Dramatisation of a short story Leela's Friend Class 11( XI) English project Leela's Friend

Dramatisation of a short story Leela's Friend

Class 11( XI) English project Leela's Friend

Characters:

Mr. Sivasanker

Mrs. Sivasanker

Leela, a five-year girl

Sidda

Police inspector

Two Constables

Setting: House of Mr. Sivasanker

Scene - 1

 (Mr. Sivasanker stands in the front veranda of his house. He is brooding over the servant problem. A young man named Sidda enters.)

 Sidda : Sir, do you want a servant?

 Mr. Sivasanker : Come in. (Sidda opened the gate and came in.)

(Mr. Sivasanker subjected him to a scrutiny and said to himself) Doesn’t seem to be a bad sort ... At any rate, the fellow looks tidy. ) Where were you before? What’s your name?

 Sidda : In a bungalow there.(indicating a vague somewhere) in the doctor’s house.

 Mr. Sivasanker : What is his name?

 Sidda : I don’t know master. He lives near the market.

 Mr. Sivasanker : Why did they send you away?

Sidda : (Giving the stock reply) They left the town, master.

 (Mr Sivasanker was unable to make up his mind. He called his wife. She looked at Sidda.)

Mrs Sivasanker:-He doesn’t seem to me worse than the others we have had.

 (Leela, their five-year-old daughter, came out, looked at Sidda)

 Leela : (Giving a cry of joy) Oh Father! I like him. Don’t send him away. Let us keep him in our house."

Mr Sivsanker - Ok we have decided to keep you as our servant. You  will be given two meals a day and four rupees a month, in return for it you have to do some house hold affairs like  washing clothes, tending the garden, run errands, chopping wood and looking after Leela.

 Leela : (Crying) Sidda, come and play!"

(After the employment Leela took his hand and they disappeared)

 Leela : Now throw the ball into the sky.

(Sidda clutched the ball, closed his eyes for a second and threw the ball up. When the ball came down again)

 Sidda : Now this has touched the moon and come. You see here a little bit of the moon sticking.

(Leela keenly examined the ball for traces of the moon.)  Leela : I don’t see it."

 Sidda : You must be very quick about it because it will all evaporate and go back to the moon. Now hurry up.... (He covered the ball tightly with his finngers and allowed her to peep through a little gap.)

 Leela : Ah yes, I see the moon, but is the moon very wet?"

 Sidda : Certainly it is.

 Leela : What is in the sky, Sidda?"

 Sidda : God.

 Leela : If we stand on the roof and stretch our arms, can we touch the sky?

 Sidda : Not if we stand on the roof here,but if you stand on a coconut tree you can touch the sky.

 Leela : Have you done it?

 Sidda : Yes, many times. Whenever there is a big moon, I climb a coconut tree and touch it.

 Leela : Does the moon know you?

Sidda : Yes, very well. Now come with me. I will show you something nice.

 (They come and standing near the rose plant)

 Sidda : (Pointing) You see the moon there, don’t you?

 Leela : Yes.

 Sidda : Now come with me.

 (He took her to the backyard. He stopped near the well and pointed up.)

 The moon is there, too.

( Leela clapped her hands and screamed in wonder.)

 Leela : The moon here! It was there! How is it?

Sidda : I have asked it to follow us about.

 ( Leela enters in her mother's room and told her mother)

 Leela : Sidda knows the moon.

Mrs Sivsanker- Ok, play less and complete your home tusk.

 (Leela and Sidda sitting in a room. She has a box with some catalogues, illustrated books and stumps of pencils.  She made him squat on the floor with a pencil between his fingers and a catalogue in front of him. She has another pencil and a catalogue.)

 Leela : (Commanding) Now write.

 (Sidda trying and copy whatever she wrote in the pages of her catalogue. But Sidda even remotely copy that.)

 Leela : (Examining his effort.) Is this how I have drawn the crow? Is this how I have drawn the B?" (She pitied him, and redoubled her efforts to teach him. But that good fellow was utterly incapable of playing the pencil. After a few moments)

 Sidda : I think your mother is calling you in to dinner.

 (Leela drop the pencil and run out of the room.)

(Bed room of Leela ,Leela is laying in  her bed and  Sidda is ready with a story. He is sitting on the floor near the bed and telling her stories)

Scene –2

(Mrs Sivasanker is doing some house hold affairs, in that time Leela enter into this room and suddenly noticed something at Leela's neck)

Mrs Sivsanker - Where is your chain?

 (Leela looked into her shirt, searched but did not find her chain)

 Leela : I don’t know.

(Her mother gave her a slap.)

Mrs Sivsanker - Do you know it was a gold chain? How many times have I told you to take it off and put it in the box? (Shouts) Sidda, Sidda!

 (Sidda comes in) Where is the chain? Where have you kept it?

 Sidda: I don’t know (With a dry throat)

 Mrs.Sivasanker: Bring the chain or I'll call the police,

(She turns to go back to the kitchen for a moment)

 Leela : Give me some sugar, Mother, I am hungry (Sidda exits)

 Mrs.Sivsanker -  Sidda, Sidda ..............

Scene 3

 ( Mr. Sivasanker comes home )

Mrs Sivsanker - Do you know what happend today !

Mr Sivsanker - What ?

