ye din sab din

7/31/2019 ye din sab din

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ye din sab din

(feature film script sessional for final semester 2000)

Rajula Shahfilm direction 97 batch


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A building under construction at night. There are a fewareas dimly lit. In one open space, a gathering sitsand sings, perhaps the bhils of jhabua who are the

workers on that site. A slow pull out as the voices areheard.

: hows life ?- elsewhere.: where ever ?- where, tomorrow is another day

: but isnt tomorrow an-other day ?- No.: what is it that is worth the wait?

A light blue curtain flapping against the horizontalwindow bars. On the windowsill, some round smoothstones from the riverbank.

- Nothing.: Not even the wait?

- May be the wait....: Do you wait for something?- Sometimes...for a miracle.: yet everyday is the same?-Yes, or at the most a deja vu...


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SCENE 1ROOM / INTERIOR / DAY

A girl head on the pillow, with her sleepy eyes,looking at the sunrise. Her eyes are half-open, thelight on her face slowly increases, and so do the birdsounds.

She moves out of the bed towards the window. looks atthe wristwatch kept on the table. A faint alarm rings

at the bedside. She turns to look at the clock and letsit ring. A line of toy camels cast a shadow on the wallabove the bed. The camels stand in a decreasing orderone behind the other on the windowsill.

She looks out of the window, dips her hand inside aglass full of water to pick out the soaked almonds inher hand and starts peeling them one by one. It hasbecome brighter outside now. Her hand throws the waterof the glass in a small pot of plant at the windowsill.The leaves of the plant glisten with the water.

SCENE 2BATHROOM / INTERIOR / DAY

Girl comes out of the toilet door, goes to the washbasin.O/s sound of the flush and water gushing down thedrain.She looks at herself in the mirror as she washes herhands at the tap. Moves forward to look closely at theface. The bun unfurls at her back. She wipes her hands

with the towel at the side. begins to play with thehair, tries different hairstyles by turning the longhair this way and that.

The page of a drawing book with different parts of theface, nose, eyes, eyebrows, forehead, lips, chins,


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cheeks, ears, drawn randomly all over the space. Pagesare turned over and over with the same continuing.

Her face under the shower with eyes closed. Water flowsall over her face.

A slight knock on the door, followed by a loud banging.a girls voice from outside,

Bela, Bela ...... xhtj pkywgS] D;k \

Bela shouts from inside as her hand turns the showeroff....

Bela

D;k \Rashmi repeats her query as Bela shouts back frominside the bath, gkWa---------- and opens the shower again.Water flows down her face.

SCENE 3COMMON ROOM / INTERIOR / DAY

A hand sticking a comb in the hair. A pair of feet insandals with untied straps, jingling down the stairs. A

hand trying to tie a watch on the left wrist. Belahurrying down the steps.

A woman with a big bindi on her forehead wipes steelplates with a cloth and pours porridge into them, three

measured spoons in each. The girls take their platesand move on. Bela combs her hair, puts the comb in her

mouth, ties a bun behind her head. The woman at thestand gives her a smile and pours porridge in her plateone spoon more than the usual three. Bela acknowledges,takes her plate and goes towards the table in thecorner. As she walks, the sandal buckles jingle and avoice from behind imitates the sound, khan khan khankhan. Bela walks carefully balancing the porridge plateacross the room. A slight laughter follows the khankhan.


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There are other tables near the windows towards thebright side of the room. Table tops shine in thesunlight coming through the windows. There are a fewgirls on those tables, making some noise pulling,pushing the chairs.

Bela sitting at the corner table near the wall. Hermouth close to the plate, she blows at the hotporridge. Under the table, Belas hands tie the sandalstrap. Steam rises from the porridge plate. She picksup the spoon, taking a little porridge on it, puts hertongue to it and puts it back into the plate. She blowsat it, licks the spoon.

A distorted image of her face comes in the spoons

curve. She starts playing with it by bringing it nearand taking it far by turns. Repeats it. Is engrossed inthe spoon-game.The image grows bigger and more distorted when it isbrought near and decreases in size as it is takenfarther.

Rashmi sits in front of Bela across the table, eatingthe porridge. Bela continues with her game. Rashmistops eating to look at her.

Rashmi

jkst jkst ,d gh [ksy] mcrh ugha gS rw \

Bela looks up, thinking as she hears rashmi and slowlybrings the spoon of porridge to her mouth. On the soundtrack a voice speaks as she eats--

----------rks ml pqMSy cqf


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SCENE 4HOME / INTERIOR/ DAY

The story in the voice continues.Through the window bars, the bloomimg red gulmohar treeoutside.

The matka-kulfi wallah walking down the street with histhela tinkling the bell.

