Counting and Cracking
Page 10
She grabs his ear again.
NIHINSA: එතකොට ඊයේ මම කිව්වා උඹට මාමව හම්බවෙලා උන්දැගේ හරක් බලාගන්න වැඩේ බාරගන්න කියලා? (And yesterday. You were supposed to meet Uncle about caring for his bullocks, no?)
MAITHRI: රජිනිකාන්ත් ගේ අලුත් පිච්චර් එක ආවා අම්මේ … . (But Rajinikanth’s new movie came out—)
NIHINSA: වහපිය කට! (Shut up!) [Beat] උඹේ නංගී, ආච්චි අම්මල සීයල … උන් බඩගින්නේ … උන්ටත් එක්ක කන්න අඳින්න හොයන්න ඕනේ. (We must eat, no? Your sister, your grandparents—we will have to take care of them now too—they must all eat, no?)
MAITHRI: [head bowed] ඔව් අම්මේ (Yes.)
Aacha’s voice is heard from offstage.
AACHA: [offtsage] Nihinsa!
NIHINSA: [to MAITHRI] ඔතනින් වාඩිවෙයං … හෙල්ලෙන් නෑ! (Sit over there … And don’t move!)
MAITHRI: හා. (Okay.)
Maithri sits at the back.
AACHA enters.
AACHA: I have to attend to a problem. The banana tree man and his cronies? උන්ටත් හරියට කන්න හම්බුනාද කියල බලන්න නිහින්සා. (Make sure they are all fed well.)
NIHINSA: හොඳයි ලොකු නෝනා. (Yes, loku nona.)
AACHA: අර තඩි මනුස්සයා ඉන්නේ … සෆාරි සූට් එකක් ඇඳන් … එයා තමයි අලුත් වෙළඳ ඇමති. එයාට තව විස්කි ඇල්ලුවනම් හොඳයි. එයාට එහාපැත්තෙ ඉන්න තැම්බිච්ච ඉස්සෙක් වගේ මනුස්සයා බ්‍රිතාන්‍ය ඛනිජ තෙල් සංස්ථාවෙන්. … එයාට තව වතුර ඇල්ලුවනම් හොඳයි. (You see the very large fellow in the safari suit. That’s the new Trade Minister. He needs to drink more whiskey. The sunburnt white man beside him is from British Petroleum. He needs to drink more water.)
NIHINSA: හොඳයි ලොකු නෝනා (Yes, loku nona.)
Aacha exits.
[To MAITHRI] උඹ හෙල්ලෙනවා නෙවෙයි ඔතනින්! (Don’t move. Idiot!)
Nihinsa exits. Young Radha enters.
YOUNG RADHA: Nothing a bit of vinegar can’t fix. Did my grandmother go this way?
She goes to exit.
YOUNG THIRRU: [stopping her] I have something for you.
Young Thirru gives Young radha a piece of paper covered in handwritten numbers.
YOUNG RADHA: What is this?
YOUNG THIRRU: It’s … um … a mathematical joke. I wrote it on the bus.
Young Radha reads it and laughs.
YOUNG THIRRU: You like it?
YOUNG RADHA: Actually, there’s an error.
YOUNG THIRRU: Oh.
YOUNG RADHA: But it’s still funny! See here— / or even better …
YOUNG THIRRU: Of course …
She takes a pencil from his top pocket and begins to re-write the equation.
YOUNG RADHA: Aacha said your sister came with you.
YOUNG THIRRU: One of her friends was killed in the troubles. A couple of days ago.
YOUNG RADHA: Oh no. I’m so sorry, Thirru.
YOUNG THIRRU: She’s quite upset.
YOUNG RADHA: Of course.
YOUNG THIRRU: Upset and angry.
YOUNG RADHA: I see.
YOUNG THIRRU: இளம் ஆக்கள் கோவப்படுறதுக்கு இது நல்ல நேரமில்லை. இயக்கங்கள் எல்லாம் ஆள் சேர்த்துக் கொண்டிருக்குது. (It is not a good time to be young and angry.)
He looks around to make sure no-one is listening.
There are groups that take advantage of such people …
YOUNG RADHA: [softly] விடுதலைப் புலிகள் (The Tigers.)
YOUNG THIRRU: She would like to join them Radha. I can’t let her join them. So I have brought her here for a few days and we will go back North when things are quieter and probably then … I will have to stay in Jaffna.
