NEW NORMAL

RELATIONS

Written, Composed and Scripted by

VIDYUT CHAKRABORTY
Drama Script

Scene 1
[Misa walked faster and not aware of that behind her Lily is strolling]

Lily: Hey, Misa! Wait for me.

Misa: (paused looked back) Oh, hello, Lily!
[Lily catches up with Misa and walks alongside her]
Lily: Why the hurry? You didn’t even say good-bye after music class.
Misa: [carries on walking] Oh, sorry! I’m in a hurry because I want to go meet
Rinisha to help before I go home.
Lily [In a tone of surprise and disbelief]: Rinisha! You’re going to visit Rinisha? Are
you joking?
Misa: Yes. No Joke. She’s my friend. [Misa stops walking and looks at Lily her
hands on her hips in a challenging manner] In fact, she’s your friend too, isn’t she?
Lily: [Hesitantly] Yes…, but you know she has the sickness. I heard her mother is
also infected with influenza virus.
Misa: I know no such thing. I know that two months ago she lost her father to this
sickness called COVID, and now last month her mother became ill. I’ve no info on
COVID infection of Rinisha. If her Mom is sick it doesn’t automatically mean that
Rinisha has the same disease. And, even if she does, I still want to see her. She is
my friend. I miss her. She hasn’t been in touch for three months. She isolated
herself in home.
Lily: But, Misa, aren’t you worried that you might catch COVID from Rinisha?
Misa: [In a defiant tone] How?
Lily: Well, what if she hugs you, shakes hands or coughs on you or does something
like sneezing?
Misa: [Waves her hand dismissively] No question of touching, coughing, sneezing.
She is well aware of NPI.
Lily: NPI? Means what?
Misa: NPI means Non-Pharmaceutical Interference. The three manners we are
getting habituated in New Normal life style.
Lily: Oh! Masking Distancing and Sanitizing?
Misa: Yah Girlie. See the way we are staying with our siblings and parents in our
house with all NPI precaution, the similar manners can be maintained in friend’s
or relative houses. In that way we can continue our help and support among
ourselves.
Lily: See man, it is easy to speak, not to do. You may go to Rinisha daringly but me
not. My husband wouldn’t let me go. She said that type of talk encourages young
people to have more COVID infections.
Misa: Lily, I heard your husband Harish may be a social work and may be a wise
man, but he is wrong about this. In fact, I think many of us came away thinking it
is much better not to rush into help and support of a friend. Although for ages we
learnt a friend in need is a friend indeed.
Lily: From the news propaganda, we understood what it could do to us if we mix
with someone influenza-infected and didn’t tell us or didn’t know and would not
protect themselves. Not to mix is the best way to protect yourself from this illness.
In fact, it is the only way I think.
Misa: Really? We need physical distancing not social boycotting. There are many
ways COVID spread. Even now from you too I can be infected with Novel Corona
Virus or vice versa, if either of us is asymptomatic.
Lily: My God! Sorry Pal. I am not going to Rinisha’s place nor I can walk with you.
Bye, see you.
Misa: Ha ha ha ha, don’t get frightened. I mean to say one of the way Corona virus
is spread, you get afraid.
[ On the stage, Misa step forward slowly and Lily steps back slowly. Light is
dimming then dark.]

Scene 2
[The stage slowly lit up displaying drawing cum living room]

Mobile phone rang. Rinisha enters picked up Mobile phone.]

Rinisha: Hey Missy ! What a pleasant surprise!
Misa’s voice in phone: Your door bell not working Buddy. I am at your door. Open
up.
Rinisha: [Rinisha opens the door] Come in but not Welcoming you.
Misa: Always say Welcome Goody!
Rinisha : Nowadays not being possible. To our neighbours we are outcast. Further
I am working in a hospital as a nurse. Moreover, I am from Meghalaya, a khasi
tribal girl.
Misa: So, what? We all are Indians. To be proud of you babe, Doctors and Nurses
are now playing the role of Gods and Goddesses to save humanity.
Rinisha: You are my good friend so you talked like this. The hate propaganda is
spreading rumours and we have been the victim.
[Rinisha’s Mom enters therein]
Mom: Beti Misa, Take your seat baby. Would you like Coffee or Tea? Feeling sorry, I
cannot request you for some snacks in my den in this COVID time.
Misa: May I be allowed to use your washroom?
Rinisha: Oh Sure. Go left hand right. you freshen up. I am fetching Coffee for you.
Misa. I shall lend my hands with you today in kitchen. No hurry for coffee.
Rinisha: Wait. Talk with Mom. She is tired of passing lone time. Coffee with Misa
will be our next episode. (chuckles)
Misa: Let me freshened up. Then we will talk for a long time.
[ Rinisha enters with Coffee tray]
Rinisha: How long you take? Coffee will turn cold. Come on.
[ Misa changed her dress, half bathed, fresh look]
Mom: Why did you change?
Misa: I made it a practice. This is my New Normal habit. Whenever I come back
home from outside, I change my dress and cleanse the exposed body parts with
soap. The worn dress is in that carry bag.
Rinisha: Really good habit.
Mom: Misa darling, we are passing through a bad time. First rumour- China
spreads the Corona virus and we the Himalayan ladies are now being termed as
lookalike Chinese, second your friend is a nurse and working day and night to fight
this pandemic, so she might have transmitted COVID and her dad died. Actually,
my husband died of cancer which could not be treated properly in this COVID
environment.
Rinisha : And my Mom’s sugar level gone high. This is morbidity not COVID19. Dad
also died in morbidity. None of them is infected with Corona Virus. But everyone
suspects COVID 19 comorbidity.
Misa: See if I don’t dare to come here, I too get with the wrong notion that you
folks got infected with COVID. People should be made aware of the right things.
Rinisha: We are arranging to leave this city.
Misa: But where will you go?
Mom: To our own motherland, our birthplace Meghalaya.
Misa: Auntie, but we folks will live here. If we can live why don’t you?
Mom: I told you our plights.
Misa: No. Never. We all will live together. This is our country. Our Doctors and our
nurses and our Police and all our men have to learn to live a new normal life.
Some damn blind men cannot judge the elephant’s height width, breadth and
capacity or looks. We have to frustrate their fanaticism with all our might. [Mom
sobs]
Rinisha, Come on comrade. Let us fight against this menace. Won’t you?

