Onto the Stage - Slighted Souls and other stage and radio plays by BS Murthy (speed reading book .TXT) 📕

mat if I let Naveen off the hook, won’t I have to answer to my conscience?

Rekha: Even if he was guilty, what can be done now?

Navya: Why can’t I divorce him to make men realize that womanizing at workplace could be hazardous at home?

Rachana: Don’t be crazy.

Rekha: Why become more Christian than the Christ to ruin your children’s lives. [She takes the nonplussed Ranjan and Nrupa into her arms.]

Navya: Won’t the double jeopardy be doubly deterring for the hopefuls.

Rekha: Don’t be silly and make me feel guilty for radicalizing you.

Navya: Well, after that experience with Sanjay, I am obsessed about fighting against the errant men.

Rekha: I don’t think you have any grounds for divorce at all.

Navya: Maybe but can’t I desert him?

Rekha: What about the children?

Navya: If I can keep them it’s fine. If not I would find meaning to my meaningless life by dedicating myself to the MAWAW.

Rekha: Why not I take you to Lawyer Bhagawan? Rachana also needs to understand the implications of bigamy.

Rachana: I don’t think there is any law against a live-in relationship.

Rekha: What a shame that you want to disturb a woman’s married life.

Rachana: Well everything is fair in love and war.

Navya Why not get acquainted with his wife and take her to a couple of movies of the fifties and sixties. Bet if not you, she would imbibe the spirit of self-sacrifice to make it easy for him

Rekha: Jokes apart, why build castles in the air when you have neither declared your love to him nor he indicated his to you.

Rachana: Madam might recall that love manifests itself in looks much before it gets expressed in words.

Rekha: Let Bhagawan (Looks up to the heavens) judge after Lawyer Bhagawan appraises Him about the law of our land.

[Rekha gets up from her seat followed by Rachana and Navya.]

[Enter: Naveen. Navya instinctively takes hold of Ranjan and Nrupa.]

Naveen: Spoil your life if you must. [He moves towards Ranjan and Nrupa as Navya hugs them closer to her.] I don’t want your stupidity to ruin their lives.

[Naveen tries to take hold of Ranjan and Nrupa and Navya resists him as Rekha and Rachana watch in dismay. A tug of war ensues between Naveen and Navya for the possession of the bewildered Ranjan and Nrupa who alternately cry ‘mummy’ and ‘daddy’. Naveen prevails in the end and takes hold of the crying Ranjan and Nrupa and drags them towards the exit.]

Navya: I swear I’ll drag you to the court.

Naveen: Leaving your home, you’ve become lame.

Navya: Wait, I’ll show you what I am

Naveen: What a sight it makes, a lame woman dragging her man to the court.

[Exit: Naveen with Ranjan and Nrupa yelling ‘mummy’.]

Rekha: I think you must bend for your children’s sake.

Navya: Well, I’m more focused than ever. Let’s go to Lawyer Bhagawan.

[Exit: Navya, Rachana and Rekha. Curtains down.]

Scene - 12

[Curtains up: Lawyer Bhagawan’s Office. Bhagawan is at his desk poring over some papers. The clock (not in the scene) strikes seven.]

[Enter: Rekha, Rachana and Navya.]

Bhagawan: Hi Rekha. I’ve read about your MAWAW in The Hindu and wanted to compliment you. Why, work may not kill man but surely it kills his social life.

[Bhagawan asks them to take their seats and as they sit his mobile rings. He checks the caller number and answers the call.]

Bhagawan: I’ve some clients with me. You can come and collect the decree.

[Bhagawan switches off his mobile.]

Rekha: Sorry for barging in with my battalion.

Bhagawan: You know you’re always welcome.

Rekha: Thank you and let me introduce the co-activists of MAWAW. This is Navya [Bhagawan and Navya greet each other] and this is Rachana [Bhagawan and Rachana greet each other].

Bhagawan: Is it about a legal dilemma or a liberal donation. [Bhagawan laughs heartily.]

Rekha: You’ve put an idea into my head. Be MAWAW’s honorary legal advisor.

Bhagawan: Done, I deem it an honour.

