https://www.arlingtoncenter.org/Sanskrit%20Alphabet.

pdf

CAST
Roop - 14, soprano
Aarti - 14, best friend
Jatin Bhai/doubles Yama - 20s, shopkeeper

ROOP
When am I going to see you again?

AARTI
Well, Ma says that the boy’s family is waiting until the next new moon. That’s the most
auspicious day of the month. And then I’ll be off. You’re coming right?

ROOP
Yes of course I’m coming. It’s just-

AARTI
What Roop?

ROOP
Are we still going to be friends when you’re someone’s wife?

AARTI
I don’t know. Do you want to keep being friends?

ROOP
Of course I do! I just mean… you’ll be someone’s wife.

AARTI
We can still go places together. The market maybe.

ROOP
Will you come to school?

AARTI falls silent. She pulls her scarf closer to her. ROOP also falls silent.

AARTI
I’ll be around.

ROOP
Can I tell you something? You have to promise not to tell anyone. Not your siblings and
especially not mine.
 AARTI
Are you in love with someone? So scandalous, Roop!

ROOP
What? No! Of course not! It’s just… this.

ROOP reaches into her little bag and pulls out a book. It’s in Sanskrit. Neither one of them can
read it.

I FOUND THIS BOOK UNDER THE FLOOR BOARDS.

WHO LEFT IT? I DO NOT KNOW.

IT’S MARKED AND DAMAGED. WATERED BY AGE.

BUT IT HAS THIS GLOW.

THE GLOW OF A THING THAT KNOWS WHAT IT IS

AND BEGS YOU TO COME AND LEARN MORE.

IT BECKONS. INVITES WITH ARMS HELD OUT WIDE.

I WONDER WHAT IT’S FOR.

AARTI
Roop, that seems like a teacher book. It’s not for us. Besides, you’re going to be married soon
too. What’s the point of reading and writing?

ROOP looks down at her book, dejected. She thought her friend would be more excited for her.

AARTI
I’m sorry. I have to go. Ma is grinding the mehendi for tomorrow. Will you come?

ROOP
Yes. I’ll see you then.

AARTI (excited)
Can you believe it? I’m going to be a bride!

AARTI dances off, floating on her perfect cloud. ROOP looks back at her book.

INSIDE OF THOSE FOREIGN MARKS. A LINE ON TOP. CURVES FLOWING DOWN.

INSIDE OF THOSE FOREIGN MARKS LIE WORLDS BEYOND MY DUSTY TOWN.

Lights shift and set shifts as ROOP goes from outside to inside of her small home. Four girls are
dutifully doing their chores. ROOP goes up to one of her sisters and shows her the book. The
sister laughs and snatches the book from her before putting it on a high shelf. She hands ROOP
a dust cloth to begin her chores. Over the following, the other girls leave and ROOP uses
various household objects to construct a tower tall enough to get her book.

I ASKED MY SISTER TO READ ME THE BOOK. SHE SAID THE MARKS ARE NOT MEANT
FOR US.
I SHOULD LEARN HOW TO DRESS, CLEAN AND COOK.
STAY QUIET AND NOT MAKE A FUSS.

BUT THE GLOW OF THE THING CAN’T BE IGNORED.

THE GLOW. IT PUSHES ME TOWARD A WORLD OF BLACK AND WHITE AND BEIGE.
A WORLD WITH BRUSHSTROKES ON EVERY PAGE.

INSIDE OF THOSE FOREIGN MARKS. A LINE ON TOP. CURVES FLOWING DOWN.

INSIDE OF THOSE FOREIGN MARKS. COULD THERE BE A QUEEN FIGHTING FOR HER
CROWN?

I HEARD MY FATHER SAY THAT THIS IS WRITING.

EACH SCRATCH IS A LETTER THEN A WORD AND A PHRASE.
THAT WHOLE WORLD IS SO INVITING.

I HEAR MY FATHER SAY THAT WRITING HAS MEANING.

IT TELLS STORIES OF GODS AND WARS AND COURAGE. WORDS CONVEY FEELING.

HE SAYS WORDS ARE RESERVED FOR GOD AND HOLY MEN.

BUT IF MEN LEARN TO MAKE THESE STROKES INTO SOUNDS, THEN I CAN!

The following sequence shows Roop going to a shop with her sisters to run an errand. A kind
shopkeeper, JATIN BHAI, appears behind the counter writing in his ledger. The girls storm in
and begin buying what is on their list and some treats for themselves. They ignore ROOP who
has snuck her book in.

ROOP
Good morning, Jatin Bhai.

JATIN BHAI
Good morning, Roop. What’s on today’s list?

ROOP
Oh the usual. Dal. Maida. Boredom.

JATIN BHAI
Well maida can be very boring.

ROOP
Jatin Bhai, you can read right?

JATIN BHAI
As well as any man can.