Beat.
YOUNG RADHA: You’re moving back to Jaffna?
Aacha enters, nihinsa following. Young Thirru and Young radha step apart.
AACHA: Radha. Darling, your pleats aren’t straight!
Aacha pulls a pin out of her blouse to fasten the pleats.
YOUNG RADHA: Aacha! Don’t worry about these things!
AACHA: Nonsense. It is very important that you look absolutely perfect today.
YOUNG RADHA: I’m not the one getting married.
AACHA: Why not? You are twenty-two already! [To Young THIRRU] Ridiculous that she is not married already, no?
YOUNG THIRRU: [cheeky] Ridiculous.
AACHA: Her own parents are running around Canada and Australia selling cinnamon to vellakaran. Only me to worry about her. Twenty-two and still not married! Thirru, do me a favour. Take your engineering degree and look at the swing for the wedding. The bride is worried it won’t be able to bear the weight of her future husband.
YOUNG RADHA: I don’t think the groom is the problem.
Young Radha and Young thirru crack up.
AACHA: Stupid children! Thirru go and fix the swing! I don’t want it to collapse in the middle of the ceremony.
YOUNG RADHA: I don’t think there’s anything you can do. It’s going to collapse no matter what. Too many laddus have been eaten.
More giggling from both the youngsters.
AACHA: Stop it! Thirru, go now!
YOUNG THIRRU: You don’t want me to keep a look out for Apah?
AACHA: Apah is in prison.
YOUNG RADHA: What! Why?
AACHA: The usual reasons. For being troublesome and pig-headed. [Beat.] Not to worry, I have taken care of it. Weddings are more important than Parliament. Thirru, please fix the swing for the fat couple.
YOUNG THIRRU: Absolutely, Aacha.
Young Thirru exits. Aacha finishes fixing Young Radha’s saree.
YOUNG RADHA: Why is / Apah in—
AACHA: You know, it wouldn’t surprise me one bit if the groom had already got that woman pregnant.
YOUNG RADHA: Aacha!
AACHA: [turning Young radha in her saree] This palu is lovely, no?
YOUNG RADHA: I told the bride when I’m married I want to have a son and call him Siddhartha. [Beat.] She only smiled also.
AACHA: Radha, you can give your child a Sinhala name, that’s perfectly fine. My business—the first order of business—is whom you marry. The name can come later. Hasa is going to be a brilliant match for you.
YOUNG RADHA: Not again!
AACHA: The ayar says it’s auspicious—
YOUNG RADHA: How would he know? Did you go to the ayar without asking me?
AACHA: Why shouldn’t I?
YOUNG RADHA: I told you, I’m not ready to get married.
AACHA: You think a marriage is just two people. Rubbish. Look around. Do you even see the bride and groom? Nothing but families. In your case both families are in high agreement.
YOUNG RADHA: Well he hasn’t asked me yet anyway.
AACHA: That’s a small and temporary issue.
YOUNG RADHA: I’m not going to talk about this.
AACHA: I’ve done all the preparatory work Radha. All you have to do is realise that you’re as obstinate as your grandfather and agree to the match.
YOUNG RADHA: I don’t love Hasa.
AACHA: I didn’t love your Apah.
YOUNG RADHA: You didn’t?
AACHA: I could tell he had a serious intellect. I knew he was a responsible man. And
he had quite a sexy bum!
YOUNG RADHA: Aacha!
AACHA: But now I love the rascal deeply. We have taken care of each other.
The Hopper Man enters again.
YOUNG RADHA and AACHA: You have to go around the back! Ask for Nihinsa.
He turns and goes back the way he came again.
AACHA: Do you understand, darling? [Beat.] The answer is, yes, Aacha.
YOung Radha bows her head.
YOUNG RADHA: Yes, Aacha.
Hasa enters, whiskey in hand.
AACHA: Hasa! Splendid timing.
HASA: Hello, Radha.
YOUNG RADHA: Hello, Hasa.
AACHA: Come.
HASA: My father’s running late, I should—
He goes to leave.
AACHA: Hasa. Come here!
HASA: Yes Aacha.
AACHA: Could you take Radha to the gate to tie up the banana stalks?
YOUNG RADHA: They’re already up.
AACHA: Not properly.
