Mukti

Mukti

At least 10-15 people are should be present forming a ring and inside the ring, the street play will be conducted.

A girl is playing the role of a rural woman who is cooking for her husband and kids. Husband, drunk till the brim enters the house-(imaginary) shouting and speaking names.

Scene-I

Husband (opening an imaginary door, almost falls):  Oi you filthy woman, where are you? Come show me your face! Whom did you sleep with today? Huh? Tell me… (Oi Nongra Maagi, koi tor much ta dekhi; aj kar sathe suyechis? Aay? Bol, bol bolchi…)

Wife (toying with her Haata and grinding her teeth, but does not speak anything)

Husband (grabs her wife’s hair by the bun and gives a violent jerk- thus ensuring that her wife falls on the floor): Calling her names;

Wife (gets up from the floor, comes close to her husband and gives him a tight slap, husband almost faints in shock and sits on the floor in amazement and awe): You rascal! How dare you call me names and beat me in front of our kids?? You go out of the house in morning and come home late at night…It is I who should be questioning you, how many young girls did you rape? (Shaala itor, kon sahose amai maarchis ar khisti korchis kochir [child] samne? Tui sokal hole fute jas ar rate firis…Kota maagi k lagali? )

Husband (growls in anger and tries to get up): You hit me? You hit me? Do you know what will be the outcome of this? (Maarli tui? Amai maarli tui? Ar porinoti bhalo hobe Na…)

Wife (Throws imaginary utensils towards her husband; husband tries to dodge them but ultimately gets hit; multiple times)

The boys and girls surrounding, take up placards and posters and dance demanding punishment for the husbands who beat up their wives…

Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high

Where knowledge is free

Where the world has not been broken up into fragments

By narrow domestic walls

Where words come out from the depth of truth; where tireless striving stretches its arms towards perfection

Where the clear stream of reason has not lost its way; into the dreary desert sand of dead habit

Where the mind is led forward by thee

Into ever-widening thought and action; into that heaven of freedom, my Father, let my country awake.

Scene-II

At least 10-15 people are should be present forming a ring and inside the ring, the street play will be conducted.

A girl is going somewhere in a not so revealing dress, but three to four youths eye her, as if she is a treat and whistles and taunts-

Youth 1: Sexy item (whistles and sings…)

Youth 2: Shiela, Shiela ki jawaani…

Youth 3: Come here darling! (Akbar adike aso darling!)

Hearing this, the girl suddenly takes an about turn and goes directly in front of the three boys. The boys ashamed by their comments look in random directions to avoid eye contact with the girl.

Girl (to all the three boys): Suppose I’m your mother/sister… How would you feel at this very moment? Don’t you have a mother or sister at home? How would you feel if they were taunted and poked like this? (Bhabe nao ami tomader ma ba bon, akhon kemon lagbe? How would you feel if they were taunted and poked like this? )

The boys hang their heads in shame… The lesson had been taught, they had learnt their lesson.

The boys and girls surrounding, take up placards and posters and dance demanding punishment for the molesters and teasers who look upon women as sex objects…

Scene-III

A marriage ceremony is going on and the husband and wife are sitting close to each other and are exchanging garlands. Just at a little distance the two fathers in laws are taking (about dowry.) The girl’s father breaks down, apparently the dowry isn’t enough.

Girl’s father (breaking down): Please, I will give our son an R15 but next month; I promise- Please keep the car for now…My only daughter is getting married today, please do not call of the marriage, I am begging before you with folded hands… (Ami amader cheleke akta R15 gift korbo kintu porer mase, akhon kar jonno please gaari ta rakhun, aktai meye biye bhangben na please, hat jor korchi…)

The boy’s father’s nods in disapproval, they want the bike now and now meant at that very moment-otherwise the marriage would stand cancelled.

Girl (standing up and walking towards her father in law, takes his hand and places the marriage garland in his hands): I am not going to marry someone who values me and compares me with cars and bikes- here uncle, I am breaking my own marriage. I am confident that I will get another boy to marry tomorrow but will your son get a wife with this mentality? (Ai nin uncle [mala sosurer haate diye]; ami nijer biye bhangchi, ami kauke biye korte chai na je amake gaari ar bike diye market value mapbe, ami to confident aami ar akta chele peyei jabo biye korar jonno kintu apnar chele kono meye pabe to ai mentality niye?)

The boy’s father is dumbfounded and startled…

The boys and girls surrounding, take up placards and posters and dance demanding punishment for the husbands and families who take large sums of money or gifts such as the R15 as dowry…

The three key woman characters hold hands and recite-

The Empowered Woman, she moves through the world

with a sense of confidence and grace. 

Her once reckless spirit now tempered by wisdom. 

Quietly, yet firmly, she speaks her truth without doubt or  hesitation 

and the life she leads is of her own creation. 

She now understands what it means to live and let live. 

How much to ask for herself and how much to give. 

She has a strong, yet generous heart 

and the inner beauty she emanates truly sets her apart. 

Like the mythical Phoenix, 

she has risen from the ashes and soared to a new plane of existence, 

unfettered by the things that once that posed such resistance. 

Her senses now heightened, she sees everything so clearly. 

She hears the wind rustling through the trees; 

beckoning her to live the dreams she holds so dearly. 

She feels the softness of her hands 

and muses at the strength that they possess. 

Her needs and desires she has learned to express. 

She has tasted the bitter and savored the sweet fruits of life, 

overcome adversity and pushed past heartache and strife. 

And the one thing she never understood, 

she now knows to be true, 

it all begins and ends with you.

Copyright © 2003 Sonny Carroll & Pearls Of Wisdom. All Rights Reserved

*Narration*

Daily, women have to fight against so many odds and do so much work- they are much more capable than men. Years of injustice and aatyachar have made them susceptible to molestation and teasing. Issues like dowry, molestation and domestic violence still exists but daily stories and instances of retaliation go unnoticed, through this street play we have made a humble attempt at how women should fight back, stay ahead of men who think women are only for teasing and toying not to mention breeding.  We demand MUKTI for all those women suffering, bearing the pain without complains, we urge them to join the fight…

A NEW BEGINNING… (A poem for all rebellious women out there)

I am going to start from the scratch,

From the basic, and I’ll catch,

All new concepts, all new thoughts and I’ll…

Show people what I’ve got…

I’ll forget my past and give my best;

I know I’ll have to work hard, there’s no time for rest;

And I’ll not sleep until I’ve reached my goal,

And I’ll not eat either unless I’ve purified my soul,

Of all pain which the world offers, I’ll deny them once and for all…

I’ll start a new beginning, which will end in such grandeur…

That no one has ever seen;

I’ll forget my past and be my present;

A new era’s going to begin…I am not telling lies,

All obstruction which used to come by my way will stay miles and miles apart;

I’ll take myself to dizzying heights, to the zenith;

From where everything seems so small, so dull…

A NEW ERA’S GOING TO BEGIN…

©Copyright Protected© Biswadeep Ghosh Hazra