The Silent Drawer

THE SILENT DRAWER
A full length play in three acts

Excerpt: Only when I speak to myself I know that imagination is necessary. The more I imagine, the stronger my exploration of myself is, the better I know myself. But if that exploration deviates me further from my view of the world and my place in it then what good is such a fantasy?

 

***

 

Characters:

GOVIND {An employee of The Macabre Chocolate factory}

MADURI {His wife}

KISAN {Their son}

ABDULLAH {A tailor}

MR. OBLAK {Owner of The Macabre Chocolate}

MR. YURI {Co-owner}

***

 

 

 

ACT 1

Scene 1

Near the Macabre chocolate factory a narrow alley leads up to an imperial house which serves as residency to the owners of the Macabre enterprise. The house once belonging to the ruling class is now at the disposal of Mr. Oblak and Mr. Yuri. Due to the dissolution of power and redistribution of land property these two acquired this estate and a line of servants who happily willed to work for them. Amongst them, their personal favorite, one they keep with them on their estate, is Govind. Govind’s wife Maduri and son Kisan live with him in the servant’s chamber.

It is the generosity of Mr. Oblak and Mr. Yuri’s planning that Govind is something more than just a servant. He holds a senior position in the Labor union of their factory. Having a member of the labor union live on their estate doesn’t bother them. Govind acknowledges their superiority and the ideals of the Macabre chocolate factory. When sharing the house with Govind’s family the factory owners, Mr. Oblak and Mr. Yuri, are extremely humble and understanding. Still, Govind is often in debt these days. He is afraid his family will run into some serious issues if matters do not alter for the better. For him the only possibility is to toil endlessly so that the debt can be repaid.

Kisan is a school going youth who is alienated from the life of his father. On not finding Govind a lot of the time his bonding is strong with his mother. Maduri, Govind’s wife is a high aspiring woman but due to the troublesome life of the household her grace has started to disappear. There are regular arguments between the two that go unresolved. The effect of these fights on Kisan is sincere. One evening, during the siesta hours he returns late from school. He is dreamy when entering the house. Maduri is sleeping in her room when she hears his footsteps make their way in. In the midst of several scattered pieces of newspaper she wakes up and finds herself listening carefully to the sounds of his movement from the other room. The furniture in their chamber is of minimal design; a sofa in the living room, a study desk and a cupboard in the bedroom, several side tables. The curtains on the windows are thin and embroidered with simplistic patterns. The sunlight pouring in from the windows is a burnt out ray. Kisan is singing his favorite song.

Kisan enters.

Kisan: (sings) … and it went up one, and then it came down two and the birdie fell in the pond. When it swam on the water and then flew because of the motor…

He pauses to look around the house for something. He takes off his shoes and puts them on the sofa that is placed dead in the center of the living room. He then climbs to look behind it and finds his video game. On the right there is a beautiful kitchen that has been kept well. He goes in the kitchen and utensils are heard clattering. He comes back to the living room with a glass of mango squash in one hand and plummets back down on the sofa.   

Kisan: (continues singing) hmm.. hmmm.. Then the zoo knew that it was a swan…

His uniform has come undone. There is a blood stain on his white school shirt. He throws his school bag in a corner and resumes playing on his video game. He nearly knocks over a lamp in his recklessness but gets a hang of it before it falls on the floor. He is busy staring into his video game when Maduri suddenly gives him a scare.

Maduri: (interrupts his playing) Kisan! Is that you?

Kisan: Yes mother.

Maduri: How did you get so late? (looks at the wall clock) Oh my word, it is half past four! Where had you been?

Kisan: I’d been hanging out in the park mother… It is a lovely day outside.

Kisan goes back to playing his videogame. Maduri steps out of bed and collects all the pieces of the newspaper in her hand. She goes to keep them in the cupboard but fixates on the sunlight coming from the window instead. She keeps the newspaper somewhere. She is breathing heavily as she puts on her slippers and combs her hair. She ties her hair in a bun and moves next to the drawers in the cupboard. The drawers are made of three compartments and a plastic replica of a tulip plant is placed on top of it. She opens the lowest drawer bringing out a navy blue scarf she puts it around her neck. She gives a long stare at herself in the mirror then leaves the bedroom for the living room. The cupboard door is left open and a single drawer pulled out of it. When she passes the sofa Kisan gives her a naughty glance and sips on the mango squash. She goes near the small dining table of four chairs without noticing him and sits at it. Putting her feet on the carpet adjacent to the dining table she starts rubbing her eyes. Both the carpet and the table are of a bright crimson color.  

 Maduri: It is a very bad thing that you were roaming around after school instead of coming right back home.

Kisan: But everyone does it these days…

Maduri: Who is this everyone? Who were you with?

Kisan: I was alone mother. I like sitting in the shade of the tree.

He finishes his mango squash and keeps the glass on the side table with a loud sound. Maduri is thoughtful of his growing cunning and her inability to show him the right path to maturity. She knows it but she has nothing to do about it other than being sad and brood over her failures as a mother.

Maduri: Kisan. Come here.

Kisan: No.

Maduri: Why not? I said come here. 

Kisan: You will scold me for coming home late.

Maduri sighs because she knows she has no control over her child anymore. She continues looking out of the window of the living room. There is a vegetable vendor calling for customers on a busy road and there is a dairy products stall on the side. The street is full of traffic and an ox is sitting beside a pan seller. The sight is badly hidden with intermingled electric wires. The walls have been heavily covered with all kinds of promotional posters.

Maduri: I’ll take away your video game and lock it in the drawer. Come here at once.

Kisan: All right… all right.

He strolls casually up to her and jumps and sits on the table. Maduri drags him down and makes him sit on the chair. She is suddenly shocked to see a big patch of blood stain on his white school shirt. Her eyes flare up. She grabs him by the forearm and twists it. He gives out a sharp cry.

Maduri: How did you get blood here? (Taking a note of the cut on his nose) What happened to your nose?

Kisan: Got beaten at school…

Maduri is dying with worry but it is evident she cares about him a lot. She feels like hitting him, she is so angry, but she controls herself.

Maduri: Shouldn’t you have told me immediately after coming home? Take off this shirt.

Kisan: No… It is cold.

Maduri: Kisan! Take off this shirt!

Kisan: I’m shy.

Maduri: I’ve seen you unclothed since the day you were born. Now do as I say.

She pulls the shirt off him from over his head. His body is fragile but it is nothing special. He fixes his hair quickly. On being so close to Maduri he blushes. She gives him an angry stare and leaves for her bedroom in a confusion. He goes back to playing his video game. She goes back to the open drawer and produces a first aid kit. She storms out and puts the first aid kit in front of Kisan on the dining table. The sofa is blocking the dining table from plain view. She goes into the kitchen and after sometime brings out hot water in a bowl puts it next to the first aid kit and snatches the video game from his hands. The traffic noises on the road reduce. The atmosphere in the room becomes more secure.

Maduri: (wiping around the wound on his nose with hot water) Does this hurt?

Kisan: No. In fact when it was bleeding it felt like nothing.

Maduri: How did you get hurt? Who beat you like this?

Kisan: Robbie.

Maduri: Sanjana auntie’s son?

Kisan: Who is Sanjana Auntie?

Maduri: The lady who spoke to your class teacher about your bad habits. How her son was getting affected because of you.

Kisan: No. That is someone else. This was Robbie, the bully.

Maduri: Wait till your father is here, I will tell him about this… and we will go… and see your class teacher. We will tell her this is intolerable.

Kisan: Please don’t go to the class teacher. Nothing comes out of it and it only enrages the bully further.

Maduri: You don’t know how things work Kisan, shut up.

Kisan frowns and continues getting first aid treatment.

Maduri: (after a pause) why don’t you want your father to find out?

Kisan: He and the teacher make me feel terrible.

Maduri: They only say things to you for your own good. They are not your enemies.

Kisan: No!

He throws his arms around but when she presses on his wound with antiseptic he cries with pain and sits still. There is a strange silence in the room. It is unusual for Maduri’s house to be this quiet in the presence of her family. She places a band-aid on his nose.

Kisan: They say I am weak and undesirable.

Maduri: (ruffling his hair) Your father regrets having said that.

Kisan: But why did he ever have to say it?

Maduri: Because he wants you to be stronger. You are only a child right now. He wants the best for you when you grow up.

Kisan: But what about the life I am living right now?

Maduri: It is going to be the same you live when you grow old. The same life and the same people around you, in your thoughts… (Pause) In a way it doesn’t make all that much of a difference what someone says about you if you have a mind of your own. You mustn’t let them have an authority to make you feel terrible. We get molded in different ways, sometimes we cannot think for ourselves if we let others tie a leash to our thoughts.

She packs all the things back in the first aid kit. She picks up his shirt from the floor and takes it in the bedroom. She replaces the first aid kit in the open drawer. Leaving the shirt next to the cupboard she goes to Kisan’s room next to the kitchen through the living room. She has gone to bring him a clean shirt. He is sitting at the dining table staring out the window. She puts the shirt on him and buttons him up.

Kisan: (thoughtfully) So… father doesn’t think I’m weak?

Maduri: That is for him to answer to you. In front of your father you are always so quiet and abiding I wish you were like that with me as well. But with me it is always… no. For everything you say no. You wouldn’t dare say no to anything your father asks you to do…

She sees that he is feeling bad so she stops explaining things to him. Kisan gets up to go to his room but he is asked to sit in the living room. He reaches for the video game but he is told to keep it back.

Maduri: Tell me about this boy.

Kisan: Who?

Maduri: Tell me about this boy you got into a fight with.

Kisan: I wasn’t fighting with Robbie, mother. He beat me up for no reason.

Maduri: I don’t believe that. How can anyone hurt you without having a reason to hurt you?

Kisan: He is a bully. Sometimes he does it for fun. But with me Robbie wasn’t just having fun. He really wanted to hurt me.

Maduri tries to run her hand on Kisan’s head but he pushes her hand away. Because of the tense environment in the house created by the fights between Govind and Maduri the boy has gotten irritated of arguments. He doesn’t talk that much to anyone. He has his reasons for being irritated with his parents but he is not fully mature to make sense of it. As a result he tends to tell himself that he hates them and that he wouldn’t want to be like them. Just like any other kid, he wants to be famous. He doesn’t know yet exactly what he wants to do in life, but all he wants is to be renowned.
After having sat in the arms of his mother he tries to move away. Her hand slides off his body very easily. He goes to his room. The rest of the rooms are dark. When light falls on the boy from the window he is seen gazing. After only a brief moment Maduri learns that he is gone. She goes and stands at the door of the kitchen.

***

Kisan’s white school shirt hangs in Maduri’s bedroom to dry. It is half past six in the evening. Her hair is a little messy. Kisan is looking at her and jumping from the sofa to the floor. He is repeating something to himself in a whisper till he is out of breath. In the innocent games of childhood he is enjoying himself too much. He lies down on the floor laughing and panting for air.

Maduri: (with an innocent smile) You are enjoying yourself too much? Don’t you have homework to do?

Kisan: No, there is no homework to be done. 

Maduri: Why? Class teacher didn’t come today? She always gives homework…

Kisan: So she has done today as well but I will do it tomorrow.

Maduri: … and she won’t scold you in class?

