA: That was wonderful Tony. Really wonderful. tony : Thanks Rita. I'll play you another.

(Joe snatches the guitar from Tony and starts to plonk on it) -

JOE : No, it’s my turn now.

Listen all of you.

Satyagraha, Satyagraha Hurrah for satyagraha

This passive resistance Tickles our existence.

One day we lay on railroad tracks

Protesting that it hurt our backs When old Bhovani Junction expressed along It flattened us a good furlong: One day we met a Dharma Bum He came from America and called us Chum Swore every night he slept with Nirvana Smoked a weed he called...Mirajuana. One day we just...non-cooperated Sat around and merely waited Others came and waited too

Not knowing what, where or who. One day we felt...activated Mounted old Everest uninitiated There maiden Yeti did us assault Took us without a pinch of salt. So disturb not our ho-hum

In this Satyagraha Ashram

Leave us alone friend, just leave us alone

For we...we were fashioned from immortal stone.

(Brief silence)

Google

138 Jog : Tony rivA Jog : RITA

THE DOLDRUMMERS (Softly) Right, Tony ? : Right. : I didn’t follow it all. That’s all right. Tony here didn’t follow it none. : But he said right to you.

Jog : Oh, sure he understood, but that doesn’t mean all.

he followed it

RITA : (To Tony) What does he mean, Tony ?

TONY : (Smiling, he strums the guitar) I can’t read notes, but I certainly can understand music. RITA : (To Tony) I'm one sfep ahead. I understand you, honey. Tony : That’s "cause I hear music when we kiss. RITA : Let’s kiss. (They kiss.) Tony : Ho-hum...again. (They kiss again.)

RITA: Not bored are you ?

TONY : (Grunting negatively, in-between kisses) Hub-huh.

Jor: Aww, cut it out! TONY : (Pre-and-post occupied) girl ? JOE : It’s no fun having one... Tony : Then get yourself two.

Why...don’t

you...get

yourself a

JOE: The problem’s not mathematical, Tony. Like one and one makes two. My mind doesn’t work that way. It gets deeper and

deeper, word,

and

Jove

becomes

no different from any other four-letter

TONY : Spell it out.

rita : Oh, don’t pay any attention to him, Tony.

difference between love and making love.

To him there’s no

JOE: (To Rita) How would you know. You haven’t made anyone besides Tony. RiTA : Naturally. I love Tony tony : And Tony loves thee...ta-ra-ra-ra-ra-ra-ra-ra-ra

(In melody) RITA : Oh, you’re sweet Tony.

Jor: You both sicken single lollypop.

me.

love

to

You're as messy as two children with a

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ACT I SCENE I

139

rita : And we don’t intend to share it with you either. Joz: Goon. Make pigs of yourselves...till surfeiting the may sicken and so die.

appetite

Tony : What’s that.?

rita : Don’t listen to him, Tony. Tony : But I want to listen to him Rita. brains. . RITA: But he’s got no girl. That’s what

crooked.

Tony : He’s not trouble.

crooked.

He’s my

pal.

Joe here’s got makes him And he’s

a lot

of

think so...so never

been

in

JOE: She doesn’t mean crooked that way, Toay tony : No?

Jor : No, she means my mind’s

crooked.

Get

thing to me straight and I see it upside-down.

Tony : That’s ’cause you’re a Professor.

He’s studying for his Ph.D.

Rita : I’ve heard it before. TONY : Now who do we know who’s do we know who’s got his Ph.D.

along.

it?

You

Do you know

put

that, Rita ?

studying for his Ph.D?

Nobody.

Till Joe

So, what if he sees. things upside-down.

when I’m sozzled. Joe : What-do-you-say Tony-boy, we get sozzled. TONY : Good idea Joe. I got some booze around myself. Bathroom jin. (Passes it over to Joe) JOB : (Screwing up his nose) It stinks. .

any-

here

Who

come

I get that way here.

Made

it

Tony : Aw, squeeze some lemon in it.

riTA: (Anxious) Be careful. There area lot of prohibition squads around these days, (Tony twangs the guitar and begins reciting...) Tony : Pro—hi—bi—tion. Pro—hi—bi—tion. ’Twas... JOE: (Interrupts, taking outa pair of scissors from his pocket, and snips it around airily, calling out...)

Snip!

Snip!

Snip!

Snip!

Tony : (Starts again) Pro—hi—bi—

JOE : (Interrupts again) Snip! Snip! Snip! TONY : (Angrily) Say, what’s all this ‘‘snip !—snip !’ mean? Jor: I’m the little man with the large pair of scissors. I’m kill-joy

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140

THE DOLDRUMMERS

and kill-truth put together, and when Ican’t cut any more, I cut my own nose to spite my face. I’m the public that has no opinion,

because I can’t bring myself to care a damn. I’m...spineless, because it’s easier to crawl around that way. Damn you! I'd

like to spit in your eye...(Then weakly) only I don’t salivate enough (giggles). But I’ve got a pair of scissors...and with this little axe, IT can lop off all the big shady trees in my Pap’s garden. TONY : (Like an ox) Huh ? JOE : So, let’s sing together friend. Tony :) (Together) Pro—hi—bi—tion. JOB : Snip! Snip! Snip! Snip!

TONY : Let’s sing it over again and have another drink.

Jon: O.K. (They sing it again and drink.) TONY : And now once more.

JoB : Let’s cut out the song and just have the drinks. Tony : O.K.

(They drink) Joz : What about you, Rita? RITA : No.

Jog: Rita won’t drink.

Have a drink !

Let’s drink to that.

Tony : O.K. (They drink.)

JoE : Say Tony, that’s a lovely watch.

RITA : Oh, lemme see. Tony : (Half hiding it) Let’s drink RITA; Don’t you think you’ve had Tony : (To Joe) Which one are we JOE : Never count’em. Tony ; Yes, bad for health. RITA: What time is it ? TONY : (Looking at his watch) Four

OB : Nice watch, Tony.

-

©

to that. enough, Tony. on, Joe ?

o’clock.

Where did you get it ?

RITA : (Of-handedly) Oh, that! time ago. RITA: I haven't seen it before.

It was given to me by a friend some

Tony : (Retorts with unexpected abruptness)

everything I own, dol?

Google

I don’t have to show you

ACT I SCENE

141

I

RITA : (Taken aback) No. No, of course, not.

it to me

TONY : (Sullenly) As I said before, a friend of mine gave sometime ago. AS...aS A token of friendship.

a...a8

That’s it.

a...token of friendship.

Jor : Well, it’s obvious you didn’t work for it. Tony : How do you mean.

JOE: We know you haven’t worked for a year of Sundays. TONY : (Ignoring Joe’s remark and now exhibiting the watch proudly) Iv’s lovely, isn’t it. 17 jewels. All-proof. Why I once forgot to take it off when going for a bath... JOE : (Interrupts) You haven’t worked for a year of Sundays.

TONY : (Aggressive) So, I haven’t worked for a year of Sundays. So, I haven’t worked for a year of Sundays. What’s it to you huh?

What’s it to you.

JOE : (Shrugs his shoulders) Nothing.

That’s if Rita doesn’t mind.

TONY: (Angrily) Why should Rita mind it.

mind!

After all, I’m not married to her !

What right

has.

she

to

RITA : (Softly) But I don’t mind, Tony darling. I really don’t.

TONY : (Still sulking) Just because she gives me

board and

lodging

doesn’t mean I should work for it. What do you expect me to do? Sweep the floor and wash her lingerie ? Joe : Well, you need not make her wash yours. tony : (Yelling) I’m not the type you think I am, you...you . egg-

head.

JOB : (Shouting) You're a slob ! TONY : (Yelling louder) You're a swine! A filthy swine ! JOE : (Shouting louder) You're a son-of-a-bitch ! An S.O.B. (By now they are getting ready to fight with each other.) RITA: (Her hands to her ears) Stop it! Stop it! Every time

drink you end up with fighting. Jor : (Blinking his eyes drunkenly) Drink 2? Drink ?

What

you

do-you-

say we drink to that, Tony-boy. Tony : Sure, Joe. (They both drink.) TONY : Say Joe, what makes you and me pals. We're sort of different, you and I. JOE: (Thumping his heart with his fist) You’ve got it there, Tony. And that’s all that counts, One meets fellas everywhere that have

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142

;

THE DOLDRUMMERS

Tony : You’re a swine? A filthy swine !

Digitized by GOC

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Original frorr

INDIANA UNIVERSITY

ACT i SCENE I

143

a lot of things...money, big cars, dresden-china chicks...you know,

the whole lot...but if they don’t have it in there (Thumps his heart

again), it doesn’t mean a thing. (Enters uza. Liza is a technicolour doll : everything about her is painted. And just in case looks misunderstand, she confirms it with a “come-hither” walk.) JOE : (Big ogles) Yeeow, Liza ! LIZA : Oh, hello there. (Then softly) Hi ya, Tony-boy. | Tony : (Casual) Hello, Liza. (The two women nod inarticulate greetings to each other.)

LIZA: Play me one of your gorgeous tunes, Toniee... JOE : (Fast) I can play too. Liza: (In a hi-pitched octagonal giggle) He’s cute, isn’t he ?

Jor : Yeah, like a doggie.

“Bow-wow”.

TONY : (Thwnping on the guitar, sings)

Let’s “bow-wow”’ said the bitch,

Let’s...Let’s...(Stumbles at a loss for words) JOE : (Buts in)...sandwich.

(Peals of laughter from Liza)

RITA : Oh, stop it, Joe. L1ZA : Oh, don’t be a spoilt sport Rita. Jog: You heard that Tony.

Carry on Joe.

Carry on, she said, carry on.

(He winks at Tony and they start on one of their duets) Carry on Jeeves, she said, carry on. (now don’t look so love-lorn) It only takes a butler to put Lord Haw-Haw to bed,

But it takes a whole lot of man to work on me instead.

(This is greeted with a shriek of laughter from Liza). Liza: (With tears of laughter) You boys really kill me, you really do. JOB: She finds us funny, Tony.

She finds us funny.

Now isn’t that

funny. I’ve always thought our lives were anything but funny. Let’s give her another laugh so she finds us funnier. Like the tragic clowns.

I’ll pull your nose and you pull

each other bloody

mine.

Let’s

swines, because that’s what we are.

interrupts grunting pig-like “‘snort, let’s tickle each other.

snort’)

Liza,

just

(Tony

for laughs,

(He jumps upto her like a monkey and begins to tickle her.)

Google

call

144

‘

JoE: You know,

THE DOLDRUMMERS

that’s what makes

such a good guitar player. the guitar.

Digitized by GOC

Tony

He doesn’t just play

He Jays the guitar.

gle

Original frorr

INDIANA UNIVERSITY

ACT I SCENE I L1zA : Oh,

stop

amuses me.

145 it, silly

boy.

That’s not the

kind

of tickle

that

JOE : (With a mischievously quizzical eye) No ? L1zA: No. Decidedly not.

JOE : Tony what kind of tickle do you think would “amuse” her ?

(Tony replies by giving a hot strum on the guitar; then starts blowing on his fingers as though it had caught fire) You know, that’s what makes Tony such a good guitar player.

He doesn’t just play the guitar. He Jays the guitar. rita: And what do you do, Joe. Talk for him,

Tony : Who says I can’t talk. JOE: Ido. Yes. I talk for him, Rita. The things he’d like to say, but can’t. RITA : (Laughs derisively) You and he ? JoB : He and me. RITA: Why there’s nothing you could say that could come anywhere near touching what he thinks. Joz: Tony? Thinks? His thoughts are only feelings. He’s as brainless as a banana. . TONY : (Raises his guitar menacingly) One more quip out of you, Joe, and Ill brain you. Jor: With what ? That guitar ? Those ham fists ? Or those pea-nut brains ?

(Tony throws down the guitar and catches Joe ina and squeezes.)

wrestling lock,

RITA : (Trying to separate them) Stop it, Tony ! Stop it ! L1zA: That’s it, Tony ! Squeeze him tighter ! Make him scream ! JOE : (Hissing under the pain) Why don’t you tell him to pull out my tongue, you bitch ! LIzA : (Screaming) Me, bitch? Why you pimp! You no good bastard ! Break his arm, Tony ! Break it ! RITA : (Hysterically) Stop it, Tony. Please. Please (Softly) For my sake, Tony. (Tony lets go.) JOE : (Recovering, feeling if his arm is broken) Women! You're all mixed up. Who saves and who condemns. It’s Rita who should have been yelling to have my arm broken. It’s she who despises me. No, she bas to act a saviour...a Goddamn saviour !

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146

THE DOLDRUMMERS

TONY : (Who’s now cooled down) Sorry, if I hurt me mad sometimes.

you,

Joe.

You get

JOE : Forget it.

TONY : Let’s drink to it. JOE: No. TONY : Aww, come on, Joe. It was all fun...all in the game. Jon: Yes, it was for us. But not for them. They were like the savages of the old days who saw the Christians being eaten up by lions. Do you know what they did, Tony? There were those like Rita who knelt and prayed to the Almighty. There were those

like Liza.-who drank the grape and laughed over

the sufferings of

others. Each one no different from the other. Both the same. But it was those wretched guys like us being eaten up who felt the fires of hell. LIZA : (Puzzled) What’s he talking about. Jor : If Tony could speak, he’d tell you. riTtA: Why do you always fight, you two. You could be such friends. Tony : We are. Liza : The way you two talk, you could be queers, if I didn’t know ...know...(Rita and Joe look at her questioningly)...(Liza falters)... well, you know what.

rita : What Liza ?

.

L1ZA: Well, you know, Rita, Tony’s such a big man. Jon: I’m asmall one. Liza: (Bursting out

why ! that’s why ! (Pause)

So, what ?

It doesn’t prove anything.

spontaneously) Because Tony

is

a

man,

that’s

JOE : (Quietly) I think that answers it adequately.

RITA : (Unusually intense) he is that matters. And (She looks defiantly at TONY : (As though braking LIZA : (Casually) Oh, you admirers. More than I Jon : Try me, baby. I’ve 11zA:

And

they

this necklace.

No, I don’t think it does. It’s whose man he’s mine. Mine ! Liza, who cannot face her burning look) a mule) Whhooaa... can have him, Rita. I’ve got too many can handle. got a good grip.

shower me with presents.

Touch it.

Google

Feel the rocks.

See this bracelet.

And

Go on, Rita, feel it.

ACT I SCENE f

147

RITA : I don’t think I care to. (Joe goes up and feels the necklace...and the neck.) Jog : Pure?

Liza: You God-damn right.

Pure cultured pearls.

RITA: They look hard, and heavy. L1zA : Not as long as they cost money. Then they have a soft, rich touch, like velvet. And they make you feel gay, and secure. JoE : Just like what one reads on the greenbags : “I promise to pay the bearer the sum of...”

,

’

Tony : I remember the time I used to play marbles as a kid. One day a little girl bought me a bagful of lovely little marbles, with colours of magic.

I stuffed my pockets with them, and I

a King. rita: And the little girl who gave them to you. Queen ?

felt like

Did she feel like a

Tony : I don’t remember now.

Jog; She must have had a bigger bagful of marbles, like Liza. Tony : She was very rich. She used to wear a starched white frock, and red-buttoned shoes. Jon : I bet she had a soap-sudden face. jony : She did. Jor : It might have been Rita ? tony : No. Jor : It might have been Liza ? Tony: No. Jog : Then who was it ? Tony : To tell you the truth, I don’t know. Maybe she didn’t exist.

JOR: (Laughs peculiarly) Tony. You really take the cake. Of course, she didn’t exist. I should have guessed it right from the start.

Everybody

imagines

that asa

child they knew a little girl with a

starched white frock, and red-buttoned shoes.

TONY :

(Puzzled) Maybe she did exist.

Jor : Of course, she did exist. She was as real to us as...Liza here. Except that soon you will be forgetting Liza, whereas you'll forever remember the little girl. LIZA: This means Cuckoo. Tony: (Jndignantly) He’s a Ph.D.

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THE DOLDRUMMERS

148

Liza: Alright. He’s a P.H.D. Cuckoo. You women are all dumb. Tony: Joe: Repeat it friend. Tony: You women are all dumb. JOE: Say it again. You women are all dumb. Tony: JOE:

RITA:

(Turning to Rita) See?

11ZA:

You're awful, Joe.

They should have put you in the Zoo.

JOE: Now that’s an idea, 1 remember an old song of Bing Crosby which said : Now all the monkeys aren’t in the Zoo, Everyday you'll meet quite a few... RITA: But the song ended : You can be better than you are, You could be swinging on a star. Christ, you give me a pain in the neck, Rita. What are you soz: trying to do? Reform us? Put us ih jail ? No better still, put ‘us in the Zoo?

So, you can laugh with

the

rest

hyenas.

of the

Those ones with the red bottoms and the curly tops. I see them everyday around me. They wear hats and ties and carry umbrellas and work from ten to five. I see them in tram-cars with their long snouts burried in the papers.

handkerchiefs

neat and tidy.

and

let their

and

pay

four

annas

They blow their noses in clean

to the boot-polish boy.

But have you ever seen them when they

hair down.

go

All

home

They look for lice in each other’s hair.

They can’t be bothered to pull the fiush after dirtying the pot. Their blood-shot eyes are full of murder and rape as they read the cheap papers.

RITA: (Slowly) You're twisted, Joe. You're no better, if they are that, because you realise their thinking. JOE: (Looking at her hard) That may beso. That may be so. RITA:

TONY :

Just don’t make Tony think that

He talks very clever.

way.

He’s educated.

joz: Never fear, Rita. Tony’e a natural born boy here. His mother had: pangs of child-birth before he was born. He’s clean. Not me. I just slithered out with a lot of muck. My Ma never went to the hospital. They didn’t take her in, because Pa wasn’t

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ACT I SCENE I

149

around to register her. the

RITA: JOE:

smell remains.

(Softly) Joe...

Don’t Joe me.

I just came off in the street.

I can smell a ditch half-a-mile away.

I’m neither sorry for my mother

self. I’m sorry for my him all the same.

Liza:

That’s why

Say what’s going on.

old

man

nor

for

my-

who didn’t know that I’d love

Don’t let him soften you, Rita.

He’s

sly as they come. I bet half the story’s cooked up. JOE: Sure baby. I can see I haven’t. made you cry. If you did, both your fathers wouldn’t recognize you. LIZA: (Indignant, but not sure) What do you mean? What do you mean ? . .

Joe:

If there’s anything worse than not having

JoE:

I could call you a French name, but you wouldn’t know

have two. LIzA: (Angrily) You bastard !

one father...it’s to

it means anyway.

what

LIZA: (Sputtering) You...you... Joz: Bastard. Why don’t you say it again. Your vocabulary doesn’t go past one word anyway...nor your actions. (Liza catches hold of the first thing within her reach—the guitar— and

TONY:

smacks

Joe

with it, breaking it.)

(Alarmed) Liza!

(Liza looks at the broken guitar) Liza ! Damn you, Liza! See what you’ve done

LIZA:

I’m

sorry, Tony.

Tony : (Bawling guitar.

plaintively) Sorry

(Rita bends down to pick up the

uza: Tony: LIZA: gone TONY: LIZA:

Liza:

broken .

You’ve

pieces.)

my

O.K., O.K., so I'll stick it up. You can’t stick up a guitar. It’s broken. Gone. (Irritatedly) Alright, so it’s gone. Don’t bawl like you'd impotent or something. It’s just a guitar. It was my guitar. So, I’ll buy you another...a better one. See. So, you can dry

up your tears.

Tony:

nothing.

!

(Perulantly) It had better be a good one,

A new one.

Have I ever given yoy anything second-hand,

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*

.

THE DOLDRUMMERS

150 Jor: Yourself. RITA: Tony doesn’t want a guitar. Tony: No,I can’t. RITA:

We'll get one

Tony can do without a guitar.

then.

You’ve got the money. tony: How? RITA: We'll get it somehow. L1zA: (Mimicking Rita) “Tony doesn’t want a guitar. do without a guitar’. Rita: (Angrily) Tony won’t accept it. LIzA:

rirA: Liza:

Tony

can

privileged

to

Oh, he won't, will he ?

No! He’s...what-cha-call-it...privileged;

yeah,

receive gifts only from you ?

He doesn’t take anybody’s gifts. He works for it. (Liza RITA: crackles with laughter.) LizA : You're damn right he does. TONY : (Indignant) What do you mean. What do you mean. Can’t a man run out ofa job without all of you ganging up upon him. Thad a first class job before. LIZA: (Scornfully) What ? TONY: I was a...what’s it called, yeah, a personal assistant to an executive.

Said he wanted to build me up.

JOE: Don’t get so excited, Tony-boy. Tony: Unfortunately, he...he...died. Nothing more I could do. Nothing more anybody could do. What can you do when a man dies. He just...dies. He lives no more. JOE: (Softly) And some things within us also die. For while nothing’ in the dead can live, something in the living can die. Do you know what they teach in Physics, Tony. They say that matter is indestructible. You burn up refuse, and it goes up into smoke. But you collect all that smoke and you'll get back the same weight as that dirty refuse.

You see, matter isindestructible.

Everything

reincarnates, except the lives within us, which is alone completely destructible. (Pause) That make sense to you, Tony ? TONY: I understand. Jon: I thought you would. Now you can make Liza understand the trifles she talks about.

TONY:

Nothing more to gay,

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151

ACT I SCENE I

JOB:

RITA: Tony: uzA: Tony:

Excellent.

That leaves no room

for discussion.

It’s none of Liza’s business anyway, how you make a living. Right. (Cooing up to Tony) Now don’t get cross with me, Tony-boy. I’m not.

LIZA : You are, and you know it.

Tony : I am beginning to. LIZA : It wouldn’t be right to get cross with little Lizzie. Tony : You broke my guitar, you clumsy idiot. L1zA : (Looking at his watch in feigned surprise) My ! What a lovely watch. (Tony nods vaguely) All-proof?

I bet

you

can

have a bath with it, without a teeny-

weeny bit of water spoiling it. (Tony shakes his head desperately, trying to think of something, The others look from Tony to Liza and back again.) Bet, you didn’t have to work too hard for that. In fact it might well have been...a pleasure. And it doesn’t look second-hand either... RITA : (Bursting out) Get-out !

Liza : Why, what did I say, honey ? RITA:

(Crying in anger) Get-out !

LIZA : Cool down, honey. As Tony says, it’s all in the game...you know... fighting and...loving. RITA: (Picking up a stone menacingly) Getout I said! Go ! LIZA : (Beating a hasty retreat: calls out from after) ‘Bye Tony. Come up and see me sometime.

(She leaves the stage.)

RITA : Can you leave us alone, Joe ? JOE : (Strolling off not too far) Sure thing, Rita. (Rita looks at Tony, her breasts heaving in anger. Tony vacillates between looking defiant and cowering down.) riTA : A token of friendship, you called it. Given by a friend.

Tony : I didn’t say it was from a boy friend. RITA : No, you didn’t.

TONY : Well, then what are you getting mad about. RITA : Just that you didn’t say anything.

Tony : What ifI had?

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152

THE DOLDRUMMERS

RITA : But you didn’t. You made it appear as though it had been a token of friendship from your...your...executive friend or some-

one,

.

Tony : (Stubbornly) I didn’t say it was from a boy friend. RITA: Oh, stop repeating yourself. Tony : Well, it wasn’t !

RITA: Why did you do it Tony? Why did you do it { Isn’t my love enough for you? I’ve given you all of it. ‘Why shouldn’t I expect all from you. Woman’s no different from aman. Why did you go to her? Was it for her, or the watch 2? Did the watch mean so much for you. Tony : Everybody’s got a watch, I like to have a watch too.

RITA: At what expense 7

Tony : How should I know what the watch is worth? I didn’t ask her the price. But it’s got 17 jewels. And it’s all-proof. A watch has got to be expensive to be all that. (Rita looks at hima trifle dumbfounded)

Why do you look at me like that.

Like I’d done something wrong.

You got no claim over me, like we were married or something. (Rita looks down and tries to suppress her tears) So, what if I got a present. I wouldn’t object to your getting a

"present.

RITA : (Tearfully) Don’t you

see,

Tony,

it’s

not

the

present

that

matters. It’s what you’ve done to get it. Tony : I wouldn’t object to your getting a present, so why should you object to my getting a present. RITA : Don’t say that, Tony. Tony : I mean it. RITA: A present wouldn’t mean so much to me. ToNy : Well, it does to me. I’d do anything to get a present. A woman does it, so why not a man. : RITA : (Tormented) You're not serious, Tony. Tony : I like the feel of a fancy silk shirt, or a sporty tie, or...or...

one of those nice pointed shoes for dancing that I can polish and see my face in. Same way as a woman likes a bunchof flowers or a diamond bracelet. So, if someone likes you, and gives you something, why it’s fair exchange.

riTA : If a woman did that, I’d call her a strumpet, and if a man did that..,

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—————

Te

=

ACT I SCENE I

153

Tony: There’s nothing wrong with it, man you speak as though

a

stranger.

Liza

You

speak

was

or woman.

Aw

heck,

as

though she was paying me money or something. Next thing you'll be calling me names for living off you.

RITA : Oh, Tony, don’t say that.

Tony : (Trying

to

arouse

her

sympathy through self-pity) Well, I do live off you. I do no work. I’m lazy, and good-fornothing. RITA: (Coming close to him) You’re good for me. AndI’m not nothing.

TONY : (Kissing her) You're tops, Rita, really

you

are.

You’re

passionate, without being dirty, or pretending. And you give

me all, the way I want it. What I mean is that you’re you,

natural and true, and it affects me the same way.

that feeling

I never

with anyone

get

else,

and there’s always something I'll do with you that’ll show

it.

I squeeze

ready, and I know you're ready too, sides. RITA:

you

tight

That takes doing.

when

On

I’m

both

(Melting completely) Oh, Tony.

(They kiss passionately.) Tony : Still mad with me?

RITA : (Shaking her head negatively) Huh-huh.

Tony : As Joe says, if a man could live by love alone, there’s nothing more a man would want from you. RITA : (Trying to draw him into another kiss) Forget Joe. TONY; But man doesn’t live by love alone, Joe says.

RITA : (Still under passion...absently) Does he ? Tony : He’s got to live by ideas too. He’s got: to reach out to them,

viszea ty GOOgle

154 RiTA:

THE DOLDRUMMERS Reach out to me, Tony.

TONY: (Preoccupied, with ideas) ‘Tony reach out to ideas’, he says, Joe does. He talks to me about Plato sometimes. He says that somewhere there exists a perfect world of ideas.

It gives me goose-

flesh just thinking about it.

RITA : Don’t listen to everything, Joe says.

TONY : Sometimes I don’t follow him very clearly, but I know

what

he means.

RITA : How do you mean ? TONY: Well, it’s difficult to explain.

you how I felt about you. and woman.

Just a little

while

How we feel things together.

Well, there’s a different way1 feel

understand things together. same flesh.

about

Like twin brothers, cut out

RITA: Like twins? You and Joe? have in common with Joe.

Tony

ago

I told

Like man Joe.

from

We

the

there’s nothing at all you

TONY : I know it. But it doesn’t matter. RITA: Friends should have something in common. TONY: Joe once told me we had you in common.

RITA: (Amazed) What ? Tony : I don’t know.

(Laughs) Me?

In what way ?

RITA : (Quietly) He looks at me very strangely

sometimess...and

it’s

not the way he looks at Liza or other women. (Then with a change of mood, back to reality) What do you see ia Joe ?

Tony : We sing songs together.

RITA : Dirty little poems.

I bet the words come from Joe.

TONY : The voice is mine.

The music is mine.

I give

give it life. RITA: And he gives the ideas, is that what you mean ?

TONY : I guess so. (Joe comes strolling in.) Jon: Excuse me, Rita. Tony there’s something Liza has

it the

beat.

sent

along

and asked me to give it to you. Tony: What ? Jor: (Removes his hand from the trouser pocket and dangles in front of Tony’s eyes a gold plated watch-strap) She says your watch strap has worn out,

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ACT I SCENE I

155

RITA : (Furious) Why the cheek of that woman !{ (Joe continues to dangle it before Tony’s greedy eyes. are silent)

Both men

Take it back to her and throw it in her face.

(Joe makes no move. Tony utters no word.) Take it back ! TONY : Whoaa... RITA : Don’t touch it, Tony ! (Joe says nothing, but turns it enticingly before Tony’s @ strip-tease object.)

gaze

like

Tony : Wonder if it'll fit. RITA : (Horrified) Tony! (Joe stretches the strap’s spring joints to

indicate

it’s

adjustable

quality.) ° Tony (Angrily) Nothing wrong in taking a look at it, is there ! RITA : You've seen it long enough. It can go now. Tony : Woman, you're as bad as those preachers who say that staring at a woman that way is committing adultery. (Looking at the strap again) Do you think it’s real gold ?

(As though in mute reply, Joe rubs it lightly against a piece of stone, spits on it, polishes it, and begins dangling it before Tony's eyes.) RITA : (Screaming) Take it away, Joe! Take it away! ToNy : Stop screaming, Rita. No harm in my trying it on...just for

a moment...to watch.

see how

RITA: (In tears) Don’t Tony. TONY : Stop whining, Rita !

it looks.

It sure

I beg you.

does match with the

Don’t.

RITA: (Hard) Alright, Tony. You touch it and you don’t touch me, tony : You talk as though I were touching her.

RITA : It’s the same thing. Tony : (Anger building up on both sides) You threatening me ? RITA:

Yes.

Tony : And if I touch it. RITA; You go.

TONY : Like I were fired from my job.

RITA: Yes.

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156

THE DOLDRUMMERS

Tony : But then you don’t give me a thing, so how can you fire me. RiTa : You accept that present, Tony, and we’re through ! Tony : (Undecided but defiant, like a recalcitrant school-boy) You threatening me 7

rita: Yes!

Yes!

(Tony grabs

to Rita.)

I’m threatening you.

the strap from Joes’s hand and shows it victoriously

TONY : (Defiantly) See! See! I've taken it. There! it for good. Don’t try and tell me what to do.

I’ve

taken

RITA : (S/owly) I want you to leave now, Tony.

Tony : Sure. All in good time. RITA: Now, Tony. Right away. tony : Huh? RITA:

I mean it, Tony.

‘

You leave now.

Tony: Alright. Alright. But don’t call back for me. You want me to go; alright I'll go. But don’t call me back when you’re in heat. RITA: (Screaming)

Go!

(Tony leaves.

Go!

Rita covers her face in her hands

watches impassively.)

Joz : Man always pins a woman ’neath him.

beautiful

wings,

spread

out

and

pinned.

crucifixion. RITA : (Looking up) Why are you staying Joe ? JoE : I’ve got plenty of time. :

Like a

For

and

cries.

Joe

butterfly,

with

a woman,

RITA: I’ve just sent Tony away. You’re his friend, not mine. JOE: Tony will be alright. RITA: And me? JOE : You'll be lonely. RITA : So, you want to stay and give me company. JOE : No advice. RITA : (Laughs bitterly) You’ve really got things mixed up Joe. It’s Tony who listens to your advice, not me.

not Tony.

he’s got to receive it from other people.

He’s right

There’s no sense in advising a person that cannot change. got a fixation for nice presents. But he won’t go out and them,

so

today

You can, andI can, but

JOE : But Tony cannot change. for

it’s

when be said that he felt like a king when

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He’s work

he got that bagful of -

157

ACT I SCENE I

marbles, but he can’t remember whether the little girl who gave it to him felt like a queen. He couldn’t be bothered thinking about her. He’s happy he got that two-bit watch strap from Liza, but that doesn’t mean he’s concerned about her. RITA: (Brightening) Do you think so? Do you really thing so ? JOB: I’m sure of it. RITA: Will he be alright, Joe? Where will he go ? Jor: Probably to Liza.

RITA:

(Recoils) But...but...you just said he’s not concerned

about

her. JOE: As long as she feeds him with nice little trinkets and aftershave lotions, he’ll be glad to stay with her. She can never look after him the way Ido. She’ll never love RITA: him the way I do. Joe:

I dare say that’s true.

RITA: Then why will he remain with her. JOE: (With slow emphasis). Because she’ll give him nice little things which you don’t. RITA: I can give it to him too. When his shirt is torn, I mend When it gets worn out, I replace it with a new one.

JOE:

RITA:

it.

A silk one ?

No, a cotton one.

Jor: But he’d rather have a silk one, Rita. You understand ? RITA: It doesn’t mean all that much to him. Joe: But it does. He showed it to you just now in accepting the watch strap. {Rita is silent.) JoE: Tell me, Rita, how much money do you have ? RITA: How does it matter ? Joz: It costs money to buy presents continuously. RITA: I refuse to buy his love if that’s what you’re suggesting. Jon:

Stop over-simplifying the situation, Rita.

You know very well

you wouldn’t be buying his affections. You already have them. By giving him an expensive present now and again you are merely making sure that you retain it, by keeping him happy. Now tell me, how much money do you have ? RITA: (Slowly) I make some money on stitching dresses. It’s barely enough to pull on with.

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158

THE DOLDRUMMERS

JOE: Man always pins a woman ‘neath him. Like a butterfly with beautiful wings, spread out and pinned. For a woman, it’s crucifixion.

Digitized by GOC

gle

Original frorr

INDIANA UNIVERSITY

159

ACT I SCENE I Jon:

Hmm...

(Rita is silent, waiting for the cue from

Joe)

Liza...

rita: Yes ? Jor: Liza...has many rich friends...admirers as she calls them. RITA: She’s a slut. JOE: Is that what Tony thinks she is ?

RITA:

No.

Jon: Why? RITA: Probably because he’s blinded by those presents. He thinks there’s nothing wrong as long as two people are friends and there’s no exchange of money. JOE: What do you think about it 7 RITA: I think it’s wrong. Jor: Isn’tit a pity that something that Tony thinks is alright

should

be considered

Tony cannot change.

RITA:

JOE:

(Searchingly)

wrong

by you...and that by our admission

What do you mean ?

(Shrugging his shoulders) Nothing really.

conclusions.

It’s for you to draw

RITA: I.don’t follow you, Joe—and you never say anything without meanings attached to it. Jor: Alright, Rita. Let’s face it. It’s basic syllogism. Rita loves Tony. Tony loves gifts. Liza has gifts. Tony can’t change. Rita can change...

RITA: (Very softly) Go on... Joe: Rita has no money. But Tony can’t change. Liza gets presents from admirers. Rita thinks that’s wrong. Tony thinks that’s alright. But Tony can’t change. And Rita can change... Riva:

I...

Jor: Alright, let’s try it again. Rita change to Liza 7 RITA:

crazy.

Ill hit dead centre this time.

(Gasping in realisation) Joe!

You must be crazy.

You

Can are

joz: No more than anybody else, Rita. It’s just that I get crazier quicker than most. I see how their minds work, and bloat it on a screen. Sure, it looks ugly, like little Gulliver noticing the warts

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160

THE DOLDRUMMERS

on the breasts of the female giants, but it’s there. It’s large as life, wearing the shackles of the original sin. So, why blame

me.

RITA: You are suggesting that I change and become like Liza so that I may be able to afford to give presents to Tony and keep him to myself. Joe: Think it over, and the situation will suggest itself. RITA:

Jor:

RITA:

Never.

Are you prepared to lose Tony ?

No.

Jon: Do you admit that Tony would go to any lengths to get a new guitar. RITA: Yes. JoE: Liza said she’d give him a new guitar. RITA: Stop torturing me, Joe. Jor: I’m not torturing you, Rita. If my words didn’t mean anything, it wouldn’t torture you. So, even if you disagree with what I say, you admit to yourself the reality of its meaning. RITA:

Tony wouldn’t allow me to take presents from

riTA:

(Huskily...to herself) No, in fact he said

Joe: He wouldn’t? so? He

said

he

would

others.

Are you sure he wouldn’t, Rita? Did

not

object

he

say

just the. opposite.

to my receiving a present; so why

should I object to his doing so...after all, he said, we weren’t married or something...so what’s wrong in receiving a token of friendship...from a friend. (Joe says nothing. He wants “the situation to suggest itself”, and

wants to give her enough rope.)

Why don’t you say something, Joe ? Jor: There’s nothing more I can say. RITA: Is that how you want me to become Joe? Like Liza. Jon: (Almost fiercely) Don’t bring me in, Rita. I’m out, and I want to

stay

out.

Rite

or

Liza, you’re all the same to me.

with something nice between their legs. RITA:

Joz:

There’s something hateful you,

No more.

Joe.

Yeah. That’s the closest I can get to any

it satisfies. RITA: (Shakes her head helplessly) 1 don’t

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Women

woman’s

know

what

love. And to

do.

I

ACT I SCENE I

161

don’t know what to do. Tony. JOE: I know arich friend. rules of the game, he is also him his friend.

RITA:

God, I don’t think I can live without . If it means playing according to the known to Tony. You might even call

(Covering her face with her hands) Go

on.

Joe: Ican introduce him to you. RITA: (Laughs hysterically) What will you get from him. A commission ? JOE: (Continues impassively) He'll take you out and buy you presents.

RITA: (Still . deal? Or JOE: I'll sell ever Tony

hysterical) What’s it going to be! A straight business should it have trimmings ? the presents, and with the money you can buy whatlikes. .

‘RITA : (Cynical now)

It would be

simpler to

receive

cash, wouldn’t

it? And it would be simpler to procure strangers, wouldn’t it. But no. We must play the game according to the rules. It has to be a friend, and it has to be presents. Whom are we fooling, Joe ? Certainly not me, or you. Do you think Tony will swallow it ? JOE : Tony won’t object. RITA:

Then he won't

respect.

Jon:

(Angrily)

Love!

love me.

You can’t

Respect!

Love!

love someone you What

don’t

does it mean?

get sick hearing people talk about it all the time. And what does love have to do with respect anyway. They’re the very opposite, You think of the word love like something from a fairy book, patented and germ-free. Like it had to have respectability. Well, it’s not. It’s love that the whore dispenses around the street corner, and it’s the most respectable that pay its price. RITA : Joe, from hating you I’m beginning to hate myself. Jog: It will be a respectful introduction. A “blind” date. What about next Thursday. RITA: Tony...

JOE : That’s the day Tony goes to visit Liza every week. (Pause) RITA ; (Quietly) I accept,

CURTAIN Google

I

ACT I

SCENE IE

A few months later. Tony, Joe, Rita and Liza are sitting around, playing listlessly in the sand. The evening breeze lies cool and nice. The entire focus...cocoanut palms, thatched shacks, cry of birds...is very beautiful and stirring. Joe, Tony and Liza pass a bottle of fire-water around, gulping straight from the bottle. Out of the four of them, Tony is the only one who looks different from the first scene. He is beautifully dressed and carries a brand new guitar which he

keeps pawing every now

on the guitar now like a maestro about

and

to begina

them.

He plucks

symphony.

winks at Joe and they begin, sometimes solo, sometimes in duet.

TONY/JOE:

We two, sit and puke Don earmuffs, Play blind-man’s-buff. We gotta go

(N’est pass Joe 7)

To the never never land So, give us a hand.

Make us a boat A real Noah’s ark And stuff a goat, Down Noah’s a—e. We'll sail the seven seas, Flying dutchmen to the breeze, Forever bound,

Never to run aground,

Better still let’s get shot

Like an as-tro-naut,

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He

ACT 1 SCENE

163

Suspended in space

In this dooms day race.

We'll eat atoms for breakfast

Hydrogen for lunch

And when it’s time for dinner

We'll chase gals like the old sinner. So why worry, Make haste in a hurry, For when you get there, You'll only meet a shaggy old bear. (Liza claps her hands and says...) LIZA ; Encore, encore. (Joe immediately takes the guitar from Tony and starts to sing.) Jog : Encore, she says, encore. That nymphomaniac whore... (Tony snatches back the guitar, stopping Joe from continuing.) TONY: Hey! What do you want to do! smashed again. Give her the old melody...

Get

my

new

guitar

Jor & TONY : Encore, she says, encore (Oh what a bore) Life’s got us dead beat And she asks for a repeat. Jog : I still think my verse was better.

Tony : As long mind.

as Liza

doesn’t lay hands on

LIZA : (Touching the guitar

my

guitar,

1 don’t

lightly, as though to determine its texture

and price) It’s a beautiful guitar.

TONY : (Excitedly exhibiting it, like a toy) Brand new. Not even shop-soiled. No price reduction either, like they give for defective disposal things. I’m proud of it. It’s the best thing I ever got. Liza : Yes, it must have been very expensive. Rita got it for you? RiTA : (Quickly . in a slightly high-pitched voice) It’s from the money Tony earned for himself, Liza : I bet. Tony : It’s my guitar,

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164

THE DOLDRUMMERS

Jon : No one’s going to take it away from you, Tony. Nor smash it. It’s valuable because it’s hard earned, so remember that, Tony. Sing your lullabyes with it, Tony, and crow like the cock with it at dawn. Sing merrily on finicula rides, not forgetting to keep it aside at times for dirges. But most of all, play it when Rita needs it most. ‘ Tony:

Sure.

Sure.

me, did’nt she.

I'll

play it for her.

After. all she

gave

it to

Liza : Out of your hard-earned wages, sonny-boy. RITA: (Strained) As a matter of fact, Tony, it was given by a...a...a band-leader whom I met a...a...a couple of times, who’s been

insisting that...that...I induce you to work with Says you’re a first rate guitar player, and thought the guitar might help you make up your mind. LIZA : Is that who he is! RITA:

Who?

LIZA:

Oh,

his band. He this present of

Liza: The fat bald man. Uncle Lollypop. RITA : (Coldly) I don’t know what you mean. you know

what

I mean

dearie.

Nothing

having a boy-friend...as long as Tony doesn’t mind. TONY : Watcha talking about ?

wrong

with

(He takes another drink and passes the bottle to Joe.)

Jog : She’s talking about is.

the band-leader, band-agent, or whoever it

What do you say, Tony.

won’t really be like working. take you on.

Tony:

You willing to work ?

You'll be playing.

After all, it

Any band would

W-e-ll. W-e-ll. I don’t know.

JOE: Nothing to it, Tony. the day, and you play

scream and adore you.

You get called in for rehearsals during at night, and a whole lot of people will

.

TONY: Jesus, I Wouldn’t know what to do. I’d be be...ewildered. Yeah bewildered. I don’t know how to read notes. RITA: You can learn, Tony. You can learn. There’s nothing wrong with working. Tony: That’s the first time you’ve told me that, Rita. You want me to work. RITA: Not unless you don’t want to.

Tony:

Well. Tdon’t know.

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I hate the idea of being all cooped up.

ACT I SCENE If

165

Being told what to do and what not todo. With that maestro harpooning me with his hand. He’d be needling me all the time with it. 7?

L1zZA: Don’t you get needled at home, Tony Tony : Here ? Why should I get needled ? rita: Don’t pay any attention to her, Tony. doesn’t have a man around the house. Tony : I refuse to be needled. you.

She’s just jealous, she

RITA:

Nobody’s needling

LIZA:

Oh, I wouldn’t know about that, Tony.

After

Nobody’s going to needle me.

Tony: You're damned right. all, I’m free, amI not?

Any man

who stays

in one place foo long gets immune from needling, He can’t even feel it, like the old sadhu on the nail mattress. I got a nice new mattress, not like the flea-bitten one you TONY: sleep

LIZA:

thing

on.

(Angrily) Aren’t you a snug-bug. nice and new, huh 7

Yeah, and it fits me fine. TONY: tion. Right, Joe? JOE: (Quietly) Right.

So, you’re

getting every-

I get a feeling like...like exhilara-

LIZA: im

(To Rita) You must be daing your sewing overtime to afford all these things.

RITA:

None of your business, Liza.

LIZA:

(Casually) Oh, if Tony don’t mind, why should I 7

TONY:

What’s wrong with you, you old crow (Mimicking) “If Tony

don’t

mind, why should I?

Squawk.

Jor:

Squawk.

Squawk.

If Tony don’t mind, why should I ”

Squawk.

Cheers, Tony. (Gulps a drink and throws

Don’t

let

the

old

cockroach

get away.

the bottle

to Tony)

Stamp on it. Stamp on

it. See there it’s flying past, Liza. It’s crawling out of her throat. (Joe jumps upto Liza and pretends to catch the cockroach. His

words and actions bizarre, but very real, make her scream as though

there was a real cockroach.) Black feathers, crooked poky legs, and an oily ugly head.

ones, scroungy them up.

It’s coming out in s-t-r-e-a-m-s. Fat ones,

lean

ones, the dead beat ones. See that lizard gobbling

(He points to Liza’s feet,.and Liza gives another

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‘Eek’’)

166

THE DOLDRUMMERS

He’s gobbling them all up. As fast as they come. Cheers, Tony. Cheers. LIZA: (Jumping back all the time) Oh, you horrible man. You harrible man. Jozp: Me? Why? I speak only of truth. LIZA: You're crazy. The whole bunch of you are crazy. You're not like real people. Joe: Ah, that’s very profound, Liza. I must give it a thought. Don’t you think we ought to put our heads together. After all, two heads are better than one. Don’t you think we’d made wonderful schizophrenic lovers ? LIZA: (Suspiciously unsure) What’s that dirty word. JOE: It’s not a dirty word. It’s a scientific word.

L1zA : Oh, well, then it’s alright. (Then smelling a rat) What’s it mean ?

Jop: Schizophrenic? It means a split personality. LIZA: Oh. (Then awakening) Oh! Do you need me for that ? JOE: (Soberly) No, indeed. LIZA: I get a feeling the three of you are in some sort of league. Jon: We

Yeah, we’re like birds of a feather. Rita here, Tony and I. belong to different species though. But we’re birds of a feather

LIZA; Why are you all against me ? Jog: We can’t help it. Nor can you. And else. But we couldn’t. RITA: Joe’s right.

uzaA:

Tony?

you

could

be

anybody

—

RITA: He drifts alongwith us. LIZA: Is that right, Tony ? TONY: Like they say. LIZA: (To Rita) How come you’ve become so friendly with Joe of a sudden.

RITA:

He’s been Tony’s friend a long time.

RITA:

You're repeating yourself,

Liza: And any friend of Tony is a friend of yours, huh ? long as Tony doesn’t mind...

Google

as

Liza.

Liza: Yes, without much impression I’m afraid. riTA: - So, why don’t you take the hint, or have you

insensitive...

Well,

all

also

become

ACT I SCENE It

167

oy

[ais \. Wr nay REAM

y Liza

LIZA: So, now you want to gang up against me, huh ? Almighty, what a smug little world you three have created for yourselves. You look down on others because they all have, as Joe says, hyenalike red bottoms and curly tops. Well, what the hell do you think you have ? Turn the mirror upside-down sometimes, and you'll see yourselves no different. No different, you understand.

Digitized by GOC

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Original frorr

INDIANA UNIVERSITY

168

THE DOLDRUMMERS

Joz: ...like the pin-cushioned sadhu. Liza: (Flippantly) Oh, well, as long as... TONY :

(Interrupting in unison) Yes, we know, “as long

rira :

as Tony doesn’t mind, why should I ?’”

EB:

LIZA:

me,

.

(Pretending to be hurt) So, now you want to gang up against

huh

?

All because I wanted to give some good little advice.

But then one should never give free advice, I am told, because it’s much dearer when bought. Isn’t that so, Rita? Alright then, Since you’ve got so much money, buy it! But each one had better

be bigger and better than the last.

It’s junkie habit, I know. And

Tony here is the right sap for it...or perhaps

it’s

you

(Looking at

Rita)...but it’s certainly not you, Joe, you sly old weasel (Looking at Joe.) You know you're all crazy, the three of you, you know it. You're all...somewhat schizophrenic as Joe calls it...and you know it and can’t be bothered even to allow it to change. God Almighty, what a smug little world you three have created for yourselves. You look down on others because they all have, as Joe says, hyena-like red bottoms and curly tops. Well, what the hell do you think you

times

and

understand.

you'll

have ?

Turn

see yourselves

the

mirror

no different.

upside-down

some-

No different, you

(She turns around and leaves dramatically. The three are silent for a while, sort of ruminating over what Liza has just said.) RITA : (To Joe) Some of you seems to be wearing out on Liza. tony : (Nodding)

JOE : (Heavy)

She certainly spoke a mouthful.

Yeah...yeah.

(Same pauses between the remarks)

RITA : (Zo herself) Didn’t know she could give advice too. TONY : (Ina repetitive tone) She kept repeating herself. JOE: (Depressed) Yes...yes. (Same pauses...each to himself{herself)

RivA : I used to think I was different from her.

Tony : Blabbing, blabbing, blabbing, that’s what she was. JOE: No...no...(Softly) (Repeat pauses)

rita - We three, like blind mice, or better still, like three monkeys, see nothing, hear nothing, do nothing...

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~

: VLIT

*““Zurqjou op ‘3uryjou svoy ‘Suryjou 9as ‘skayuour

9914} OY! ‘[]!IS 19}39q JO ‘sorU pul] OYT] ‘oomy) OMA

INDIANA UNIVERSITY

from

Original

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169 II I SCENE ACT

170

THE DOLDRUMMERS

TONY: (Pretty soused by now) Huh?

Huh?

(Imitating the 3 traditional monkeys)

hub (Apishly)

JOE: Live in the DOLDRUMS, (Joe moves aside. He talks to himself on a level just beyond incoherence, and barely audible to the audience. Rita and Tony take no notice of him since each are preoccupied with their own thoughts. As Joe speaks...he seems to grow, as though in symbolic (transformation...into something mysteriously greater.) JOE: (With awesome quietness) Are we no different, Liza? Then what’s all this shouting and yelling about if we’re no different. Does the inverted mirror make us so hideous that we see each other as...identical ? I remember...1

remember...many

years

ago

when

we

were all

different, moulded closer to nature’s heart, fighting rightly for survival. Satyagraha was then also a different word. There was...there was a young boy... whome I once knew...who was a flag satyagraha.

He passively resisted all oppression, and never let

the

flag

down.

They came with batons...they bludgeoned him... beat him down bloody and broken...but even as he fell down head, he buried the flag upright...let it fly in the freedom of the rising wind. The flag, like some tender plant, found root in the fertility of the soil, and blossomed into a giant tree. It was a memorial created from the blood of martyrs. We were proud, satisfied. The cause fulfilled. Mirrors straight. Identity...found. But something was still missing. A distortion in the seed. They chose to ignore it, resting on past laurels. Gradually, unknowingly,

the tree decayed, the landscape changed:into desert, fot survival...was inversed. We became monsters.

Reptilian. With venomous spittle.

scales insensitive. With Since the mirror showed

and

the fight

breaths of fire and almost everyone the

same, they all thought they were the human, and we...we...the half ones. Those with heads human and bodies like monsters.