Father narrates : ---------D;k djs] dSls viuk eu cgyk,-----------u ckr djus okyh dksbZvkokt u mldh vkokt lquus okyk dksbZ vkSjA f[kMdh esa ls Hkh bRrh mij ls dqN u fn[krkA dHkh

dHkh ,d dks;y t#j cksyrh Fkh ysfdu tkus dgkWa ls cksyrh Fkh] dHkh fn[kkbZ ugha nsrh FkhAml vdsyh dksBjh esa mlds lkFk Fks dsoy mlds jskeh cky lks gekjh I;kjh jkiqatsy vius lqugysjskeh cky dh pkfV;kWa xwWaFkrs lqy>krs gh iwjk fnu fcrk nsrhA mlds cky brus ?kus vkSj yEcs Fks fd,d fljs ls da?kh QWalkvks rks nwljh rjQ ls lqy> dj fudkyus esa gh l=g feuV yx tk,WaA vc fljds lkjs ckyksa dks lWaokjus esa lkspks fdrus ?kaVs yx tkrs gksaxsAvPNk blds vykok mlds cky bRrs lqugys Fks fd vxj dgha jkr esa dHkh oks viuh pkfV;kWa [kksy dsnksckjk ls lWaokjus cSBrh rks ml NksVh lh f[kMdh ls pedhyh jkskuh dk ,d VqdMk nwj uhps tehuij fxjrk vkSj mlesa da?kh Qsjrh jkiqatsy dh ijNkbZa fgyrh&Mqyrh nh[krhAvkSj eqyk;e--------mlds ckyksa ls T;knk eqyk;e rks nqfu;k Hkj esa dqN Fkk gh ugha -------bRrs jskeh fd jkresa og mUgsa gh dbZ rg QkZ ij fcNk dj mu is lks tkrhAvPNk D;kafd brus mij bl ehukj esa dSn jkiqatsy ds ikl djus dks dqN vkSj Fkk ugha mldk lkjkfnu vius bu ckyksa esa gh my>s my>s chr tkrk vkSj viuh nksuksa pksfV;kWa xqWaFk tkus ij og f[kMdhij cSBdj cqf


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up. Rashmi is standing at the far end of the roomreflected in the wash basin mirror, wiping her mouth

with a kerchief, and pointing at her watch. Bela eatshurriedly and gets up. Belas image moves across thesteel spoon and plate.

SCENE 5PAINTING DEPT/ INTERIOR/ DAY

Bela's hand turns the sheets over one by one. There arelight and shade pencil drawings of a still lifearrangement. A composition of a flowerpot on a low

wooden stool, flanked by a glass bottle lying on theground and a broken clay pitcher (surahi) toppled over

with a thick dull white drape as background. She goeson turning the sheets over, all of the same compositionfrom different angles. She pauses at the drawing last

made and turns over to the blank sheet next.The students are sitting in a circle drawing on thesheet pinned to their easels in front.

The same still life arrangement lies in the middle onthe floor.

Bela pins the blank sheet on to the easel in front.

The others are already drawing.

Each student is at a different stage of drawing thecomposition, as in view from their varying anglesaround it.Belas sheet is blank. She looks at the arrangement onthe floor.

The arrangement lies there on the floor against a dullwhite drape as background from over the chair behind.

SCENE 6ROOM / INTERIOR / NIGHT

Belas hand stick a pencil drawing on the wall,smoothes the corners and edges. Sound of the compere onthe radio talking about a song about to be played next.


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Voice on the radio : nksLrksa] >qylkrh xehZ ds ckn tc oikZ dh igyh Qqgkj /kjrhis iMrh gS rks eu dk e;wj ukp mBrk gS] lkou dh igyh ckSNkj tSls gzn; dks Hkhrj rd fHkxks tkrhgS ,slk yxrk gS tSls kjhj dks ia[k fey x, gksa] ikWao /kjrh ij iMrs gh u gksa vkSj eu ikxy gksvkdkk esa mMrs iaNh ds lkFk dgha nwj mM tkuk pkgrk gks ] ,sls esa----------------

She looks up at the wall as she moves back a few stepsand falls back on her bed behind. Half the wall iscovered with the pencil drawings of the same still-lifeas in the morning class. The voice on the radio windsup and says namaskar. Bela stretches ahead and turnsthe radio knob off. The hand on its return path fromthe radio passes a black and yellow torch, a timepiece,a pile of books, comes to the lamp switch and shuts itoff. Sound of the iron bed creaking in the dark.

A torch is lit in the darkness with fingers coveringit. The fingers look red and translucent as the lightis blocked, and belas face is dimly underlit.

She removes her hand from the torch so that the spot oflight falls on the ceiling fan. The spot begins to moveslowly across the ceiling to the wall. It travels overthe drawings one by one right down to the cornerunfinished one on the right. The torchlight is shutoff.

A patch of light from under the door falls on the dark

floor in a sharp pattern.

SCENE 7COMMON ROOM / INTERIOR / DAY

Image of Belas face in the curve of the spoon.o/s sound of moving the chairs, the clanging ofutensils, the clatter of spoons resounding in the room.Bela looks up from the spoon. Rashmi looks up from herplate at Bela.

Both resume eating.Bela suddenly looks up at Rashmi

Bela

dqN dgk \


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Rashmi shakes her head in a no and shrugs. Bela goesback to her porridge.