YOUNG RADHA: They are very tall and straight.
AACHA: Radha!
She takes Hasa’s whiskey.
Give me that.
She tips it out.
[To both of them:] Go on.
Hasa and young radha exit.
AACHA: [under her breath] Bloody hard work.
Young Thirru enters.
YOUNG THIRRU: That swing is now strong enough to hold an elephant.
AACHA: Thirru I’m very proud of you. Your parents must be extremely proud of you. You can fix a swing, you can build a bridge. Come, Thirru, look.
She points offstage, to where hasa took Young radha.
AACHA: See how sweetly they walk together? Like a movie, no?
YOUNG THIRRU: Who, Hasa and Radha?
AACHA: Both families are in approval of the match. We are going to have the wedding right here, in a few months.
YOUNG THIRRU: Oh.
AACHA: So exciting, no?
Aacha squeezes Young thirru’s hand in excitement and exits.
Young Thirru watches.
He turns and sits down.
He folds his mathematical joke and puts it back in his pocket.
Nihinsa rushes across the stage.
NIHINSA: ලොකු නෝනව දැක්කද? හදිසියක් … (Have you seen Aacha? I need to find her …)
YOUNG THIRRU: What’s the matter—
NIHINSA: ගේ ඇතුළෙ පොලිටික්ස්! (Politics in the house!)
She has already exited.
A commotion. Apah, handcuffed to a chair, is being carried through the audience by two policeman. Vinsanda follows.
The noise brings others onto the porch, including Young radha and hasa.
VINSANDA: We are talking about violent, anarchist thugs, Apah! They are dangerous. We have to be able to extinguish that danger swiftly and efficiently.
YOUNG THIRRU: [calling out] Aacha!
Young Thirru exits.
APAH: I will admit one thing Vinsanda: you do not discriminate. Whether it be the Sinhala Marxist insurgents down South or the Tamil boys up North, you seem equally happy to execute them all!
VINSANDA: We only execute the extremely violent—the rest are given imprisonment, according to the law.
The entourage arrives on stage.
Radha, darling! I don’t see you as much these days—
YOUNG RADHA: Apah, what on earth is going on? Are you okay?
The policemen set apah down and collapse.
APAH: Everything is perfectly fine, darling. Although I must admit I am rather hungry.
VINSANDA: I can’t account for his dignity, but physically at least he is suitably intact.
APAH: Have they served the main meals yet?
YOUNG RADHA: You must both tell me what is going on—
Sunil and Mister levi enter.
VINSANDA: Ah! Our guests from the international delegation!
APAH: Who invited those low lives?
VINSANDA: I did, Apah.
APAH: You rascal. Into my house?
VINSANDA: You decided to pull this stunt of yours on the most annoying day possible—
APAH: You invited that upon yourself—
VINSANDA: —and so I invited these two upon you.
Swathi enters and hurries to Young radha.
YOUNG RADHA: ஸ்வாதி … ஹல்லோ. திரு சொன்னவர் … (Swathi, hello. Thirru told me about you—)
She gives Young radha a note.
SWATHI: ராதா … இது என்ர அண்ணாவுக்கு. (Please. Radha. For my brother.) Tell him … tell him that I will do what he cannot.
Swathi quickly exits through the audience.
YOUNG RADHA: Swathi!
SUNIL: Vinsanda! Good to see you again. And Mister Mannikavasar. The famous Apah!
VINSANDA: Mister Levi! Mister Mahadevan! [He shakes their hands] I’m sorry Apah can’t shake your hand, he’s somewhat occupied at the moment—
APAH: I’m fully aware of why you are in Sri Lanka, Mister Mahadevan. I would not care to shake your hand even if I were free to do so.
SUNIL: It must run in the family.
Nihinsa enters with aacha.
AACHA: Gentleman, dinner is being served.
APAH: Splendid. Vinsanda, order your men to take these bloody things off—
VINSANDA: I shall do no such thing.
APAH: Excuse me?
VINSANDA: Technically you are still under arrest.
AACHA: Vinsanda!
Beat.
VINSANDA: [to the policeman] එක මාංචුවක් ගලවන්න! (You may undo one set of handcuffs!)
Young Thirru enters.
YOUNG THIRRU: [to AACHA] Ah! You found him.
AACHA: Radha, did your grandfather tell you about the silly nonsense he got up to today?
