(This play was performed at Navarachana International School in

Baroda.. The play has also been performed in a school in Amritsar by

Ladies in a Social Event Org for Children)

Characters:

Mahesh – 25 years

Nilesh – 10 years

Tukaram – Mahesh’s father (52 years)

Sumitra – Mahesh’s mother and Tukaram’s wife (50 years)

Sumati – Mahesh’s sister-in-law (31 years)

Vikas – Mahesh’s friend (24 years)

(A verandah of a house in the interiors of Maharashtra. Mahesh

playing with his 10-year old nephew Nilesh, who is running and
jumping around carelessly. )

Nilesh, Mahesh and Vikas

MAHESH: Arre sambhaal ke NILESH. Gir jaoge.

NILESH: Nahin chacha kuchh nahin hoga. (Continues to run

around.)

MAHESH: Ruk jao Nilesh. Bandh karo is tarah daudna-koodna.

Main kehta hoon yahan aao. Abhi hi bukhaar se ubhre ho.

(Nilesh doesn’t pay heed to Mahesh.)

NILESH: Arre chacha, khelne do na.

MAHESH: Apne chacha ki baat nahin maanega? Gussa dilayega
mujhe?

(Nilesh stops abruptly and comes towards Mahesh. Mahesh lifts him.)

MAHESH: Mujhe pata tha. Apne chacha ki baat tu kabhi taal hi

nahin sakta.

NILESH: Bhalaa main aapko gussa hote kaise dekh sakta hoon?

MAHESH: Yeh hui na baat.

(Mahesh embraces Nilesh. Just then Mahesh’s village friend Vikas

walks in.)

VIKAS To aaj bhi chal raha hai chacha-bhateeje ke beech pyaar.

MAHESH :Haan Vikas. Tu to jaanta hi hai Nilesh ka meri zindagi

mein kitna mahattva hai. Iske bina to meri zindagi kuchh nahin. Aur
bade bhaiya ke dehant ke baad toh yeh mera hi beta ban gaya hai.

Mahesh and Tukaram

VIKAS Sach mein Mahesh. Tum to ek misaal ho. Tum dono ka pyar
dekh kar lagta hi nahin ki Nilesh tumhare khandan ki asli aulad nahin.

(Mahesh stops Vikas from uttering a word further. He releases

Nilesh.)

MAHESH: Nilesh, zara andar jao. Bhagwan ko pranaam kar ke aao.

(While running Nilesh goes inside.)

MAHESH: Ab tune jo bola woh phir se kabhi mat dohorana. Main

khud yeh baat kab ka bhula chuka hoon ki bhaiya ne Nilesh ko goad
liya tha. Shastron mein bhi likha hai ki dil ka sambandh hi asli
sambandh hota hai. Aur agar meri apni aulad hoti toh bhi shaayad
main use itna pyaar nahin karta.

VIKAS Main samaj sakta hoon. Mujhe maaf kar do. Ab se maine bhi
yeh baat bhula di.
(An excited Nilesh re-enters. )

NILESH: Chacha chacha. Dadaji (TUKARAM) ek chhote se

bachche ko laye hain.

MAHESH: Bachcha? (To Vikas) Main zara dekh leta hoon. Ram
ram.

VIKAS Ram ram Mahesh bhau.

(Black OUT)

(An inside of a village house. Tukaram is standing with an infant in

hand. His wife SUMITRA and Mahesh’s wife SUMATI are watching
excitedly. Mahesh enters. )

MAHESH: Yeh kiska bachcha hai pitaji?

Sumitra, Sumati, Mahesh and Tukaram

TUKARAM: Pata nahin beta. Govindji ki school ke bahar jab main

unse baat kar raha tha, tabhi pata chala koi is bachche ko wahan
chhod aaya hain. Humne jake dekha bachche ko. Thodi poochh taach
karne ke baad pata chala ki bachcha anaath hai. Uske ma-baap toh
kuchh mahino pehle ki akasmat mein chal base.

MAHESH: To use wahan kisne rakha hoga?

TUKARAM: Lagta hai jo insaan uski dekh bhaal karta tha, woh kisi
karanvash ab iska dhyaan nahin rakh sakta.

MAHESH: Phir kya kiya aapne?

TUKARAM: Bachcha ro raha tha. Lekin maine jaise hi use uthaya

toh woh jhat se chup ho gaya aur phir mere saath khelne bhi laga.
Uske saath kuchh pal bitane ke baad ab use kisi anathaale mein dene
ko mann nahin kar raha.

MAHESH: To kya tay kiya hai aapne?

TUKARAM: Mujhe toh yeh lagta hai ki humein hi ise rakhna
chahiye apne saath. Tum log kya kehte ho?

SUMITRA Ab yeh bechara anaath bachcha jaye to kahan jaye? Haan

humein ise rakh lena chahiye.

SUMATI: Waise bhi ab ise anathaale bhejne ko dil nahin karega.

MAHESH: Main bhi is baat se sehmat hoon. Kisi anathasham mein

bhejne se achha hai hum hi iski dekhbhaal karen. (Pause) Zara mujhe
bhi dikhaiye.

(Tukaram hands over the infant to Mahesh. Mahesh excitedly starts

playing with the child. But all of a sudden, he gets the shock of his
life. )

Sumitra, Sumati and Mahesh

MAHESH: Hum is ladke ko apne saath nahin rakh sakte. (He hands
over the infant back to Tukaram.)

(Tukaram, Sumitra and Sumati are stunned and confused.)

TUKARAM: Yeh kya ho gaya tumhe achanak? Kya baat hai?

MAHESH: Yeh dekho. Is ladke ke haath pe yeh taaveez bandhi hui

hai.

TUKARAM: Haan toh?