A fast montage of daily images of the gulmohar treeagainst the brick wall, sunrise behind the hill throughthe barred glass window, birds flying over the lake

water, the potted plant watered by the water from theglass, Bela in front of the wash-basin mirror, watchbeing tied on the wrist, comb in the hair and feet withthe untied sandal straps on the stairs, spoon image ofBelas face.

The sound of a jingle.Bela looks up with a start. The image of Rashmistanding at the door jingling her key bunch in the

mirror. She waves as Bela looks up and disappears

through the door. Bela bends forward over the plate.Her image creeps in it. She keeps the spoon in it.O/s sound of her feet shuffling away.

SCENE 8ROAD / EXTERIOR / DAY

Rashmi is walking ahead with another girl.At a slower pace Bela is walking behind at a distance.A woman with disheveled hair and torn, dirty clothes

sits with a rubbish bag on the pavement. Bela passesher with the sandal buckles jingling.

The woman points at her sandals and mutters something.Bela increases her pace and almost runs ahead. After acouple of hurried steps she stops and bends down to tiethe strap.Her hand touches the buckle first, then leaving itstretches ahead to pick a flower lying on the ground.It is a white flower with a long green stem. She picksup another one. Forgetting her sandals her hands startgathering flowers one after another. In the area withinher reach, as she picks one, another falls from above.She keeps on dropping the staler ones and picking thefresher just dropped flowers by turns.O/s voice of Rashmi shouting for BelaRashmi : Bela.....Bela...


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Belas hands pick a few flowers hurriedly after whichshe runs off towards Rashmi.o/s noise of feet running away, sandals jingling.Two more flowers drop on the ground behind her. Belaruns and joins the two figures standing waiting at adistance, The three figures recede farther into thedistance.

SCENE 9CLASSROOM / INTERIOR / DAY

It is dark in the room. There is a mechanical sound.The room is brightened by a slide projected on the

wall. The professors voice says, next. One afteranother some painting slides follow. Dali s

sculptures. The projecter sound follows and a lightpatch falls on the wall. The professor is seen in theO.H.P. lamplight as he bends over it and writes intables and diagrams on a transparent sheet. On the

wall, writing fills the screen. Professor adds somewords here and there in his voice. Students write.Bela whispers in the Professors ears. Professor tapson her shoulder and shakes his head.

SCENE 10

ROAD / EXTERIOR / DAY

Flowers dropping on the ground under the same tree.Bela's eyes search for something on the ground. Alittle girl sits on the low boundary wall, weaving aband out of those flowers. Bela exchanges glances withher.

Water gushes in the drain between the pavement and theroad. A flower drops from above and swiftly flows downthe drain.Bela looks up at the tree. There stands the tallaakaash neem tree laden with flowers. Sun dazzles hereyes. She shuts her eyes. The hair-bun behind her head,unfurls.


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SCENE 11PAINTING DEPT / EXTERIOR / DAY

A group of students sit in the nature drawing class inthe big open verandah of the painting department. Allthe students with extended arms try to measure sometree at a distance. In one hand a steel watch unlatchesand hangs loose. Rashmi looking at the pencil and thetree with one eye shut, opens the other eye. Rashmisthumb moves on the length of the pencil trying to

measure the tree. Between the pencil and the tree apedulum moves across. Rashmi withdraws her extended armand opens the other eye. All her pastels fall down and

get scattered.


Belas hands mechanically go up from behind to tie theopen hair as she walks on. Her eyes focus at the wristlevel of the world passing. She cannot see anythingbeyond and above the left or right hands of people withor without watches.

The jingle of the sandal distracts her. She looksaround. There, near the bus stop in front sits acobbler. Bela purposefully walks in that direction.

Bela

HkS;k] bldks nsf[k, tjk] ;s ckj ckj [kqy tkrk gS A

The cobbler pushes a left foot bathroom slipper in herdirection. Bela takes out her foot and keeps it on theslipper. The wristwatch on his hand is very bigcovering the wrist. Bela turns her head away from thecobbler, towards the bus stop at the noise of a busbrake. All she sees are wrists on the bus handle, onehand waving out of the window, another waving back frombelow, many wrists trying to squeeze in at the handleas the bus makes to move.


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An old man walks past with a stick, his wrist coveredby the shirt sleeve, a girl wearing a bright blueplastic watch, holding a portfolio, comes and looks upat the board saying the bus numbers, the hand closestto Bela holding the bus stop pole gives out a beepbeep, boy takes off his hand to look at the watch,

waves at an auto-rickshaw passing and climbs in. Aschool bus arrives. A couple of children get off.

The line for the bus gets longer and comes nearer Bela.A graceful looking aged woman wearing a silk sari in abright combination, and carrying a blue cloth bag witha floral pattern comes towards the line and asks Bela,

Old woman

Excuse me, eSa vkids ihNs yx tkmWa------\

Clouds gathering in the sky make the light fallconsiderably. Old woman looks up at the sky as there isa breeze shaking the tree above making some leavesfall.Bela stammers as she looks around to find herselfincluded in the long stretched line.

