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

for your old father? Don’t you know I’ve vested all my interests in you? Do you want to throw me to the wolves?

Narsimma: No emotional blackmail would do now naayana. Why, with both of us in the dalam, who would dare come near you? If land lends them strength, gun gives us power, won’t it?

Sarakka: If only amma had a sickle in her hand then, that bloody Papi Reddy wouldn’t have been alive now? With a gun in hand, won’t I show them the difference now?

Narsimma to Sarakka: Wait till I brief Madanna and send for you. Any way, it won’t be long. Bye till then [Goes to Yellaiah and takes his hand.] Be assured no harm would ever come to you.

[Exit: Narsimma as Sarakka sees him off.]

Yellaiah [Falling on the floor]: Malli, don’t you see how our hopes have collapsed like a pack of cards? Oh, God only knows what would happen now?

[Curtains down.]

 

Scene – 12 

[Curtains up: Madanna, Mallanna, Srisailam and Narsimma in a jungle hideout.]

Madanna to Narsimma: So, the bird has come home to roost after all.

Narsimma: Driven out of its hearth so to say.

Mallanna: How peddanna has been waiting for this day.

Madanna: Well, who doesn’t want to have a strategic brain like his?

Srisailam: Oh, how he used to turn the tables on your opponents at every turn.

Madanna: Wait and see what a difference he makes to the dalit cause. [Turns to Naesimma.] But how did you achieve your nirvana Narsimma?

Narsimma: Oh, how my sister was raped, and for what reason? It’s just because I protested their calling me Narsiga.

Madanna: I hope it’s not just your hurt that drove you here

Narsimma: Why, I’ve lost patience for a patient change.

Srisailam: Peddanna, to be fair to Narsimma, he too feels that it calls for a little arm-twisting besides some brainstorming. I know that temperamentally he’s all for revolutionary opposition, but ironically it was his circumstances that kept him away from the People’s War in the beginning and brought him into it in the end.

Narsimma: How well you’ve read me anna. Now, with the end of my dilemma, won’t they begin to feel the heat of my hurt?

Madanna: Mark my words Mallanna, wounded that he is, he’s going to revolutionize the revolutionary opposition itself.

Srisailam: Why its Ugra Narsimma the peddollu have to contend with now.

Narsimma: Why have you forgiven the cops already?

Srisailam: How can I?

Narsimma to Madanna: Peddanna, my sister Sarakka too is itching to join us.

Mallanna: Why not, our dalam will have one more motivated member in it. (Turns to Madanna) What do you say peddanna? Won’t that herald women cadres?

Madanna: Why not take all the members into confidence. I don’t want them to carry the impression that it’s our joint enterprise. Moreover, as it involves women, you better ascertain their views.

[Exit: Mallanna.]

Srisailam: Don’t we need to be cautious in our move? What if it turns out to be the ideological dilution in a romantic setting? Well, I’m not speaking for myself as I swore to be single.

Narsimma: What if they are ideologically compatible, won’t they contribute in their own way. Instead of keeping them away altogether, why not we wed them to our struggle as our wives.

Madanna: Well, let’s wait for the feedback.

[Enter: Mallanna.]

Mallanna: They’re all for it peddanna.

Madanna: Now, three of you together put procedures in place. Let it also be known that it’s innovation in planning and daring in operation that decides who climbs up the ladder, and nothing else, gender included. By now all know Madanna doesn’t play favourites.

Narsimma: It’s my word that I shall never try to allow my closeness to peddanna affect my attitude towards others. I shall strive to win the trust and affection of all in every possible way.

Madanna: Mallanna may fetch Narsimma’s sister.

[Exit: Mallanna. Curtains down.]

 

Scene – 13 

[Curtains up: Madanna, Srisailam and Narsimma in the jungle hideout of scene -12.]

[Enter: Sarakka ushered in by Mallanna. Narsimma goes up and takes her hand.]

Narsimma: How is naayana?

Sarakka: Don’t worry; he’s reconciling.

Narsimma to Madanna: She’s Sarakka, my sister.

Madanna: Warm welcome Saroopa. Don’t you like your alias?

Sarakka: Thanks for the welcome and the alias as well.

Madanna: Maybe you’re smart, but life here is tough, tougher than you could’ve imagined it to be.

