ACT ONE SCENE ONE
SURJA SAHU’S HOUSE
It is the story of Bakuli village in Bribhum. The second year of drought has ravished lives. Surja Sahu, the upper caste landowner has two tube wells and three wells. The lower caste tenants of the village work in his land and
cultivate his land with crops. The tenants’ approach Surja Sahu to draw water from his wells.
DULNA (with folded hands)
Sahu Sahib, drought has totally shattered our lives. Our fields and land are drying up without water. Please get the water with the canal tax. Everything around us is burning up. Save us from this heat wave.
SURJA SAHU (with contempt and hatred in his eyes)
You want me to pay the water tax? You want half the paddy for
sharecropping! I don’t accept your Panchayat nonsense. Huh! Everyone is happy with free paddy! Why should I provide you with water for cultivation? From here on I will not do any good for you. Get out of here!
JUGAL (A little agitated)
But what good have you done to us so far?
SURJA SAHU (Annoyed by this question)
Haven’t I given drinking water to your village?
DOPDI (Sharply)
Only to your kith and kin, your people, your caste. We untouchables haven’t received a single drop of water
Surja pauses for a while and thinks. He always had an eye for Dopdi and he decided to make use of this as an excuse to get to sleep with her. Surja looks towards Dopdi with eyes filled with lust
Leave this woman here with me if you want water!
DULNA (Lunges towards Surja with clenched fists)
How dare you?
DULNA (A harvesting scythe in hand)
Let me strike the first blow brothers. My family has suffered for two generations of bonded slavery to repay the debt of a handful of rice my great grandfather borrowed from him.
DOPDI (with fire in her eyes)
Let me pluck out his eyes. The eyes which dared to insult me
Darkness again. Noises of anger, shouts, blows, and cries resonate through the night. A final shriek tears through the night. The sound of feet running can be heard in the backdrop
ACT TWO SCENE ONE
Surja Sahu has been killed. Ironically, unlike the numerous deaths and murders of the poor, the death of the cruel landlord shakes the system. Bakuli Village has been burnt down by the Army. The villagers have been massacred. A group of farmers including Dulna and Dopdi escape. They are on the run from the army and the police. The massacre has almost killed everyone in their tribe. A few of them have decided to rise up in rebellion against the oppressive forces of the state. The leader of the rebels is Arjit. They meet under a tree in the forest.
ARJIT (in a loud voice)
Comrades! Most of our friends have been encountered by the police. In these six years, the law of confrontation has devoured thousands of our comrades. The army has been given full power to crush down any form of rebellion. They have no value for human life and treat us like dirt. They keep hitting the prisoners mindlessly till they are turned to a pulp. Bones are broken at the slightest provocation; private parts
become wounds oozing blood. Ironically, you would find an insignificant news article in the corner of the least important page: “Body of an unknown person found in the ditch… Age 20… Killed by police in an encounter…” And the chapter is closed
A long pause
Comrades! We have to be more careful. The law of the land has no concern for us. We must ensure that we are always on our guard. If anyone is caught, the others must change their hideout. We must take an oath not to reveal our secrets even under pain of death. No
ACT TWO SCENE TWO
FOREST
Dulna is going back through the forest towards the secret hideout of the rebels. Each of the rebels take a different route through the forest to avoid being caught together. Dulna is very cautious of his surroundings and reacts sharply to each and every sound.
FIRST SOLDIER (spits at the corpse)
These brutes use code language. Now, what is Ma-ho?
SECOND SOLDIER
I don’t have an idea. But let us wait. We’ll hide in the trees. I’m sure someone will come to bury the corpse. We can kill some more then.
The soldiers wait for the whole night but no one comes to bury the body of Dulna
ACT TWO SCENE THREE
ARMY CAMP
Next day, the soldiers enter the camp. One has a paper with a list of the most wanted tribal.