Bela

gkWa ------ eSa rks---

The old woman thanks her and joins in the line standingbehind Bela. The cobbler looks up from his stitchingand taps the sandal on the ground. Bela hurriedly digsinto her bag to pay him and sits down on her toes to

wear the sandal. The cobbler hands the change back.Bela drops it in her bag with one hand.Clouds become denser in the sky. The old woman nowstanding behind looks at Belas bag that has slid downher shoulders as she sits on the ground tying thestrap.

Old woman

Excuse me .......?


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And not waiting for Belas response she points at herbag as Bela adjusts it over her right shoulder makingas if to get up.

Old woman

These cowries on your bag ..theybring bad luck.. eSaus lkspk vkidks crkuk pkfg,

A faint smile comes on the old womans face as shelooks at Bela. Bela tries to smile, as she runs a handon the cowries stitched all over her bag.

Bela

vPNk------\

First drops of rain start falling from above. Belalooks up at the darkened sky. O/s noise of a buspulling a brake and halting. The woman taps on Belasshoulder asking her to move ahead in the line. There isa sudden pandemonium amongst the people standing in thebus queue, as they pull and push and squeeze through atthe bus gate. Bela gets carried into the bus. A heavyshower comes as the bus leaves the stop and movesahead.

SCENE 13BUS / EXTERIOR / DAY

The bus passes the junk market.Through the window Bela looks at the small time shopsof the junk market. It is a long line of roadside shopsselling a random assortment of things. The sudden rainhas created chaos amongst the small-time shopkeepers

who have laid out their shops on the ground on piecesof plastic. Some leave their shops to stand under thenearest shed. The ones with an umbrella sit in theirshops.

Bela turns her head to look at the other side of theroad through the windows. The same line of junk marketis reflected across the road too. Bela looks backthrough her own window as the bus pulls to a stop. An


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old woman and a little kid sit crouched under anumbrella looking at the iron things spread out in frontgetting wet. Some others are spreading a plastic sheetover the shops as a cover to protect the things.Belas hand lies on the bag in her lap.

Outside the cloud is over with the burst. Already therain is reduced to a drizzle as the bus moves. Downthere on the pavement the old woman is opening herfolding umbrella.Belas hand lifts off the bag and those cowries as ifin a shock. Bela looks around her in awkwardness, herhands go up to adjust the hair bun. The bus crosses thelast rows of the junk market and the drizzle has almoststopped.

The conductor comes towards Bela in the now emptier busclanking his stapler.

Bela looks out to see the big shop rows that havereplaced the junk market now. A big Board on one shopsays, Watch your Watch. Bela addresses the conductor

who is standing in front clanking the stapler.

Bela

;s dkSu lk LVkWi gS

Conductor

mrjuk gS \

Bela nods and gets up. Conductors hand pulls thestringed bus bell. Bela gives a five coin in his handand rushes out as the bus is pulled to a halt.


A stream of traffic on the road after the rain hasstopped. People with wet hair and clothes amidst a lotof noise of horns and driving motors.

Across the road Bela takes a cone of peanuts and walkstowards a bus stop ahead of her on the road.


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Rain has stopped. A man selling bright colouredumbrellas made out of bamboo sticks and cloth as hecarries the shop on his shoulders. He has stopped todemonstrate the opening and folding of the umbrellas toa woman and a child, and now comes towards Bela. Belalooks at the umbrella, rotating it in her hand. Amongthe different patterns and colours in the bunch shechooses and buys a yellow one, the brightest.She goes and sits in the bus stop, keeps the umbrellaby the side and eats the peanuts.

At a distance, two naughty beggar girls run after eachother around a street light pole laughing. Bela looksat the big building in front with a entire mirror

facade reflecting the passing traffic on the road.o/s A voice of a little girl imploring in a mumble.

Bela turns to find one of those two girls playing at adistance. She has now put on the act of begging. Belalooks at the pole. The other one is still swinging aroundthe pole.

The girl goes on imploring in a drone repeating hersentence over and over in her mumble. Bela looks at her,then offers her the peanut cone. The girl shakes her head

in a no. Bela continues eating. Little girl points at theumbrella lying by Belas side. Bela looks at the umbrellaand looks back at her. There is a suspended moment whenboth look at each other not knowing what may happen. Belakeeps looking at the girls face. As she continues tolook at the girl looking at her, her hand goes towardsthe umbrella from the side and extends it towards her.The girls eyes follows the movement of the hand, herhand snatches the umbrella midway from Belas hand. Thegirl speeds off in the opposite direction like an arrow.Bela turns and looks at her speed as she disappears roundthe first bend of the road. The other girl however isbusy still at the same pole going round and round it.

Amidst the traffic noise, and over the immediate noiseof a scooter engine, Belas name is called. Bela turnsto see a boy on a scooter with a helmet on his head.


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Boy

Bela ?

She nods her head with a puzzled look on her face, notrecognizing.Boy takes off his helmet and adjusts his hair as headds,

Boy

igpkuk \Bela looks on with the same nonplussed expression onher face.

Boy

4th standard, shishu niketan....