We...we...became the still-born ones. Partial monsters all the more horrible, because we still retained the basic elements. Was

the natural the distortion, or the distortion quite knew.

But

because

we

were

different,

and

we

the natural.

Nobody

were few, we had to be

wrong. Everything we did was taken to be wrong. I...I tried to complete the circle. From being half to being whole. This seemed

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ACT I SCBNE II

171

all the more horrible to them. I could not do it alone. It had to be done through someone...to reach out to whole ones...and it was you, Rita. I chose to comp-

lete it with...you, Rita, cleanest of them

worst, before issuing the whole ones...

riTA : (Absently, me, Joe ?

all,

to

go

through

the

as though in a trance) You...you said something to

JOE: Did you hear...? RITA : (Distantly) Yes...yes... Jor: Then...(With a firm clear voice, back to reality)

Enter...a fat bald man.

,

(As though at his command, a fat bald man enters, and surreptiously moves to the shack, signalling out to Joe who alone sees him. We return to the normal state of things...)

Joe : Rita uncle Lolo has to see you. RITA: Who? Jor : Uncle Lollypop : our esteemed band-agent. RITA : (Frowning) His appointment was for next Thursday. Jor: He must be getting impatient...to get Tony signed on. TONY : (Blurredly) Who...who wants to see me ? RITA: Nobody, Tony. You just take it easy, and leave it all to me. Excuse’ me.

(She leaves. Joe and Tony are silent fora while. They mutely pass the bottle (flask) around to each other. Joe is careful not to drink too much. Tony takes a big swig every time.) Jor: Rita is a great gal. She can handle most everything... TONY : (Nodding his head drowsily) Yup.

JOE:

...and everyone.

JOE:

.. you and Uncle Lolo, and God knows who else...

Joe:

...like it came to her naturally and not forced...

JOE:

.. an action initiated finds its own meaning...

TONY: ...yup.

TONY:

...yup.

TONY : ...yup.

TONY : ...yup.

JOE: ...but does everything have to have a logical conclusion... TONY : ...yup (Almost dropping off to sleep)

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172

THE DOLDRUMMERS

JOE: ...we shall see... TONY : ...(Snoring) 2zzz2z... (Joe gets up and slaps Tony hard) JOE: Get-up you louse !

-

(Tony gets up with a start. He is bewildered, but still drunk.) TONY : What...wh...what? You...you hit me. JOE : That’s right, chum. Want to me back. (Tony raises his fist unsteadily, but Joe pushes him back.) JoE : Enough of games, Tony. Now you listen to me, you clot. (Tony looks at him vacuously.) JOE : (Drawing a deep breath and speaking out) Keep your flap ears beamed on me like a radar, Tony-boy. We’ll soon be shooting off to the stars. (Pause) Rita is a good girl, isn’t she? She buys you lovely toys and kisses you goodnight whenever you want her to. She never forces you to go to work, and worships you like God Almighty. Well,

doesn’t she 7.

(He shakes Tony’s neck like he were a dog and Tony can do all, but nod) She’s nature’s own child, sweet and loving. Her heart is pure, and she lives for you alone. There’s nothing she wouldn’t do for you, would she! would she? (Shaking Tony by the neck.) (Tony looks at him pog-eyed, and nods vigorously.) She’d even whore for you, you filthy dog ! (Tony gapes incomprehensively) What do you think she’s doing for you at this moment ? Signing contracts ? That fat man full of pig’s lard is signing out a cheque for her to complete a contract. Do you know what the consideration is, Tony darling

?......Herself.

Do you

know whom

she does

it

for, Tony dear ?...You ! (The drink is evaporating fast out of Tony. His silly face begins to take on a glimmer of understanding.) She is selling her pound of flesh neatly cellophaned. It comes in beautiful boxes, with gardenias and jewels. With these she buys

you first-hand

guitars and

hair like Rudolph Valentino.

lavendered vaseline that grooms your

(Tony swings a punch at Joe that connects and bowls him over.

Joe gets up grinning, with blood dribbling from his mouth.) JOE : (Continues softly) Don’t tell me you didn’t know, Tony-boy. (Tony almost doubles up covering his face. His body goes through

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ACT I SCENE II

173

mute conclusions, in the agony of one who feels, but cannot speak.) : Joe : (Continues mercilessly) Why don’t you hit me again, Tony-boy ? Beat the truth out of me. It doesn’t hurt meat all. Or better still, since I speak for you, hit yourself. (Tony is whimpering and beating his head on the tree.) That’s right, beat your head on a stone wall. Beat your head on astone wall. See what gives. (Tony turns around desperately and faces him.) Tony : (Jn an inexplicable voice) Joe... JOE : I’m listening, Tony. I hear you speak and it says you want me to speak. Well, listen then, at what you're saying to me. Ycu’re saying that you knew it all along. Yes, you’re saying that you knew itall along. And that you admittted it to yourself. But that you weren’t man enough to do anything about it. That

guitars are better than bags of marbles, and

who the hell cares

how you came by it. That you put up a first class pretence when Liza said : ‘If Tony doesn’t care, why should I?” (Then softly)

But then we all don’t care,

and what makes you so sure that

Rita

does 7 TONY : (Flashing) That’s a lie! JOB : (Continues unabated) What makes you so sure that Rita is not...enjoying herself. If you can enjoy your Thursday with Liza, what makes

you think

she does

not enjoy

Aer

Man

Thursdays.

Don’t look so surprised, Tony. Just because a man’s fat and bald doesn’t mean that he’s not a man. TONY : You’re not me, Joe. You're a beast. JOE : Tell you what, Tony-my-friend, let’s drop by and see them. Tony : Huh? Jor: No, better still, c-r-a-s-h in like the indignant husband, and catch thern in the act. Tony : I'll ring his ears alright. Jon: Atta-boy Tony-boy.

long drink.

But before

Here take this.

we do that, let’s have another

(Tony stares at the bottle that’s been chucked over) Let’s give them enough time so that it can be more incriminating.

(Tony takes a gulp.

another gulp.)

Before passing the bottle to Joe, he takes

Tell you how we'll work

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jt out.

I'll peep through

the

window

174

THE DOLDRUMMERS

and give you the signal. You hurl yourself against the door and break it down. Then you...flash open this switch blade knife...(Joe throws over the knife, snapping it open through the spring action) ...just in case you want to work him over... TONY : (Taking another gulp) Vil cut him to ribbons. Jor : Then Rita’ll fall into your arms, and everything will be hankeydorey. . TONY : (Gets up lurchingly) Let’s go. JOE : (Leaving the stage) Now you go up to the front door, and I'll peak-a-boo

from the rear so’s to let you know.

(Tony staggers upto the door of the shack. He stands there, swaying, waiting for the signal from Joe. Just then, the fat and bald man emerges with Rita. The three look wide-eyed at each other.)-

FAT &

BALD

Antony !

MAN:

(Pointing

a jewel-studded fat finger

at Tony)

TONY : (Rubbing his eyes) Ye Gods !

¥F & BMAN: What the hell are you doing here, Antony, you lazy bum. Found another job yet? My reference must have helped you out.

TONY : (Stammering) N...n...0 Sir. Not yet, Sir. F & B MAN: Do you know this chap, Rita? First class fellow. Used to be my servant. RITA : (Thoughtfully) Joe told me you might call him a

F & B MAN : (Wincing) W-e-l-l.

friend.

RITA : He was, of course, technically correct. F & BMAN: (To Tony) You look pretty prosperous Antony. Must have hitched on to a good job. : Tony : Ahhh... F & B MAN: What are you doing here anyway ? RITA : I give him “paying-guest”’ accommodation. F&BMAN: Him? You don’t need any P.G’s honey. Hope he does not annoy you or anything. Tell me if he does, and Ill put

him straight.

RITA: Why don’t you ask him ? F&BMAN: Look here now, Antony. I hope you don’t bother this young lady. I have a special...er...interest in her, You understand!

Google

ACT I SCENE II RITA: He understands. didn’t, but he does, ¥ & B MAN:

175 He

understands very

Ob he does, does he?

well.

I thought

he

Does he help out too.

RITA : (High-pitched, neurotic tone) Why don’t you speak out, Tony. The gentleman asked you a question. He wants to know if you help me in procuring friends like your friend here. Say something Tony. For God’s sake say something! (She is crying now) If you can’t speak, take your guitar and smash it on his fat face...

and I’ll buy you a thousand more...

:

(Tony stands like a helpless animal, crying.) F & B MAN: (Surprised) Oh, I say.. what’s gone wrong. RITA: (Hard) Nothing. Your time’s up. That’s all. F & B MAN: O.K., O.K. you don’t have to be so god-damn mercenary about the whole thing. I was just bringing you a present, that’s all. (He takes out a small ribbon-bound packet from his pocket) Of course, if you don’t want it, I can give it to somebody else. RITA: (Bitterly) Why don’t you give it to Tony here. Oh, but it’s meant for a girl, isn’t it? Perhaps Tony can give it to his girlfriend. Presents for a friend. That would be wonderful, wouldn’t

it.

It must be nice to receive sometime

instead

of giving all the

time. F & B MAN: Give it to Antony ? You must be daft. RITA: Oh, he hero-worships you. Called you an executive. Said you were grooming him into higher positions in life...as though it mattered. F&BMAN: Groom. Groom? He was no groom. But I can see he’s been doing well. By the same measure, you must be doing better. Now you haven’t been cheating on your Pappy here, have you, honey? I thought I was the only one. You know it comes as quite a shock to me that Tony might have other... “friends”. If you don’t watch out, Tony might take advantage

of you himself one day. (Winks at him lewdly)

That

RITA : Come on, Tony. Come Don’t you feel at all. Not don’t you kill him. I'll say 1 (Tony falls to his knees,

will be the day,

huh, Tony...

on, please. How can you stand it. at all? Just once. Just once. Why did it myself. clutching on to the knife now in his

hand, but does not move, as though an invisible chain were holding him down.)

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176

THE DOLDRUMMERS

(Rita runs back to the shack, crying...) F & B MAN: (Taken aback) I say...I say...What’s wrong with her...she balmy or something. I took her for a nice normal girl. And nice normal girls don’t say such things. Maybe they do bit of it now and again, you know, for laughs, but there’s a limit to things. What are you doing with that knife anyway. You look goddamn silly. Here give it to me. (He takes it) Say, Antony, do you ever get a piece of you-know-what, on the side. Lucky fellow, you. How do you afford it? Do you know my opinion of you has gone higher and higher. May be you'll make class one day. But you gotta start right from the bottom, yes right from the bottom, right here. You get it? Say, incidentally, it’s alright you and me being friendly here, because you know, you get me

so to speak with my pants down, but you won’t talk

it outside,

will

you?

Of course,

you

receiving orders from me, aren’t you ?

won’t.

You’re

about

used

to

TONY : (Hypnotically obsequious, back to being the servant) Yes, Sir. F & BMAN: That’s good. Here take this...(Hands over some money) and get yourself a drink. Go on...off with you. TONY: (Mechanically) Yes, Sir.

(He

leaves.

The

F

&

B

Man

is

about to go back to the shack, then changes his mind, and leaves.) (Joe appears from behind the shack, where he’s been listening to all that’s been going on. There’s something almost absurdly melodramatic about the way he appears and disappears, and one

might almost laugh except for the reminder that there is something appalling about Joe. He stands for a moment lost in contemplation, working out his next move. Then he goes up to the door of the shack and knocks on the door.) JOB: Rita. Rita. It’s me, Joe. (The door opens and Rita comes out. The rest of the scene can possibly be played in the porch of the shack, or within the shack if the producer can arrange it that way.) RITA : Joe? ~ (She is still on the verge of hysteria.) JOE : Beastly interruption, wasn’t it 7 RITA: (Controlling herself) Yes.

JoE : Couldn’t be helped | suppose, later.

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He'd have found out sooner or

ACT I SCENE II

177

rira : Yes.

.

Jog : Of course, there’s a possibility that he knew about it already. RITA:

Yes.

JOE : Did he kick up a hell of a scene ? RITA: Who? ‘JOB : TOny, of course, RITA: Oh, I thought absently.)

you

were

talking

of...(Her

words

taper off

JoE: Don’t tell me you didn’t know whom I was talking about. You could hardly expect Uncle Lolo to kick up a scene. After all, who was the compromised party. RITA : Joe you’ve taken the words right out of my as though you were here all along. Almost as here all along. Almost as though you engineered JOE : Except of course that I can hardly act like said before, we’re different from each other.

RITA:

mouth. Almost though you were it through. Tony. As you

Yes.

JOE : Did Tony beat him up. RITA: No. JOE: Did he beat you up ? RITA: No.

JOE: That’s a bad sign. But then perhaps he felt like self up for making you do the things he has.

beating

him-

(Pause)

RITA JOE: RITA JOE : RITA

: Joe? Yes. : He knew it all along, did’t he ? I don’t know. : You said so yourself !

JOE: Maybe it did’t quite strike him. Maybe he never stopped think out how you could afford to give him expensive things, RITA : But there was no getting away from it now. JOE: No. RITA : He could have stopped me, here and now, if he wanted to.

OE : I guess so.

RITA; But he seemed...completely dazed,

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to

.

‘

178

THE

JOE : (To himself) Tony...is pure reflex.

His Master’s Voice.

He was face

DOLDRUMMERS to face

with

RITA : (Covering her face with her hands) Oh, Joe! Joe! He just stood there, Joe. Doing noting. Absolutely nothing...while I begged him...to kill the man. I wish to God he had killed me instead. But he just stood there... Jog: Kill the goose that lays the golden eggs ? RITA: But, Joe, I want Tony to live for me too...not only for himself. Joe:

He can’t . not yet.

JOE:

(Smiling hard) You're catching on now, Rita.

RITA; Then there’s no meaning to it all, is there 2 We each live only for ourselves...and self-sacrifice has no meaning except to satisfy one’s own vanity.

RITA: And Love... Jon: AsI said before, it’s like any other four letter word. RITA: And Hope... JOE: Hold on to it while it lasts, but no longer... RITA: And Faith...

JOE: There is no God in Man. RITA: These are mere words. Prove it all to me.

(Joe puts his hand in his pocket and takes out a diamond ring.) jon: A present from a friend, Rita. RITA: (Confused) From whom ?

Joe:

Me.

jog:

Not asa friend of yours, but as a friend of Tony’s.

RITA:

RITA:

Joe.

Joe.

I don’t understand.

Jorn: The rules of the game. (Rita understands, She is flabbergasted.) RITA: (The words strangle her throat) Joe! Joe! What are you saying. What do you mean?

For

God’s

sake.

Jog: We started a game, don’t you remember? As long as it was a present, and it came from a friend of Tony, it was mutually acceptable. Tony wouldn’t mind...you saw for yourself he didn’t, right in the face of it. So, we started the game with one party,

and now I offer myself as another candidate. There’s no difference,

Google

ACT I SCENE II Rita. Tony.

RITA:

Jor:

It’s my

179 right,

as

much

as it is his, as long as we are not

(Still unbelievingly) You, Joe, you ?

(Viciously) “Et tu Brute?’

words,

Rita;

this

is

the

proof.

Et tu Brute! These are not mere The

proof to all our existence.

Love, Hope, Faith, Friendship. It all boils down to one thing alone. Me. Me. That I live, God knows how. That I shall die, that I know. This act of mine is what we all live by. Even you

who

Rita.

have failed to realise it yet will find itso. It carried the witchcraft

for a while.

of humanity.

Wear the ring,

But wear

it only

It has to be passed on to others so that everything

still-born may live in its transfiguration.

(Rita wears the ring.

RITA:

Then she removes it and returns it to Joe.)

(Metallically) You have given me the proof, Joe.

Now

you

can have your ring back. JOE: Meaning? RITA: Meaning that we don’t need to play the game, Joe. Not any more. It’s open house now. Lay your money on the table, Joe.

It does not have to be a present any more, and

it need

not come

from a friend either. Tony won’t mind. As you just said, he didn’t. He just stood...doing nothing. (Voice rising) Come on Joe, what are you waiting for? You're being clocked. For God’s

sake let’s stop talking and get down to it !

(Joe springs upon her in a passionate embrace. RITA: (Moaning softly) Tony...Oh, Tony...

CURTAIN

Google

She acquiesces.)

ACT II

A few The

months

guitar

has

later.

Tony is lying

been placed near

at the sky wilh his hands folded away

look,

as

SCENE

though

in

I

the

hammock,

immobile.

the tree, and Tony is looking up

behind his

head.

He

has

a far

he sees aad hears nothing, but is living in a

world of his own. The smart clothes of a few months ago seem crumpled and unkempt and dirty. He has a stubble on his chin and a bottle at his side from which he takes a drink now and again. Suddenly the door of the shack (at the other end of the stage) Slings open, and a drunk topples over the stairs and falls to the ground.

No sooner he tries to get up, a light cane chair

is

thrown

at him from the porch, and he reels over and falls again. Rita is standing in the porch. For a moment she looks as youthfully attractive as she ever was. Then one notices the almost

imperceptible changes that have come over her in the last few months. The voice is harsher, more metallic; the eyes are harder,

more

lusterless.

The

body

has

lost

its taut ferociousness.

Her

movements are no longer eager and spontaneous, but are slow and calculated, occasionally breaking under the strain of a tremendous nervous tension.

RITA: (Screaming to the drunk) Button up that fly and outa-here. (The wobbling drunk tries to mount the stairs again,

and

_get-the-hellRita

gives

him a hard push that sends him “biting the dust’ again. All this while and up to the time the drunk leaves, Tony gives no indication of knowing what’s been going on, although he’s only a few feet

away.

He continues to stare unblinkingly at the sky.)

DRUNK: (Slurring over the words) Tiss here iss the right address issn’t it ? RITA: Gohome. Drink acup of hot Jo. Sleep it off.-Get up. Have

a bath

and shave.

Then...then...come back.

DRUNK:

it?

Put on some of that nice smelly lotion.

(Still seeing double) Tiss here iss the right address, issn’t

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ACT If SCENE fi

181

RITA: Want me to write it down, and put it in your pocket ? DRUNK: (Toying with his belt, trying to unbuckle it) Sure, I'll take off my pants so’s you can reach my pocket. (Giggling) Hee, hee. RITA: If you don’t go now, I'll hit you with this stick, nice and hard. You're drunk and you’re sick. DRUNK: My friend told me you were clean...up to the time he knew you. Then he palmed off the address to me...second hand,

but not loose yet...

What are you talking about 7 Which friend ? RITA: DRUNK: (Giggling again) You know which one, or have

you

lost

count since. He told me you thought he made lollypops. (Giggles) Hee, hee. Lollypops { Imagine that. He said you weren’t over yet, but speeding down the hill just the same. Like the steam engine you know. That old mechanical ‘‘chug-chug”’. RITA: (Diamond hard) How much longer did he say I had. An old experienced hand like him should know, no doubt. DRUNK: There’s no saying. Each chick’s different from the other. Some work it like a businees...they last. Others work it like a passion...they don’t. Personally I prefer the latter ones...as long as the passion lasts.

rira: Christ! Another philosopher. DRUNK : What’s wrong with philosophy. The drunker I am, the more philosophic I get. I like anything that gives me a d-r-e-a-m. Whether it be tea or the needle, (Giggling) or just plain booze: RITA: How long do you think you’ll last. DRUNK : No longer than you, friend. No longer than you. RITA : So, we got something in common, huh ? DRUNK : Yes, we might hit it off together.

RiTA : No, there’s only one man with whom I hit it off together, and it won’t be you.

DRUNK : Oh, I see...you’re one of those types. rita : I didn’t know they had types for “those ones” too.

DRUNK: Everything repeats itself. Everyone repeats becomes a habit. So, we get a type. RITA : Like different blood types, huh ? DRUNK : Thass right. RITA : Sit down, and talk to me. DRUNK : I didn’t come here for no talk.

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himself.

So, it

THE DOLDRUMMERS

182

RITA : Sorry, I’ve broken the rules again. DRUNK : That’s alright, baby. I like a little talk too...provided the rest follows. It makes it seem...natural. Yeah, I can take it easy then, likeI had a ready-made home, without having to pay the dues. RITA: Wrong there, friend. You'll have to pay the dues...you’re being clocked, you know. =~ DRUNK : I didn’t mean dues that way. There won’t be no...bambinos. No? RITA : (Suddenly morbid and silent) No. You can go now. DRUNK : Go? But we were just settling down to a friendly chat. riTA : (A bit hysterical) No. No. I don’t want to talk. DRUNK : Well, then will you take me in. I Promise not to talk. RITA: Go away. I don’t want you now. Can’t you understand ? DRUNK: No. [’m notat home that youcan tell me to go away. You’re not my wife

You can’t trade by

at my convenience.

that you can tell me you don’t

saying now and then.

You

want me now.

gotta be available

RITA : (Almost sobbing) Go away. I beg of you. (The Drunk looks at her incredulously.) DRUNK: You’re raw yet, Ican make it out. That’s good. I'll be back, honey.

Ill be back.

Now

don’t

become

different

while

I’m gone. Youcan still feel. You’re not dead yet like me. I gotta get that spark before you die too. It won’t get me alive, but I need it badly, because then I can d-r-e-a-m. (Giggling) Hee, hee. (He goes.

Rita covers

her face with her

hands, and tries to hold

her body tight, because she finds it shacking involuntarily. Tony is still lying in the hammock, looking straight at the sky, like a mummified mummy. There is deep silence for a minute.)

RITA : (Calling out) Tonee. (No reply)

Tonee...

Tony. You deaf or something ? TONY: Yes, RITA:

Tony!

The drunk’s vomited all over the room.

Will you clean it up.

Tony : (Wearily getting out of the hammock) Yeah. RITA : Imagine, coming in here drunk.

Tony: Yeah.

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- ACT Il SCENE f

183

RITA : Play me a tune on the guitar, Tony-boy. -TONY: You just told me to clean up the mess.

RITA: That’s right.

That’s right.

Clean it up first, Tony.

TONY : (Mumbling) Women can never make up their minds.

Do this,

they say. Do that, they say. Get down to doing something, and they want you to rest. Don’t do nothing, and they want you to work. RITA : You said something, Tony ?

Tony: Nope. RITA: I thought you said something.

Tony : (Angrily) 1 said nothing ! RITA: Oh, alright. You said nothing. But away something all the same. TONY : (With usual stubborness) I said nothing.

RITA: So, you said nothing. TONY : (Mumbling again)

you

were

mumbling

Alright ?

Never satisfied, you women.

You want to

gobble us up, I know. Like toads gobbling up flies. (He looks up at her and raises his hand arrestingly before she can say anything) Yes, yes, | was saying something, so don’t argue.

RITA:

But, darling, I wasn’t going to say anything.

Tony : (Zestily) You were! You mumbling something. RiTA : But I already said that.

were

going

Tony: (Angrily) No...I mean yes. a second time.

I mean

to say

that

I was

you were going to say it

rita: I already said I wasn’t going to say anything. TONY : (Flinging up in his hands)

Aww

shut-up, will you !

RITA : Can’t understand what’s got into you, Tony. at each other all the time.

Just look

We’re snapping

at your clothes, Tony.

You

used to be so proud of them. Why every time you sat down, you'd hitch your pants up ever so lightly so as not to spoil the crease. Now take a look at them. It looks like crumpled blotting-paper. TONY : (Mumbling again) You don’t wash and iron them good enough now. > riTA : You used to play the guitar all the time. Sing to yourself like some beautiful bird. (Softly) And you came to me without my having to call out to you. What’s wrong, Tony-boy ?

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184

THE DOLDRUMMERS

TONY : (Almost sulking) Nothing.

RITA: Tell you

Nothing.

what: let’s go out for a dance.

There’s

a good

band playing tonight at the “Circus Inn”. You get some of that posh crowd there. O, I know it’s expensive, but we can afford it. You can wear those nice pointed dance shoes I bought for you the

other day.

:

Tony : I don’t like the crowd that hangs around around like vultures, the lot of them. us a mile off, the rich bastards.

They

there.

They hang

can spot people

like

rita: Why Tony, you never used to care about other people. Tony : Well, I do now. I can’t stand their smugness. And their talk, each one telling the other...all giggling like little school girls... riTA : Oh... Tony : It’s got nothing to do with you, Rita. RITA : Of course. Tony : It’s not as though I were ashamed or anything. RITA : Of course, not. Tony : But they do get me hot around the collar.

RITA : Nice to know.

TONY : Besides I’ve been feeling Jost of late.

Same as you.

RITA : (Surprised) What do you mean ? TONY : Joe. RITA: What about Joe ? TONY : He’s gone. RITA : Yes, I know he’s gone. TONY : Well, nothing’s been the same since.

rita: Why?

TONY : Because it was fun: you, he and I. Like Liza said, we made ateam. Oh, we didn’t do anything much, but we sorta got along. He was like one of my hands. You know what a man with one arm feels. Sometimes he forgets the other hand is not there, and he stretches it out to grab hold of something...and finds it isn’t there.

RITA : Joe was no friend of yours. Tony : I’m not speaking about friendship. (Pause) Wonder Did he tell you why ? left like that, all of a sudden.

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why he

ACT II SCENE I

185

riTA: He said something about having started a situation in motion, and that his presence was no longer necessary for its natural conclusion. Hence he felt he could be dispensed with. TONY : He was crackers alright. Yet everything he said gave me the feeling that there must be a meaning. RITA: Yes. Tony : You miss him too, don’t you Rita ?

RITA : I don’t know what you mean.

Tony : Well, whenever I speak of Joe you clamp up. RITA: Sometimes I think Joe never existed. That he was only part of you and I. Something evil hidden within us. That it appeared one day as an apparition, and called himself Joe. That his absence does not mean that he has been exercised, like the devil, because he’s already set into motion a train of events...and knows where it will end.

Tony : You’re talking like Joe now.

RITA: As I said, he may have been part of us. TONY : I wonder if he’ll ever come back. RiTA : Perhaps he knows he hasn’t really gone. Tony : What did he want from us anyway.

He never really belonged

to our background. RITA : You'll find a Joe everywhere. He really does not belong anywhere, but he exists all the same. Lift any piece of rock and you'll ' find a lizard like him crawling...eating up his own eggs... Tony : You never liked him, did you ?

rita : No, and yet the fire in him blazed, making ness, and exposing the nakedness of it all.

light out of dark-

TONY : (Getting up wearily) T guess I'd better clean up the mess.

(Just as he is about to go, Rita stops him.)

RITA : No, Tony, wait.

Tony RITA Tony RITA

I'll do it.

: (Shrugs his shoulders) If you want to. : (Conciliatory) It’s not fair that I should give it to you. : Alright, you do it. : (Running her fingers through Tony's hair) Tonee. Tonee.

TONY : (Jmpassive) Yeah. RITA : (Cooing) Let’s be by ourselves tonight.

Tony: (Unresponsive) Alright.

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THE DOLDRUMMERS

186

He really does not belong anyRITA : You'll find Joe everywhere. where, but he exists all the same. Lift any piece of rock and you'll find a lizard like him crawling...eating up his own eggs.

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Original from

INDIANA UNIVERSITY

ACT Il SCENE I

187

RITA : Like old times. TONY: Yeah. RITA : Nothing’s changed, has it ?

TONY: No.

RITA : You don’t really mind, do you ?

TONY : No. RITA : I need you more than ever, Tony. Tony : Hmmm. : Rit : I mean if you really did mind, you would have told me then and there when you met the old man you used to work for. TONy : That’s right. . RiTA : We can both shut our eyes to it.

Our love is something quite

apart.

TONY: Yes. RITA: Even afterwords, you never

had said with it.

some

really

time ago about

objected to it.

Liza,

Like

there’s nothing

you

wrong

Tony: Yes. riTA : And it’s so silly to play if around with parents and friends instead of getting down to brass tacks. Tony : Yes. rita: After all, it takes money to buy nice things, doesn’t it, Tonyboy.

Tony : Yes.

rita: And you Tony.

do like to receive nice things from me, don’t you,

Tony: Yes. Yes. Yes. RITA: Well, then kiss me, Tony. I’m tired. So tired. (They kiss. She with passion and he without.) What’s wrong Tony ? Tony : The room still smells of vomit. rita : (Nervously irritated.. flings a piece of cloth to him) Well, clean it up. TONY : Clean it up yourself. You said you'd do it. RITA: Tony. Tony are we going to quarrel again ? Tony : You started it.

you.

The whole place smells

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of vomit,

then

including

188

:

THE DOLDRUMMERS

RITA : (Aroused) Me? I smell of vomit? And what do you think you smell of ? You’ve still got Liza’s odious perfume of last week cloying over you. , TONY : She doesn’t at least change brands like ‘you. You smell of two-dozen kinds of sweat. RITA : (Screaming) You never seemed to mind it before. Not as long as you could cover it up with some of that fancy perfume I bought for you...with my sweat mixed in it. Tony : So, what ? I sweat for my living too. You don’t think it’s a pleasure for me, do you? I got to drink myself drunk to face the ordeal every time. RITA: (Wide-eyed with shock) Tony ! What are you saying, -Tony ! This is me...Rita. Not the bawd you picked up last week. This is me...whom you called tops. We always hit it off together, don’t you remember ?

TONY : (Defiant, but afraid) I was pretending. RITA: You can’t pretend that, Tony. I can’t pretend it either. I might with everyone else, but not with you, Tony. Yon said I knew the right moment, and gave it to you evey time. TONY : I can’t remember. I don’t get the same feeling. RITA : (Desperately) You do, Tony. You do. I know you do. Kiss me Tony. I’ll prove it to you. Kiss me. ~

(She attempts to kiss him but he turns his face away.

She stares

at him incredulously. Then an expression of awful rage passes over her face. She spits full on his face. Tony slaps her with a heavy hand that knacks her to the floor.

He turns around and leaves.)

RITA: (Cries out pleadingly) Tonee...Tonee...come back, Tonee... (He is out of sight. Rita remains prostrate for a long while. Liza comes along, and seeing Rita on the floor runs up to her and helps

her sit down.)

u1zA: RITA: LIZA: RITA: LizA:

Rita! Rita! What’s happened? Are you hurt ? (Her hands shaking as she covers up her face) N...No. What happened ? Tony slapped me. Tony ? Why ?

IZA:

You...you look overwrought and tired, Rita.

RITA:

JI

RITA:

No reason, Liza.

No reason. There’s never any reason.

am.

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189

ACT Ii SCENE I

LIzA: Sit down here, Rita. Take it easy. It will pass. (Rita sits down, but a moment later she grimaces with pain and her hands clutch on to her stomach. She feels sick, and dashes to the bath-room to throw-up.) Why are you sick ? Shall 11zA: (Concerned) What’s wrong, Rita? I call a doctor ? (Rita shakes her head negatively and sits down) Look Rita, if something’s wrong with you, tell me for heaven’s sake. that.

In

of everything,

spite

you

can

tell me, Rita, you know

(Quietly) P'm getting a baby, Liza. Liza: (Taken aback) No! You sure ? (Rita nods her head in reply) I’ve known it happen You could be mistaken, you know.

RITA:

time

being rita:

LIzA : RITA:

Liza:

(Then

and again.

mistaken.

I’m sure,

quickly) Not having a baby of course, but

Liza.

For Pete’s sake, what are you going to do Rita Nothing. Have the baby I guess.

Just like that.

to me

Look, honey, this is serious.

?

Let’s not play

the stork game with each other. I’m a woman, so I understand. Maybe I don’t feel the same as you, but I’m a woman like you, so I understand. Now tell me: who dun it ?

RITA: (Bitterly) You're back-dated ony our news, Liza, or don’t you know. Visit the “Circus Inn” sometime, and catch up on the gory details. They must be betting there on “which one dun it”. LIZA: rita: L1zA: RITA: LIZA:

(Concerned) Oh, Rita baby, don’t pay any attention to them. (To herself) But no one knows; no one knows, save I and... 4 Have you told Tony about it yet ? No. Well, aren’t you going to tell him? He can’t be slapping you

around like this. RITA: What do you suggest I tell him Liza? That

he

should

us part.

LIzA:

Why not?

That it’s his child ?

hereafter love, honour and obey me, till death do He’s been as much responsible as anyone

else.

RITA: (Laughing harshly) ‘Ena Mena Mina Moe..,” And if he cries should I Iet him go-..?

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DOLDRUMMERS

THE

190

L1zA: Look, Rita, I’ve got a far more practical solution. Listen to me. I have a friend. He kept reassuring me that I was completely safe with him, because he claimed to be a doctor. At first I thought he meant safe the other way...you know, a plutonic friendship...until I found out that he meant otherwise. It turned out he really was a doctor...and what’s more a practising doctor. He told me if I ever knew anyone in trouble, he could fix her up...

you know...

RITA:

.

(Her hand involuntarily goes

neck) No, Liza, No !

to

the

cross

hung

around her

LIZA; Honey you've got to be practical. You want the child ? rita: Yes! Yes! It’s mine. It grows within me. I cannot deny it life, for better or for worse.

LIZA:

Be reasonable, Rita.

RITA: LIZA: RITA:

The child will be born. ...without a father...? It shall have a father.

LIZA:

me,

Well, now.

Rita,

him ?

RITA:

why

is

I hadn’t

it Tony

It would be better for both of you. It will be cared

for...and

loved.

realised. That’s different. (Pause) Tell never

He never got the chance.

ing in the way.

realised

how

much

you love

There were too many others

com-

LIZA: Meaning...me? RITA: Yes, you tugging from one side, and...Joe from the other. Liza: (Laughing) Oh, Joe. Joe. That idiotic magpie. I hear he left some time ago. You all certainly look lonesome without him.

Like one of the front teeth missing. Oh, Joe, Joe. He was certainly

a bellyfull of laughs. It used to infuriate him that take him seriously. RITA: He had no effect on you at all then.

L1zA:

Him? Joe ? Naw. Of course, not.

RITA;

(Belligerently) What kind ?

I could

never

Why the silly bean didn’t

have an ounce of brain in his head. Oh, sure he sprouted some big words he got out of books, but that didn’t affect me any. He made quite a big impression on Tony. RITA: Liza: Tony’s impressionable. RITA: (Thoughtfully)...and on me. uiza: You’re that kind of woman.

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ACT §1 SCENE I

191

LIZA; Oh, the kind that Joe would make a play for. The hard-toget, the real you. rita: And he wouldn’t make a play for you ? LIZA: Sure he would. But he wouldn’t talk Almighty with me. It would be like water off a duck’s back. No, he’d find shorter cuts with me.

He’d

behave

like

ordinary

Tony

with

me,

but

with

thought

you

you he’d make out like a super-Tony. He’s like one of those comedy actors in Shakespearian drama. RITA: Only he isn’t funny. L1zA: No? What do you take him for then 7 riTA: I don’t know. Whenever I met him, I got the feeling that I had known him before. Little bits about him I saw in a lot of people...including myself. Most of everybody had seen his face, or heard his name, or felt his presence. There was something frighteningly real...unreal about him. uizA: You feeling alright, Rita? My God ! You talk about him as though he were the Missiah himself. He was nothing buta punk...a crazy hipster with hallucinations.

RITA: LizA:

Maybe so. Maybe so. You did not take to him, did

disliked him.

you

? I always

RITA: I always keep coming back to thinking of it. Like one hates oneself at times, but cannot avoid living with since it forms part of oneself. LI1zA: Me, I’m different. I love living with myself. RITA: That’s just like Tony. He gives me that feeling. Liza: It’s a good feeling to have, Rita. And a good man too. Do you know I’ve always felt a wee-bit jealous of you all the time. I’ve

somehow...always

all.

I know he gives it to you.

because

I was

never

felt...that

the right one.

Tony...never

When

gave

me_

And a woman always wants

well you have your man. (Rita smiles) (At that moment a couple stroll by whistling nonchalantly.)

that comes

of teen-age

involuntarily, school

LIZA : (Getting up) Well...Rita. (Rita gets up on an impulse and kisses her on the cheek.) rita : I'll be alright. Liza : "Bye, Rita,

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ll...

boys

192

THE DOLDRUMMERS

/

RITA : "Bye.

(Rita gets up from the porch, and goes into the room.

She crosses

over to the window and stares out for a while. The school boys return, looking around furtively, not aware that she is standing at the window above them, within earshot.)

Isr SCHOOL BOY : You're sure this is the right place ?

2np scHooL BoY: I said I came with the fellows didn’t 1? 1st Boy : You ..you...did it (Awesome tone) Boy Bory BoY Boy

other night

I’m a man, she said, a big one.

2np Boy : (Expensive voice) Sure.

1st 2np 1st 2np

the

: Oh, go on. Fred said you got scared and did’t go. : I did too. See, no more pimples on my face. : Alright you go first. : (Hesitatingly) No, you go first. (Then quickly) You're my

pal, so I’ll give you the first turn. Ist Boy : Which of the two girls was it ? 2np Boy : The small one, (Gestures) With them standing out high.

1st Boy : She’s so pretty. It hurts me that I should want to do it to her. I feel I could fall in love with her.

2np

Boy:

money.

Better

watch

out.

vamps

They’re

when

it comes

to

1st Boy : What’s vamps.

2np {st 2np 1st

Boy Boy Boy soy

: Something to do with vampires, I guess. : I don’t think she’s a vamp. : Who says she’s not. She could be...Jean I : Well, she doesn’t look like a vamp.

think I’d die

of shame if Jean would

I...1...feel I’'d die if she didn’t.

2np BOY : She’s not like Jean.

1st Boy : But she could

I'd like to ask her if she’d be

be like Jean.

willing to take the place of Jean.

if Jean and I were married.

let me do it to her, and yet

You know, sort of pretend...like

2np Boy : Why don’t you play the game

with Jean herself instead of

coming here ? 1st Boy : Jean wouldn’t let me, even if I wanted to. I...I...wouldn’t know what to do. What does it feel like...the first time.

2np Boy:

It feels

awfully...secret.

secret,

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Like

two

people

sharing

a

ACT ‘Il SCENE I

193

Ist Boy : How do you get down to it. I mean...I mean...what does one do ? 2ND BOY : I guess it comes naturally. _ Ist Boy:

I wonder

what

made

her...become

so...natural looking, like the other girls. 2npD Boy : She was disappointed in love, Ist Boy : Then if she had not been disappointed

never have become like this.

this

way.

She’s

in love, she would

2nD Boy : Say, what’s all this talking about ? We're wasting time. Go ahead, and knock on the door. Isr Boy: (Hesitating) I don’t know... don’t know...do you think Jean will mind ? 2nD Boy : Not if she doesn’t know. 1st Boy : But what if she comes to know ? 2ND Boy : Then I guess she’ll mind. 1st Boy: I’ll buy her something nice so she won’t mind. 2np Boy :

I think she’ll

still mind, but

she won’t say anything.

1st Boy : ( Playing for time) Why shouldn’t

she say anything if she

2ND BOY : I suppose she’ll feel you wanted nothing she could do about it, Ist Boy : I hate to hurt her.

it so

does mind,

‘

badly

there

was

2ND BOY : She’ll get over it.

1st Boy : But I don’t want her to get over it. I just don’t want to hurt her, 2np Boy : (Thoroughly exasperated) Dash it? Why don’t you make up your mind ? If you’re not willing to go, I'll go. \st BOY : No, no, no. I want to go. 2npD BoY : Well, then go, and stop arguing. 1st Boy : (Looking around wildly) Maybe we ought to come back later. 2nD Boy : For Pete’s sake we’ve been doing that the last two hours ?

1st Boy : What if we get caught, or catch the disease. It’s a terrible disease I’m told. First your nose drops off and then your

ears. 2np Boy : I’ve got something here that’s quite safe.

It’s called by a

long French name that sounds something like one of those tooth-

pastes,

.

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194

THE DOLDRUMMERS

Ist Boy : Give it to me. (Sound of footsteps) 2ND BOY : Someone’s coming. Duck. (Both the boys scramble away as though the devil were after them. In the rush, the Ist boy’s cap fies off.) Ist Boy: Whoops! My cap’s fallen. (As he has already run part of the distance before the cap fell, hehesitates in deciding whether he has the time to retrieve it.)

2np Boy : (Pulling him along) Forget

it.

Well!

come

back

for it

later... (Both bolt away) (A few seconds later a postman, whom the boys had seen, passes by. Rita appears on thé porch and looks in the direction in which the boys have gone. Then she sees the cap on the ground, and stepping down she takes it, brushes the sand off it, and brings it to the porch, all the while looking at it in contemplation. She sighs, then gets her portable record-player...which is a

hand-winding

78

r.p.m.

with

playing the song “Pretending”

a scratchy

vocalised

needle...and

by “Nat

King

starts

Cole’’.

Now she enacts a pantomime to the melody, pretending to be the wife of the Ist school boy...the girl by the name of Jean. She

does this with the help of the school cap which represents the boy-husband, and on her part she performs the sacred rituals which to the boy would represent the ideal-wife, starting with

getting the

slippers, filling the pipe, etc., ending with

perhaps

a

waltz that swerves in the direction of the bed-room. Her movements, tender and affectionate asa dream (hers as well as the

boy’s), must

be interrupted with sharp break-downs

(voice cracking, (vis-a-vis Tony), and with

to reality

sobbing, etc.) for the Rita-Jean that she was she isno more. The record comes-to an end,

it...the fantasy.

A few

moments later

one

hears

the

sound of drunken singing and Tony emerges swaggeringly drunk on the scene accompanied with a more-drunk idiotic-looking

friend.

He has a chain like lasso tied around the neck of his

friend, and brings him along like he were a dog. His friend completely plastered, and merely stares with glassy eyes.) RITA:

Tony.

Tony

you’re back.

Thank

sit down, I have something to tell you.

Tony.

tony; (Lisping) ’'m not Tony.

Google

I'm Jog.

God, you’re back.

Send your -

is

Come,

friend away,

(Pointing to his friend)

ACT Il SCENE

I

195

He’s Tony. And hecan’t go. I’m going to tie him down here. RITA: Tony you’re drunk again. You don’t need to be. You don’t need to be...not any more. TONY : (Raising his right hand solemnly) 1 swear I won’t drink again. I won’t need to any more. RITA: I’ll make you some hot coffee. Tony : No, wait. You haven’t met my friend here. His name is Tony.

Say, hello, Tony.

FRIEND : Wolf!

Wolf !

TONY : That’s right, Tony. You've got a flea behind your ear Tony, scratch it. (The friend gets down on all fours and pretends to scratch behind his ear with his foot.) Tony : That’s right. Now sit and beg, Tony. (The friend doesn’t move) _ (Tony yanks the ‘‘chain’’, and raises his voice commandingly)

Beg, Tony!

Beg!

(The friend. crouches on his toes and lifts his two hands gingerly.) That’s right. Now you can have a little present...a lollypop ! (He takes out a lollypop, and chucks it to

his friend,

up

who, snaps

on it like a seal and eats its paper and all.) TONY : (Turning to Rita who's been watching, too astonished to speak. He bows like a dog-trainer, who’s completed the performance) You

see I’m Joe.

RITA: (Hysterically) Tony! Stop it! Stop it! It’s not funny. TONY : (Turning to his friend) It’s not funny, Tony, she says. What do you think of it, Tony ? (His friend does a ‘‘Hee, hee’’ laughter) (Turning to Rita) Tony thinks it’s funny. (Rita turns to go, but Tony catches her violently by the wrist, and turns her around to face him. There is an impelling sobriety and fury about him now.) No, stay! Stay here and watch, until doomsday itself. RITA : Let me go! (Tony slaps her violently.) Tony: Stay here and watch I said! And listen { Listen” to

the dog

whine.

He’s

Google

got no tongue,

but

he can still whine.

196

THE DOLDRUMMERS

I got me a_ substitute now. I’m not Tony any Joe. This here is Tony. He'll serve you well. taught

him

to

play

louder.

She

the

guitar.

And

more. I’m I’ve even

he

is the hottest thing in

name,

and the darkness and

bed. He-doesn’t talk much. He doesn’t even feel much. He’s almost like a portable, do-it-yourself kit. He'll take my place well, and Ill be gone far, far away. RITA : (Screaming) No, Tony! Please, I beg of you. TONY : (Turning to his friend) Tony! She asked you to beg. Beg, you dog ! (His friend does the begging act again.) RITA : (Walking, crouching back slowly, hysterical, wide-eyed) Tonee... Tonee...my Tony-boy...my only love... (She turns around and flees. The sound of the waves seems to grow

is

repeating

his

the sound of the waves become painfully intense.)

TONY’: (With a sudden burst of realization and agony) Oh, God ! Rita! Rita! No! direction.)

No!

(He

falters,

CURTAIN

Google

then

FALLS

runs

desperately

in

her

ACT

The following

looking policeman.

morning.

II

SCENE IT

Liza

is talking

excitedly to a bored-

She is absolutely over-whelming in her narration,

and does not give the policeman a chance to put in a word As the scene opens, she is midway through her discourse...

edgewise.

LIZA: ...it was a farce; that’s what it was...a farce. You'd never guess what happened, Officer. But then all you police people are terribly clever, aren’t you ? You could guess just about anything.’ I’ve just

finished

reading a detective novel where you could never

have guessed...

POLICEMAN : (Intefrupting) Miss, I merely...

LIZA : (Interrupting)...yes, yes, I’m sorry. I’m wandering off the point. ‘Now where wasI? No, don’t tell me, don’t tell me. Ah, yes. The farce. Well, there wasn’t a single life-saver or bodyguard or whatever you call him around. They’re never around when

you

want

them.

They just love to strut around during the

day like little Charles Atlas, you know like see on the last page comic

books,

who

develop

into

big

big

men

from

90

of

pound

weaklings... POLICEMAN : (Wearily) Look, Miss, all I want... LIZA: (Interrupting again) Yes, yes, don’t keep interrupting me. You merely distract me from the point. Now where...yes, asI was saying, and I say from hearsay, because I wasn’t here, you understand. I was out last night dining and wining and dancing ...Oh, but that wouldn’t interest you, would it ?

(The policeman is too tired to reply by now, and so merely shakes

his head negatively) I thought not. All you...detectives are so cut-and-dried. how you behave at home with your wives.. (The policeman gives her a belligerent stare) So,

as

like

this

I was

frightening.

for

Wonder

saying before you interrupted me, it was all terribly

Rita was all wrought some

time.

Google

up

Tense...very

and

nervous.

tense.

She’s

been

As though some-

198

THE

thing within her were going to break. Well, of a man does the dog-and-monkey act (that and it has an impact on her like a hundred slaps her, and says he’s leaving her. Adding

DOLDRUMMERS

it did. That brute I told you of before), hells-bells. Then he injury to insult, after

hitting her, he wants to leave old Moron Moe behind

to take his

place while he struts off into the blue yonder like Pal-Joey. Well, what do you expect her to do? Yes, you’ve guessed it, she wanted to drown herself in the sea. Before you could say “Jack

Robinson”, she turned around and dashed into the open sea... POLICEMAN :

All this is very interesting, but...

LIZA : (Interrupting) Youre damned right, it’s juicy. Now hold your horses, Here’s where we come to the farce of it all. (She takes a deep breath before continuing, and finding the policeman open his mouth to say something, she snaps out first) Now listen and don’t interrupt me.

(The policeman

take it’s own course)

dashing to the sea.

slumps

back

wearily

to

let nature

Picture to yourself. Rita turning around and

Tony is at first resentful, then bewildered, then

it strikes him like a sledge-hammer that Rita intends to drown herself. He cries after her like some desperate banshee and runs to save her. By now she’s already far into the sea. Tony follows recklessly to the rescue. But...(She raises a finger for attention and the Policeman looks up, because shé expects him to)...the poor sucker What do you expect happened then? Rita is at can’t swim. first indifferent to his cries, but pretty soon she finds that he’s in trouble. Tony, the courageous idiot, realises too late that he can’t swim. Like a child bawling out for his mother, he cries out to Surely you can Rita for help. And Rita isan expert swimmer. guess the rest.

Before you could say ‘Jack

Robinson”,

she

does

the life-guard act and drags the half-drowned boy ashore. (She pauses to take stock of the dramatic effect on the policeman, who continues to regard her nonchalantly. He cautiously then opens his mouth to see if he is permitted to speak, and since she remains momentarily silent, he manages to eek out half a word of something-or-the-other before she interrupts again.) She’s suffering from shock and exhaustion now. The doctor’s given her a sedative. And between you and me and the door-post she didn’t lose her child, Miraculous the doctor called it. So, all’s well that ends well. But let me tell you something : If it weren’t for Tony, Rita would be dead today. (She ends with finality. The

Google

Act fi SCENE It

199

"policeman says nothing. something,

She looks at him expectantly.)

That's what you came here for, didn’t you ?

Well, say

POLICEMAN : I’ve been trying to tell you, Miss, that that’s not what came here about.

I

Liza: What ? POLICEMAN : If you'll give me a chance to explain... Liza:

(Interrupting)

Certainly

not.

You

come

here...and...and

extract information from me under...under false pretences. POLICEMAN: (Authoritatively) Now look here, Miss. I've got a job. to do, and I'll do it the way I want to. I’ve come here to make an enquiry, and I was directed to you. Liza: To me? POLICEMAN : Did you know a man called Joe ? Liza: Why...yes. What about him? POLICEMAN : How well did you know him ? Liza: Casual-like. Why ? POLICEMAN : Did he have any friends...or ¢nemies ? Liza: Afew. Why? .

POLICEMAN : He left here a few months ago I understand. Why ? LIZA: How am I to know ! He wasn’t on confidence terms with me.

Say, what’s all this questioning about ? What’s Joe been up to ? POLICEMAN : His body was washed ashore yesterday. Liza: What ?! Joe’s 7! POLICEMAN : That’s what the identification papers said. Someone who knew him also identified him. There’s no doubt that it was

him. LIZA: Joe.

Joe.

Can’t believe he’s dead.

POLICEMAN : There’s something strange about this case.

L1zA : How...how did he die ?

POLICEMAN: He was drowned. Coroner says around high tide last night. By the way do you know if he could swim. LIZA : Drowned ! POLICEMAN : Did he know how to swim ? L1za : Joe...couldn’t swim; (Then to herself)...not could Tony... POLICEMAN: (Mumbling, more to himself) Something strange about this case. Can’t lay my finger on it. No sign of struggle. Cause unknown. Motive unknown. Witnesses none. Never seen such

Google

200

THE. DOLDRUMMERS

an expression on a dead man. Blissful : like he had laid down: sleep forever. All curled up like a baby. Chief said... (Liza,turns rapidly to go.) POLICEMAN : Hey ! I haven’t finished. LIZA : I have to go now. Can’t I see you another time ?

POLICEMAN : Well...alright.

See you then. (He

leaves.

Liza

a

I’ve got some

dashes

up

to

work

to

here tomorrow.

the shack calling out “Rita” !