Rekha: Thanks a lot. Now we have a twin dilemma, one is about bigamy and another is about divorce.

Bhagawan: Why not we deal with the prosaic before we go to the poetic. Which of these two ladies seeks divorce?

Rekha: Men are men whatever be their calling.

Bhagawan: If not, where’s the charm for women.

[Rekha briefs Bhagawan about Navya’s case (mime)]

Bhagawan: I think you should give him the benefit of doubt.

Navya: I‘ve no doubt about his guilt

Bhagawan: What if Mithuna is a questionable character?

Navya: Lawyer saab, this is no argument in the court.

[Bhagawan pulls out three case files and places before them. Navya reads one and her colour changes. Rekha and Rachana too peruse one each.]

Rachana: [Exclaims.] Oh, it’s our company’s suit against Mithuna. Without taking her name, Kumar told me about her.

Bhagawan: How do you know him?

Rachana: He’s my boss.

Bhagawan: And he’s my client.

Rekha: The world is small indeed and the other side of the sexual coin is no less ugly

Navya: [Holds Bhagawan’s hand.] If not for you, it would have been a certain ruin for me.

Bhagawan: It’s all God’s will.

Navya: Let me go and apologize to Naveen. [She gets up from her chair.]

Rekha: Why not ask him to drive down. He can be here before you can persuade some autowallah to take you home.

Navya: Not a bad idea. Lend me your cell

[Rekha gives her mobile to Navya. Navya goes to a corner and talks to Naveen on the mobile (mime).]

[Enter: Kumar. He is surprised to see Rachana in profile.]

Bhagawan: Think about the devil…

[Rachana turns her head in all curiosity and rises from her seat surprised.]

Kumar: I hope Ms. Rachana has no brief for an original suit against me.

Bhagawan: Why you have picked up the legal jargon as well.

Kumar: Am I not in the right company on a wrong issue.

Bhagawan: [Handing over a document to Kumar] Now you are free to set right your life.

Kumar: I owe it to you really. I am sure if not for you; I would have been in the limbo till the very end.

[Kumar opens his briefcase and having placed the document in it pulls out his bank cheque book. He signs a leaf, puts the cheque book in the briefcase and closes it. Kumar gives the cheque to Bhagawan]

Bhagawan: Why a blank cheque?

Kumar: Just to show my boundless gratitude within my limited bank balance.

Bhagawan: [Embraces Kumar.]You touched me like no other client. I wish your next wife would see life from the right side of it. [Bhagawan checks himself] Oh, I’ve got carried away. I am sorry for breaching the client confidentiality.

Kumar: Why blame your emotional involvement that ended my marital stalemate.

Rekha [Goes up to Kumar.]: I’m Rekha. I want to have a word with you.

Kumar: Welcome, if it’s not platitude.

Rekha: I want to play a matchmaker.

[Rachana’s face brightens up and readily she becomes tense.]

Kumar: Thank you. I shall give you my resume.

Rekha: I have it from Rachana underscored with love.

Kumar: [Goes up to Rachana with apparent joy.] Will you accept my love and lead me in life.

Rachana: If only you vow not to put your charms at work on the women at work, ever.

Rekha [to Rachana]: But before that you pledge to work against men at work on women at work

Rachana: Only against men unfairly at work.

Bhagawan: [in jest.] Shall I get the affidavits ready for both of you to sign?

Navya: Why forget me. Don’t I need an affidavit affirming trust in my man?

Rekha: With a rider that mischief in the office can misfire at home.

[Rekha receives a call on her mobile and she nods in agreement as she talks (mime).]

Rekha: It’s about a complaint at Tits & Tats for MAWAW to get cracking.

[The clock (not in the scene) strikes eight.]

Bhagawan: Why it sounds good tidings for MAWAW.

Rekha: And bad omen for men at work on women at work.

[Enter: Naveen with Ranjan and Nrupa. Navya rushes to Naveen while Ranjan and Nrupa run to Navya. Naveen hugs Navya and she holds Ranjan and Nrupa on either side. Curtains down.]

 

 

Castle of Despair - A stage play

 

 

Dramatis Personae:

 

Rajiv: Forty year old businessman.

Ramya: Rajiv’s thirty-five-year-old wife.