Sarakka: Didn’t I have a taste of it trekking all the way.

Madanna: Being a single female here, it could be odd even.

Sarakka: And so I’ve come with my companion.

Narsimma: Who’s that?

Sarakka: Let the leader show the green light, and then you could see for yourself.

Madanna: Interesting and intriguing even, coming on recommendation yourself, you have another to commend to our dalam. Okay, go ahead.

[Exit: Sarakka leaving a perplexed Narsimma.]

[Enter: Renuka with Sarakka. Narsimma goes up to Renuka and takes her hand.]

Renuka: I’m Narsimma’s Renuka. Annalu may excuse my trespass.

Madanna: Welcome Renakka. But what brings you here?

Renuka: To seek redress for myself and to serve our cause as well.

Madanna: What’s your grievance like?

Renuka: I’m wronged by my mother and abused by my man.

Madanna: What’s the evidence to prove your accusation?

Renuka: Your friend Narsimma can provide the evidence and my cousin Sarakka can bear witness to my travails.

[Narsimma and Renuka murmur into Madanna’s ears in turns.]

Madanna: Now that their guilt is established beyond doubt, what about the punishment?

Renuka: Death to my mother, and I would like to put my man’s fate in your hands.

Madanna: How do you justify the exemplary punishment to a woman, that too your mother?

Renuka: She knew that I don’t share her idea of dalit life as pandering to the peddollu. Knowing that her brother makes his living by pimping for them, still she coerced me into marrying him knowing fully well that I’m in love with my baava. What’s worse, it’s she who turned her brother into a pimp to serve her ends. Isn’t she an inimical woman, wife, mother and sister all rolled into one. I believe she deserves to die.

Madanna: What about your man who has harmed you no less?

Renuka: Well it’s I who married him though against my will. Sure he bedded me with that Papi Reddy, and I failed to resist him on my own. Now I don’t want to punish him with borrowed strength.

Madanna: I appreciate your sense of justice and invite you to be the conscience keeper of the dalam.

Renuka: Peddanna, I’m honoured indeed.

Madanna: Now, besides confirming the sentencing of Anasuya, I pronounce death to Saailu as well for his anti-dalit activities. But for our dalam it’s an irony to punish the errant dalits ahead of the erring dora.

Narsimma: Coinciding with their execution, why not we have a dalit adalat at Rampur to try its dora and his cohorts.

Madanna: Well, it’s tactically sound. All may assist Mallanna in planning things.

Srisailam to Mallanna: Didn’t I tell you Narsimma makes a difference to the revolutionary opposition.

Mallanna: Don’t I know that Madanna is spot on when it comes to judging people. Now that he has his alter ego in tow, won’t it be a time of nightmares for them?

[Curtains down.]

 

Scene – 14 

[Curtains up: Madanna, Srisailam, Narsimma, Sarakka and Renuka (all in the dalam’s uniform) sit on the dais around the mango tree of the scenes – 4, 6 & 9 as armed naxals (also in the same uniform) stand besides them. A stream of villagers gathers there.]

[Enter: Anna (1) of the dalam.]

Anna (1): Peddanna, we’ve got them.

Madanna: Usher them in.

[Exit: Anna (1)]

[Enter: Anna (1) and Anna (2) with bleary eyed Muthyal Rao, Papa Rao, Shaukar Suryam, Papi Reddy, and Rami Reddy with his son Narsi Reddy. Srisailammotions to them to sit.]

Narsimma: With the dalit adalat trying the gram panchayat, well, what a day it is going to be for the revolutionary opposition. But why is Narsi Reddy brought here?

Anna (1): You may know Madiga Yellanna’s daughter Nirmala. She has complained against Rami Reddy’s son Narsi Reddy.

Narsimma: Well, but where is she?

Anna (2): Anna, she would be here any time now.

Narsimma: Okay, we’ll take up the issue after she turns up. Meanwhile, let’s deal with the dora and his cohorts.

[Anna (2) calls up Muthyal Rao, Papa Rao, Rami Reddy, Papi Reddy and Shaukar Suryam, and they all stand up]

Sarakka: Chief, these are the sinful five.

Madanna: What are they accused of?