“Rita” ! Rita is lying on a sofa, and looks up startled at Liza.) Liza : (Breathlessly) Rita! Rita! I’ve got the most awful news. The most awful thing has happened. Joe’s drowned ! RITA : (Starts violently) Who?

Who?

LIZA : Joe, Joe. The policeman was just here, and was questioning me. At first I thought he wanted a report on what happened here last night, but I found out later that he had come here to investigate about Joe. He said Joe was drowned. Drowned Rita! Last.

night !

RITA : (Closing the cross involuntarily, and repeating the words slowly) Drowned... last...night. God. Oh, God! (Softly) Joe...Joe...he knew how it was going to end, Liza : The policeman said it was the strangest case he’s ever known. RITA : When did...it...happen ? LIZA: Last night, at high tide. . :

RITA : That must have been around...9,30...I remember it was tide...the

Liza: He

same time...are they sure it was Joe ?

was identified.

high

They said his expression was peaceful

as

a baby, curled up in sleep. ' RITA: ...as a womb...so Joe’s presence was no longer necessary...

L1zA : What do you mean? What do you mean ? RITA : It’s Joe’s child I’m bearing, Liza. And Joe knew it.

Liza : Joe’s?

You're crazy, Liza.

You're mixed up with last night.

RITA:

thinking

nights

You're tired. No, I’m

:

of many

f

ago.

It was then that

conceived...it shall have a father...and the ring shall be the proof...

(She raises her finger which has a diamond ring...)

Liza : Rita!

Rita!

What’s the ring got to do with...

RITA: It belonged to Joe. He said that it should be passed on so that... what did he say...yes, so that...everything still-born may live...

Google

I

ACT if SCENE It

201

The whole ones... (Her voice tapers off.) L1zA : He gave it to you...before he left. RITA : (Quietly) No...I found it today...on someone had left it behind. Liza : My God, Rita!

the

What are you saying?

table...as /

though

You found the

ring

...today. But Joe died...yesterday, and he had the ring. Did it really happen? Are you sure? Are you very sure 7 riTA : (Slowly) I don't know. I really don’t know. Perhaps...perhaps it never happened...and perhaps we never existed. (From the hammock comes the melody of a guitar, It is Tony, rocking in the hammock gently as

the breeze.

The

women

hear

on

dol-

him sing...) . Tony : (Softly, very softly) Joe...Joe...Remember the one drums. Let’s sing this one together...for the last time. Let’s go my friend, We'll go together, my friend,

To where the doldrums end,

Never fear, old man, That’s where it all began, Blind though we be, There’s nothing left to see,

I'll lead you after,

Beyond you immortal star, So hold iny hand, Cause I understand,

Cause I understand...

(CURTAIN

Google

CLOSES]

Digitized by Google

Original from

INDIANA UNIVERSITY

THE

REFUGEE A PLAY

Google

IN ONE ACT

CHARACTERS

SEN GUPTA WIFE SON DAUGHTER REFUGEE

"prop.

REFUGEE &

OTHERS

Google

Baba/Prakash Ma/Sarla

Ashok Mita Yassin

Mosin Ramul

SCENE

Time:

Shortly after March

25th

I

’71,

when

talks

between

Yahya

Khan and Sheikh Mujib broke down, the initial massacre of intellectuals at universities in East Bengal took place, and the first flight of a few thousand refugees occurred across the border into West Bengal.

.

PLACE: One of the border towns of Malda or West Dinajpur District in West Bengal. An upper middle class household. A confident looking middle aged man of about fifty brings along a somewhat diffident, emiciated young man in his twenties, to the house. OLDER MAN SEN GUPTA: Here, Yassin, Give me your bag. YASSIN :

(Clutching on the small tin case) No.

SEN GUPTA: (Tuking it away) Oh, come on. we’re already there. (Approach the porch) My wife’s been waiting to meet you. ‘ are they gone ? (Calling out)

No.

Also

It’s

the

not

children.

Ma...Ma .. All of us...anxious. Concerned...for your safety. this is home, Yassin...and we are your family. (The young man smiles weakly, his eyes still afar.

heavy, and

Where

Remember...

Sen Gupta’s

wife

comes. She’s middle aged too,-heavy, benign. She looks at Yassin with a touch of sympathy) Ah, there you are. This is Yassin... (Affectionate hand on his shoulder...) wirE: Your mother... We...(correcting himself) ...1 SEN GUPTA (With softness): Ru...Rukaiya. I...(Returns to present) well of course.

knew

her

We...we’re sorry...she died. Can’t believe it.

wire: (Gently)—Did tragedy.

it have

Google

anything

to do

with

the

recent..,

THE REFUGEE

206 YASSIN :

(Looks at her blankly) No. ' (Short silence)

SEN GUPTA: (Trying to get the warmth No time for the past. Lots to be standing. Come, Yassin, rest. Some active, restless man) Where are the

back) Ah, come on now! done...Ma...our guest is still tea, mother. (He can be an children 7 Out, as usual...

(Mother leaves to get some tea) (Energetie Sen Gupta holds Yassin’s arm before he can sit down) Come, ¥assin, I’ll show you to your room. Used to be my study. It overlooks the pond and green fields and palm trees. Reminds me of...Comilla... «(a quick questioning look from Yassin)...yes, where you were

born. Rukaiya...your mother and I grew up together as children... (Enter the room. This is Sen Gupta’s dream world) On a clear night, heavy with the scent of the Mahua flowers and my own

loneliness, I can feel the (Turns around and faces

presence...of Yassin)

the

past.

You see why we’re one. The East Bengalee, whether Hindu, always yearns for his old home town.

YASSIN: The refugee... SEN GUPTA: ...ah... YASSIN: ...leaves against his SEN GUPTA:

Muslim

or

-

will...

...true.

YASSIN : ...in bitterness. SEN GUPTA: (Softly) It depends on what he makes out of his life. His new home. YASSIN: (Unsure) Meaning ? SEN GUPTA: (Simply) I came here myself a refugee when partition tore

us apart 24 years ago.

(Yassin stunned to silence).

(Out of the blue) Tell me, Yassin, what did your mother die of 7 yassin: (Blankly) A broken heart. (silence) (Mrs. Sen Gupta comes with tea.) SEN GuPTA:

ing.

Some

deception

Ah, thank you, dear. (Taking the tea) We’re...reminisc-

7

thoughts

bitter...some

(Laughs not unpleasantly)

Google

sweet.

Life’s never ending...

SCENE I

207

WIFE: (Smiling reproachfully) Yassin’s too young for that. SEN GUPTA: (Turning to Yassin) 1s that so 7? (Yassin doesn’t know what to say.) wiFE: (To her husband) Stop it, You’re embarassing him. Yassin’s don’t pay any attention to him. Half the time he’s joking.

YASSIN : (Quietly) You're doing much...to make me feel a home. wire: It’s nothing. You aren’t much older than my children.

...it distresses me to think...what you must have been through. YASSIN: It was’nt so bad for me. Much worse for the others.

SEN GUPTA:

Was’nt bad!

It

I havea pretty good idea what happened

at the University. The intelligentsia...the Awami League’s future leadership...were all wiped out barbarously.

wiFE:

(Raising her hands) Hush !

SEN GUPTA: It makes my blood boil! Why only last week they were acclaiming their newly found Bengla freedom and friendship.

Now...they’re being hounded

wirE:

tion ?

out...

Are...are there many...refugees

?

Is there

much...persecu-

YASSIN: (Eyes afar) It’s just started. I cannot say—Not all of us... were politically involved. Some...preferred to remain uncommitted. SEN GUPTA: (Angrily) Uncommitted ? What does that mean ? YASSIN: The university...learning...offered a way of life...nonpolitical, non-party; scholarship became an end in itself. Do you understand ? SEN GUPTA: No! wire: (Patting her husband) Hush, dear. The important thing is that Yassin is safe, and here with us. SEN GUPTA: (Mumbling, grumbling) Almost missed me. If I had’nt searched him out...(Leaves sentence unfinished. Sound of boisterousness, teasing and laughter as the two young people enter—boy (Ashok) and girl (Mita) about 19 and 20 years old. They stop suddenly upon seeing Yassin with their parents.) SEN GUPTA: Ah, there you are! About time. Ashok...Mita...this is the young man I spoke about. Yassin...my son and daughter. (Mutual nods, shy but responsive to each other as youngs are.) ASHOK:

(Bursting out) 1...1 hear the Mukti Fauj

Pakistani Army out.

Google

are

throwing

the

208

THE REFUGEE

(Yassin looks at him in quiet amusement, then turns his eyes to Mita

who becomes self conscious.)

wirE: My daughter does voluntary social work center. MITA: (Quickly, wanting to speak for herself) At are concerned with refugees rehabilitation. YASSIN.: (The smile still in his eyes) Indeed. MITA: (Blushing) Oh...I did’nt mean you. yassin: I did’nt think you did. ashok: And...did you have a...rough time. It very...heroic...to resist a well organized army.

Yassin :

(Suddenly turning cold) Most of us were

for safety. SEN GUPTA : ' (Forcing laughter)

,

with the

the

youth

moment

must

have

we

been

busy...scrambling

, Ashok is more busy with the libera-

tion of Bangla Desh, then with his studies. He could learn something from you, couldn’t he, Yassin 7 (Yassin’s face expressionless. He does not reply.) ASHOK : Professor Mosin... SEN GUPTA: Ah, did you ask him to drop by this evening (Turning to

Yassin)

Forgive

me for rushing you, but I thought you would

be interested in meeting him. Prof. Mosin is one of our most distinguished teachers here. A grand old man. He happens to be on the Town Advisory Council with me, and is a good friend too. I thought you would find much in common with him. YASSIN: (Spark of life) Thank you. I would very much like to meet him. MITA:

put

(Catching on to her father’s arm)

father on our Youth Committee...

YASSIN: (Interrupting refugees.

SEN GUPTA:

with

a_

Don’t you.think we

smile)

... For

should

rehabilitation

of

(All laugh)

(Affectionate hand over Yassin’s

shoulder)

You're welcome. As friends and neighbours, you’re all welcome. As long as there’s enough room to live in and food to share,I

promise you there will always be shelter who

‘tion.

need

in life,

our help.

Many

in this

town

for those

of us came here uprooted after parti-

Settled down, worked hard, built proudly our own positions

but

not

without

Google

a sense

of responsibility. and. social

SCENE

I

purpose.

209

What we do is equally for you...as for

ourselves.

(Ashok claps, all laugh.) (Sheepishly)

Did I sound as pompous 7?

WIFE: (Patting him) always say it well, (There is a touch ASHOK : (Bantering, Mayorship, Baba. + SEN GUPTA:

you never say what you don’t mean, and you my dear. . of genuine pride in her voice.) but half serious too) You should run for town

Too busy making a

living,

son.

MITA: (Also playing the game) You should work for Ministership, Baba. SEN GUPTA: Too much of dirty politics, daughter. WIFE: (Shooing them) Leave him alone, will you, children! He has his hands full already...as responsible citizen and father of two very mischievous children. (Yassin has been looking and smiling, and feeling more and more at home.) . SEN GUPTA: (Seriously) Well, maybe I’ll run for office. The Town

Advisory Council have put up my name. As soon as Ashok graduates, takes over the business, I can gradually move...to other

responsibilities.

Man

can’t live by bread alone.

WIFE: True. SEN GUPTA: At the moment what bothers me is the political situation across the border. (Emphatically) What is really happening there, Yassin? What is the size of the problem ? How serious is it ? The newspapers exaggerate; the radio is pure propaganda, and the Army have imposed a cloud of secrecy on their entire

operations there.

(All look at Yassin.)

YASSIN: (Quietly) I don’t know. SEN GUPTA: (Impatiently, trace of anger) You don’t know? Don’t you live in Pakistan? Are’nt universities the hub of all political activity? Or do you lock yourself up in an ivory tower ! ys ssin: What I do ..or don’t do...is a matter of personal choice. {t’s the interference of people that bring about tragedies.

SEM GUPTA : It’s the help of people that solves it {

YASSIN ; What you call help someone else may call interference !

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210

THE REFUGEE

SEN GUPTA : (Looking at him astonished) I can’t believe it. For you to say this. YASSIN: Let me tell you something, Baba. A little story. First, there were elections and the Awami League won. Then, those who held elections were not prepared to transfer power and the trouble began. Where did it start? I don’t know. Some say the Bengalees, angered at being deprived of their right and smarting under the

Bengalees,

exploitation

of West

and killed some.

it interfered—and

Pakistan,

revolted

against

non-

Others say the Army helped—or was

retaliated barbarously

in

mass

extermination.

I became involved—through no choice—and now I’m searching for a way...to abstain. SEN GUPTA: Am I Bengalee brother, or outsider ? Are you not refugee and insider 2? There can be no...abstaining...for either of us. (Yassin has a worried and wearly look.)

wIFE: (Tenderly touching Yassin) Was it so terrible? Was—what happened to you—so terrible that you even want to forget what side you were on? (The light darkens around whispers, almost to himself.)

Yassin.

He

talks,

YASSIN : In Comilla University we have a tradition for learning. also have a tradition for revolt.

We

The twin paths of contemplation

and action—if you like. But politics sees all people in shades of the same colour, and the military rulers considered it dangerous to _ give us the liberty of thought and future leadership. Students,

Professors,

Teachers

alike

in all forms

of studies

and

became the target of their attack...(As he speaks the white

research

bearded

_old Prof. Mosin steps in, and listens silently at the doorway) were lined up along the walls of the football quadrangle, and to dig the earth. I must have known it was my grave I was ging, but the thought left me strangely cold.

...(His face darkens,

breath)

almost

There were my loved ones

emotionless

too—my

I was already beyond

while

mother

We told dig-

others

who

had

catch.

died,

their but

whose memory and existence was precious to me; amongst the living, my old Professor, my young student, weeping besides me...

(Yassin looks across vaguely at the old man, Prof. Mosin.) The rattle of the machine guns is all I remember. A shattering reality that erased all that followed blocking pain suffering and

death.

I survived, miraculously,

Google

if living means

surviving.

A

SCENE

I

211

reflex action, uncalculated, brought me here...(His eyes are deep and expressionless) to continue living without passing judgement, interfering or helping.

(Back to present, looking at mother)

I took no sides, Ma, neither before nor after, though sometimes... sometimes I question...what makes man...do the things they do... (A deep, deep silence, almost reverential) SEN GUPTA : (Noticing Prof. Mosin) Ah, Prof. Mosin, I did’nt realize ...(Stops as he notices the expression on his face)...why...what's wrong Professor...? PROF. MOSIN: (Pale) The refugees are coming. The floodgates

have been opened. Thousands and thousands...look out of the window...(All look out instinctively, and one imagincs there are in

the distance the presence grow

despair.

millions

upon

of growing

millions,

hungry

hungry,

masses)...which

lost...in

howling,

The refugees are coming...in a growing unending

(Softly) where are we going to keep them, my friend...?

(Blackout)

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will

silent

stream.

SCENE

II

A few weeks later. It’s hot, heavy and oppressive. Occassional suggestion of rain to relieve steaminess. Sombreness and shadows when it comes to the refugee scene. There are three actions that emerge almost simultaneously.

The first in the refugees outside the house, some under tarpaulin covers/tents, some under tin shacks, and some in large water pipes. The second scene or action takes place in the living room of the household with Sen Gupta and members of the family. The third is Yassin’s room which overlooks, overhears the refugees

on one side, and the family

presence is felt when

the

living

action

room

takes

on

place

the on

other.

Yassin’s

either

side,

and

should be suggested through continuous light in hisroom. The refugee scene grows with early dawn or evening shadows like an

ominous

prehistoric

beast’s

death

pangs.

Groans

and

wails,

madness...whenever

I get

skeletoned men and sunken eyed babies suking on to shivelled breasts. Maimed human beings reduced to inhuman existence, robbed of dignity and essential life. An eerie baboon-like mad Jaugh from Ramul, lurking in pipe— then suddenly jumping out like a herrenous monkey.

RAMUL:

Madness...and

madness...and

disgusted with myself...(Pointing to the drainpipe)...why I flush myself out...(Bathroom flushing action)...through the drainpipe...

(Laughs madly.)

(Then suddenly serious, he scurries over to the widow with child) Mother, how’s the child 2? Dead? Then why do you put her to

your breast. Ah...to remind you...(Slithers over to the man with leg missing) .

Now, how did you

lose that leg brother ?_ Begged too hard, prayed

too hard, or was it heroically lost in the defence

land...

(Then opens arms, dramatically to all)

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of your

mother-

213

SCENE II

all my refugee sons and daughters and mothers: do not despair. I shall form the family...(Pointing to the Sen Gupta House) much

’ like the household there.

In unity...will lie our strength.

(Continues and some gradually surround him.) Food, clothing, shelter—our urgent need. Take all the help we get now. As our numbers grow, the warmth and welcome will cease. The heart and home will grow cold. And they will want the refugee to move on and on; out of sight is out of mind. But where can millions go...(Laughing queerly)...I ask you...where can millions

go? (Restlessness, consternation in crowd) (Whispers surreptitiously) Let us make a good clean start by occupying...(Pointing with right hand) the school building there...and (Pointing with left hand) our neighbour’s garage there...(A cynical laughter) (Action shifts to Sen Gupta and his wife in the living room. Sen Gupta has been peering and presumably listening to the talk outside. So also has Yassin in his room, but he has pretended not to notice it.)

SEN GUPTA : (To wife) That’sa laugh. It takes me a lifetime to build this house and garage and that refugee out there points a finger at it...and occupies it. (Wife of course concerned, but at the same time tries to suppress laughter)

What are you laughing at, Sarla.

.

I don’t see the joke.

wire: (Ruefully) Sorry. I know it’s quite serious. help thinking what you said the other day...

But

SEN GUPTA: (Not lacking a sense of humour himself, raising pompously and speechifying) Yes, I know.

As long as

there

refugee is welcome to have it. wiFE : (Smiling) There.

SEN GUPTA : But, damm it!

is any

Ididn’t mean

room

in

my

own

my

I could’nt his finger house,

garage.

the

Next,

they'll be moving into my stud...(Stops halfway from saying “study” and guiltily lowers his voice) Shhh...do you think he heard me.

WIFE : Hope not.

SEN GUPTA : Of course Yassin’s not a refugee. wire: No ? SEN GuPTA : Well, not in the real sense of the term.

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214

THE

REFUGEE

I mean...I mean...he’s not like those outside. wire;

No ?

SEN GUPTA: No. Of course I feel sorry for the refugees outside, but look at what a filthy mess they’ve made of things: Where’s my open field and cocoanut palms and pond. They...they’re encroaching. How long are they going to stay there? When will they

turn...anti-social 2

And they’re growing in numbers all the

We've called an emergency meeting of the town elders. goon. We’ll...we’ll seal the borders.

wiFE : (Worried too) One thousand soons ?

miles,

or

more?

time.

This can’t

and

in

mon-

SEN-GUPTA : We’ll push them back. wire : Prakash ! SEN GupTA : (Flushing, embarassed) Well, alright we'll find a place for them. But not here ! wire : Have you forgotten the time...when you were a refugee. SEN GUPTA:

That

was

different.

We were Indians. (Pointing out) Do you realize

We...we

they’re

God knows who they’re harbouring.

wiFE : I thought you said the bours.

other

day

had

come here

Pakistanis they

were

out

to

stay.

there.

And

Bengali

neigh-

SEN GUPTA : (Flustered, raising his voice) But there are many Bengali Muslims there ; (Then suddenly realising that Yassin is within earshot) Shh...do you think he heard ? (Although serious, there is an edge of ironic comedy i in this scene.)

wie : I don’t know. SEN GUPTA: (In confiding whisper) He’s a bit...strange, is’nt he ? WIFE: Strange ? SEN GUPTA: Well, maybe strange is’nt the right word. Can’t quite put my finger on it. wire: He seems happy with Prof. Mosin. SEN GUPTA : Mosin found him a job at the university. He’s settled down very well. wire: Why that’s wonderful. SEN GuPTA:

Yes, it is.

Only...

wiFE : Only what ?

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SCENE It

215

SEN GUPTA : (Frowning) It’s

as

though...nothing

That he were back at Comilla University. to the past. Never talks about...politics

ever

He’s closed his mind or refugees or his home.

It’s...unnatural. Even suggested the other day that he paying-guest—AP.G.! In my house ! wire : Don’t you understand, my dear, he wants to be

Shrug off the stigma...of being a refugee.

It’s perfectly

understandable.

happened. become

a

independent.

Forget the past tragedy.

(Pause, then looks at her husband)

He’s also...a young man who’s lost, and needs our sympathy.

SEN GUPTA : Yes, yes of course.

I had promised

after him if anything ever happened to her.

wire : You did ?

.

SEN GUPTA: (Unnecessarily aggressive)

would do.

wire:

Even

his mother I’d look

Would’nt you?

give

up

your

study

Well,

room.

that’s what That

must

any

friend

have

meant

something. SEN GUPTA: (Touch of exasperation, but cautioned with appeasement) We grew up together as children. Ruk...Rukaiya and I. wikE : (Dusting, feigned indifference) You told me that before. SEN GUPTA : (Angry at himself for finding himself

explaining)

That

across a bundle of clothes, stashed away in an inside drawer

which

was all there was to it ! wife : (Testily) I have no doubt. The East Bengalee’s always harbour a dream...of their hometown of course. SEN GUPTA: (Pouting like a child) That’s because the West Bengali is so unromantic ! (Wife opens her mouth for a retort, but at that moment she comes

she’s casually opened.) WIFE : (Exclaiming)

What’s

this!

(She unfolds the bundle which looks like a para-military uniform.) SEN GUPTA ; (Quietly) I think I know what it is. (Calling out) Ashok, Ashok ! (Ashok appears, sees his mother with the uniform)

What’s the meaning of this, Ashok

!

(Ashok does'nt reply) Well, speak up, boy! Speak up 1 ASHOK:: It...It’s a uniform, Baba. SEN GuPTA: I know that! What’s it for ?

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216 ASHOK

wire:

THE REFUGEE :

Combat.

(Paling)

Combat

?

You

mean...it’s

used

for fighting

7?

What’s it doing here ? SEN GUPTA: It’s the uniform of the Mukti Fouj, and your son has a bit of explaining to do. Well, Ashok 7 ASHOK : It’s true! I’m trying to join the Mukti Fouj. Someone has to do the fighting.

wiFE:

ASHOK:

But...but Ashok...you’re just a child. (Indignantly) I’m not !

SEN GUPTA:

The Mukti Fauj ar’nt our problem, Ashok. They belong

across the border.

.

ASHOK : (Angrily, victoriously) They are our problems, Baba. We've got to help them. Where do you think they get their arms and ammunition and training. Here...across the border...in West Bengal. Everyone knows it, except you of course. No, you’re too busy talking about town elders and meetings and elections. The crux of the problem is to throw the Pakistan army out—with guerilla assistance given to our Bengali brothers ! (He’s had his say. He looks defiantly up to his parents. Sen Gupta is silent. The wife is alarmed, confused. She looks from father

to

son and son to father.)

wiFE: (To her husband) Well, say something, Baba ! SEN GUPTA: (Quietly) What can I say. What he says is true. wirE:

(Angrily) You...you mean to tell me

you...you

approve

of

your son joining the Mukti Fouj! SEN GUPTA: No. I maintain it’s not his job. Sure, we must give all moral and material support, but it’s for the East Bengali to fight his own liberation... (He goes over to the cupboard. Searches something inside. Pulls out a rifle.)

...(To Ashok) ..loaded 7...(Ashok shakes his head negatively.)

Ashok you don’t have to keep anything from me. Listen...listen and obey me, son. I don’t want you to volunteer. There are other able bodied men from East Bengal who should do so...Go now...(He carefully places back the rifle where he removed it from, sits down carefully, and looks straight across to Yassin’s room.) (Fadeout)

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SCENE

III

A few weeks later. Refugee scene again. There is more organisation and efficiency around the place with slightly better facilities provided by govt. and private agencies— both Indian and foreign. But old quizzical Ramul is the same. He

still lives in the water-drainpipe, and like some bat or vampire,

only emerges at night to dominate his own nether world. RAMUL: (Marching around, inspecting as though he were the commander of the camp, followed by his sychophants, stops bya blind woman and gives her the stick she is groping for.) There, old woman, there...there...(Softly and consolingly) The night is dark, and there are no shadows. It is then that I appear, to soothe your pain, to search for my distressed soul that can no longer distinguish between good and evil... (Then prancing like a joker, spreading his arms wide)

Abhh...what a large expanding family I have...(nudging

panion

under

his

breath)...n0,

out the able bodied,

and

Nirodh

send them

won’t

back

his com-

help...we must seek

to fight ! (Imitating

household head Sen Gupta) That is what our father-figure would do there...(Pointing to household)...so we must mobilize. Set up field units, my friends, disperse, and get me intelligence information of other refugee camps. But don’t disperse too far...don’t let them disperse you

...for once out of Bengal we’ll lose our identity and strength. (Suddenly raising his fist and shouting)

Nobody’s going to throw us out. We're here...to stay ! (Cheers from followers around) (His lieutenants scurry over to him) LIEUTENANT :

Two visitors here to see you,

Ramul.

(Sitting down on a chair, putting up his legs on the box in front of

him,

smoking

his “Biri”, flicking out the ash stylishly.)

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218

THE REFUGEE

RAMUL:

Send them in.

(Two fishy looking characters

FIRST:

RAMUL :

SECOND : RAMUL:

FIRST:

(Zo Ramul)

come

in.)

We hear you’re the

Of sorts.

leader.

It ‘must be in secret.

Incamera,

no less.

We have a law and order problem in the big city.

RAMUL::

Do you?

RAMUL:

You do?

SECOND : First:

RAMUL :

First:

,

And we don’t want it to be solved. :

You allcanbelp.

You have nothing

to

lose.

Is that so?

(Slightly menacing) You're pretty non-committal, are’nt you ?

(Ramul bursts into hysterical laughter till the tears stream down his face). RAMUL: (Still gasping for breath) Non...non-committal. (Looking to the others) He said I was non-committal. (Others

SECOND:

laugh

too.)

I think he’s mad.

First: Yeah, no sense of responsibility. SECOND : (Scratching his head) Well, he’s not a typical refugee. FIRST:

(Scratching his chin pensively) There’s something

l can’t quite put my finger on. SECOND : He seems too satisfied for his

own

about

good.

(Ramul looking from one to the other with glee in his eyes.) FIRST: Wait till he gets restless. How long can you remain in

without purpose. SECOND: Yes, after all he was a “‘miscreant”’ out there.

reason why we can’t make him “Anti-social” out here. (Ramuls alert, intelligent

to the other.) FIRST:

SECOND: FIRST:

Big drain to the

eyes dart out chimpanzee

taxes to

Still. We’d better carry him.

like from

SECOND : Let’s go. (Both turn tail and go.)

Google

dodge.

He might come

life

There’s no

country.

Yeah, that much more

him

in use.

one

SCENE III

219

RAMUL: (Hyena like, weird,. turns we're not altogether unwanted.

to his

companions) You

(Action shifts back to Sen Gupta’s house. Livingroom

with

see... Yassin

alone. A few seconds later Mita comes in, an air of weariness and distraction, does’nt see him until much iater.)

MITA:

Oh!

YASSIN:

Sorry, did I startle

MITA:

you.

N...No. I just thought...I was

YASSIN:

alone.

So did 1. (After a pause) You...you seem

MITA:

tired.

(Sitting down wearily) 1 am, Oh, I am.

YASSIN:

(Softly) It’s no more just...social work,

is it.

This

of displaced persons...it’s a grinding, tearing reality.

MITA:

(Busting out) How would you know

(Yassin is stung. He does not sorry. I meant... YASSIN:

I know what'you

reply.

mass

!

Then

apologetically)

1....’m

meant.

MITA: (Looking at him) You...you avoid the refugees. You don’t talk about them, or help them. As though they did’nt exist. (In Yassin’s eyes a haunted expression) (He still does not reply, then softly) Why don’t you

.. With me, Yassin.

YASSIN

:

with

me

No.

MITA: There is so much you can problems better than the others. rehabilitation.

YASSIN :

come

do. You'd understand You could help...in

their their

4

No.

Mita: (Hard, angry) disappear.

Do

you

think by ‘closing

your

.

eyes,

they’ll

YASSIN: (Bitter smile) They don’t. I assure you. MITA: Don’t they have as much right...as you, to find themselves a home. YASSIN:

They’re being looked after very well from what I can see.

miTA: (With some anguish) Oh, what’s wrong with you ! YAssIN :

(Moved, miserable, yet

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what’s oblique,

wrong removed)

with

you, Yassin,

220

THE REFUGEE

It was an accident, Mita. It was all an accident. I should have been killed. Perhaps I was and the part you see now, was’nt. All pain comes from attachment, all wrongs come from selfinterest. That is why we should each...lead our own lives... MITA: No. No,I don’t agree with you. Life for me means involvement, means action. Leave it alone, and you commit wrong. YASSIN : (Surprised, affected for the first time) What do you mean ? MITA:

being.

Oh, Yassin, Yassin, touch me, Can’t you see I’m

Can’t you see I’m real.

Are’nt you

moved.

a human

(She touches his face tenderly) The refugees exist the same way. They’re alive, and oh, only too real. They bring tears to my eyes, their suffering touches my heart. I can’t bear to leave them alone. All of life draws me...the human condition. The need and its recognition.

If...if all of us were to abstain the way you do, we’d be doing harm, don’t you see, the kind of harm that is deliberately done through neglect. Do you understand, do you understand me, my dear... YASSIN : (Troubled) I shall try, Mita, I promise you I shall try. MITA : I must leave again now. There’s...some trouble in the camp. Think it over, Yassin; don’t dream like my father’s love for...Comilla. Think it over, Yassin, and make your choice. (She leaves.) (Fadeout—change to Prof. Mosin & Sen Gupta.) SEN GUPTA : I’m worried, Mosin, my friend, I’m worried about the whole thing. It all started as a small thing—a few refugees across the border—it happens

every

year.

Now,

it’s

a

holocaust,

and

we're completely unprepared for it. Why there are more refugees today in this town than local inhabitants. Our development projects have come to astandstill. The refugee, with his minimum rations, is better fed than the local unemployed. Something’s going to explode soon. PROF MOSIN : (Shaking his head) True. SEN GUPTA: They cry for help, we give it. After all they are Bengalees. And we can’t send them back to be killed. But we’re going under ourselves. And nobody’s coming to our help.

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SCENE III

221

PROF. MOSIN : (Nodding) Yes.

-

SEN GUPTA : Incidentally how did you manage to get young Yassin

job?

PROF. MOSIN : I don’t Rnow It has naturally created unemployed...besides. the are not enough to support SEN GUPTA ; (Suddenly) He’s

a

how much longer we can hold on to it. some resentment amongst the other University Grants Commission funds the problem as a whole... an odd character, is’nt he ?

PROF. MOSIN : (Awakened from reverie) Who ?

SEN GUPTA: Yassin of course. PROF. MOSIN: (Musing) Odd ? No, I would’nt say odd word. SEN GUPTA : He’s opened up with you, has’nt he ?

is the right

PROF. MOSIN : I suppose I remind him of his old professor in Comilla.

Not that he talks about it of course. He’s closed. sen GupTA : Ah, that’s the word I meant. | Closed. PROF. MOSIN : (Hesitatingly) Well, maybe ‘‘closed” is not, the right word either. Can’t put my finger on it. SEN GUPTA : (Triumphantly) Ah ! PROF. MOSIN: (Continues) He does not want to get involved in politics. SEN GUPTA : (Grumpily) That’s why he does’nt like me. Thinks I’m a politician. PROF. MOSIN : You’re imagining. politics that is.

But he has a point of course, about

SEN GUPTA : My dear professor, the affairs of men are all dictated"by politics... Even the problem of refugees and Bangla Desh must have a political solution. We all know that...(Smiling) Besides, as the old saying goes, bring two Bengalees together, and you'll have three political opinions. PROF. MOSIN: (Seriously, pensively) True. Politics is the inescapable reality of our lives. Yassin must find out for himself that there is no getting away from it. And we...(Turning to Sen Gupta)...in universities and town Committees and Parliament...must learn to strike a balance ourselves. SEN GUPTA : (Frowning) Meaning ?

PROF. MOSIN; Meaning there’s too much

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hysteria.

We're trying

to

222

THE REFUGEE

whip up too much

there.

frenzy

on

this

SEN GUPTA : (Acidly) I can see the

side

the

same

way

they

are

in

India

has

Muslim community

been remarkably restrained. (The old man is stung.)

PROF. MOSIN : (Quietly) Vl pass that, my friend.

SEN GUPTA : (Angry at having hurt

his friend,

self.) Well, you can’t deny it, Mosin!

but unable to stop him--

There’s a massacre

place out there—in a Muslim country—and

keep quiet here ! PROF. MOSIN : (Tight lipped, controlled) SEN GUPTA : (Changing from anger

the shoulder)... Mosin, my friend,

you

know

threat posed by the refugees. whose coming in? No longer

politicians

and

Pakistan!

If

defeated

Bengal

their

Islamic brothers

What would you have us do ?

to friendship,

as

taking

well

as

touching

I

do,

Mosin

on

the

greatest

They’re

Hindus

Listen: as every week goes by, university intellectuals, persecuted

Rifles.

No!

now—minority Hindus being exterminated and driven out to purge this

pressure

keeps

and

the

hoardes

of . Hindu

refugees grow, bow much longer will we in India remain secular. PROF. MOSIN: (Shaking, his voice quivering, agitated) I know...1 SEN GuPTA: (Continues passionately)

My

house

is

breaking

apart,

Mosin. My son wants to join the Mukti Fauj; my daughter’s killing herself working for the refugees and my...my Muslim friend

seems influenced by a...peculiar pascifist. (Whispering to himself, momentarily obsessed) Son of Rukaiya, who cast her Muslim spell,

upon one who loved too well...

PROF. MOSIN: (Feeling old

us do? SEN GUPTA: aggressive Pakistan.

and week) What...What

would

you

have

Huh? (His reverie broken) Do? Adopt a more posture. The refugee exodus is an undeclared war by (Yassin comes in

unnoticed)

We’ve

wasted

too

much

time already. It’s costing us money and lives anyway. A quick kill, that’s what we need to do. Declare war and march in! YASSIN : (Enters) No !

SEN GuPTA : (Whipping around, surprised, say ?

Google

aggressive) What did you

SCENE Ill

223

YASSIN : (Clear firm standing up) T said stop killing by more killing.

And

no.

Since when

can

you

what makes you so sure it will

be a quick kill. Killings like dying: it comes and it always hits the innocents.

slow

and

grows,

SEN GUPTA : (Hissing through teeth) Whose side are you on ?

YASSIN: (Losing his temper now) Nobody! But if you’ll push me, T’ll tell you. IT was born in Pakistan not India like Mosin here. If I am anybody, I have to be Pakistani !

SEN GUPTA: Traitor! YASSIN: Traitor to whom! To Pakistan, to India, or to this household !_ Who should I owe allegiance to? (Then softly) Who brought me up, gave me love, taught me life... SEN GuPTA : (Lost) Ru...Rukaiya.

Your mother...Bengal.

YASSIN: (Somewhere the tempers have cooled, softness comes anew) Baba. (Softer). Baba understand me. I will never be traitor to my mother’s love...or to Bengal. It flows through my veins as hot

and

pure

as

yours.

No

more

accusations...or

judgements.

would not break bread with you...and be disloyal. But you must allow me . freedom ef thought and action, or else you deprive me of refuge in this very house of yours.

I

SEN

GUPTA: (Looks up, embraces him) I...’'m sorry. (Somewhere earlier Sen Gupta’s wife has come in. Door opens, and Mita comes in wearily, rests against the wall, almost crying...Everybody looks

up at her.) MITA : (Uncontrolled voice) Chole...ra! Cholera’s broken out in the refugee camp ! (Subconsciously everybody looks accusingly, apprehensively at Yassin, as though he who personifies the refugees, brought it in. Yassin Slushes, feeling

guilty and

oppressed

once

again;

without

knowing

why, without being able to escape his identity, the indelible stamp of the unwanted refugee.)

YASSIN: (Inadvertently busting out) I:..I had the cholera crossing...(He stops, realizes, feels acutely embarrassed.)

shot

on

WIFE : (Softly) Nobody meant you, Yassin...(But of course everybody did look at him.)

MITA

: (Continues) Refugees

(Breathless) Trying

dying...like

hard...to contain

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flies.

it.

Disease...spreading...

Much

sympathy...from

224 outsiders,

THE REFUGEE (Looking straight

at Yassin, the

tears at last streaming

down her face.) They...at last...(Laughing and crying hysterically) ...the conscience of the world is aroused. At last in crises. The

conscience. THE what a meaning.

CONSCIENCE. Whata word, oh, my Don’t tell me it escaped us all along.

God, The

commitment

matters; it’s the

does.

morality of it all. Here we are talking about politics and rescue and refugee and war and even taking sides. It’s not the lack of* that

lack

of

morality

that

And we must...both for aggressor and giver of shelter...search for our own conscience. (Silence and darkness)

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SCENE

Night.

Yassin meets

Prof.

IV

Mosin

outside

house.

They

walk

towards the refugee camp. PROF. MOSIN : Are you sure you’re doing the right thing. YASSIN : I don’t know. I’mconsumed by doubt ..and a sense of hopeless failure. PROF. MOSIN : Then why this. Why visit the refugee camp now, at night when all along you’ve avoided it. YASSIN: (Hard smile, sarcasm too) I’m searching for my conscience, Prof. Mosin, or don’t you know ? There may be others...amongst the refugees...who have lost their soul. (Prof. Mosin shakes his head) Besides, everyone

seems so damned

keen that I visit

They keep reminding me all the time that J am one.

PROF. MOSIN : (Shakes his head again) They

don’t.

don’t...can’t allow yourself to forget it. YASSIN : They throw on mea guilt, and indirect what I don’t believe in. PROF. MOSIN ; Then why do you do it ?

the refugees.

You

do.

You

compulsion, to do

YASSIN : Because they. are not wholly wrong either. (They come to the refugee

misery.

Yassin and

camp.

Mosin stop

and talk to

only with food and safety,

and shelter,

“Where are you from?”

stories

of repression

and terror,

by from time

scenes of pain and

to time

them.

helpless creatures, concerned

Unspeakable

‘Why did you wanting

only

come?’

to

get

Pathetic

back

their

breath from the horrible tragedy. This should be shown, fragments of dialogue in Bengali or Urdu to suggest this condition.)

PROF. MOSIN: Well, Yassin, was it too close? The tragedy and pain. Did you expect to see it...so magnified 7 YASSIN: (Pale and drawn) Yes. But the urgency, the immediacy, does come as a shock.

(Moving

amidst

the

refugees,

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whispering

to

himself)

The...the

226

THE REFUGEE

brutality ... and its ... inhumanity ... to what end7?... Why 7... Why ? (The shown word, the action, rather than the spoken one, should

come across.) PROF. MOSIN: Have

personal meaning. YASSIN: No.

you

found

what

you're looking for ?

‘ The

PROF. MOSIN: Let us search then. The night is long...and impenetrable. (They trudge deeper into the night and the refugee camp, till they reach Ramul in the old drain pipe.)

YASSIN: (Holding back the old man) Wait, Sbh...let us hide under I see...someone familiar...

the shadows...and listen.

(There is an element of surrealism about Ramul.

partly in the followers.) RAMUL:

although

(Finger they

ears like mine.

drainpipe, partly

to

don’t

his

lips)

out,

Shhh.. the

exist...have

ears.

He’s

squatting,

surrounded by his unholy walls...(Looking

(Wobbling

his

around)

ears) Big

Now, listen : Floods, famine, pestilence; we have it all in Mother Bengal; Add to that refugees; Eight out of ten refugees coming in today are Hindus. We must protect them...against Pakistani

infiltrators... Let us take a leaf out of the old Yahya book. Form “caretakers” like the local Peace Committee and the razakar high command to weed out the undesirables from the refugee camps

(Laughs cruelly) Ruthlessness mixed with rough, justice...

(Commotion. A man being dragged. Babbling, pleading for mercy.) Ah ! Our first victim. (Vaults upon the pipe) Now I’m the commander of the Jeep with machine guns all around me. Bring the prisoner. Who are you? Maslim or Hindu ? What did you say 7? Pull down his pants ! (Pants pulled down from the quivering man) Ah ha ! (Victoriously) He’s Muslim. Now tell me—what did you do...or not do ? Enough, I’ve heard enough, men, put the noose around his neck ! (Noose made, rope thrown over) (Yassin steps into the light.) RAMUL:

(Looking up suspiciously) Who’re you 7

YASSIN;

Refugee, like you,

Google

SCENE

IV.

227

RAMUL: (Circulating around him, looking up and down) You pretty well clothed and fed. YASSIN: So do you. RAMUL : (Laughing madly, pointing a finger at him) He... (Choking with laughter)...he’s funny. (Then suddenly threatening and serious) Are you trying to save this man ? Yassin: RAMUL:

Yes. Why?

RAMUL:

No.

YASSIN:

That’s...that’s preposterous

RAMUL:

Js’nt it.

YASSIN: RAMUL : YASSIN:

He may be innocent. Is that all. Is’nt that enough ! We

also

kill

innocent

people.

!

Now take you.

YASSIN: RAMUL: YASSIN: RAMUL :

Me? What have you done since you’ve come here N...Nothing. How do we know you’re not a Pakistani spy.

RAMUL:

But you might be...without

YASSIN: RAMUL:

Meaning ? ‘They also serve, who stand

YASSIN: RAMUL: Yassin: RAMUL:

ButI have’nt harmed anyone. Depends on how long you do nothing. What do you mean ? You negate life.

RAMUL:

You become guilty through default.

YASSIN:

YASSIN:

look

I’m

not.

knowing and

It’s

being buried.

like someone

dying

it.

~

wait”.

And then ?

pectedness)

?

(Then with soft unex-

of broken

heart.

And

not

(Yassin cries out, and grabs the man by the throat with unexpected

strength and ferociousness.)

YASSIN: RAMUL: his

neck

What are you saying! (Screaming) Nothing! tenderly)

Find

out

Tell me! Nothing!

for yourself!

(Turning to his lieutenants) Release the

Google

What do you know ! Let me go ! (Rubbing Now, leave us alone.

prisoner.

Let him roam,

228

THE REFUGEE

Give him enough rope : he’ll hang himself. I know the type. Now, turn him loose. (Turning around and smiling at Yassin) We were just playing a game, see ?

(Yassin and Mosin trudging back home) PROF. MOSIN: What did you see ? YASSIN: It could have been a nightmare. I lost distinction between reality and non-reality. PROF. MOSIN : Tiredness? The effect of the night ? (Yassin shrugs his shoulders. They reach the door of the house.) YASSIN: (A feeble, cynical smile) But Ido know one thing, Mosin. I did not find my conscience. Goodnight Professor, and thanks for coming

with

me.

(Yassin goes to his room.

Puts

on

the

light. Paces

back

and

Jorth deep into the night. Passage of time. He is groping toa solution. Leaves house again, and goes alone to outskirts of the

camp, a rough graveyard. There he sees a young woman with a spade in her hand and her dead mother.)

YASSIN:

(To girl) Is she dead ?

Your mother ? What did

of ? Broken heart, cholera ? (All that the girl can do is nod, tiredness

beyond grief’)

her

sarrow

beyond

she

die

tears,

her

(To himself) And then they told me to dig my own grave...It’s the only positive thing I did in life before they shot me... Here, girl, give me that spade. We'll bury your mother...and pray

for my salvation.

(He digs and digs, till the eeric moon sets, and the first rays of the sun touch the new day. He stands, exhausted but alone, the new meaning finding its way, surging through his being. Then turns, and goes home unhesitatingly.)

Google

.

SCENE

V

Yassin packing to leave in his room with curtain slightly Mita passes by, and sees him. MITA: (Coming into room) Yassin. What are you doing ? YASSIN: (Continues packing) Packing. MITA: Why ? Where are you going ? (Yassin does’nt reply) Answer me, Yassin. What’s happened ?

ajar.

YASSIN: (Turning around and smiling expressionlessly) 1 almost said “nothing” through force of habit. But something has. The inevitable. Man really has little choice in life. He is often forced into a situation...where there is no way out. A decision, an action...gets destined, almost involuntarily. MITA:

(Puzzled) I...I don’t understand you.

(Yassin shrugs his shoulders and

continues

packing)

Does...does this have anything to do with me. YASSIN: (Turns around now with charming genuine smile, and holds her hands tenderly) Mita love, how do I put it. Of course you have nothing to do with it...these are the dictates of my own...

conscience

?

Mita

dear,

of course

with it. You’re warm and lovely, full you gave me the choice last night.

you

have

of moral

something to do purpcse

7?...and

MITA: (Tears in her eyes) You’re making fun of me, Yassin. YASSIN : (Then quiet, sober) No, Mita. Like your father I suffer from the...madness of the other love, the love of ones

border.

I

accepted your

favour, and hence I must MITA: YASSIN:

Why?

choice last night,

leave.

(Fervently) Why

Because I want your

were my own.

decided

across

in

the

your

7 respect.

(Mita cries)

Google

ideal

It’s

as

important

as

if it

THE REFUGEE

-

230

(Her head to his chest) Hush...Hush...the night is deep, the longings are far, and one evening in the loneliness of my study room

in Comilla,

heavy with

dream of you...

the scent of flowers and memory, I shall

(She leaves, crying, unable to bear it any further.)

(Prof. Mosin comes in.)

PROF. MOSIN:

(Quizzically)

cannot be sorrow.

Yassin:

a young

From

Tears?

Alas, Professor we become students of human nature

it’s too late.

PROF. MOSIN: And responsibility on YASSIN:

bility.

you’re too young your shoulders.

man

to

carry

It

woman?

the

-

when

world’s

But, Mosin, I’ve always been accused of avoiding responsi-

PROF. MOSIN : Each man’s path is different, Yassin. YASSIN : Still...society expects it to be recognizable. If it does not follow their norms, then man is an outcast, a refugee. PROF. MOSIN : Society have its...conscientious objectors.

YASSIN: (Laughing

bitterly)

“Conscientious

objectors”.

What

an

academic term to use, Professor. So euphemistic...and acceptable. PROF. MOSIN : There are limits to my own liberalism, Yassin.

YASSIN : So I see. PROF. MOSIN: Man has to function...I use the word deliberately... function in society. Problems...loom large. They must be tackled...forthrightly. Take the problem of the Muslim in relation to the refugee. YASSIN : Go on.

PROF. MOSIN: There is a natural...delicate

balance in society.

The

Indian Muslim asa minority has learnt to co-exist, sometimes precariously. Along come the refugees, mostly persecuted Hindus,

and throw off the balance. YASsin : What point are you trying to make, PROF. MOSIN:

The

same

you

made

Professor.

yesterday,

Yassin.

There

is

a

difference between the Indian Muslim and the Pakistani Muslim. YASSIN: (Hard) You mean...there is a difference between me and

you.

(Prof. Mosin shrugs his shoulders.)

Google

SCENE V You

231

also mean

the presence of the Pakistani Muslim, the refugee,

jeopardizes the position of the Indian Muslim in India.

(Prof. Mosin raises his hands in feeble protest.) No. No. Professor. I know you mean this. Very subtle, very delicately put. (Spitting out) Like a placard saying : MUSLIM

REFUGEE

! GO HOME.

PROF. MOSIN: (Flushing) You’re choosing to misunderstand me, Yassin ! . YASSIN: No, I’m not! Tell me, has’nt my presence affected your ...relationship, disturbed your friendship...ever so slightly with the Sen Gupta family. And who amI? A bird of passage. Whereas you have to live your life-time here. PROF. MOSIN: You make it sound very selfish. YASSIN : No, no, Professor. I thank you...for your liberalism,... your frankness. Our friendship matters to me too, and I would rather it were on a realistic basis. PROF. MOSIN: (Looking at his watch) As you wish. I have to leave now, Yassin. See you later...(He leaves.) YASSIN: (Nodding his head slowly, gravely) Maypbe...maybe...though

I doubt it, my friend.

(Removes the tin bag from under the bed, snaps it shut, the living room, bumps into Sen Gupta.) SEN GUPTA : Ah, Yassin,

there you

are!

leaves for

Spent a somewhat restless

night, did you? Saw the light in your room. YASSIN: Y... Yes. SEN GuPTA: What are you doing with that bag in hand. (Joking, laughing) Not leaving, are you ? YASSIN ; Yes. SEN GUPTA : (Jaw dropping) What ? YASSIN : I thought you expected it. SEN GUPTA : Yes...No ! YASSIN : I’m leaving anyway. SEN GUPTA: But...but what made you change your mind. YASSIN : I did’nt change my mind. I was making it up. SEN GuPTA : (Still dazed) Making it up ? Yassin : You might say what took me so long to make it up. SEN GUPTA : You're not serious. YASSIN : I’m afraid I am.

Google

.

232

THE REFUGEE

SEN GUPTA : But...but where are you going ? YASSIN:

Does it matter?

Are’nt we all

,

interested in...the dispersal

of refugees. SEN GUPTA : Well, since you put it that way.

YASSIN : It’s always difficult...for a host...to be indelicate. SEN GUPTA : We have done our best. YASSIN : I know. I am appreciative of it. SEN GUPTA : Then why do you want to leave 7 YASSIN: Because I want to...preserve our friendship.

to me.

It means a lot

SEN GUPTA : Does it, Yassin. I...I’m sorry there were times when I misunderstood you. YASSiN : You did’nt. In fact you helped me make up my mind.

SEN GuPTA : I did ?

YASSIN : You showed me the

SEN GUPTA:

I did?

way...very clearly...very forcefully.

Yes, I did.

Yassin you must let us knqw where you’re going. Why I was a refugee once myself.

How you

are.

YASSIN : I’ll drop you a post-card.

SEN GUPTA: That will be nice. I must tell my wife you're going (Calling out) Sarla...Sarla...Oh, there’s something I wanted to ask

you before you leave.

You said...Ru...Rukaiya, your mother, died

of...broken heart. Did she...(Coming up to Yassin, holding his shirt with a sense of urgency, almost whispering)...did she say anything before she died.

Did she?

(Almost pleading) Did she ?

YASSIN : (Expressionless) She said...

SEN GUPTA : (Breathless) Yes? Yes? YASSIN : (His eyes a distant glaze) ...Nothing.

(Sen Gupta’s shoulders slump. He seems a defeated man. He leaves. A few seconds later his wife comes in.) wIFE : (Calling out) Prakash? Prakash? (To Yassin) Oh, where is he?