FIRST SOLDIER (Reading out from the paper)
Name DOPDI MEJHEN, Age 27. Husband Dulna Majhi (deceased) Domincile Cherakham, Bankranhjarh. One hundred rupees – for information whether dead or alive and/or assistance in arrest
SECOND SOLDIER (Taking the paper in his own hands)
What’s this? A tribal called Dopdi? The list I had brought yesterday had no such name!
FIRST SOLDIER
They always change their names to deceive us. But how long can they escape the bullet? The new combat specialist Mr. Senanayak knows their ways better than they know themselves know. He will address the Special Forces shortly. Look, here he comes
SENANAYAK (with confidence and command)
Soldiers, do not underestimate your enemies. They are experts in guerilla warfare. Their
weapons are primitive. They kill not by modern weapons, but by hatchet, scythe, bow and arrow etc. The Army despises this primitiveness
Pause
Soldiers, it is your sacred duty to kill on sight any such people who involve in this form of warfare. So, be bold and take a pledge to wipe out this barbarism. Capture Dopdi Mehjen and she will lead us to the other rebels.
Soldiers take the oath and return to the camp. Senanayak is left alone. He moves to and fro and starts talking to himself
SENANAYAK
It is the secret of victory. ‘In order to destroy the enemy, become one’. To understand and demolish the other, one has to respect the other. So whatever my practice is, I respect them in theory.
Pause
In future, I will write a book about practice. I am getting rid of the youths by means of ‘apprehension and elimination’. I will eliminate the gentleman and highlight the message of the harvest workers
Senanayak has an ironic smile on his face and muses to himself
The world has a very weak memory. It forgets the lessons of blood and murder very quickly. It will forget my bloody deeds too. Moreover, the world changes its colors and if I change my color accordingly, I’ll be able to get respect in its each and every color.
Thinking of the future, he amuses himself and starts walking toward the camp
ACT THREE SCENE ONE
JHARKHANI VILLAGE OFFICE
Dopdi is standing before the panchayat office. She is unaware of the search warrants taken out against her. She is looking at a notice in a very confused and puzzled manner. She is illiterate. Mushai Tudu’s wife joins her.
MUSHAI’S WIFE
What’re you looking at?
Glances at the notice
Who is Dopdi Mejhen? Money if you give her up!
DOPDI (A little concerned)
How much?
MUSHAI’S WIFE (Fearful)
Two Hundred!
DOPDI (Taken aback)
Oh God!
Both start walking MUSHAI’S WIFE
A lot of preparation this time. All new policemen. Don’t – Don’t you come again!
DOPDI
Why?
MUSHAI’S WIFE (Looking down at the sad with sadness all over her face)
Tudu says that Sahib has come again. If the catch you, the village, our huts…
DOPDI
They’ll burn again.
MUSHAI’S WIFE (Terror is visible in her eyes)
Yes
They become silent for some time. Dopdi is deeply absorbed in her thoughts. Then she suddenly declares.
DOPDI
Look, you go home. I don’t know what will happen, but if they catch me, I don’t know what they will do to me
MUSHAI’S WIFE (worried)
Can’t you run away?
DOPDI (determined)
No. Tell me, how many times will I run away? How long will I keep running? What is worst that can happen if they catch me? They will kounter me. Let them!
MUSHAI’S WIFE
We have nowhere else to go.
DOPDI (softly)
I won’t tell anyone’s name. I know what I have to do. If mind and body will give away under torture, I will bite off my tongue
They reach Mushai’s home. Mushai’s wife gives Dopdi some cooked rice which she knots into her waistcloth and starts walking towards the forest. It is late in the evening. She has almost crossed the entire village. Suddenly she hears someone calling her name.
DOPDI (Dopdi does not respond. Here she is known as Upi Mejhen. She keeps walking without looking back)
VOICE (Footsteps follow her)
Dopdi!