ROOP
What does this say?

ROOP holds out her book to JATIN BHAI.

JATIN BHAI
A survey of the Sanskrit language. Wow big book for a little lady.

ROOP
I found it at school! Someone hid it but I don’t know why. Can you help me read it?

JATIN BHAI begins to look around nervously.

JATIN BHAI
You don’t need to learn Sanskrit, Roop. THis is the language priests learn. Are you a priest?

ROOP
Well no, but there are stories in here! I just know it. And all of my friends are becoming wives
now and I need something to do. Something other than learning all the different kinds of dal.
And school is boring. Why do I need to know how to weave or sew? When will that help me?

JATIN BHAI
How about when you are a wife?

ROOP
I am not going to be a wife. (whispering) I am not getting married. I’m going to become a
teacher and teach reading and writing. But to do that, I need to learn how to read and write.
Please Jatin Bhai! You have to have something!

JATIN BHAI looks at ROOP and smiles. He sees how passionate and curious she is and his
heart softens. He goes underneath his table and brings a portable cassette player, a cassette
tape, and a picture book.

JATIN BHAI
Take these.

ROOP
What is this?
JATIN BHAI
This is how I taught my sister how to read and write.

ROOP
You have a sister? How come I don’t see her at school.

JATIN BHAI
It was not the Almighty’s will.

ROOP begins to recognize what that means.

ROOP
I’m so sorry, Jatin Bhai.

JATIN BHAI
Maybe you will get some use out of them. If you’re as smart as my sister, you’ll pick it up in no
time. Come. Let me show you how to use them.

JATIN BHAI takes ROOP aside and shows her how to use the cassette player. ROOP gives
JATIN BHAI a big hug and runs off, excited to open the book. Lights shift and it is dawn. ROOP
is taking the cows out to the pasture to graze. She takes her cassette player and her book with
her. She begins drawing the markings she sees in her book on the ground. She uses the
cassette tape as a guide to identify which markings mean what. Soon she has drawn the entire
alphabet into the ground and begins reciting it.

a MAKES TWO SWOOPS WITH A LEG.

a ADDS ANOTHER ON THE END.
i HAS A LINE AND TWO SWOOPS THEN IT STOPS.
ī ADDS A STROKE ON TOP!

THEN COMES u, ū, e, ai
o, au, am

I’VE JUST SCRATCHED THE SURFACE.

THERE’S SO MUCH MORE TO COME!

Over the following, the ensemble begins singing (on an oo or an ah or even a hmm) as Roop
continues to amass her collection of books. She keeps going back to the shop to exchange her
books with JATIN BHAI.

ROOP
Done and done!

JATIN BHAI
Wow so quickly!
 ROOP
Give me stories, Jatin Bhai! I’m ready for stories!

JATIN BHAI
Oh really? (JATIN BHAI pulls out the original book and opens to a random page) Read that.

ROOP looks at the passage and tries but it is too complex. She throws down her books and sits
moping on the steps of the shop. JATIN BHAI laughs and sits next to her.

ROOP
I don’t know anything!

JATIN BHAI
You know many things. You can’t learn a language in a month. Let’s try something simpler.

JATIN BHAI takes ROOP to a pond near his shop. There are lotuses in the pond. JATIN BHAI
begins to point at objects for ROOP to identify in sanskrit.

ROOP (sung)
Jala (water). kANDa (stem). Pattrin (leafy). Kamala (lotus).

Surya (sun). Matsya (fish).

Mitra (friend). Mitra (friend).

JATIN BHAI
A little bit one day at a time. That’s how you learn.

JATIN BHAI gives ROOP a stack of books. One of those books has the word “Sati” on it.

JATIN BHAI
Be patient with yourself.

JATIN BHAI leaves ROOP with the books.

Final A- The foreign marks are not foreign anymore!!

INSIDE OF THOSE FOREIGN MARKS. EACH ONE FORMS A WORD AND PHRASE.
INSIDE OF THOSE FOREIGN MARKS. I’LL LOSE MYSELF EVERY DAY.

MY MOTHER WOULD RATHER I STAY IN THE DARK.

COVER MY MIND WITH A VEIL.
BUT I HAVE DISCOVERED THIS SINGULAR SPARK.
MAYBE I HAVE THE RIGHT TO TELL MY TALE!

I’VE READ STORIES OF MORTALS WARRING WITH THE GODS.

I FOUGHT ALONGSIDE THEM. WE CONQUERED THE GREATEST ODDS.

THESE CURVES ARE A SIGN THAT I’M NOW A PART

OF THIS TRADITION DIVINE. IT’S ETCHED IN MY HEART.
TO READ AND WRITE AND SPEAK WITH THE TONGUES OF GODS
NOW I KNOW THESE FOREIGN MARKS.
THESE FOREIGN MARKS!