YASSIN : He’s gone. wire : (Wiping her hands) Oh, I was so busy in the kitchen. Wonder, why he called me. ° YASSIN : To tell you that I was leaving. wire: Leaving?

But why ?

Google

Where ?

SCENE V

233

(in reply, Yassin goes up to the cupboard, removes. uniform and the rifle) (Her

eyes

become

wide

with

alarm,

the Mukti

astonishment

and

Fauj then

understanding) (Then comes softness and motherliness in her voice.) (Tenderly) Yassin, my dear, you don’t have to join the Mukti Fauj to prove anything. YASSIN : (Almost with bitterness, reproach and resignation) No? But is’nt that what everyone wanted me to do all along.

wire : Not if you did’nt want to. YASSIN : I failed to see the distinction after a while. I could’nt make out whether others were pushing me or I was pushing myself. wire : What can I say, Oh, Yassin; What canI say. (Clutching her heart) I don’t want you to go. I don’t want you to risk your life. I don’t want you to be harmed. YASSIN: (Quietly) Would you rather see yourson go? Your own

son. As he said, someone has to do the fighting. wire : (Weeping silently) Oh, Yassin. Yassin you’re heart. (Yassin goes up to her, and kisses her farewell.) YASSIN : Goodbye, Ma. (At the door)

wire

: (The

last minute

anguish)

Wait.

seeking

the

sure...sure you're doing the right thing.

YASSIN : (His

know. (He leaves.)

eyes

afar,

[THE

Google

Wait,

absolute

END]

breaking my

Yassin. once

again)

Are

you

1 don't

Digitized by Google

Original from

INDIANA UNIVERSITY

DARJEELING

TEA

A COMEDY ON CONTEMPORARY MANNERS IN TWO ACTS

Google

CHARACTERS

MAIN

Big Mac Bunty

Jennie Didi

OTHERS

Thapa Hugh Sally

Marwari Young man

GROUP

Planters’ Families (Mclouds & Jenkins)

Club Staff (Bartenders & Waiters) “H.O. Types” (Chairman, MD,

V.I.P. & wives)

Band (H.H. Musicians) Group

members can reduced/eliminated

Google

be as

increased required

or

ACT

I

Scene : Somewhere near the pretty Darjeeling Hills, where the most delicately flavoured tea in the world is grown. Basically four sets: (1) The Planters Club, typical of the Clubs scattered over the vast isolated acres and acres of tea estates in North Bengal and Assam where the entire focal point of social life for the planters’ families is the Club. Onlya portion of the Club is visible, the bar in fact, with the portrait of the Royal King and Queen on either side and the Indian President in the centre. It is of course

a

bit

of

old

England

with

dart-boards,

obscure

coats-of-arms, hunting pictures and immense moose-heads or whatever-you-have. It is alsoa bit of old India with portraits of Maharajas and old-lace, souvenirs bagged from hunting lodges and

aristocratic garden-houses.

It is also

obvious that the Club is not as

prosperous as it once used to be, with maintenance and upkeep not quite up to the mark. Equally, there is a suggestion of tenacity, the will to survive, and more so to preserve a way of life singularly outdated, but very real and necessary for the planters whose attitudes have resisted all changes. The period of time is the turn of the seventies. The other three sets, consistent with this period, are: (2) the living room of the garden manager’s bungalow. To get an idea of what the garden manager's bungalow must be like is to imagine an Englishman’s country-home, except that he was complete master here

in an almost feudal way until just wooden shack on stilts, cute, almost

a few years ago.

like a doll’s houses,

(3) A small resembling

the wooden houses hand-built by hill-tribes on the slopes of the Himalayan foot-hills. It should be made to appear that this plain little one-room house is in the manager’s garden. (4) Perhaps a shadow screen in the rear suggesting miles and miles of tea gardens, with

the

dwarf-shaped

teashrubs

umbrella-ed

all planted to design, beautifully maintained, the evening play of sun and shadows.

These four sets are the planter’s complete life.

Google

by

slim

tall

a magnificent

trees,

sight in

238

DARJEELING

Action

begins

Planters

and

tables | bar

with

stools

their

the first scene,

with

wives.

following

Men

the Planters

groupings : (a)

are

in

the

Club.

Sets

TEA

of

two expatriate

late forties,

both

tremendously big built, from the “old school’, with pretty, sociable wives. (b) A “Marwari”, that .shrewd breed of businessman

originally from Rajasthan with the taint of a carpet-bagger reputation, together with a younger man and union leader. Others are all the planter | garden

types, young

Assistant-Managers

with

wives and children, giving a slight tauch of animation to the Club, with tennis-racquets and swimming apparel. Despite an effort to gaity, there is a slight air of dejection and reminiscence, particularly with the two expatriate garden managers...

BIG MAC : (Calling out) Bearer, do burra peg please. BIG HUGH: ...(As though continuing)...Yes, not like the old days, Mac. No more fun left. Garden’s not the same either. Pluckers goddamn lazy... BIG MAC: ...Remember the time we played merry bell around here, Hugh?

The only thing

it all up...Gardens

bigger than us was the

then were

the size

sky, and we filled

of my hand...(Raising

big

paw)...we built them into oceans of tea-bushes, cutting the jungle...

BIG HUGH : No rules to the game then, us.

The

Now...

Mac. Head office left it all to

M.D.’s were only too happy, warming the seats out

there.

BIG MAC: ...productivity fallen...

BIG HUGH : ...interference grown... JENNIE (Mac’s wife) : (To Sally) Club’s dead, Sally. Just take a look around. Never seen so many ordinary strangers before...(Looking

suspiciously and rather haughtily at (b) and looking over the club) It all looks so shabby, this Club. Why, if it weren’t for Big Mac and this Bar, I think the

Club

would fold up.

Of course half his

salary goes on booze. Doc. said the. other day...(Tapers off, saying no more) SALLY (Hugh’s wife): (Partly in abstracting herself) Brown’s left the other day. Just packed up, and left for good. Children were growing too big for the Darjeeling school. They were getting out of touch with home...

HUGH : (Reverie catching on, subject partly overheard, continuing his wife’s train of thought, from man’s point of view) Of course I don’t

blame Brown.

Though if chaps like us leave, what’s

Google

there left?

ACT I

239

Where was he going, did you say 2 Not heme; no, he’s too young for retirement; wouldn’t be able to stand the stuffiness of England. Got the warm blood and wanderlust of the overseas type. He’s full planter, Mac, like you and me. Off to New

Guinea or Africa, I'd say, with

low taxes and the high sun,..

(Elbowing Mac slyly) coolie women and

pure water of the Highlands; huh; accent)

scotch that flows like the

Mac? (Imitating Mac’s Scotch

BIG MAC : (Simply) I tike it here. JENNIE: (Catching Mac’s train of thought) So do I. So did I. I know I shouldn’t, but I keep dreaming of the old times. Remember the parties at this Club, Sally? It was like a big Christmas tree...and now I think of home...and the awful loneliness here...in the midst of these incredibly beautiful hills.

SALLY : (Each almost to themselves) Children do fill up a lot of time. It fills up the gap. You...(Stumbling)...you never did have any, did you...Jennie...? BIG MAC : (Calling out) Or do, bearer. JENNIE : (Trace of concern) Mac, do you...

BEARER : (Calling back) Han, Marwari and young man.)

Burra

Sahib.

(Conversation

shifts

to

MARWARI : (Mood of reverie continuing, introspective, introduction-like)

The white Marwari.

relatively

enlightened,

That’s

what they call me.

Marwari

for

being

the

White

for being

money-maker.

Flattery...with a touch of insult. Mark my words, the days of the big Managing Agencies are over...(Sneeringly surveying the Club and the expatriate)...like this Club “and its old...cronies 7...we’ll buy over the gardens, one by one, proprietors like me who know how to cut wasteful overheads... YOUNG MAN: (Respectfully) Han, Sethji. Actually they don’t have enough direct contact with buyers. Their system is very old fashioned of going through traditional Managing Agency Houses and Brokers... MARWARI: (Interrupting) ...all of whom get a cut out of the same

Sterling pie.

Inthe

past they could rig their prices. They had a

cent-percent monopolistic control. Not any more... YOUNG MAN ; (Obsequiously) Han, Han, Sethji. Even the international

prices have come tumbling

Google

down, but their costs have gone higher

240

DARJEELING TEA

and higher. Aid we know how to cut costs, don’t we, Sethji ? MARWARI : (Suddenly cold) So we do. And as Manager of my new tea garden, you’re going to be accountable for it. (Young Man silent and contemplative; conversation rotates back to the planters. Big Hugh and Big Mac get up from the table, and go over to the bar.) HUGH : But we aren’t going under, are we, Mac? No fucking wog is going to take over my place. MAC : (Looking him steadily over) Depends upon how much man you are, Hugh. 1 got nothing against them. HUGH : Nothing against them ? They'll be squeezing you out pretty soon. Live like pigs, they do. Milk the goddamn gardens till * there are no leaves or wood left. And when they sell-out there’s nothing but waste land left...

mac: Why do you let them buy and sell? Hold on to the gardens, Hugh. Convince those Calcutta egg-heads that we’re doing fine...

HUGH : Look, Mac, we’re between the devil and the deep sea. These carpet-bagging proprietors on the one side, and those slit-eyed knife-happy labourers on the other. — MAC : You’ve got to fight, man.

There’s no

other way

out.

(Then

after a pause) Oh, come on, Hugh, let’s have a drink...(/nviting a change in mood)...think back, friend...(Bantering, challenging)... the old rivalry, huh ?...(Softly)...the Jenken Group verses the Mcloud...

HUGH : (Sipping, dreamy-eyed)

Yes...yes....Wasn’t a man who

out-drink and out-fuck the Jenkens... MAC : ...till the Mclouds came along.

could

HUGH: (Swelling chest out, bragging, rivalry with humour and affection)

Wasn’t a garden who could produce more leaves than us, bag finer shikar than we did, stand up to our golfing team...

MAC : HUGH MAC : HUGH MAC :

...till the Mclouds came along. : (Aggressive, but smiling) The hell you (Measuring up similarly) The hell we did : (The smile fading gradually) Want to (Eyes steady) Itching for it, my friend,

(Conversation switches over to the women.)

JENNIE (Mac’s wife): We really

we?

should pull

did ! ! have another try ? Hugh. Call any time.

ourselves

up,

shouldn’t

I mean...everything seems to be,. fading. Couldn’t we bring

some life to this Club 7

Google

ACT I

241

SALLY (Hugh’s wife) : It takes a lot of energy, my dear. see the children growing,

I think...I’m not

be...(Then cutting herself short) weren’t you, Jen ?

as young as I used

You were

JENNIE : (Lays down the cake she was

And when I

a model

about to eat,

at one

to

time,

looking at herself

in the glass; pensively) Could make it again...could Not too late. I keep saying, not too late yet.

make it again.

SALLY: Oh, the mad things we did, Jen. Remember when we first came here? Slim, pretty brides of twenty, marrying the oh so-

romantic outdoor

place. JENNIE: (Musing)

white

planters...the long

Yes, we

Memsahibs

were

of the

authority. (Voice hardening seems a sham, Sally.

queens

fearful

sea voyage to in

planters

to reality)

these

who

Twenty

this far-away

plantations.

held

years

The

absolute

later

it

all

SALLY : You...you don’t regret it, do you, Jen ? JENNIE: (A bitter-sweet smile) Regret? Oh, my dear, who does not regret loss of youth...even if one were really queen. And the men

there, Sally, ours, the very best he-men in the world, somehow seem pathetically outdated today. And us, Sally, we sit and wait, drying up inside, getting older, unable to face this horrible

loneliness any further...

SALLY : (Reproachfully) Jen sometimes I just don’t understand you ! (Conversation shifts to Marwari and young man.)

YOUNG MAN ;: There’s a new breed replacing

the white Sahibs...

MARWARI: ... Yes ? YOUNG MAN:

...the brown ones.

(Marwari looks at him questioningly)

Managing Agency houses can’t afford expensive expatriates any more. So they’re recruiting the local prototype: Indians who've studied abroad, and are quite

pucca...(Fat man

They pay them twice as much as me.

laughs

(Laughter stops.)

purringly)

MARWARI : (Coldly) It’s not what they’re paid that matters. It’s what they’re

double

worth.

For

example,

set of books?

bungalow...they’re

And

do

as

they

for

palaces...why I could

know

the

how

Garden

keep three

to

keep...a

Manager’s

of you

in

a

mansion like that, Besides, I don’t see why Assistant Managers are necessary. If you spend less time at the Club, you'll have

more time

for the gardens,

Google

(y.M.

stil]

silent)

Does

that

answer

242

DARJEELING TEA

your question? (y.M. bites his lips.) (Enters young man in early twenties, Bhupendra, “Bunty” for short, typical product of Indo-anglian British public school, the inimitable

“Brown

Sahib,”

so

often

seen in former colonies, culturally

oriented to a class system where the privileged adopted a way of life and values that often became “more British than the British”. Bunty, however, is no caricature.

He is very real, very cocky, full of

vitality and, in his own way, rather individualistic. Typically dressed with muffler—or is it a blazer, or the old Oxford tie ?—and a tin of 555.

Like the lone stranger, the gun-slinger of bad romantic

western days, he enters the portals of the Club dramatically, gives a

mild cough so that everyone turns around, and looks at him, then with

an impeccable British accent says :) What ho ! What ho ! (Looking around) This Club’s going to pot. Where’s the manager ? Why it’s in shambles ? Disgraceful. And as for the people...(Looking around again) Zombies, zombies, my dear friends. (Scrape of a chair, and Bunty with

caution and

agility jumps

up to

add)

Ah, but

what

potential for life...and fun. The same gentlemen, the very same ladies too. (Calling out) I appeal : THIS CLUB NEEDS SOME LIFE AROUND HERE! Bearer! Bearer! Drinks around the house. And it’s all on me. Why, this is the tea country, and we’ve never had it so good. Darjeeling Tea? The very best chai in the world. Two leaves and a bud. Ah, what adventure. Look out, see through the window, the coolie women picking the shrubs, the blue of the hills, the sudden sunshine breaking through the clouds. It gives me a thrill. Doesn’t it you ?...(A slight start. A contained

thunderbolt effect. Some with their mouths open, wondering at this stranger, this mad-man messiah, doubting whether one should laugh or not, for he

is more than funny, since

tie, etcetera.

Yes, I’m the new

he has

away

of touching

the heart, and giving life to a sterile situation. Bunty goes up to the bar, swaggeringly, still acting the lone ranger-stranger, thumps on the table.) Double. Double scotch. (Straight gulps it down, turns blue, coughs, covers up) P...p...put it on the bill. Membership ? a mere formality. (Extending his hand, starting with the bartender, goes around) My name’s Bhupendra, but call me “Bunty” for short. That’s what I was called in college. You know, old school the top.

Covenanted cadre,

leave, expense

account

in

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recruit.

and all that.

glittering

I believe in starting from

Three months “home”

Calcutta.

Booze

all

night,

ACT I

243

work out in the Club, rest in the Nursing Home. Drive these goddamn Assistant Managers to drive those goddamn coolies. Hard work, that. Besides, all expats leaving. Got to fill the vacuum at the top ..not that they had much brains.

Big responsi-

bility, that.’ It makes me weak with fatigue, just thinking about it. Bearer, or aik double. (A bristling anger growing around the place. Bunty seems to ignore it with cool indifference, or else is totally ignorant of it.)

BARTENDER : Sahib, which garden are you going to work in ? BUNTY

: Garden?

Garden?

Hmmn,

let’s see.

Scot name that,I

forget. I was told a big bear of a man was in charge of it. You know, all brawn but nothing up there (Tapping his head and nudging the bartender.)

Oh,

well, it

will be...(Yawning)...tiresome

while, but we’ve got to carry the white man’s burden.

for

a

Enchanting

wife he has, I hear...(Big Mac eases over to him.) (Bunty BIG MAC: Couldn’t be his name is Macneil?

turns

around

relapses.

(Jennie

for the first time fully realizes the presence of the big man, almost bumps into his chest which is level with Bunty’s full height, looks up high at the face of the rugged planter...)

BUNTY : Hmmm...could be.

I’ve got a weak memory.

BIG MAC : Couldn’t be his name is Big Mac...for short. BUNTY:

Hmmm...might

be.

I also

suffer

from

comes over, and holds Big Mac with a restraining hand.)

JENNIE: (To Bunty)

Couldn’t be...his wife is as enchanting...as

(Bunty bows adroitly, and, in the best hand, and kisses it with a flourish.)

BUNTY: (Eyes

brimming

Enchanté Madame.

respectfully) 'm breaks

out

in

with

(Then

your new

husband’s hand.)

warm

life and

turning to

recruit, Sir,

laughter,

alive

JENNIE : Oh, isn’t he cute, Big Mac!

(There will be

The sets are already (The next

scene

Mac,

there, and

is

The

snapping

Bunty

once

very

to

reporting.

again,

of scenes

the tea estates, before

through play of lights.) 2.

laughter)

takes

her

same.

attention

(Jennie

squeezing

her

(Darkness, end of scene)

continuous switches

house, the Club and

French mannerism,

me.

between

this act comes to an end.

quick transitions

the living

room

the planter’s

should

be made ,

of the Garden Manager's

bungalow, presumably a few days later, with Mac, Jennie and Bunty.

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244 Mac’s got

DARJEELING TEA

look at one

hearth.

his reading

glasses on, smoking a pipe, and is taking

of the air-flown

Jennie’s making

British papers.

a dress,

and

talking

The fire’s on to

a

in the

Bunty.

Bnnty’s

sitting on the carpet. It is evident that with the usual planter’s hospitality Bunty’s been accepted in the family fold.) BUNTY: (Light catches him in the midst of his conversation)...and there I was, Mrs. Macneil, caught in the Piccadilly rush with cars and lights and crowds, just out of the West End theatre, with the London cold smacking my face, pub around the comer, and me full of excitement, Mrs. Macneil...(Jennie smiles with trace of reminiscence in her eyes.) MAC : (Looking over the papers) There’s a new play in the papers here.

Asmash hit. Revival of a Noel have liked that, Jennie...

Coward

BUNTY : It’s “Hair’’; that’s the craze now.

comedy.

You

I even saw that.

T also like Noel Coward, Mrs. Macneil.

would

Though

More in keeping with the

times here. His comedies are so...sophisticated, aren’t they 7 We could do with a bit of excitement here. (Springing up) Say, why

don’t we put it on Macneil.

at the Club?

Give it a shot

JENNIE : (Amused, slightly thrilled) Do

you

really

in the arm, Mrs.

mean...to get things moving...all the arrangements... BUNTY : (Bouncing) Nothing to it. Nothing to it, Mrs. JENNIE : Oh, it would be too much. Really... BUNTY: (Catching enthusiasm)

Oh,

I'd do it all...with your help. JENNIE : (Amused, amazed) Mine ? BUNTY : I’d do the sets, the lights.

no,

it

wouldn’t,

think

so?

Macneil... Mrs.

Macneil.

Did a Jot of it in college.

could do...the costumes and design...

I

You

JENNIE : (Slight air of distraction)...costumes, design...? : BUNTY: Yes, yes, Mrs. Macneil, you were a model, weren’t you? From one of the finest London fashion houses. Ieven saw the play, you know, the life of the Paris designer. Coco. It thrilled me. You are like that... JENNIE: ...meé... 7 BUNTY: Ob, we'll bring life back to the fuddy-buddy Club. You'll act in it too, Mrs. Macneil. We'll get everyone around a couple of hundred miles from here. You'll star in it, Mrs. Macneil,

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Act i

245

JENNIE : (Back to reality, laughing) Oh, stop it, Bunty ! BUNTY : We’ll even put the old man in the play...

MAC : (Closing the paper) What’s that ! BUNTY : (Retreating, eyes laughing) Sorry, Sir, got carried away.

MAC : (Mumbling, going back to the paper) hike around the gardens with me. BUNTY: Anytime, Sir, anytime. mac: And stop sirring me, laddie.

BUNTY: Yes, Sir.

What you need is a long

(Turning around) Mrs. Macneil, oh Mrs.

Macneil,

you’re not going to let us down, are you? Mr. Macneil, Sir, will not allow you to. I, Bunty Bhupendra, will not allow it either. JENNIE : (Laughing) Stop it, Bunty. I’ll get the hiccups soon. BUNTY : (Pleadingly; acting on his knees) Won’t you? Won’t you please, for my sake, Mrs. Macneil, for my sake ? (Jennie exchanges an amused glance with Mac.)

JENNIE : Alright, Bunty.

For your sake.

3. (Darkness, switch of scene to the Club) (Humming and activity around the Club; people rushing around hither and thither, carrying buckets and paints, mops and what-haveyou. The old depressing atmosphere is gone: there seems to be more life and gaiety around, laughter and brightness.) YOUNG PEOPLE : This costume...(With bundle of clothes) ANOTHER : ...colour...(Tin of paint and brush in hand) ANOTHER : ...this design and music... FOURTH : ...will it do? TOGETHER : Ask the Boss. Oh, Mrs. Macneil, will it do ? YOUNG PEOPLE : This light... ANOTHER:

...these sets...

ANOTHER : ...the direction... FOURTH: ...the diction... FIFTH : Will it do? ALL TOGETHER : Ask the Boss. ONE : He’s a slavedriver. ANOTHER : He’s a saviour. ANOTHER : He’s a crazy. ANOTHER : I’m cuckoo too.

SECOND : She’s young.

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Oh, Bunty-Bhupy, will it do ?

246

DARJEELING TEA

ANOTHER: She’s fresh. ANOTHER : She’s alive again. ANOTHER: Like old times. (There’s a choreography to this scene; it can be danced and sung.) NOW IN CHORUS : Darjeeling Darjeeling Drink up, (Whisper)

tea tea it’s free Where can I take a pee ?

A planter’s life No place for a wife It’s wilderness and work With wenches as perk

It’s not romantic ' It drives me frantic

The rattle of the snakes

(Whisper) Don’t they make lovely steaks ? But it gets in your blood This chai-patta mud Not all the jinn can wash it out (Omar

Khayyamish) Nor the old dypso bout (Chorus breaks into two)

(One side) Mclouds ahoy (Other side) -

’ Jenkins ahead Says who? (One side aggressively) Says we! (Other side belligerently) We could wipe the pants off you any time Lay your bets down the line A planter’s gamble always pays off

We play to win and never get soft

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Act t

247 (Face to face) Oh Yeah ? Ob Yeah ! (Sleeves rolled up; fists poised)

(Bunty breezes through, cigar in mouth, tie loose, coat in hand, bottle

of beer swinging in hand.)

BUNTY: (Real commander) Break it up! Cut it out, boys. We got work to do. Changes to make. A new life. So let’s get down to it, fellers, will you! (Electric effect. Everyone breaks up. Stands to attention.

forgotten.

executive.)

Disperse, busy as bees; their fight and rivalry momentarily

Bunty himself breezes right through like the commanding

(Same scene, but this with Commander Jennie, pencil in mouth, sheaf

of papers in hand, hair dishevelled, touches of paint over her, full of animation, occasionally brushing stage with broom, directing others, working herself, a new Jennie.) JENNIE: (To one of the girls) No, no, not like that. This is no model walk. You've got to swing. Listen to the music. See the colours. (To another) Yes, the chair goes there. The flowers near the window. The drapes...must fall this way. Wish we could have had green to match with...Ronnie, don’t you have green curtains at your house.!.

(Sets are coming up. There is the usual disorder and excitement : nothing as group activity is ever so catching. Yelling) Watch out ! Watch out, Raghu ! That set’s going to fall. Secure it. Imagine what would happen...(Rest of her words can’t be heard through the general din. Boys and girls running up to her for advice. It’s like a creative canvas for her, the entire organic development with artistic immersion. Sometimes she feels tired, more as a reminiscence, a

Flashback of the past, rather than fatigue, and occasionally lapses into dreaming.)

ONE OF THEM : Jennie! Jennie! Where are you? Suddenly you’re everywhere, and suddenly you’re gone. No, you’re not dreaming,

are you, Jen ?

‘

JENNIE: (Embarrassed, confused, at suddenly oh...no, I was just...well, just...

discovered)

Oh...

ANOTHER : Come on. We’ve got work to do. And without you lost, Jen. Like old times, huh ?

we’re

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being

248

DARJEELING TEA

JENNIE : (Stretching, trying to break out of the reverie) times... (Blackout) 4. (Scene shifts to planter’s livingroom.) (Big Mac and Jennie) BIG MAC: (Expression of pleasure and humour) changed, Jennie. I don’t need to tell you that.

Yes...like

Of course

old

you're

JENNIE : I don’t believe it, Mac. People don’t change like that.

mac: Well, what would you call it? The old Jennie, the real Jennie ? JENNIE : (Analysing herself, stammering self-consciously) Of course the play and all has brought back some of the old excitement. I mean, it’s quite natural. MAC : It’s given you something to do, Jen. JENNIE : (Stung for no apparent reason) Mac, I don’t believe in occupying

myself

like

other

women

do

with

(Changes the word, and says)...parties... MAC : (Cautiously) JENNIE:

(Again

self-conscious,

nervous

am...somewhat different.

(Absently)...as a woman... you might say. Mac

house

and...and...

Whatever it is, I like to see you like this.

aggressive,

reason) | mean...I

the

Not

for

no apparent

fully realized...

: (Sharply) Nobody says it !

JENNIE : (Equally sharp) women

who

are

all

But

I feelit!

I feel cut off from the

other

the time talking about the house and... And

then I think I’m different. I was, of course. As a model in one of the...(Saying with almost a bitter laugh)...leading fashion houses of London, I—I had to be different...Not that I regret it, of course. Unlike most women, I could always go back to modelling...you

see, my hips...have remained slender...

MAC : (Looks at her quietly, says softly) Yes, dear. JENNIE : (Alternating between being appeased and provoked) The play... by itself means nothing...but asa trigger, a release, a memory, a promise . everything ! (Bursting out) Mac, you've given me the most wonderful life there is...open-door, wholesome, warm...like you (Almost crying, clutching to her throat) Is there something wrong with me, with me, Mac? (Mac goes up to her, this immence

powerful man, holds her very tenderly.)

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ACT

I

.

249

MAC : (Softly) No. (She buries her head in his chest.)

(Blackout) 5. (Conversation in darkness, presumably with change in scene, or perhaps with outline of Mac and Bunty) mac : Come on, laddie, it’s time you got down to work. BUNTY : You mean there’s more, Sir. MAC : (Laughing quietly) I’m afraid so. BUNTY : Sir 7 MAC: Yes. BUNTY : I'd like to be a real planter...like you. MAC : I hope you would. Bunty : Why don’t you break me in? You know...run me through the mill. Right from the start. Like the old days. mac: Hmmm... BUNTY : Real tough routine. In college... mac : (Interrupting humorously)... Yes, I know.

BUNTY : What about the long hike you promised me ? mac: Alright, laddie. We start tomorrow break of dawn. Ran-Ting gardens. It’s inaccessible by jeep. Do you ride ? BUNTY : Can try. MAC: Do you walk ?

The

BUNTY : Can do.

mac: Crack of dawn. BUNTY: Yes, Sir, MAC : Stop sirring me, laddie. BUNTY : Yes, Sir. 6. (Next day, crack of dawn. Now the majestic beauty of the rolling hills with miles and miles of tea bushes evenly planted. A projected screen would be necessary. Shadow of man and boy. The early morning silhouette of the man plucking two leaves and a bud, cupping it in his hand, talking to the boy... Heard are only a few words now and then.. ) MAC’S VOICE :

...the leaves and bud grow

fast...plucked

every week

for most of the year...but a lot of work and care goes into it...it’s

something living and growing, laddie, the tender

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plant... (Shadows

250

DARJEELING TEA

and clouds and the rays of the morning sun, the passage of time

the leading of life...) gives rise to

the

sturdy

bush...full

and

seventy

years of life with roots that go deep into the soil...comes time one day to remove them for new transplant...and then the tree that protected it in the early years is also felled... (fan and boy walk, with haversacks on their back, till the sun sets, the campfires are lit, and the stars shine in the sky) No easy way to planter’s life, boy, because it’s one way all the way through, no turning back even if you wanted to, no return home no regrets... (The night over, the

stars

melting

into

another dawn, the return and eternal turnover...)

It’s fire and pride, an unknown brand of loyalty, that ties soit and

people alike, the hill people, the finest and loveliest creatures in this

world... (Screen should catch a view of the pluckers, the coolie women with baskets behind, the inscrutable face of the Nepalese Gurkha, their simplicity and child-like charm.) 7. (Blackout, scene shifts back to planter’s home) (Mac and Jennie)

JENNIE : That was a long hike. MAC: Ran-Ting and back. JENNIE: But that’s miles and miles away, Mac.

must be on his last legs.

MAC : (Smiling, removing his pipe) He was.

bit.

Poor boy Bunty, he

But didn’t show

it one

JENNIE : You’re not being tough on him, are you, Mac ? mac: No. Matter of fact, he wanted it himself. He wants to be a planter, Jennie. JENNIE: I expect that’s why he joined. Mac: No, I don’t mean that way. Underneath that...that exterior, I suspect...there’s

much...that’s

real...

You

know,

Jen, I think

I’ve been neglecting the gardens a bit. Taking things for granted. Some of the gardens we passed through weren’t quite up to the mark... (More of animation and enthusiasm creeping into his talk) I kept talking, he kept questioning, and suddenly I felt...planter

once again, a half-of-a-big job to be done there, a quality Mcloud stamp to grow on every leaf, labour to be activated... You know

...the whole lot...like old times... JENNIE ; (Trace of the bitter-sweet) Like

old

times.

the only one who suffered from that nostalgia.

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I thought I was

ACT I

. 251

Mac: No, Jen, not dreaming of the old times with regret, but facing the now—one that only needs to be revitalized. JENNIE : (With a trace of amazement) And...and little Bunty did all that ? mac: Of course not. He did no more than...what did you call it... trigger the situation. (Pause) How’s the play coming along ? JENNIE: Hillarious...can’t make out whether it will be

a

tremendous

hit or a flop. Never been so busy or worried all my life. Do you know, we're putting it up at the Annual Darjeeling do! I’m scared to death. MAC : Don’t (Smiling) leave it all to Bunty. (Blackout)

8.

(Again screen-shots in the open of the tea-estates, this time jungle

too, again with man and boy; they’re out on a shoot.) MAC: (Hushed voice; one imagines they're approaching the prey) Careful, now, careful, laddie, Don’t scare the game. You're breathing too hard! BUNTY: (Squeaking) Can’t hold it any longer, Sir, mac : (Calling out) There she goes! Shoot, shoot! (No bang) Release

the catch, you idiot ! (Great flurry of birds flying off) BUNTY : (A few long seconds later) Sorry, Sir. (The planter curses under his breath.) (Scene changes to golf course.)

(Passage of time)

MAC: Laddie, we'll be playing you to put up a good show. BUNTY : (Bright and smart)

against

Jenkins next week.

I want

Yes, Sir !

Now T-off. Remember the swing I showed you. mac: Good. That’s the style! Great! Now bring it down and smack the ball hard ! (Sound of terrific swish of the club; long seconds of awkward silence; quietly) Laddie, you just laid an egg.

(Rapid change of scene—at the bar with on it)

both

Mac : Well, son, your apprenticeship’s over.

of five gardens tomorrow.

their

elbows

I’m giving you

charge

up.

(Both

leaning

BUNTY: (Raising his glass) Drink to that, Sir. Bottoms down the drink. Bunty looks stone-cold sober.)

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252

DARJEELING TEA

mac: Your play comes up tomorrow night. Let’s celebrate. BUNTY: Drink to that, Sir. Bottoms up (But drink it downina gulp. Bunty still stone-cold sober.) MAC : (Looking at him closely) Not bad. after all.

a planter

Bearer, another double ! (Filling up the glass) Now, as I

was saying... Laddie ! Laddie, where fallen flat.) , 9.

You may make

the

hell

are you! (Laddie’s

(Blackout)

(Jennie and her friend Sally in the Club)

SALLY : (Looking around) My, how this place’s changed.

believe it. JENNIE: It’s all the excitement of the play. what will happen when it’s all over. SALLY : It’s done wonders to you, Jennie. JENNIE : (Absently)

Has it?

In a

way

I can’t

it’s made

than ever. SALLY : (Brightly) Mac seems full of beans too. JENNIE: Does he ? Pretty infectious, I must say.

SALLY : I remember the way

he used to drink.

I can hardly

help

me

wondering

more

You know

restless

when he

and Hugh would get together for these all night bouts. They’re neither as young as they used to be. I keep saying it to Hugh. How’s Mac keeping now? Scared the daylights out of me when he had that . that...accident...

JENNIE : He still does pretty much what he likes, Sally.

SALLY : He seems...calmer. JENNIE : Never know about him, Sal. Suddenly, he’s capable of exploding. (Absently) Doc told him to take it easy. The next one may be his last, he said. SALLY : He’s suddenly taken the garden in hand again. Everybody’s in top form. Gave Hugh quite a jolt. He can’t see the Jenkin group sliding behind. JENNIE : It’s childish, this rivalry. SALLY: It’s real. Do you know.they almost had a fight again the other day. JENNIE : (coastly to herself) No. SALLY : Some silly feeling that they can’t be friendly unless they fight. Like children...Jennie silent)...word’s getting around

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ACT

I

253

they’re itching for another fight...(Jennie looks up anxiously)...at the Darjeeling Annual do. JENNIE : No! SALLY : Your play comes on the same night, doesn’t it ? That means alot of drinking and dancing and celebration. You know what that means. JENNIE : (Nervously) They wouldn’t do that. SALLY : Wouldn’t they 7? They’re the only two left now. The only two real upcountry expats...the last ones. JENNIE : (Whispering apprehensively)...for old times’ sake. (Darkness) 10. (The next scene is mostly a sole pantomime of Bunty. He is walking over to Macneil’s house. Bunty is part dreamer (visionary 7),

part activist. First he walks bandy-legged as though getting over the effects of the long horse-ride...Then he imagines himself as the

Lone Ranger...He whistles.. He swings the empty haversack over his back and pretends to collapse under it... Next he is aiming the gun and scoring, swishing the club, and saying ‘‘fore’’, drinking and reeling

like a “he-man” ?...all imaginary, but speaking the story. Macneil’s house.

In the moonlight (2) and darkness

Reaches

is the romantic

Sigure of someone near the window behind the curtain, small and unmoving...Bunty immediately gets on his knees and recites from the play.) BUNTY : (As though on stage) “No, don’t move, don’t move, Mrs Mac (...stops, corrects himself) Mrs Robinson. I’ve always imagined you,

this way, lovely in the moonlight, never had the courage to speak, speak, to say...[ love you... Elope we must, Mrs Robinson, alas live in sin too, for that monster will not release you, and we have promises to keep... Courage, Mrs Robinson, it’s time to leave!

I

kiss your hand and take you away...” (He reaches out for the hand

behind the curtain, and kisses it... Snap of lights, and of course it’s not Mrs Macneil, but a small, impassive Gurkha...the Gurkha does not bat an eyelid. His face isa mask of leathery lined creases, his

oblique eyes stretched under absorbing face.

His figure,

mongoloid features,

like that

of most

a_

Gurkhas,

startlingly

is small

and lithe; these ferocious and beautiful people, finest fighters on earth, with the traditional Kukri curved knife in the sheath. The

light should be froma

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single beam, shot from an angle, so as to

254

DARJEELING TEA

show the intricate furrows

of the face.

foot in the air.)

BUNTY : T...Th...Thapa!

(Swallowing)

Bunty

literally jumps

:

Thapa,

what

the

hell

a are

you doing here...and in the place of Mrs. Macneil too ! Where's your mistress! Why the hell didn’t you tell me earlier she wasn’t at home ! (Thapa looks at him impassively, turns around, and leaves without saying

a word.

Making

sure he’s

gone,

Bunty

swings

a

punch at him in the air, kicks the door-post, yells out in pain, hops on one leg massaging his toes with other and, out of balance, falls.) (Blackout)

11.

(The “Darjeeling do”.

of function,

before

behind

curtain,

the drinking

Macneil or rather Mrs. the

limping a bit...)

Last scene, end of the play, main item gets going

Robinson on

Bunty,

and families who really

around)

“No,

don’t

Robinson...(Titter in

the balcony

Romeo-like

BUNTY : (Shaky voice, in front of the

on

Mrs.

the audience)

his

a big

way.

Mrs:

in the moonlight

knees,

distracted,

big Darjeeling audience, planters

have come froma

move,

in

couple of hundred miles

Mac...(Kicking

I’ve

always

herself)

imagined

Mrs.

you...

imagined you...imagined you...[Prompter: “this way, lovely...”] .. . (Looking more distracted than ever) this way, lovely in the moonlight, had the courage to speak, to say...to say...[Mrs. Macneil

prompts angrily

through her

teeth: “I love you,

I love you,

you

idiot’’}...I love you...I love you...you idiot...” (Audience bursts out in laughter; applauds. Bunty snapping out of it, a perfect second sentence) ‘“‘Elope we must, Mrs. Robinson, alas live in sin too, for

that monster will not release you, and we have promises to keep...” (Anda third) ‘Courage Mrs. Robinson, it’s time to leave. I...I... (Cloud

of distraction

passes

over

him

once

again,

a frightening

reminder of the night before) [Prompter : “kiss” ‘“kiss’’]...kiss your hand...” (He stands immobile, frozen, forgetting everything, petrified) [Prompter, sweating, cursing, “Kiss her hand, you fool!

No, don’t say it! Act it, you nitwit, kiss it. Kiss her hand, you S.0.B.{ NO. DON’T REPEAT ME!”] (Prompter says it too loud,

audience in splits of hysterical laughter. Eventually, Jennie puts out her hand, and reassured, he kisses it...curtain falls, audience cheer madly, it’s a big success.)

(Partial blackout)

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ACT I 12.

255

(Group breaks into two : the menfolk move into one of the rooms

of the Club, the women and children into another. Chairman of the Tea Board]/Association, a pompous, slightly funny, but extremely versatile Englishman with a subtle sense of humour and a definite

intellectual capacity, probably a Managing Director of one of the Managing Agency houses, middle-aged now, but risen from having been planter himself with a plus that made him supreme in politics and commerce, to be elected honorary Chairman of the Tea Association, addresses the men.)

CHAIRMAN: (He

is of course from Calcutta,

and has

come for

the

function, in a soft, persuasive and sneaky voice, néutral in viewpoint, and influential with Managing Agency houses and planters. A man of some weight, both ways.) Gentlemen...(Surveying the audience to make sure they’re all paying attention)...we tend to forget, if I

may indulgently say so, that the annual Darjeeling “do” is really our Annual General Meeting, and the “do” really comes after... (Polite laughter and applause) Before hitting the bottle I’d like you to know a few facts, my planter friends. (Steeliness creeping into his voice, all business now) The proprietary gardens, who

be our members, are stealing

a march over us.

choose not to

They’re buying us

out, one by one...(General consternation and concern in the group, the Chairman raises his hand for silence) We've got to cut our costs and compete. But at the same time we must maintain our high standards of research and plan for the future. This

is

in

the

our

traditions...of

dealings...(Cheers)

obligation cheers)

honesty,

And

we owe to the I would

cipation breaking

“do”...(Continues

good

We

must

industry

assure

quality

you,

maintain

and

to the

gentlemen...(A

and_

our

integrity business

country...(More smile

of anti-

into his face)...that.,.the...Darjeeling...annual... to

emphasize

stay...till...kingdom...come. the planters and knows ity A be realistic...(Pindrop silence; a swing of the pendulum...in

each

word)...will...be...bere...to...

(Wild cheers; he’s caught the heart. of word of caution now, gentlemen, let’s he’s got the crowd by the tail) There’s the affairs of men and fortune. We’re

at the extreme end now; it’s this : labour’s explosive this moment. Let us admit frankly that we...er...er...used them to advantage

in the

able. old

past.

Don’t

But

reaction

underestimate

sentimentality.

terrifying...

their

They’re

Google

now

them,

capable

is quite,

and

be

quite

carried

of violence,

unreason-

away

sudden

by

and

256

DARJEELING TEA

13. (Scene fades to the women side; Sally, Jennie, group of women and children)

SALLY : (Enthusiastic) Jen! Jen! were wonderful ! I laughed

Just

like...(Stops)...no,

It really

till the

was

wonderful.

You

tears streamed down my

face.

The v. R’s and M. D’s

wives

Jen, I won’t say it...it was new times, and

you made it so.

JENNIE : (Quite overcome) Oh, Sally ! SALLY : Oh! Oh, !... Don’t look now. are coming over.

VISITING

REPRESENTATIVES

WIFE

&

MANAGING

DIRECTOR’S

WIFE

(Both English ladies) : (One of them says it, the other repeats more or less the same) Oh, my dear ! You were won—der—ful! I was

reminded of...but never mind...You really

out to you, and I felt I was...a

young

were.

My

heart

went

planter’s, wife once

again.

(They leave; Jennie takes out her handkerchief, and cries.)

JENNIE : (Jn between sobs) ...And...I always thought...they were...so hard and artificial. (Another greying woman comes over.) GREYING WOMAN : (Comes over and sits down,

offers Jennie her hand-

kerchief ) Have a good cry, Jennie dear, it’s the

only

thing

worth

remembering that one can look back upon, the things that were so

wonderful that they made you cry... JENNIE : (Trying to stop it) You’ll make me cry more, Elizabeth.

ELIZABETH : This is our last journey to Darjeeling, Jennie. We leave, for good. John’s retiring, you know. He says it’s been a good inning. JENNIE: (Laughs, almost hysterically) ...“‘a all he has to say for a lifetime of tea...? ELIZABETH : (Quietly)

Can

one

say

good

more?

inning”.

Is

that

Anyone:..anywhere ?

(Gets up) Goodbye, my dear...(kisses her, leaves)

14,

(Partial blackout;

in sheer contrast to the busyness of the

and the sentimentality of the women, if one can call

it that,

men

breaks

the blare of rock/soul/call-it-what-you-will music. A band. Group of young Hill musicians. Guitars, drums, amplifier, occasional incidentals, beat songs. Bright, vivacious, talented youngsters, with

music

in their blood.

Long straight black hair, lean and clean as q

Google

ACT I

257

whistle, flexible as a kite, the slant features capture the beauty and air of the Darjeeling Hills, Bartenders grin. They know through long years of experience exactly what’s going to happen. The men

swoop

down

in a rush.

The

women

wait expectantly.

Gaiety,

excitement breaking through, the once-in-a-year wild abandon, the planter’s release. Attractive women, saris and dresses, bell-bottoms and hot-pants, hipster saris showing cute belly-bottons, and revealing cholis that leave nothing to imagination.) BUNTY: (Yelling, drinking, frugging | watching | what-have-you) YYYYYYYYYYEEEEEEEEEEOOOOOOOODOW W WWWwwwwW lt LeT’s GO, MAN, Go!!!

HARE RAM HARE KRISHNA! HO!

HO!

(Mixture

of

expressions, catchy, original, fun-loving; dances around madly, with himself, others, deafening beat, getting them all crazy, thoroughly

enjoying himself, and as usual, infecting others too. Big Mac and Big Hugh, big giants, face each other across the bar, trace of a

smile and a challenge, raise their tumbler-full drinks in honour acknowledgement of forthcoming battle. Music starts to dim, the voices of people begin to die out : everyone knows.) BIG HUGH : (Caswal-like) Big gardens.

Mac,

I hear

you’re

toning

up

and and

your

BIG MAC : (Equally cool) That’s right, Big Hugh.

BIG HUGH : About time.

We

Jenkins were beginning to feel left out.

(Crowd starts to split, two camps, the women

BIG MAC : You were never in, Hugh.

retreating.)

We had you

beat right

from

the start. (Jennie tries to stop them, but is stopped by Bunty, who steps forward cockily, right up to Hugh, eyes focused up and afar at Hugh’s granite face.)

BUNTY : (Calling out) In case you beat right from the start. (Big Bunty tossed around, but gamely looking around for the opponent

didn’t hear, Big Hugh, we had you Hugh brushes him aside like a fly, up with fists in classic boxing style, he’s too drunk to see.)

BIG MAC : THIS IS IT, HUGH! LET’S FIGHT! (The giants are at it, Bunty in and out, pushed, falling, getting up like a jack-in-a-box, the others at it too, the Mclouds, the Jenkins. It’s uproarious. Suddenly midway through the fight, Bunty calls out commandingly.) BUNTY: STOP! stop!

(Everybody too amazed

ANOTHER DRINK, AND START AGAIN!

Google

to go

on) LETS

HAVE

(Crowd cheers, “Have another

258

DARJEELING TEA

drink, and start again \” It goes on and on, drinking and fighting, till everything is in shambles, furniture broken, fighters swaggeringly drunk, most of them taken home by their wives and girl-friends, the last three at the crack of dawn being...Hugh, Mac and Bunty, with a friendly arm around each other’s neck, black-eyed, drunk and asleep.) CURTAIN

Google

FALLS

ACT II

1.

Scene in Macneil’s

SCENE

bungalow.

I

Tea for four.

Present are Mac

and Jennie, Hugh and Sally. A few days later, but the band-aids, black-eyes and swollen/blue patches are still there on the planters’ faces. General air of gloom. HUGH: ...So that’s the story, Mac-me-friend. You could have knocked me down with a feather when the M.D. told me we were selling out. Selling out! Jenkins group! No, it couldn’t happen to us, I said. We’re one of the biggest. No goddam Marwari is going to buy us out. He smiled, you know, the cat-who’s-eatenthe-canary smile.

and separation

Said I needn’t

benefits

and

Post me elsewhere, Ceylon,

worry.

all that.

New

There’d be

Why,

the

if 1 wanted,

Guinea, Africa,

pension

they'd

since the Jenkins

group was Sterling and always looked after its overseas planters. Just like that, Mac. You and I have had three generations of life in India,.and they wind us up just like that! (Mac takes a breath, says nothing, pours out a drink for his friend.)

deep

mac : Shakes me, I admit. HUGH : (Looking into the drink, stirring it self-consciously) That leaves you...sort of alone, doesn’t it 2? (Mac doesn’t reply.) SALLY: (To Jennie) It hit me bad when I first heard it, Jen, but you know how one gets used to an idea. In fact... JENNIE : (Completes her thought) ...you’re now rather looking forward to it, aren’t you ?

SALLY: Yes. That’s right. Children growing up. I hate to be separated for long. I long for home, Jennie, never could accept India as my own. I’m persuading Hugh up. No more planter.

JENINE: (Smiling

hard) Yes,

we

each

reasons for wanting to return home. HuGH : (To Mac) Mac-me-friend..,

mac: Yes?

Google

to retire, and

give

it

all

have our reasons, don’t we...

260 HUGH;

DARJEELING TEA I’ve been

thinking...(Mac

going to miss you. MAC : Same here. HUGH : Wish it could continue.

looks up,

his

eyes

smiling)...’'m

MAC : Don’t see how it’s possible.

HUGH : Mac, things are changing here. MAC : Bound to. HUGH : No place for a foreigner ! MAC : (Shot of anger) I’m no goddam foreigner. Three generations, you’ve just said. HUGH: You're still a foreigner, Mac, whether you like it or

not.

:

MAC : (Coldly) I don’t look at things the way you do, Hugh. HUGH : (Controlling himself) Y'll pass that, Mac, because I have more

important things to tell you. (Mac looks up. So also does Jennie.) Sally...we...thinking of retiring, going back home. There are lots of planters like us drifting around, wanting to settle down. In fact there’s quite a sizable community in London...

MAC : Go on. HUGH : Well...I was thinking...seeing that you and I get on so well... (Grinning

crookedly through

damaged

especially

for

give up.

It’s fine with a garden,

something together there...boarding the

lips)...that

we

might

start

house, hotel, pub, anything...

planter-types...that

is

if you’re

interested

in

leaving...(Long pause, Jennie looks enquiringly at Mac.) MAC : (Quietly and steadily) Thank you, Hugh. No go. HUGH : (Getting up, smiling, offering his hand for a shake) Well...1 sort of expected it. Trouble with you, Mac, is that you never offer’s open, Mac,

any

time...any

but difficult with life.

But my

time at all (Mac takes his hand,

and shakes it, says nothing. Sally and Hugh, say goodbye, leave. A long silence between Mac and Jennie.) MAC: (Quietly) You would have liked me to have taken that offer, wouldn’t you 7

JENNIE : (Wearily) Yes. mac : It’s not as simple as all that.

JENNIE: Nothing is.

MAC:

The...the

supervisors,

garden

the

depends

managers,

Google

all.

upon

We're

me.

The

the only

workers,

the

large _ Agency

“Aer

It SCENE I

house left.

261

People

I’ve

worked

with...have

the last forty years...ever since I was a boy.

been

with

me...for

JENNIB :. (Anger bursting out) And you've never grown up, Mac ! This garden became your hobby, and you’ve lived it the way you wanted to. Now things are changing, and you're resisting it. MAC:

No, Jen.

It’s the only

It goes deep.

I...it’s all...part of me.

life I know. JENNIE : The only life you have too, Mac, mine included. Oh, Mac, Mac, I’m not going to quarrel: with you. Mac, you're killing yourself here : one more of those “‘do’s” and you’ve had it! Doc said you must take it easy. Retire, more for your sake than mine, Mac. MAC ; (Slowly) No. (Blackout) 2. Bunty in riding breeches, horsewhip in hand, whistling, and bouncing up the steps to Mcneil’s house. At the porch he stops, and calls out “Mrs. Macneil...Oh, Mrs. Macneil...?” (No reply) “Sir...Sir... Mr. Macneil...?’ (No reply) “Th...Thapa 7...0h, Mr. Thapa...?”

(No reply or movement) ‘Anybody there?

Shrugs his shoulders, romps

a garden manager...”, onus

pipe and His

Nobody 7’

(No reply.

into the living room, singing

imitating Mac,

sitting on

glasses...calling out)

You're

home 7” (No reply, feels reassured, stretches out

‘‘Oh, to be

wis chair, putting

sure nobody’s at

his

riding

snuggles into the high backed chair till only the riding cap, and pipe smoke is visible. Closes his eyes and relaxes.)

(Through the bay window, facing

steps

in

a Nepalese

looking

girl

the back

of about

of the

shoes, shoes

chair, silently

nineteen, pretty,

well-

dressed, with an overnight bag in hand, which she quietly puts on the floor, then on tip-toe goes up to the back of the chair, shoots her hands over Bunty's eyes, and kisses him on the cheek.) BUNTY : (Awakened, squeaking with delight and alarm) Oh, Mrs. Macneil! (Turns around, both see each other, and spring back in consternation.) GIRL : (Colouring) oH ! BUNTY : (Stumbling out of the chair) Who...who the hell are you !

