On the festival of Dussehra….EFFIGIES SPEAK
Demonic Dialogues……
A PEGO PLAY……
Courtesy:
EFFIGIES SPEAK
Cast: Effigies of ……. Ravana …… Meghnad ……..and Kumbhkaran
Scene : Dussehra Grounds……. where last few scenes of Ramlila are being enacted ….and three demon effigies are standing tall…..tied with ropes to the ground…..
People have gathered on the ground to witness the enactment…fight of Gods vs. the demons…… they are generally oblivious to the three effigies at the moment and are engrossed with the Ramlila enactments…
Twelve heads (of the effigies) sway once in a while…… but this is not noticed by those on the ground …….. Suddenly …….
Kumbhkaran stretches himself and lets out a thunderous laughter…..this unexpected outburst causes a nasty anger to rise in each of the ten heads of Ravana….
R(angrily) : Watch Out ! You Fool! Watch out ! My stupid dear brother ! Watch Out!
KK : “ HO HO …… HA HA HA HA….Oh Brother ! ……… Ha Ha Ha !!!
R : “ Shut up you drunken fool …. Shut Up ! Don’t Laugh ! I warn you ! You shall give away our little secret !….I don’t want these mortals to know….I would like them to go on thinking that we are mere cracker filled effigies !
KK : “ Ho Ho Ho Ho … Don’t worry O king-brother…Hee hee Ho Ho Ha Ha …
R (losing his balance with anger) ; KK ! I warn you ! Stop it !
KK : (enjoying himself ) : O brother of mine ! I said don’t worry ! These dust kissers wont know ! These mortals are far too engrossed in listening to their own tormented voices ….They seldom listen to anything worthwhile ! Ho Ho ho ! Hee Hee Hee !
( KK said this and became mighty pleased with his wise crack….he let out guffaws of laughter and had it not been for the rope , he would have surely tripped and fallen down….)
M ( in his modulated baritone) : o father Sire ! KK uncle is right for a change ! And Why should we be afraid of these ignorant pygmies ! Let them find out ! Why do we worry !
R ( slightly pacified) : Ok Ok …. But what caused your uncle to laugh ? What was so funny ? ( Having said this R was tempted to twist his ten moustaches …. and he would have done so….had his hands not been holding a wide variety of weapons…)
KK : Ha Ha Ha Ha Ho Ho ….. I was thinking …dear king brother……that each year they burn us…finish us…..but we come back….again and again….don’t we ? Hee hee Ho Ho Ha Ha !!! ( KK managed to complete his sentence with a great degree of difficulty….tears were rolling down his cheeks )
R ( getting angry again ) : YOU FOOL ! Who on this earth can kill us ! Don’t you know that Ravanas spirit can never die ! HA HA HA HA ! ( This time R threw caution to the winds and let out a hell shattering laughter…… many birds perched on a near-by electricity wire flew away in a panicked flutter…)
M (booming ) : But o FATHER SIRE ! Why do these mortals burn us each year !And why do we let them do it ! If you simply nod even one of your ten heads…I shall put a permanent end to this annual non sense !
KK : Hee Hee Ho Ho ! O my brave dear nephew ! Always eager for a battle !!! Ha Ha Ha !
R (still a bit annoyed ) : Relax ! Dear Megh ! Relax ! No need to get all worked up ! Ah ….. actually I have come to like this drama….It is a fine nourishment for my ever-hungry ego …..Imagine ! These fools celebrating MY glory each year! I surely get kicks out of this larger than life effigy business…. HA Ha Ha …
KK ( with a wry smile ) : Actually….these people of earth …. they burn us each year… but probably they don’t wish that we die !
R : SHUT UP KK ! It seems you are still in your sleep…..you talk so illogically !
( suddenly Meghnad’s gaze falls on a huge Cut-out…a man wearing a Nehru cap and sporting a toothy grin….with folded hands ) M gets a little scared… He loses his baritone ….
M ( shrieking) : O father ! What the hell is that … another effigy….do we know him ….is he a kin of ours ?
