Project on dramatization of Leela's Friend | Leela's Friend Dramatization

Project on dramatization of Leela's Friend | Leela's Friend Dramatization | Project on dramatization of a story.

Dramatis Personae

Mr. Sivasanker - Leela's father.

Mrs. Sivasanker - Leela's mother.

Leela - A five year old girl. Mr. and Mrs. Sivasanker's daughter.

Sidda - A servant.

Police inspector

Two Constables

Setting 

House of Mr. Sivasanker.

Scene - I

(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 : (Thought for a moment) Come in.

(Sidda opened the gate and came in.)

Sidda : Thank you sir.

Mr. Sivasanker : (Mr. Sivasanker subjected him to a scrutiny and said to himself) (Aside) 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 came and 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. Sivasanker : Ok as you wish. (Looking at Sidda) 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 Sidda with her and they disappeared for playing.)

Leela : (Holding a red ball in her hand) Let's play.

Sidda : Ok.

Leela : (Went near Sidda) 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 fingers 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 ever 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 closer. They stand near the rose plant.)

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

Leela : Yes.

Sidda : Now come with me.(He takes 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 called her mother.)

Leela : Mother! Mother! Sidda knows the moon.

Mrs. Sivasanker : Ok , play less and complete your home work.

(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 is trying to copy whatever she writes 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 moment.)

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

(Leela drops 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 - II

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

Mrs. Sivasanker : Where is your chain?

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

Leela : I don’t know.

(Her mother gave her a slap.)

Mrs. Sivasanker : 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 : (With a dry throat) I don’t know.

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 - III

(Mr. Sivasanker comes home after the whole days work.)

Mrs. Sivasanker : Do you know what happened today?

Mr. Sivasanker : What?

Mrs. Sivasanker : Leela's gold chain is missing and Sidda is also missing.

Mr. Sivasanker : 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. I don'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 in the room.)

Mr. Sivasanker : 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 - IV

(Mr. Sivasanker and Mrs. Sivasanker are sitting in a room. A police inspector and a constable bring Sidda in. 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 laughed listening to Leela.)

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. Leela'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. Sivasanker and 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 - V

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

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

(She goes to Leela to show the chain.)

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. Sivasanker and Mrs. Sivasanker astonished deeply.)

Scene - VI

(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.

Mrs. Sivasanker :  Ok tell the inspector that the chain has been found.

Mr. Sivasanker : In any case, we couldn't have kept a criminal like him in the house.

Curtain falls.