GIRL : (Blurting equally confused) Didi. BUNTY: (Drawing

Macneil.

himself erect)

Google

Imposter.

Pretending

to

be

Mrs.

262

DARJEELING

GIRL: (Drawing herself too) 1 could

say

the

same

for

TEA

you...taking

the place of Mr. Macneil, that is. BUNTY : Oh. (Narrowing his eyes, surveying the situation, walking around the girl, looking her up and down, he-man planter, smacking the whip on his hand, curling his lips into a handsome cruel smile) Pretty smart, are you ..Where did you learn to speak English like that...(She remains mute...) Won’t talk, huh? Another Thapa! Wearing your Sunday best, aren’t you...not quite used to it, I'd say...(He’s fishing around, but she won’t help him, and remains silent) Should be out on the hill ..plucking away...who gave you leave, girl ? GirRL: Didi. BUNTY: Oh, you want me to be on first-name terms, do you? Well, I won’t tell you my name. GIRL: Why...don’t you have one 7 BUNTY : I don’t give names away...my own or of girls who kiss

me.

GIRL: Oh ! BUNTY : (Gloating victoriously) Got you. GIRL : But you did give it away. BUNTY: Huh? GIRL: You said...Mrs. Macneil. BUNTY : (Jumping up) Sbhh...Don’t say it so loud.

GIRL: MRS. MACNEIL! BUNTY : (Panicky) sHH.. (Yelling) DON’T SAY MRS. MACNE...(Stops himself halfway, realizing; looking at her, eyes narrowing) Smart cookie, huh? Well, I caught you too. _ GIRL : Meaning ? BUNTY : I caught you kissing Mr. Macneil.

GIRL: Wrong.

You caught me kissing you.

BUNTY: (Dumbfounded) Huh.

(Both circle each

other silently for a

while, like wrestlers) You’ve got a funny face, Didi. pip1 : Ever seen yourself in the mirror... BUNTY

: ...Bunty.

DIDI: ...Bunty. Sweet name, I like it. BUNTY : Thank you.

pip! : But I don’t like you. BUNTY : Oh. (Circling her again, trying to make his look as lascivious

Google

ACT II SCENE I

263.

as possible...and of course failing miserably) So you think you’ve got one over me, huh ? (Leeringly) Well, I’m a planter. Fullblooded and hot-blooded. You know what that means...(She pretends to shrink. Bunty smacking the whip-stick on his hand)

Must say I thought Mr. Macneil

had left his wild

days

behind.

Just goes to show what evil thoughts men have. (She looks at him with innocent wide eyes, full of mischief and fun) Now you'll have to contend with me, young lady, new generation planter, as rough and ready as the old. (Clumsily tries to make a grab for her whereupon Didi takes an aim, punches him) Oh!

(Holding on

to his

jaw) on !! THAT HURT, DIDI! (Groaning) I think you broke my tooth. DipI : (Concerned) Oh, I’m sorry. Let me see. BUNTY: (Winces, as she touches him tenderly on the face) Aww! See, my wisdom tooth’s shaking. Dipi : (Sympathetically) 1 said I was sorry. BUNTY : (Grumbling) Is that how you pluck leaves 7 Should put you on a dentist’s chair. Divi: (Caressing his face) Feeling better now 7 BUNTY : (Brightening a Mrs. Macneil standing there for some time. and Didi springs into and a kiss.)

bit) Don’t stop. (Mild cough. Mr. and at doorway, and looking as though they were Didi looks up with joy...Bunty with alarm... Mac’s huge arms, which lift her into a hug

pipi: Daddy! BUNTY : (Jaw dropping, turning around with amazement)

DaDpy...!!!

(Blackout) 3.

(Same scene, few hours

later or maybe next day.

Mac, Jennie

and Didi. Mac reading papers with glasses and pipe, Jennie knitting or sewing and Didi just fidling restlessly around the house.) JENNIE : Gave us quite a surprise, that. mac: Yes, a welcome one. JENNIE : Didn’t the

just like that?

Convent object

you

did, just

to your

dropping

in like

taking off from school

I must say the least that Mother could have done

would have been to inform us in advance.

Google

DARJEELING TEA

264

mac: Not that father’s lap.) DIDI:

mac:

we go

(Didi jumps

anywhere, Didi-love.

into her

(Pouting) I got bored.

(Kissing her) Best reason in the world.

DIDI : I want to be a planter, Dad.

MAC: You...what: pipi : I want to be a planter, Dad. Roam those hills, breathe the air...put flowers in my hair... MAC : (Smiling) There’s a rhyme somewhere...a beautiful Scottish rhyme that speaks of...love and beauty. pip1 : What’s Scotland like, Daddy ?

Mac :

(Distantly) Oh...it’s...it’s

beautiful.

Like poetry

ona

spring

day. DIDI : But you come from here, don’t you ? MAC : Yes, though my father took me to Scotland for all my holidays when I was young. pip1: Oh, why don’t you take me to Scotland too, Dad ? mac : (Vaguely) It...it’s very far away. And cold and lonely. You

wouldn’t like it there.

DIDI: JENNIE DIDI: JENNIE

But you just said... : (Interrupting) Your father doesn’t like going back home. But his home is here, Mrs. Macneil. :Is it ?

Dib! : For as long

these hills.

back as I can

JENNIE : (Snapping slightly) No

remember father

has been

part

of

doubt, though my memories reach

a

bit further than yours . (Her eyes meet Mac’s) 1 remember him... more as a young Scot than a planter...energetic, romantic...a bit

irresponsible of course...(Looking coldly at Mac then at Didi)...but then we all make our mistake in life, don’t we...(Didi’s bewildered.) MAC : (Saying fast, turning light of it) Didi wouldn’t know. remembers is...(Looking out of the window)...the little hut.

Div : (Enthusiastically) My little house, Daddy. you

?

It’s

a...doll’s

house,

remember...having lived in it too.

MAC

: (Laughing

memory.

selfconsciously) A

Google

isn’t

little

All she

You built it, didn’t

it ..though

girl...with

sometimes...I

such

a

long

ACT

265

I

It SCENE

JENNIE : (Trace of acidness) Oh, but it’s a woman’s privilege to have a long memory, Mac. And Didi isn’ta little girl any more, I'll have you know. MAC : (Laughing artificially) Indeed not. pipi: (Youthfully unconscious, a small hop and turning around so that her long straight hair flies in a.circle, her youthful figure seems to open like a flower) I’ve grown, haven’t 1, Dad. Look ! (Mac looks at her, and despite himself, seems lost in memories. A long silence, which seems to irritate Jennie as she sees Mac lost in thought.) JENNIE : (Unable to contain herself, snaps out) Enough ! (Didi’s surprised, stops mid-way.) mac : Jennie ! .

JENNIE: No, that’s enough, Didi. father.

DIDI:

Didi,

Can you leave us alone please ?

Certainly, Mrs. Macneil.

JENNIE: (Turning to Mac) Yes, “That wasn’t necessary !””

I want

to talk

to your

(She leaves.)

know

what

you're

going

to

say.

MAC : (Quietly, but with anger) It wasn’t. JENNIE : (Imitating) Mrs. Macneil. Mrs. Macneil.

tone)

That

girl

knows

F don’t

accusingly)...and why

should

uncontrollable

and

like

I?

(Then in her normal

her...(Mac

(Hard,

looks

steely

and

at

her

belligerent)

Why should I like a child that’s not my own, Mac? (Mac continues to look accusingly) Don’t look at me accusingly, Mac. (Viciously) I'm not to blame that she’s a bastard! (Mac shouts in hysterically)

anger,

That...that

strikes

did

it,

her.

Jennie

Mac!

That

laughs,

really

and

did

cries

it!

Really broke your patience and understanding, didn't it! (Mac puts his head in his hands in shame) 1 provoked you, Mac. Deliberately. Something perverse, isn’t it. You never told me.

What was Didi’s mother like...? (Mac speechless in pain and compassion) Did she look like me 7 No, there must have been a contrast. That attracts a man, doesn’t it? (No reply, silence) That’s why you want to remain here, don’t you?

not the garden, nor your three

HER.

Mac : (Looks at her with an died nineteen years ago.

Go

sale

You swine.

generations, it’s plain

indescribable

expression)

It’s

and

simple

Didi’s

mother

266

DARJBELING TEA

JENNIE : (Artificially, sarcastically wide-eyed amazement) Is that so? Childbirth, I seem to remember your saying. She must have had narrow hips like me, poor woman. Not childbearing. How tragic! (She’s tormenting herself too much to stop) It’s an old planter’s custom, isn’t it? Fuck them, and leave them,

Why didn’t

you leave that coolie woman, Mac? Too softhearted, I'd say. Not the hardstuff planters are made of. (Mac looks at her, the anger drained out, unable to find a way to soothe her pain.) MAC : (Softly) Enough,

Jennie, enough.

You're

hurting yourself.

’ JENNIE: Been hurting myself for ninetéen years, Mac. Anybody would think I'd be insensitive by now. But no. It keeps growing and growing...(Looks at him)...like her...(Beseechingly) like her... you understand, don’t you, Mac. Oh, say that you do, or else I'll kill myself... You understand why I want you to leave, my dear. Anywhere, anywhere...it need not be England or Scotland. Away from

looks

here,

that’s

at her,

lost

all

I

between

reproach, confused, guilty,

want.

anger

Away...from...her...HER.

and pity,

too much for him.

walking in the direction of the gardens. dims. Gradual darkness.)

understanding

He

(Mac

and

leaves the house

Jennie’s

head

bows,

light

4. (Next scene is optional, but it strengthens the play to the extent that it can be done. Mac alone at night, sitting in the living room, looking into the fire. He might have been there for hours, the cinders almost extinguished, but still glowing. A long silence, and

almost as

furrowed

though at his

over

the years

Features show concern as

beside him silently.

mute call

of age

Thapa

appears.

and generally

he approaches

close to

His lined face,

impassive Mac,

and

Gurkha

stands

Mac looks up, and after a long while nods...)

MAC : (Quietly) We leave for the Kanchenjunga tomorrow. (The trek on horseback to the base of the Kanchenjunga mountains, part of the Himalayan range, is long, arduous, and stirringly magniSicent; these must be projected on the screen to show the gigantic eruption of nature, an immense panorama of white-capped mountains, that dwarfs all humanity underneath, casts its spell of the unreachable and obsesses the lives and imagination of hill people into its worship as a deity manifestation of Lord Krishna. The Himalayan range is often known as “the abode of the goods” : ‘‘Kang-chen-zod-Nga’’, Kanchenjunga’s five summits towering around 29,000 feet beyond

Google

ACT Wi SCENEI

267

Darjeeling’s 7,000 feet are “‘the house of five treasures.” The trek is of course functional to the story. It takes them days and nights of journeying to reach there. Slides/shots/cuts of campfires at night, Mac lying in sleeping bag, the Gurkha sitting, and guarding him against the evils of the night, the predators that roam. At last they reach the spot of his pilgrimage. It is a grave at the base of the great mountain, simple and unnoticeable...) MAC : (Whispering) Remember...Thapa...we brought her here...you and I...she wanted to be buried here...her spirit...to take flight... to the Kanchenjunga...(Mac kneels, and bows his head, Thapa standing next to him, touching his head lightly, while Mac prays... the light gradually, very gradually, fading...) (Darkness, change of scene)

5. (Planter’s home again. Mac and Didi.) Dip! : (Excitedly) Won’t you come to my doll’s house, Daddy ? MAC : (Hesitating, looking upstairs self-consciously, then looking at her

smiling) 1...I thought you would have out-grown it, Didi. DIDI : It’s not really a doll’s house, is it, Dad? It’s home. Mac : (Again half-joking, half-serious) But this is your home,

(Didi silent.

girl.

Mac holds her face up in his hands.) What’s wrong,

baby ? BABY : N...nothing. MAC : You won’t tell me. DIDI:

There’s nothing to say.

(Mac nods to himself.)

MAC : The doll’s house. Why do you like it ? pint: I dream. I find reality.

MAC : (Smiling) But these are opposites, child. DIDI : (Close her eyes) No, I don’t escape. I remember...you.

mac : (Slight frown, but still smiling) Me ? pip: You're a different man there. (Mac doesn’t reply) It’s also my secret. My treasure. No one else will ever step into my house. (Mac too overcome to reply) You built it, didn’t you? Near the tall betel trees, you dug the earth...with reverence...(Mac looks at her, and wonders) Took four mighty trunks of the oak and built the foundation...all for the little fragile...doll’s house ?

MAC : (Moved by the revelation,

your young years, Didi.

Google

apprehensive too) You're too wise for

268

DARJEELING TEA

DIDI: (Like a young woman now) No, let me finish, Dad; there are things I have to find out for myself too...This you did make...the little hill people’s wooden hut...sturdy at the base to resist

avalanches, the beasts of night... Then you taught me a game, as a. child, like the Japanese tea ceremony, almost religious, conipletely pure...In the hollow of bamboo I was to give you the fermented

juice, sit across from you, and see the change within... MAC : (Softly) Enough, Didi, enough. DIDI: One more thing, Dad;

,

you never did tell me about

Mother.

(Sudden blackout, darkness) 6.

(Sometime

Bunty)

later: few

hours perhaps—night time;

Jennie

and

BUNTY : I was a bit worried when you called for me. JENNIE : (Jn a strange mood)...not delighted.

BUNTY : JENNIE : BuNTY : JENNIE : BUNTY : JENNIE : BUNTY:

(Smiling) Well, delighted too. I wanted to show you something. Yes? What? Do you see that little hut on stilts in the compound... Yes, I often wondered about that. Can you see through? The kerosene lamp’s burning there. Y...Yes. But what...

JENNIE: (Interrupting)

Shh...(Moment’s

deep silence, shadows of the

people climbing the rope ladder to the hut) BUNTY: Why, that’s Didi and Mr. Macneil!

JENNIE: They’re playing a game, Bunty.

BUNTY: So? JENNIE: So watch...(They’ve

entered

Quite a game.

the

hut.

Mac’s

in planter’s

khaki, and Didi in the hill-tribe woman’s dress, long and graceful.) BUNTY : (Whistle of astonishment) Why, look at Didi’s dress. It...it’s

beautiful...like...like her. JENNIE : Wouldn’t suit me, would it 7 BUNTY : (Looking at her, not knowing not) Well...it’s a tribal dress.

whether

she’s

being funny or

JENNIE : And she’s a tribal girl. BUNTY: Y...yes,

(Mac lies down,

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his large frame occupying most

of

269

ACT II SCENE I the hut; Didi takes a hollow

What’s that ?

bamboo shoot, and pours in it the brew)

JENNIE: A strong local brew. (Didi then sits across from Mac on her haunches, like the local women, watching and waiting on Mac, occasionally talking. Bunty watches silently.)

JENNIE: (Hard, sardonic smile) Quite a game, huh? (Bunty, with serious face, gets the hang of the situation, raises his hand, and shuts the curtain with a snap) Why, don’t you want to see ?

BUNTY : (Hard voice) There’s nothing

private affair. JENNIE: Oh! You're

catching

on

fact...quite tough in his own way.

more

fast.

to

see.

It’s

a man’s

Not-so-stupid-Bunty.

BUNTY : (Looking at her) I wish...you’d forget about it.

JENNIE : Forget it? Forget it? Don’t tell as you’re another gooder like Mac. Forget it...while that’s going on ! BUNTY : There’s nothing more to it !

In

do-

JENNIE : My dear, you listen to me. Didi’s come’from the Kalimpong school, subsidised by planters, who sowed their wild oats... Her mother, as you will no doubt have guessed, was a coolie woman...

BUNTY : It’s happened before, Jennie. thing. JENNIE : Not to a planter, it wouldn’t. who comes here...humiliating...

It doesn’t mean a goddam But to a woman, a foreigner

BUNTY : Why? You haven’t asked yourself why ! JENNIE : (Surprised) What do you mean ? It’s obvious... BUNTY : No, it isn’t.

You’re not

humiliated because

he had a fling

with a local woman... (...she looks at him enquiringly, afraid for the first time at meeting this new man within Bunty) ...you’re humiliated because you’re barren ! (She slaps him; he stands steady unaffected.)

JENNIE:

(In

shock

and

self-realization)

H...how

dare

you!

You

damned wog ! BUNTY: (Suddenly quiet, almost sympathetic) Strange, isn’t it, you come to my country, and call mea wog. I goto yours, I go to yours, and call you Madam. (Jennie still speechless) Why? Because Icome out witha harsh truth. Because I do not want you to hurt yourself any more. Because I do want you to face yourself.

(Jennie’s face’ turns to him, more possessed now)

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And...

270

DARJEELING TEA

and because, Jennie, you are...a fine woman.

deserve better of yourself, being as you

JENNIE : (Almost in tears) Oh, Bunty, Bunty, you still don’t understand. It’s more than what you say... Look there, Bunty, as Mac drinks that brew, who do you think he’s seeing: not Didi, but her mother! Who do you think he’s remembering, or trying to forget 2? No, Bunty, it wasn’t a planter’s roll in the hay with a coolie woman. Mac’s not built that way. It was a lifetime’s love affair...with a dead woman. His...infidelity, and I call it that, is repeated over again, every time they go through that...innocent ceremony. (Bunty’s silent, helpless, for the first time at a loss himself.) BUNTY : (Softy) I’m sorry, Jennie. (A long silence) JENNIE: BUNTY: JENNIE:

(Comes forward, touches him) Are you...really...? Y...yes. You meant that...about my being a fine woman ?

BUNTY: (Slightly apprehensive) Of course. JENNIE: (Finding it difficult, but driving herself, demonically; embarrassed) I’ve never...never before.. BUNTY: (Jnterrupting) I think you should take a rest, Jennie. You’re tired ...overwrought. JENNIE: (Coming closer to him) Yes,1 am tired. I need to relax. T’ve been holding out for many many years. BUNTY: (Backing up almost imperceptibly) Y...Yes ? JENNIE:

(Almost in a dream) My,

these

words

of

the

play

almost

come true. (Laughing hysterically) Ridiculously true. Should I continue ? BUNTY: (Laughing artificially) Yes, quite an act, wasn’t it ? JENNIE: (Joking/serious/laughing/crying) When you at last kissed

my

hand...it tickled me.

BUNTY : (Laughing louder) Did it ? JENNIE: (Suddenly serious : laughter, crying all gone) what it would feel like if you really kissed me ? BUNTY:

(Swallowing) You did ?

BUNTY:

(Scarlet)

1

JENNIE: (Coming closer, holding him, her lips close to his) (Shutting her eyes) Kiss me.

JENNIE ;

Now

?¢ Here...?

Of course. No better time.

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wondered

Kiss

me.

.

Mac will be gone a long

time,

ACT II SCENE I

271

BUNTY:

(Fidgeting) Shouldn’t we close the curtain...or something 7?

BUNTY:

So it is.

JENNIE:

(Trace of impatience, exasperation) Don’t tell me this

JENNIE : (Closing her eyes) It’s closed.

(Giggles, and swallows hard) is the

first time, Bunty dear. BUNTY: Well, in college... JENNIE: (Cutting him short) 1 know ! BUNTY: ...you do ? How could you know ? I just made it up myself. JENNIE: Bunty, are you, or are you not...interested in being a _ Planter? BUNTY: (Heroically) 1 am. JENNIE: Well, then, start with the planter’s wife. BUNTY: Oh, I say... JENNIE: Not the same as a coolie woman, I admit, but then I suppose

I am rather different compared to you.

BUNTY :

I should hope

so.

JENNIE:

Opposites

BUNTY: JENNIE:

So they say. Why don’t you...discover ?

attract.

BUNTY : (Trumpeting) Mclouds ahead ! (She kisses him; He is stunned, serious, she is too; long moment of silence, both do nothing,

the half-bantering joke’s all gone,

hysteria.)

2

so also

is her nervousness

JENNIE:

(Quietly) We did a beautiful final act, didn’t we, Bunty ?

BUNTY :

(Looks back, equally soberly) We certainly did.

JENNIE :

(Controlling herself) Goodnight, Bunty.

door, hesitates, turns around.)

and

(Bunty goes to the

BUNTY: (Softly) Jennie... JENNIE: (Breaking out, unable to control herself any further) Go, BUNTY. PLEASE...LEAVE ME ALONE. (Bunty leaves, Jennie bursts out shamefully in tears closing her face with her handkerchief.) CURTAIN

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FALLS

ACT II

SCENE

II

1. (Next morning. Jennie and Mac. Jennie’s packed her clothes.) JENNIE: ...and please don’t say ‘“‘You’re not serious”. MAC: Ido think it’s too importanta decision to be made on the spur of the moment. JENNIE: Spur of the moment?

MAC:

reply)

I’ve been wrestling with it for years.

Then what’s made you decide so suddenly Nothing’s

changed...

7

(Jennie

doesn’t

JENNIE: That’s exactly what I mean. mac: IT don’t understand. JENNIE: Nothing’s changed, Mac, nothing’s changed. You’ve gone on and on just the way you started, your own way, always your

own way...

MAC : (Defensively) I don’t see anything wrong with that. JENNIE: You wouldn’t. You’re too much man to understand. much planter to see over the tea shrubs. Mac: You chose that way of life when you married me. JENNIE:

I chose a man, Mac, not a way of life.

MAC: I’m the same. JENNIE: But I’ve changed. Women do, you know. every year, find a vacuum within. MAC:

JENNIE:

ous.

MAc:

JENNIE:

Too

(Mumbling)

True.

That’s not

my

older

fault.

So like you to say it.

That’s not fair.

They grow

You're twisting

Self-contained and self-rightemy

words.

(Emphasising) Fair. Ah, now we're talking about being fair.

I suppose you’ve been fair to me all along...having had a on the wrong side of the blanket. (Slight silence)

child...

mac: (Heavily) I was wondering when you’d come out with it. JENNIE: Did you expect me to keep silent ? Suffer in silence, isn’t

that

mac:

so, like the true hill woman ?

(Angrily) At least they don’t go snapping around the place,

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ACT II SCENB II JENNIE:

who

273

You're not a hill man to know

wasn’t

a shrew.

(Before

!

Never

knew

a woman

Mac can say it) And I’m judging

by their standards now. mac: (Wearily) So what does it prove ? JENNIE: It proves...that when a man does something that’s wrong, he conceals it. mac: You mean Didi. I should not have...adopted, or recognized her. JENNIE: No, I don’t mean that. There’s many a planter who left his child at Kalimpong. All they missed was a name. mac:

Is that how you look

at

it

?

JENNIE: Ido. For very good reasons, Mac. Mac: I don’t. She needed a father. Her own. Me. JENNIE: Oh, you did it out of generosity, did you? (Suggestively) I always

gave it...a selfish motive.

MAC: (Hurt, angry) What do you mean? JENNIE: Since we’re bent on hurting each other, I'll tell you. (Pause)

You

kept

deep second)

Didi to remind you of her mother.

mac: (Slowly) That’s a rotten JENNIE: (Laughing hard) Look may I remind you. mac: If it had been, if you there’d be no problem. JENNIE: You never allowed me difficult,

Mac:

thing to say. who’s talking. had

been

(Dead silence for a .

It’s not

prepared

my

to...accept

to, Mac. I agree it would

but you never allowed me to, Mac.

child, her,

have

been

me,

how

me

that

(Jncredulously) I never allowed you to accept Didi !

JENNIE : (Almost pleading) How could I, Mac ? Oh, believe

could I? When...when...(Her face darkening) you took her up to that hut...taught her to play...that game...you made it impossible for me... MAC: (Breathing heavily) 1 see.

JENNIE:

you

mac:

I hope you do, Mac.

do.

It’s terribly

important

for

Because there’s something else I’m going to say.

(Wondering at himself, searching for explanation, too honest to

deny to himself; slowly) Go on.

'

JENNIE:

went

(Falters, then goes on determinedly)

up

Last

with Didi...it was too much for me.

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night...when

you

It was...as though

274

DARJEELING

TEA

...you had gone with her mother...in front of my very eyes...(Mac closes his eyes)1 was...if you remember...overwrought. And what tipped me over was not only that you saw in Didi her mother... but that you really wanted it so.in rejection of me...(Mac’s head remains bent) 1 called...Bunty over. A total outsider to witness my pain. And when...I took your act as being one of infidelity... a lifetime’s frustration rushed back...and I made a play for the young boy. (Mac looks up at her incredulously.) Don’t look so tion,

a

surprised,

punishment...?

Is

Mac.

this

Was

there

how

one

a perverse...justifica-

destroys oneself, Mac...

Through no reason or fault of one’s own ? I don’t know. When he ran away, poor lad, I felt equally...ashamed...as if he had... stayed. MAC:

(Softly, in an anguish too much to bear) Jennie...

JENNIE: me.

(Looking away) No, don’t say anything, Mac. Don’t weaken

I can’t look at myself in the face.

Let me go, Mac.

MAC: (Pathetically) Jennie darling... JENNIE: (Still looking away, crying) ’m not leaving you, Mac, I’m just going away to Scotland. Like Hugh said, my offer’s open... anytime. J’ll be waiting there, Mac. I'll be waiting there...for you .. No, don’t say a word, Mac. Just look after yourself, will you please. You’re the most precious thing I have...and I'll never forget you... Goodbye, love...(She leaves; Mac covers his face in his hands, his shoulders shaking.)

(Darkness)

2. (Few weeks later—evening; Mac at home; table.

BUNTY : MAC:

Bunty comes rushing in.)

(Panting) Sir, trouble again.

(Gets up cursing) Can’t

whisky

bottle

on

the

The Goom gardens this time.

understand

it.

Labour

was

peaceful

one minute...now they’re creating hell all over the place. Anyone hurt 7 BUNTY: Roby’s been beaten up. Nothing serious. I think they meant it as a warning.

mac: (Calling out) Thapa! with me. BUNTY :

mac:

Thapa, get

Shall I call the police, Sir 7

No, they'll just mess it up.

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the jeep

out.

And

come

ACT

11 SCENE

Il

275

BUNTY: There are three thousand hands there. pretty nasty mood. MAC: All the more reason not to call the police.

And

they’re

in a

Tell me, are

they

all our people? Or are they outsiders 2: BUNTY: I did’nt get much time. Had to rush Roby

out.

But my

guess is there are a lot of outsiders. MAC: Thapa and I know each one by name and face and family.

BUNTY : can

MAC:

be

You're over-estimating loyalty, Sir. influenced by them.

We'll see.

Even

the hill people

There’s nothing I wouldn’t do for them—short of

selling out this garden. BUNTY: That’s what they want...no, not selling out, but surrendering. It’s all political, of course. MAC: We'll talk terms. BUNTY: With your permission, Sir... MAC: ...Yes, laddies, but be quick... BUNTY: I don’t think you understand. MAC : (Reddening) What! Are you trying to teach me, boy ! BUNTY : A new political movement is growing not far from here...in Naxalbari. Mao is their ideological leader. They don’t...talk terms, as you putit. They believe in revolution: overthrow of the present order. Chaos. The method is simple, but effective :

kill.

MAC

: (Smiling)

You didn’t learn that in college, did you, laddie ?

BUNTY: (Serious) No, Sir.

: Well, me-lad, the old planter’s commonsense says it’s nonsense. BUNTY: The old planter’s commonsense won’t work any more, Sir. MAC : (Reddening again) Are you being serious, boy !

BUNTY : It’s difficulty...for anyone not from here...to understand. mac : (Exploding) Not coming from here! Not coming from here ! I came from here long before you were born ! ‘

BUNTY : (Still cool and deferential) That’s the trouble, Sir.

MAC : (Exasperated, not

sure he understands Bunty)

stand here and argue with you, laddie.

you there!

Where’s that bottle?

I’m not going to

(Calling out) Thapa!

(Grabs it) Ah!

Are

More like old

times! Revolutionaries, huh ? (Takes a whip out) Vill take the skin off their backs ! (Takes a swig; Bunty shakes head and follows)

Where do you think you're going, laddie !

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276

DARJEELING TEA

BUNTY : With you, Sir. mac : (Enthusiastically slaps him on the back) Ah! Keep the old flag flying! Come on then, laddie ! BUNTY: (Stops momentarily) Go ahead. I'll be with you in a

minute.

(As Mac goes out of sight, Bunty picks up the phone.) (Darkness)

3. (Evening goes deep sound of jeep returning... has finished the bottle of out another bottle : both Bunty who declines. Mac on the chair...)

MAC : (Heavily,

depressed,

hadn’t seen it myself.

BUNTY : (Nodding) It’s

into night...same scene : planter’s house... Mac and Bunty trudge in wearily... Mac whisky. Mac opens the cabinet and takes don’t speak for a long while...offers to pours himself another, and slumps down .

tired)

Wouldn’t

something new.

have

But it’s

believed

it...if I

been brewing for a

long time. (Mac looks at him sharply.) mac: We wouldn't be alive now...if the police hadn’t come on time. (Mac continues to look at Bunty.) BUNTY : (Trace of smile) Yes...I did phone them. (Short silence) MAC : What’s been brewing, laddie 7 BUNTY : It’s what the Chairman of the Tea Board said...“‘swing of the pendulum”... mac : Didn’t know they had any sense in H.O.

BUNTY : We should try to consolidate one union on our gardens...a

single one...with whom we can negotiate. They'll stave off the others. . mac : I don’t believe in any bloody unions. BUNTY : We should also learn some tricks-of-the-trade from the proprietary gardens. mac : Say whose side are you on, laddie? Proprietary gardens are nothing, but a bunch of crooks. BUNTY: No, Sir. They’re growing. Maturing. They have to accept...responsibility, and they’re doing it. It’s no longer Mclouds versus Jenkins.

the individual

It’s

the

gardens, and we

rivalry to keep us on our toes.

MAC: Hey,

laddie,

where

did you

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Managing Agency group

should pick

have

that

the same

up from...?

verses

friendly (Face

277

ACT II SCENE if

breaking into a smile) Though you might just be right...(Nodding

his head thoughtfully)...just be right.

(Thapa comes in silently,

and

stands in the shadows behind Mac.)

Bunty : Another thing, Sir...

mac: Yes, me-lad.

BunTY: I think you

to do is to get one

should be careful...after

today.

All they want

man...one man...no matter who...as

breaks the bourgeois top.

long as it

MAC : (Waves his hand) Doubt if it will happen again, huh, Thapa...

(Thapa touches his knife in the sheath) Laddie, once that kukri leaves its sheath it means blood...that’s the Gurkha code... Thapa never makes a mistake. And I’m quite safe as long as he’s around...safe from assassins...(Taking a drink, his eyes after)...the eagles that gather...and the spirits that take flight...to the abode of the gods... Drink ? Will you have a drink, laddie, I have a long way to...(Bunty declines, looks at him with concern, then leaves silently) ...the choice before me ? (Drinking) Either Scotland...or the Kanchenjunga...they both await... Thapa, dim the lights, will you please... I feel tired...(Gradual darkness until pitch black) 4. (Few days/weeks later... Morning, bright and cheerful... Bunty in tea garden, sunlight, busy concentrating on notebook in which he’s writing something... Picker woman with basket on back supported by strap on head bumps into him...)

BUNTY : (Angrily) Hey!

at him with a big smile.

jumps up in

Watch it!

(Woman

turns around and looks

It’s Didi, dressed in coolie clothes.

surprise.)

pip1!

in these clothes !

Didi, what

the hell are you

Bunty doing

Divi: (Mischievous grin, then pouting) That’s what you told me when I wore the other clothes. BUNTY : Take them off.

(Didi starts

to remove clothes; shouting with

alarm) Not Now! (Whispering) Not now, Shhh! What will they think of me !

silly (Looking

around)

pip: (Continues to remove them) There’s nobody around. BUNTY : (Shoving the clothes back on her as fast as she removes them) Put it back ! (Panicky) Put it back! (Looking around furtively) DIDI: (Continues)

You told me to remove them !

Bunty : I did not !

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278

DARJEELING TEA

DIDI: (Continues) You did ! BUNTY : (Pushes back her clothes with finality) 1 didn’t mean here and

now.

DIDI : (Stops) Then when ? BUNTY : (Wiping his brew) Later, girl, later. (Under his breath) Hill women. (Muttering under his breath) Promiscuous. DIDI: (Aroused) What did you say ? BUNTY : (Frightened) N...nothing. DIDI : (Raising voice, sternly) You did say something. BUNTY : (Like a mouse) 1...I said precious. Precious Didi. DIDI : (Face changing into sweet smile) You did ? BUNTY: (Confident, smiling back) Yes. See. I'll repeat it: precious

Didi.

DIDI: (Changing shoes on him)

back, and shouting furiously,

You said promiscuous!

throwing

Oh, you

dirty

clothes and scoundrel,

you said promiscuous ! BUNTY : (Shrinking back) You pretended not to hear.. Dwi : (Crying, or pretending to cry) I...1...come to you...dressed like you want me to...and...and you call me dirty names. BUNTY : (Distressed, going upto her comfortingly) I'm sorry, Didi. I didn’t mean it. . DIDI: (Loving it, continues cry) I...1 make you feel...like a big heman planter...with me, poor little defenceless coolie girl...and you say (gesturing)...“later’’...“later’”’... BUNTY : (Putting his arms around her, comforting her) There now. There now.. (Taking out his handkerchief which she blows into healthily...she looks up, he kisses her, innocently and beautifully.) DIDI : (Swooning with her eyes closed) Ob, Bunty-Bhupendra... BUNTY : (Swooning back, cooing like two doves) Didi, darling.

(Fadeout) 5. (Few days/weeks later. Mac’s bungalow...Didi sitting on steps outside, weeping silently...Bunty rushes up... On seeing him, Didi runs over to him...)

BUNTY : (Panting, worried) How’s he?

What happened ?

pmvt: (Still in tears) It...it was all so sudden.

(Bunty tries to go past

her) No, wait...(Stops him)...he’s under sedative...

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\

ACT II SCENE It

279

BUNTY: What happened? : He just slumped...with a heart attack. BUNTY : But... but how... Dip1: He’s been drinking...hard, you know.

Driving himself...beyond

all endurance.

The second For

It had

Couldn’t stop him. Tried all I could...(Burying arms)...Oh, it was horrible, Bunty... BUNTY: Mrs. Macneil...

one...

several

weeks.

her face

in his

to give way...

IDI: He said no. Not to call her. Said that the next move was his and not hers... Sometimes...in his delirium...1 can’t make out...but he seems to be calling out.«my mother’s name...and

then...Jennie...too. He’s become obsessive...as though bearing a guilt...even avoids me sometimes... Talks only to Thapa...in a hill

dialect...that even I don’t

What’s happening ?

know... What’s

BUNTY: (Comforting her, still worried) Don’t rest, he’ll be fit once again. Don’t worry...

happening,

worry,

Didi.

Bunty? With

(Blackout)

6. (Few days|weeks later Mac’s bungalow again...he is reclining on his chair with his feet up on which there is a blanket... It’s raining outside...the heavy rains of tea-growing areas... Thapa, as ever, silently standing besides him... It’s late evening going into night, twilight hours...in the evening shadows, the kerosene lamp in the

little hut is lit...

Mac: Thapa...is the lamp in the hut burning...or am I imagining... (Shadows of two people in the hut : Bunty and Didi) ah...it’s Didi... with laddie...(Nodding)...as it should be...as it should be...(Speaking to himself[Thapa as he sees them)...and yet not...and yet not... for wasn’t it a secret, a treasure reserved only for me...(After Didi’s shown Bunty the ‘Doll’s House’, she proceeds to make him lie down while she prepares the drink for him)...it hurts, Thapa, though I try to conceal...is this how...Jennie felt...? Only more...1’m sure...for hers was the natural longing...and jealousy... Give me a drink, Thapa...I said give it to me! (Drinks slowly; as though relishing the local intoxicant)...1 remember her, it was raining like

this, and we lay together in the little hut...dark hair flowed over her nakedness...she never left me,

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Thapa, never...and I was drawn

280

,

to her...my whole

DARJEELING TEA

being...in an emotion

that surpassed love

the beyond of these hills...how can I ever leave it...her... _ a

into

(Fadeout)

7. (Few days/weeks later...about the same time as previous scene... Mac and Thapa, same as before...) Mac: Thapa...has the light in the hut come on yet...(Thapa looks out, shakes his head)...which day is it...’ve lost count...(Sipping the local intoxicant) Remember her...the day she died, Thapa... her cry of pain merged with the first sound of her child...echoed through the hills and valleys...of the tea country...(Raising himself Sbhh...I hear it now...(Thapa listens: silence. Then gradually sounds grow, sounds of thousands of voices, shouts, a thousand lights across the valley below, like fireflies... Mac looks out, smiles...) They’ve come to get me...Thapa. A single life...that’s all they want...(Tries to get up: it’s an effort) Thapa...help me...Thapa... where are you, Thapa ? (Notices the empty sheath lying on the floor, picks it up. Shouting, poignantly, completely broken.) THAPA... THAPAAAAA...(Echoes roll the name, and send it back many times...flicker of lights; the ‘Doll’s House’ on fire. Mac falls clutching on

to his heart.

Silence

again silence and shadows,

and

shadows;

a

the thousand fire-flies retreating into

darkness. Bunty comes rushing in, goes over to breathing his last... Mac whispers) Thapa...Thapa...

BUNTY : (Softly) He’s dead.

scream : then

the

man

(Silence)

mac : The...the . little hut is burnt down, isn’t it? All BUNTY : (Softly) Yes, Sir. (Mac nods his head slowly.)

mac : (The last whisper)

big

Will.,.will you

‘over...

stop...sirring me...laddie.

BUNTY : (Hardly audible) Yes...Sir...(Bunty kneels over the man, and cries; holding him, he cfies.)

(Fadeout) 8.

(Last scene... Same as the first... Several weeks later... An

air

of lassitude, of gloominess, of boredom, in the bar-lounge of the Club, which has again fallen into disrepair... There are the same

groups as before : the proprietary

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garden owner

and his manager,

ACT II SCENE It

281

but none of the old-school expatriates. Instead there is Bunty sitting all alone, sipping a drink, on the same table that Mac and Hugh occupied in the first scene... The silence is broken by the dramatic

entry of a young army type, a cocky young recruit, smart-uniformed, with army stick in hand... He enters, knowing that all eyes are on

him, looks over the people and Club, and says :‘‘What ho! What ho! What ho! There are going to be some changes made around here \’’)

[CURTAIN

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CLOSES]

Digitized by Google

Original from

INDIANA UNIVERSITY

SONAR A HISTORICAL

Google

BANGLA PLAY

IN FOUR

ACTS

Act Act

I: 25th March ’71—The Slaughter II : Exodus—The Refugees

Act III : Liberation Force—The Mukti Bahini

Act IV : The Final War

CHARACTERS

MAIN Hussain

Sumita

Ray

Anderson Maya Bihari

Elizabeth Prof. Aziz Hari

Colonel Student Mahmood Farok

Old Woman

Child OTHERS

Arun

Mother

Ali

Mad Molla

Yahya

Bhutto

Niazi Students Refugees

Google

Mujib Tikka

Farman Ali

Governor Malik

Army Officers

Jawans

Diplomats

Hospital Staff

Yusuf

Mukti Fauj

Reporters

.

ACT I

SCENE

25th March’71. The slaughter PLACE : A village outside Dacca. A white marble grave surrounded by roses peaceful and well-to-do country home. A

man

dressed

in unostentatious

I

and acacia

trees

of a

muslim clothes lays a chaddar, a

sheet of tied mogra flowers, over the four corners of the engraved tomb. A village woman comes to the stream nearby and begins to wash clothes. There is the usual sound and movements of daily routine. The man retreats slightly, the prayer on his lips changing toa distant look in his eyes as he sees the tomb, the woman washing clothes, against the evening glow of earth and sky.

A girl’s voice calling out to her mother. looks up, with fondness and expectation, to embrace each other. The man (HUSSAIN) stands on the porch of his both till they leave and darkness closes in, evening Star...

,

The woman (suMITA) her daughter. They house watching them punctuated by the lone

2. The scene changes to within the house. A few hours later. There is a calender somewhere within showing 25th March 1971, the

fateful day when genocide began in East Pakistan and the seeds of resistance for Bangla Desh was sown. The pace quickens. Present are Hussain, the Professor and student from Dacca University, the

Colonel of the East Pakistan Rifles. ~ Curtains are drawn and a hush falls around the room.

HUSSAIN: This is goingto be the last of our meetings here. The situation has taken a turn for the worse. The Mujib-Yahya talks are

breaking

we haven’t

up.

been

have you to report ?

COLONEL;

Our

able

movements are suspected.

Unfortunately

to build up resistance fast enough.

(Looking to the

There are planeloads

Google

Colonel)

Colonel ?

of West Pakistan

troops

What

being

.

286

SONAR

BANGLA

flown in under the guise of civilians. They’re preparing a big military build-up. : HUSSAIN: (Under his breath) ...while the talks carry on and on and on. I warned Mujib. PROFESSOR: He couldn’t break it off on his own. There was still hope while the negotiations were going on. Was’nt he called “‘the next Prime Minister” by Yahya himself ? STUDENT:

Eyewash.

PROFESSOR : No, Mahmood. I’m sure they were earnest when it all started. For the first time we had a ‘one man one vote’ election. STUDENT: Yes, with unpredictable results for the military dictatorship that is. : HUSSAIN : Right. There was’nt a chance of Yahya being prepared ‘for a transfer of power. PROFESSOR : So we protested. What better form of protest than the Gandhian civil disobedience movement. We’ve brought this nation to a halt.

COLONEL : (Dryly) Not quite, Professor. look at it that way.

PROFESSOR :

But we’ve got you.

I’m sure the Army does’nt

If the West Pak army

we could balance it off with your Bengali para military.

gets tough,

COLONEL: (Laughing bitterly) In matters of violence you should your student, Professor. Hub, Mahmood ?

ask

STUDENT: (To Prof.) Sir, it is a matter of common knowledge the East Bengal Regiment and Rifies are being broken up.

that Sent

on false missions.

tions.

Told to surrender their rifles,

without explana-

PROFESSOR : (Astonished, turning to the Colonel) Is that true ? COLONEL: (Dry humour again in his eyes) Go on, Mahmood. STUDENT: It is mot a matter of common knowledge, Sir, that is

an

underground

resistance

force

being

formed,

with

there some

commanders of the East Pak Rifles, peasants...and students... COLONEL: (Looking from the Professor to Hussain) ....backed by, if I may say so, a highly efficient spy system organized by one of the leading Pakistani diplomats.

(The Prof. looks with a surprised expression to all three.) HUSSAIN :

(Laughing) I’m sorry, Professor.

in the dark,

You

We kept you

somewhat

see, being an Awami League sympathiser isn’t

Google

ACT

I SCENE I

‘enough for us.

way...

287

We belong to an action

force,

each

in

our

own

PROFESSOR : Wh...why did you choose on me. I’m no hawk. HUSSAIN: You're the most widely respected. Beyond reproach. Known for your objectivity and balance. A loyal Pakistani, but more than that, a loyal Bengali. PROFESSOR : (Uncomfortably) I...I admit...’ve been having difficulty

...in being loyal to both sides.

In...in the face of insurmountable

evidence of West Pakistan repression, terror and persecution, I have found it necessary to speak out... HUSSAIN: ...Which is why you’re here. We've read your speeches. . It took a lot of courage to say what you did. If you were prepared to operate under cover, you could be more effective. PROFESSOR :. Meaning?

HUSSAIN: our

new

We’re setting up liberation

a clandestine

radio.

The

Mukti-Fauj,

force, needs every form of moral and material

support. Then there are the papers of course, the Patriot and the Ittefaq, publicly circulated, many more privately...there is also international opinion that needs to be aroused. There’s a lot of work you could do, Professor, active work. PROFESSOR: (Shaking his head) I...1 don’t know, Hussain. I was never...physically...a very courageous man. The risks...my family... (He is interrupted by the arrival of Hari, caretaker of the house— husband of Sumita—who goes over to Hussain quickly.) HUSSAIN : (Alert) What is it, Hari? A visitor, Babu. I told him you were’nt in. But he MARI: insists.

HUSSAIN: HARI:

Who’s he ?

I’ve seen him before.

of him, Babu.

He’s the Bihari from here.

Be

careful

:

(Hussain is silent for a minute.)

COLONEL:

Shall we go into the other room.

HUSSAIN : No, it could only arouse more suspicion. seen you all come in.

STUDENT: HUSSAIN:

He could be a collaborator.

We'll have to take the chance.

(Hari shakes his head, going out.)

Google

He

may

Let him in, Hari.

have

288

SONAR BANGLA

(The Bihari comes in.)

(The Bihari enters. sides.) HUSSAIN:

There is a long moment’s

Would you like to see me

appraisal

on

both

alone.

BIHARI ; No. What I have to say is intended for all of you. HUSSAIN: What is it ? BIHARI: I’m a Bihari, new to your village. Hussain: SoTI understand. BIHARI: Do I need to say more by way of introduction ? COLONEL: What are you driving at ?

BIHARI:

You're the commander of the East Pak Rifles, aren’t you

COLONEL:

BIHARI: have

COLONEL:

(Irritated) Come on.

What do you have to say.

The police aren’t giving us,

Biharis,

any protection.

to look to the army to do so, Commander.

What do ‘you

mean

? We

?

BIHARI: Ever since the Awami League won the elections every Bihari has become the target of Bengali hate. PROFESSOR : It was a free election. You could vote as you wanted. The East Bengali has been long deprived. BIHARI: True, Professor. You are the eminent Professor Aziz from Dacca University, aren’t you? Yes, we had a free election. And now you want a democratic government. (Soft/y) But I hope you don’t get it ! STUDENT: (Hissing with hate) Collaborator ! BIHARI: (Angrily, without fear) Yes, that’s the point I wanted to make,

rebel

student Mahmood

Bihari killers !

HUSSAIN: BIHARI:

!

I know you all! Extremists and

Enough ! Make your point quick, and then leave

Look, Hussain.

I’ve got nothing against

protected by your diplomatic Is my family safe ?

standing.

But

you.

!

You’re well

where do I stand?

(Turning around to the Professor) Professor, Professor, I hope you don’t get your own civil government because you’re not ready forit! Do you know how many

Biharis have been killed merely because we were pathisers.

STUDENT:

And you call this a free election.

(Standing up in uncontrollable anger) You

Google

West

Pak

sym-

sucked us dry,

ACT I SCENE I you

Bihari

289

swine

{

Then you act as informers and quizzlings for

the Military Junta! Traitor! BIHARI: (Quietly) Who’s the traitor? you’re the traitor to Pakistan, not I.

Me?

Or

you

?

I think

(The student comes forward threateningly, but Hussain stops him.) HUSSAIN: No, Mahmood. You're playing into his hands. Let’s wait and hear him out. He came here for something. (To the Bihari) Well 2 BIHARI: Wise of you, Hussain. Calling each other names will not get us anywhere. In a way we're in this together. HUSSAIN: Meaning ? BIHARI: Whether you believe it or not, thefact isi that I believe in Mujib. He is the only moderate leader we have. If he survives, he may be able to control...the Mukti Bahini...and other extremists

in his own Awami party. HUSSAIN : (Softly) Go on. BIHARI: As a Bihari...I get know

who

you

all

sorts

of information.

Just

all were without being introduced to you.

like I When

I come here to see you I expose myself as much to risk as you do. HUSSAIN: Come to the point. BIHARI: Mujib’s going to be assassinated tonight the moment he leaves his home. (It comes as a thunderbolt.

STUDENT: Who’s going to do (The Bihari ignores him.)

Dead silence.)

it. You

?

BIHARI: He’s in the meeting with Yahya now. Then he returns home. You must warn him Hussain not to leave the house. HussAIN: How do I know you’re not lying. That he won’t be killed after the meeting. Or that he won’t be arrested at home. Or that this is not a trick to stop him from going underground... where he could lead the revolution. (The Bihari shrugs his shoulders.) BIHARI: Apparently he still has faith that something will come out of his meeting with Yahya. That is the stuff that moderates and politicians are made of, Hussain, unless you don’t believe in them yourself...

(Silence)

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290

SONAR BANGLA

(The Bihari turns around and leaves. Heavy breathing in the room. Light starts to dim as Hussain goes over to the window and stares out beyond the porch ..) HUSSAIN : (Almost to himself but not caring whether others hear him or not.) I swear loyalty to you—Mujib—but the fact is that I don’t believe in moderates or politicians or both. I believe only in my

Sonar Bangla.

(Blackout) 3.

Scene opens with Yahya and Mujib sitting on two

the final

discussion

with

each

other.

Yahya

audience, and Mujib is in partial darkness. YAHYA:

Bhutto

My hands are tied, Mujib. there

chairs

has

having

his back to the

Unless you come to terms with

can be no meeting of the National Assembly.

munB: I don’t need to come to terms with anybody. I have a majority in the National Assembly and with or without Bhutto Ican frame the constitution. YAHYA: (Wearily) We've gone through that before Mujib. I have the responsibility as the President and the Chief Martial Law Administrator to see that there is peaceful transfer of power. MusIB : YAHYA:

What’s stopping you, Yahya. Frankly, two things.

Bhutto’s threatened

to boycott

the

National Assembly and I can’t afford to have a revolt in the West on

my hands...

mums:

(Sarcastically)...but you can on the East,

YAHYA: No party can afford to revolt against Til have you remember that ! Besides, his is the largest... MuyIB : YAHYA:

huh

7

the military,

Mujib.

(Interrupting)...the second-largest... The largest, I was going to say, in the West...

muyiB: (Emphatically) The second largest in Pakistan, Yahya. Let’s not lose sight of that. Unless, of course, you admit to the existence of two separate...entities. YAHYA:

(With cold anger) Careful, Mujib.

me to the second point.

I warn you. This brings

I must admit...I see...ah...Bhutto’s point

Google

ACT I SCENE I

291

of view that your six-point autonomy plan for

Bengal...cannot

be

granted. It would mean an eventual break-up of the country. MuNB: (Obliquely) It would mean less defence expenditure and free foreign trade. Defence and foreign affairs would still be at the Centre. As Chief Executive I could ensure...fairness and unity. YAHYA:

(Throwing out his hands

in

a

conciliatory

gesture)

That’s

what I say. Why don’t you politicians get together and sort things out. I’m merely a military Pathan. Do you think I enjoy ruling this country. I have a duty to do, that’s all. (Beyond Mujib, in the shadow, is the frame of Hussain,

spirit with whom Mujib communicates.) HUSSAIN:

He’s playing for time.

the

abstract

Believe me, he’s playing for

time,

Mujib. He has no intention to transfer power. You can’t play politics with him. He’s building up the army...fast. He'll crush us. That’s his military answer.

mMuyip : Slow, Hussain, slow. There are thousands of lives at stake. Peaceful non-cooperation is the answer. Not direct action. I'll

bring him around. I'll bring Bhutto around. Ours is s great country. It has a destiny. 1 don’t want to break it up.

