Ghotbhar pani

First performed for a competition in 1978, Ghotbhar Pani (A sip of water) was written against a background of the urban middle-class concerns that dominated, and continue to dominate, Marathi theatre. Even when theatre was experimenting with folk forms, as seen most notably in Vijay Tendulkar's Ghashiram Kotwal, the themes still revolved around the concerns of the haves as opposed to the have-nots. As such, when 30-year-old Premanand Gajvi, two generations down from Tendulkar, wrote Ghotbhar Pani, he faced the challenge of giving voice to the concerns of the oppressed that had never found their place in this theatre. The play was like water to the thirsty, and was performed in villages all over Maharashtra. Its 1000th playing was staged in Bombay in 1993, 15 years after it was written.

(The curtain rises. Two youths appear. The midday sun burns overhead. The exhausted young men are panting for shade but everything around is barren, desolate, stunted. The grass, dried yellow, glints in the sun.)

ONE. Roast. Roast us, you son-of-a-bitch.
TWO. It's blistering. Not a tree, not one.
ONE. Sit. (Finds a comparatively grassy patch and sits down.) Sit down. (Two sits beside him.) People sit in the shade of trees. We'll sit in the shade of the sun. You can sit in my shade. You're exhausted aren't you?
TWO. Hand me the water-bag. I'm parched.
ONE. (Unscrews the cap of the water-bag and tilts it. Two cups his palms, dying for a gulp of water. His palms remain empty.)
Drink, drink.
TWO. Drink what? You're not pouring.
ONE. Pour from where? (Jerks the water-bag to show there's nothing in it.)
TWO. You're joking.
ONE. Never. There may be no alternative to a life-insurance policy. But there is to water. At least on this difficult occasion.
TWO. What?
ONE. The final holy water!
TWO. Don't joke!
ONE. You were drinking away merrily when you weren't thirsty. Now wait till we get to a river or a village
TWO. This rustic life is sheer death.
ONE. Will you show death as rural life in your research paper on the village? Wait, here's an old man coming our way. Let's ask him if there's a river or…
TWO. I'll ask. (One assumes the role of an old man. One and Two will change roles throughout the play.) How far's the village from here, grandpa?
ONE. Ye're asking me?
TWO. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
ONE. Which village are ye comin' from, sir?
TWO. From very, very far.
ONE. Ye mean from the city?
TWO. Right. That's right.
ONE. Thought so. Go straight past those four fields. See the bushes and trees? Go past them, cross the river and ye're there.
TWO. (In English) Thank you.
ONE. What's that?
TWO. (In Marathi) I said … er … dhanyavaad.
ONE. I see. (The old man disappears. One appears.) Come on mate, step smart. Meanwhile, let me create a whole ocean for your thirst.
(Sings)
My eyes in your eyes
Deep blue Arabian Sea
Waves surge at the shore
That's not the truth
The seabed is vast
And still, utterly still.
TWO. A sip of water … Beautiful. Truly beautiful! They say this land runs with sweet water springs. Here's another picture …
Ganga, Yamuna, Goda, Kaveri
All rivers of female sex
And how does the water flow?
Though of neuter gender?
Barren, without purushartha
This civilisation
Lives in the famine of tradition
The earth too is cracked, mouth gaping
Soil won't let soil have
A sip of water.
***
(Two is halfway through lifting his cupped palms to his mouth.)
ONE. Get away, bastard! You've polluted the river, you lowborn corpse-burner.
TWO. Just one sip of water, father. My mouth is dry, my life's in my throat.
ONE. Then I'll slit your throat for you, bastard.
TWO. Have pity, my lord. Not a drop in my mouth since morning. Waited long at the well so's some kind soul might feed me water. But nobody has pity for us. Didn't know what to do, so I came here. Even cats and dogs drink this water I thought …
ONE. Grown too smart, eh? Thrash him. Squeeze his
water out.
TWO. I fall at your feet, my lord.
ONE. Don't touch me! Thrash the bastard.
TWO. No, no, my lord. I made a mistake. Please … oh God, save me … I'll die … help … help me someone please.
ONE. Let me see which man and his father come to
help you!
***
TWO. (Writhing in agony.)