Bela looks hard at him. Boy waits with a smile on hisface, as Bela suddenly says,

Bela

Vipul......Nath...?

Vipul

bruh nsj \ bruk cny x;k D;k eaS \

Bela

gkWa oks............

Vipul

But you havent changed at all.

ekus ,dne oSlh dh oSlh same facesame hair same look....passing esa gh igpku x;k ns[kks \

Bela looks at him, as his voice slowly trails off. Andthe same story in her fathers voice begins.


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jkiqatsy jkiqatsyfn[kyk viuh nknh dksjske dh jsy&isy

On the huge mirror facade of the building behind, Belasees her own face blown up. Bela looks back at him. Hegoes on speaking, laughing, waving his hands around,but Bela cant hear him. The story goes on in thefathers voice

jkst jkst ;wW gh vdsys cSBs cSBs jkiqatsy bruh mnkl gks tkrh vkSj kke gksrs gksrs oks ,d euqI; dhvkokt lquus Hkj dks epy tkrh----cqfkWadrh-----

vkSj f[kMdh ls jske dh pepekrh nks pksfV;kWa ygjkds uhps dh vksj mrjrh vkrha----jkiqatsy /khjs ls

lkFk lkFk cqncqnkrh tkrh------,d eafty] nks eafty rhu eafty pkj eafty ikWap eafty----NS lkr vkBukS nl X;kjg eafty] fxjrs fxjrs [kqyrs [kqyrs jskeh pksfV;kWa vkSj rsth ls fxjrh tkrh-----ckjg rsjgpkSng ianzg lksyg vkSj l=g ---dgrs gh cqfs rks ikl gh tkuk gS]that pink building there] ogha tkuk gS thanks yaar..

Vipul

py] see you then.

Bela


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ya ya sure.

Bela makes to cross the road as Vipuls scooter movesahead. Across the road she walks towards the pinkbuilding. On the way she crosses the mirror facadebuilding and stops short to look at her reflection inthe mirror. The hair bun unfurls, her hands go up totie them as she walks off. Traffic passes in the

mirror.

As Bela passes the pink building, she stops to look ata side board that says O-SHIN and an arrow pointstowards a flight of stairs.

A smart looking woman wearing short hair comes down the

stairs. Bela looks at the little girl with a fountainon her head holding the womans hand as they both siton a scooter and ride off. A violet silk scarf fluttersat the womans neck as they recede in the distance.

SCENE 14SALON / INTERIOR / DAY

Belas face in the mirror. She moves her head this wayand that, and looks at herself. Then as she gives it a

shake the hair-bun comes off.o/s strains of some soft music playing.

A pink apron comes over her face. Two hands handle thehair from behind, give them a bounce and spread it overthe shoulders. The same hand then holds itself as a

measure mark at different levels beginning from the eardownwards. Belas face wears an expression ofindecision.

The hand goes up and down stopping at regularintervals. Then stops at mid ear level. Her head, by agentle push is made to bend forward. Belas eyes screwup as water is sprayed on her hair. The sound of thespray bottle fills her ears. With her head bent shegives a side-long glance to her left side.

A woman sits getting her long hair dyed with henna.


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o/s sound of scissors cutting through the hair.Cut hair falling down on the smooth white marble floor.Bela shuts her eyes.

SCENE 15TERRACE / EXTERIOR / DAY

Bela shouts from behind the still camera in her hand

Bela

lej please] ,d ckjonly once ;kj

rsjh okyh smile, real okyh......please.

Samar trying to smile,Samar

okay okay ij vc tYnh ys ys ;kj]

Bela

gkWa ;s gh ;s gh cl....hold it.

Samar

cl vc ys ys ;kj rw...fast yaar,vkSj gksYM ugha dj ikmWaxk!

Not able to hold it any longer, Samar gives theexpression up just at the sound of the camera clickingin Belas hands.

Belashit...

Both burst out laughing. Samar slumps down laughing onthe floor along the railing of the terrace, takes offhis specs to wipe. As Bela doubles laughing, the lenscap of the camera falls down. She bends down to pick itup. She looks at it, and wiping it on her sleeve looksat Samar laughing. Samar looks at her through hislaughter. Bela slowly slides along the railing to sitdown where she is standing.


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Belas voice

fdlh fnu rqe dgha [kks x, vxjrks NksVh lh xksy nqfu;k ;s

cMh gks tk,xhtSls eSacMh gks xbZ^ml fnu* ds ckn ls--------fdruh cMh A

Samar wears his specs and looks at her.

Samar

ge lkFk lkFk cs NksM;s lcdks fn[kkvkSjcjkcjh gh djrk jgkbl chpiqjkus fnuksa lk eSa A

Bela hides her face behind the camera. As Samar walkstowards her, she walks a few steps backwards moving thefocus ring on the camera and clicks. Her hair bununfurls behind her head.

Samar

...............vkSj dSejs dh fDydds lkFk gh jktdqekjh ds jskeh cky [kqy ds ,dckj fQj da/ks is fc[kj x,-------vkSj nqfu;k esa vWa/ksjkNk x;k

Bela starts rewinding the film in the camerasuppressing a laugh. Samar twists her long hair aroundtrying to make a bun. After some effort he succeeds.