(Beyond Yahya, the shadow of Lt. Gen.

as

“the butcher from Baluchistan’’)

Tikka Khan, formerly

known

TIKKA : (Laughing) Let’s have another drink to that, Yahya. We've worked together before to crush incipient revolt. Remember what

we did in Baluchistan. It’s 7th March now. I need 18 days more. Use the Sindhi snake the same way he tries to use you. You'll

have no difficulty with Mujib. yAHyA: given

Do you think

the

Bengalis

a

I enjoy raw

this, Tikka.

deal in the

blighters are asking for too much now. it a quick job later.

(Back to Hussain

Zindabad’’)

and Mujib~Dim

past.

Let’s face

it we’ve

But the black little

I'll stall, Tikka. But make

roar

of crowds “‘Bangabandhu

HUSSAIN: (Urgency in his voice) There are crowds out there, Mujib. A million strong at the race-course grounds. Students, trade unionists, peasants, workers. It’s only 7th March. There’s

crowds)

still

time.

They’re

Hear

waiting

Google

to

them,

hear

Mujib,

one

hear

word

them.

from

(Roar

you.

of

One

292

SONAR BANGLA

word only. Independence. revolution. Now. NOW !

Independence

for Bengal.

Lead

the

munB: They'll have to wait, Hussain. A little longer. A little more patience. Alright I'll say... self-determination. Isn’t that enough. That was my election manifesto. I have never once...breathed a

word...of treason.

4. Office of the Martial Law Administrator. An imposing desk with an empty chair. Lt. Gen. Tikka Khan standing and looking out of the window. Drone of plane. Drone of plane. OFFICER : Message coming through, Sir. TIKKA: Flash it.

“THURSDAY TWENTY-FIFTH MARCH NINETEEN HUNDRED AND SEVENTY ONE MESSAGE FROM GEN. YAHYA KHAN TO LT. GEN. TIKKA KHAN TALKS BROKEN...TALKS BROKEN...FLYING TO KARACHI MUJIB TRAITOR...GUILTY OF TREASON...REPEAT TREASON...ARREST HIM... IF HE TRIES TO ESCAPE, SHOOT HIM... APPOINTING YOU MARTIAL LAW ADMINISTRATOR FOR EAST PAKISTAN ... SORT THEM OUT...SORT OUT ALL TRAITORS THE FINAL SOLUTION...APPLY...THE FINAL SOLUTION...THE CLEANSING PROCESS... (Tikka goes over to the chair, sits on it, and spreads out his hands over the table firmly.)

5.

He and his wife.

Prof. Aziz’s house.

wire: Be

careful.

That’s

all

I say.

I don’t

want

to shake your

convictions. But I don’t want you to forget your family either. Leave that to politicians.. and martyrs. PROFESSOR : Yes, my dear. wire : Why must you get mixed up in it all. The rewards of office always go to...manipulators. Never to professors. PROFESSOR : True, my dear.

wire: No, false. Even professors get it if they their

way

through.

You,

my

dear,...(fondly

too naive. PROFESSOR : (Aroused) I’m not. wire : (Persuasively but with authority)

(He is silent and glum.)

Google

know

You are.

how

to politik

touching him)...are

ACT 1 SCENE I

293

But you are... (Cooing affectionately to make up)...quite remarkable in your own way, love. Only when people will learn to recognize greatness, will they recognize you. (He actually blushes.) PROFESSOR : Now you are making fun of me. wikE : If you don’t believe me, ask your children. PROFESSOR : Hmmm...(Starts to write again whilst his wife busies herself) Where are they ? wire:

Aslam’s gone back to school.

tration or the other. PROFESSOR: What’s that. wit : I said...(Then worried) why ?

PROFESSOR : He’s to be stopped.

They’re holding some demons-

No more going out.

They...

(Knock on the door. Heavy knock again. Wife stands paralyzed. Slowly the Prof. goes and opens it. There’s an army officer framed on the doorway)

OFFICER : (Officiously) Prof. Aziz? PROFESSOR : (Stammering) Y...yes.

wire : (Aggressively) What do you want with my husband. OFFICER : (Ignores

her)

Prof. Aziz, you’re wanted...for questioning.

PROFESSOR : But...but...I have nothing to say.

OFFICER : You've said enough. wire : Those silly classroom speeches.

(Officer silent) OFFICER : ... Immediately.

It doesn’t mean a thing.

WIFE : He’s not going. (Officer looks at her coldly.) PROFESSOR : No, no my dear.

sure.

I must go.

It won’t

take

long...I’m

(Officer takes out a diary and thumbs through it.) OFFICER: (Casually) It’s going to be an _ impressive...meeting. Near the river. Would you like to know who’s attending...? Prof. Nirmal

Bose

Ittefaq paper. administrator.

from

your

University.

Nakee

Yes, even Mr. Ahmed, your He’s friend, philosopher

Google

Chowdhry

all important and guide,

of the

civil is'nt

294

/

SONAR

BANGLA

he,...from East Bengal. Oh, I almost forget Dr....what’s his name ...the physician who dabbles in politics. Fine job he did for the Awami during elections, I’m told. (Spits out) Indian stooges. PROFESSOR : Is this a meeting or is it “questioning”? OFFICER : (Expansive) Ah...good question. But I’m no match for the intellectuals, am I Professor. I merely obey my orders. PROFESSOR : (Dryly) I’ve heard of that before. OFFICER : It’s going to be an impressive meeting, Professor. Thirty... maybe

of life.

forty...eminent personalities of this town...from

(Laughing) It could be a Rotary gathering.

PROFESSOR : (Tight-lipped, an inner courage showing)

all

walks

1 hope...you all

know...what you’re doing. May I have a word with my wife...alone...before I leave.

OFFICER : I would never decline that wish. (He goes outside, stands near doorway.)

WIFE : (Weeping silently) Ob Aziz...Aziz... PROFESSOR : (Consoling her) Hush...hush...my dear... WIFE : (Tears) Wh...what... PROFESSOR : (Holding himself together) Courage woman. for long...

It won’t be

WIFE : A...are you sure ? been wrong?...There are too (Trying to make light of it)

PROFESSOR: Of course. Have I ever many of us. At worst...detention.

Isn...Isn’t that the stuff martyrs are made of ?

wire : (Tries to put on a brave smile)

tician...but a great man... (He leaves.)

You are always

a

poor...poli-

(She whispers collapsing on the chair)...and a wonderful husband. (Light dims, suggesting passage of time and distance, as the Officer and Professor emerge on the other side of the stage, presumably near the river, where a group of people in bunches of six’s or seven’s are standing.)

OFFICER : (Stopping) Prof. Ill wait here. Why ‘don’t you join them. Near the Take a look. (Prof.

Gocloser.

hesitates.

Knows

Your river.

friends are there. The sun’s setting.

You can’t see from here.

he

Google

has

no

choice.

His mind a whirl of

ACT I SCENE tf confusion,

doubt,

unbelievingly.)

295 fear.

He

shambles

PROFESSOR : (Calling out) Nirmal.

Nirmal.

ahead, What’s

stops,

peers

wrong ? (Comes

closer, runs to them, falling, stumbling, running over to them) Doctor...my friend...you too. (Closer) Ashok...(Crying out) Ashok

why have they tied your hands. (Groups of men, with tied hands, like sheep bound together) WHY HAVE THEY TIED YOU TOGETHER. (Crying himself) MY GOD. WHAT ARE THEY GOING TO DO !!_ (Others pale and silent and trembling. Some tight-lipped and impassive, a mask of determination) (He goes on his knees, fumbles to untie them. Then this mild man turns around in savage anger, face streaked with tears) YOU BARBARIANS ! you !! YOU...

(Rattle of machine-guns catches him in a spray ‘on the chest, pinpoint staccatos of blood blotting the white pairan, collapses before he

can

scream. Further spurts mows down the others, some hideously wounded, crying in agony, till a further volley of bullets stamps out their life completely.) (Sudden change from screams to dead silence. throw bodies in the river.) (The red glow of the sun having set. and quiet.) 6.

The soldiers start to

A faint tremor of solemn peace : )

Scene switches to Tikka at table with

the palms

of his hands

Spread out flat on the smooth felt with nearly arranged family photos, inkwell, etc. and baton.

TIKKA : Ah, Come in. Come

in.

(The Bihari Muslim enters.) Sit down.:

Nice of you to come.

BIHARI : I had no choice. Your men brought me here. For questioning, they told me. (Tikka smiles.) I didn’t know what kind of questioning they meant. (Tikka laughs.)

_

TIKKA: For

a

town

that

fast. Is it your business. BIHARI: No.

Google

has

curfew you certainly get information

296

SONAR BANGLA

TIKKA : 1 was hoping it might be. I believe...you have lot of information. I could buy it.

access to

a

BIHARI: No.

TIKKA : (Flicker in his eyes) Yow admit we... BIHARI: ...We...7 . TIKKA : ...we can’t trust the Bengali.

I need

strong, unafraid, men.

I could put you in a position of power.

BIHARI : No.

TIKKA: (Losing control) Take care! knees if I wanted to. (Bihari tight-lipped and silent.)

I could

have

you

on your

(Forcing himself to cool down) (Musing) Perhaps I’ve approached you the wrong way. Tell me, my Bihari friend. Do you have any friends here. OhI don’t mean fellow-Biharis. I mean Bengalis. (Bihari does not reply.) No, well that’s my point. Your people...quite correctly...have allied themselves with us in the West. This makes you suspect ’ with the East. Loyalty should have rewards...which you so proudly decline. Well equally loyalty must pay its price...of sacrifice, BIHARI : (Hoarsely) What do you mean.

TIKKA: You can’t remain neutral. You have to take sides. You're already committed to us. And we’re the side that will win. BIHARI: Go

on.

TIKKA: No more playing games. This is it. How safe are your family and friends from the Bengalis. You could be rulers instead of slaves. Today you live in fear of Bengali reprisals. BIHARI : I’m listening.

TIKKA : Many of your people have been killed. too.

You

need

protection.

The

police

Women

and children

can’t...or won’t

The BSF and Bengali Rifles ignore your pleas. (Bihari says nothing.)

In

the

next

24 hours I’m going to have Bengal in the grip of my

hand...(clenches his palm into a fist) With

going

to

be

give it.

our jehad.

those mixed blooded types.

And

Google

you’re

We’re pure.

a

sword

and

mussalman

fire, this

is

too, not like

We're Pakistanis.

ACT J SCENE I

297

(The Bihari starts to sweat for the first time.) But there is only so much the military can do. I must havea facade of the civil. You know this part of the country and the people. Iwant to build a razakar and a...(Laughing harshly)... “peace committee” organization...to sort out all Bengali traitors... Who are they? Oh, almost anyone. Students, Professors, all Hindus, and Awami League leaders of course. I’ll take care of the Bengalis in the Eastern Regiment and the police. I know the Bengali nature. They’re cowards at heart. Killa few and you cow them all. We’ll just have to sort them out...and liquidate them.

BIHARI: (A whisper now) What makes you think I’ll join you. Give you information. : TIKKA: (Getting up, the tall man, fair, huge and powerful) I’m the only one who can give you and your people...protection. (Softly) Or equally...leave you unprotected.

BIHARI : (Pale) What do you want to know. :

(Blackout)

7. Night street scene in Dacca with lamp and barricade being built by students. Anything in sight is used for the barricade: trees, tables,

rubbish

Mahmood is there. MAHMOOD

dumps,

: Shhh...quiet.

etc.

Hectic

but

quiet.

(Directing) Out there.

for long but it will give us time. ANOTHER : (Grinning) Yeah one

for

the

road.

Student

leader

It won’t hold them

Would you like a molotov cocktail. ANOTHER : (Winking) Guaranteed to blow you high. MAHMOOD : Stop it.

(Offering a bomb)

(All light-hearted but damned serious.) FiRST : Do you think it will stop them. SECOND : Ghosh ! I

feel like taking a leak.

THIRD : May be you’re scared.

What a time !

It makes you feel leaky.

FOURTH : (Pushing him) Go on !

AYY: (Standing on soap-box) Do you realize gentlemen, we're creating revolutionary history. True to our traditions of Iqbal and Jagannath Hall. We'll take over Government.

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298

SONAR BANGLA

BEE: As

long

as

you don’t get stale, friend.

Then we'll create

new revolution to topple you.

a

cee: Healthy state of affairs, isn’t it. EE : Look, let’s be serious. We’ve had all types of imperialists in the past, but none as bad as our people from the Western Wing. EEE: No more.

We're

going

to

When they shot the dock-workers

be

the blood sealed their doom.

for

independent. not

The die is cast.

unloading armaments,

MAHMOOD: I’m not sure there won’t be more, (All look at him.) I’m worried, We haven’t spread out sufficiently. What have we got to defend ourselves? Sticks and stones ? Oh yes and a few bombs made at the labs and an old sten rifle. ANOTHER : (Fearfully) They won’t actually shoot us, would they. ANOTHER : Would’nt dare. THIRD : Why don’t you call their bluff. FOURTH : What do you think we’re doing. AYY : Becoming martyrs. CEE: You give me a pain in the neck. GIRL :

(Touching up her hair, straightening her dress) How do I look,

Rafiq ?

RAFIQ: GIRL:

(Mouth open) Like a true revolutionary. (Pulls out a gun from the folds of her dress)

RAFIQ : (Looking her over lasciviously) I don’t doubt (Others laugh, till she cockes the hammer.)

It’s loaded. it.

MAHMOOD: There’s something wrong. I can feel it in the air. We should have told the boys in the dorms to be on the look out. ANOTHER : No sense in involving all of them. We can handle trouble if it comes along. MAHMOOD : (Raising his finger) Shh...I hear something...

(Pin-drop silence. Slowly a mechanical rumble, growing in volume.) ONE OF THEM : Tanks ! ANOTHER: What’s it doing here? We only expected a few jeeps, MAHMOOD : Quiet. Take cover. We want to see what they’re doing.

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ACT I SCENE I

299

(They break up for cover on all sides.)

M’S FRIEND : (Whispering) opposite to Iqbal Hall.

They’re

going

to

the British

Council

MAHMOOD: (Unable to conceal the anxiety from his voice) What

are

they up to?

M’S FRIEND: (Looking out and giving a slow commentary to the others behind) The tanks are turning around...as though to take position...with their cannons...FACING THE DORMS OF IQBAL HALL! (Sound of fire and explosion) (A scream) THEY'RE FIRING ! THEY’RE FIRING. OH MY GOD ! THEYRE

BLOWING OPEN THE DORMS WHERE THE STUDENTS ARE SLEEPING ! MURDERERS, YOU GOD-DAMM MURDERERS !

(The students come out in a rush, shouting and screaming, throwing whatever they can get their hands on, bombs aud knives and sticks and stones.) (Tanks turn around like lurching monsters, and one hears the crunch of barricades being crushed, and now the rattle of machineguns) (Shouts, screams) THBY’RE COMING, THEY’RE COMING, FIRING BAZOO-

KAS, MACHINEGUNS, CRUSHING BARRICADES, IT’S A WAR. Now. .

CIVIL WAR

(Above it all, Mahmood’s voice) DISPERSE. DISPERSE.

(Students turn around and flee, dragging injured comrades, until only Mahmood and his friend are left together.) MAHMOOD : (Pulling his friend) Come Arun. ARUN:

No

time.

(Crying) No. No. They’re demolishing Jagannath

All my brothers...

MAHMOOD

here.

aruN:

:

(Urgently, dragging, pulling him) Come on!

We'll

regroup...fight

later.

Hall

now.

No

chance

(Breaking away, picking up a bloody stone, running

the direction

supreme act

of the approaching

of desperation

tanks,

and hate)

YOU

throwing

SWINES!

madly

in

the stone in a YOU

BLOODY

SWINES ! ! { (Blackout)

8. There is the clickti-click sound of the typewriter. A foreign correspondent is typing his despatch in one of the rooms of the Intercontinental Hotel in Dacca, Late night/early morning.

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300

SONAR BANGLA

A.M. FRIDAY

TWENTYSIXTH

ONE UNTRANSMITTED

MARCH

NEWS

NINETEEN HUNDRED

DESPATCH FOR REUTERS

OUT HERE, ON ONE OF THE TOP FLOORS HOTEL,

THE

NEWSMEN

TRAGEDY.

CONFINED

TARY,

BURNING

THE

SEEMS LIKE SOME MAD

HAVE

NERO’S

THE SKY

IS ABLAZE

OVER

AS

BREEDING

PLACE

THE

TANKS

LURCH

HOMEGROUND FIRE OVER

KILLING

BY

THE

IN

AWAMI

ENTIRE BLOCKS

WEST

TO A GRIM

PAKISTAN

MILI-

FEAT. ALL

LEAGUE

UNIVERSITY

REVOLUTIONARY

LIKE PRE-HISTORIC MONSTERS OF

INTERCONTINENTAL

DACCA FROM THIS DISTANCE

IQBAL HALL AT DACCA OF

SEVENTY

FROM ANDERSON.

BECOME SILENT SPECTATORS

TO THE HOTEL AND

OF DACCA’S

AND

KNOWN

ACTIVITY

HERE.

THB OLD

CITY,

THROUGH

ACTIVITY, COUGHING

THAT ARE SURROUNDED AND

DEATH

SET

AND

ABLAZE.

THERE IS A CLOUD OF SMOKE OVER THE OFFICES OF THE PRO-MUJIB PAPER, THE PEOPLE, AND THE SOUND OF MORTARS AND MACHINE GUNS CAN BE HEARD EVEN NOW. BLACK FLAGS THAT HAVE BEEN SYMBOLS OF THE NON-COOPERATION MOVEMENT ARE BEING TORN DOWN FROM ROOF TOPS OF HOUSES THAT ARE BEING SYSTEMATICALLY DEMOLISHED. THE EXTENT OF DAMAGE AND WANTON SLAUGHTER WILL ONLY BE KNOWN IN THE NEXT 24 HOURS, MEANWHILE THE CITY HAS BEEN TAKEN COMPLETELY UNPREPARED. THE ONLY RESISTANCE THERE IS SEEMS TO BE COMING FROM THE HEADQUARTERS OF THE EAST PAK REGIMENT, SECTION OF THE ARMY AND THE MILITIA COMPOSED MAINLY OF BENGALIS. I WONDER WHAT IS HAPPENING THERE... (Light dims on the correspondent, and scene switches to one of the camps of the East Pak Regiment/East Bengal Rifles.) (Barracks. Forms of men asleep in their bed. Faint light. Whispers. West Pak commandos their position.)

pour

in a

silent, active stream.

They take

(Fire : rifles and recoilless sten guns open up spraying the beds before anyone can reach for their rifles. But...strangely there are no screams.)

(It’s a double trap. The Commander of the East Pak Regiment, suspecting that this was afoot, has placed dummies in the beds, and he and his men have taken positions in hiding. They open up fire on the Commandoes, dropping them.)

(It’s all over in a few minutes.

The Colonel goes over

to the dying

CAPTAIN: (Panting, coughing, dying) I...1...salute you The...the...old military decoy...a double, double

Commander. cross. Re...

Captain.)

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.

.

ACT I SCENE I

301

remember, we...we learnt it to...together. we'd have...have to k...kill each other... (The lips.)

Commander

looks

at

him

gravely,

N...never t...thought puts

water

to his

But...but you'll 1...lose out...Co...Commander. The...the East Pak. Re...Regiment...is virtually...de...destroyed. J...just a few...few survivors...like you. N...not enough...to form ...any resistance. C.. Civil W...war over. W...we did our.. jobs ...did

«didn’t we...?

COLONEL:

you now.

(Steel-like) You poor fool.

If you weren’t dying, I’d kill

(Blackout, back to correspondent Anderson) (Typewriter) THERE CAN BE NO MORE ARMY CODE

OR

BROTHERS

LEFT

AFTER THIS TREACHERY. FROM THIS POGROM, THIS GENOCIDE, WILL SPRING THE SEEDS OF NEW RESISTANCE. IT HAS BECOME THE PERFECT ‘CAUSE CELEBRE.” WILL THE LEADERS SURVIVE TO TAKE THIS NATION TO LIBERTY ? IS A BANGLA DESH POSSIBLE ? (Knock on the door.

Hussain comes in.)

ANDERSON: (Springs up from his seat and hand.) Hussain ! Long-time-no-see.

warmly

clasps

Hussain’s

HUSSAIN :. (Smiling) Didn’t take you time to come here, Andy. ANDERSON : (Tapping his nose) You know me. the news is where the trouble is.

Nose for news.

HUSSAIN: You haven’t you were in College.

the

changed.

Remained

And

trouble-shooter

ANDERSON : (Zwinkle in his eye) Let’s see how much you remember...

(Fishing out a bottle of burbon) HUSSAIN: ANDERSON:

(Yelping) Burbon Ah ! My friend.

! Where are those glasses.

(Pours out a couple of stiff ones, clinks it with

ice.)

HUSSAIN: (Sniffing and relishing it) Nicest thing your country ever produced...(Listening to the rumble of tanks below) except for

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302

SONAR BANGLA

those tanks...(/ooking out, his voice hardening)...why do always back the wrong horse. ANDERSON : (Hitting back) Those tanks were part of arrangement, or don’t you remember. You were party yourself in the old days from the Foreign Office. You

you fellows the SEATO to the deal can’t hold

us responsible now for using it against your own people. HUSSAIN: (Sighing) True, that’s one part of the story.

ANDERSON : What’s the other ? newspaperman first...

I'd like to know.

After

all

I'm

a

HUSSAIN : ...and an American afterwards ? ANDERSON : Depends on what you

have

to

tell

me,

Hussain.

I’m

here to make revelations to the American people, even if it means showing the hand of the White House.

LHUSSAIN: (Looking steadily at his friend) Let’s wait, more to come. ANDERSON

Andy.

Let’s have

: (Pouring out another) Aw, heck !

There’s

another.

(Both drink it down.) It’s a confidential call.

HUSSAIN : Andy, I want to use your phone. You haven’t heard me...unless I say so.

ANDERSON : O.K. (Hussain dials a number.)

HUSSAIN : (Softly) Mujib ? (Light on other side of the stage.)

(Mujib on the phone at his home.) This is Hussain. MUJIB: Looks bad,

Hussain.

I can’t’ make

We might have another round of talks. HUSSAIN: Too late. The bird’s flown. My flown back to Rawalpindi.

headway

with

information

Yahya.

is that

he’s

(Momentary silence) You know

mun

what

that

means.

: We must mobilize right way for direct action

HUSSAIN:

Intercont. country.

Too

late.

You

at

They’ve

your

Google

got

home,

us

surrounded.

Bengal

and resistance.

within

Me

its

at

the

own

ACT I SCENE I

303

Muyip : Meaning ? HUSSAIN : From what I hear they’ve already wiped out half of the intelligentsia and most of your active Awami Leaguers—at least in this city. (Heavily

breathing from other end.)

muss : A guerilla mobilization then. Our only hope is the Mukti Fauj. We have no, choice now but to fight for an independent Bangla Desh. (Hussain doesn’t reply) Do you think the Colonel has made it safely ? HUSSAIN : If I know him, I’m sure he’s got through

MusiB : I’m depending on him for field action;

organize the political arresting me soon.

and

diplomatic

end.

on

HUSSAIN : If they don’t assassinate you, Mujib. go underground.

their

you,

I think

Hussain,

they'll

I think

muyiB : No. They won’t harm me with 75 million people

If I go me.

net.

you

to

be

should

behind

me.

underground, they'll slaughter everyone in their search for

(Hussain silence)

You disagree 7 I’ve been to jail before, Hussain. This thing will die down soon. It’s happened before. HUSSAIN: This time they’ll

Myjib.

try

you

for

treason

and

execute

you,

(Silence)

MusIB : (Quietly) As Allah wishes it, my brother. HUSSAIN : (Ringing off) Vl call you every half hour, Mujib. "Bye.

(Turns

around and looks

breathing hard.)

at

Anderson,

HUSSAIN : This is not for the papers, Andy.

both

men

silent

As soon as we

of this hotel, you blow the rest of the news sky high.

get

and out

ANDERSON : (Shaking his head) Won’t work. The army are sending all of us newsmen out of the country by plane tonight...under escort. We won’t get to see anything.

HUSSAIN: I'll have

you

smuggled.

Maybe

by

plane

to

Bangkok.

We'll try and get you to see things here for a couple of days.

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304 ANDERSON: influence

SONAR BANGLA I hope so. Though I think with the Pak authorities.

you're overplaying

HussAIN: Another thing Andy, in case we don’t

your

get the chance

to

see each other later. If you meant what you said about revealing news to the American people, I’ve got a source in Washington. Someone I...cultivated during my stay there. I don’t know how things will shape out in future, but he might be of some use.

ANDERSON : (Smiling) I must remember to have you on my time.

side

next ,

(Door bangs open. Senior Pak military officer at the doorway.) Oh, oh, don’t look now. visit.

Big brother has come here to

OFFICER: (Glowering at Anderson) You. exactly five minutes.

pay

us

I want you out from here

a in

HUSSAIN : Hold it, Major. MAJOR : (To Hussain) I'll come to you soon.. (To Anderson) The newsmen are assembling in the hall downstairs. You're all going to be searched. (Goes over to the typewriter, looks at the paper on the machine, rips it out and tears it) And then flown out to Karachi. ANDERSON : (Tapping his head) I’ve got a good memory. (Major ignores him, turns to Hussain.) MAJOR : And now you loudmouth. HuSSAIN: Ambassador Anwar Hussain. Secretary rank in External Affairs Ministry. Presently stationed in Calcutta. MAJOR : Does’nt impress me. I know about you. What are you doing here. HUSSAIN : On leave. Dacca is my home-town. MAJOR : Well, you’re going back. HUSSAIN : The army may be ruling the country, but I still get my orders from the Foreign Office. MAJOR : You won't for long.

HUSSAIN : What’s that ? MAJOR : You're being recalled...(sarcastically)...your Excellency.

HUSSAIN : Under whose orders ?

Yours ?

MAJOR: The Chief Martial Law Administrator. also the President. You'll come with me.

HUSSAIN : Do you have a warrant for my arrest 7

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Who

is incidentally

ACT 1. SCENE I

305

MAJOR: I’m not arresting you. HUSSAIN : Or papers concerning my transfer orders ? MAJOR : I don’t need any papers. HUSSAIN: So you want

to

do

this

by

the

authority

of

your

gun.

(Softly) My dear Major, you’re exceeding your authority...at least with me. MAJor: (Hesitating slightly for the first time) What makes you so special. HUSSAIN:

I have

a witness

here,

Major.

Mr. Anderson writes for

an important chain of papers the world over.

breathes

a

word

that

you’ve

detained

have

brought

evidence, every Bengali in foreign will

defect.

You

will

sufficient preparation. practice to the Army

service

me

and

If-he

without

about

so

much

as

supporting

the administration

a crisis without

1 suggest you restrict your strong arm and the East Pak regiment. There is still

a civilian and diplomatic arm to your services and you will personally be brought to blame for jeopardizing it. The people of West Pakistan are still

ignorant

of all

that’s

happening

here

under the strict censorship of your command. Lay a finger on your...loyal civil servants, and the Andersons of this world won’t be silenced. The civil war will spread from the East to the West. And it will all have been started by small acts of indiscretion. Are you prepared for this Major ?

MAJOR : (Flushed, confused) (Turns around and leaves) with papers ! (Anderson lets out a long sigh.

I'll be back...

Hussain turns around and grins.)

HUSSAIN: Pass me that bottle of Burbon, friend. And lets work out the strategy of getting out of this goddamn hotel... Wait... let me make a phone call. (Phones Mujib. Light on phone ringing on the other side. No one picks up the phone.

9.

Time 1,10a.m.

Blackout)

The Dhanmandi home of Sheikh

Mujib.

One

tank, an armoured car and trucks loaded with troops drive down to the house and surround it. A Special Security Group commandos

get out from the armoured car and stand in front of the house with small arms in their hands. Meanwhile inside the house :

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SONAR BANGLA

306

Wife covers the mosquito net carefully over the cot where little son is asleep. The blder son, in his twentiee, is helping the father with

papers. mun : All these are to be destroyed...fast. lot Kamal.

That completes

their some

the

SON (KAMAL) : You expect some trouble...tonight.

a holocast in town, they’re not going to leave me : KAMAL : Then why wait here? We're sitting ducks. MunB : More dangerous to run. (Looking at his wife and child) After all, we’re not alone. : (Then to himself) Either way, it’s taking a chance. I think it’s

Mune : If there’s alone.

better that we stay.

(Wife’s gone to the other room.) Take a look and see what your mother’s doing. KAMAL : I know. She’s packing your clothes. musiB : (Wry smile) Almost thirty years of marrige. in jail.

With look KAMAL MusIB:

knows

She

Over ten years

the routine...of waiting and worrying silently.

one difference : You’re grown up now, Kamal. You must after her. : Will it be a long detention. (Thoughtful) I don’t know. We should be prepared for

the worst.

KAMAL : (Frowning) How do you mean ? (Wife comes in the room; she looks at her husband.) MUNB ; (To son) I'll talk to you later.

(She

continues

to

look

at him.

She lays it down on the floor.)

The

suitcase

is in her hands.

wire : I’ve remembered...your pipe and tobacoo too. (The thought is too much to bear; she weeps silently.) MUJIB : (Consolingly) No...no, my dear. It won’t be for long. wire : (Bursting out) It will be forever. I know it. I feel it. MusiB ; One has to take a chance...for one’s people. wire : Who are the people? It’s me...and my sons there. We're

the people who should be nearest and dearest to you.

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ACT I SCENE I

307

MUJIB ; You are.

WIFE: (Shaking her head, crying) No...no. It’s the people...out there. You care more for them. It started small. Politics in college.

Jail.

issue. Jail. forever.

The

Provincial

Assembly.

And now its freedom

for

the

Jail.

whole

The

language

country.

Jail

MUJIB : (Guilty, moved, touched) Hush, hush, my dear. wire: (Near hysterical) No, no, let me finish.

I should

never

have

started it, but nowI must finish. From politics...to martyrdom is a big gap. I don’t want my husband to fill it.

MUJIB: (Getting up, looking afar) 1 don’t it even if I tried. WIFE

: (Stops crying, now looks at her

did you say ?

know

husband

whether I can with

concern)

What

musiB : As you know, my dear, I’m- really a very ordinary I...I just happened to be...at a particular time and place... wire : Don’t say that!

fill

man.

You're the hero of the people...

MusIB : (Smiling wryly) I thought you said... wiFE: ...and of the family too. What would

he were to come in now.

your

son

think

if

MuJIB : (Shaking his head) Y’ll never understand you, dear wife. wire: Listen to me. You...are...the...man...of...destiny. Never forget it. Ithas my faith, and my will. Because it is you, timing or no timing, jail now or jail forever. MUNIB : (Too filled with emotion to speak) My love... WIFE: (Hiding her face, busying herself with the house) Now you go back to your work.

I have things to do.

(Kamal rushing in.) KAMAL:

Father!

to shoot.

Father!

Army

men

(Sound of voice outside : the order FIRE)

outside.

(Bullets tearing through the house, around them (Tagore’s picture is shattered by a bullet.)

With

and

near

guns

the

ready

cot.)

MUJIB: DOWN! DOWN! UNDER THE BED ! (Mother runs to the cot, lifts the child and all scamper to the floor.)

(The shooting continues for a while.

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Then there is lull.)

308

SONAR BANGLA

(Immediately

Mujib

gets

up,

and

runs

to

the lower

varandah

outside.)

(Call from the Mother or Son: NO...NO) MUJIB: (Out in the open now) stop! stop iT! There’s for shooting. HereI am. Take me. (An officer walks into the garden of the house.) OFFICER : You are under arrest. (Darkness. The time is 1.30 a.m. The phone keeps Nobody picks it up.) 10.

Faint candle-light.

Hideout of Colonel.

no

need

ringing.

Hussain joins him.

HUSSAIN: (Clasping him) It’s good to see you alive. I almost feared the worst. Not to me, but to a lot of my Regiment COLONEL : It did happen. in different parts of Bengal. It was the worst form of treachery, Hussain. That’s all I can say.

It’s madness.

HUSSAIN : (Nodding gravely)

COLONEL : What’s happened to Mujib. I don’t think

HussaIN: Arrested. time...if at all.

we'll

be

seeing

for

him

a long

COLONEL : Then we are leaderless. HUSSAIN: Not quite. a cause to fight. COLONEL : (Bitterly)

He remains the With

what?

A

leader few

in absentia. bolt-action

It gives rifles?

A

bedraggled army made up of pitchfork peasants, slogan-shouting workers and stone-throwing students ? We have no army or paramilitary left except for a few survivors like me.

HUSSAIN : Then train them!

It’s Mujib’s command !

(Colonel is silent and remorseful.) Aw, come on, Colonel. We'll build from scratch. There’s a lot of hate and fury. Control it and you have the potential of the finest guerilla liberation force. Our people know every inch of

greenery

and

rivers and pitfalls and hideouts.

monsoon isn’t far.

the occupation of them.

Most important of all:

army.

The blinding

the people are against

The people, Colonel ! The people, millions

COLONEL : ...unarmed...

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ACT I SCENE t

309

HUSSAIN: (Trying to pass on his enthusiasm and morale) Not for long. That’s where I come in. I return to Calcutta. India is going to have stake in this too. I'll see to it that you get the armaments. More than that I'll see to it that you get undercover military support and training for the Mukti-Fauj. I’ve been developing this with my West Bengali brothers. They'll help us to the hilt. COLONEL: (Looking at him closely)

1s it possible,

my life a thousand times over for it.

Hussain.

I'd

give

HUSSAIN : Trust me.

COLONEL : And do you think Pakistan will leave you to operate in Calcutta or Delhi? They’ll recall you immediately. HUSSAIN: They probably already have. My transfer orders must be waiting me in Calcutta. COLONEL : Well then ? HUSSAIN: Simple.

I won’t go.

I have

a few tricks

Colonel. Leave that side to me. I’m build a full-scale underground resistance with the support I promised you ?

up

my

sleeves,

depending upon you to force. Can you do it

COLONEL : (Looking at him steadily) Yes. HUSSAIN: Fine. Now we break up. We'll be in touch usual channels.

through

the

COLONEL : When do you leave for Calcutta ? HUSSAIN : Soon.

There’s

just

one

thing

left.

(Looking

voice turning introspective, as in the very first scene, his

own

out,

his

private

prayer and belief.) One...basic...anxiety. And to see my mother’s grave before I leave...and also someone I remember there... (Fadeout) 11,

Door bangs open and the frame of Pakistan

stands poised at the entrance.

fearfully.

The Jawan enters in, looking around...

JAWAN : You live here woman ! SUMITA: Y...yes.

JAWAN : Is that your daughter.

(Sumita clasps her daughter, remains silent)

I said, is that your daughter !

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Jawan

with

rifle

Sumita and her daughter cow back

310

SONAR

BANGLA

SUMITA: Yes. : JAWAN : Where’s your husband.

sumiTa : I don’t know.

JAWAN : When is he coming back. sumITA : I don’t know. JAWAN : (Grinning cruelly) Is he coming back ? (Sumita is silent.) You're Hindu, aren’t you ? (He sees the murti

earthen pots.

With

with

vermilion

sudden

rifle and smashes the mutti.)

garlands

and

burning

vicks

in

and total fury, he takes the butt of his

(Both women recoil with fear.) That’s what I think of your god... or gods. (Under his breath) Infidels ! (Prowls around the house, still looking for something.) JAWAN : Your husband looks after that big house there, doesn’t he ? SUMITA : Yes, he’s the caretaker to Babu Hussain’s house. JAWAN : (Nodding) Babu Hussain. else does he do ?

Yes...

I’ve heard

of him.

What

suMITA : He cultivates his own land...a small plot. JAWAN : Doesn’t he help Hussain...in political work ? Carry his... papers, perhaps to his friends...other Hindus. Well, doesn’t he ? sumiTA : I don’t know. JAWAN : You don’t know much, do you?

stone.

Except to pray to

that...

(She is silent)

What do you do ? (Looking at her desirously) Ever go to the city... to have some

fun.

(Silence) (He sits down restlessly, trying to make up his mind, looking at her-and her daughter from time to time, starting slightly to sweat,

time bothering him, the buzzing flies bothering him, the stillness of it all oppressing, looking up guiltily, defiantly, now with animalism and

an intent so clear that no words are necessary.)

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ACT I SCENE

I

That’s your her years.

311 daughter,

isn’t

she ? She looks more grown up than

(Sumita clutches on tightly.) (Screaming) WHY

DON’T YOU LET GO OF HER.

SUMITA : (Spitting out with unexpected ferociousness) NBVER ! (For a moment he is taken aback, than he smiles, then he roars with laughter.) JAaWAN : Lioness.

A real lioness with her cub.

(Sumita whispers something in her daughters ear.) SUMITA : (To Jawan) Wait. (She leads her daughter to the other room.

it from the inside, faces the Jawan.)

Sumita from

the

The daughter goes, bolt,

outside,

then turns around and

(Closing her eyes, alone in the room with him now.) I'm ready.

'

(Something breaks within the Jawan.

He slaps her.)

JAWAN : DO YOU THINK I’M A BARBARIAN ! (Turns around and leaves, the noise of his boots still audible, then returns tugging a weight, the body of Sumita’s husband which he’s

bayoneted earlier.)

(Throwing the body) A present for you, woman ! (Spits and leaves.

Sumita collapses over the body of her husband.) (Fadeout)

12,

Hussain in Sumita’s house.

Calling out...

House empty...no reply. Notices destruction of murti

Stumbles

over

a

and general disarray around the house.

roughly made grave.

the cold body of Hari. Desperate now, and her daughter. Echoes but no reply.

Removes the mud and finds

he

calls

out for

Sumita

Tired, he returns to his home near-by, to find it completely ransacked,

his papers destroyed.

strewn

all

Google

over

the

place,

books burnt, possessions

312

SONAR BANGLA

Goes over to his mother’s grave. Even the marble tomb has been damaged, the precious inlaid work pilfered, and the fine carvings broken. Around is all desolation and loneliness and destruction, charred remains which stand out in sheer contrast of the first scene of peace and plenty only 34 hours earlier. He goes back to the tomb, and prays, the tears at last sufusing from his eyes. HUSSAIN: Oh, God, Oh God. I swear equally...that by fire and sword...I shall avenge...all who desecrated the tomb...and took from me...my Sonar Bangla.

FADEOUT

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ACT II

Pakistan Consulate in Calcutta.

SCENE I

President Yahya’s picture etc.

Hussain sitting at the table. Across from him is a man he is talking to. They have finished their conversation and are about to leave. HUSSAIN: Thank you, Ray. That’s all I can say at the moment. Perhaps there’ll be a better way for me to show you our appreciation one day. Meanwhile we'll be asking for more...and more... * and more. But will come the day when we'll be as self-sufficient and proud.,..as your country. RAY: (Getting up to leave) I hope we live up to your expectations, Hussain. (Smiling ruefully) There’ s little alturism in politics, you

know.

HUSSAIN: (Getting up, leading the other on his shoulder) True.

man

out, with a friendly hand

RAY: Except that we’re both Bengalis, you from the East, me from the West. Two separate countries so artifically created. HussaIN : And the big Chief from West Pakistan (Glancing at Yahya’s picture) is determined to stamp out every trace of what he calls Bengali culture.

ray: Did you know I Before partition.

originally

came

From

Khulna.

from

East

Bengal myself.

HUSSAIN : No ?

RAY : (Nodding

his head)

recall that poem of Tagore.

What was

My

first love.

it...? Ah...yes...

I always

Come Spring, O mother mine !

Your

mango groves are

heady with fragrance,

The air intoxicates like wine.

Come autumn, O mother mine !

I see the honeyed smile of your harvest-laden fields. (Hussain lost in reverie. Both men silent for a long while.) Hussain ?

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314

SONAR

BANGLA

HUSSAIN : Huh ? RAY : What was so new about the poem ? You must often. HUSSAIN : I was thinking of someone.

heard

it

I was also thinking of another

poem Tagore wrote :

Man’s body is so small, His strength of suffering so immense. afar) Abh...yes. (Zhen snapping out

RAY : (Eyes

have

winsomely once again.)

of

it,

smiling

Here we are swapping poetry like two Bengalis in the old days and to think that we’ve just had a hard headed business discussion. HUSSAIN : (Smiling) Yes. Though it does give me comfort to know... . that we speak the same language. Literally too.

RAY: Remember, Hussain, I'll try my best. I’ll never cross you, you know that. ButI can’t promise what may lie beyond my control. HUSSAIN : You have the lady’s ear in Delhi Ray. That’s all that matters. Goodbye... (They’re

shaking

hands

outside,

when

the

office boy comes with a

card and gives it to Hussain.) (Hussain looking at the card and frowning.) HUSSAIN : (Under his breath) Farok Khan. That arrogant bastard from the Pak Foreign Ministry. RAY : (Raising his eyebrows) Company ? Already ? HUSSAIN : (To the boy) Tell him to sit in my room. I’m coming. (Boy leaves)

:

(To Ray) T expected it. it, Ray.

The chips are down.

This is going to be

RAY : We’re behind you...all the way. Go ahead. (Brisk farewell and both men leave.) (Hussain thoughtfully returns to his room. Finds

sprawling on his and easy.)

office

chair

(Hussain turns red in anger.)

with legs on the table, self-confident .

HUSSAIN : You’re sitting on my chair, Farok. FAROK : (Superciliously) So I am. HUSSAIN : Get out before I throw you out !

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Farok Khan

ACT H SC8NE I

315

FAROK : I don’t see how you can do it. “Firstly, than

you.

Secondly...

(Takes

I’m

man

a slim envelope sealed in red and

throws it across to Hussain.) (Hussain tears it up without opening it.)

Ah, you know what it isthen ?

a bigger

Transfer orders.

Back to Rawal-

pindichum. I’d hate to face what you’re going to have to face there. And as you will have gathered...(Slowly booting the things off the table where he’s planted his feet)...’ve come here to take your place. HUSSAIN : (Clenching his teeth) You're still on my chair, Farok. FAROK : I’m here by order of the President, Hussain.

have diplomatic relations throw me out of this chair.

HUSSAIN : Wrong.

with

,

India,

(Presses the general intercom button for all Gentlemen, will you all come in my room (Presses another button.) Service room 7 Go ahead with what I told (Goes to a chair and sits down silently. frown on Farok Khan’s brow as the seconds

there’s

As long

nobody who

as we

can

officers of the Embassy.) please. Immediately. you earlier. Slight trace of a puzzling tick by.)

(And now one by one the officers start to troop in, take the situation in at a glance, all stand silently.) (At last Hussain gets up to speak.) HUSSAIN : Gentlemen, Mr. Farok Khan has come

here by

order

and

authority of the President of Pakistan’ to take charge of the Pakistan Consulate. Is there anyone here who can deny him that right ?

(Nobody dissents. Farok starts to feel slightly uncomfortable, slightly self-conscious of his feet on top of the table, more and

more puzzled by Hussain.)

Fact number two, gentlemen, is that all of you with the exception of one or two are Bengalis. In fact almost 90% of our total staff here in Calcutta are Bengali... FAROK : (Putting his’ feet down suddenly) What are you getting at Hussain !

HUSSAIN: (Ignoring him coolly) Mr. Khan. says he has a right to that chair. I say he has not. Gentlemen...(Pin-drop silence while

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316

.

SONAR BANGLA

Hussain speaks ‘softly)...I1 admit he has a right to the Pakistan representative’s office, but not to that chair ! FAROK: (Stands up in bewilderment and anger) What Hussain! What do you mean ! HUSSAIN : (Coolly, quietly) Take a look outside, Farok. You'll understand.

do

you

mean,

To the flag.

(Farok rushes up to the window, sees the hoisting up of the green, red and gold flag of Bangla Desh. He gasps.) FAROK : What’s that flag doing there! There...there’s...no Bangla Desh. Just...just a few traitors in the East...waving it around... No...no Pakistan Consulate...can fly that flag. Take it down. TAKE IT DOWN, I SAY ! (The officers around remain grave and silent.) ” HUSSAIN : (To the senior-most) Tell him, Ashraf. ASHRAF: (Respectfully to Farok) Sir, you’re on foreign territory as of now. FAROK : (Taken aback) Wh...what are you saying ! Traitors ! TRAITORS ALL ! (Looking around, appealing, almost pleading.) Surely there are some within you who owe loyalty...to Pakistan. You cannot all be defecting. So what if you’re Bengalis. Have’nt we all lived together for 24 years ? As one Muslim nation. The recent trouble? It’s all propaganda. Take my word for it. If you don’t believe me, Ill show you the papers. Pak papers that is. . ASHRAF : (Shaking his head negatively) No, Sir. FAROK : (Shouting) You'll be shot, Court-martialled. I swear to you you'll all be shot. The Indian Government has no right to allow you to fly that flag. They have not given you diplomatic recognition.

HUSSAIN : Not yet. But they will. Meanwhile they’ve allowed us to operate as a Bangla Desh mission here. Where’s your FAROK : You're lying! Where’s your authority! Government ! (Hussain takes out an envelope from his pocket; and flings it to Farok the same way that the latter did earlier.)

(Looks at it mesmerized.) You're

lying !

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ACT Ii SCENE I

317

HUSSAIN: Why don’t before you came in.

you

take

a

look

at it.

It was sealed just

(Farok picks it up, his hands trembling, and as he tears open the envelope, the light dims and there is fadeout.) 2. Sumita and daughter trudging the endless road with their pitiful belongings. Beginnings of the mass exodus evident. An unending stream of tragic tableaus. Each telling its own story of horror and bestiality. The creeping feeling of fear and death, Despair too.

An

existence

devoid

of hope,

a past

too terrible to

remember, a future of further futility. Knowing not where they’re going, but just following, for it must lead somewhere, to escape and safety. So begins the story of the Refugees... sumiTa: (To daughter) There.

to Kustia village. to help.

I know

We'll break

some

friends

away

for

there who

a

while.

Go

might be able

(The girl nods hopelessly, the dried tears leaving furrows through the dust on the face.) (The mother cups her face in her hands.) Don’t despair, Maya. I'll always be near you. Don’t fear. I'll always be there.

(The girl clutches on to the mother, as they reach near the village.)

(An eerie sight : the village is in smoke and ruins, ghost-like, empty, except for afew vultures and dogs picking on the remains of dead bodies.) (Calling out) Sarla...Sarla...

(Emptiness, and hollow

mother.)

echoes,

the girl clutching fearfully on to the

She...she used to live here...with her family... (They approach a partially burnt hut, push back the creakimg door. Sudden wail that is part-way like a terror-scream and in part like sigh of relief at being discovered.) OLD WOMAN

: (Partly

who’s there.

blind, bent

Who’s there.

have you come back.

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with age,

leaning on

Haven’t you done enough.

stick)

Wh...

Wh.,.why

318

SONAR BANGLA

SUMITA: (Going up to her) It’s me, mother. Mée,...Sumita. near Dacca. Where’s Sarla. Where are the others ?

From

OLD WOMAN : (Puzzled, trying to remember) Sumita. Sumita did you say? From near Dacca? That was so...So...long ago...and so... far away. I...I can’t remember. sumira: (Holding her

the others.

hand) Mother,

where’s Sarla.

Where

are all

OLD WOMAN : Gone. suMITA : Gone where. OLD WOMAN: Gone to where...everyone goes. Out there...(Pointing to the stream of refugees)...up there...(Pointing to the smoke curling up to the heavens)...who knows... ? SUMITA : What happened, mother 2? What happened ? OLD womaN : I...I. can’t remember. It...it seemed so long ago. Yet ...it may have...must have...been yesterday. Yes, yes...it comes back to me clearly now...

It was last night...(The light fades, flashback)...the army came... (Sound of jeeps)...they were searching for a fugitive...(Sounds, occasional

words)...they

thought

(Sounds accompanying her electrifying and personal.)

our

narration,

village

was

hiding

till it becomes

vivid

him...

and

...they couldn’t find him...(Sounds, voices, “where is he ?”’, “he was

hidden there’’, “‘he escaped”’, etc.) ...then

they

became

very

angry...(Undertones,

shouts,

depicting

movement, anger) ..and decided to burn the village...(woosh of flame-throwers, screams, timber burning, smoke.) (Sumita and daughter listen wide-eyed, not saying a word, not interrupting, while the half-blind woman lives through it again, with recall that is vivid and total.) «later they talked about reprisals...(Sounds of revenge, punishment, military orders...) ...the village must be punished...(duplicate) ...80 they tied up the men, women and children, packed them in crowded army trucks, and sent them away...never to return... (sound of trucks, supplication, departure, silence.) ...I alone remained...(No repeat, back to present) and

can’t remember any more,.,

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now

I

just

ACT II SCENE I

319

Sumita and daughter don’t know what to say. They just look at her...in pity, in horror...) (Comes the cry of a child, a lone child stumbling through the debris.) (The old woman goes out, the child nears her, each coming closer to

the other, till

they embrace,

lone survivors,

being there...) (Sumita goes over, picks up the child, hand, helped by the daughter.)

sumiTA : Come, mother. It’s a

long

way.

reassured once again of

leads the old woman

I have the child.

But

we’re

by the

We'll all go...together.

together...we’ll

go

come back one day. (They join the stream of refugees)

now...but

we'll

(Fadeout) 3.

Pakistan

Division.

Officers

conference

room.

The

G2

Ops

of the

9th

The Major General gets up to speak to his fellow officers.

MAJOR GEN. : I’ll once again say what has been said before : We’re determined to cleanse East Pakistan once and for all of the threat of secession, even if it means killing of two million people and ruling the province as a colony for 30 years. (Mental

flashes,

reflected

in

army

code,

reflecting:

BURN MISSION...KILL AND BURN MISSION FINAL SOLUTION...CLEANING PROCESS...SORTING

OUT

K\LL AND

MISCREANTS

AND INFILTRATORS...) Let’s face it the Bengalis have proved themselves ‘unreliable’ and must be ruled by West Pakistanis. The Bengalis will have to be re-educated along proper Islamic lines... (Flashes, flashes ; ISLAMISATION OF THE MASSES...

ISLAMISATION OF THE MASSES...)

When the Hindus have been eliminated by death and flight, their property will be used as a golden carrot to win over the underprivileged Muslim middle-class...

KILL AND BURN MISSION...PUNITIVE ACTION...

REHABILITATION EFFOT) (Break-up for drinks. Informality and mess-talk.) . MAJOR GEN : (Passing on the drink and slapping a fellow-officer on the back) Well, Captain Azgar. Did you bag anything. How many

did you get on the “kill and burn” ?