Mrs Sivsanker - Leela's gold chain is missing and Sidda is also missing.

Mr Sivsanker - What! Ok I will take proper steps. (Goes out from the room)

MRs Sivasansker - ok Leela , now go to your bed .

 Leela: I won't sleep unless Sidda comes and tells me stories...Idon't like you, you are always abusing and worrying Sidda.Why are you so rough?

Mrs Sivasanker:  But he has taken away your chain...

Leela: Let him. It doesn't matter. Tell me a story.

Mrs Sivasanker : Sleep, sleep.

 Leela: Tell me a story,

Mrs Sivasanker : It is God's mercy that the villain has not killed the child for the chain..... (Turning to Leela). Sleep, Leela, Sleep,

 Leela : Can't you tell the story of the elephant?

Mrs Sivasanker : No (Leela makes a noise of deprecation)

 Leela : Why should not Sidda sit in our chair, Mother? (Mother does not answer the question. Silence for a moment)  Sidda is gone because he wasn't allowed to sleep inside the house like us. Why should he always be made to sleep  outside the house, Mother? I think he is angry with us,

 (Mr. Sivasanker enters)

Mr Sivsanker - What a risk we took in engaging that fellow. It seems he is an old criminal. He has been in jail half a dozen times for stealing jewellery from children. From the description I gave, the inspector was able to identify him in a moment.

 Mrs. Sivasanker: Where is he now?

Mr. Sivasanker :. The police know his haunts. They will pick him up very soon, don't worry. The inspector was furious that I didn’t consult him before employing him...

Scene 4

 (Mr and Mrs Sivasanker are sitting in a room . A police inspector and a constable bring in Sidda. Sidda stands with bowed head. Seeing Sidda, Leela is overjoyed )

Leela: (running towards Sidda) Sidda! Sidda!

 Inspector: (stooping her) Don't go near him.

 Leela: Why not?

Inspector: He is a thief. He has taken away your gold chain.

 Leela: Let him. I will have a new chain. ( All of them laugh)

 Mr.Sivasanker: Why have you taken the chain? Where is the chain? Tell me what you have done with the chain?

 Mrs Sivasanker: Sidda, so ungrateful you are! You are a devil. (Tears roll down Sidda's cheek)

 Sidda: I have not taken it. (Very feebly, looking at the ground)

 Mrs. sivasanker: Why did you run away without telling us?

 (There is no answer. Laela's face becomes red.)

Leela: Oh, policeman, leave him alone. I want to play with him.

 Inspector: My dear child, he is a thief.

 Leela: (Haughtily) Let him be...

Inspector (to Sidda): What a devil you must be steal a thing from such an innocent child! Even now it is not too late. Return it. I will let you off, provided you promise not to do such a thing again.

 Mr. & Mrs Sivasanker: (agreeably) Return it now. No harm will be done to you.

 Leela: (feeling disgusted with the whole business) Leave him alone, he hasn't taken the chain. Inspector: (Humorously) you are not at all a reliable prosecution witness, my child!

 Leela: (screams) He hasn't taken it!

 Mr. Sivasanker: Baby, if you don't behave, I will be very angry with you.

 Inspector: (to the constable) Take him to the station. I think I will have to sit with him tonight. (The constable takes Sidda by the hand and returns to go. Leela runs behind them.)

 Leela: (crying) Don't take him. Leave him here. (She clings to Sidda's hand. He looks at her mutely, like an animal. Mr. Sivasanker carries Leela back into the house. )

SCENE 5

( Leela is sitting in a chair sadly. Mrs Sivasanker is doing house hold affairs. Then Mr Sivasanker comes in )

Mrs Sivasanker: Any news of the chain?

 Leela: Where is Sidda?

 Mr. Sivasanker: They still have him in the lockup, though he is very stubborn and won't say anything about it.

Mrs Sivasanker : (with a shiver) What a rough fellow he must be!

 Mr. Sivasanker: Oh, these fellows who have been in jail once or twice lose all fear. Nothing can make them confess.

 (Suddenly Mrs Sivsanker  putting her hand into the tamarind pot in the kitchen, and  picks up the chain. She takes it to Mrs Sivasanker )

Mrs Sivasanker - There ...... here is the chain! How does it come here!

( She goes to Leela to show the chain to her.)

Mrs Sivasanker : Look at the chain.

 Leela: It's mine, Give it here, I want to wear the chain.

Mrs Sivasanker: How did it get into the tamarind pot?

 Leela: Somehow,

Mrs Sivasanker: Did you put it in?

 Leela: Yes, mother,

Mrs Sivasanker: When?

 Leela: Long ago, the other day.

Mrs Sivasanker : Why didn't you say so before?

 Leela: I don't know.

( Mr and Mrs Sivasanker astonished deeply )

Scene 6

( Mrs Sivasanker is doing house hold affairs , Mr. Sivasanker comes in )

Mr Sivasanker : The child must not have any chain hereafter. Didn’t tell you that I saw her carrying it in her hand once or twice? She must have dropped it into the pot sometime.

 Mrs.Sivasanker: What about Sidda?

 Mr. Sivasanker: I will tell the inspector tomorrow… in any case, we couldn't have kept a criminal like him in the house.

Curtain falls.

The End