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Samar

csyk rwus ml jk{kl dh dgkuh lquh gS]ftldh tku ,d jktdqekjh ds ckyksa esa gksrh Fkh \

Bela takes the film-roll out and shakes her head in ano. The bun comes off and the hair fall down once againas they open.

SCENE 15 (B)SALON / INTERIOR / DAY

Belas head is gently pulled back by the hair-dressershands. The pink cloth (apron) is taken off sliding

across her face. Bela is face to face with the otherBela in the mirror. Behind her stands the girl with ahand mirror in which the nape of Belas neck isvisible. Belas hand goes up mechanically to touch thecut hair ends at the neck behind. She waves at the girlbehind to relax. The girl comes up near her, to keepthe hand mirror in the table drawer.

Girl

very smart mam.

The henna woman at the side looks at Bela with herslanted eyes and twisted head. Bela gets up brushingher clothes and climbs down the salon chair.

Belas reflection on the glass wall of thereceptionists counter. Behind it the woman sitting ina moving chair searches for the money change to giveback. A soft board behind the counter says in anadvertisement of the salon Never ask the barber ifyou need a haircut. Bela turns her head back to thelady as she hears a voice say,

voice

sorry mam, youll have to waita bit for the change.


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The lady leaves her chair and goes out.

Bela

Its okay. Ill wait.

Bela turns to see her hair dresser girl putting theapron around another woman at the same chair. Bela

moves towards the window and looks down. Down below thestreet is not crowded. Its very bright with the sunscorching overhead, and the market seems deserted as ona summer afternoon. The scene slowly comes nearer andthings start becoming clearer.

An autorickshaw walla sleeps on in his back seat, as

Bela comes out onto the pavement down the staircase ofthe building behind. She looks here and there.

A gulmohar tree with its blazing red flowers has made acarpet of red on the road space just beneath it. Shecomes out on the road and starts walking.

One sleepy man comes out of a shabby restaurant, throwsa bucketful of water on the pavement just in front ofBela, and goes back. The water evaporates instantly.Bela walks over that patch of the pavement dry again

now. The sound of something hitting something else in aregular beat rhythm. Bela looks around and walks. A fewpaces ahead in the balcony of a house above the shops,a kid plays alone. A ball is hanging from a string in asock, and he is hitting it with his bat repeatedly. Thesound continues as Bela walks ahead on the empty road.The panwallah is snoring sitting in his shop. Near by,between two small trees a cradle made of a sari piece

moves. Bela peeps inside. A child inside has woken up,he moves, the cradle now begins to rock slowly afterhis movement Bela looks here and there for someonerelated to the child in the cradle.

The road is completely deserted as far as the eyes see.She looks back hurriedly, to find him cradled by a slow

movement of his hammock, with eyes half closed, fallingback in his slumber again.


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Sound of a bus approaching. Bela turns back to look atthe bus coming and turns back to start running towardsthe bus stop a few paces ahead. As she runs she passessomebody sitting in the bus stop bench. It is theearlier Bela with her long hair, her bun unfurlingbehind her and her hands going up to tie them. Sound ofthe bus screeching to a stop. Bela pulls on to rushinto the bus as it halts, and plunks herself in the

window seat. She looks out of the window to see theother Bela sitting on the bus stop bench eating peanutsnow. The beggar girl is coming towards the bus stop asthe bus moves ahead leaving them behind.

SCENE 16BUS / INTERIOR / DAY

The roadside images pass one by one as the bus moveson. The roadside shacks on the pavement selling woolensof all kinds. The figures of Tibetan lama women movingaround in their long dresses among the sweaters andjackets.

A continuous endlessly long row of shops sellingwoolens of all colours.

The bus halts at a bus stop along the rows. Bela looksat the woman and kid in the shop across. She is thesame woman with a child that was sitting under theumbrella in the junk-market when it rained. With a jerkBela turns to the right to look through the windows atthe other side of the road. Across the road also asimilar line of pavement shops selling woolens. Belanow pulls her gaze to the people sitting inside thebus. Each one of them wears a pullover, jacket,

windcheater, shawl, or a sweater. Bela s face wears anexpression of confusion and incomprehension. Theconductor comes towards her.

Bela

fdruk ctk gS \


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conductor glares down at her before he looks at hiswatch.

Conductor

rhu iUnzg----

Bela turns her face away from the conductor towards thewindow to look at the passing shops once again.

SCENE 17CANTEEN / EXTERIOR / DAY

Rashmi sitting at a table in the canteen eating. Her

spoon slips out of her hand and falls down on thefloor.

SCENE 17 (B)BUS/ DAY

Bela

;s dkSu lk stopgS \

Conductor

mrjuk gS D;k \

Conductor pulls the string-bell as the bus pulls to ahalt.