Kisan: (goes to jump from the sofa again) I am not going to school tomorrow!

Maduri: What are you saying? Why?

Kisan: What would I wear to school, your face? My uniform is stained with blood.

Maduri: I have washed your uniform, it will dry by morning. I’ll iron it and you will wear it to school.  

Kisan: But, the shirt has lost a button as well. Didn’t you notice? The top most button, next to the collar… (Thinks) I won’t go to school tomorrow.

She runs to her bedroom and looks at the shirt herself. It is true the shirt is losing a button. She contemplates for a brief moment and then comes back into the living room.

Maduri: So what? I will stitch it tonight. In fact I will do it right away.

Kisan: (grabs hold of her wrist) Oh mother! Please sit with me, let the buttons be, let there be a stain on the shirt till I am able to skip school. We’ll go for a picnic, once Papa is gone, you and me.

Maduri: Kisan! Your father and I are having a difficult time. I don’t want to give him another reason to hold a grudge against me. This argument will end right here, you will not skip school.

Kisan: But it is so…

Maduri: What?

Kisan: hmm…

Maduri: What is it?

Kisan: I’m scared of Robbie.

Maduri: Poor child. There is no reason to be scared, we will go and talk to your class teacher about it. There is nothing to worry about. We know how to handle these situations.

Kisan: Mother, how do you know so well?

Maduri: Because we were like that in our own days.

Kisan: You were also afraid of bullies?

Maduri: No idiot. (smiles) we used to bully others sometimes for fun too.

Kisan: (wondering) But that is bad, is it not?

Maduri: Yes it is awful, but we didn’t know better. I’m sure Robbie doesn’t know how bad a thing it is to bully someone. He is in your class isn’t he?

Kisan: No, he is in senior secondary.

Maduri: Bullies only target people who are weaker than them. That way they are always the ones in the more powerful position.

Kisan: I understand now.

Maduri: Oh really? What did you understand?

Kisan: That he beat me because I’m weaker than him.

Maduri: No… He merely thinks you are weaker than him. (comforts him)

Kisan: What did you do mother?

Maduri: When I was in school I used to throw mud at the other girls in my class. But one day my mother sat me down and explained to me that it was bad to throw mud at people. Since that day I haven’t deliberately hurt anyone for the sake of fun.

Kisan: Is it possible for someone to hurt someone else… to really hurt them for fun?

Maduri: Yes, sometimes people do that. Sometimes your father is a victim of this very phenomenon.

Kisan: Really? How?

Maduri: (Stands) Sometimes the Macabre Chocolate factory makes him go through extensive work to make ends meet. Sometimes he has to do additional work so that a few of his co-workers can be at ease. Sometimes he has to speak on the behalf of others.

Kisan: But that is his job, isn’t it?

Maduri: No. He is entitled only to a specific job and for a specific number of hours. But to have him work without his choice for the profit of the factory is exploitation. Similarly, if someone hurts you for their own satisfaction they are exploiting you.

Kisan: Is that why he feels so bad these days, because he is being mistreated? Exploited?

Maduri: Yes. Maybe. He doesn’t tell me though… about himself that much. He feels confessing to his emotions is not very manly.  

Kisan: It is strange, because that is what everyone in class says about Robbie, that he wants to dominate everyone.

Maduri: Yes, so you rest assured. There is no need to be afraid of Robbie anymore. If you just stood up to him once, he wouldn’t be able to do anything anymore. But if you skip school tomorrow he will tell his friends Kisan has lost to him and they will believe his story. They will come searching after you.  

Kisan: But what about me? I feel like they will make fun of me for losing the fight.

Maduri: Who are they?

Kisan: My classmates. They all saw me getting beaten. Robbie hit me on the nose with his forehead. They will say that…

Maduri: Son, if you want me to think about you then you must think about yourself and not about them.

She gets up to go to the bedroom where she has to stitch the button onto the shirt. She opens the second drawer without any noise and takes out an iron, then a thread and needle box. She keeps the box next to the fake plastic tulip plant and replaces the iron in the drawer. She walks back to her bed with the thread and needle box in her hands. She looks with desolate eyes at the still visible blood stain on the shirt which is drying in a corner and then turns back to the thread and needle box. Inside the box there is another round box with dozens of different kinds of buttons. She spreads the buttons on the bed next to her and tries to find the right kind for Kisan’s school shirt. There are red buttons, blue and green too, pink and brown, but there is none at this given point of time which she can stitch onto Kisan’s white school shirt. She cannot remember whatever happened to all those white buttons. After having gone through all the buttons with her finger she lets the realization settle in her mind that she has run out of those kinds of buttons.

***

 

 

ACT 1

Scene 2

Around eight o’ clock in the evening on the same day Mr. Oblak and Mr. Yuri enter Govind’s chamber. Govind is walking behind them and Maduri unobservant of the visitors is seen sitting on the floor. The living room has been tidied up by the housewife but there is an awry reflection which has made the air darker than usual. This reflection is a human reflection. When Maduri turns to greet them she is quick to attend to their briefcases and their coats. Govind doesn’t give his coat. His coat is a little dustier than that of Mr. Oblak and Mr. Yuri. But there is a harmony within the three. The men are talking to each other as they walk in.

Enter Mr. Oblak, Mr. Yuri and Govind.

Mr. Yuri: (To Govind) Look, Govind. When Oblak and I were establishing the Macabre chocolate factory the big question before us was quite big.

Mr. Oblak: How big was the big question, Yuri?

Mr. Yuri: It was quite big it can be said.

Mr. Oblak: Yes it was quite big!

Mr. Yuri: Govind the big question, which was quite big, was that of money.

Mr. Oblak: Yes, of money it was!

Mr. Yuri: And so it is a question of money for you, Govind. Is it not?

Govind: Yes Mr. Yuri.

Mr. Yuri: (With grave seriousness) What foolish deed have you committed today, do you have any idea?

Maduri is suddenly worried again at the sound of a foolish deed. The long night ahead has started to set. Mr. Oblak and Mr. Yuri sit on the sofa, Govind anxiously stands beside them.

Govind: I had no other choice Mr. Yuri. I was being threatened. “Pay the money by today”, he said. “I am leaving the town on some business, I need my money back.” (Regaining himself) So I told him he can have my pocket watch.

Mr. Oblak: (Correcting Govind) Your father’s pocket watch?

Govind: Yes.

Mr. Yuri: Oh, you fool, you fool!

Govind: (confused) I had no other choice…

Mr. Oblak: You see, we offered to pay your debts for you, but you said no to us.

Govind: How much more of your beneficence can I borrow, Mr. Oblak?

Mr. Oblak: Silly Duckling! (To Mr. Yuri) He’s talking to us of borrowing! (Laughs)

Mr. Yuri: Govind, you do a lot for us. In the name of the factory and the labor union you repay us of our beneficence. But what good a servant are you if we cannot pay your debts on your behalf?

Govind: (Stutters) No, I can’t…

Maduri sneaks into the kitchen from behind them and continues listening to the conversation from there.

Mr. Yuri: (With melancholy) You know Govind, When we faced the big question of money we didn’t know what lesson we were going to learn.

Mr. Oblak: Oh it was an instrumental lesson in our lives.

Mr. Yuri: Yes, Oblak. (To Govind) We wanted to do something substantial with our wealth and the idea of the Macabre chocolate factory was perfect for us. (With more seriousness) But we needed a contract.

Govind: As it is essential in businesses… What happened, gentlemen, after you had the ‘big’ idea?

Mr. Yuri: As I was saying, we needed a contract, a set of terms which we could follow as partners and the factory would follow as a separate entity.

Mr. Oblak hums and nods.

Mr. Oblak: Government needs market to control the economy of the people and market needs government. Why are you standing? Please sit down.

Govind refuses once, but then sits down.

Mr. Yuri: And so, when we went to the government it became very clear to us that they were not in favor of letting us distribute the profit equally with the laborers.

Mr. Oblak: (Grumpily scratching his chin) Yes. They came up with innovative policies and schemes so that we could keep the profit for ourselves. In fact I still don’t know what would’ve come out of it. Can you remember Yuri, how the scheme was termed?

Mr. Yuri: No, I don’t think I do.

Govind interrupts.

Govind: It is true, Macabre must be the only chocolate factory distributing its profits equally with its laborers.

Mr. Yuri: When the government said to us that the terms of the contract would be written by them as much as by us we refused their influence. (Dreamily) We had our own inspiration, didn’t we Oblak?

Mr. Oblak: (happily) hmm. “To hell with the government”, we said and initiated a private venture. Luckily they didn’t know the legality of it all and we were able to go ahead with the contract without any restrictions.

Mr. Yuri: “To hell with the government” (Laughs)

Mr. Oblak: It was only a few years after having run the factory we realized that an obligation still fell on our part.

Mr. Yuri: Oh yes. Towards our employees it was. And on top of everything we’re lucky to have honest employees like yourself (bangs his hand on the sofa with joy). We prosper the commodity produced by our factory prospers.

Govind: But it prospers in the market.

Mr. Yuri: (becomes serious) It is behind the name of the Macabre chocolate factory that we distribute all the profit. The chocolate business was our dream.

Mr. Oblak: (finds something amusing in what he’s saying) But not Mr. Yuri and I.

Govind: (inquires) What Mr. Oblak? What was that you said?

Mr. Yuri: (mumbles to himself in misery) Oh yes, you damned soul.

Govind: How is that?

Mr. Oblak: When we invested in this enterprise (pointing to Mr. Yuri) he paid 49% of the money while I (pointing at his own chest) paid a whole 51%. Therefore he gets 49% of the owner’s profit and I get a whole…

Mr. Yuri: (crosses his arms) 51%.

There is a pause during which Maduri brings in water in a steel jug and three glasses on a tray. Mr. Oblak, Mr. Yuri and Govind are looking here and there purposelessly. Maduri fills a glass with water, Mr. Oblak gives Mr. Yuri a severe look and Mr. Yuri signals Maduri not to pour any water for them. Taking a flask from his trouser pocket Mr. Yuri pours vodka in their glasses. Govind reaches for the glass of water and drinks it nervously. There’s two glasses of vodka in the room.

Mr. Oblak: There was no need to lend the man your father’s pocket watch. You keep insisting you had no other choice, that he was threatening you… But if the union leader of our factory surrenders to petty men what will happen to the honor of our name?

Mr. Yuri: (Resting his hand on Mr. Oblak’s shoulder) Nevertheless meeting a debt with something invaluable is always and will always be foolish behavior.

Govind: I sensed great danger in the manner he approached me today.

Mr. Oblak: And you thought of involving us only when you were threatened?

Govind: I’m an innocent man Mr. Oblak, an innocent man who has paid for his son’s school fee with the money he borrowed. I can let go of my father’s pocket watch but at last I can close the chapter that was at stake with the moneylender.

Mr. Oblak: What about the other people who will come asking you to return their money? Will you give away all your precious memories this way? Will you give away your son too and your wife one day?

Govind: (on the verge of exploding with confusion) Is there anything else I could’ve done? (Suddenly) Yes, this is a great idea. How about I work extra hours?

Mr. Yuri: You already are the first one to enter and the last one to leave. We can’t negotiate with you on the money.