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320

SONAR

BANGLA

CAPT. AZGAR : (Reciprocating semi-formally as expected) Sir 1 MAJOR GEN. : Oh come now. (Others group around, share the jokes.) We know you've been slightly left out. It’s always difficult the first time. CaPT. : Yes. MAJOR : But the comb-out

operation is a must,

you

know.

That’s

why I assigned you to clean-up Kushtia village. Did you get that bloody miscreant. capt: No, Sir. He escaped. We had’ to resort to punitive action. It was a predominantly Hindu village...the brain-washing Awami

type.

MAJOR: Good arranged. (Conversation

show.

Good

carries

on,

show. but

within

How

was

Captain

the...er...disposal Azgar

there

is

a

soliloquy, the light dims...) CAPTAIN AZGAR : ...you mean did 1 send them out for “disposal” by truck-loads, or did I just shoot them in this “kill and burn mission” ? (Sounds, voices, as with the old woman, memory recall.) ...After it was all over, the flamethrowers, the cleaning process, after it was all over...I shut my eyes and returned to the village...

(Scene moves over

to the village now, the same eerie scene of smoke

and death and desolation as when Sumita entered it.)

1t was all quiet...terribly still and quiet...and I was all alone, An eerie feeling overcame me. Nothing moved. Everything was still, even the gnawing vultures and dogs... (Smoke and ruins, and in the desolation, the lone figure of Capt.

Azgar...)

Suddenly, out of the smoke and debris, emerged a child, a strange, lovely, lonely creature. It came as a horror to me that he was the only living thing there beside me, and that the rest of the world had come to an end. (In a frenzy of disgust he smashes the rifle, then picks up the child to his lips.) In his lips there was the bitterness of tears, and his eyes hollow blacks surrounded by a bloodshot melancholy white crying for hunger, supplicating for life. (Leaves the child.)

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were ball,

ACT Il SCENE I

321

T left the child and went away... (Blackout) 4.

Guerilla hideout.

Somewhere in the greens : the jute, the paddy,

the mango grove. Beauty, torn with violence.

There is a ragged Mukti Fauj incipient force,

disorganized and ill-

trained, but with a thirst for revenge and raw courage.

They're there.

training,

under

the

COLONEL: (Watching them, have to organize better.

Colonel.

Student

Mahmood

is

also

shaking his head) This won’t do. We'll Get the right equipment. Train them.

STUDENT : What do we do. COLONEL : I’ll have to coordinate all the field units. Be my contact for this one, Mahmood. I'll give you the help of some of my men from the Bengal Rifles or Police. MAHMOOD: (Looking at the loongi clad guerillas) There’s a lot of good material for fighters there. COLONEL : Too much hate, Mahmood. Each one has lost someone near and dear to them. You'll have to regulate them, discipline them. By the way how much do you know yourself...outside of

making bombs in labs. MAHMOOD : (Grinning) Oh, I studied Bengali revolutionary history. Read Mao’s red book. That much for theory. On the practical side...well...outside of

throwinga few

rocks at

advancing

tanks,

there was’nt very much. COLONEL: (Smiling back) I thought so. On second thoughts I’d better send you my Regiment Sergeant. He’ll also be a help on military movements : knows every manoeuvre of 9th and

16th

Divisions. MAHMOOD : What about equipment and a training base. COLONEL: I’m waiting to hear from Hussain. He’s making

arrangements across the border. up whatever we can from

Meanwhile,

the enemy.

we'll have

COLONEL : Who’s he?

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some

to pick

(Suddenly grinning boyishly

himself) You must have read about Che Guevra.

MAHMOOD : (Laughing) Who hasn’t ! (Colonel sees a guerilla join the others.)

Pak

322

SONAR

BANGLA

MAHMOOD : That’s Gulam. He’s just returned from Kushtia village. Got refuge there after blowing up the bridge. Military supplies came to a dead halt. COLONEL: So did the food. (Scratching his chin Kushtia village? Huh ? I’d like to talk to him. (Mahmood calls out to Gulam who comes.) Gulam, tell me what happened ? (Gulam is slightly, very slightly nervous and agitated.) GULAM : I was sent out...alone...on

bridge.

I did

it...successfully.

village...and came here.

thoughtfully)

this mission to blow up

Then

stayed

overnight

Kushtia

in

the

COLONEL : (Casually) Were the villagers...cooperative. GULAM : Wh...why, yes, of course. They gave me food and shelter. At first I didn’t tell them I was going to blow up the bridge. You know one has to be careful of collaborators. But I could make out afterwards that they were glad I did. COLONEL : (Softly) Is that all ? GULAM : (Shaking slightly) Y...yes...of course. (Before he knows it, the Colonel has slapped him face that sends

twists his head.)

Gulam ina

spin, then

catches him

heavily across the by the hair

and

COLONEL : (Hissing) You know as well as I do that that village was wiped out! For harbouring you. Now tell me the whole story... truthfully !

(Light dims on Gulam as he tells the story,

by

sound

and

voices,

sometimes

by

sometimes

visions

of

the

accompanied

dead

village

projected. beyond into which he enters for action. Whichever way it’s done, the pattern should be the same as that of the old woman, the Pak Captain, and now the “‘miscreant”’ or rebel.)

GULAM: The...the bridge

was

only

not stop the army from coming in...

partially damaged.

It...it did

(Sound of bomb, bridge, then armoured vehicles and jeeps crossing) I knew they were after me. Then all the revenge I had...turned to fear. I hid, I hid, in the Hindu household in Kushtia... (Panting, sound of the chase, knocking frantically on the door, first indecision of the occupants, then refuge given.)

Pretty soon I heard the sound

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of jeeps.

I slipped out of the

ACT II SCENE I

323

house, hid in the knee deep waters of the paddy fields covered with

green.

:

(Splash of water, the chase again, heavy breathing, and water as he sinks out of sight.) The captain threatened

punitive action.

But no

mud and green one would speak.

First they burnt the village. Then they started to like sheeps in trucks sent to the slaughterhouse.

flock them up

(Sounds of the Kill and Burn Mission) I wanted to shout out “I did it! at their feet, plead for mercy. But

my legs wouldn’t

move.

...drained...out...of...me. (Face of shame and tear)

I wanted to throw myself my legs would’nt move...but

Something...more...than...courage...had

When it was all over, all over, I went back, and searched all through the village. I found a lonely child wailing like a stray dog...anda half-blind old woman. I threw myself at their feet asking for forgiveness. (The blind old woman touching his head) (Fadeout) 5.

Scene between the Bihari and ‘an underprivileged Muslim middle-

class’ from Kushtia village.

BIHARI: The military must have a administrative and political support.

my Muslim friend

civilian infra-structure...for That’s our function. Tell me,

from Kushtia village,

do you own any land ?

FRIEND : No.

BIHARI : Why ? FRIEND : Kushtia was always a Hindu-based most of the land. , BIHARI:

majority.

They

owned

What a shame...in your own country to be deprived of land.

(Friend shrugs his shoulders.) (The Bihari continues) Woulda’t you like to have...some land of your own there. These Hindus come from India, or at least have

their loyalties there. your own town.

The rich marwaris of Calcutta exploit you in

FRIEND ; (Mouth open) Qo you really think so ?

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324

SONAR

BANGLA

BIHARI : (Sighing, under his breath) So I’m told by the military. And the military in Pakistan are always right. FRIEND : In that case who am I to argue. BIHAR! : Right. Now the army want your...cooperation. FRIEND : Name it. BIHARI : They’re bringing over some newsmen and T.V. operators... West Pakistani that is, since they don’t allow any foreign spies...to show...a model village. Rumours are floating back to the West that there’s...carnage here. The army want to disprove it. In fact they want to show

of the West.

that the civilians here

FRIEND: (Frowning stupidly) How (Looking up questioningly)

are by and large friends

are they going to

do it. I mean...

BIHARI : Simple, my brilliant friend, in fact it was your idea... FRIEND : Mine ? BIHARI: You want Jand, don’t you. The army will give it to you. Now

all

they want you to do is

to pose before the camera.

Get

some Muslim Leaguers and Jamat-i-Islam who lost in the elections, and get them to say good things about the Western Army. We'll

switch the film over, and say it was shot in Kushtia. FRIEND : Brilliant.

BIHARI : Yes, isn’t it. Then it’s done ? FRIEND : Done.

.

(Fadeout, and then re-emergence, later of Kushtia village) BIHARI: There! you want

yourself.

The army

there is yours.

in time after

the destruction

always keeps its promise. Infact

you can have

Now tell me, what happened there.

All the land

the whole village

FRIEND : (Licking his lips, a little frightened, a little greedy) 1...1 had no idea...the army would do such a thorough job. The...the village was empty...a little...singed of course. deserted ...except for a child and an old woman...

The

(Thought of him wandering alone, in the village, going taking whatever he

likes, then

letting his eyes

paddy, which would yield him the harvest.)

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roam over

roads

into

were

shops,

the green

ACT Il SCENE i

325

The fields were green...the paddy ready. arms

open,

ZINDABAD.

calling

PAKISTAN

All this land...mine ?

All mine?

ZINDABAD,

THE

I ran out, my WESTERN

ARMY

(The Bihari laughs cynically as the scene fades out.) (Each of the above scenes, i.e. the Pak Major, the rebel, the collaborator Bihari’s friend, should all end or center or zero on the same

note viz. a deserted burnt out village, the child...)

surviving

old

woman,

and

6. The refugee trudge of scene 2 continues, swollen by the ranks survivors from villages such as Kushtia. They struggle on and on, trying

each

morsel

to help

each

other

along,

of

sharing

of food and travelling by bullock-cart, rickshaws, pull-

carts, mostly by foot, the stragglers falling by the way-side. Amongst them are Sumita carrying the child, her daughter helping the feeble old woman.

Maya

Somehow, through desperate courage,

through hope, or through sheer tenacity for survival, they have trudged maybe a couple of hundred miles, and are now near Jessore, close to the borders of West Bengal. It is evening. They stop to rest under an old empty barn with a palm covered roof and open sides. As it grows darker, more and more refugees move in, sick, maimed, in want and despair. They grow in numbers, getting warmth and comfort from each other; until the whole barn is full of a mass of crowded, dunuded humanity. Each one is almost lying over the other, partly out of lack

of space,

mostly to clutch on to someone real and protecting. Fathers, mothers, sons, daughters, young, old, everyone, including domestic animals

like goats

and

cows.

Each relate a story to the other,

(Overheard) “They raped my daughter... my

wife...

incredible,

nightmarish...

...they have special curved knives to cut off breasts... ...forced the son to rape the mother before the family... «bit off her nipple... «over and over and over again, one by one, like brutes...” “They shot my husband...

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326

SONAR BANGLA

...carried him off, crowded like sheep marked with the fatal red die in a truck... ...tortured him with bamboo splinters until...merciful death... ..-made him reveal...the hideout...of his brothers... ...made him beg for mercy, over and over again...” “They caught my son... ...barely sixteen... ...With a knife... ...what they did to him I will not say... ...except that they did it over and over again...”

“She was a beautiful, proud mother... ...the picture of Bengal lush with gold and ...now she lies in her

green...

grave...

...desecrated by their brute force and tyranny... ...Oh mother of ours, will you ever rise again...?”” (It starts to rain. A continuous, monotonous downpour,

that

leaks

through the matted roof and falls in the enclosure below, where the water starts to rise, inching them out from sleep to waking, from

lying to sitting/to standing, as the water rises, in the deep of the night.) “Now we're refugees, one and all... ...something, someone’s missing... ...our homes, belongings, someone from our family, our house and village... ...do you know what it means to be a refugee... ...to be torn away from your mother’s breast...” “We trudge on...night and day...day and night... +..to God knows where ? -.someone told us there was safety and protection beyond... ...but beyond where...? ...where will this end...?” ‘‘Hunger consumes us...

...Monsoon brings floods...

...cyclones strike us...

...we’ve endured before... .- we'll survive again... “We re not beggars...

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327

ACT 11 SCENB i

...we, the proud people of Bengal. “The occupation army won’t hold us down we shall fight...and rise again.” (It’s come to the break of dawn and anew hope, the limp darkness fading, a red glow catching the disappearing clouds in the sky.) (Suddenly...)

CHOLLRA (A whisper...as shattering as a scream.)

(The crowd shrinks away, the sick child vomits, and

get

up

wearily,

some fearfully but

Everyone

dies.

others beyond caring, and they

all leave, to carry on the trudge. The child is burried, others ing, a dry cough, dehydrated of all energy and hope in life.

.

they leave too.)

weepThen

(Only Sumita, the child, her daughter Maya, aud the old woman remain, the last, as they were the first.) SUMITA : (Tired, but concealing) Come on, old woman, we go. (Carries the child)

OLD WOMAN: No, I’m tired, I’m old.

I’m hungry. The

weariness...

of life...overcomes. Leave me behind. It’s torture for me to continue. SUMITA : No. I will not leave you here. (Child starts to cry, cough, sputter) MAYA : What’s wrong. SUMITA : (Puts her breast to the child’s mouth) 1 think

night through. (Nobody dare mention the dread word.) (Sumita wipes the dry sweat off her tired face.)

he’s

sick...all

The

border’s

OLD WOMAN : (Pleading) Leave me...and the child. sumiTA: No. It’s not far off now. close by. ~

We’re

at

Jessore.

OLD woMAN : I have some relations in Jessore. I’ll go SUMITA : (Shaking her head) You can’t go alone. OLD WOMAN : You can’t come with the child. (Pause) MAYA:

I'll go. I'll go

with

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her.

there.

328

SONAR BANGLA

suMITA : No. No, Maya. No, my dear. I won’t let you go.

OLD WoMAN : Then let me go alone. (She gets up, sways.

Maya catches her.)

(Without a word Maya takes her, and they go.)

MAYA : (Calling back to her mother who looks on helplessly) Y\l be back, mother. Don’t worry. Ill be back soon. Wait for me.

Wait with the child.

(She leaves, the child cries again, coughs, the mouth as it leaves the nipple.)

the

spittle

coming from

(Fadeout) 7.

Shift to Hussain and Ray on the West Bengal side at one of the

several refugee camps mushrooming alongside the border. Fora long time there is no conversation between the two, and one sees the

sights and sounds of refugee camps in the same way that one experienced the exodus and plight of the refugees earlier. There is frantic activity all around the place as streams and streams of refugees pour in. Hastily put up tents, families living in large drain-pipes, temporary structures of tin and mud, palm leaf and bamboo, sometimes just a matting for individual cover, from the sun

and rain and all else.

Overcrowded hospitals, red-cross workers, OXFAM volunteers, local helpers, planeloads of rescue material, food, milk, medicine, tarpaulain, Government and army and municipal help, everything being geared

in spurts

and

starts to meet the gigantic problem, that over-

comes. all, through sheer numbers and need.

RAY : It’s incredible.

The sheer weight of numbers

and

need

over-

whelms. We can’t keep pace with it, Hussain. HUSSAIN : We must. There is no choice. (Turning to his friend) Is’nt that so? RAY : (Slight confused, guilty) Wh...what do you mean ? HUSSAIN: I mean...you wouldn’t think of stopping them from coming in, would you ? RAY : (Flushing) Of course not. Whatever gave you that idea ? HUSSAIN : Nothing. I just noticed...(His voice hardens slightly with bitterness)...from your people...a slight change...in hospitality.

RAY : (Angry) I take exception to that remark, deserve an explanation.

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Hussain.

I think I

ACT II SCENE 1

329

HUSSAIN : Sorry, my friend. I mean it. In a way I don’t blame you all, You’ve given more than anyone else would. But you'll admit a few thousand refugees is quite different from a few million. RAY : (Cooling, forgetting his anger) So you’ve been hearing It’s

true.

We're

getting...apprehensive.

If we

keep

stories.

supporting

these gigantic numbers from across the border, we'll go under selves...

our-

You know the kind of problems we have in West

Cal-

cutta.

Bengal...in

Unemployment, Naxal threats, inter-party warfare, poverty,

violence, disregard for law and order. We're sitting on here, our hospitality being...strained... When the hell will this stream of refugees end...?

HUSSAIN : It will never end, Ray. .. of intellectuals,

Hindus,

It started as a minority persecution

political

leaders.

It’s developing into

mass slaughter now, which will mean more and more

There’s

a volcano

only

of refugees.

one way of stopping it...only one way. (Ray looks at him questioningly.) Build up, support, train, militarize the liberation force

in

East

Bengal. That’s the root ofit all. Arm them, recruit volunteers, cross borders, build logistical military support for the Mukti Fauj.

That’s the only way, the only way: a total liberation, an independent Bangla Desh. RAY : Do you know what you're saying Hussain. You're asking us to take a hell-of-a-chance. What if you lose ? What if you involv e us ina war?

I’m not prepared to'take HUSSAIN : You have to |

that

risk.

RAY : (Angry again) I don’t have to doa thing, Hussain ! I’m here in my national interest, not yours. You want temporary refuge, we'll give it. We’re Bengali brothers after all. You want war, we won’t give it. It will mean economic ruination for my country and permanent enemity with a neighbour we have to live with. HUSSAIN: (Quietly) As the refugees grow, the Pressures will grow. They'll

be forcing your hand, not I.

Pakistan will use the refugees

as a pawn...till you reach breaking point. RAY : (Cooling, thinking, quiet) What will you have me do.

HUSSAIN : (Taking his friend by the arm and walking, talking confiden-

tially

and persuasively) I’m

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not

saying

go to war with Pakistan,

380

SONAR BANGLA

I’m merely saying it’s no use giving help to the refugees unless you give help at the same time to the Mukti Fauj... , We're in need of basis for training. We're in need of armaments. It might be a war of attrition, it might not. But if you give us no help on the guerilla side, there’s not a chance for East Bengal to’ survive. You might as well then close the gates for all refugees ...if you can physically do so. So we come back to the same thing. Feed us, but arm us at the same time. Reach that delicate balance of aid that is both com-

passionate and affords self-help.

ingless.

RAY : (Smiling ruefully)

You can

One without the other

talk

anyone

into

you? HUSSAIN : If you don’t agree, I’ll be sprouting Bengali

is

mean-

anything,

can’t

poetry

before

RAY : (Laughing, slapping him on the back) Agreed, within There will be clandestine training camps...and weapons.

reason.

long.

Shall I try ?

(One of the Red Cross voluntary workers, a lissome blond English woman with a tired face and deep blue eyes, comes over to Ray.) ELIZABETH : Oh...Mr. Ray... (Ray turns around with a pleasuresome smile.) Ray : Ah, Elizabeth, I’d like you to meet my friend. Mr. Anwar Hussain, head of the Bangla Desh Mission. ELIZABETH : (Looks with him with interest) Hello.

RAY : (To Hussain) And this is our Florence She’s looking after the Red Cross here. (Elizabeth laughs easily. Hussain smiles.) HUSSAIN : You’ve taken on quite a job.

Nightingale,

Hussain.

ELIZABETH : (Her blue eyes sobering as quickly as they smile) Mr. Ray

I need money, and...

and

medicines,

and

food,

and

milk

RAY : (Feighning defence) Hold on, hold on, one at a time. got through with Hussain, and now you...

and

tents,

I’ve just

ELIZABETH: (Continues as though uninterrupted)...and more doctors, and more nurses, and better administrative controls... Ray : Why don’t you ask the Red

Google

Cross H.Q.,

my

dear.

May

be

ACT II SCENE 1

331

there should be some other countries too who should be prepared to bear part of the burden. ELIZABETH : Do you think I have'nt tried, Mr. Ray ? . They think I’m crazy the way I’matthem. The problem here straggers all imagination. They can’t believe it. HUSSAIN : (Looking at her closely with interest) Why ? ELIZABETH : (Looking back

tragedies

have

always

straight

into

his

eyes) Because

Bengal’s

been in millions : cyclones, famines, floods,

plagues, name what you will. It does not take on a Western count. People there do not get sufficiently aroused.

HUSSAIN : (Trace of smile in his eyes) But you do. Possibly you and make up for the others from your part of the world. ELIZABETH: (Tough herself) Mr. Hussain, I’m no

Florence

try

Nightin-

gale. We’re a small, a very small part, of the total effort required here. That’s why we have to push hard. RAY : (Laughing) Touché. Elizabeth, my dear, I have to go. Sita’s been enquiring after you. Why don’t you have dinner with us Sunday ? You too, Hussain ? Tl see you both.

(She nods.

They say goodbye.)

ELIZABETH : (To Hussain)

I heard what took place at the Bangla Desh

Mission. You should feel pleased. HuSsSAIN : (Walking with her) Not so simple. Elizabeth...if I may call you that. Well in a way it was easier for us. Here in Calcutta the majority of the Pakistan Consulate was easier to make a mass defection.

staff were Bengalis. It I worry about the few

Bengalis in other Embassies of the world. It must be a very cult decision for them whether they should defect or not.

diffi-

ELIZABETH : Yet you would not hesitate, would you ? HUSSAIN : No.

The same way you did not hesitate

spite of the general apathy abroad.

to

come

ELIZABATH ; (With humour in her eyes) Maybe I have a spirit after all. You wouldn’t like that, would you ?

here

in

missionary

HUSSAIN : Why ? ELIZABETH :

It’s a traditional Western concept : Religion,

scelitization, tingalism.

Conscience,

Google

Colonization,

Reformation,

God,

Pro-

even Nigh-

332

SONAR BANGLA

HUSSAIN: Isn’t that why you

came

?

ELIZABETH : No, I came plainly and simply because there was a need, and it didn’t matter to me whether it was in my country or in any other. Because the need seemed greater here, I was drawn to it.

HUSSAIN : That’s nice. of anyone

Though I must admit I for one cannot

think

or anything more at the moment than my own country.

ELIZABETH : Then surely it must be your greatest HUSSAIN : (Looking at her seriously)

need.

Do something for me,

Elizabeth.

Look for a needle ina haystack for me. There must be millions of refugees and dozens of camps. I’m trying to find a woman and her daughter.

They look very much like anyone here...

(Fadeout 8.

and darkness)

Shift back to Sumita and child, alone, waiting for

her

daughter

to return,

One gets the

impression

she has waited

long, riddled with anxiety,

while the condition of the child worsens, and she feels

through fever.

herself going

The rain comes again, this time asa cyclonic storm. She covers herself and the child using a discarded straw mat, praying, while the howling wind and rain rips through the flimsy protection. One imagines this goes on for a long time until the movement under the mat ceases altogether, while other stragglers of refugees either continue forging their way or collapse and die in the muddy fields and road.

For just a moment the bullock-cart stops near her.

In it is a weary

form of a man and his mother. The bullocks have panicked with the lightening and rain. The man gets out to steady them. MOTHER : Arun...under that mat I see a woman and child... ARUN : The storm’s lessening. The bullocks are quieter now. We'll be on our way soon.

MOTHER : The mother and child there, Arun... ARUN : (Continues ignoring what Across the river. No bridges. not to worry, mother.

she’s saying). We're not far now. I’ll hold the cart steady. You're

MOTHER: (Calling out) Arun, forget them for heavens dead. That woman and child there are still alive.

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sake.

They’re

ACT If SCENE I

333

ARUN : (Bursting out) So are tons and tons of people living and dying on this road, mother. What do you expect me to do. MOTHER : (Pleading) Go and see. Go and see, my son. (Arun goes underneath.

over to the matting. Goes back to the cart.)

Lifts

it.

Examines

ARUN : The child’s dead. The mother still alive. calling out ‘“Maya...child”’...

the two

She’s in a delirium

(Mother silent)

What shall I do, mother ? You'd like me to take them, wouldn’t you ? Why?

One

Why should we do it ? Why not someone else ?

more

everywhere.

mouth

to

feed.

Food’s

getting

short.

Besides, we don’t know what the child’s died of. sick. If it’s cholera, we’re risking exposure. What do you want me to do, mother ?

Hunger

The mother's

(The mother is torn between anxiety, the wish to do what must and would like to, but afraid nevertheless.)

everyone

MOTHER : Go and see her once again, and decide for yourself. (Arun goes over. Sees Sumita still clutching on to the child, held toher breast. Something about her look, her tenderness, her anxiety, catches him by the throat, reminds him ..) (He carefully detaches the child from her breast. Lifts Sumita to the cart. She crying out for “Maya”, ‘child’, but too weak and exhausted to resist...)

(He gets

a

spade out from

the

cart,

digs a hole, buries the child,

then returns to the cart, which moves on...)

9. Ray’s Hussain.

home with his wife Sita, They’re having dinner.

with

SITA: (Passing over the food) Come, Elizabeth.

guests

Elizabeth

and

Another helping.

ELIZABETH : (Jn two minds) I don’t know whether I should.

sita : Dieting ? You don’t need it.

ELIZABETH : (Smiling) Famous last words. siTa: Oh, where ?

Been eating out every day.

ELIZABETH : (Says without realizing it) Oh, Hussain’s quite a connaisseur...of food.

Google

334

SONAR BANGLA

(Everyone laughs, Elizabeth blushes slightly, as they get up.) (Women get together; men sit down for a smoke and chat.) RAY: Can’t tell you Centre, Hussain.

the amount of politiking that goes on at the Before you know it you become part of the

very system you set out to break.

HUSSAIN : That’s not what bothers me, Ray. It’s the power in politics that frightens. The immeasurable harm it’s capable of doing : to the people, the innocents in all this game. RAY:

You talk as though it

Surely

the

weren’t

reverse

can

also

a

premise,

capable

apply.

big

Ray.

any

good.

I'm assuming of course the

basis of democracy and socialism. HUSSAIN: It’s

of doing

That’s

what

we

have been

fighting for all along. Nothing is possible before independence. The free voice of the people. (Phone rings; it’s for Hussain.) HUSSAIN : (Jmmediately alert) Colonel? When did you come in. Yes, youcan speak. What’s happening. COLONEL : Bad. Bad news, Hussain. We’re being routed all over the place in spite of the propaganda we’re putting up through the Mukti Fauj radio and the A.ILR. HUSSAIN: Can’t you hold out alittle longer. We’re making the break-through here. COLONEL:

Sure.

But

it’s

costing

Pak army have system and hate and primitive weapons.

HUSSAIN: We'll

put

them

us

training.

through

a

hell-of-a-lot of lives.

the

Our

guerillas

drill

here.

only

The

have

I've just been

assured...(Looking at’ Ray)...that sophisticated armoury will be available. What about the peasant hinterland support ? COLONEL: They’re frightened, Hussain. Can’t tell you the type of wholesale slaughter the army are indulging in. But the more they kill, the greater are the volunteers we get.

HUSSAIN: (Hard) We come back to the same thing. You can’t kill freedom with greater oppression. The army still has to learn that. COLONEL: Meanwhile, they’re learning to exterminate...scientifically. A war machine, that’s what they are.

point of all judgement and sanity, fegimenting ‘through sheer terror,

Google

Hussain, they’ve passed

What

the

if they do succeed in

ACT II SCENE I

335

HUSSAIN: (Sweating, Not as long as

trying to convince himself) Never! people like us...can...reason and

Never! Fevolt.

Fundamentally. The Mukti Favj will grow...because it expresses a basic need...even if they kill over a million.

COLONEL : (With chilling reality) Ym afraid they're doing just that.

(Rings off ) (Hussain pale and drawn.) (The others just look at him, guessing the mood and trouble.) HUSSAIN : We'll have to step it up, Ray. RAY:

O.K,

(Elizabeth picking up her shaw!)

ELIZABETH: I’m afraid I have to go. There were afew cases of cholera and we’re fearing a general epidemic. I’m going to the hospital near the refugee camp.

HUSSAIN: (Shaking hands with the Rays) Goodnight Ray...(nodding to Sita)...Sita. We'll meet tomorrow. The Colonel will be there.

(Elizabeth and Hussain leave.)

(They approach the hospital, near the refugee camp.

It isa hospital

set-up by the International Red Cross. It is jam-packed with patients, lying on beds, lying on the floor, lying on the verandah outside, depending upon the seriousness of their condition. It’sa heart-rendering sight. Overworked hospital staff.) THE NURSE IN CHARGE : (On seeing Elizabeth) Oh, thank God, you're here. The cholera’s spreading. Most of the new Tefugees are bringing it in. ELIZABETH: (Changing

patients have

into

all been

uniform,

getting

down

to

work)

Our

innoculated? (Nurse nods) (To Hussain)

They’re also being inoculated before it’s too late by them.

they

cross

the

border...but

NuRSE: There isn’t enough saline. We'll run out in the next three days. ELIZABETH : I hope to God the consignment will come in time. (Hussain looking around, visibly torn at the sight of his own people in such distress.)

Hussain, there is no sense work to do tonight,

Google

in your staying here,

J have a lot of

336

SONAR BANGLA

(Hussain shakes his head negatively, starts to help, giving water here, saline there.) (It begins to rain. The awful stench of defecation pervades the hospital room.) ELIZABETH : There are no proper sanitary arrangements at the refugee

camp. With this rain, the water and dirt infect further people.

HUSSAIN : (Under his breath)

No end to if.

overflow.

It will

No end to it all.

beth, for every person they kill, there are out for yourself. Numbers. here...the real people.

will

ten

Numbers.

who

(Looking,

flee.

Eliza-

Work

it

helping) And

ELIZABETH : What did you say about...need...earlier. The realization comes...with the need, Hussain. (They work, throughout the night along with the hospital staff, admitting more refugees, caring for the sick, trying to get moments respite from the grief around whenever they can, until the early hours of dawn.) (Elizabeth and Hussain go each other, the moments

exhausted, and crying silently.

outside, close to each other, touching warmth and need. Elizabeth is

Neither exchange a word for a long

time.)

ELIZABETH : (Turning

her face, resting her tired head on his shoulders,

whispers) Hussain...I need...you.

(They leave.) (A few minutes later, a bullock-cart draws np near man carries a woman and goes up to the nurse.) ARUN : (To the

nurse)

You'll

take

her?

She’s

the

hospital.

unconscious.

A

Look

after her, I'll come back and see her. (He puts her down gently, then turns around and leads the bullock cart in the direction of the refugee camp.) (END OF ACT 11)

Google

ACT III SCENE I

The Liberation Force : Mukti Bahini A few months later 1.

Refugee camp.

MOTHER:

...You

Sumita and Arun’s mother.

were

lucky

to have

time it was a matter of touch and go.

pulled through.

You kept calling

For a out

Maya. I think it was the thought of her that kept you alive... SUMITA : (Eyes distant and sad)...Maya...

long to...

MOTHER : ...Naturally we thought the child who died was yours. SUMITA: Maya must have come and searched for me. I wish you

had left me there. MOTHER : What if she had eventually come to find you very sick or dying. It would have been worse. SUMITA : It’s worse...just not knowing, mother. Is she alive ? Is she dead ? Is she safe 7 I also think of my husband who was killed but

never mention his name.

One lives for the living.

MOTHER : I keep telling my son the same thing. SUMITA: Arun...

MOTHER :

I have another theory about your

survival.

(Sumita looks at her questioningly.)

Arun used to go to see you every day at the hospital.

change

in him.

The

will to live once again.

I noticed

a

It has a...strange

effect on others. SUMITA : (Smiling sadly, reproachfully) Mother... MOTHER: No, no, I have the unerring instinct of an old woman... (Arun comes in. It stops the conversation with the women.) Oh, Arun, there you are. I think of you and you come. (His eyes smile as he sees his mother. He also looks at Sumita and

there’s a shy acknowledgement with each other.) ARUN : I’m getting fed-up with this refugee camp.

and waiting in queues to be doled out the food.

MOTHER : Arun ! That’s being ungrateful.

Google

Nothing but stink

Where would we be...

338

SONAR

BANGLA

ARUN: I know. Iknow. In fact we're better looked after than some of the unemployed in the big city. But that still doesn’t change the position. MOTHER : Nobody’s stopping

you from

going out to work.

And we

won’t be here forever. ARUN : (Looking at his mother) Mother, you always did have alot of spirit, didn’t you. (Looking at Sumita) It runs in the Bengali women. MOTHER : (Grumbling, mumbling) (Getting out, going out to cook) I don’t know whether you’re making fun of me or not. The curse of being old. (Arun smiles as his mother leaves.) SUMITA : I haven’t seen you smile for a long time.

ARUN;

Nor I you.

(Both silent for

a

while,

dreaming

their own

private thoughts, not

Speaking it, but understanding each others’ feelings.) SUMITA : (Whispering, almost to herself) Perhaps my alive.

child

is still

ARUN : (Almost to himself) The past burns...but one can’t live in it all the time. There were others too... suMITA : (Aloud) You didn’t answer your mother’s question, Arun. (He looks at her.) ..about work...and living here forever. I suspect you have thought of something. ARUN : Yes, Sumita. SUMITA : Then why don’t you tell me. ARUN : (Silent for a few seconds, and then speaks) Do you know of the

Mukti Babini ?

SUMITA : (Hand going to her heart) Of course.

ARUN:

Do

border ?

you

know

that

they

SUMITA: I suspected it.

have training camps all along the

ARUN : Do you know that they are recruiting who are willing to fight ?

able

bodied

refugees

(She doesn’t answer.) Most of us have...lost someone.

Google

We’re thirsting for revenge.

We

ACT II

SCENE

I

also want...freedom.

339

This is the way to get it.

to avoid staying here forever.

This

is the

way

(Sumita still silent.) Mother doesn’t know. And I don’t want her to. I’ve been going out on small missions. Now I'll be away for a while. Let her think I’ve gone out somewhere on work. SUMITA : Where do you go out on your missions ? ARUN : Initially just across the border...later in the interior after having had sufficient guerilla experience.

SUMITA : Where...across the border...? ARUN : Could be anywhere...? SUMITA : ...Jessore...? ARUN : Yes. (Pause)

sumiTa : Arun, would you take me to your training camp.

(Blackout) (At the training camp : Yusuf and Arun) ARUN : You can’t possibly take her.

yusur : ARUN : What yusur : ARUN : yusur : ARUN : yusuF : ARUN :

(Shrugging his shoulders) Why did you bring her ? She insisted on it. use isa woman? She can’t possibly fight. A woman’s very useful for guerilla work. The least suspect. She won’t kill. What did you say happened to her husband? He was killed. (Nodding) She'll kill. She wants to go on any mission that'll take her to Jessore.

yusuF : Not until she’s trained, Arun. wanting something and getting it. ARUN: I told her so. yusuF: But she’s determined...?

(Arun nods.) Then she’ll make it... (Arun still unconvinced, worried...)

Google

It’s a long way

between

340

SONAR

BANALG

Oh, and Arun... ARUN: ... YeS...? YusuF: She'll accompany you,

of course.

(Both smile)

2. Hussain and Elizabeth. There is an air of softness and satiation. She’s lying naked in bed, the blond of her hair, the tan of her skin, glowing with the colour of youth and fulfilment. Hussain is partially clad, smoking, looking at her, dreaming, through the smoke. ELIZABETH:

(Stretching

out

her

limbs,

yawning,

Hussain...Oh, Hussain.. (Hussain continues tolook at her silently.) I...I can’t make out whether you’re violent...or you’re searching...without being able to find. Hussain, and I ask no more of you.

HUSSAIN: (Touching Elizabeth.

her

blond hair,

her

skin)

smiling)

(softly)

tender. Whether But you fulfil, You're

beautiful,

ELIZABETH : I tanned myself the other day. Felt the sun seep into my bones. It was a lazy...Jovely feeling...like now. I forgot everything. Everything else. That I was a foreigner...and that one day...I would have to leave. (Hussain doesn’t reply.) Wouldn’t 1? HUSSAIN : It depends on what you want out of life. ELIZABETH: I have no promises to keep, Hussain, like you.

where the need is greatest.

HUSSAIN: (Trying

to

make

light of it) (Smiling)

I 80...

In that case you’ve

come to the right person. ELIZABETH: (Serious) Have I ? Have I, Hussain? I sometimes think... you’re rather self-contained.

Or at least there’s

do not understand.

HUSSAIN: (Frowning)

a reach...

:

thatI

Meaning?

ELIZABETH : Who’s Sumita ? HUSSAIN : (For a moment taken aback, then recovers) I told

women...who

looks

like

Google

any

you.

other Bengali village woman.

A

She

ACT Iil SCENE i

341

grew up with me as a child...was part of the landscape...the soil... ELIZABETH : The first day we met you asked me to find her.

HUSSAIN : One out of millions of refugees.

She and her daughter.

ELIZABETH: Is she as beautiful as me? HUSSAIN : No. BLIZABETH : Have you ever made love to her ? HUSSAIN: Of course not ! ELIZABETH : Sorry, Hussain. 1 felt...slightly jealous, shall always

seemed

to

Difficult to explain.

sense

her

I say?

presence...somewhere...with

I

you.

Hussain says nothing.) Well, I found the needle in the haystack.

HUSSAIN : (Stiffens, alert) You found her 7

ELIZABETH : By a strange coincidence, she came to the very hospital I was looking after. When she recovered, she left for one of the refugee camps.

HUSSAIN : Which one ?

ELIZABETH : I don’t know.

But I was told by someone who came to

know her that she had gone back to East her daughter.

You could check on it.

Bengal.

To

search for

HUSSAIN : I see !

(Looking out through the windows, afar, beyond the green and gold.) (The sun streams into the room ; it touches the lissome bare figure lying on the bed, that stirs and responds...)

ELIZABETH: (Throwing aside the bedsheet, him,

the

sun

bathing

the

exposing

gold of her body...)

herself fully

Look!

to

Hussain,

look...am I not sonar too...?

(In her voice there is pride and defiance, yet a touch

Sorrow...) 3.

Sabotage

:

scene.

Rail

tracks

somewhere

near

of sadness

and

Jessore.

Two

men are desperately and with feverish haste trying to remove the fishplates and break the lines with crowbars (Yusuf and Ali). On

either side, keeping a watchout and helping out whenever possible, are

Arun and Sumita. They are looking around the sharp curve presumably for the train, or equally for Pak soldiers.

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SONAR BANGLA

342

ALI: (Boy in his teens) (Panting) This is hard work. yusur : What did you expect ? ALI: Just fasten the time-bomb and see it blow up a train-full of soldiers. YUSUF : (Stopping for a second) Ali?

ALI : (Looks up) Yes ?

yusur : Have you ever seen a time-bomb ? ALI: No.

yusuF ALI: yusuF ALI: YusuF

: Would you know how to set it ? No. : Do you know what time the train arrives 7 (Shaking his head desperately) No. : Then stop shaking your head and get back to work !

ALI: Y...yes.

Yes Sir. yusurF : (Grumbling as he’s working) Been seeing too many movies... (Looking at the boy again, tousling his hair) You should be in school, Ali. ALI : (Grinning) Yes.

yusur : A regular training school for sabotage. slick sophisticated explosives. Not petrol cocktails. Precision timed instruments.

With some of those bombs and molotov

ALI: It will come soon, Yusuf. I’m sure it will. are being supplied Indian army stuff.

Already the camps

yusur : We should also have the right field intelligence. other things what time the train comes in.

Amongst

ALL: I’d love to have a watch. (A little further off) (Arun and Sumita meet for a few minutes.) ARUN: Keep

a

watch-out,

Sumita.

There’s

Could be soldiers...could be train coming up.

a sharp

bend

there.

sumita : Could be both. ARUN: I’Il go the other way. But I'll be looking at you all the time. If you see anything, just signal and dash away...hide in the place I showed you. SuMITA : Yes.

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343

ACY fir SCENE t It’s just around that...

ARUN : You remember it, don’t you?

Don’t

suMITA : (Cutting it coolly) Yes, I remember, don’t worry. worry for me. ARUN : (Holding her hand) A...are you...afraid ?

SUMITA : Yes, but I know what’s happening. I know what I’m doing. ARUN : If...if the soldiers ever catch you... SUMITA : They won’t. (Something in her voice inspires confidence.) ARUN: We...we’re not going as far as Jessore this time. But we will the next. SuMITA : I know. ARUN : By then we'll be all better trained. And we'll have more help too. The Mukti Bahini is growing. We'll find your daughter.

SuMITA : (Nodding

slowly, almost

reassuring

the man

crowbar,

and heaves

so concerned

about her) Yes, Arun. Now go. I feel a faint...tremor on the tracks. Quickly...(Pointing)...get up there and see. I'll tell Yusuf

to

hurry.

(She runs to Yusuf, picks up

the

the other two, her will giving the others strength. ‘Arun runs up panting.)

In

along

afew

with

minutes,

ARUN : (Breathless) It...Its both. SuMiTA : (Coolly ‘straining away at the crowbar) Both what,

ARUN : The train and the soldiers.

Arun.

SUMITA : (Continues working) Good.

ARUN : (Catching her) Come on. suMITA : Give me a hand,

Let’s run.

Arun, quick.

Yusuf and Ali on the other

side. Now all together. (As they heave, sound of the blast of the whistle, until it seems almost on them)

train

nears,

(Sumita’s voice) THAT’S IT. NOW RUN. (All scamper. As blackout takes place, the rear of the train, like some dinosar, screams on the tracks, lurches, crashes, the train-full

of soldiers toppling like crushed match-boxes.) 4.

Another incident, presumably a few months

later.

Same

group

his new

watch,

of four, but with another four who have joined them.

modern arms and equipment. 4li keeps admiring and putting it to his ear every now and again.

Google

All carrying

344

SONAR BANGLA

YUSUF: Stop putting that watch to your ear

Ali.

every

ALL: Can’t they attach a radio transmitter to it? fashioned to me.

now Looks

and a

again, bit

old-

with

my

(Others laugh.) YusUE : I bet you can’t read the time yet. ALI: I bet Ican. Who cares anyway ? I’ve got more kills sten gun than anyone here. (Yusuf doesn’t reply.) SUMITA : True, Ali, but were they all necessary.

ARUN: war.

Yes, they were. Nobody ever kept a guerilla as a prisoner-ofA guerilla can’t afford it either.

YUSUF : It’s all hit and run with us, Sumita.

Yes, we’ve

:

learn’t

the

hard way, haven’t we. ALI: No other way. And our numbers have increased. (Holding on to his weapon confidently) And our weapons have increased. ARUN : We’ve come a long way...from crowbars...months

...I can even see in the dark now.

SUMITA : (Alert) But you can’t hear.

of training

Shhh...someone’s coming.

(All hide. Along comes a Mulla with a red (fez) cap, an impressive beard tinged with red mhendi—to cover the white hairs—a carpet in one hand together with the religious book, and a_ giggling, blushing, sexy-looking girl with the other.) MULLA: Abhh...my sweet beautiful creature. God made you so lovely...(Squeezing her hand)...that I must...ah...touch, to find if you’re real, fearful...fearful all the time, that its all a dream, and that you’ll disappear...

(Girl giggles in reply.) Abbh...what a lovely laugh.

Ah, gorgeous

maiden,

Like the gurgling...of virgin

let us sit here,

springs.

like Omar Khayyam, his

carpet...(Lets it drop)...his book, though this be religious verse... and thou, besides me, in this wilderness... GIRL : (Gurgling) Oh Mullaji... MULLA : (Looking around guiltily) Shhh...not so loud. (Looking up to heaven) Though we be in paradise, it’s wise not to disturb Him too much. Perhaps if we sit under this tree, we may not be

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ACT III SCENE I

345

directly under His gaze... GIRL : (Hesitating) But I thought... MULLA : (Pulling her hand persuasively) Don’t think my wise girl. Just listen to me. Ofcourse He sees all, and knows all. But knowing human frailty, He (Raising his loongi) Haven’t

gives me you seen

special...er...dispensation. the callouses on my knees.

(The girl squeeks ‘Oh’ and turns her face, now the Mulla caught up in his own passion

and oratory.)

My soul.. such as I would reveal to you...has the same callouses, For it has traversed the tortuous paths of heaven and hell several times.

(Shaking his head) He will not let me be.

He will

not

let

me be. I torment myself, thirst, wander through the desert, whip my body till the blood erupts, for I... too ..would suffer like the Prophet. (His breast heaving with passion and intensity, while the girl watches breathlessly) (Then taking her hand softly) «then comes the time for softness, sweetness and joy. That which He endowed us with, cannot be deprived.

Ahh...( Trembling,

looking her over lasciviously, starting to caress her, subtly unfastening : an experienced hand) ...and you have...such bontiful

nature... (Her flesh quivering at his touch...)

GIRL : (Almost swooning) Abh...Mulla sahib... MULLA : (Besides

himself

with joy,

almost

swooning

himself,

more

Frantic, less subtle now, knowing the time for action has come...) Keep saying it, keep saying it, my dear...Ahbh...let me close my eyes. It’s too much... (While he closes it for a moment, the Mukti Bahini people come from their hideout and stand in front, the girl sees them and bolts, the Mulla with his eyes closed unsuspectingly.) ...too much. Keep saying it. You're real; you’re not a dream... (One eye opening.)

(His voice dropping.) ...you’re not a dream; you're real... (Both eyes opening, he looks around, tears in his eyes, takes

in his hand,

and beats it on the rock till it bleeds.)

(The Mukti Bahini are in roars of laughter.)

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his head

346

SONAR BANGLA

YUSUF: (Amidst gasps Mullah from Mala. MULLA : Since

you

of laughter) At last...we meet...the You're quite a legend Mulla sahib.

give me no chance

Mad

to be real, you must contend

with my legendry. Pray was there ever a girl in my arms just now.

yusur : You were asleep, Mulla, MULLA: (Shaking his head; dream that was too real.

It was all a dream.

sorrowfully

sumITA: (Not unsympathetically) alone and let’s go.

but

Leave

wisely

too)

him alone.

MULLA: (Awakening, looking araund, looking ling again) Abbh...voices from heaven.

Alas,

the

Leave the man

at her,

his eyes

spark-

(Looking above) God-sent,

(Approaching her while others laugh in pleasantry) Mature...(Looks at her admiringly, but withdraws in fright the moment she fiddles with the gun trigger) Dangerous too...(others all laugh). sumiTa : Get on your way, Mullaji. MULLA : (Struck by her, some unknown mind) My way is your way, woman.

quality, in his own peculiar Lead and I shall go there. I

" shall follow thee to the ends of the earth. hear me men...hear me you woman ...that is...divinity.

all...for

For there’s something...

there’s something

about this

SUMITA : Are you out to convert me, Maulviji. I’m a Hindu woman. MULLA : Ah...I knew it. it.

From the moment I set eyes on you, I knew

You have given me an added mission

in

life,

Yes, I shall

propolytize,

shall try

to

convert

you

to them,

there

out you, heaven would not be complele. not by the sword, but by my love. sumiTa: (Glint in her eyes) AndI devout Hindu. (Laughter and cheers.

of 3 Pak behind.)

soldiers

Unknown

who have surrounded them.

LEADER: Drop your arms.

(Before anyone

irisay!! You're surrourded. (Everybody freezes.) (One of the soldiers comes around

and

woman.

is a

a

They emerge from

can swing

around)

takes

weapons from

the

You certainly kept them engaged.

Google

into

small petrol

them.)

Well done, Maulvi.

With-

DROP

ACT

HI SCENE

347

I

yusur: So he’s one of your quizzlings,

is he?

I took

him

for

a

buffoon.

LEADER: Good idea. He might be useful to us in future too. He’s the crazy Mulla who’s crazy about women, isn’t he? (Looking at Sumita)

Would be

interesting

to

see

how

he

(Nudging his companions) Yes, it might be fun.

works

you

over.

ARUN : You swines...(Gets a backhanded swipe from the soldier) MULLA : (Catching on fast) Of course it was an act.

Do you

think I

Make it fast.

Time’s

like to be interrupted during my...celestial meetings. (Pak soldiers laugh.) So Vil have to make it up otherwise...(going over to Sumita.) 1 knew the soldiers were behind you. Why do you think I did all that talking... (Yusuf is shoved back before he can make a lunge for him.)

LEADER: What do you have in mind, running out.

MULLA: (Picking up You'll wait.

the

Mulla.

rolled carpet) First

I must

pray.

Alone.

(Goes behind the tree, away from the irsight, presumably opens the carpet there, and one hears a few words of prayer...then...without

warning, he appears from behind the tree, carrying an old-fashioned rifle, steady and well aimed.) Drop it. I could pick all three of you before you could bat an eyelid. (One of them goes for his gun which the Mulla expertly shoots out.) I’ve always shot to eat before. Let me not shoot to kill now. Throw down your arms, men.

(They

throw

it down.

The

:

tables

Mulla is surrounded by the cheering over, he goes over to Sumita)

are Mukti

once again reversed. Bahini

men.

After

The

its

MULLA: (To her in earnestness, the jocularity all gone) Woman, I was tempted. You were offered to me. But I’ve never takena woman against her will. I’ve shall follow you...forever.

always

seduced her.

suMITA : (Folding her hands together) Namaste, Mullaji.

come to join our group.

(Blackout)

Google

And

now...I

You're wel-

348 5.

SONAR BANGLA A meeting of the Bangla Desh

Colonel, Hussain and Ray.

H.Q.

in Calcutta

between

the

COLONEL : The worst is over. There’s a new confidence growing. We’re receiving more and more volunteers, people who want to

fight more for freedom than revenge.

RAY : That's the stuff that new nations are built of. HUSSAIN : We'll never get there, Ray, at the rate going.

RAY : What do you mean ?

HUSSAIN: (Turns

to

the Colonel)

at which

we're

Colonel, would you like to

that. COLONEL : What we’re getting is fine but it’s not enough. Ray: Not enough man! Why we’re arming you to the

answer

teeth.

no secret we’re aiding and abetting you all over the place.

-

It’s

COLONEL: You don’t understand, Ray. I’m not saying you're not giving enough arms. In military terms what I need is logistical

backing...the kind that only an army can give. RAY : (Carefully, seriously) Are you implying that the Indian

army...

should cross the border into Pakistan...in order to support a hand-

ful of guerillas.

COLONEL : I’m saying that in order to win an outright victory guerilla action by itself is not enough. If your army could keep the Pakistan troops occupied on the border areas, my guerillas could attack the interior areas more effectively. RAY : (Angrily) The

kind

of border

skirmishes

Colonel, could escalate us into war ! (Colonel shrugs his shoulders, doesn’t answer.)

you're

suggesting,

HUSSAIN: Ray, you wanted to know how a victory is won and he told you.. Leaving the action on a guerilla level would mean a war"

of attrition that would go on and on. ‘You know what that would mean to your country in terms of looking after the refugees.

RAY : (His shoulders slumping) It would be ruinous. (Neither of the other two men work itself through.)

say anything;

they

let

Ray’s

worries

(Ray continuing, almost talking to himself) 1...1 get nightmares. Of ten million people crying for food in a hungry land. Everything

on

the

brink

of

a holocast.

