Written By: Keyur Seta (Copyright protected)
The following is a short Hindi play (natak) for children, which throws light on the topic of environmental degradation in a light-hearted and, at times, funny manner. It has been staged by the students of Navarachana International School in Baroda. One of the actors of this play also bagged the award for Best Actor.
If you wish to perform this play, do send in a request on keyurseta@gmail.com
Fark Padta Hai
Characters:
Vihaan: 5th standard
Nidhi: 6th standard
Trisha: 7th standard
Teacher: 25-30 years
Vihaan’s father
Nidhi’s mother
Trisha’s mother
A teacher is standing in front of a class at the extreme right of the stage. The words ‘Environment Awareness Program’ are written on the board. A group of students is sitting in front of her.
Teacher: So students, this is the end of our Environment Awareness Program, jisme humne yeh samja ki humari prakriti, humare nature ko bachana humare liye aur aane wale generations ke liye bohat zaroori hai. Khaas karke hawa, pani aur dharti ko agar humne aur zyada barbaad hone se nahin bachaya toh apni dharti ka future bilkul andhere mein hoga. (Pause) Aap sabhi ne is program mein hissa liya is se mujhe aur humare school ke har teaching staff ko bohat khushi hui, kyunki is se yeh pata chalta hai ki aap ko humare nature ki kitni fikar hai. So a big round of applause for yourself.
(Children clap.)
So before we round up, I would like to know from some of you ki is program ko attend karne ke baad aap nature ke liye kya kya precautions loge. So who will answer? (Teacher scans the faces of the students.) Haan Vihaan, tum batao.
(Vihaan slowly stands up.)
Vihaan: Mam, ab main kabhi bhi aisa koi kaam nahin karoonga jis se air pollution ho. (He sits down.)
Teacher: And you Nidhi?
(Nidhi stands up.)
Nidhi: Main kabhi pani ko waste nahin karungi aur na hone doongi. (She sits down.)
Teacher: Trisha?
(Trisha stands up)
Trisha: Main road ke kabhi kachra nahin fekungi. (She sits down.)
Teacher: Very good students. We are proud of you. Aap sabhi ko apne participatory certificates mil jayenge very soon. Now you all can leave lekin please (smiles) shaanti se baahar jana, don’t run.
(The students leave quietly.)
(Black out)
(The narrator says – ‘Kuchh Dino Ke Baad’ or ‘After Some days’. This is followed by stage slowly lighting up.)
The scene is taking place inside some area in the school. Vihaan, Nidhi and Trisha are sitting on a bench and talking among themselves in a serious manner, as if trying to plan something. They appear visibly worried and dejected. The teacher arrives and notices their state. She goes towards them.
Teacher: Bachchon, what happened? Peon ne bataya ki aap log mujhse milna chahte ho.
Trisha: Haan mam.
Teacher: Aap sab itne serious hoke kya discuss kar rahe ho?
Trisha: Mam aap ke us Environment Awareness Program mein humne seekha ki nature ki raksha karna kitna important hai hum sab ke liye.
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Teacher: Haan, toh?
Vihaan: Lekin humare ghar ke log hi yeh nahin samaj rahe hain.
Teacher: Matlab?
Nidhi: Matlab, meri mom, Trisha ke dad aur Vihaan ke dad kuchh aisa karte hain jis se nature pe bura asar padta hai.
Teacher: Oh! Matlab exactly kya?
Nidhi: Okay. Listen mam.
(Black out.)
(Flashback scene.)
Inside Nidhi’s house. Her father is shaving in front of a wash basin and mirror. The falling of the water can be described through some sound. An irritated Nidhi gets up and goes towards her father.
Nidhi: Dad, maine kitni baar aapko kaha hai ki shaving karte waqt please water tap ko continuously on mat rakho!
Dad: (Imitating Nidhi.) Aur maine bhi tumhe kitni baar kaha hai ki mere kaamo mein taang na adaya karo.
Nidhi: Kya aapko pata bhi hai ki continuously tap on rakhne se kitne liters paani waste hota hai?
Dad: Aur kya tumhe pata hai ki agar main baar baar tap on aur off karoon toh isme mera kitna time waste hota hai?
Nidhi: Dad, this is not a joke. Future mein logon ke liye paani nahin bachega agar hum aise hi use waste karte rahe toh.
Dad: Hahaha! Arre main akela agar 10-15 minute shaving karte waqt tap on rakhunga toh usme kaunsa future ko nuksaan pohochega?
Nidhi: Agar desh ke karodon log aisa karen ek saath toh zaroor future mein water scarcity hogi.
Dad: (A bit irritated.) Theek hai. Ek baar main ameer ho jaaun uske baad main tap continuously on nahin rakhunga.
Nidhi: Kaise?
Dad: Naukar rakh loonga tap ko on aur off karne ke liye.
(He laughs out loud while Nidhi gives up.)
(Black out.)