Sarakka: To start with, they’re all inimical towards the dalits.

Madanna: Are you guilty on that count or not?

[All five nod in agreement.]

Narsimma: Any submission to this dalit adalat?

Papa Rao: Forgive us Narsimma, pardon us peddanna, we’ll behave ourselves.

Narsimma: Will you swear to respect dalits?

[All five nod in agreement.]

Madanna: It’s the revolutionary decree of this adalat to tattoo ‘I respect dalits’ on both their forearms. And for better effect, let it be capital D.

[Exit: A stunned Muthyal Rao, Papa Rao, Rami Reddy, Papi Reddy and Shaukar Suryam are led away by Anna(1) and Anna(2) as the gathered applaud the judgment.]

[Enter: Anna (3) with Nirmala.]

Anna (3): Anna, this is Nirmala.

Srisailam: What’s your grievance?

Nirmala: This Narsi Reddy has raped me.

Srisailam: Yera Narsi Reddy, are you guilty of the charge?

Narsi Reddy: Anna allow me to make amends by marrying her.

Srisailam to Nirmala: Does that redress your grievance?

Nirmala: It’s not out of remorse that he proposes. He wants to save his skin, that’s all. And the whole village knows he’s a habitual violator.

Madanna: Let Narsi Reddy face the firing squad.

Narsi Reddy: Peddanna, please.

Narsimma: Not to take anything away from Nirmala’s hurt; we may take Narsi Reddy’s youth into account. It’s true he’s willing to atone for his sin only to save his skin but still.

Srisailam: Anna, it’s not some juvenile delinquency calling for leniency. It’s his patwari mind-set to debauch dalit women that we’re dealing with.

Madanna: What is our conscience keeper’s say on this?

Renuka: It’s only fair that he serves a jail term as per law. But sadly our failed system lets him go scot-free. And that enables him to violate many more women, if not here, elsewhere . So to save the trauma of his likely victims, he should lose his life.

Madanna: Let the sentence be carried out.

[Exit: A stunned Narsi Reddy led away by Anna (3).]

[Enter: Anna (1) and Anna (2) with Muthyal Rao, Papa Rao, Rami Reddy, Papi Reddy and Shaukar Suryam, amidst a hail of bullets.]

Rami Reddy: Where is my son? What have you done to him?

Srisailam: Well, he has got his deserts.

Rami Reddy: Peddanna please let me see him.

Madanna: Yeh, Patwari, sit still till all get their due. [To Sarakka] Well, are there any more charges against these fellows?

Sarakka: I accuse Muthyal Rao, Papa Rao and Shaukar Suryam of having raped me.

Narsimma: Are you guilty of the charge?

[All the three nod in agreement}

Narsimma: Any submissions by you?

Shaukar Suryam: Annalu, we beg of you, pardon us and spare our lives.

Yellaiah (From the gathering): Maisaiah too would have pleaded for his life, wouldn’t he have?

Narsimma: Well, what has the victim to say?

Sarakka: They too must face the firing squad like Narsi Reddy, and for the same reason.

Yellaiah: Only after they undergo the pain of seeing the gang-bang of their daughters.

Gathering:Yah, Yah.

Madanna: What’s Renakka’s take on this?

Renuka: That would surely humiliate these thick-skinned but at the same time it amounts to punishing the innocent. Thus, violating their daughters is a crime against the girls and not a punishment for their lecherous fathers.

Sarakka: Still they deserve to die, don’t they?

Renuka: Won’t death make it easy for them. Why can’t we imagine their life reminiscing over their humiliation? So it serves them well if they’re spared to suffer. Moreover, putting them to death means punishing their wives for no fault of theirs.

Madanna: But how’s that?

Renuka: Why, didn’t these rascals’ roving eye deny them as wives? And don’t we know what a shabby treatment awaits them as widows? If we kill their men, won’t it be a double jeopardy for them?

Madanna: But if let loose, won’t they stray again?

Renuka: Not so if bailed on fidelity bonds.

Madanna: What if they jump bail?

Renuka: After all this, they are no fools not to see the writing on the wall.

Srisailam: What have the guilty to say?

[All three in turns]: I swear that I’ll not stray again.

Madanna: They may be let off but on parole.

[All three in one voice]: Thank you