Onto the Stage - Slighted Souls and other stage and radio plays by BS Murthy (ebook reader web TXT) 📖

not so easy for me with her people.

Rakesh: Why Sir, we’ve covered the costs.

Balram: But there can always be overruns.

Rakesh: If it comes to that won’t I underwrite them.

Balram: Good, let me go to her people and see how the tide turns over there.

Rakesh: Why trouble yourself, her sister is expected any time now. Meanwhile you can savour our coffee.

[Rakesh calls Preeti on the intercom and asks her to fetch them some coffee (mime). Rakesh and Balram chat (mime).]

[Exit: Preeti.]

Gopal: Looks like its smooth sailing for our Nayak.

Sunil: That is if Nritya’s sister won’t puncture the rudder. Would she buy the suicide theory? Who knows she may be privy to what went on in Nayak’s chamber.

Gopal: Why scare him Sir, he’s half dead already.

Sunil: Well, I’m just showing him the danger end and no more.

[Enter: Preeti with two coffee cups in a tray and goes serve Rakesh and Balram. Preeti goes back to her seat. Rakesh and Balram sip coffee from their cups.]

[Enter: Navya in disarray as all watch her she goes up to Rekha.]

Navya: How is Nritya?

Rekha: [She hugs Navya with tears in her eyes.]

Navya: Oh God, where is she take me to her.

Rekha: No dear, you can’t bear the sight.

[Navya becomes unconscious and collapses on the floor.]

[Exit: Preeti to fetch some water as Rekha takes Navya into her lap.]

[Enter: Preeti with a water bottle and she sprinkles some water on Navya’s face. Navya regains her consciousness.]

Navya: Where is her body?

Rekha: The police moved it to the Gandhi Hospital.

Navya: Take me there.

Rekha: Let your husband also come.

[While others try to console Navya (mime) and Preeti goes into Rakesh’s chamber and informs him of the developments (mime). Rakesh comes out of his chamber to see Navya.]

Rakesh: I’m sorry madam.

Navya (Wiping her tears): Oh, how she brought it upon herself.

[Enter: Naveen and a sobbing Navya falls into his hands.]

Navya: Let’s go and see her.

Rakesh: Madam, Inspector Balram is here and he would arrange things.

[Rakesh leads Navya and Naveen into his chamber and introduces them to Balram who receives them by getting up from his chair [mime]. Rakesh motions Navya and Naveen to sit and as they take their seats, Rakesh and Balram too take their seats.]

Balram: It feels sad really.

Navya: [Sobs silently.]

Naveen: I wonder why she should commit suicide.

Rakesh: It’s no good talking ill about the dead but as it involves the life of the living, I’ve to be frank with you. In hindsight I see she has a troubled psyche. Wonder how she mistook Mr. Nayak’s patronizing behaviour as sexual harassment. Why he’s on the wrong side of fifties with a thirty-year-old clean slate. When he tried to set the record straight before the complaints committee, she took it as a personal affront and lost her balance. Devastated by her act, now Mr. Nayak looks on the wrong side of sixties.

Navya: Well, the day I came to know of her complaint, I wanted her to pack up and go home. But she was not to listen.

Rakesh: Maybe, you can throw some light on her private life. Inspector Balram may like to have a word with you. [Rakesh moves to get up from his seat] I better leave you alone.

Balram: Why, you may as well stay.

Rakesh: As you please [He sits back in his chair.]

Balram: Madam, I’ve got to look at her death from all angles.

Navya: I understand Sir.

Balram: Is your sister put up with you?

Navya: She stays in a ladies hostel.

Balram: Was there any domestic discord or was she jilted by someone.

Navya: I don’t think either was the case.

Balram [Gets up]: I understand your loss and we shall investigate the matter. If you come across any information that incites your suspicion, please let me know. [Balram opens his wallet, pulls out his visiting card and hands it over to Naveen.] Please come along to identify the body and to record your statement.

[Exit: Balram with Navya and Naveen seen off by Rakesh. Rakesh talks to Rekha and others (mime).]

[Exit: all except Rakesh. He goes into his chamber and broods over the matter with his head buried in his hands placed on the table. Curtains down]

Scene - 7

[Curtains up: In the Naveen’s drawing room Navya is morose in the sofa. Seven chimes of the clock (not in the scene). At the sound of the door buzzer, Navya gets up and goes to the door.]

Navya: Nice you’ve come.

[Enter: Rekha and Rachana and they shake hands with Navya.]

Rekha: How are your parents?

Navya: They have a long way to go.

Rekha: Well, time is a great healer

Navya: But I wonder whether I could have averted the mishap

Rekha: It’s a case of ifs and buts but you can make a difference to Nrityas in the making.

Rachana: You know madam had resigned on moral grounds.

Rekha: Well, after that immoral silence.

Navya: Looks like it was all pre-destined. What was her barbadi jest but a premonition?

Rachana: What was it about?

Navya: [In tears] When I said she was welcome to being a Hyderabadi, didn’t she joke that it sounded like barbadi.

Rekha: But for her ill-fate, why a decent guy like Nayak should have misbehaved as he did? When I confronted him, he confessed his guilt and expressed regret. I asked him why he behaved out of character; he said that as he is nearing sixty, he began to see the beginning of the end of his sex life. Why, having stuck to his wife all his life; he thought that he missed the thrills on the frill. It was his sense of deprivation that drove him towards Nritya. When I asked him why he pressurized her the day she joined, he said he wanted to overwhelm her without giving her time to think for herself or consult with others.

Navya: Whatever, he got away with it having abetted, didn’t the police close the case once and for all.