(Back to present scene.)
Teacher: Ohh! Aisa toh nahin karna chahiye tumhare dad ko.
Also read: Short story: Under the shade in the rainy evening in Bharatpur
Trisha: (Comes forward.) Meri mom bhi aisa hi kuchh karti hai, let me tell you.
(Black out.)
(Flashback scene.)
A normal road. Trisha is walking with her mom. They are returning home from school. Trisha’s mom is holding a packet of chips. Both are are eating from it. At the same time, Trisha’s mom is also talking loudly over the phone.
Mom: (On phone) Achha… Oh, kya baat kar rahi ho? … Hahahaha! Arre Trisha ke papa bhi aise hi hain. Har khane ki cheez mein galtiyan nikalte rehte hain lekin khud ko ek cup chai banane nahin aati. Hahaha!
(The chips are over now. Her mom carelessly throws the wrapper on the road while talking. Trisha looks on with disgust.)
Trisha: Mom, please aise raste pe kachra mat pheko.
Mom: (While talking) Arre kya hua?
Trisha: Mom, aapne raste pe kachra kyun pheka? Aise nahin karte.
Mom: (Irritated) Oye tu shanti rakh yaar!
(She continues talking over the phone. Now she takes out a wrapper containing chocolate. She gives one chocolate to Trisha while she eats the other one. She again throws the wrapper on the road unapologetically.)
Trisha: (Annoyed) Mom, not again!
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Mom: (Abruptly hangs up the phone) Oye sun main baad mein karti hoon. (To Trisha.) Kya laga ke rakha hai kab se?
Trisha: Mom aap raaste pe litter kar rahi ho!
Mom: Liter? Kaunsi cheez kitna liter? Kya bol rahi hai?
Trisha: (Frustrated) I mean, aap raaste pe kachra phek rahi ho kab se. This is bad. Please raaste ko ganda mat karo.
Mom: Oye chup kar yaar. India ke raaste toh kachre se bhare pade hain. Us mein maine ek aad cheez aur phek di toh kya farak padega? Aur agar maine ek aad cheez nahin pheki toh us se bhi kya farak padega?
Trisha: Farak padta hai mom. Agar sabhi log fekna bandh karenge toh zaroor farak…
(She is cut short by her mom’s phone ring.)
Mom: (On phone) Hello… Haan Manju bol… Arre haan main bhi tumhe kehti hoon ki vacuum cleaner zaroor khareed lo. Tumhe toh pata hi hai main saaf safai ke maamle mein kitni particular hoon.
(Black out)
(Back to the present day.)
Teacher: Oh ho! Tumhari mom bhi?
Vihaan: Sirf Nidhi ke dad aur Trisha ki mom hi nahin, mere dad bhi kuchh aisa hi karte hain.
Teacher: Kya?
(Black out)
(Flashback scene. Vihaan is sitting in his car with his dad driving. They stop at a signal. A song is being played in the car. His dad is totally involved in the song. But he has kept the engine going. Vihaan notices it but is hesitant to point it out to his father as the latter is engrossed in the song. Finally, he gathers courage.)
Vihaan: Dad
(His father doesn’t listen due to his involvement in the song.)
Vihaan: (A bit louder) Dad
Dad: (Shaken a bit and irritated.) Kya hai?
Vihaan: Yeh signal bohat lamba hai. Aur apna engine on hai?
Dad: Kaunsi train ka engine?
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Vihaan: Arre dad yeh lamba signal hai isliye apni car yahan bohat der tak rukegi. Toh aap engine bandh kar dijiye kyunki is se air pollution hota hai.
Dad: Kya?? Arre 2 minute on rakhne se kuchh fark nahin padta.
Vihaan: Fark padta hai dad. It adds up to the pollution. In fact, chhote signals pe bhi off kar dena chahiye.
Dad: Oye yeh baar baar on aur off karne mein mujhe bore hota hai.
(He increases the volume of the song.)
Vihaan: Dad, please…
Dad: (Again engrossed with the song.) Sssshhh! Yeh mast gana hai. Sun ne de.
(Vihaan gives up.)
(Black out)
(Present scene)
Teacher: Hey bhagwan! Aajkal ke parents bhi. Agar woh hi aisa karenge toh kaise chalega?
Nidhi: Toh mam, hum log wohi discuss kar rahe hain ki apne parents ko kaise understand karaye ki woh jo kar rahe hain woh galat hai.
Trisha: Haan hum chahte hain ki woh pollution failana bandh karen.
Vihaan: Lekin kaise?
Teacher: Hmmm. Kuchh na kuchh toh sochna padega iske bare mein.
(There is black out 3 times and in between, we can see the four of them thinking hard. After that, there is light again.)
Teacher: Hey bachchon, ek tarkeeb mili hai mujhe jis se tum apne parents ko realize karwa sakte ho yeh baat.
All 3 kids together: Kya???