Mr. Oblak: Mr. Yuri is correct. It is not that toil won’t earn you money but we cannot hand over to you something that is unfair on others.

Maduri goes near the dining table and stands there, listening closely.

Mr. Yuri: There is one thing we can do… We can tell all those who have loaned money to you to stay away from…

Mr. Oblak: (interrupts) That is not a solution. The situation is grave. It cannot be handled with threatening. (To Govind) What have you done with all that money?

Govind: Nothing… Just toys for the boy, his school fees and things for the house. Oh, I remember. (Pointing towards Maduri) I had bought a few clothes for her.  There were a few family functions we had to attend, and a lot of the money went there.

Mr. Yuri: Govind, obey to us and take our help.

Govind: Mr. Yuri, I cannot take your help today. I will think things through and see if there is anything I can do. If I cannot think of anything by tomorrow morning I will come to you.

Mr. Oblak and Mr. Yuri: (together) Very well.

They reach for their vodka glasses and take their drinks in one gulp. They get up to leave. Maduri brings them their coats and their briefcases.

Mr. Yuri: I wish the moment of your actualization comes quick. We will be there for you. (To Mr. Oblak) Shall we go, Oblak?

Mr. Oblak: Yes.

Mr. Yuri: Off we go then.

Mr. Oblak and Mr. Yuri exit Maduri goes out of the chamber to bid them farewell.

Govind: (alone) All these days, no one did demand from me a justification for my hard work. Everyone told me about how many hours of work a minister puts in for the welfare of his people, how many sleepless nights consume creators of great works of art… and how difficult it is to be great. It is my great strife which is being mocked by people I consider my close ones. How am I ever going to escape this vicious cycle of debt? Govind! What have you done? You don’t have time for your family. Your son doesn’t know who his father is. You are losing your mind with all the useless toil… Is it a useless toil? Did my life matter less than a stupid pocket watch? When I carried it as a symbol of my remembrance of a dead father, dragging with me its constant ticking sound on my journey into a mediocre life… Yes, I will never be as renowned as the people who are idealized. I am too consumed doing for others when I should be doing for myself. I give others more than I give to myself. And in the madness of giving perhaps I took too much.

These strange faces when unmasked are all the same, it is true. They are all coming at me with bitterness in their eyes asking for something I do not have. Asking me to stop doing what I do. And I find myself lesser of a man for wanting to stand up to them and confess to the truth? Is this what the world has come to? Did that pocket watch only tick till my footsteps tread the path of righteous deeds?

Only pretentious vanity to reign, nasty torch bearing at the hands of the erroneous… When are they ever involved in the matters of the weak and the damned? Though I must admit such is the quality a debt holds to itself. Be fooled not. It demands involvement of a sincere kind in being repaid. Isn’t knowledge everything humans possess in bringing to light the suffering of a weak soul? No. No… The webs of the powerful outweigh morals of forgiveness. They cast the weak away from that illumination of knowledge into silence. They disregard the duty I fulfill to their society by extracting from me my secret emotions and dearly persons.

To the extent of their involvement my emotions turn to fear and my awakening to failure. I cannot rise any further. Every morning these strange faces seem familiar. I know what it is they have come to ask of me. They don’t want anything to sustain me they are just selfish. They will extract from me what is theirs and then leave without second thoughts, without reconciliation. But to my son’s life I bring the aftermath of my mistakes… How vicious is life?

Govind moves next to the bedroom door and stands there. Maduri enters from the main door. She has learnt of Govind’s debts for the first time. Mr. Oblak and Mr. Yuri have told her everything.

Maduri goes to Govind and tries to embrace him. She puts her arms around him but he is unresponsive.

Maduri: Tell me Govind, to whom have you gone and given your father’s pocket watch?

Govind: (arrogantly) It is done. I will never be bothered by that pathetic man again.

Maduri: Never again?

Govind: I had a debt against his name, now that I have repaid it, that man means nothing more to me.

Maduri: And you to him? What if he comes to find the pocket watch costs less than the amount you owed to him? How many people have lent money to you?

Govind: You didn’t care how I arranged for the money prior to today, why begin worrying now? Spare yourself.

Maduri: How can you? I’m trying to be your friend.

Govind: You can never be my friend. I don’t have the luxury of keeping friends. They all slip away no matter how much of my heart I show to them.

Maduri: You’re being too harsh on yourself. Let me in, Govind. No one will hurt you, no one will threaten you. We will talk to them together. I’m sure they are not so selfish.

Govind: I’ve already told you. The man who had threatened me has taken the pocket watch from me as a token of the entire sum. The moneylender has gone elsewhere to live. Although there are three more people I need to repay, things aren’t as bad as Mr. Oblak and Mr. Yuri have made them sound.

Maduri: (breathing heavily) Do I need to be on guard?

Govind goes and lies down on the bed in the bedroom.

Govind: Do as your morals tell you to do. I will soon pay off all the debt.

Maduri: I can take up a job.

Govind: Oh really? What will you do?

Maduri: Help you pay off the debts…

Govind: How, I mean to say… How?

Maduri: I don’t know yet. I will also think it up.

Govind’s eyes find Kisan’s school shirt which is drying in a corner. He moves closer to it. On close observation the blood stain becomes clear and he aggressively picks it up.

Govind: What’s this?

Maduri tries to hide her eyes from him.

Govind: Maduri look at me. (Showing the half wet blood stained shirt to her) What is this?

Maduri: (begins speaking to herself in psychotic paranoia) Kisan was at school and a bully named Robbie hit his nose… The poor child bled from his nose. He came home two hours late and says he feels ashamed having fought at school.

Govind: (grabs her hair) Where is he?

Maduri: (She gives out a wicked cry of pain) He’s sleeping in his room. Let go of me.

Govind: Call him.

Maduri: (Crying) Stop it! It’s hurting.

Govind lets go of her with a force. She falls on the floor.

Govind: (screams) Call him right now.

Kisan runs from his room to his parent’s bedroom and finds his mother on the floor. He goes and sits with her.

Govind: Did you fight in school today, Kisan?

Kisan: No father I didn’t fight.

Govind: Why didn’t you fight?

Maduri gets up and goes to sit on the bed still wiping her tears.

Govind: (screams) Answer me! Why didn’t you fight the bully?

Kisan: I did.

Govind: Why did you lie?

Kisan: I didn’t.

Govind: Did you fight in school today or no?

Kisan: I didn’t.

Govind: Then why did you lie?

Kisan: I’m sorry. Father. I’m sorry.

Kisan feels like crying but he can’t. He looks at Maduri. 

Govind: Do you have any idea how difficult it was for us to find a good school for you? Do you have any idea the kind of idiocy we had to face so that you could go to a good school?

Kisan is constantly thinking of something to say. But he has no idea what is going on.

Govind: (enraged) Your mother and I stood in a line outside your school… in the cold… Early in the morning while you slept in bed. We did all that so that you could go to a good school, do you know where the money for your fee comes from?

Kisan: No.

Govind: Your mother and I didn’t sacrifice our love so that you could go to school and get beatings from some kid.

Maduri: Govind, that’s enough.

Govind: Oh, it’s far from enough.

Govind had sworn to his father he would never hit Kisan. He goes really close to the boy just to see how much he’s afraid of him and then backs off.

Kisan: If sending me to school is such a difficult task I will go to a cheaper school.

Govind: Who told you about ‘a cheaper school’ huh? Must be the boys he roams around with all day.

Maduri: Govind, I said that’s enough. Kisan go to the living room. Mother and father will be with you in just a second.

Kisan: (to Govind) I am not going to school tomorrow.

Maduri: Kisan!

Govind: What did he say?

Kisan: I don’t want to go to school tomorrow. It’s all so embarrassing.

Govind takes off his coat and throws it on the bed.

Maduri: (goes close to Kisan) Kisan, I had told you, you will have to face your fears. That is the only way. I’ve told you how these things work. You have to stand up and face them, often the whole scene is about gathering that courage one needs to stand up to their fears. Please, this is the best time for you to understand the significance of taking a stand for yourself. You won’t get a better chance.

Govind goes near Maduri.

Maduri: Don’t come near me, I’ll cut you in pieces.

Govind: (to Kisan) Why won’t you to go to school tomorrow, your majesty?

Kisan: The whole class will laugh at me for having lost the fight to a bully. I don’t want to be a subject of their mockery. It’s just so embarrassing.

Govind: So your decision is to run and hide? How will you become a hero then? (Pause) Your mother knows what she is saying. You should listen to her.

Kisan: Mother has already told me that if I escape tomorrow they will come for me in greater numbers. There is no need of wasting your time on me explaining it again.

Govind: (Looks at Maduri) Where is he getting such a big mouth from?

Maduri: He thinks he has been humiliated. It’s not like that.

Govind: You are not old enough to have such a colossal ego… let it be.

Kisan: But…

Maduri: But what?

Kisan (Goes to the stained shirt and points with his finger) It is losing a button.

Maduri: I’ll find you a safety pin for god’s sake.

Kisan: (nags) Can I just please skip a day of school? That is all I’m asking. Just one day. Look at my nose. Look at my nose! Just look at it, here. (Pulls the band-aid off his nose) It looks like it’ll start flowing with blood any minute.

Govind: Go wait in the living room.

Kisan: Whatever…

Kisan leaves and goes to sit on the sofa in the living room. Govind goes to look outside the window. He stands there for a long time. There’s still a busy traffic on the street outside. The faint streetlamps stand tall against the electric wires and the poster walls. The workers outside are going home. Kisan is feeling the wound on his nose with his palm in the living room. He puts the band aid back on his nose.

Govind: (shutting the window) I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have done that.

Maduri: It doesn’t matter now, you’ve done it.

Govind: I really wish things were better between us.

Maduri: (looks at him finally) We are both trying. Don’t lose yourself. This is not the Govind I know.

Govind: Did you take your medicine? Maduri?

Maduri remains quiet.

Govind: It is okay to be lonely Maduri that is the way of the modern human being. But you must look after yourself. I worry about you all day.

Maduri: (Shouts) I’m not sick!

Govind: The doctor has told you…

Maduri: (Interrupting him) But, I’m not hurt anywhere. It’s really not paining. These medicines make me feel nauseas. I don’t like these…

Govind: But your sickness pains me! (Wanting to comfort her) Okay, okay. It’s okay. It’s okay.

***

 

 

 

ACT 1

Scene 3

It is nearly midnight. The estate is very poorly lit. Govind has stepped out of his chamber very carefully so that he could get some fresh air. He has put Maduri and Kisan to their beds. There is a lot he needs to think about and there is no running away from it.

 It is known that Mr. Oblak and Mr. Yuri share an after dinner walk on the estate till late into the night. Govind runs into them by coincidence. They have the same clothes on as they always do, something which is peculiar only to the two of them. The dark green plants in the estate enhance the blackness of the night sky. Behind them there is a gigantic full moon floating amidst the stars. They begin talking.

Mr. Yuri: Where goes our moral hero?

Govind: Just wanted to get some fresh air… for fresher thoughts you see.

Mr. Yuri: If fresh air is what you are in search of you should run away from this crooked place.

Govind: I can’t…

Mr. Yuri: Why is that?