SCENE 18MARKET/ EXTERIOR/ DAY

Belas hands holds a leaf bowl in which a gol gappa isplaced. Bela single-mindedly eats them one after theother. Her nose and eyes are streaming. The gol gappasare hot. The man puts one more in the bowl. Bela gets afit of coughing, the bowl falls down. She asks him tostop by raising her hand as she continues coughing. The


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man wipes his hand. Bela pays him and looks upcoughing. Two three women sit in the opposite verandahstaring. She looks down. A woman wearing shiny redstands in a doorway next to a hardware store. An old

man buys a garden hose at the store.

Bela walks ahead.

A woman here a woman there sitting around on the lowroofs of the shops, on the stairs, on the pavement

wearing bright colours stare at the passers by.

A housewife with her head covered with the sari pallugoes across to the ladies tailors shop holding alittle kids hand. The kid has a plastic toy-pistol in

his other hand.

A young girl in a lizzy bizzy pink top and short skirtchews paan and spits in the open gutter running alongthe pavement.

A little school-girl returning from school drags herwater bottle rattling it along on the ground passes herby.

A lean tall woman in bright blue jokes with the

panwallah in his shop.

Bela walks faster and turns a lane. From near to farvarious women dot the pavement on both sides atirregular intervals. Bela walks faster, turns anotherlane.

The same view continues on either side of the road. Alocal train comes and stops in front of Bela. Sheclimbs it, and finds it all empty. Through the jali thecompartments on either side are seen---empty as thisone. The handles move on the rod above. Outside thelandscape whizzes past. It seems to be flying over asea-bridge. She shuts her eyes and sits on the edge.The train slows down and stops. Bela opens her eyes.

Gets down in a town square. In the middle of the road,in place of the traffic police man, a boy sleeps. Bela


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goes near him. A hooter is heard, a tram stops by. Sheturns and climbs it. There are people sitting likestatues. Nobody talking to anybody else. They look ather as if looking through. Bela looks at theexpressionless faces.

Outside the landscape is moving very slowly.

She walks fast. The bright colours on both sides passby as blobs.

O/s sound of stations being shifted rapidly on atransistor. Many pieces of various film songsin bitsare snapped as they follow one after the other.She walks down the cobbled alley there are paan, gol

gappa and toy shops, but empty.

She looks at the shops and walks on. A long walk. Thealley almost seems unending. Then an opening is seen.the sky. Bela jumps up in the air to see whats beneaththe sky. Then paces up. She reaches the opening to findthe broad shining face of the river. a little girl onthe ghat, fans her little sigri to which is tied hertea kettle. She fans it vigorously opens the lid topeep inside. Bela shuts her eyes.


Bela opens her eyes again. A red bus crosses in frontof his eyes. The Hostel gate stands in front across theroad. Bela stands breathless and exhausted looking atthe gate and around. The traffic on the road is not

much.

Rashmi is walking towards the gate looking at herwatch, with two other girls. Bela slides behind a treeto hide. Rashmi comes out of the gate and looks hereand there, then looks at the watch again. One of them

waves at the auto standing on the side, all climb in itand move away.


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Belas feet as they shift, make a lot of noise, on thedry leaves lying on the ground. A yellow leaf falls onher from above. Bela looks up. The tree is leafless butfor a few yellow leaves hanging here and there. Shepeeps out to steal a look at the gate across. All thetrees on the other side appear bare and brown.

She comes out from behind the tree and crosses the roadto move towards the gate; looks up at the trees oneither side and in front inside the campus as she walksin. The area looks barren and empty. The groundadjoining the campus wall is half filled with dry,yellow grass and the other half is black from theburning down of the dry grass.

Bela.......... a distant voice is heard as she goestowards the hostel building.

On the railing far away a group of boys and girls sitdangling their legs. One fat boy is waving at her. She

waves back. The boy touches his hair and throws hispalm up in a question mark. Bela gives a shrug andturns into a lane.

As she turns she almost bumps into a girl in a longflowing skirt and open hair.

Girl

Oh....my god....what is this ?who is this guy? Oh..Bela? why?

Bela gives a faint smile, shrugs again and rushestowards the hostel door. She runs up in big strides,skipping stairs in great speed.

SCENE 20CORRIDOR ROOM / INTERIOR / DAY

After she reaches the third landing she stands againstthe wall, out of breath and shuts her eyes. In the

mirror across Bela with short hair and shut eyes is


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reflected, getting her breath back. Bela opens her eyesand walks on in the corridor, goes past a room doorgiving the lock a shake and opens the next locked door.Belas hand opens the lock, unlatches it and pushes thedoor open. Bela looks down. On the floor a paper lies.She picks it up and opens one fold.

A note scribbled as dgkWa xk;c gS ;kj fnu Hkj ls \ xksfoan lj dhexhibition party gS] Hkwy xbZa \ vkB cts rd Hkh vk tk, rks ogha vk tkukA ?kMh feyh \

_________jfe

Belas hand switches on the lamp and puts the note onthe table. Beneath the table top glass a collage ofvarious notes on different pieces of paper.