Rekha: Since he was not brought to justice, you can say so. But he resigned on his own to atone for his sin.

Navya: Would that bring her back to life?

Rekha: But it won’t take his life forward the way he wanted it to be. Why her tragic death farcically ended his quest for variety before it ever began.

Navya: That’s true. But till Rachana put things in the proper perspective, I was upset that you didn’t stand up and be counted in Nritya’s case.

Rekha: Thank you for your understanding; well I may even say forgiveness. How I pressurized Rakesh not to hush up the case and how Nayak and his wife begged me to relent I only know. Well, I didn’t have it in me what it takes to be on the just side of the dilemma. If only an outsider was in the commute, even if she couldn’t have saved Nritya’s life at least she would have ensured that Nayak got booked for abetting her suicide. If anything, my failure to protect Nritya’s fair name underscores the need for us to form a NGO.

Navya: I am with you in any movement against womanizing at workplace.

Rachana: MAWAW for short.

Navya: Why, it sounds nice.

Rekha: Let it sound a death knell to the errant. [Rekha raises her hand and opens her palms; Navya and Rachana make it high-fives.] But for that, both of you need to familiarize yourselves with men at work on women at work. Navya, you would join Brims & Dregs, producers of major IMFL brands and you, Rachana, Skins & Hides, leather carpet makers. I would sound the concerned at both the firms.

Navya: [Contemplates for a while.] After the Nritya fiasco, Naveen won’t like my working even for a day.

Rekha: Why not I speak to him.

Navya: It won’t help. Well, I never did anything behind his back but for the larger good let us keep it from him.

Rachana: Who would protect us from men as we train ourselves to protect women from them?

Navya: Why it’s our zeal for a cause.

Rachana: To catch men with their pants down.

Rekha: But if you go overboard, they will get away, citing that women run faster with their skirts up than men with their pants down. [All laugh. Curtains down.]

Scene - 8

[Curtains up: Split setting. Right portion is the office chamber of the General Manager, Marketing, Brims & Dregs Ltd. Left portion is the ante-room of the Personnel Assistant. Navya is seated in the ante-room. Intercom rings and she talks on the phone (mime). After she completes the clock (not in the scene) strikes twelve.]

[Enter: Sanjay holding a brief case.]

Navya: Sir, M.D. is looking for you.

Sanjay: That is as I was missing you. Well, connect me to him.

[He walks into his chamber and picks up the phone and is at conversation (mime). Navya goes into his portion with a bunch of papers and having placed them on the table is about to turn back. He gestures her to stay and she sits in a chair opposite to him as he continues on the phone (mime). He disconnects the phone.]

Sanjay: What do you think of the baseline of our corporate ads?

Navya: What is it Sir?

Sanjay: Fill it to the brim and drain it to the dregs.

Navya: Isn’t it apt for liquors.

Sanjay: It’s relevant for the SEWs as well.

Navya: What is that Sir?

Sanjay: Don’t you know I am no Sir Sanjay

Navya: I just said Sir and no more.

Sanjay: Smart, I like it but…

[He gets up, goes to her and bends behind her.]

Sanjay: [Whispers to her.] Don’t you know that Sir to a SEW is Mr. Spent-force

Navya: [Feels uncomfortable] I don’t get you Sir.

Sanjay: [Breathing over her back.]: Why, are you not a sexually experienced woman?

Navya: What you are talking Sir? [She gets up from the chair.]

Sanjay: [Hugs her from behind.] Know it’s your sex-appeal at work.

[Navya wriggles herself out of his hold but Sanjay nudges her back into the chair.]

Navya: Leave me Sir.

Sanjay: Try asking an iron rod to leave a magnetic hole.

[He holds her by her shoulders. She struggles to get up from her chair. He finds a mole on her exposed back.

Sanjay: Navya it’s eureka. Oh, a mole on your back.

Navya: What for you?

Sanjay: Oh, how it fascinates me. Won’t that stand you in good stead? You know what and in which posture to afford you a varied experience.

[She wriggles herself out of his hold and he lets her go. As she moves away from him, he pinches her bottom. She settles down in her seat and shortly thereafter he calls her on the intercom. She goes back into his chambers, he motions her to sit and she does.]

Sanjay: I’m sorry I’ve got carried away.

Navya: It’s okay Sir.

Sanjay: What is okay, my ardour or my apology?

Navya: Don’t you know?

Sanjay: My ardour is never an apology to an amorous dame.

Navya: Why pester a disinterested woman?

Sanjay: What am I to do when I am interested?

Navya: Why woman should give a damn to every Tom, Dick and Harry who comes to fancy her?

Sanjay: Ask any rapist and he would tell you.

Navya: Isn’t it like a thief borrowing from a robber’s lexicon.

Sanjay: Why isn’t it a higher knowledge? It’s the refrain of the rapists that having enjoyed the fare it’s unfair of women to accuse them of rape. As with rape so with the so called sexual harassment, it’s about woman’s inward exhilaration couched by outward indignation. Like rape gets better for woman as it lasts longer, so is the case with the sexual harassment for sure.

Navya: [Gets up] I don’t think neither you are paid to harass me nor I am hired to be harassed by you.

Sanjay: Cool dear. [Sanjay goes up to Navya and gently nudges her into the chair.] If it’s hard this way, I’ll make it soft another way [Lightly brushes her breast and she recoils] but there is nothing really soft about ball games barring the handball that is if it’s not about throwing the ball against the wall. Why, in golf, it gets clubbed before it is nudged into the hole. What a tame end, but hockey is different. It is taken into the D before it is slammed it into the goal, something manly, isn’t it? But