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80%

Hindu refugees on

the

ACT III SCENE

I

349

verge of setting off a communal explosion. Towns in Bengal with more refugees than local residents, breeding resentment and hate.

Revolutionary

politicians exploiting

the situation

to

bring

about

HUSSAIN : (Winking at Colonel) It’s not as bad as that, all pastmasters at...““border skirmishes”. Just give push with tanks and military hardware.

Ray. it an

We’re added

chaos, The national budget going down the head, Hussain tapping him on the shoulder)

drain...(shaking

Ray : (Waking up, almost shouting) Just give it a “push”,

with tanks and infantry! That’s...brinkmanship! take me for...John Foster Dulles ! (Hussain and Colonel can’t contain their laughter.)

you

his

say !

What do you

HUSSAIN : Not to worry, Ray. You're well protected. RAY : (Smelling a rat) What do you mean ?

HUSSAIN : (Almost innocently) That Russian mutual defence pact was a marvellous bit of diplomacy. RAY: True, the lady’s smart. (Then suspiciously) What are you getting at ? HussAIN : We're approaching winter. You don’t need Colonel to tell you that a snow-bound Himalayas would effectively cut off the Chinese from attempting any...attack into India.

RAY: ...S0... 2 HUSSAIN : ...So that just leaves India and Pakistan to fight it out with a double military superiority of India over Pakistan, both men

and equipmentwise. . RAY ; (Sarcastically) While Bangla Desh goes its own way.

HUSSAIN : Correction. While Bangla Desh fights on the side of India for her liberation. : RAY : (Shaking his head) Sorry. No go. India is a peaceful country. HUSSAIN: (Angrily) Don’t give me that Gandhian stuff, Ray. Let’s face it: It’s in your interest to have Pakistan...dismembered. RAY : (Furious) Watch your words, Hussain! ‘You’re pushing me too far! First it was a little help to guerillas; now you want a fullscale border provocation which will invite nothing short of a declaration of war from Pakistan ! HUSSAIN: (Getting up, excited, almost embracing Ray) You've got it, Ray! Hit the nail right on the head! That’s the right way to do it: provoke them sufficiently so that they declare war on you !

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350

SONAR

BANGLA

RAY : (Too taken aback to speak) You...you’re crazy... HUSSAIN:

(Softly, appeasingly)

My Bengali brother, Ray,

what

alter-

native do we have? We have learnt from bitter experience that international pressures for a peaceful solution did not work out. And now we all don’t want to suffer from refugee nightmares forever. (Fadeout) 6.

Switch back to the same band of guerillas, except that

now

have a bearded, turbaned, Sardarji Brigadier of the Indian (14th Punjab Regiment) with them.

YOUNG ALI : (Looking at the Sardarji and shaking his

used to it.

they

Army

head) Can’t

get

yusuF : Can’t get used to what ? ALI: We’ve been fighting Punjabi to help us.

Punjabis

all

along,

and

here

comes

a

(All laugh.) SARDARII : It’s not always easy I assure you. we've been in the same military academy.

Often, before partition, Now we’re Indo-Pak

enemies.

ALI: I can’t imagine a Bengali ever fighting a Bengali. Why we have Muslims and Hindus fighting together for Bangla Desh. MULLA:

No

Sumita)

war

makes

any

sense.

Sumita dear, why don’t you

for the permanent heavens above. Islam.

But

love

forsake

does.

your

(Turning

to

reincarnations

Embrace me and you

embrace

sumiTa : Mulla sahib, think how amorous the pursuit would be if you followed me from life to life. (All laugh.) SARDARJI: To business now. First let’s be clear on my terms of reference. I can’t go beyond a certain point without risking an

open violation of foreign territory.

border

incursion

moral mandate.

ARUN

under

: In brass tacts this

the guise of “self-defence”.

means

Jessore brigade but not beyond.

Google

Mine has to be a temporary

that

you

__!

will

go

That’s...my

as

far

as

the

ee

ACT

IM SCENE 1

351

SARDARJI: That’s right. My army will There will be no Pak encirclement.

protect

you

YusuF: Field reports have shown me

points

of

the

from Pak

behind,

concentra-

tions on both sides of the bridge. If you can keep them off our backs from behind, we can demolish the bridge in exactly... (looking to Ali...)

yusur : (Watch, detonators, and expert handling by now)...10 minutes.

SARDARII: We’ll have practice rehearsals on every move. Minute by minute. (To the boy Ali) Are you sure you know how to handle explosives, boy. yusur : Like James Bond. (All laugh; fadeout)

(Scene at the bridge; a far cry from there

is expertise

and training now.

the old rail-derailment

Everything goes according to

clockwork. The Indian army have contained any behind.

The

guerillas

are feverishly

days;

at work.

encirclement from

Ali and Mulla are

sweating it out with the explosives. Arun and Sumita are on watchout with guns.) ARUN : (Looking at his watch) I wish they’d hurry. Difficult on both sides. The Sardarji Brigadier said exactly 10 minutes. Yusuf’s taking a hell-of-a-chance on the other side of the bridge. suMITA : I think I see Yusuf running now. (Shots and cries) He’s over to Ali and Mulla.

What’s holding them up.

(Yusuf comes

over,

running,

The Pak reserve have

spotted

(Shouting) YUSUF...COME OVER!

them.

panting.)

yusur : Th...they...Ali...Mulla...won’t come. M...matter of few minutes now. Touch and go. Explosives almost ready. So also Pak reserve. (Pointing) There they are... Fire...hold them off little longer...

(All three level their rifles and keep firing.) (At the bridge centre Ali and Mulla working frantically.)

MULLA: (Cool as cucumber) How’s it going, boy 7 ALL: (Equally steady, courage coming from somewhere fine, only few seconds now, then run for life... (His hand trembles, Mulla’s firm grip steadies.) MULLA :

Steady.

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deep)...All’s

352

SONAR

BANGLA

ALI: (Sweating) Mulla sahib, there may not be enough time. Why don’t you go ? MULLA : I always pray before sunset. ALI: (Shouting) GO, YOU FUCKING BASTARD ! THERE ISN’T ENOUGH

TIME

!

NO SENSE IN BOTH OF US BEING BLOWN SKY HIGH !

MULLA : (Helping him) They won’t allow this kind heaven, brother. (One of the Pak

shots

hits

Ali,

who

of vocabulary

staggers

back

in

mortally

wounded.) (Shaking him) Ali. aur! ! ALI: F...fuse set. You...ou’ve...got...60...seconds more... (Mulla dragging him, but the load too much, Mulla crying, feeling the boy who’s dead now, turning savagely, raising first to heaven.) MULLA : (Shouting like a madman, above, below, around) YOU FUCKING

BASTARD

!|

YOU

FUCKING BASTARD !

(Standing in the midst of the bridge, raised to heaven, weeping, shouting) YOU FUCKING BASTARD ! ! |

heedless

of fire

around, fist

(Back on other side of the bridge)

yusuF : The Mulla’s gone mad.

Stark, raving mad.

SUMITA : (Shouting) MULLA, COME OVER ! OVER!

(Yusuf gets up to.go to him.

stops her.)

Sumita stops him.

She gets up.

Arun

ARUN : No, no Sumita.

He’s finished. The bridge will blow up any

sumITA: He will to me

!

second.

He.won’t listen to anyone. He’s gone mad.

(She dashes out: runs over to him, pleads, catches him

drags

him,

by

barely to safety, before the bridge blows up.)

the

hand,

(Blackout) 7. Switch to Eastern Command Pak Army Bengal. Three senior officers discussing. Isr:

The pressure’s

2nD : 1st : 3RD : Isr:

What do you mean ? Mukti Bahini enlarging in numbers... We can handle them. Not when they’re supported by the Indian

somewhere

growing...

Google

army.

in

East

ACT

III SCENE

I

353

2np : Yes, that’s serious. 3RD : Why don’t they come out and fight. Nibbling on us time... Ist: That’s what they want us to do. Attack them...

all

the

3rD : Not a bad idea.

2np: Hold on. We're at a disadvantage here. We could be cut off in the East, if the Indian Army comes in totak conflict... 1st : But the squeeze is on anyway, The Mukti Bahini are...let’s face it...gaining fast in the countryside. 2Nnpv : We could hold out at the town cantonments...but how long ? 3RD : I think the top brass are thinking of sudden attack. Damn good idea. 1st : Do you think we'll catch them napping ? 3rD : Why not ?

1st : Surely they’d be expecting it.

intended

2NnD:

to invite attack.

Their provocations are probably

They outnumber us by two to

one.

3rD: One Pakistan jewan can outfight ten. Indians. lst: No doubt. But remember we’ll have two enemies here in the East. The Indian Army and the Bengali people. Wecan handle both. Tikka did a thorough job of the 3rD: Abh! Bengalis. Too bad he’s being replaced by Niazi. 2nD: He’ll follow the same policy, I’m sure. Push more refugees out. It'll equalize thé two popula3RD: Yeah. tions

in

majority.

East

and

West.

Who

knows

we

may

end

up witha

1st : For arguments sake of course, it could be said that we pushed them too far. 3D : (Laughing) Yes...right into India. Saddled her good and well with those

useless people.

1st: Not quite. The worms turned, friend. She’s risking a war now by incursions into Pakistan on the flimsy ground of self-defence. 2np : Aren’t we between the...devil and the deep. If we stay out, the Mukti Bahini will overrun us. If we retaliate across the border, we invite war. 3rp : If the choice were left to me...and I think the top brass in

Pindi share my opinion,..it’s war !

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354 2nD:

* SONAR BANGLA If it’s going to come, let’s get it over with soon. s This

eating

tension’ 8

into my nerves.

1st: The pressures growing... 3RD: ...it’s war then. (Blackout) 8. Refugee camp.., Arun and Sumita, She is sewing some ‘orn clothes. Arun ooking at her.

ARUN: Can’t.believe you’re

the same, woman...the helpless ‘village

refugee, .lying under the straw-mat...a few months ago.

(Sumita looks up and smiles.) Now you're virtual leader

of

our

guerilla

group,

the ‘bravest

.of

them all. sumita : Ob, Arun... : Doe : ARUN : No, no, it’s true. Your name is feared and respected. You’ve almost become a legend of the rebellion. SUMITA : (Simply) I only want my daughter. . .

ARUN : And you'll find her, Sumita:

Only, it’s too dangerous

to go

in the heart of Jessore town. You'll have to wait until Jessore falls.to the Mukti Bahini. . a SUMITA; But that may be months and months. Meanwhile I don’t

know how Maya is..

ARUN

;

: It might be quicker if India gets

Jessore

into

a

war ‘with

will be one of the first towns to be freed,

Pakistan.

SUMITA: One hopes...and hopes...and hopes but I can’t wait.

wait, Arun.

ARUN : It would be suicidal for the guerillas to go there.

The town

is swarming with informers. sumita: But I could get by alone. ARUN: What do you mean !_

SUMITA: Nobody

Ic can’rt

would suspect a lone helpless village woman.

ARUN : (Going up holding her) No!

You're too well known

now’ to

escape attention. Lite SUMITA : Let me go ! Don’t touch me ! I...I swore over my husband’s

dead body that I would protect Maya with my life.

ARUN : (Leaves her) (With finality) I won’t let you go alone.

(Mother comes hobbling in.)

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.

.

:

ACT III SCENE I

355

MoTHER : Ah...fighting. That’s good. two of you never fought. ARUN: Mother, you have a very large MOTHER: I also have eyes. They may but they’re still there to see. ARUN: (Putting out the kerosene lamp) (Turns over and goes

I was getting worried why imagination. _ not be as good as Goto

they

the

were,

sleep, mother...

to sleep.)

(After a while one sees the silent form of Sumita getting up, and leaving...) (The next day at Jessore, One imagines she must have made enquiries, and is. now being taken to a small, dark, dingy neighbourhood by an old man...) OLD MAN: You're lucky to have found me. I’m one of the few... survivors. This happened...you said...towards end March. A

young girl, accompanied an old woman,

came

Sen family...

here...to

the

Sunil

SUMITA: Yes. OLD MAN: Alas that family was no more. But there were others who gave them refuge. ‘The girl...what did you say her name was..

Maya...

SUMITA: (Anxiously) Yes...yes... OLD MAN: ...is safe and being well

and died.

fell sick

suITA : The girl.:

looked

~

.

The girl. Where’s she. Take me

OLD MAN: Patience...patience, woman.

me.

after.

there.

mother, did you say ? . suMITA: (Suddenly alert, through instinct) No, 1 didn’t (Stopping, as they walk)

?

OLD MAN: Where you want to go ‘2 Don’t

you

want

how she was..

survived.

And yon’re the say.

Or don’t you want to go

there.

to see the Hindu girl, Maya, for whom you came

all this way ? sumiTa: I didn’t come from far. OLD MAN:

woman

You're lucky to have found

The girl...she’s about 14, did you say ?

Where are you taking me

old

The

oo -A relation of hers wanted to ‘know on

True, ‘true, how am I concerned

7-P?m just lucky to have

There were not many like me who did, Take you : you

must have been

lucky

too,

Google

356

SONAR BANGLA

SUMITA : What do you mean ? OLD MAN : I mean a woman...single like you...would preferred to remain...in the refugee camp.

normally

have

SUMITA: (Stopping) I’m not from there ! OLD MAN : You bear the mark! All those who wait for rations at the refugee camp across the border have the mark. (Pointing to the mark on her hand) SUMITA : Where are you taking me ? OLD MAN : (Stopping, pointing toa room)

To

the

girl.

Do you want to come...or don’t you ? (Sumita undecided, torn between caution and anxiety.)

She’s

there.

(Man turns around to go.)

...the Army make enquiries. every day.

She may not be here

time you come,

(She

stops

SUMITA: Take

OLD MAN

next

him, gives money.) me

there.

: (Mumbling) You're

lucky...

(Knocks on the door; opened; furtive talks; Sumita asked to go in; door immediately bolted; elderly man and keeper turn the lock; Sumita bangs on the door, screams, then darkness

(The

barred

only

visible

windows

on

light

is outside,

and

and silence.)

it streams

through

the

which one sees portion of the matressed floor...)

(Darkness continues; form of a large man entering the room; Sumita in the corner.) MAN : Old men are never lucky; they’re just greedy. That’s how they survive. By giving information. SUMITA : He...he was an informer. MAN :

Planted.

We were expecting you.

SUMITA : I don’t know who are you. MAN: But I know who you are. You're

whom you’re searching.

You're

the

SUMITA : Wh...who’re you ? MAN ; I remain...unknown.

Google

of the

also the most wanted member

the Mukti Bahini... SUMITA : I’m a poor village woman... MAN : (Interrupting) You were.

mother

Not any more.

girl

of.

ACT If SCENE 1

357

suMITA : Are you with the Pakistan Army ?.

too.

Or are you an informer

MAN : Neither. But I belong to their group. suMITA : Wh...who then ? MAN: Tam...the liquidator. Ido the dirty jobs for them. Oh, initially they didn’t need me. They did it themselves. Now they want to be careful...and clean. So they send me out to do...their cleansing job...(Laughs chillingly) SUMITA : Y...you're mistaken.

You’ve made a mistake.

MAN: Who cares. You might be What’s one life, more or less.

the right

one.

You

might

not.

SUMITA : Then...there’s nothing I can do...to appeal 7 MAN : No, but you could

make it...easier.

SuMITA : How... ? (The man catches hold of her clothes, and tears it.) MAN : THIS WAY! THE WAY OF THE BEAST! (She strikes out at him, but he’s huge and powerful, and he knocks her down. She screams, struggles, while he plants her, lower and lower, underneath him...) (The light from outside. faint suggestive rays, continues to pour in the corner of the otherwise darkened room. All that is visible is the upper portion of Sumita’s body, bare, bathed in sweat and pain and shame, while the man’s

enormous, hairy, bare shoulders, tears at her

Flesh, her breasts, lugging inner mourns,

deeper and deeper, her screams turning to

till in an unbearable

spasm he

hugs her to crushing

Point, then releases, she too exhausted too repelled too faint to even tear herself apart, but lies there, with the alien, hateful beast still within her...)

(The door is crushed open,

off makes a plunge for

the

with

gun,

Arun-Yusuf-Mulla, but

is pinned,

the man

Sumita

rolls

covering

herself with what's left of her clothes. Arun cries out viciously in pain and hate, picks up the gun and is about to riddle the man...) sumiTA: (Hardly Maya...

audibley

N...nn...no.

F...find

ARUN: (The tears streaming down his eyes) happened to me. No more. No more... Yusuf hold him by the arms. Mulla..by tight...very tight.

Google

out

Twice! the

legs.

first...about

Twice

it’s

Hold

him

358

SONAR BANGLA

(The naked man is spreadeagled.) (Arun takes out ‘his long knife, approaches the man who knows what’ 's going to happen,

gurgling, hoarse,

and

screams

while

the

and

knife

screams,

till his

swoops

throat

turns

between’ the | legs,

.

decapitating, portion by portion, _dismembering with trembling precision, twisting and cutting...not allowing him to faint...)

Where’s she’?

Where’s the girl ...?

(Arun puts his head nearer as the man whispers, and.when its over, with a cry, the knife disembowels the man completely.) (Blackout) 9. Hussain looking out of the window. Something sadness, anger, longing written.all over his face. Ray dashes : in RAY:

disturbing him:

°

Put on the radio !

(Switches on.)

Voice of the Prime Minister : : “I speak to you ata moment of ‘great peril to | our country and our people... “Some hours ago, soon after 5.30 pm, onthe 3rd of December. Pakistan suddenly launched a full-scale war against us.. RAY: (Intercepting) I’ve just got news that the Pakistan air a force has

struck eight ‘Indian air-fields, and that, ground forces are shelling Indian defence Positions in several sectors along the © Western’ border... HUSSAIN: Shh... Voice of the Prime Minister: ‘ “T have no doubt that it is the united will of our people that this wanton and unprovoked aggression of Pakistan should. ‘be decisively and finally repelled... : (Hussain shuts off the receiver.) Ray : We were expecting it of course, but still it has come as a bit of

a surprise.

HUSSAIN:. ...the Indian air-force...? RAY: Virtually

unharmed.

An

doubt, intended to wipe us out. like a squib.

Israel-type

blitzkring

no

thin

that

But instead of a bang its gone off

The poor military fools spread

Google

attack

it

out so

.

ACT Ii SCENE i

359

there were hardlya few

going single have Navy West,

planes

attacking

each

air-field.

We're

into action now. I promise you, Hussain, there won’t be a Pak plane left in the East within the next week. The Army already started to move in. What’s more, we have the in this time too. They’re on the way to Karachi on the Chittagong

in

them in our grip at last.

(Hussain smiles,

the

East.

It’s total war now.

almost sadly,

the green and gold.)

and looks out

Hussain...Htissdin.:.what’s wrong

it more than anyone else. wanted all along HUSSAIN :

(Tightening

with you.

And .we shall win.

(Turning aroundgravely) ‘Yes.

his fist)

We've

of the window beyond You had a

hand

Google

in

Isn’t this what you

Yes, my friend.

But I was

just thinking...of the pain and scars that’s going ‘to tear my Bangla once again... FADEOUT

got

Sonar

ACT

IV

SCENE

I

The Final War. 1.

News Broadcast, froglike-drone from All-India Radio :

...this sums up the news over the last few days... After the abortive pre-emptive strike on December 3rd by Pakistan, India struck back with 500 sorties and within two days had total airsupremacy in Bangla Desh...

There is a Naval blockade on all East Bengal ports, and in concert

with the Mukti Bahini, Indian forces. in Bangla Desh... In an Union

have liberated

some

territory

emergency meeting at the U.N. Security Council, the Soviet vetoed an American resolution calling for cease-fire and

military withdrawal...

Today, December 7th, Jessore has been liberated by Indian forces... (Mukti Bahini mixed with Indian Army forces being cheered by the

liberated people of Jessore.) (The Arun-Yusuf-Mulla-Sumita moment they have cornered

group

are

there

too,

but

a quivering man in one of the

ARUN : (Striking him) Where’s she...where’s the girl ! (Pain and anxiety over Sumita’s face. There’s something

at

alleys.)

the

quiet and

withdrawn about her now, not the same active spark she had earlier.) (The man is terror-stricken.)

MAN : (Shaking) She...she was unharmed. 1...I swear it. in Jessore...and with friends...she escaped...to Dacca. ARUN: You're lying! MAN : (Blubbering) No...no...no.

I swear, it’s true.

ARUN: (Under a whisper to Sumita) It checks with

man said. Dacca

now.

Your

daughter

was

unharmed,

and

suMITA : (Weary, tired, relieved, whispers) Thank God.

Google

S...she hid

what the other

safe.

She’s

in

ACT IV SCENE i

361

(Shouts outside : “Traitor ! “Collaborators!” ‘“Quizzlings” “Informers !” “‘RAZAKARS |’ (A group of three people try to run through the alley, being chased by the Mukti Bahini and local people.) (Yusuf hold up the rifle and they stop. Pretty soon all the people

are on them, Spitting...)

hitting

them

yusuF : (Shouting) Wait!

blows,

stamping

on

them,

cursing,

Let’s finish them the right way...

(Crowd accept what he says with cheers.) (The quivering,

those in

pleading men

are tied,

much in

the same

way

that

on their face,

and then

slow piercing

with

THEM!

KILL

the initial massacre were,

cigarettes torture-marks

thén thrown

to the ground,

lit

bayonets, in all areas outside of the heart, with slow death creeping and screaming, the crowd cheering wildly, while Yusuf and Arun fanatically and systematically keep driving the bayonets...) CROWD:

BIHARI

TRAITORS!

THEM ! !

RAZAKARS!

KILL

ONE CRYING : They tortured my husband and child. ANOTHER : They didn’t give my son a chance. ANOTHER : THE SWINES ! THAT’S RIGHT! MAKE MORE ! MAKE THEM SCREAM BEFORE THEY DIE !

THEM

SCREAM

ANOTHER CRYING : They exterminated a whole village. ANOTHER : He stole my land, my property.

THIRD : He took my home, my self-respect.

(Child,

obviously one of the men’s children,

himself over crowd)

the father,

is trampled

to death

dashes by

the

over, flings

infuriated

(Sumita agast, cowering in the corner, shaking, completely shattered) sumiTA: (Holding

Mulla

by

them...they’ve gone mad...

the

MULLA : (Looking at her) My dear.

hand)

Mulla...Mulla

sahib...stop

They call me mad already.

they listen to me if I try to stop them.

Will

sumita : Is this what victory means ? They...they’ve become beasts. All. Just like that man who...who...Mulla, Oh, Mulla, won’t we ever learn to...

MULLA : ...forgive...?

forgive...? (shaking his head negatively)

Google

362

SONAR BANGLA,

SUMITA :...become... become human, once again. we,

MULLA : T don’t know. Perhaps. Perhaps over...and.the fire is gone... sumiTA : Go, Mulla. Try and stop them.

after all

the

They may

insanity

is.

’

listen to you.

(Mulla goes over...)

MULLA : In the name of Allah... (Crowd roars at him to get away. They are in a murderous mood, Even when Yusuf and Arun stop; others take up ‘the weapons .and continue to plough it into the dying prisoners.) MULLA : (Screaming) JEHAD! THERE IS NOTHING LIKE JEHAD ! There should

not

on

be no

one

wars...no

reprisals.

To

war...is

or both sides of those who fight.

And you shame Him now. (Crowd screams

and surges.

In

the guns

unholy.!

God is

God is on neither.

‘

that shoot

around,

the

changing of bayonets, the vast confusion, a bullet hits the Mulla,

perhaps from

dying now.)

an assassin-unknown, perhaps nobody’s Sault.

:

Mulla”

(Sumita rushes over to him. Crowd in a hush now. The Yusuf-Arun band surrounding the bearded holy man, held in Sumita’s arms.) -* =:

MULLA : (Smiling weakly at Sumita who's crying) Tears 7 Tears, my dear. Does it matter that we shall meet in my one heaven, or in your never-ending lives...Sumita my love...Hold me.. (Sumita buries the bearded old man’s face within her breasts and cries, rocking him in grief and death-ecstacy, she cries...) 2.

The U.N. Security Council..

Ray is sitting next to the Indian Permanent Delegate. Hussain comes and joins them. They talk in undertones while a formal resolution is being drawn for cease-fire and withdrawal of troops.

up

RAY: (In undertones to Hussain) Things going wrong, Hussain, They’re ganging up against us. The Americans are behind it all. Can’t understand why they're leaning so heavily in favour of Pak. HUSSAIN:

Is

there

a

resolution

withdrawal of troops 7”

coming

uP

for cease-fire

and

RAY: Yes. The Americans have done a hell-of-a-lot-of“lobbying. They just can’t forget acting the world’s Policeman.

Google

:

AGT IV SCENE J

363

HUSSAIN : What happens if they get it through ? RAY

: It’s going to be very difficult.

both

Desh.

in the debate

HUSSAIN:

here,

and

What we need is time.

The

British

a

crucial

stage

now,

our near break-through at Bangla

Time.

Can’t

:

The

:

PRESIDENT: ...found it necessary to call an emergency session...to

°

you swing them over?

and

We’re at

yy

the French

The Russians...

seems fairly neutral.

RAY: Yes, we're depending on them now. resolution is coming up for vote. © ' (Microphone

Shh...listen.

voices of the President putting up the resolution...)

consider.. ithe deteriorating situation which has led to armed clashes

between India and Pakistan...

RAY

*

“

: (Jn undertones) The Communist Chinese delegate

Huang

‘

Hua

and American delegate George Bush” have “branded | India as the ‘ aggressor... : SAMAR SEN: (India’s Permanent Delegate butting in) (To Hussain, Pointing

to

the

Soviet

Delegate)

MHussain...there’s

the’ Soviet

Delegate Yakov Malik. Let’s keep our fingers crossed | now...'° “ PRESIDENT: ...tabled the resolution for immediate cease-fire and withdrawal of troops... SAMAR SEN

: Pakistan’s banking on this.

—

too if we can kill'it.

HUSSAIN: (Praying as he’s never prayed

It is her only hope.

.

before,

slowly

table with a closed fist, whispering to himself) Kilt a strong whisper) KILL 1T!

it.

banging

Killit!

SOVIET DELEGATE YAKOV MALIK : (Getting up; the hall in a hush)

Ours

:

the

—

(one

.

(Gn :

word) NYET

(Fadeout) (From the impressive hall of the Security Council, to the bathreom for the delegates...) RAY : (Talking while he’s pissing near the white marbled container) That was a close shave. : HUSSAIN : (Pissing too)-Yes.

(The British and French delegates come in. :

piss-pot.)

RAY : Hellow, Andre.

ANDRE: Liberté.

.

:

They stand astride the

Good of you to be neutral.

Google

: .

364

SONAR BANGLA

(British Delegate unzipping his fly) SIR JOHN : Ob I

say have you any

idea

how

long this thing will last.

Better make it quick, you know. It’s getting dashed uncomfortable with the Americans doing the war dance.

RAY : (Introducing) This is Hussain from the SIR JOHN : No local standi, what ?

HUSSAIN: Right, Sir John. dent

nation

we

Bangla

But not for long.

pledge to

look

And

after all British

Desh

as

Mission,

an

indepen-

trading interests

there... SIR JOHN: (Gives a guffaw and zips up his fly) That’s the kind of diplomacy I like. Money and a sense of balance. (Washing their hands, straightening out their tie, etc.) (Pak Delegate comes in together with the American.) PAK DELEGATE : (Sourly to Hussain) What are you doing here, Hussain. Looking for more defectors. (Bathroom door opens and another Russian “NYET” comes through clearly.) HUSSAIN: (Grinning) Don’t need to. (The American's zip is stuck.) Why don’t you unzip your friend, Zubair.

knots. (Ray and Hussain laugh. Others leave. ANDERSON : (Extended hand) Hussain !

He

seems

tied

up

in

Anderson comes in.)

HUSSAIN: (Taking it) Andy! What the hell you doing here. what the fucking hell is your government up to.

And

ANDERSON : (Clucking

bad

his

tongue)

Cluck,

cluck,

cluck,

cluck,

words won’t get you anywhere, Hussain. Actually, like the American people, you don’t really have a clue as to what’s really going on. That’s why I followed you and Ray here. RAY : (Quizzically) Here ? In the bathroom ? ANDERSON : (Grinning)

Only

place

that

isn’t bugged.

I should

know about bugging. Come, there’s one bathroom that’s closed on all four sides. I’ve gota little tape here I want you both to

hear...

(They crowd over to the bath room, close the toilet seat, sit on it or

stand, while Anderson plays his tape from the match-box.)

HENRY KISSINGER’S

VOICE : I’m getting hell every half hour

Google

from

the

ACT IV SCENE I

365

President that we’re not being tough enough on India, He has just called me again. He does not believe we’re carrying out his wishes. He wants to tilt in favour of Pakistan. He feels everything we do comes out otherwise. ANDERSON: That’s

Special

Action

Henry

Kissinger

Group...an

at

adhoc

a

group

meeting of the American

of foreign policy crises

managers...called at a top secret/sensitive meeting... (Amused at the surprised expressions on Ray’s and Hussain’s faces,

continues...)

HELMS : Yahya’s speech today referred to the ‘final’ war with India. Moscow is supporting Delhi throughout. SAMUEL DE PALMA (Assistant Secretary of State): Both Yahya and Mrs. Gandhi are making bellicose statements. It we refer to Mrs. Gandhi in our statements, do we also have to refer to

KISSINGER : The President says either the out

the

bureaucracy

Yahya’s ?

should

put

right statements on this, or the White House will do it.

DE PALMA : We will have difficulty in the U.N. because most of the countries who might go with us do not want to tilt towards

Pakistan to the extent we do.

KISSINGER : Whoever is doing the backgrounding at State’ is invoking the President’s wrath. Please try to follow the President’s wishes...Nothing will happen at the Security Council because of Soviet vetoes. The whole thing is a farce... On Agency (for International Development) matters, the President wants to proceed against

India

only.

We

need

public statement to explain our action... (Tape over. Hussain lets out a long low whistle.)

to

develop

a

HUSSAIN : What do you propose to do with this,

ANDERSON: Publish it.

HUSSAIN : You’re crazy. They'll throw you in jail. ANDERSON : They might...though I doubt it. You see, the public statements being made by the White House are a blind on actual events.

That’s concealing things from the people.

how conscious we are about our rights.

HUSSAIN : 1’m glad there are some who

are

prepared

And you know to

accept

responsibility too. ANDERSON : I don’t think you’ll sound so pleased when you hear

next

one.

(Both men

look

Google

at him

anxiously)

the

the

1 have reason to

366

‘SONAR BANGLA

believe that American arms are being supplied to Pakistan through third countries in the middle-east. I also have reason to believe that the 7th Fleet is going to move in soon to the Bay of Bengal and

that

the

Chinese

are

contemplating

an imminent

The only way to avoid this is by capturing Dacca

claiming

a

friends...

new

Republic.

But

you

don’t

invasion.

immediately and

have much time left,

(Blackout)

3.

call

Broadcaster announces: ‘This being

Manekshaw...

given

SAM MANEKSHAW

by Indian

Army

is a ‘soldier to soldier’ radio Chief of Staff Generat

: “...Dacca is surrounded in a

pincer

Sam

movement.

Stop fighting and surtender. Should you not heed my advice and try to escape, I assure you certain death escapes you. If you surrender, you will be treated as honourable Prisoners-of- war according to the Geneva Convention...

(Gen A. A. K. Niazi, Commander of the ‘Pakistan Forces Desh, shuts off the radio.) -

in Bangla

NIAZI: Never! We will fight to the last even if it means the destruction of Dacca. In the persuit of jihad, nobody dies. He lives forever. As Bhutto said, “If necessary Pakistan will wage a 1,000-

year war”

(He is talking to Maj.-Gen. Farman Ali and civilian governor, Dr. A.N. Malik. Major General Farman Ali, who was Pakistan’s Chief Military Representative in East Bengal, has been replaced by Niazi.) FARMAN ALI: (Dryly) At the moment’ its doubtful if we cai 1 Wage a . 1,000-minute war. NIAZI:

I am here commanding my troops by the will of Allah:

I will never desert ‘them. FARMAN ALI: Meaning ? NIAZI: (Who has reswitched the increases the volume) Listen :

And

. transistor,

and

listening

softly,

SAM MANEKSHAW: “I know you have planned an escape, Farman

Ali. I know ‘that five of your merchant ships are disguised and the pilot for RK623 will be ready. to leave by 18 hours, I

have

instructed

all my forces to deal with this situation.’

Google

You

“ACT: IV SCENE I

367

will be getting your merchant ships and armed forces destroyed '

if you do this. military lives.”

I have

warned

you

because I want to spare

(Farman Ali keeps silent.)

Niazi: Furthermore I am also aware that ‘to U.N. Secretary General U Thant Mailitary and civilian personnel to West FARMAN ALI: (Defiantly) Well? NIAZI: (Softly) Your message has been ‘personally at Islamabad... FARMAN ALI : It’s madness to continue. NIAZI: (Continues softly)...and ordered ‘Eastern Command. GOVERNOR MALIK: Gentlemen, gentlemen, be fighting amongst ourselves...(Dabs ‘my...er...position

as

E.

Bengal

delicate. My...er...Ministers ‘resignation : NIAZI: What 7 Rats, you all. FARMAN ALI:

you have directly pleaded for aid to evacuate the Pakistan... : countermanded ‘by Yahya

me to

civilian

are...en

replace you as GOC

this is hardly the time to his sweating forehead)...

os

governor

is...er...most

masse...considering...er...

I’ve never seen such speedy advancement before.

Their

infantry took on an “outflanking operation” and surrounded us whilst ours dug in with trenches and bunkers. The Navy’s completely blockaded the Bay of Bengal ports, and the Air-Force are dropping Indian paratroopers this very moment into Dacca. GOVERNOR MALIK: Perhaps...er...there’s something to the saying... that...er,..that the Pakistan...er...Generals have ‘become. -politicians instead of fighters. NIAZI: (Reddening) The Americans will intervene. is on the way. The Chinese will also intervene..

FARMAN ALI: So also are the Russians.

Their

7th

Fleet

About 20 of their warships

are moving rapidly to the Bay. They’re also prepared for a border conflict with China. In other words there'll be'an armed stalemate

here...the

same

way

that

there’s

a verbal stalemate in the U.N.

That leaves just...India and Pakistan to fight it out. Correction: that leaves just East Pakistan to fight it out without any help from the West. Are you, General Niazi, prepared to sacrifice ‘a 100,000 or more of your troops to satisfy your own. vanity.

NIAZI : (Paleirig, sweating, to himself) Yahya has betrayed us.

Google

¢

368

SONAR BANGLA

FARMAN ALI: Certainly I planned the escape, not only for myself but for all of us including our troops. Have you ever thought, gentlemen...(His

voice

coming

down

to

a chilling

note)

what

become if we were all ever tried...as war criminals...

(Governor Malik scurries home.

Indian

aircraft,

and he

seeks

would

The Governor’s house is strafed by

shelter

in

a

bunker along with his

family. The first air-strike had pocked the Government building only slightly and set fire to the rooftop fuel supply for the diesel generator...)

MALIK : (A balding bespectacled Bengali, sitting on the bed, with his German wife and daughter) Should I resign ? Should I not ? What should I do? (Suddenly the air-raid sirens sound again and the Indian jets start another rocket attack. The deafening burst of shells and bombs visibly shakes him.

He nervously takes out a

ball-point pen,

writes

out his resignation, passes it to a journalist to check. Then with sudden cool and calm...having gone through the worst, he removes

his shoes and socks, carefully washes his feet, puts a clean handkerchief on his head and kneels down to pray in the corner of the

bunker...)

,

(Then through pre-arrangement with the Red Cross, Dr. Malik and his family and a dozen Cabinet Ministers...who have resigned en masse...seek the protection and shelter of the Hotal Intercontinental which has been made into a neutral zone.) 4.

There is a quite drama taking place at the

Hotel

Intercontinen-

tal. Swarms of people are running over there to take to refuge. As the city begins to fall, different nationalities scramble to take the last plane out, fearing new violence. (There are Red Cross workers, and journalists who have now volunteered to screen all people coming in.) , HARASSED OFFICIAL : Passports please. Passports, please. 1 WON'T LET ANYONE IN WHO HAS NO7 IDENTIFIED HIMSELF AS A FOREIGNER LEAVING THE COUNTRY. voice : When does the plane leave 2?

Will they take me ?

ANOTHER : Landing permission for foreign evacuees was given... now there has been some mix-up.

ANOTHER: Please Jet me in . please...they’re out to kill me.

Google

But

I...1...

ACT IV SCENE I

369

gave some information...once. ANOTHER: Here...take this money. I have thick. Only get me out from here.

wards

of it...2

inches

ANOTHER : Some quizzlings tried to worm their way out through false passports.

away.

They

were

(Along comes the hated quizzling)

caught

Chairman

at

the

last

of the Dacca

moment

Peace

and

turned

Committee,

a

SOMEONE POINTING TO HIM : He’s responsible for the murder of 3,000 Bengalis over the last 9 months. CHAIRMAN : Shut up!

Let mein.

LET MEIN!

OFFICIAL/REPORTER : Sorry, Sir. CHAIRMAN : Let mein.

I order you.

OR ILL

BLOW

MY

WAY

INTO

THIS HOTEL ! DO YOU KNOW WHO! AM ! I AM THE CHAIRMAN OF THE DACCA PEACE COMMITTEE ! OFFICIAL : (Harassed, not caring, but worried for everyone, women and children and all) Precisely, Sir. Now go away...otherwise I'll have yon thrown out.

CHAIRMAN : Ill call...’ call...the army ! OFFICIAL : Which one ? (Chairman fumes, turns around, leaves hurriedly, hiding, hiding.) UN DIPLOMAT : (Announcing) Last flight leaving in half an hour. Let’s go ! (Rush to air-port) Where’s John Kelly ? ANSWER : He said to go ahead. He’s in a pow-wow with the Pakistan Commanders about General’s offer of unconditional surrender...

,

(Partial blackout)

5. Another part of Dacca. Arun and Sumita along with the Mukti Bahini, advancing, they tangenting off to the address of the person who’s supposed to know about Maya.

ARUN: (Frantically catching hold of the person) We

would know, friend. her mother...

Where’s the girl?

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were

Where’s Maya.

told

you

This’ is

SONAR BANGLA

PERSON: No time now. there { Let’s go. Take ARUN: The girl, the girl, PERSON: Maya? Did remember her. She’s mother ?

(Zo Sumita)

Dacca’s falling...is it surrendering ? Look over the city. Free our people at last. where is she ! you say her name was Maya? Yes, I escaped harm miraculously. You’re the She’s safe.

Where’s she ? suMITA : Thank God. PERSON: As soon as she heard that Dacca was being liberated, she left, ran like a deer... SUMITA : Where 7? Where ? PERSON: To her home. I believe it’s not too far from here. A few miles. In the other direction. It’s a safe area. You don’t have to worry for her now. (Sumita turning around and about to run herself.) (Arun catches her.)

ARUN : Where are you going ? SuMITA : To her. To her...and home. A few hours more won’t matter. ARUN : But she’s safe, Sumita. If they won’t surrender, We’re on the outskirts of Dacca now. we will invade. I don’t care for your war. SUMITA : No, I go the other direction. ARUN : What are you saying, Sumita ? Dacca’s a stone’s throw from Yusuf’s dead. I can’t leave here. Everything we ever wanted. our group now. You can’t either. SuMITA : I will.

I will.

ARUN : Sumita listen. leave forever. (Sumita looks up at

Let go of me. For the last time. him for

Leave me

a fractional

suddenly between them, her heart torn,

but

second:

her

struggles, frees herself, and runs a like deer...)

SUMITA: (Voice

Maya...

going

faint

as

she

mind

now...and a wide

decided.

you chasm

She

disappears...) Maya...Maya...

(Fadeout) 6.

United Nations Radio relays Niazi’s surrender :

PLEASE INFORM THE INDIAN HIGH COMMAND SURRENDER MY ARMY UNCONDITIONALLY...

Google

THAT I AM PREPARED

TO

Cah

370

ACT Iv SCENE 1

371

TIME : 4.31 P. M. DECEMBER 16TH.

LT. GEN. NIAZI, COMMANDER OF PAKISTAN FORCES IN BANGLA DESH Less than an hour later, Indian troops rode triumphantly into Dacca as Bengalis went delirious with joy.

From the Intercontinental Hotel, time

Correspondent,

Dan

Coggin,

reported :

(This action to be shown.) IT WAS LIBERATION DAY! DACCA EXPLODED IN AN -ECSTACY OF HARD-WON HAPPINESS. THERE WAS WILD GUNFIRE IN THE AIR, IMPROMPTU PARADES, MILITARY AND HORN HONKING, AND PROCESSIONS OF JAMMED TRUCKS AND CARS, ALL MOUNTED WITH THE GREEN, RED AND GOLD FLAG OF BANGLA DESH. BENGALIS HUGGED AND KISSED INDIAN JAWANS, STUCK MARIGOLDS IN THEIR GUN BARRELS AND

SHOWERED

THEM WITH

GARLANDS

OF

JASMINE.

IF

‘JAI

BANGLA’ WAS SCREAMED ONCE, IT WAS SCREAMED A MILLION TIMES... (Then came the ceremony of the surrender.) Bowing to the inevitable, Niazi divested himself of his epaulette of rank, unloaded his revolver and finally pressed his forehead to that of Lt.-Gen. Aurora as an act of submission and surrender.

Niazi was on the verge of tears; his face pale and haggard.

(This action to be shown.) The thump of field artillery and the crackle

of

small

arms

faded

into silence in Dacca as news reached that the battle had ended in surrender. Four hours later, India announced a unilateral cease-fire. Prime Minister Indira Gandhi said: “In order to stop further bloodshed and unnecessary loss of lives we have ordered our armed forces to cease

8 pm”

fire

everywhere

on

the

7.

Back to Intercontinental Hotel.

the

lounge

with high-backed chairs.

western

front

from

tomorrow

Hussain enters it, goes

over

to

He looks very tired and drawn,

though considerably relieved. His meditative face breaks as he sees a bottle of burbon on the table.

into smile

HUSSAIN : (Stretching out his hand to take the bottle) Burbon ! (From the high-backed chair springs out

outstretched hand)

Google

Anderson,

takes

Hussain’s

372

SONAR

BANGLA

ANDERSON : The name is Anderson. (Warm and affectionate greetings) ANDERSON : So you made it, Hussain. HUSSAIN: In a way the task is just way to go...in nationbuilding.

My congratulations.

starting.

ANDERSON : You look very tired.

We

still have

a long

Is there something wrong ?

HUSSAIN : (Brushing his hand over his face) Possibly just...exhaustion.

ANDERSON: You kept pushing yourself all the time. You should be pleased and relieved at having got there. HUSSAIN : (Distantly) Not till I reach...home. ANDERSON : Home ? HUSSAIN : ...only a few miles from here. My home, where my mother

was buried...and where...the life exists... ANDeRSON: Your attachments were

of

‘always

personal and national.

(Hussain’s

wry,

my

country... deep,

my

feeling

Hussain...both

tired smile)

ANDERSON: (Raising the glasses) Drink to that. Well, Hussain, be seeing you. Where there’s trouble, I’ll always be there. long... HUSSAIN : Bye. (He leaves. One of the red cross officers comes over...) R.C. OFFICER : Mr. Anwer Hussain ? (Hussain nobs.)

Chief would like to see you in the HUSSAIN : (Puzzled)

Chief

(Taken to the room,

perfection (Smiling)

I'll So

office.

?

left there.

of Elizabeth)

Hint

of perfume,

and

the

blond

I always

told

you.

Elizabeth...

(They embrace, but with a distant sense of separation.) ELIZABETH: Oh

Hussain...Hussain...

HUSSAIN : You...here ? ELIZABETH : ...where I’m needed most, Hussain.

(Hussain

coughs. Sways slightly)

What’s wrong, Hussain. You don’t look at all well. HUSSAIN : (Again the tired rueful smile) I guess I need looking after.

ELIZABETH : But not by

me

?

Google

ACT IV SCENE I

373

(Hussain’s eyes smile sadly in reply.) HussAIN : (At

last)

You’re

the

most

beautiful

woman

I’ve

ever

known. You’re the most lovely woman I ever made love to. ELIZABETH : You're still not saying what I want to hear most. HUSSAIN : Is there anything more ? : ELIZABETH : There is an old saying that says...if only it had been... place...even another life...

time...another

another

(Tears in her eyes, softly...) Goodbye, Hussain, goodbye, my love... (Hussain turns around and leaves, walking slowly, carefully, in

pain, while the crowd outside roars : MUSIB

MUJIB

! WE

Scene in solitary confinement in Minawali where Mujib has

been

WANT

8.

BANGABANDHU

|! WHERE’S

MUJIB REHMAN...)

imprisonment for nine long months...

musIB: (Jn soliloquy; to himself) Alone...and alone...and alone...and alone...for nine long months...no one to talk to...to know what’s

become of my family...and

home...

It didn’t matter...the earlier imprisonments...they weren’t solitary .. and the nation didn’t depend on me...nor was I ever under sentence of execution... (Sound of warden outside with spade, digging Mujib’s grave) court: (Judge) The trial has lasted for 6 months, Mujib. Have you anything to say for yourself7 mujiB ; Yabya is the Chief Martial Law Administrator, and he has ordered this trial. The question of my defence does not arise. Tell Yahya to do what he likes.

JuDGe : The verdict of this Military Court is that and that you are going to be hanged. And so I wait...and wait...and wait.

you

are

guilty

Even fear, my companion,

is tired. I feel a change within. It matters less to me, my own life, for the first time, than the life of my nation... JAILER : (Enters) You are to follow me.

Not a sound.

MUMB : Does it matter if I am shot escaping. me anyway. I'll follow... (Gradual darkness and then partial light:

taken far

away,

and now

Google

sees

They’re going to hang passage

of time.

He

is

sitting on the chair, a man in mufti

374

SONAR BANGLA

smoking a cigar, but with the

semi-darkness,

military

stick

on

the

table.

In

the

he cannot see who it is, then recognizes Bhutto.)

muiiB : (Surprised) Bhutto ! What on earth are you

doing here.

BHUTTO : (Grinning)

I am now the Chief Martial Law

BHUTTO : (Gripping

the

Administrator

and the President. Your savior too. Muli : But I thought you did not believe in martial law authority. army

baton)

A

temporary

expendiency.

Marvellous how fast you can get things done with it. Best of both worlds. But I have promised civilian rule before long, and now we have a little chat.

MUJIB : First tell me whether or not I am free and

to talk—otherwise not. BHUTTO: You'll be free to go, but I’d like to time.

MUJIB:

talk

then

I am

to you

That’s the least I can do for a man who’s saved

BHUTTO : It wasn’t easy, I assure you.

for

my

Yahya wanted

ready

to

some

life. hang

you

the same day as the fall of Bengal...yes, Bengal has been occupied by Hindu India...but 1 was able to get you out in the nick of time. MuuiB : Tell me more about...Bengal having fallen .. BHUTIO: (Waving his hand) Well, you’!! come to know about it all pretty

soon.

Yahya made a

mess of things, as the military always

do, and has left a number of Pakistani prisoners in Indians. MusIB : So if anything had happened to me, you might those prisoners. BHUTTO : Right. Now Mujib, I’d like to make a deal muyiB : No deals, even if you make me a prisoner like BHUTTO : I’d like the West and East

together. If you want to give it to you. the

hands

of

never get back with you. Yahya did.

of Pakistan

to

hold

on

some autonomy in the East. I’m prepared

MusIB : (Laughing bitterly) You were

wings

the

know

very

well,

Bhutto,

one to scuttle the talks in the first place.

that

you

You’ve turned

full circle in wanting to give me now what you refused earlier. Only a number of my people have been killed in the meanwhile, and now there can be no retreat

from

full

independence.

BHUTTO : It wasn’t entirely my fault, Mujib.

We

would

have

Yahya was blind:

found he

a way

could

Google

only

We're both

politicians.

out...a way to compromise. see

black

and

white.

For

But

a

ACT

IV SCENE

I

375

politician there is nothing greater than power. MusiB : (Quietly) I’m not a politician any more, Bhutto.

BHUTTO: (Laughing cynically) Oh...I see. A statesman? A martyr ? The blood of martyrs has made you great, has it. But only dead martyrs survive. Living one’s don’t. People get disillusioned soon. Only the politician learns to survive. MUJIB : We shall

see.

BHUTTO : So we shall. Meanwhile...glory awaits you, Mujib, the once

in a lifetime... (Putting out his hand and shaking it with Mujib)

(Sound of his countrymen’s

voices

: “Joi Bangla”

“Joi Bangla’, “Joi Mujib”...the roar of millions return home.)

(Also comes the sound of his voice in

munis:

the

on

‘Joi Mujib”

his

victorious

last soliloquy...)

“Till December 27th, when I met Bhutto, I did not know

what had happened...

But I knew, I understood what had been happening in my even during my months of solitary confinement. I always knew my people were behind me.

help me. That’s what kept me

country

I knew that God would

going.

I never wept during all those months in solitary confinement. I never wept when they put me on trial; But I wept when I arrived back here and saw my wonderful Sonar Bangla.”

9. Last scene: Hussain’s house. Hussain recuperating, walking heavily on the stick, looking over the ruins of his house, walking to the grave of his mother...

(Sound of Tagore’s

Golden

Bengal)

“‘My golden Bengal, thou art my love Thy heavens and thy atmosphere

!

In my heart ever play the flute.

In Falgun month thy

mango

woods

With fragrant honey make me mad,... (Hussain walks back painfully to his home, sits on the chair in the

varandah, and reflects beyond...)

“Oh how glorious !

Google

376

SONAR

BANGLA

When Aghran’s plenty strikes thy fields What sweet smiles have my eyes not seen ! O grace, O shade, O love, O charm,— What a scarf have thy hands laid out At Banyan roots, at river-banks ! The words, O mother, of thy lips Appear balsamic to my ears... (Out of the shadows in the distance the form of Sumita still calling out, still running, breathlessly, “Maya” “Maya”. Maya

Srom the other end, running, calling out “Mother”. each

other,

clasp

tears, too much

each

other

Till they reach

in their arms...the love, longing, and

to bear...)

“Oh how glorious !

When grief they face of freshness I float away in streams of tears. In cattle grazing

pastures

robs

thine,

In ferry-landing of thy streams, In village-cots with shade be-cooled Where birds are singing morn till eve And in house yards with paddy spread The days of my life have their round... Hussain stands up, leaning on the stick, the wan smile and soft peace reflecting on his face... ““My golden Bengal, thou art my

love...”

[T nH E—E ND]

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