Govind: I have too much of my own world weaved around me. It won’t let me go anywhere. I have too much at stake. I need to be here… and somehow finish all that weaving till I can hold my head high, till my son can hold his head high… He’s too weak (pause) you know? And he, he’s afraid of me… like I’m some monster who is going to hurt him.

Mr. Oblak: You sure don’t look like a monster to me, Govind.

Mr. Yuri: You are just a bit… in trouble.

Govind: Yes I am. But it’s eating my family.

Mr. Oblak: Oh please, get over it. It’s a ridiculous situation if you ask me. I mean these people possibly couldn’t have given you as big a loan Yuri and I cannot repay on your behalf. Why then, are you reluctant to take our help?

Govind: I don’t want to drown in debt Mr. Oblak… I have to still pay Rupees Fifty thousand.

Mr. Yuri: (Laughs in surprise) Fifty thousand? Good god man! Did they charge an extra rate or what?

Govind: The normal rate.

Mr. Oblak: What did you borrow money for?

Govind: It went mostly into Kisan’s schooling.

Mr. Oblak: There were also those family functions you were mentioning.

Govind: Now as I think about it we paid for them mostly out of our savings. But it is the boy’s schooling that is taking a toll on me.

Mr. Yuri: Fifty thousand? Is that how much sending a child to school costs?

Mr. Oblak: We wouldn’t know Yuri. We were never in love. Go on Govind, tell us more.

Govind: There is nothing to tell.

Mr. Oblak: Did you think of something? Will you take our help?

Govind: (proposing) I was thinking…

Mr. Yuri: Yes, yes… Go on…

Govind: I was thinking if the members of the union will help me… A good sum from my savings has gone into their well being, they must surely come at my rescue?

Mr. Oblak: It is a good idea. 

Govind: Really? You think it will work?

Mr. Yuri: Hmm… But there is a problem. You cannot reveal to them that their money will go to your private use. If they give you any money they will expect you to invest it in their benefit. They are very crude people.

Mr. Oblak: So it won’t work. Hmm.

Mr. Yuri: How about you go around the town picking up rags and sell them for a price.

Govind: You are asking me to become a rags picker?

Mr. Oblak: Ease down on the comedy Yuri, a man can be quick to anger sometimes.

Mr. Yuri: What can I do Oblak, after all Govind here has taken a resolution to pay off his debts! By all means a resolution of this nature is most amusing to my senses. I feel tickled at the thought of it.

Mr. Oblak: Can’t you see he is in urgent need of money?

Govind: Mr. Oblak and Mr. Yuri? Are the two of you making fun of me?

Mr. Oblak: Oh no Govind, not to the least.

Mr. Yuri speaks after some time.

Mr. Yuri: (With one open eye) Will you do as I say?

Govind: Do what?

Mr. Yuri: Will you repeat after me?

Govind: If you are mocking my circumstances I must warn you gentlemen I have a weak and wounded family to look after. I will be on my way.

Mr. Yuri: Oh Govind, the question is simple. Will you repeat after me?

Mr. Oblak: What’s on your mind Yuri?

Mr. Yuri: I want him to take a pledge.

Govind: (smiling) A pledge? What kind of a pledge?

Mr. Yuri: I want you to take a pledge in front of me that you will righteously pay off all your debts.

Mr. Oblak: Oh, don’t be absurd Yuri. Govind is a grown man.

Govind: I accept. I will repeat after you.

Mr. Yuri: Ha-ha. Now we’re playing! Lift your right arm up to your shoulder’s height and say then, I Govind, will pay off my debts by the end of my life to those who lent their belongings to me, and do it so with as much moral compassion as possible. I will keep my head up and that of my son as well.  

Govind: I Govind will pay off my debts by the end of my life…

Mr. Oblak, Mr. Yuri and Govind laugh whole heartedly in the middle of the cold dark night.

Mr. Oblak: Listen Govind, on a more serious tone, if you want to ask the workers to raise money in the name of possible union work you can do it. By all means, go ahead.

Mr. Yuri: However there is a risk you will be undergoing…

Govind: What risk?

Mr. Yuri: If and when the laborers find out that their money is being used to resolve Govind’s personal issues the rage they will find themselves in will be unimaginable. They are all uneducated mobsters after all.

Mr. Oblak: There is a chance they won’t like the fact that their leader often visits moneylenders. People take time to get used to such facts.

Mr. Yuri: Think about it more Govind, the lives of your son and your wife could be in danger.

Mr. Oblak: In that case we definitely cannot allow you to put this news in front of the laborers. We cannot let anything stir a riot among our workforce.

Mr. Yuri: It is a definite no then. You see, this is why you must not stop sending your child to school… You don’t want him growing up and becoming like one of them do you? (Pause) What we can do is… Give you the money… that way…

Mr. Oblak: (Interrupts) Do one thing, go home. Okay? We’ve given your proposal a thought, but it just won’t work.

Mr. Oblak and Mr. Yuri send him back. In the servant’s chamber along with the sounds of the night time another sound is rising. It’s the sound of Kisan having a nightmare. He does nothing spectacular in his sleep but is running his hands up and down the sides of his stomach. He sits up in a shock. He removes the thin blanket from over him to the side and tip toes to his mother’s side. He gets in bed with her.

Kisan: I had a nightmare. I saw I was being chased by a butcher. Where is Papa?

Maduri: (in a depressed tone) Must’ve gone out to drink with his friends.

Kisan: Were you asleep?

Maduri: No. I can’t sleep.

Kisan: Did you hear me? Was I talking in my sleep?

Maduri: Were you?

Kisan: (excited) I think I was talking in my sleep.

Maduri: Well I didn’t hear it.

Kisan: Has Papa really gone out to drink?

Maduri: I don’t know.

Kisan: But you just said…

Maduri: I don’t know what is going on.

Kisan: Were you crying?

Maduri keeps quiet. Kisan is staring at the ceiling for some time then he begins humming his favorite song.

Kisan: … and it went up one, and then it came down two and the birdie fell in the pond. When it swam on the water and then flew because of the motor…  hmm.. hmmm.. Then the zoo knew that it was a swan…

Maduri starts patting on his back so that he will sleep.

Kisan: It’s okay mother. It’s okay not to know. I don’t know a lot of the times.

Maduri: What don’t you know?

Kisan: I have my own questions you see… You and father have such big questions, but I have innocent questions.

Maduri: I know Kisan, your questions are childish questions, innocent questions.

Kisan begins giggling.

Maduri: What is it?

Kisan: Mother, can people hear my thoughts? I mean do they know what I’m thinking?

Maduri: If you speak them out loud then yes, why not?

Kisan: If I say what it is I’m thinking only then can others learn what I’m thinking… But if I don’t say it out loud, then no one can know what it is I’m thinking.

Maduri: You have begun talking with such depths where did you learn to do that, huh?

Kisan: I don’t know.

Maduri: Tell me what are you thinking?

Kisan: I’m thinking why’d the bully have to beat me?

Maduri: Oh no child. (Comforts him) You need to let it go now.

Kisan: How does one let go, mother?

Maduri: I don’t know.

After a pause Kisan begins giggling again.

Maduri: What?

Kisan: I have another innocent question. Is the world as I see it the same as it really is?

Maduri remains quiet for some time.

Kisan: Tell me mother, please. I want to know.

Maduri: Okay.

Kisan: Please ask father to let me skip school tomorrow. Please, will you?

Maduri: Why do you want to skip school so badly? Are you that embarrassed?

Kisan: Yes…

Maduri: Kisan, sometimes we give human reflection so much importance that we forget about ourselves.

Kisan: Is that what’s happening to me? Am I forgetting myself?

Maduri: (Getting up suddenly) Did you hear that? There’s someone in the living room.

Kisan: It must be father.

Maduri: Somebody just opened the door, do you hear that?

Kisan: I’ll go and see.

Maduri: No, you stay. I will go.

Govind has secretly entered the house and is moving across the living room. Seconds before Maduri could step out of bed Govind accidentally knocks over the lamp. The lamp falls down and breaks. Maduri and Kisan run out of her bedroom.  They find Govind standing there empty handed.

Maduri: You scared me. What’s gotten into you recently! Why are you doing everything secretively? This is your own house for god’s sake.

Govind: I’m sorry.

Maduri: Nevermind that. Come to bed. Kisan and I were just talking about skipping school.

Govind: But I had thought the bully is going to take Kisan for granted if he doesn’t go and face his fears.

Maduri: (Turning around at him with fury) No Govind! We had decided we will go and talk to his class teacher about this.

Govind: When did we talk about that?

Maduri: I just told you…

Govind: When did you just tell me?

Maduri: Forget it, I will go alone.

Govind: … And do what?

Maduri: Talk to his class teacher about this bully.

Kisan: But my shirt doesn’t have a button.

Maduri: To hell with this button. Let me find you a safety pin.

Maduri goes to the drawers. She starts flinging things here and there in search of that safety pin. Govind follows her into the bedroom with Kisan’s hand in his hand. 

Maduri: There was a safety pin in here somewhere. Where is it? It’s not here.

Govind: Let me take a look.

Maduri: Govind! Get away from the drawers!

Govind: But why? I’m just helping.

Maduri: (screams) Just get away!

Kisan: Yes mother, Papa just wants to help.

Govind: Let it be. Let Kisan take a leave from school tomorrow. Come lets all sit together.

Maduri: Oh wouldn’t that give you another opportunity to call him weak. Wouldn’t you love that? (Looks at Kisan) Oh I’m sorry, child, I didn’t mean it like that. Its half past midnight we should be in bed!  

Govind: You see Kisan? These are the ways in which your mother drives you further away from me.

Maduri: Stop pouring filth into his ears. Didn’t you just say that he could take a leave tomorrow? Let’s talk about that.

Govind: Yes, I said he could take a leave from school, but just for one day, is that okay Kisan?

Kisan: Okay.

Maduri: (Aside) That will give me time to run to the tailor and get the button that goes on his shirt. In the afternoon we could go to his school to talk to his class teacher. (Aloud) Will you be at home? I need you.

Govind: Okay, I’ll be here with Kisan. (To Kisan) Are you happy now? No school tomorrow…

Kisan: (Running out of their room) It is a holiday tomorrow! It is a holiday tomorrow!

Maduri and Govind prepare for sleep. They go and stand on either side of the bed.

Maduri: (sits) Do you think we can buy him a new shirt instead?

Govind: (asserts) This one was a new shirt. I don’t have any money for another school shirt.

Maduri: I wish you did. (Pause) I wish you had asked me before taking so much money from strangers. Do you know what this does to our family?

Govind: I think I know…

Maduri: But you still had to do it. How foolish of you Govind, how foolish of you.

Maduri lies down to sleep. Govind sits on the bed after some time in confusion.

Govind: Mr. Oblak and Mr. Yuri have told me not to approach the workers regarding the money. (Thinks) This is outrageous! I should resign from my position. Maduri? Maduri, did you hear what I just said? Maduri?

***

 

 

 

ACT 2

Scene 1

It is half past noon the next day and the sun has finally come out after several days of bleak weather. Along with the fierce sunshine Mr. Oblak and Mr. Yuri have also come to Govind’s house once again. They are sitting in the living room. Govind is talking to them with gestures. Kisan and Maduri are in Kisan’s bedroom. The action between Mr. Oblak, Mr. Yuri and Govind continues.