KK : Ha Ha Ha Ha …. o Megh ! that is no kin of ours …. That is a cut-out of an election candidate…. Ho ho Ho ….
M : a cut out ! What is that ! Will these mortals burn him too !
KK : OH My dear megh ! You are a limit ! Hee Hee Hee Hee …
R (angry) : Again you go ….stop it KK !
KK : Your son’s naivete makes me laugh ! Ha Ha Ha Ha …
M (Baritone is back…he gets angry ): UNCLE ! DO NOT PROVOKE ME !
KK (Ignoring the threat ) : Oh ! My dear Megh ! You don’t seem to know anything about these mortals ! They never burn anything that they really detest ! Ha Ha Ha !
M ( squeaking) : You confuse me ! KK uncle ! I must confess that your logic is rather inverted !
KK : NOT MY LOGIC DEAR NEPHEW ! LOGIC OF THE MORTALS !
R : KK PLEASE STOP IT ! DON’T MAKE WILD STATEMENTS ! And SHUT UP…OR ELSE ….
KK : Hee Hee ho Ho ! Ok you tell me if you know….why do they burn us ?
R : ER..Is it ….er…to celebrate the victory…of good….er….over evil…..now don’t laugh KK ……it was just a guess…..don’t make fun of me or I shall kill you….
KK: Hee Hee Ha ha ha Ho Ho Ho Ho !
M : PLEASE UNCLE…. STOP IT ! Tell us if you really know ! Why do these mortals burn us each year !
R : Hold it Megh ! Your uncle is not in his senses ! He doesn’t know a thing !
KK ; Ha Ha Hee Hee Ho Ho ….I may be a drunkard …but am no fool ! ( He said this with a twinkle in his eyes )
M (getting impatient ) : Uncle please tell us ……
KK (enjoying himself) : First you two tell me……why don’t these mortals burn the election cut-out ?
R (Mellowing down ) KK please be reasonable…..tell us if you are aware of the reason….Time is running out…..soon they shall put us on fire….
KK : OK OK OK OK ! Now listen ten-head ! And listen my dear nephew ! These mortals are great psychologists ! They have convinced themselves….by repeated doses of reasoning….that they are the descendents of RAMA….the GOOD…..and EVIL is an alien entity…They burn us as if to burn all evil…and become pure…
R an M (In chorus): IS IT TRUE … do they get pure ?
KK (aside.. facing audience) I am thoroughly enjoying this new role….of being a prophet to the demons…
M : UNCLE DID YOU NOT LISTEN TO OUR QUERY ?
KK Ho Ho Hee Hee Ha Ha ….What is true is not important…WHAT IS IMPORTANT HERE…is that these mortals try to become guilt free after burning us…
R (Overawed): And do they succeed in removing their guilts……hey brother please tell us….you seem to be a lot smarter than I thought !
KK (arrogantly ): THAT IS A VERY SILLY QUESTION…Ho Ho Ho Ho
R (Getting angry again ): COME ON KK ! Cant you see that sun is about to set ….we shall be put on fire any moment now….pl tell us …..
KK (sighs loudly): OF COURSE THEY SUCCEED IN REMOVING THEIR GUILTS !
M : why did you sigh uncle KK …
KK : I am amazed at the ignorance of the two most celebrated demons in the entire history !
M (Angry…Taking out his sword ): UNCLE WATCH OUT ! I cant take these insults any longer !
R : SHUT UP MEGH ! Lets hear him out ….
KK (Making a mock bow ) : Thanks Ten-head ! It is obvious that they become guilt free…each year…after burning us…. and had they not washed their guilts …. they would not have been able to …..openly worship the election candidates … Do you get the point ?.. HO HO Ho Ho
M : OH ! Now I understand….why don’t they burn these cut-outs !
R : WHAT AN AMAZING RACE OF PSYCHOLOGISTS….
KK : Hee Hee Ha Ha Ho Ho !
(THEN someone…as per arrangement….puts these effigies on fire…cracker bursts and flames )
Ravana’s parting remark (to the audience) :
“ Good bye mortals……..Happy GUILT COLLECTION…..till we meet again….next Year !”
bhaskarbenjamin
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