XI WBCHSE DRAMATISATION OF 'KARMA'

PROJECT

CLASS—XI

DRAMATIZATION OF THE SHORT STORY ‘KARMA’

ORIGINAL TEXT:  KHUSHWANT SINGH

Introduction:  The chain of incidents in the story shows that Mohan Lal, a middle-aged man is a staunch follower of British culture. He mocks at everything that is indigenous. He even remains cold to his wife, Lachmi, as she is just an ordinary Indian woman and is reluctant to mimic the British customs. On a journey by train, Sir Mohan compels Lachmi to travel in the inter-class ladies’ compartment, while he arranges a seat for himself in the first-class compartment. There, two British soldiers enter and abuse Sir Mohan. When he protests, he is thrown out of the train, along with his luggage. So, the story begins with the self-imposed glory of Sir Mohan Lal and comes to an end in his disillusionment.

                        Characters and their short descriptions 

Characters	Descriptions
1.        Sir Mohan Lal	A middle-aged man
2. Lachmi, Lady Mohan           Lal	A woman of middle forties  and the wife of Sir Mohan Lal
3.        A coolie	He is found in the railway station carrying the luggage of Lachmi
4.        A bearer	He is carrying out Sir Mohan’s order for a drink and installs his luggage in the first-class compartment
5. Bill and Jim, two                                        British soldiers	They enter the compartment of Sir Mohan and abuse him, thereafter throwing him out of the compartment
Additional Characters
6. Ram Singh Yadav	A poor farmer having two little sons
7. Hira Rani Mati	A distant relative of and senior to Lachmi

Place              Gorakhpur Cantonment Railway Station

Time               About 4 O’clock in the afternoon during summer season

SCENE—1   

[STAGE SETTING: A first-class waiting room of Gorakhpur Cantonment Railway Station. A long mirror was found fixed on the wall. Four ceiling fans were whirling at a high speed. A few blazing tube lights brightened the whole room. Besides, three large cane chairs were kept surrounding an oval-shaped wooden table.]

(Sir Mohan Lal enters the waiting room with a newspaper, ‘The Times’ in his hand. His luggage was kept outside. Keeping the paper on the table, he stood in front of the mirror. An imaginary monologue starts between Sir Mohan and the mirror.)  

Sir Mohan Lal         :        (Addressing the mirror with sarcasm) How are you, Indian Mirror?

Mirror                     :        So-so. I feel proud that I’m made in India.

Sir Mohan Lal       :       Is it so? But you are so very much like everything else of this country like India—inefficient, dirty and indifferent. The red oxide at your back has come off at several places and long lines of  translucent glass have cut your upper surface. How indecent you  are!

Mirror                     :        (Smiling back at Sir Mohan) I agree. However, you are a bit of all right, old chap. Your neatly-trimmed  moustache and  the suit from Saville Row have made you  handsome.

(Then Sir Mohan threw out his chest, smoothed his Balliol tie and waved a goodbye to the mirror.)  

Sir Mohan Lal         :        (Looking at his watch, shouted) Koi Hai!

Bearer                   :        (Appearing through a wire gauze door) Do you want anything, Sir?

Sir Mohan Lal         :        Ek Chota.

Bearer                      :        Okay, Sir.

(The bearer served a small peg of whiskey to Sir Mohan. Then Sir Mohan sank into a large cane chair, began to sip his drink and started to ruminate on his fairy-land of Oxford college life.)

SCENE---2

[STAGE SETTING:  Sir Mohan was found sipping his drink. Suddenly a man, with his two little sons, entered the waiting room, breaking Sir Mohan’s sang-froid. The little children, standing below a ceiling fan, were full of wild happiness and thus they began to make an uproar. The man was standing aside.]

Sir Mohan Lal         :        (Casting an oblique glance shouted) Hallo! Keep quiet.

                                       (The kids were startled and then looking at the man) Who are you? What’s your name?

The man                   :        I’m a poor farmer, Ram Singh Yadav.

Sir Mohan Lal         :        Being a farmer, you should have remained in the field. Why have you come here?

Ram Singh             :    Yes, I agree. I’ve come here just to show  my sons how the first-class waiting room looks like. They’re very keen to see this sort of room.

Sir Mohan Lal         : Understood. But you’re a typical Indian. You don’t know any manner. You should have taken my permission before getting into. Illiterate Indians.