Mr. Yuri: (finding something amusing) I still cannot digest the fact that you had to be threatened before it dawned upon you to involve us in your troubles.

Mr. Oblak: Yes… Why is that? Why did we find out about your troubles so late?

Govind: Maybe because I was still unprepared about the complexity of the situation. And… The two of you are always so busy with your own businesses, I thought…

Mr. Oblak: Govind, Yuri and I have already established that the situation is grave. We have always given you a central position in our decisions. Now, if the remedy to your problem involves us, you can tell us. Else we can get on with our business with you.

Govind: So it is Mr. Oblak. But… (Giving hints regarding his reluctance)

Mr. Oblak: You are still reluctant to take our help, I see. (Pause) Well then what are the improvements in your proposal?

Govind: I’ve thought of resigning from the position of the union leader.

Mr. Oblak and Mr. Yuri stand up in shock.

Mr. Oblak: (Shaking his head in denial) … And what is that ever going to do to help you?

Govind: (unconfidently to his superiors) It will help me ease my mind from the whole situation.

Mr. Yuri: Oblak, is it just me or is this fool committing one stupid mistake after another?

Govind: But that is the problem Mr. Yuri, I’m yet unable to point out my mistake in all of this. I want to resign.

Mr. Oblak: So you mean to say that suppose you arrange for the money to pay off your debts you would no longer be concerned with this habit of yours?

Govind: What habit, Mr. Oblak?

Mr. Oblak: Your habit of visiting the moneylenders!

Govind: No, I would no longer be concerned. Or at least that is what I think. Am I wrong in thinking so?

Mr. Oblak and Mr. Yuri look at each other. They sit back down on the sofa in despair.

Mr. Yuri: Oh Govind, Govind. Let us help you.

Govind: I cannot.

Mr. Oblak: But why? You could borrow money from strangers but not from us? After everything we’ve done for you… Given you a decent life amidst all this chaos… We have a crucial role for you to play in our future business, you know? You are a good man. Why don’t you understand that?

Mr. Yuri: He has lost his mind because we have kept him safe from the real world. He is one who doesn’t have to face any problems people of his own class are facing. (To Govind) You have lost your mind because we have kept you safe and secure.

Govind: No Mr. Yuri, I’m merely being realistic. That is why perhaps my decision appears absurd to you. But my decision is final. (Gets up to go) I will talk to the secretary.

Govind goes to walk out of the front door but Mr. Oblak and Mr. Yuri catch him by his limbs. They sit him down and try to calm him by fanning in his face.

Govind: Mr. Oblak, Mr. Yuri… Maybe you are helping me because you had vowed towards an absolute development of your chocolate factory. And I thank you for the respect you have given me, for showing me a moral path… But I’m afraid I’ve failed your parameters.

Mr. Oblak: So, you will leave everything behind and run?

Mr. Yuri: It appears to me that that is his misery. A married life, being settled in one place with a few people around him and with the ties of responsibility towards everything… An affliction, what a pity!

Govind: What can I do? Oh, dear god! What is there to be done?

Mr. Oblak: You need to understand first and foremost that this debt against your name is one that has put you in a moral dilemma.

Govind: How so?

Mr. Oblak: You see, when a state imposes taxes on its citizens it is not only obliging them to repay the tax, it is also giving them an opportunity to come up with something that will generate wealth. Honest wealth… In your case wealth is an idea. All you need is an idea to get out of this fix. Come on. You can do it. Take money from us and give it back later.

Govind: But I’ve tried everything, I really have. I’m beginning to feel depressed.

Mr. Yuri: It is because of your condition, you would say, that you are feeling depressed. Then it’s okay! It’s okay to be depressed right now, because depression is a viable response to your condition. The whole damn world is depressed!

Mr. Oblak: Yes, but you must think of something that will save your soul.

Mr. Yuri: How about you come up with a business idea and ask these moneylenders to…

Mr. Oblak: Start a quick business with you…

Mr. Yuri: Indeed!

Govind: They will never agree! Not in my lifetime they won’t.

Mr. Oblak: It’s worth a shot. Call for them at once. Call them here. We will talk to them… Or else let us help you.

Govind: (Joining his hands) No sirs, please… no. They will kill me. People like them have no appreciation for ideas.

Kisan enters the living room. Govind gets a hold of himself.

Kisan: Father? What’s wrong?

Govind: Nothing, son. What… What are you doing here? You should be inside.

Kisan: Uhm… Mother has sent me to fetch you. She is going to see Abdullah the tailor.

Govind: Oh. Uhm… Did you say hello to Mr. Oblak and Mr. Yuri?

Kisan: Hello Mr. Oblak. Hello Mr. Yuri.

Mr. Oblak and Mr. Yuri greet the little boy.

Govind: Gentlemen! That is my son who has gone and gotten a wounded nose yesterday.

Mr. Yuri: What have you got this band aid on your nose for, silly boy?

Govind: Some bully beat him.

Mr. Oblak: Beat you? Here? On the estate?

Govind: Oh no, in his school.

Mr. Yuri: But that’s awful.

Govind: So we think.

Mr. Oblak: (To Govind) Let the boy speak for himself. What will he ever learn if you keep speaking on his behalf? Think of the irony. (Leaning closer to Kisan) So, boy! Got into a fight huh?

Kisan: No. Just got head butted in the nose.

Govind: He couldn’t have protected himself he’s too weak for that.

Kisan: Father.

Govind: (moving towards the bedroom) Your mother is calling me, I heard it the first time you said it, yes.

Mr. Oblak: Maybe she will make you see that resigning from such a good position wouldn’t exactly help you get rid of your troubles.

Mr. Yuri: Govind, we are men of influence, let us handle your case. We could buy you some more time. Now is not the time to immerse in depression, now is a moment of courage.

Govind: I’ll be right back with you gentlemen, excuse me.

Govind goes into Kisan’s bedroom and finds Maduri dressing herself for going out. She’s giving herself the finishing touches she needs before stepping out of the house. Kisan is upset about something. Mr. Oblak and Mr. Yuri wait in the other room. Kisan’s white school shirt slightly stained of blood is lying on the edge of his bed. Kisan goes and lies down next to it. Her purse is also lying on the bed.

Maduri: What happened Govind? I’d been waiting for you. I’ll quickly rush to the tailor and get this boy’s shirt repaired. Then we will go to see his class teacher about the bully.

Govind: Maduri, I think you will at last have to go alone. Mr. Oblak and Mr. Yuri have made my problem exponentially worse.

Maduri: (She is taken aback) But I thought we were going to his school.

Govind: And now I am telling you I cannot go.

Maduri: Are you being serious right now? Is this how much the safety of your child means to you?

Govind: I have only hope for him in my heart… I’m just so confused.

Maduri: What did they think of your idea?

Govind: Which idea?

Maduri: About resigning from the union… so that you could focus on more important things.

Govind: They are saying they can’t let me resign from my position. They have crucial roles for me.

Maduri: You mean to say they think it’s not the best idea?

Govind: Yes, they say I should do some kind of a business with the moneylenders.

Maduri: I don’t understand. What crucial roles?

Govind: Shh… Be quiet. They are sitting outside. They haven’t told me yet.

Maduri: (After some thought) Will you be here when I return from the tailor? And… Why haven’t they gone yet?

Govind: I’ve asked them to wait.

Maduri: They will wait for you? (Remembering what she had to say) Will you be here when I come back?

Govind: (Looking at Mr. Oblak and Mr. Yuri ) They will have to wait for me. They are as eager as anyone can possibly be. There is definitely something they want me to do for them… I know that look on their faces.

Maduri: Oh.

Govind: (Dreamily trying to gaze into the living room) What was it?

Maduri: What?

Govind: (Coming back to attention) You were telling Kisan to fetch for me?

Maduri: Oh yes, I am going out to the tailor now.

Govind: Oh.

Maduri: (seemingly interested) Why?

Govind: Nothing… It’s just that Mr. Oblak and Mr. Yuri were telling me about the harsh reality on the other side of the estate. It has me worried… about you.

Maduri: Govind, they always say that we are cut off from the real world, but I don’t agree with them. We do keep running into all kinds of things every now and then.

Govind: That is why I was telling you to be a little careful… while you are out.

Maduri: (Flaunts) I’m instinctually careful.

Govind: You’re paranoid.

Maduri: Don’t say that.

Govind: Shh… Quiet down, they will hear you.

They are tensed. Kisan has fallen on the sidelines due to their conversation. He is resting on the bed and looking at his school shirt from really close up. He is still deep in thought.

Maduri: (taking note of Kisan) What happened to you? Why are you so thoughtful?

Kisan: Father did it again, he called me weak.

Maduri: (looking angrily at Govind) When?

Kisan: Just now, in front of Mr. Oblak and Mr. Yuri.

Maduri: (To Govind) I don’t know what to do with you, other than being completely disappointed in you. Can’t you see that our son is in utter embarrassment of having been bullied? Can you for once act like an adult? I’m tired of having to point at everything you do wrong.

Govind: Maduri, I just can’t see my mistake.

Maduri: When do you ever see your mistakes? (Putting the shirt in a plastic bag) I’m going anyways. Kisan, you’re going to have to do that homework now. The one you skipped yesterday. Where is your school bag? Where did you throw it yesterday? Your father will help you with your homework if you have any doubts, but don’t trouble him if he’s chatting with the guests.

Govind: “Chatting?”  I will not be chatting with them! I have to find a solution to our problem.

Maduri: We have more than just one problem. You’ll have to find more than just one solution.

Govind: Just go!

Maduri: In any case do not settle for doing business with the moneylenders. I don’t like the sound of that idea.

Kisan: Mother, will father stay at home the whole day?

Maduri: Yes, he will. He’s taken a leave from work so that he can help you with your homework.

Kisan: But you help me with my homework, not him. (aside) I had been wondering how it would be like if I could get just one day’s off from school without any boundation. Here I am, confined again. It’s going to be so boring with father around. But atleast he’s a bit foolish at times and allows a joke or two, mother on the other hand is a complete dictator.  

Maduri: (Picking her purse up) Why are you being so difficult to be dealt with now? You are an understanding child, aren’t you?

Kisan: It’s just that…

Maduri: None of that, is that understood? Get all your books and notebooks out and get to work. (To Govind) Don’t tell him we’re taking him to school when I come back.

Govind: (Looking intently in the living room) Shh…

Maduri exits.

Maduri leaves the room with Kisan’s school shirt which is losing a button. With her purse on one shoulder she is leaving the room with an abundance of hope in the atmosphere. She hopes that her visit to the tailor will be a success. Kisan and Govind look at her keenly as she goes out of the house. She looks back at them from the front door with an expression of inquisition. It’s almost as if she is asking them why they are being so secretive. Her walk takes her far towards a blinding sunlight and then she vanishes. Kisan gets up and brings a few notebooks from his school bag. He is seen doing mathematical sums while sitting on the study desk, counting on his fingers and scribbling on the notebook with his pencil.

Govind: So, now Kisan, you sit here and do your homework, okay?

Kisan: Yes.

Govind: If you need anything, just move on to the next subject and wait for me to come back.

Kisan nods his head. Govind turns to leave but then turns around and goes to stand next to him.  

