KALI KAALAM- When Kali Plays Havoc -A Short
Play.
Act 1- At A Betrothal Function
Act 1- Scene 1
Mr.Ramanujam’s house- 7Pm in the evening. There are lots of
guests seated about and loud conversations going on between them.
Mr.Kumar : I say Mr. Ramanujam this engagement function you
have arranged today was even grander than what we expected. All we were looking
for was a simple ceremony for a small group of relatives.
Mr.Ramanujam: Oh don’t say like that Kumar sir, or should I
call you sambandhi sir now that the engagement is over? Anyway we are all
pleased to have such an alliance like yours for our daughter and we just coudnt
help not informing all our relatives of our good fortune. Otherwise they might
not even talk to us in the future.
(Loud chorus of voices saying; yes, yes, that’s true, we wouldn’t
have, this is the right thing)
Mr.Kumar: Well let me not be the reason for such a rift among
close relatives. We are simple people Mr.Ramanujam and we believe that simple
ceremonies are better when it comes to important things like the future of our
children together rather than being ostentatious and inviting envy. That’s the
only reason why I asked you to arrange a small betrothal ceremony at your house
rather than hold it in some fancy hotel in a gaudy way.
Mr.Ramanujam: I appreciate that sentiment wholeheartedly
sambandhi sir. You have proved yourself a genuine person by even refusing any
dowry or any other expectations. The least we could do from the girls’ side is
to celebrate this marriage in a way it will never be forgotten by our families.
Our children definitely deserve that for agreeing to an arranged marriage in
this day and age when everywhere we look young people are doing all sorts of
low hand things in the name relationships- love, living together and all that
sort of trash. I don’t know where this world is going to end up if such things
persist in the name of modernity- kali kalam, kali kalam.
Mr.Kumar: Very true sambandhi. Very true. That is why the
city was almost drowned in the floods last year. Even Lord Varuna couldn’t bear
the things these modern day girls are doing in the name of feminism, women’s
rights etc. I wonder how the parents of these girls are able to face their neighbors.
In our days the entire locality would have boycotted the family if a girl had
behaved like they do now. But let’s leave that aside. We are fortunate to have
found such a girl like yours and such a family like yours in this day and age-
a pure unspoilt, fully traditional girl who listens to her parents and marries
their choice. We are truly blessed to have such a girl come to us as a daughter-in-law.
We should visit Tirumala soon and offer our worship to Lord Venkateswara for
bringing our two families together like this- as soon as we print the first
invitation to lay at the lords’ lotus feet. What say you sambandhi?
Mr.Ramanujam: Very good sambandhi, very good, all credit to
the Good Lord Of The Seven Hills who helped bring our two families closer. But
one small request from our side.
Mr.Kumar (still in a jolly mood): Of course sambandhi. Do you
even need to ask like this? What is it?
Mr.Ramanujam: It’s just that ....ummmph…now that the
engagement is over…my daughter feels that woudnt it be better to have the
wedding after a few months gap? Just to let the young people get to know each
other better? Rather than rushing into it?
(The first sounds of jarring disquiet appear on the faces of
both happy parties)
Mr.Kumar: but, but how long can we postpone the wedding after
the engagement? Won’t people talk? It doesn’t seem proper for traditional
families like us to keep pushing off the wedding date. Besides what need is
there for the two to get to know each other at this late stage? Didn’t they
already talk when we came to see the girl last week?
Mr.Ramanujam: But that was only for a few minutes, my
daughter feels. She wants to get to know your sons likes and dislikes better to
enable her to be a better wife to your son from day one. That’s the only reason
she wants a little time between the betrothal and the wedding.
Mr.Kumar: : Oh we are
a traditional family but we are not such a strict family like that. Your
daughter need not worry about something like that. Let her take her own time to
adjust to our family –we won’t mind. Besides she has got the rest of her life
to learn about our sons likes and dislikes hasn’t she? Why should we postpone
the wedding for such a trivial reason?.
Mr.Ramanujam: I am truly truly sorry to say this Sambandhi.
But my daughter insists that we hold the wedding after at least six months.
That would help her get prepared for the wedding in the proper frame of mind
and to know your son better.
Mr.Kumar: hmmmph…I say Mr.Ramanujam, it would have been
better to have told us this condition of your daughters before the engagement
ceremony got over. Now we are left with no choice but to fall in with you.
Mr.Ramanujam: But nothing’s changed sambandhi, nothing
changes, just that we need some more time to conduct the wedding in a grand
manner. We are still very happy to have an alliance with such a traditional
family like yours and such a wel respected one too.
Mr.Kumar: I don’t know Mr. Ramanujam we somehow feel this is
the wrong decision on your part. We should guide our children when they make mistakes
and not encourage them. Look at my son here- he will tie the mangalasutra
whenever wherever I direct him to. Girls should not be allowed their whims and
fancies and to dictate terms like this when it comes to auspicious events like
weddings. But what to do at this late stage. We are helpless. Come – all of you
(to his assembled friends and relatives) it’s time to leave, we have intruded
on their hospitality too much.