Teacher: (Waves them towards her.) Yahan aao (She starts saying something to them. The audience is able to hear some music instead of their talk.)
(Black out)
(Inside Nidhi’s house. Her father is shaving in front of the wash basin and mirror with the tap open continuously. All of a sudden, the water stops. Her father gets irritated. Goes away from the wash basin.)
Dad: (He is facing sideways so only his unshaven side with the foam is seen to the audience.) Arre paani chala gaya kya?
(Nidhi arrives from inside.)
Nidhi: Kya hua dad?
Dad: Arre mera shaving adhoora hai aur paani chala gaya.
Nidhi: Koi baat nahin dad. Aa jayega.
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Dad: (Turning his face towards the audience.) Toh kya tab tak aise rahoon main? (The audience can now see that his face is only half shaven and the remaining half is filled with foam.)
Nidhi: (Laughs a little.) Toh pochh lijiye napkin se.
Dad: Arre kya pochh lijiye? (Shows his face.) Yeh dekho, moochhen bhi aadhi kati hai.
Nidhi: (Laughs out loud) Wow! Aap naya trend shuru kar sakte hain dad.
Dad: (Gets angry) You…
Nidhi: Okay okay dad, sorry. Just wait. (She goes inside and returns in a jiffy.) Ab tap shuru ho gaya hai wapas. (The sound of water falling from the tap is again heard by the audience.)
Dad: (Confused) Kaise? (Angry) Kya tumne…?
Nidhi: Haan dad maine paani ki main line bandh ki thi.
Dad: (Angrily) What rubbish is this?
Nidhi: Dad, please listen. I am sorry. Mujhe bas aapko realize karwana tha ki agar aap paani waste karte rahen toh is tarah se paani ka aana-jana bohat regular baat ho jayegi apne liye.
(Black out.)
(Inside Vihaan’s house. The scene is at the extreme right of the stage. Vihaan opens the door for his father to enter. Vihaan goes inside the room after opening the door. His father has just returned from office. He keeps his bag at a side and plays a song on a music player. He sits in a relaxing position on a chair or sofa and gets engrossed in the song. Soon, Vihaan enters the room from behind and secretly keeps a tin box hidden somewhere behind him. After a few seconds, some smoke and a terrible odor starts emerging from it. Vihaan’s father’s reaction changes from enjoyment to irritation.)
Dad: (Sniffing) Yeh kya smell aa rahi hai? (After a pause.) Arre yahan toh dhuaan bhi hai! Aur yeh gandi baas! (Shouts) Vihaan!!! Kya jal raha hai ghar mein? (Vihaan enters) What’s happening? Yeh gandi baas!
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Vihaan: Takleef ho rahi hai na dad?
Dad: Nahin nahin. Mazaa aa raha hai. Wah! Kya khushboo hai! Idiot!
Vihaan: Road pe lambe signal pe rukne ke time bhi jab aap engine on rakhte ho, tab logon ko bhi aisa hi feel hota hai.
(Black out)
(Inside Trisha’s house. Her mom is talking loudly on phone. She is standing at the left side of the stage and facing her right.)
Mom: Haan Manju maine kaha that na, vacuum cleaner ke aane se bohat raahat ho jaati hai hai. Kone kone mein chhipa kachra bhi ab saaf ho jata hai. Aur tum toh jaanti hi ho main saaf-safai ke maamle mein kitni particular…
(She abruptly stops as she turns towards the right side of the stage and notices biscuit and chocolate wrappers littered on the floor [Purposely used only simple garbage]. She is annoyed.)
Mom: Ruk main tujhe baad mein phone karti hoon. (She hangs up and keeps the phone aside.) Arre yeh kachra yahan kaise aaya? (Shouts) Trisha!!! Yeh kisne kiya??
(Trisha comes running from inside.)
Trisha: Kya hua mom?
Mom: Arre yeh sab kya hai? Ghar ke drawing room mein itna kachra kahan se aaya? Chhee!
Trisha: (Acting innocent) Ohh! Hmm. Bohat ganda lag raha hai na yeh dekh ke?
Mom: Yeh kya pooch rahi hai? Bilkul kitna ganda lagta hai.
Trisha: Raste pe chalne wale logon ko bhi aisa hi lagta hai jab doosre log is tarah raaste pe kachra phekte hain. Hum apne ghar ko saaf rakhte hain toh is city ko kyun nahin? Yeh city bhi apna ghar hi hua na?
(Scene freeze and then Black out)
(Slowly light emerges. The stage is divided in three parts with each having the scene of the house of one kid. While continuing from the last scene of all three incidents, Nidhi is standing with her father at the left, Vihaan is standing with her father in the center and Trisha is standing with her mother at the right side.)
The three kids say together: Sirf ek insaan ki effort se bhi farak padta hai. (All three parents slowly go near their respective kids and put their hand on their head or cheek with affection.)
(Black out)
The End
Road to Divinity... 