Govind: Kisan, actually I wanted to say something to you about my behavior.

Kisan: (doing his sums) Yes, say it then. What’s the matter?

Govind: Don’t misunderstand me when I say you are weak. Uhm… It’s just that the things we are dealing with, this house, the owners of this house and the work they have generously given me, it is all planning our lives for us. And…

Kisan counts digits on his fingers repeatedly while Govind is talking to him.

Govind: (continues) It is just that as much as we are grateful you are with us, sometimes having to look after you becomes something your mother and I… had never planned for. Bringing you up means a lot to us… but we haven’t got a plan anymore. We’re kind of running out of ground.

Kisan: What are you trying to say?

Govind: I guess, what I’m trying to say is that you will have to remember only the good parts. I mean, you just don’t have the luxury to hold on to the bad memories.

Kisan: No… I…

Govind: But as things stand, you are weak and there is nothing wrong with that… You must not forget that the reason you got bullied at school was because you are weak. One should know their weaknesses. (Pause) What I’m saying is that you cannot let anyone take control of you, not even your parents. The time just isn’t right for that.

Kisan: But I enjoy being with mother and you.

Govind: Yes, and maybe that is why I’m also very close to you. Uhm… (clearing his throat) anyways… Continue doing your sums. I will be outside.

Kisan: Okay… here… this makes it equal to… this.

Govind: (bending over Kisan’s notebook) No… Not at all… That’s not what it makes it equal to.

Kisan: But I counted. That’s what it should be, shouldn’t it? (Counts on his fingers again) Oh I see now. Where is my eraser?

Govind: No… Is this how you are going to do your homework? Is this the height of your intelligence?

Kisan: (laughs a little bit) But you were talking to me. You distracted me.

Govind: No Kisan! You’re not just weak, you’re also bloody stupid! (Slaps him on the cheek) There! Now correct your mistake.

Kisan: But…

Govind: Listen boy, I’m going in the living room. Do not even dare disturb me, is that understood?

Kisan: Yes. (Cries)

Exit Govind.

Govind leaves Kisan’s bedroom. Kisan sits on his bed with his notebook and pencil in his hand. He looks at the ceiling and tries to remember exactly what it was he did wrong. The last time he felt this sad was a long time ago.

***

 

 

 

ACT 2

Scene 2

Kisan’s thoughts.

Kisan: (Alone) It is all my mistake. Yes, it is my fault.

Only when I speak to myself I know that imagination is necessary. The more I imagine, the stronger my exploration of myself is, the better I know myself. But if that exploration deviates me further from my view of the world and my place in it then what good is such a fantasy?

Although I am a child, I’m capable of thinking of my future. I think we are all capable of thinking ahead of us. This should mean that I am nothing special. My body will be the same when I grow up… the world I will see will be the same, but only in its appearance. Then how can I not question that thing which is constantly changing?

Yes, I’m told to second question, not once but many a times… my inaccuracy. “Think before you say anything”. But then I get slapped because of a mistake? Beaten in front of everybody? Will hurting me make me stronger?

This thing that I have written on a sheet of paper is incorrect. But I was going to correct it, I had seen my mistake, realized it. Why then did I have to be punished? Today, yesterday… It’s all the same story. Yesterday Robbie bullied me, today my father bullies me… Is this what my life is supposed to be, just abuse and nothing else? But this instinct inside me tells me to question my mistake (counting on his fingers) rather than firmly believe in the reality.

My parents think I do not know what is going on. But I know. I know very well that they hate each other. When I hear that it is easier to understand hate than to understand love I am not surprised. It’s so natural to the person that I am. I know I am on the wrong path. The world is on the wrong path. Should I stop thinking to myself then? Should I stop talking to myself? Stop imagining… They think I don’t know, but I know. If matters do not alter for the better we can be ruined.
What am I to do? Think Kisan… Yes! I can go and serve these men who have threatened my father. I can ask them to let me mop their floors, wipe their windows, run errands for them, sell toys on the streets for them… but I will not remain a silent observer. If they are going to ruin us nonetheless shouldn’t I surrender to them already?

No. I will not let my life just pass without having a definite say in it. If anyone will come to me and ask me why I failed I will have a strong answer for them. I will have my own answer, and they will have to accept it. Yes. I will give up my wishes of becoming somebody. At last I will have to settle for a lowly life.

How much abuse will I face? For how long will my innocence let me look the other way? The earlier the better! I should do something before I become one of them.

I shouldn’t just sit and take all that abuse. For how many days can I allow people to hurt me? This is unacceptable. I will not let it happen. Will I be hurt again tomorrow? I cannot let it happen.

In the living room Mr. Oblak and Mr. Yuri are in a secret discussion. Govind is in the wrong place at the right time.

Mr. Oblak: Yuri, you don’t understand… We can’t let him resign. We need him. he will be the one breaking the news to the laborers. (With grave seriousness) It’s only a matter of time now. You know that.

Mr. Yuri: Oblak, I know that it’s only a matter of time before we set all those machines in the factory and let go of the laborers. But can we spend another Fifty thousand rupees on Govind?

Mr. Oblak: If Govind resigns we will fall into a rut trying to find another worker as sincere as him. We need him more than he knows.

Mr. Yuri: But we haven’t even received the machines yet and Fifty thousand rupees is a big amount. We’re not handing out donations are we?

Mr. Oblak: No, certainly not. But it’s the price we must pay to keep with us a humble servant.

Mr. Yuri: Are you sure he will agree to our help?

Mr. Oblak: He has no other way. He’ll be destroyed if the moneylenders get to him.

Mr. Yuri: He has a long history with us. We are in his good books. He could convey a simple message to the laborers for us.

Mr. Oblak: Yuri, you’ve always been silly. It’s a bit more than just conveying information. When we plant the machines in the factory the workers will be no good to us. When the workers find out that they are going to be unemployed they will want to burn everything in their sight. Times are soaked in trouble Yuri. Govind is the only man who can handle the riot stirred because of the machines.

Mr. Yuri: He will do as we tell him to do.

Mr. Oblak and Mr. Yuri suddenly notice that Govind is standing in a corner listening closely to their conversation. They are taken aback, but they invite him to sit with them.

Mr. Oblak: Since when have you been standing there? Haven’t you got a sense of timing? Oh dear how could I forget? You don’t have your pocket-watch anymore.  Come, sit with us.

Mr. Yuri: (Nervously) So, you have learnt of our plans… a little before your time. Listen, you have to hear us out.

Mr. Oblak: We never intended you to learn about it this way.

Govind: So you are going to take the laborers off the payroll? What is the meaning of all this? Mr. Oblak? Mr. Yuri? What is going on?

Mr. Yuri: Calm down Govind. Although it is true most of the workers will have to be kicked out but there is plenty work for you.

Mr. Oblak: Yes, some of the others are going to be sent home. Go on tell him, he’s not a child.

Mr. Yuri: As you have already heard, we have purchased big, very big machines.

Mr. Oblak: All the work will be done by the machines now. The workers will be good for nothing.

Mr. Yuri: And it is not just our chocolate factory. Almost all factories will be experiencing this turmoil.

Govind: We are going to be unemployed?

Mr. Yuri: Not you! (Taking a gulp) Just a big number of our laborers… It is all because the factory is being mechanized, really.

Govind: What will I have to do? You were saying? Conveying a message?

Mr. Yuri: (with bold expressions) You will have to break the news to them. Govind, it will not be easy. You do this much for us and we will pay off all your debts for you. Isn’t that just perfect?

Govind: In how many days will the machines take over the factory?

Mr. Oblak: (Sternly) A few weeks. Every factory is being mechanized. Many of them will be burnt to the ground by the rage of the laborers. We need you to make sure Macabre chocolate factory isn’t one of them.

Govind: How many of us will be left to work?

Mr. Yuri: Well take away the two hundred and… that makes… about fifteen of you.

Govind: I want seventy thousand rupees for doing that.

Mr. Yuri: Govind! How outrageous?

Mr. Oblak: It’s impossible.

Govind: I’m not doing it then.

Mr. Oblak: Fine. You have it.

Mr. Yuri: (To Mr. Oblak) What!

Mr. Oblak: (To Mr. Yuri) Do you see any other way?

Mr. Yuri thinks and then turns to Govind.

Mr. Yuri: So, you will call a meeting in which all the laborers will be invited. Then you will tell them that the industrial age is here, whatever that means. And that they will no longer be needed.

Mr. Oblak: Just tell them not to do anything stupid. I think it should be good.

Mr. Yuri: (gaily) As for the money to pay off your debt, you can have it right now. Just run to the bank…

Govind: I can’t go to the bank right now. Maduri and I have some work. (aside) Poor Maduri, I hope she is okay.

***

 

 

 

ACT 2

Scene 3

Maduri has reached the bazaar. She is standing at the spot where the tailor, Abdullah, puts up his shop. She arrives thinking maybe she is running a bit late but it turns out to be quite the contrary. Abdullah is not there. The day is growing older by the second and so is the sunshine but the tailor hasn’t yet put up his shop. The trees and the stone wall, behind which the tailor can usually be seen hard at work, appear to Maduri as vacant as her own life. She is waiting. She sees the emptiness residing in her heart reflected onto the landscape before her. She is waiting.

Maduri: Excuse me. When does the tailor usually set up his shop? About an hour ago! Oh dear. Something must’ve come up. Do you have any idea if he’s coming today at all or… Oh you haven’t an idea? That’s okay I guess. Oh yes, I had some work with him. I had to get a button on a shirt. No… I don’t wear shirts it’s my son’s shirt. What? Oh really? Where? Do you think that’s him? There… on the cycle cart? I think it is him, Abdullah. (Joyously) Hurrah!

Abdullah arrives slow paced blowing the honk on his small cycle cart. It does nothing elaborate, just a cart for dragging his things. There are some things on it, his sewing machine and other things. He bows his head gently to the woman without really noticing her and parks the cycle kart somewhere nearby. Getting off, he begins cleaning the place of his work with a broom. Then he sets his shop up, from his chair with a cushion on it to a mat on the floor with clothes on it. He bows his head to the woman once again but shows no sign of acknowledging her existence. Then he is busy looking into his cart. There is a gap of more than a decade between their ages.

Maduri: Abdullah, my son’s shirt has lost a button. Can you please fix it for me? I’ve run out of the kind of buttons…

Abdullah: One moment madam, I need to set up my shop first.

Maduri: Oh, okay. I will wait.

In Abdullah’s pocket are his eyeglasses, a pen and a notepad. He places a mysterious and concealed box on the stone wall. There is no lock on the box but it seems to be safe and secure. He washes his hands and drinks water from the same bottle then reads his prayers. Setting up his machine he finally sits on the cushioned chair. All around him there are scissors, measuring tapes, boxes that have reels and zippers in them and finally boxes that have buttons in them.

Maduri: Got late today huh?

Abdullah: (Busy scanning through the clothes on the mat) Yes. What work did you have? A shirt you said. Hand it here.

Maduri: (Passing the shirt to him) It is my son’s shirt.

Abdullah: It’s missing a button.

Maduri: Uhm… Yes, that is what needs fixing.

Abdullah: It’ll be five rupees for the button and ten for the labor. Damn it, where are my glasses?

Maduri: But Abdullah, that’s too much.