SCENE 3
[In kitchen Rinisha And Misa]

Rinisha : Missi, thank you dear, for you only today we can have a chicken
preparation.
Misa: Don’t you bring chicken from market?
Rinisha: No. the delivery boy brings rations and vegetables only and keep it at
doorstep.
Misa: At the time of coming home from hospital can’t you buy some non veg
food?
Rinisha: No Misa. First, I don’t find time, second, each and every time I rushed to
Mom with fear in mind that local goons may harass her.
Misa: What they say?
Rinisha: They call us Huan Virus. They make crowds in market some without mask
violating NPI and hasten up the spread. Assembling spreads virus fast. They
blame we are responsible for spreading Corona Virus in the country and locality.
After intervention of police they just avoid us literally boycotted us.
Misa: Miserable. (getting annoyed)
Rinisha: Many of our Nurses from eastern Himalayan region gone back to their
homeland. So, Mom is pressing me to leave the hospital job and leave this State.
Misa: See my parents are from Bihar but we are not facing such trouble, in our
area there is also COVID infection and we have to obey the government rules and
regulations only.
Rinisha: But you are not a tribal woman from Himalayan region.
Misa: We have to find out some remedy of this social malady.
Rinisha: What Remedy? This is provincialism, this is ignorance of science, how can
me and you drive those maladies?
Misa: Look, this is not the flaw of your local people only. I met Lily on the way. She
fosters similar notion. She is educated in science stream but blind within her
conscience and conscious. She expresses horror after listening that I am coming to
you.
Rinisha: How do you want to fight this COVID menace?
Misa: Mass Awareness through social site. If possible, we have to move on street.
Rinisha: let us create a group with known persons of rational attitude.
Misa: No, It is better to make the group with three of us, Auntie, you and me. The
group’s name is Renaissance, sound alike of Rinisha, ha ha ha ha.
Mom (came in the scenario): Why me? I am old enough.
Misa: Sent.
Mom: What?
Misa: your plights
Rinisha: The more trouble you invited for us.
Misa: Let’s see. I tagged all progressive groups in this post. Now all queries
relating FAQs of COVID shall be answered by you. All social aspects of COVID shall
be answered by Auntie. I shall coordinate.
Mom: Rini, what dish would you serve to your friend?
Rinisha: Chicken curry and Rice. Missi brought Chicken for us.
Mom: Not bad in a corona ridden day!
Misa: Follow the likes and comments. One wants to know the location of your
house, shall I mention?
Mom: From any group or a person?
Misa: I know the guy. His name is Harish- a social worker. He is reliable. Do you
know who he is?
Rinisha: Nay. One guy Harish has been released from our hospital recently. Ask
what he will do with the location?
Misa: He already shared and noted that he will ask members of the leading
women organisation to visit the locality.
Mom: let them do whatever best they can afford. I am readying the dining table.

[ in dining table ]
Misa: I heard some of neighbouring progressive youth are running a community
kitchen, is it true?
Mom: Yep, they are distributing food to the distressed people in Umphan and
COVID.
Misa: Why not contact them for your aid? They are empathetic.
Rinisha: I can’t take risk.
Misa: Okay. Whatever to do I will see it.
Mom: I finished lunch. You two take your time.

SCENE 4
 [ Exhausted Rinisha, coming back home from hospital. In short distance a small
crowd queued in a line maintain social distance. In front stood Harish and Lily]

Harish: Welcome sister, I am greatly obliged to your selfless service while treating
me in hospital.
Lily: Yes. Rini ! I did not know it was you who rendered selfless service to my
husband. I am sorry, being unaware, I distanced myself from you.
Rinisha: No Nnnno elation please. I did my duty as a nurse.
Lily: You updated me the progress of Harish while he was under COVID positive. I
was nearly socially boycotted. But every update on COVID and Harish encouraged
me to fight it socially. I did not know sister Rinisha is nursing my husband in
hospital.
Harish: The progressive mass organisation stood beside Lily. Misa ma’m informed
us through social site about your fear and plight. Myself and Lily joined the team
as volunteers in Community Kitchen and Community Clinic.
Lily: You are one of us. Come forward to support our Community Safe Home
project. We arranged for health test today. You have to inaugurate the blood
donation program in our safe home project.
(clapping all around)
Misa (emerged from the line): Auntie you greet your daughter with flowers then
we will queue up. Rini you march forward. See Rini, there are other folks who
think different. Relationship is the weapon to fight any pandemic.
[ everyone showering flowers and, in the background, music chimes in chorus]
Congratulations and Celebrations - Cliff Richard (https://youtu.be/AteCdXvZOZc)