DOPDI (Thinks to herself)
Who calls her by this name? No one knows me here by this name. So, I am caught today. But I’ll not enter the forest with a cop on my tail
She turns and starts walking toward the army camp VOICE (Footsteps are still following her)
Dopdi!
DOPDI (Thinks to herself)
I know what I have to do, I will never betray my blood, my cause and my comrades
VOICE
Halt!
Dopdi stops. The steps behind her come around to the front. It is Surja Sahu’s brother, Rotoni Sahu. Two more figures come forward – Shomai and Budhna
DOPDI (Dopdi’s eyes are ablaze with fire. She spits at Shomai and Budhna)
Oh the shame of Santhals! You treachers! You betray your own people?
She spreads her arms, raises her face to the sky, turns towards the forest and ululates with the force of her entire being. Once, twice, thrice. At the third burst, the birds in the tree at the outskirts of the forest awake and flap their wings. The echo of the call travels far.
ACT THREE SCENE TWO
ARMY CAMP
It is about 8.30 PM. Dopdi was apprehended at 6.53 pm. She has been questioned for the past one and a half hours. Senanayak enquires the soldiers of the results of questioning.
SENANAYAK
So, has she opened her mouth?
FIRST SOLDIER
No, Sir. We have tried our best. But she is not ready reveal anything.
SENANAYAK (Thoughtfully)
Make her! Do the needful!
ACT THREE SCENE THREE
ARMY CAMP
It is about 1:30 AM. Dopdi has been raped continuously for several hours by several men. She is naked. Dopdi stirs a little.
DOPDI (Thinks to herself)
It appears as though a billion lunar years have passed.
Notices sticky blood under her ass and waist. A tear trickles out of the corner of the eye. Her eyes see her breasts. She seems to have been mutilated and ravaged by men.
How many came to make me? Indeed, I have been made up right! My breasts are bitten, the nipples torn. How many? Four-five-six-seven-?
She closes her eyes. Sounds of approaching footsteps. A guard leans on his bayonet and leers at her. The process of making her begins.
ACT THREE SCENE FOUR
ARMY CAMP
It is morning. Senanayak is having breakfast and reading a newspaper. A guard stands by attend to all of his needs.
SENANAYAK (commanding)
Bring her!
With a “Yes Sir” the soldier moves towards tent where Dopdi is imprisoned. When he enters the tent, he finds Dopdi is lying on the straw
GUARD (He throws her a piece of cloth over her body)
Hey, You! Move! Cover your body!
DOPDI (sits up)
Where do you want me to go?
GUARD
To the Burra Sahib’s tent
DOPDI
Where is the tent?
GUARD (points towards it)
Over there
DOPDI
You go, I’ll come!
GUARD (Terrified)
Have you gone crazy?
The guard runs out to inform Senanayak. Senanayak walks out surprised. Dopdi is walking toward him in the bright sunlight with her head held high SENANAYAK (Stunned)
What–!
Dopdi stands before him, naked. Thigh and pubic hair matted with dry blood. Two breasts, two wounds
SENANAYAK (Puzzled and confused)
What – What – What is this? What’s happening?
Dopdi comes close. She confidently stands in front of Senanayak with hands on her hips and laughs.
DOPDI (Laughs)
The object of your search, Dopdi Mejhen. You asked them to make me up, don’t you want to see how they made me?
SENANAYAK (To the guard)
Where are her clothes?
GUARD
She won’t put them on Sir. She keeps tearing away all the clothes with her teeth.
DOPDI (In a terrifying and sky splitting voice)
What’s the use of clothes? You can strip me, but how can you clothe me again? Are you a man?
She laughs with an indomitable laughter. Her ravaged lips start bleeding. She spits a bloody gob on to Senanayak’s white bush shirt
There isn’t a man here that I should be ashamed. I will not let you put my clothe on me. What more can you do? Come on! Kounter me!
Dopdi pushes Senanayak with her two mangled breasts and for the first time Senanayak is afraid to stand before an unarmed target, terribly afraid.