Abdullah: (handing her the shirt back, continuously looking for his eyeglasses) Take it or leave it madam. I’m not here to argue with anybody. We have plain principles, we don’t listen to anybody.

Maduri: (looks deeply at the shirt) So…

Abdullah: What will it be? (Looking for his eyeglasses in his pocket) You want it? Look here lady, I’ve got plenty work. This shirt, that shirt, this jacket, those trousers, that red blouse… I’m not sitting idle. Be quick.

Maduri: (aside) He’s alright the rest of the time, what’s happened to him today? (Aloud) Do it. But hurry up, okay?

Abdullah: (Finding his eyeglasses) You have an airplane to catch or what?

Maduri: I… I have somewhere to be.

Abdullah: So go there! Don’t wait here on my head. I can’t do any work in a hurry. Look here, this shirt, that shirt! Didn’t I say that already? You’ll get the shirt back in exactly one hour. If that’s okay then leave it here, else move along. (Putting his eyeglasses on)

Abdullah is busy threading a needle.

Maduri: One hour? I actually have to go to my son’s school. I was hoping if you could do it right now and I’d take it home with me so that my son could go with me.

Abdullah: You wanted to take it with you?

Maduri: (looking at the cycle cart) Yes. It is very important. I know you are extremely busy but can you do mine first?

Abdullah: (On failing to thread the needle) Damn it. Madam, how can I do yours first? My customers will be coming to pick theirs up in no time.

Maduri: But the rest of the people… They aren’t even here yet. I’m here… I can take mine with me. What’s the problem with that?

Abdullah: (Putting his glasses on his head) Okay, lady! Don’t get feisty with me. It is not good business. You’re crazy or what? Show me the shirt again.

Maduri hands him the shirt.

Abdullah: It has a blood stain on it too. It has been washed over once, or twice.

Maduri: Just once. My son got into a fight.

Abdullah: (putting on his eyeglasses and looking at the stain) From where did he pick up the habit of fighting?

Maduri: Uhm.

Abdullah: (After paying attention to her face) Hold on a minute. You are Maduri! Govind’s wife…

Maduri: Yes.

Abdullah: (Happily) Oh why didn’t you say so before? I’ll fix the button immediately.

Maduri: (awkwardly looking at him) I didn’t know I had to. You seemed to be awfully busy.

Abdullah: (Attempting to thread the needle once again) You should have.

Maduri: Would it have helped?

Abdullah: Who wouldn’t help Govind’s family? (Sniggers) Govind’s family is always welcome…

Maduri: But, what’s wrong? Why are you laughing?

Abdullah: (Growing weary of the thread and the needle) It’s just… Tell your husband to straighten up a bit, will you? He’s getting out of hand. (Attempts threading the needle again)

Eventually Abdullah gives up on threading the needle and asks for Maduri’s help.

Abdullah: Madam? Can you thread the needle for me please? I’m having a bad day.

Maduri: (Putting the thread in the needle for him) What did you mean when you said Govind is getting out of hand?

Abdullah: Everyone is talking ill of him. His reputation is falling day by day.

Maduri: Does everyone know about his debts?

Abdullah: It seems to be the only gossip in the town… Other than…

Maduri: Other than…?

Abdullah: Madam, forgive me I’m only a tailor I shouldn’t say this… Today I… I say anything and tomorrow I will be remembered as someone who was involved in rumors.

Maduri: What are people saying? I deserve to know, I’m his wife for god’s sake.

Abdullah: There are rumors spreading about Govind’s fights with his wife. People say to one another no matter what time of the day one passes Mr. Oblak and Mr. Yuri’s estate, Govind and Maduri can always be heard shouting at one another.

Maduri: What other things have made Govind a sensation among the crowds?

Abdullah: Forgive me madam. I knew it wasn’t my position to say anything.

Maduri: At least now I know.

Abdullah: You deserved to know. Some even say that Govind beats his wife on a regular basis. That’s something which has kept his image with the macho crowd.

Maduri: (aside) Govind, this is what our love has stooped down to. A tale for the folks to mock! Is the fault my own?

Abdullah: (continuing) Ridiculing of people’s personal lives has become an escape route from our own troubles, our depressing lives. It always had been that way. Rumors are nothing new. We hear every day, stories of so many people who have a life of their own but to us they are mere reflections of our prejudices. Maybe one cannot know of reality, but for the sake of an encounter with reality we are preparing ourselves with a whole variety of rumors. There is nothing scientific about our knowledge, very rarely is the knowledge of the common man scientific.

These rumors are a dialogue that will help us shine through as the innocent ones, amidst all this façade. The stories of so many people told incorrectly, separating us from our own troubles, our depressing lives. How do I talk to her without telling her that what I have heard is of utmost horror to the norms of life?

So I am prepared to be questioned as well, to be shown my own standing in the strata of society. Come to think of it, that is what matters most… What society thinks of us is what matters most to society. But when has society ever bothered for the lonely people? After all we are only specks of dust.

Though a rumor is what I will pronounce when my name comes on someone’s tongue, I must speak with absolute diligence. That is my defense mechanism. Isn’t it? Isn’t that how we all think? Regardless of our individual angst, enslaved to our standing, defeated by the constructs of our society… When has society ever accepted the lives of broken people?

Many things will happen, both good and bad things will happen! Our habits of justifying ourselves will secretly drown in our conscience. It will give birth to something unimaginably ugly. Isn’t it great then? It’s just perfect in a way… because at the end of it all a single idea will prevail, on the foundation of our subdued self justification, a new dialogue stems. Take Mrs. Govind for example, what can she say now? God only knows what is going on in her mind. Her personal life has been kept before her like an open book. But done so by whom?

Abdullah reaches for the box of buttons and looks for a white button, one that is appropriate for Kisan’s school shirt.

Abdullah: Uh madam! (Pressing his fingers between his lips)

Maduri: What is it?

Abdullah: There seems to be a problem. If you can see, I don’t have any white buttons at the time.

Maduri: You are joking with me, aren’t you?

Abdullah: No, I’m being serious. No more white buttons.

Maduri: (confused) Oh what should we do now?

Abdullah: Leave the shirt with me. When I go to the master’s shop in a while I will get a button from him.

Maduri: How far away is your master’s shop? I can go myself.

Abdullah: You will tire yourself needlessly madam. (Pause) You were saying you have somewhere to be? Go there. I’m telling you, I will fix this shirt by evening. Leave it here.

Maduri: (taking the shirt back from him) I’ll go to another tailor.  

Abdullah: Madam you had to go to your son’s school, so go now. Just leave the shirt here and I’ll have it fixed by evening.

Maduri: I really wanted to take the shirt with me… But things don’t always work out.

Abdullah: (along with a smile) I wish we knew why!

Maduri: (Taking some money out of her purse) I’ll put the shirt in this plastic bag and leave it with you. Okay?

Abdullah: (Refusing to the money) Pay when your work is done. For now, leave the shirt.

Abdullah hums and nods and goes back to work.

Maduri: If I go now Govind and I will have to go to school alone. (dreamily) Maybe Kisan will get the alone time he had been craving for since yesterday. Oh Kisan. (To Abdullah) Listen! Whatever people have said to one another about me are things shaped by their own prejudices. It is not just what they think of my situation but of domestic quarrels in general. The saddest part is that if anyone had asked me about my troubles even I wouldn’t be able to put a finger on the thing that’s broken. I think that is how life is sometimes. We feel like there is something missing, but it’s almost logically impossible to identify it. As for society, it has always been more involved in people’s lives rather than people’s causes. It has always been more intrigued by rumors rather than by people’s perceptions of their circumstances. If society functioned to see causes in people’s lives rather than people’s lives in causes the world would be a different place.

Maduri exits with the shirt in her hand.

Exit Maduri.

Abdullah: Let me safely keep her son’s shirt before it… Where… Where did the shirt go? Oh. (Sighs) Can you believe it? She has actually taken the shirt with her! Oh dear, just to think of the people who come to my shop.

***

 

 

 

ACT 3

Scene 1

Kisan is sitting in a corner of her mother’s bedroom. His back rests against the cupboard in which she keeps all her belongings. He is still weeping. There is no sound of his crying only running tears glistening on his tense cheeks. Under his eyebrows he is hiding many of his innocent questions. The plastic replica of a tulip plant that his mother used to keep in the cupboard is in his hands. He has shattered it to pieces. When Maduri enters her bedroom he tries to hide himself from her. She keeps her purse on the bed.

Enter Maduri.

Maduri: The entire house is a mess and Kisan’s father hasn’t a single moment to spare for his son. Every morning I wake up before anyone else does so that I can tidy up their lives and Govind has let Kisan throw everything here and there. I can’t believe that he is still chatting with Mr. Oblak and Mr. Yuri in the living room. (Speaking in a whisper) Kisan? Is that you behind the cupboard?

Kisan tries to hide himself.

Maduri: Hey, what’s wrong child? Why are there tears in your eyes?

Kisan: (Wiping under his eyes with his wrists) Nothing happened. You are back.

Maduri: Yes. Come sit with me. Don’t you feel odd sitting there? Come here. Come sit with me on the bed.

Kisan: Did the tailor fix my shirt?

Maduri: Not yet. He has said he will fix it by evening. I had to leave your shirt with him.

Kisan: Then what is that in your hand?

Maduri: In my hand… (Falling back in utter disbelief) Oh dear! Kisan…

Kisan: You didn’t get the shirt fixed…

Maduri: Kisan, I’ve completely forgotten to drop off your shirt with the tailor. How stupid of me! What is wrong with me? What will we do now?

Kisan goes near his mother. The broken plastic replica of a tulip plant is on the floor behind the drawers.

Kisan: It is okay mother. I will wear it to school without the button.

Maduri: The other kids will make fun of you, I simply cannot…

Kisan: (interrupting her) Somebody told me what matters most in life is what I think of myself.

Maduri: Kisan, you don’t understand. I was supposed to do one thing and I have completely blown it. You sit here… I will go to the tailor again.

Kisan: (Pulling her arm) No. Don’t leave me here. I don’t want to be left alone with father. He will…

Maduri: (trying to get a hold of his face) Kisan, stop. You’re hurting me. What’s wrong? What will your father do?

Kisan: He will hit me.

Maduri: Your father can’t hit you… He had sworn to your grandfather he will never hit you. (Looking at his cheek) What’s this? He has slapped you! Hasn’t he?

Kisan: Yes he has! I sat here waiting for you to come back so that I could tell you… Mother! He slapped me on my face!

Maduri: (Holds him tightly) Child, it will be okay. I’m here now. Stop crying. Don’t cry.

Kisan: I was only doing my homework… Father was distracting me with words, and then… It was my mistake, I had seen it. I wanted to correct it. But he slapped my face. Tell me mother what was my fault in all this?

Maduri: (Going away) You shouldn’t have spoken to him the way you did yesterday. I knew it was wrong.

Kisan: You think it was my fault? No. No. I’m not mad! It wasn’t my fault.

Maduri: Kisan, Kisan… Shh…  Your father will hear you! Quiet now.

Kisan: Is this the way of the world? Is this what happens?

Maduri: Yes child this is what happens…

Kisan: Don’t call me a child! I’m weak because you treat me like a child.