Ram Singh               :        (Being puzzled) Sorry, Sir. Please forgive us. We won’t come      here again. [Exit]

SCENE—3

[STAGE SETTING:  Outside the waiting room, in the platform,  Lachmi sat on a small grey steel trunk. She was chewing a betel leaf fanning herself with a newspaper. A betel shop and a public tap are found on the platform.  Lady Lal wore a dirty white sari with a red border. On one side of her nose glistened a diamond nose-ring, and she had several gold bangles on her arms.  Abruptly she came across Hira Rani Mati, a distant relative of hers and senior to her also.]

Lachmi                    :        (Seeing Hira Mati) Hallo! Hiradidi, we’re meeting after a long time. Where do you stay here?

Hira Mati                 :        At Bilari, a nearby village. Where are you going?

Lachmi                    :        We’ll go to New Delhi. We’re waiting for a train.

Hira Mati                 :        Where is your husband?

Lachmi                  :   He’s an officer. He’s waiting in the first-class waiting room However, where are you going in this hot weather?

Hira Mati                 :        I’m going to the father-in-law’s house of my eldest daughter. Today is her son’s birthday. They’ve invited me and my husband.

Lachmi                    :     Where do they stay?

Hira Mati                 :    At Jhangaha, another village.

Lachmi                    :    Where’s dada?

Hira Mati              :      He has been there since this morning. Ok. Let me proceed now. I’ve to walk more than a mile. [Exit]

SCENE—4

[STAGE SETTING:  On the same platform after departure of Hira Mati, Lachmi hailed  a passing railway coolie.]

Lachmi                    :        Where does the zenana stop?

Coolie                     :        Right at the end of the platform.

Lachmi                    :        All right. Take me there.

(The coolie, hoisting the steel trunk on his head, moved down the platform. Lachmi followed him. On the way she stopped in front of  a betel shop to replenish her silver betel leaf case, and then joined the coolie. She sat down again on her steel trunk when the coolie had put it down. She then started talking to him.)

Lachmi                    :   Are the trains very crowded on these lines?

Coolie                     :  These days all trains are crowded, but you’ll find space in the zenana.

Lachmi                    : In my case, that’s enough.

(After that Lachmi opened  the brass carrier, took out a bundle of cramped chapatties and some mango pickle for her eating.)  

Coolie                     :        Are you travelling alone, sister?

Lachmi                :       No, I’m with my husband, brother. He’s a government officer, a barrister, and meets so many officers and Englishmen in the train. I’m only a native woman, I can’t understand English and don’t know their ways; so I’m kept to my zenana inter-class.

SCENE—5

[STAGE SETTING:      [The same platform. Lachmi was eating her chapattis. The coolie sat opposite to her. At about 6 in the evening the signal came down and the clanging of the bell announced the approaching train. Lachmi quickly finished off her meal, emitted a loud belch and went to  the public tap to rinse her hands and mouth. After washing, she walked back to her steel trunk, belching. Gradually the train steamed in.]

Lachmi                    :        (Addressing the coolie) Brother, now take my trunk and show me the inter-class zenana compartment.

Coolie                     :        Sister, come with me.

(Entering the compartment, Lachmi found a seat by the window. She gave two annas to the coolie and dismissed him.  Then she prepared two betel leaves with red and white paste, minced betelnuts and cardamoms and pushing them into her cheeks, she idly gazed at the platform.)  

(On the other end, in an empty first-class compartment, Sir Mohan’s luggage was shifted by the bearer. Sir Mohan took a seat by the window and unfolded a copy of ‘The Times’. His face lit up seeing Bill and Jim, two English soldiers, who were trudging along. They came and entered the coupe.)

Jim                           :        (calling Bill) Ere, one ere.

Bill                           :        (Bill came and muttered with Jim) Get the nigger out.

Sir Mohan Lal         :        It’s a reserved compartment.

Bill                           :        (Loudly) Reserved!

Jim                           :        Janta—Reserved. Army---Fauj. Ek Dum jao---get out!

(The engine whistled and  the guard waved his green flag. The soldiers picked up Sir Mohan’s luggage and flung them on to the platform.)

Sir Mohan Lal       :        (Angrily) Preposterous, preposterous, I’ll have you arrested---guard, guard!

Jim                           :        Keep your ruddy mouth shut!

(Jim then slapped Sir Mohan on the face. After blowing another short whistle, when the train began to move, the soldiers caught Sir Mohan by the arms and flung him out of the train. He landed on his luggage.)

Sir Mohan Lal         :        (uttered) Toodle—oo!

(Then being speechless, Sir Mohan stared at the lighted windows of the train going past him gradually accelerating speed. At the other end, while the train sped past the lighted part of the platform, Lady Lal spat her betel saliva. She knew nothing about her husband.)                                                                                            (+/-1550 Words)          

THE END