MAHESH: Is se yeh pata chalta hai ki yeh ladka Musalmaan hai.

TUKARAM: To kya ho gaya Mahesh?

MAHESH: Kya ho gaya? Main ek Musalmaan ko apne ghar mein

aasra nahin de sakta.
SUMITRA Yeh kya bol raha hai tu? Pagal ho gaya hai?

MAHESH: Jo samajna hai samjho ma. Lekin main is bachche ko is

ghar mein nahin rehne dunga.

TUKARAM: Kaisi behuda baat kar raha hai tu? Abhi thodi der pehle
tu khud raazi hua tha ise rakhne ke liye.

MAHESH: Haan kyunki tab mujhe pata nahin tha ki yeh….

SUMITRA Yeh kya? Bas sirf yeh Musalmaan hai isliye tujhe is se
nafrat hone lagi achanak se?

MAHESH: Kya tum bhool gayi ma? Bayanve (92) ke dongo mein
inhi logon ne bhaiya ko kis tarah maar diya tha. (to Sumati) Kya dosh
tha aapke pati ka bhabhi? Yehi ki woh seedhe saade aadmi ki tarah
imaandari ka kaam kar ke ghar laut rahe the? Ab unhi ki kaum ke
bachche ko main kaise apne ghar mein rehna doon?

SUMITRA Mahesh!!!

TUKARAM: Kya bakwaas kiye ja raha hai?

MAHESH: Yeh bakwaas nahin hai pitaji. Mere Hindu Sangathan ke

bhaiyon ko agar pata chala ki maine ek Musalmaan ko aasra diya hai
toh kya izzat reh jayegi meri? Mujhe toh woh apne sangathan se hi
baahar kar denge.

TUKARAM: To tujhe tere us kaumwadi sangathan ki padi hai?

MAHESH: Pitaji! Main mere sangathan ke viruddh nahin sununga.

TUKARAM: To tu nahin rehne dega is bachche ko apne ghar mein?

MAHESH: Hargiz nahin.

TUKARAM: Theek hai. (To Sumitra) Lagta hai jis kaam ke liye
tumne mujhe humesha roka hai woh mujhe aaj karna hi padega. Main
majboor hoon Sumitra.

SUMITRA Nahin!!! Aisa mat kijiye!

TUKARAM: Iske dil-o-dimaag se is nafrat ke beej ko ukhaad
phenkne ke liye yeh zaroori hai Sumitra.

SUMITRA (sighs)

MAHESH: Yeh kya bol rahe hai aap dono?

TUKARAM: Ek baat bata mujhe Mahesh. Kya tu Nilesh se pyar

karta hai?

MAHESH: Ab yeh kaisa sawaal hai pitaji? Yeh kya baat hai?

TUKARAM: Tu sirf mere sawaal ka jawab de!

MAHESH: Haan bilkul karta hoon. Aur aap sab yeh baat achhi tarah
jaante hai ki mera aur Nilesh ka pyar kitna gehra hai.

TUKARAM: Achhi baat hai. To ab main tujhe ek raaz batana chahta

hoon jo hum sab ne tujhse humesha se chhupaya hai.

MAHESH: Kya hai woh?

TUKARAM: Yehi ki Nilesh ka asli naam Imran hai.

MAHESH: Kya???? Aap pagal ho gaye hai pitaji?

TUKARAM: Nahin. Main pagal nahin hua. Main tera pagalpan door
karne ki koshish kar raha hoon. Nilesh paidaishi Musalmaan hai aur
yeh baat hum sab ne tujhse chhupai thi aaj tak. Hum jaante the ki agar
tujhepata chalta to tu kabhi ise goad lene nahin deta.

MAHESH: Nahin!!! Yeh sambhav nahin. (screams) Yeh ho kaise

sakta hai? Maa, Bhabhi. Pitaji kaisi baatein kar rahe hai?

SUMITRA Woh sach keh rahe hai beta.

SUMATI: Yeh sach hai Mahesh.

MAHESH: (He is speechless. He holds his head in desperation.)

TUKARAM: Tu janta hai Nilesh humein bayanve (92) ke dango ke
waqt mila tha. Uske ma-baap dange mein maare gaye the. Lekin hum
logon ne tujhe yeh nahin bataya ki woh Musalmaan hai. Haan humne
tujhse jhoot kaha ki woh kisi Hindu ke ghar ka hai.

MAHESH: (Starts weeping)Yeh sab mujhse sehan nahin ho raha!

TUKARAM: Isme sehan na hone jaisa kya hai? Yeh jaanke ki Nilesh
Musalmaan hai, kya koi fark padega tum dono ko? Kya tere liye woh
koi alag insaan ban gaya hai ab?

SUMITRA Sach baat hai beta. Ab yeh jaan ne ke baad kya tum dono
ke rishte mein koi fark aayega? Nahin na?

MAHESH: (In deep thought)

SUMATI: Aaj tak kya tumhe koi fark laga tum mein aur Nilesh
mein? Fark toh kiya hi nahin hai us uparwale ne hum logon mein.
Fark toh humne paida kiye hain. Insaan ne hi insaano mein yeh bhed
bhav paida kiye hain. Agar yeh sach nahin, to kya tujh mein aur
Nilesh mein itna pyaar paida hota?

MAHESH: (Continues to be in deep thought.)

TUKARAM: Hum sab mein wohi haddiyan, wohi maash-peshiyan

aur wohi khoon hain beta!

MAHESH: (Slowly goes towards Tukaram and takes the infant

from him.) Jiski umar kuchh mahine ki bhi nahin hui, usne mujhe
samjaya ki yeh manviya bhed-bhaav arthaheen hain. Bilkul
Arthaheen!!! (Hugs the infant.)

THE END