Deva: Rajiv’s thirty-five-year old businessman friend

Divya: Deva’s thirty year old wife and Ramya’s close friend.

Rau: Forty year old lawyer and Rajiv’s long lost friend.

Inspector Slesha: Rau’s thirty-year old wife.

Nayak: Fifty-year-old lawyer and Rajiv’s friend.

Raju: Forty-five year-old Bank Manager and a friend of Rajiv.

Dr. Aslam: The Rajivs’ fifty-five year old family physician.

Rangaiah: The sixty-five year old servant at the Rajivs’ house.

 

Scene – 1

 

 

[Curtains Up: The Rajivs’ well-furnished drawing room at the right side with an adjoining bedroom on the left side. A backside opening in the drawing room connects the rest of the backstage bungalow. Rangaiah is seen in the drawing room dusting the furniture.]

[Enter: Rajiv with briefcase in one hand and cell phone in the other tucked to the ear.]

Rajiv: Rangaiah, has Bank Manager Raju called on the landline?

Rangaiah: No, Rajiv babu.

Rajiv: Is Ramya at home?

Rangaiah: No babu, she has gone out with Divya beti.

[Rangaiah goes backstage and Rajiv continues to redial on the cell phone. Rangaiah returns with a glass of water that Rajiv takes.]

Rangaiah: You know you are more than my lost son to me.

Rajiv: Don’t I feel free with you than I was with my father? Why, you are a confident of sorts to me from childhood. But why do we need to vouch for all that now?

Rangaiah: If you don’t get angry I want to say something.

Rajiv: What’s holding you?

Rangaiah: I’m scared of the new Rajiv babu in you.

Rajiv: What do you mean?

Rangaiah: I see you are a changed man all charged up for the pipes project. What’s the need for you to bother about it being a landlord yourself? Moreover, you have a flourishing steel business as well. You know how uncomfortable Ramya beti is about your obsession.

Rajiv: Rangaiah, you are living in a world that time had left behind and Ramya is unable to step into the new one despite my pushing and prodding. Nowadays landlords are passé and businessmen still carry the shopkeeper tag. Industry is the in-thing but its dog- eats- the-dog out there. Realize that the gentleman of leisure your late master was is a dead species now.

[Enter: Raju with his briefcase.]

Raju: Sorry Rajiv.

Rajiv: Raju,I was really mad with you. Ask Rangaiah if you don’t believe me.

[Rangaiah greets Raju and goes backstage.]

Rajiv: You were not at the bank and your cell is ever engaged.

Raju: I couldn’t call you to tell about the summons from my zonal office. There was no way anyway. You know how a call from our zonal manager sends us into jitters. Oh, the way he hauls us over the coals right in front of our subordinates! What a nasty fellow!

Rajiv: Don’t we all know that its man’s frustration at home giving vent to itself at the workplace.

Raju: Seems so from what is rumoured about his wife. More to the point, even as he let me go after a good dressing down, my wife took over on my way here. Why, this damned cell phone could be the brainchild of a nagging wife. But as the Hyderabadi road sense is no less scary, self-driving is not a sensible option either.

Rajiv: Isn’t the bumper-to-bumper on the road as unending as the red tape in your bank. Won’t my year-old application for term loan prove that?

Raju: You know I’m only a clog in an inertial wheel.

[Enter: Rangaiah with elachi chai for them.]

Rajiv: Why not get a little momentum now.

[They both begin to sip the beverage.]

Raju: Wah Taj!

Rangaiah: Saab, its Ramya beti’s recipe as you know.

Raju [to Rajiv]: So, Ramya is a good teacher as well.

Rajiv: Besides being a strict wife that is.

Raju: Without wife for a jockey, a man can’t run life’s course. That’s for sure. Is she not at home now?

Rajiv: She went out with Divya for some shopping. What a compelling attraction shopping has for women, more so, window shopping.

Raju: Why a window-shopping wife is any day better than a nagging one.

[Rangaiah collects the tea cups and goes backstage.]

Rajiv: But why all this dodging. You know I’m dying to ground my project. You promised to get back to me by this evening, didn’t you?

Raju: To make the long story short, your pipes project might