Barren, without purushartha
This civilisation
Lives in the famine of tradition
The earth too is cracked, mouth gaping
Soil won't let soil have
A sip of water!
TWO. One village.
ONE. Long live!
TWO. One water-source.
ONE. Long live! One village, one water-source!
TWO. Long live, long live!
***
ONE. Why's all this 'long live' and 'down with' going on in our village?
TWO. You mean you don't know? Who's the police chief around here?
ONE. I'm the man.
TWO. You? Namaskar.
ONE. Ram, Ram!
TWO. So chief, you don't want to let the Dalits live, eh?
ONE. What do you mean?
TWO. There's news of a thrashing because the river
was polluted.
ONE. Really? Hasn't reached my ears.
TWO. It's in the papers. It's everywhere; and you
don't know?
ONE. Who reads those papers of yours, mister? They don't even reach us here. How're we to know?
TWO. Okay. So who beat up Chokha Kamble?
ONE. When?

TWO. Six months ago.
ONE. So why bother now?
TWO. What did you think? Nobody would talk?
ONE. Look here. I know nothing about this.
TWO. You incited people and you don't know?
ONE. Why didn't they complain to the police?
TWO. Who threatened Kamble, 'We'll break your leg and rape your wife if you complain?'
ONE. That's a pack of lies. He talks against me but doesn't tell you who helps him with money and grain when he's down.
TWO. And beats him up in return.
ONE. I haven't beaten up anybody and I know nothing about this. Are we their enemies? We dammed the river because it goes dry in the summer. Should humans drink the water that cattle drink? All the villagers are not the same colour. There could be some madmen.
TWO. Should you be one of them? You're the chief. A member of the ruling party. You've let down your party. The opposition has started a regular campaign to malign us. Our government is getting a bad name. Don't let it happen again. Settle the whole thing now, today.
ONE. He has badmouthed the village, insulted me. He must apologise first.
TWO. Are you in your right mind? Chief, I'm advising you because you're one of us. Do as I say and let them live.
ONE. Are we stopping them from living? But they must keep to their station.
TWO. What about their well … you've even …
ONE. Who's eaten it? It's right there, in its place.
TWO. But they aren't allowed to draw its water.
ONE. If they don't want to draw water we can't force them.
TWO. Okay. Let's get a communal water-drawing programme organised today.
ONE. Alright. But there must be full coverage,
with photographs.
TWO. One village, one water-source …
ONE. Long live, long live!
TWO. One village …
ONE. Long live. One water-source …
TWO. Long live!
***
ONE. Minister!
TWO. Yes, sir!
ONE. Are last week's newspaper cuttings ready?
TWO. Ready, sir!
ONE. Read them and tell us if there's something special we need to take note of.
TWO. Can I start, sir?
ONE. Stop wasting time with your meaningless chatter. My ears and eyes are already impatient.
TWO. Yes, sir! Here it is. The Honourable Chief Minister 'Mister X' inaugurates an impressive dam project at dot-dot-dot PHOTO … PHOTO …
ONE. Why are you yelling?
TWO. Your picture, sir. In the papers, on the occasion of the inauguration. (Holds paper out to him.)
ONE. That's something to yell about? Do I have a pair of scissors in my hand to cut the tape for the photographer to take a picture?
TWO. Habit, habit. Slaves of habit. Pardon my error, sir!
ONE. Pardoned!
TWO. The building of the dam will irrigate dot-dot-dot acres of land, produce dot-dot-dot thousand kilowatts of power, and turn night into dazzling day. Water will be supplied to dot-dot-dot thousand villages and many dot-dot-dots will be achieved on the road to progress.
ONE. Minister, what's this business of dots?
TWO. Business? No, no. It's a riddle to cover India's welfare, like a riddle covers the Indian Penal Code.
ONE. I don't get it.
TWO. The entire existence of the project is contained in these dots.
ONE. You mean, that's how the report's been printed in the newspapers? That's gross abuse of press freedom. What will the public understand from this – balls?
TWO. You shouldn't think of the public. Balls is right. That's what the public gets with newspaper figures. So it forgets them and we forget them. That's what it amounts to. Dots.
ONE. Dot-dot, Minister.