YOUNG RADHA: Not yet. [To Young THIRRU] Thirru, Swathi was here—
YOUNG THIRRU: Yes?
YOUNG RADHA: She left—
YOUNG THIRRU: What? Where to?
AACHA: And did Vinsanda Mama tell you about the silly nonsense he got up to today?
YOUNG RADHA: No—
HASA: [to Young THIRRU] She went that way—
Young Thirru exits.
YOUNG RADHA: Thirru …
She is still holding the note Swathi gave her.
AACHA: Radha! Vinsanda Uncle put your Apah in prison today.
HASA: What? [To VINSANDA] You put Apah in prison?
YOUNG RADHA: [to VINSANDA] You did this?
AACHA: I have enough to do today. Must I also organise my rascal husband’s release?
YOUNG RADHA: Apah! Is this true?
APAH: Nihinsa, prepare a meal for me inside? Today is not the best day for me to fraternise with our guests.
NIHINSA: හොඳයි ලොකු මහත්තයා (Yes, Apah.)
She exits.
YOUNG RADHA: Once and for all, would somebody please tell me what has been going on!
APAH: No need to get so excited darling. Just relax. Stop and think. Where to begin?
Beat. A large group of people have gathered to watch.
YOUNG RADHA: Why are you handcuffed to this chair?
APAH: I am protesting, darling.
YOUNG RADHA: Of course. But what are you protesting today?
APAH: This country’s slide from democracy into dictatorship.
BYSTANDER 1: / ஓம் அப்பா, ஓமப்பா! (Yes Apah, yes Apah!)
BYSTANDER 2: What nonsense.
VINSANDA: What stupendous nonsense! We won a fair election.
APAH: And then you neutered the opposition. Tens of thousands of Sinhala villagers were driven from their homes in the South.
VINSANDA: They were violent. Order must come first.
BYSTANDER 3: Order for who?
VINSANDA: For this country!
AACHA: Must you have a shouting match in front of all our guests?
&nb
sp; Nihinsa enters.
NIHINSA: ලොකු නෝනා සමාවෙන්න බාදා කරාට … කෑම අරින්න වෙලාව හරි (Loku nona, sorry to interrupt, it’s time to serve the meals—)
AACHA: හරි හරි හරි. වෙලාව හරි (Yes yes yes. Fine.) [To APAH and VINSANDA] I’m not finished with you. Either of you.
Aacha and nihinsa exit. Young Radha watches nihinsa go.
YOUNG RADHA: Nihinsa’s family were run out of Elpitiya. That’s their ancestral village. They lost everything.
VINSANDA: Nihinsa’s husband is a militant Marxist. He was part of the attack on the Kataragama police station.
APAH: Today he was given twelve years’ imprisonment—
YOUNG RADHA: My God—
APAH: Twenty years ago Nihinsa was energised about politics. Now she has given up on our leaders.
Mister LEVI: [to VINSANDA] Hold on. Just to clarify— you now have no opposition at all?
VINSANDA: Of course there is an opposition. But they don’t stand for their country.
BYSTANDER 2: Only for themselves.
Young Thirru enters.
YOUNG RADHA: All of the Tamil parties merged into the Tamil United Liberation Front. The T.U.L.F. won every single Tamil-speaking seat. They are the new opposition.
Mister Levi: And you, Apah— I assume you are part of this T.U.L.F.?
APAH: Certainly not.
VINSANDA: Apah is a party of one.
APAH: What do you say, Radha?
YOUNG RADHA: The T.U.L.F. campaigned for a separate country up North for Tamils—Tamil Eelam. This is not who we are. Sri Lanka is one country with many castes and creeds within it.
BYSTANDER 1: துரோகி! துரோகி! (Traitor! Traitor!)
APAH: Well said, darling!
Nihinsa enters.
VINSANDA: No surprises there. The granddaughter always parrots her grandfather. Party of two.
HASA: I agree with Radha. Sorry Father.
VINSANDA: My own son. Party of three! Apah I’ve found some young followers to feebly continue your dwindling legacy.
YOUNG RADHA: I would be proud to! Everyone is so busy forming their own united fronts that the country itself is united about precisely nothing.
SUNIL: Thirru. Tell us, what do you think of the United National Party being back in government?
Everyone turns to look at him.