The Girl Who Wants To Be A Tree

By
CHANDAN KUMAR
Characters :
Gargi : Class V student
Pankhi: Gargi’s Friend
Rupam : classmate
Suraj : classmate
Rishi : classmate
Suresh : Gargi’s Father
Ajanta : Gargi’s mother
The Tree: Gargi’s Friend in dream
Scene 1:
Living room of Gargi’s home. She and Ajanta are talking, while Ajanta is reading a
book also.
Gargi
Maa, you were saying something about global warming today…
why does that happen ?
Ajanta
It’s because, we people disturb the balance of nature and Mother Earth becomes
angry at us.
Gargi
(after a pause)
But how do we disturb the balance?
Ajanta
In many ways. Most of the time, through cutting trees, using fuels like petrol, coal
etc.
Gargi
Few days ago, we were watching tv and you said a huge forest was under fire..
Ajanta
Yes, the Amazon rainforest
Gargi
So, will the earth become more hot!!
Ajanta
Yes. Lesser the trees, more the temperature
Gargi
So, can’t we bring back the balance again?
 Ajanta
Hmmm… we can try, by planting more trees… I guess
Gargi
(after a pause)
I would like to be a tree…
Ajanta
(smiling) but you can’t be…
Gargi
Why?
Suresh (VO)
Hey, you two… come to the dining table. Dinner is ready…
Ajanta
Let’s go… or else he will come and give us lectures again..
(both are laughing and exit)

Scene 2:
Gargi is playing with her friends in a garden. There are lots of trees and flowers all
around. A song plays in the background ( Awara Bhawre jo…). Suddenly the scenar
io changed. The trees vanished. Some metallic sounds come.....as of some industri
es nearby. Traffic sounds, different horns sound, robotic sounds… all these create
a chaos.
(we can present these two different environments through audio visual projection
)
Gargi
What’s happening!!!
 First friend
Destruction…
Second friend
But this is the sound of our daily life…
Gargi
What? Destruction is our daily life…
Both Friends
Oh no!! What now…
Gargi
I don’t know… but I want to stop this
Tree
Really…?
Three of them
Who? Who is speaking?
Tree
Here…. Look up.. Towards me
Gargi looks towards the tree and slowly approaces towards him
Gargi
You can really speak…
Tree
Yes… you are listening, no?
Gargi
So, you can show us the way to stop this…
 Tree
I can… if you really want to follow
Three of them
We will…
Tree
Then take a leaf from me and put it in between your palms.
Then close your eyes
Gargi and her friends do as per the instructions. They open their eyes when they s
uddenly hear some happy voices. They see that a few people are happily roaming
around. Gargi now becomes curious.
Gargi
Excuse me… where I am and who are you?
Stranger1
This is the land with no shop…
Gargi
Why no shop!!! Then where you find the necessary things!!
Stranger1
(smiles) when you buy something with money, do you ever wander where that
object is coming from? One way or other, it’s always create a burden for mother
earth
Gargi
Then what you do?
Stranger 2
We recycle…every wastes. We never throw the wastes. We use it again and again
through recycling.
 Gargi
So you mean, your place is a wastage free place…
Stranger 1
Yes. You can say that…we love our garbage or trash
The tree
Do you know plastic takes 500 years to decompose itself. Think, if you throw a pl
astic bottle somewhere and it remains there for 500 years…
First friend
Oh… it’s frightening….
Second friend
But we do it in daily life!!!
Gargi
So we use our mother earth like a garbage bin??
Tree
Do you want to move from here?
Three of them
Where?
The tree
Just lake the leaf in your palm n close d eyes..
Three of them do the same and lights goes dim slowly

Scene3:

Living room of Gargi’s house. Same as the scene 1. Gargi enters the room with a
ball in her hand. She looks sad. Ajanta enters. She notices Gargi.
 Ajanta
What happened dear?
Gargi
No… nothing
Ajanta
It’s Ok dear. You can tell me…
Gargi
Noone wants to play with me…
Ajanta
But why?
Gargi
They have mobiles and tablets. They like to play with those only…
Ajanta
Hmmm…I understand… why don’t you play something by yourself?
Gargi
Hmmm… I will practise
(Gargi moves to go outside)
Ajanta
Where are you going and what practise!!
Garget
Going to practise outside…To Be A tree
Suresh
What!!!
(Suresh enter the room in between the conversation)
 Suresh
Wait, your teacher called me today. He also told me that you announced in front
of whole class that you want to become a tree… Is it true?
Gargi
Yes
Ajanta
But you can’t be a tree… I told you
Gargi
But why?
Ajanta
Because you are a girl and will grow up to be a woman. You can’t be a tree…
Gargi
But you said I would be anything I want…
Ajanta
Yes…but…
Suresh
Look, why you want to be a tree!! They have nothing to do… just stand in the sa
me place everyday
Gargi
No… they have a lot to do… they give shade, they purify the air, they produce oxy
gen…
Suresh
Ok. Ok… I understand. You can be a tree… but how?
 Gargi
I am practising…
Suresh
Practising what?
Gargi
To become a tree…
Suresh
Ok. Carry on…
Gargi is going outside
Ajanta
Where are you going now?
Gargi
Ouside. Because trees lives outside…
She exits and both Suresh and Ajanta look towards her. Suresh is smiling while Aja
nta looks worried
Fade out
Scene 4:
Gargi and her friends enter a rainforest… which is almost destroyed. A song will pl
ay in the background (‘earth song’). A slow dance movement will be there by som
e other people about the destruction of nature.
Gargi
Howdoes this happen?
First friend
Why does this matter so much?
 Second friend
Because half of the species of this world lives here. Now when we cut trees where
they would go!!
Gargi
Exectly… n because of the decrease in the number of trees, mother earth become
angry n we feel more heat then ever.
First friend
So what’s the solution!!
The tree
Be like us…
Second friend
What you mean!
The tree
Use solar energy like us. N save us too.. So that we can help each other to survive
in this world
First friend
But how can we use solar energy like you!! How can my father drive me to school
using solar energy?
Gargi
Why not? They can make everything like that…
Second friend
Then why they didn’t do it till now!
The Tree
May be they didn’t realise yet
Gargi
So what should we do!!
 The tree
Close your eyes and you will find…
Three of them close their eyes n light fade out
Scene 5:
Gargi sitting in a chair next to a table. She looks sad. Ajanta comes with an excited
look on her face , carrying a birthday cake. Suresh also follows her.
Ajanta
Happy birthday beta. Look, I brought the cake you love the most
Then suddenly she notice her
Ajanta
What happened dear!! Why are you looking so sad!! It’s your birthday…
Suresh
Hey, what happend!! Tell us.. We can fix it together
Gargi
Can we deuta? I can’t even be a small part of the tree…
Suresh
Come on. You tried, right..
Gargi
Yes, but I can’t be. But we should be able to do something. To protect Mother Ear
th! To save the environment! We should be use solar energy instead of fossil
fuel to generate energy, no! Like a tree…
Ajanta
What you are talking about!!
Gargi
We should recycle everything instead of wasting everything including water, no!
 Suresh
Yes dear. You are right… but who taught you all these things??
Gargi
The Tree. He is my friend. He always comes, when I sleep and asks me to help.
Ajanta
What has happened to her!! Has she become crazy…
Suresh
No. She is talking more sense then us…
Gargi
Why don’t we start it at our home!!
Suresh
But we can’t change it everything overnight, right?
Gargi
But something we can do… you said we can fix it together.
Suresh
Hmmm… but what’s the impact of few little change we do at our home…
Gargi
Maa told me once, every change comes from me. What you think deuta?
Ajanta
Oh my dear!!
Gargi
You said maa, future starts with me, so every change starts with me. If we can
change a little, and everyone can change a little, don’t you think the world can
change????
Ajanta and Suresh look at each other.
 Ajanta n Suresh
Yes dear. The world can change and we start it with us.
Then there is a birthday song playing in the background and all the kids come to
stage and dance on the beat of the song.

The End