TWO. A Dalit from dot-dot village in dot-dot block in dot-dot taluk in dot-dot district was beaten almost to death by the police chief for polluting the river.
ONE. Read that last.
TWO. How can I break protocol sir?
ONE. Okay. Make a full statement.
TWO. Yes, sir. The story of this incident, which occurred six months ago, was broken by a daily newspaper called Revolution. This was followed as usual by a downpour of memoranda of protest. Morchas were also taken out. Finally, peace was made with a communal water-drawing programme.
ONE. Peace? Who brought that about?
TWO. A special representative was sent.
ONE. And yet the credit goes to the 'one village, one water-source' people.
TWO. But you adopted them, didn't you?
ONE. Oh alright. So now there's peace everywhere in our kingdom! What's that noise outside?
TWO. I'll check, sir! (Goes up to the wing and returns.)
***
TWO. My lord, give me justice. Give me justice.
ONE. Who are you? Why are you here? There is a mechanism for justice in our kingdom.
TWO. There's no saviour for the poor and the oppressed, my lord.
ONE. Oh! The poor and the oppressed? Oh yes, the poor and the oppressed. What's your complaint?
TWO. Where does water come from, my lord?
ONE. Are you mad? It comes from taps! We've spent lakhs building dams; laid miles and miles of pipes so water can gush into every home. And you ask me where water comes from?
TWO. I'm not talking of the city. I'm talking of the village.
ONE. Yes, talk. Talk on. I'll listen to everything. That's what people have voted us in for – to listen to the people.
TWO. Water comes from clouds, flows down rivers and streams. They flow into the sea. That goes up as steam, then clouds, then water from clouds. So who owns that water?
ONE. Just because I said talk, you're letting your tongue run away with you. Just state your complaint.
TWO. We don't have water to drink. The city folk come and take our pictures. The village folk come and break our pots and throw them out. How are we to live, my lord?
ONE. Your sorrow is our sorrow. I sympathise. You are from dot-dot village. Our kingdom is a just kingdom. Not a place for cheats and charlatans. Just don't worry. We've made a note of your complaint. Submit a written statement, that's all. We've taken note.
TWO. (Handing over a statement.) Please, my lord.
ONE. (Glancing over it.) It's a written one, I hope. Right. Now go. We've taken note. (The other goes as far as the wings.)
Anyone there?
***
TWO. Yes, sir!
ONE. What's the punishment for breaking the law
against untouchability?
TWO. The amended one?
ONE. Something that will put the fear of God into them. It brought tears to my eyes to listen to that poor brother's tale. Is that how human beings treat other human beings? Even animals drink from the same waterhole.
TWO. Sir, a politician should not gush like water in an irrigation canal. It goes down as a black mark against the politician. Even a dog doesn't look at him then.
ONE. So what should we do?
TWO. Dig a well for the untouchables and solve
the problem.
ONE. Will that solve the problem of untouchability?
TWO. Don't get embroiled in that question. Treat it as a religious matter and forget about it.
ONE. We've heard that a separate well was dug for
the Dalits.
TWO. It was. But after last year's drought, the unscheduleds have grabbed it. The Dalits must be assured of the government's sympathy. So this is the only way to do it.
ONE. I see. Well, we've taken note of it. Send that poor brother's statement to the press and ours along with it. Make sure the report about the well goes in bold.
TWO. This is how real politics triumphs. (Tears up the statement.)
***
TWO. Bharat is my land
All my countrymen are my brothers
That's on every page of school books
And from Kashmir to Kanyakumari.
ONE. Bharat, you are rotting with leprous casteism
You want the truth?
Your culture is rotten from the roots
Your history –
Call me a traitor if you wish –
TWO. Is a cattle-shed that breeds eunuchs.
Eunuchs! Throw away those yokes
Laid upon you through centuries
Live like sky-soaring birds.
Why tread the barren path
Born of putrefied minds?
ONE. Why must we alone tread that path?
Why is our life a stagnant puddle?
Why are we without movement?
Who decided our status?
What? Even our shadows pollute?
Can it be true that the universal soul is one?
TWO. Colourless,
Odourless,
Tasteless,
Without character or form –
That soul is free.