(And as the grooms family leaves in a huff- the varied crowd
behind - especially the two old grandmothers on either side murmur softly: bad
decision, bad decision, nothing good is going to come out of this, postponing
the wedding to a girls whims, we never got to know each other before we married
aren’t we still living together?....(the noise fades slowly in the background.)
Act 2 –Later That Night.
ACT 2- Scene 1 – at Mr. Kumars house.
Mr.Kumars Son – The Bridegroom Ashwin Kumar- I think this is
a blessing in disguise appa. This gives us time to study the girl too. In fact
we can wait and see whether she really resigns her job as she promised to do
when we went to see her. I really don’t think an Ad Agency is a decent place
for a decent lady to work. But as her father said it was just a hobby for time
pass she was working I let it go. Let me use this time to get to know her well
and we can take a final call later.
ACT 2- Scene 2 – at Mr. Ramanujans house
Mr.Ramanujans Daughter –The Bride Arundathi Ramanujam : Thank
god that you stood by your word daddy. I was afraid you might give in easily.
Now that we have postponed the marriage let me talk to that boy and then see if
he really is like what he said he was during the girl seeing ceremony. Lets
keep the marriage as late as we can- that gives me more time to decide once and
for all whether he will fit me or not.
(Again we hear the voices in the background – The Respective
Grandmothers murmuring: dont know where this is going to end up but we suspect
something bad. Dear God please put some sense into these people and make them
fix the marriage immediately.)
Act 3 – Six Months Later.
ACT 3 - Scene 1 – At Mr. Kumars House.
Mr.Kumar – I cant believe it. Never thought they would do
this. To ask us to postpone the marriage at this late stage when everything is
ready, all our relatives invited and all the invitations mailed. It would be
better to stop it once and for all then to keep postponing it to satisfy their
whims and fancies.
Mr.Kumars Son – The Bridegroom Ashwin Kumar: i told you so
dad, right from the beginning. I always knew that the excuse that girl used -
to want to get to know me- was a complete pretext to do something like this. I suspect
she planned this right from the beginning. Thats why she asked for time. Now that
she has got what she planned for, she wants to keep us permanently on hold till
she finishes her project in the USA and comes back next year. Or if something
goes wrong there she can hurry back here and pretend nothing ever happened. Do they
take us for fools? To keep waiting eternally for that girl? As if there are no other girls around?
Mr.Kumar : Yes, yes, they must think we are fools to wait
around for another year for that girl to come back from her project. Let me
talk to Mr.Ramanujam one last time and we will decide once and for all.
Mr.Kumars Son – The Bridegroom Ashwin Kumar: Yes dad, talk to him and tell me what you
decide. As if there are no other girls around willing to marry me. You tell me
dad and i will get a dozen girls willing to marry me tomorrow. In fact there is
one girl who works on my team, who is of our own caste but different gothra,
everything. Mum has already seen her and likes her. You just tell me what those
people say and we will decide once and
for all.
ACT 3 - Scene 2 – at Mr. Ramanujans house
Mr.Ramanujam: But what will our people say at our calling off
the wedding at this late stage? Why coudnt you have told us earlier?
Mr.Ramanujans Daughter –The Bride Arundathi Ramanujam: But i did tell you daddy and you woudnt hear me.
You are always listening to that old foggy- grandmother who keeps predicting
dire things if i dont marry immediately. I told you this was my ambition- to go
on at-least one project abroad. When every dog and donkey in my company can go
on an offsite project why cant i? Let me
finish the project and come back and marry someone. In fact i can even find good
people from our caste their itself. So many of our people are working there and
they will all be broad-minded too. In fact even in my team which is going with
me there are so many saadhu paiyans who wont cross a line i draw instead of
arguing with me like the maapillai you fixed for me. Good riddance to him and
his family. Let him marry a village girl who stays home and cooks for him.
Mr.Ramanujam: I cant
take it that lightly. I am worried about what people will talk about us? You would
have gone to America but we have to answer everyone from the apartment watchman
to the vegetable seller as to why the wedding was stopped at this late stage.
Mr.Ramanujans daughter
–the bride Arundathi Ramanujam: Oh
Daddy, you can always lay the blame on that boy. Tell everyone that we found
out his character was bad and he had connections with his female co-workers. That
way we can keep the moral high ground and no one will blame us. They will believe
anything of boys nowadays.
(Again we hear the voices in the background – the respective
grandmothers murmuring: this is what we warned against when we told to hold the
wedding immediately after the engagement. Listen to us- listen to our voice of
experience- we knew something like this will happen when two people are not
definitely committed to each other but are left free to explore other options. Unless
there is a sense of finality which the thali around the throat brings and people
have that sense that their life is finished once and for all with the wedding-
they will always think about other people. But once married they would have
adjusted to anything, anyhow and probably lived and celebrated their
Shastibhoorthi- the 60th wedding together. All kali kalam, kali
kalam- who listens to old and wise people nowadays? Its all youngsters choices
and family tragedies – and full regards to Kali.)
- The End-