Maduri: No Kisan, I am weak… Look, it is me. I’m the one who keeps making mistakes. (Showing him the shirt) We need to fix this. You will help won’t you?

Kisan: It is all your fault. It’s all because of you.

Maduri: I know it is all because of me… I’m having a crisis. I need to sit down.

Kisan: It’s all your fault. I wish you get punished too… Why only me?

Maduri: Kisan, you are crossing the line.

Kisan: Then why wasn’t I shown the line until now?

Maduri: Kisan, I might be the bad influence on you right now, but don’t forget when something happens to you I’m the first one to help you. You cannot tell me what I have done wrong. I will not allow that.

Kisan: You were supposed to do one thing and you haven’t been able to do it…

Maduri: Wait till your father finds out.

Kisan: Well, I really hope he does find out. We will see if he is more enraged by you or by me.

Maduri: (Aside) The boy is correct. What will happen when Govind finds out I came home with the damn shirt! I was supposed to have it repaired… (To Kisan) Your father has hit you, why are you getting mad at me? I’m always good to you.

Kisan: I don’t believe you. Father has told me never to believe you.

Maduri: He told you that? What else did he say? Did he tell you I’m mad?

Kisan: You are mad. I can see it. You are completely mad. It is not a secret anymore. Father knows you are mad, I know…

Maduri: (Interrupting him) Everyone knows that I am mad. (Rushing towards the door) Let me call that filthy bastard and ask him the reason… Oh! He is still chatting with his friends. The man of the house! Consulting his friends about his troubles! How manly of him! (Coming back to Kisan)

Kisan runs behind the cupboard.

Maduri: Come out of there. (Breathing heavily) We will talk like good people. Come on out now. Don’t make me drag you out by your hair.

Kisan: You see what’s become of me? I’m just a thing to be abused. Beat me… Beat me… Why should you give up the chance?

Maduri: Kisan, let Mr. Oblak and Mr. Yuri leave then I’ll show you… It’s your last chance to have a normal conversation with me. We don’t have to be so brutal to one another.

Kisan: Mother, I know you are the one putting a leash on my thoughts.

Maduri: You need to see that this situation has arisen because of our own flaws. We still have time to correct ourselves.

Kisan: Oh really, but what was my fault? I’m torn apart… Not a part of me has remained intact. And it is all because of the way my parents act with me. I no longer know who I am.

Maduri: I’m nearing death and I still don’t know who I am… Ever think about that? No. You only think about yourself. You should be ashamed of yourself for being so selfish. Stop hiding behind the cupboard for god’s sake!

Maduri launches at Kisan to grab his hair, but he escapes.

Kisan: (Goes and sits on her bed) It’s all so embarrassing!

Maduri: Do you know what it feels like, to really care for somebody without knowing if they will care for you the same way?

Kisan: I don’t know what you are talking about.

Maduri: (sitting on the edge of the bed) That is something you need to know then.

Kisan: How will I ever know that? I don’t even know what that means…

Maduri: Someday you will know. (Pause) You will remember it, won’t you?

Kisan: I don’t know.

Maduri: Yes, I’m mad. There’s something wrong with me. I’m the reason your life and your father’s life aren’t as great as they could have been.

Kisan: It doesn’t matter.

Maduri: You have learnt to say that it doesn’t matter but you should think about the consequences of nothing mattering.

Kisan: The consequence of things not mattering anymore?

Maduri: Yes. To really be suspended for the lack of any meaning. I feel like I live it every day. Each second, just passing through… Do you know how sad and angry that makes me?

Kisan: I get very angry, and I regret it afterwards, even feel guilty for my behavior. Is that what you call normal?

Maduri: It is okay to let your emotions make you the person you are. I don’t know. (Pause) I have to go to the tailor. Will you come with me?

Kisan: To the tailor’s shop?

Maduri: Yes?

Kisan: Okay.

Maduri: (After having given her eyes a brief rest) I know what you are thinking.

Kisan: Hmm…

Maduri: I’ll protect you. You know?

Kisan: I know.

Maduri: (Trying to change the point) What were you hiding behind the cupboard for?

Kisan: I broke your flower pot.

Maduri: Oh.

Kisan: You won’t scold me?

Maduri: No.

Kisan: I had my reasons for doing so. I had lost control of myself.

Maduri: What did you find when you lost control of yourself?

Kisan: Nothing.

Maduri: The things in those drawers, in this house, they don’t belong with me anymore. They belong far away from me. The things in those drawers should be left alone. It’s better that way. I am too exhausted… close to tears and suffering from desperation.

Kisan reaches to comfort her by rubbing her shoulder.

***

 

 

 

ACT 3

Scene 2

It is four O’ clock in the evening. The sun has faded away. On learning that the guests are going Kisan drags his mother to the living room. She seems to be heavier than usual. He leaves her on the threshold of her bedroom and runs to the sofa. He finds his video game and begins playing it. Maduri’s hands are numb and she isn’t moving. Though she is standing she doesn’t seem to be alive. Govind had gone to say goodbye to Mr. Oblak and Mr. Yuri. He seems to be coming back now. He is overjoyed with things turning in his favor. He enters with a big grin on his face but stops when he sees her. He is perplexed, he wishes to escape the house but his conscience suggests him to speak to her.

Enter Govind.

Govind: (With enthusiasm) Maduri! Maduri! Maduri! All our problems have been solved! Maduri… Mr. Oblak and Mr. Yuri have said they will pay our debts on our behalf. But, what happened to you? Moments ago you were smiling… dreamily entering the house… You didn’t even look at us and went straight to your room. What happened? You don’t want to talk to me anymore? Why? I’m still here, you see. Come, we will go to Kisan’s school now. Where is his shirt? Maduri, Where is his shirt? What have you done to your face? You should have at least washed your face after coming back from the tailor… Go. Wash your face. (Sitting on the sofa) Maduri? Won’t you say anything? Aren’t you happy? (To Kisan) Son, what happened to your mother? Did she speak to you after coming back?

Kisan remains quiet. This scares Govind, he goes to the bedroom in a hurry. He finds the broken plastic tulip plant and the blood stained white school shirt. He comes back to Maduri with the shirt in his hand.

Govind: Maduri, what is this? You didn’t get a button stitched on the shirt? Will you say something? Hello?

Maduri: (With very faint voice) So, Mr. Oblak and Mr. Yuri will pay your debt?

Govind: (Throwing the shirt on the sofa) Isn’t that great news? And we don’t even have to pay them back. We have settled it with some work (Sighs) At last we can say good bye to all our troubles. Yes? You are happy, aren’t you?

Maduri: (Staring at him) Will they pay for Kisan’s fees as well? Will they pay for my mental treatment? Tell me Govind? Will they?

Govind: Maduri, what are you saying? Kisan can hear everything. Let us go to our room and talk about this there.

Maduri: (Screams) We will stand right here!

Govind: (Reaching for her arm) You need to do what I say…

Maduri: Don’t touch me Govind, I’ll kill myself.

Govind: What are you saying Maduri? Calm down! What is wrong?

Maduri: Govind can you guess what the tailor told me? He told me there is a rumor in town… That Govind beats his wife.

Govind: Whose wife? His own wife? What rubbish. It must be all these ridiculous people making a great story out of nothing. They must’ve heard us screaming at one another or something. Listen, you need to understand…

Maduri: (Screams again) I’m not going to understand. There is nothing left to understand.

Govind: Okay. Okay. I accept it. I accept that I’m wrong.

Maduri: It is too late.

Govind: Maduri, the world gives us unexpected twists and turns every day. Such twists and turns that no one could have imagined a decade ago. Today we were able to solve the problem of our debt, who knows in a few days we will solve the problem of…

Maduri: My madness? Say it… The problem of my madness… I wish you saw the vicious cycle to which you have made me a part… I’ve become as good as dead.

Govind: Don’t be ridiculous. You know it is not just our problem. Mr. Oblak and Mr. Yuri say that a great depression is coming. I need you Maduri. I have a huge responsibility to fulfill. Try to cheer up. The number of laborers in the factory is being cut down to fifteen! To fifteen! Can you imagine? I am one of the few who will remain. We can live a joyous life.

Maduri: You filthy rat! You foul animal!  Why don’t you ask Mr. Oblak and Mr. Yuri to make you a part of their will? So that when they die you can inherit all their wealth… Why not plot their murder? Oh… But you have great responsibilities now. Don’t let me stop you from fulfilling your ambitions. But know it in your heart, that you will be all alone when it ends.

Govind: I won’t be all alone. People who will be as helpless as me will have to come together by my side.

Maduri: Greedy people? We should have been living a life of dignity and here you are.

Pause.

Maduri: Why do you hurt me?

Govind: (Slowly) Maybe because by hurting you I damage parts of myself, to clear it all away, to get to the heart of my mistake…  

Maduri: You make me sick.

Maduri gets a tight grip on Kisan’s wrist. His video game falls on the floor. She drags him inside his bedroom. The door closes with a loud thud behind them. Govind goes to chase after her.  She bolts the door.

Exit Maduri and Kisan.

Govind: Maduri open the door! Unbolt the door goddamnit. Listen to me. Will you just… (Knocking on the door) Maduri! Open the door.

Abdullah walks in through the main door into the living room.

Enter Abdullah.

Govind: Yes, how have you strolled inside my house without my permission?

Abdullah: Govind! It’s me. Abdullah, the tailor! I found the door open so I walked in. I hope I’m not intruding on you.

Govind: Tailor? No… It is alright. What have you come here for?

Abdullah: Madam had come to my shop in the morning. She wanted her son’s school shirt fixed. It was missing a button but I didn’t have the kind of button that goes on a school. (Reaching for his pocket) So I went to my master’s shop and brought these buttons for her.

Taking a pouch out of his pocket he hands two buttons in Govind’s hands.

Abdullah: (Continuing) You can give her these, they fit perfectly on a white school shirt. (Hesitantly) She had promised me fifteen rupees for them.

Govind: (Looking at Kisan’s bedroom door) Abdullah, I don’t have the money right now. And Madam is unwell.

Abdullah: Well you can’t have them for free…

Govind: How about I give you the money tomorrow, when I pass your shop while going to work.

Abdullah: If you promise to pay tomorrow… then why not? (Pointing at the shirt) You can maybe see if the buttons match the shirt…

Govind: (Picking the shirt up in his hands) Hmm…

Abdullah: Keep them.

Govind gives the locked door another gentle stare.

Exit Abdullah.

Govind: (Mumbles to himself) I’ll stitch the button on the shirt myself. 

Govind stares down at the buttons. He runs to the cupboard in the bedroom and opens the drawers. Slowly he finds the thread and needle box. He sits on the floor to sew a button where the shirt had been missing one. The thread is so thin he is facing difficulty seeing it with his naked eyes. He somehow gets the job done.

Govind: (His hands shaking) So many mistakes after all. I should have maybe said more, or maybe done something else to save ourselves. (Pause) Abdullah wouldn’t have come with the buttons if you had not walked all the way to his shop. I’m grateful for you, I really am. Maduri, I wish you believed me, you are the reason I possess any happiness at all... I wish there was anything left between us.

He gives his needlework a deep glance and sprints to Kisan’s bedroom with a hopeful smile.

Govind: Open the door… let me in.

 

THE END.

***