Then who bound ours?
How did it get enchained?
How can it be a soul
That does not challenge slavery?
ONE. Why not kill the soul that kills humanity
And free yourselves?
The will is the way to freedom.
A strong wrist is the way to freedom.
The will is strong
Don't let the will's flag fall
Don't be the killers of your own freedom.
Die but don't trample on the history of free man.
TWO. The spirit crushed under the yoke will be free
And death will salute the will of millions of people.
ONE. Victory to revolution!
TWO. Victory to revolution!
ONE. The slogans of revolution have made revolution barren, a hollow bamboo.
TWO. Nowhere else on the face of this Earth has revolution acquired such an ugly meaning.
ONE. Revolution happens when you pick up the child of a mahar. Let people die thirsting for a sip of water; but revolution happens when you give water to a donkey.
TWO. Shambook is beheaded for learning the Vedas; but a four-legged buffalo becomes a revolutionary for doing the same.
ONE. Such sterile notions of revolution are pushing the country to its ruin.
TWO. And so …
ONE and TWO. Victory to total revolution! Victory to
total revolution!
***
TWO. In dot-dot village …
ONE. Of dot-dot block …
TWO. Of dot-clot taluk
ONE. Of dot-dot district …
ONE and TWO. Atrocities! Atrocities!
ONE. Murderous assault by upper-caste villagers on satyagrahis drawing water at well –
TWO. Among the satyagrahis were several women –
ONE. Attempt to outrage the modesty of women –
TWO. Dalits offered strong resistance to assault –
ONE. One died, two were hurt.
TWO. Even Bhausaheb was hurt.
ONE. Police numbers inadequate.
TWO. Atmosphere continues to be tense.
***
ONE. Long live Bhausaheb!
TWO. Who are you?
ONE. I'm the rural correspondent of the Revolution. We'd like to have an exclusive …
TWO. I possess nothing exclusive.
ONE. That's your modesty. It has been many years since the Dalits found a new and powerful leadership. They have been greatly harmed through lack of leadership. I believe they will make up for that harm now.
TWO. How?
ONE. For all you know, you may be responsible for changing the very face of this country in days to come.
TWO. I am a believer in action. Has there not been enough speechmaking till now? I detest masks, and I am not about to wear one myself.
ONE. What do you think the government should do?
TWO. They should look at this problem as a social problem, and lay stress on action. They must not think of Dalits as dolls to be used during elections. If that happens, the Dalits will be disillusioned and might even become traitors.
ONE. Anything more?
TWO. For the moment, no,
ONE. Thank you.
***
ONE. Come in, do come in, Bhausaheb. I have been anxiously waiting for this meeting.
TWO. You embarrass me.
ONE. We are fully aware of your strength. And we acknowledge it. (Holds out a purse.)
TWO. What is this?
ONE. Your security against hunger and loss of life. Two lakh.
TWO. So I should withdraw my agitation?
ONE. Not exactly. It is our desire that both your leadership and our kingship should be safeguarded. We will be with you in your every problem: on occasion, we might even choose to honour you with … (Two accepts the purse. One smiles in victory.)
ONE. Victory to Bhausaheb!
TWO. Victory to Mister Minister!
***
ONE. How much longer are we going to drink from that stream?
TWO. I don't understand anything. It's been six months since we started digging the well, but Bhausaheb's not come this way even once, or sent word. Summer will soon be on us. The well was dug a man-and-a-half deep when we hit stone and work stopped. That's alright. But shouldn't he ask how far we've got?
ONE. And here we've gone and fought with the village folk. Lost lives, shed blood, all for no reason. When summer comes we'll be footing it all over the village again begging 'Please someone give us water,' 'Please someone give us water,' 'Please someone give us water.'
(While voices repeat 'Please someone give us water,' One and Two are seen leaving.)
This barren soil has littered a thousand times.
This civilisation
Lives in the famine of tradition
The earth too is cracked, mouth gaping
Soil won't let soil have
A sip of water!

(The curtain comes down to the refrain of 'A sip of water', 'A sip of water'.) Premanand Gajvi has written 12 full-length plays and five collections of one-acts. This piece was first published in STQ.

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