Bela your mother called at 8.20, she will call againtomorrow morning. next to it another, ;kj f[kMdh ds ikloilwork lw[kus j[kk gS vxj ckfjk vk xbZ rks please ckyduh ls can dj nsukA eSa ekek ds ;gkWatk jgh gwWaa A

Another said, somebody called rahim came to meet you.

another, i have come back. where are you ?

another, Bela please collect your courier from me.

another, GOOD EVENING MAAM !

Another, Govind sir was asking about your submission,the pastels work in particular. ie, he wants to see itday after, ge pkjksa dk dke ,d lkFk take care __________rashmi

A pastel drawing on a coloured sheet, a play with theelements of moon and boat.

Belas hand places a cut mount of a lighter shade overthe drawing. Bela moves back on the floor trying to geta better view of the same. Adjusts the frame a bit andthen lifts it to put it over the next drawing. One byone she places the mount on all the pastel works lyingscattered on the floor all around her. In the end sheputs it on the furthest sheet, lifts the sheet alonglooking at it all the while and stands it against the

wall. Not taking her eyes off it, she walks backwards


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till, she falls back on the pillow on the mattress alittle higher than the floor level. The floor iscovered with the pastel works lying scattered along

with the pencil, cutter, tubes, pastel sticks etc,while the one with the mount stands against the wall.It has a moon above and a moon below in reflection.Bela turns her head to the sounds of footstepsshuffling in the corridor.

A voice

lq/kh rsjs lkFk dksbZ dgha Hkh le; is igqWap ldrk gS D;k\py ;kj--fdruk---

Another voice

py py---sorry sorry sorry........

The voices and footsteps recede in the distance.Bela turns her face towards the window. There is aslice of moon hanging in the window-frame against thedarkened horizon.

Voice of Samar

eqM ds ns[kkrks jg tkvksxh FkksMk;gkWa Hkhu ns[kkrks jg tkmWaxk iwjk eSaihNscgqr ihNs rqEgkjs

In the slight breeze outside, the leaves move in thebreeze making a rustling sound. The chime hanging from

the windowpane makes a thin tinkle. Bela stretches outher hand and shuts the lamp. In the dark room, thelight of the corridor through the door ventilator atthe lower side of the door falls on the floor. Thelight makes a pattern of alternating bands of light andshade on the paintings spread out on the floor. Thepainting standing against the wall falls into darkness,some others are highlighted.


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Suddenly the light vanishes and there is totaldarkness. A loud falling crescendo of girls voicessounds in a chorus. There is a flash of lightening atthe window, in which the whole room lights up for afraction of a second and falls into darkness again. Thechime tinkles louder now and continue in a long trailof vibrations.

Bela gets up and stands near the window silhouettedagainst the skylight. Some figure walks down the roadflashing a torch-light in front.

There is a noise of a knock on the door. A torchlightis seen from under the door. A shuffle of Belas feet,

opening the latch is followed by the creaky dooropening.

A voice

Excuse me didi, ekfpl gksxh D;k \

Belas voice

,d feuV ;kj] show me the torch.

In the torchlight Belas hand rummages in the drawerand fishes out two matchboxes.

Bela

cl ;s vius ikl gh j[k ysuk] i haveanother one.

Voice

Thanks didi.

The sound of footsteps receding, door latching. Acricket begins to tick.

Belas hand strikes a match. She watches the flame andlooks around at the room in its glow. The flame touches


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her finger as she drops it with a slight sound ofalarm.

SCENE 21ART GALLERY / INTERIOR / NIGHT

Rashmi in the art gallery standing in front of apainting in the flickering dim light of candles holdinga glass. A kid runs into her and her glass spills out.The candles are many but they are all below thepainting level making them underlit. Rashmi brushes the

water off her dress.

SCENE 22

TERRACE / EXTERIOR / NIGHT

In the dark, sound of a creaking door being pushedopen. Bela comes out on the terrace. She walks on andcomes out in the moonlight and starts humming. As shehums, simultaneously her hands are raised and go upbehind the head in the manner of tying the bun. They goup touch the cut hair and come down limply on hersides. The clothes on the clothesline in front move inthe breeze. She bends down, to duck from under the lineand through the clothes comes out on the other side of

the terrace. Bela walks towards the parapet and restsher hands on it. A sari hangs from the parapet down theother side. On the railing two stones sit as weights onthe corners of the sari.

Bela looks down. Sari is moving in the breeze creatinga long white wave.

In the darkness surrounding it down below some strayand distant sounds of laughter, some talk is audible. A

match is struck and is put out. Followed by an echo ofvoices it is struck again and a candle is lit. There isa sound of whistling and cheering. A strong voice callsfor attention trying to hush the chorus down. There issilence following the voice. Now the rustle of leavesand flapping of clothes is heard, and a slight tinklingsound far off.


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In the candlelight the garden house has become visiblewith its hanging plants and creepers all around. Aroundthe steps and the benches a number of girls and a fewboys stand and sit around looking at the candle. Thecandle starts moving. A chorus of voices interspersedby a couple of cheers and shrieks are heard. Thehushing voice again calls for attention. A girl talksanimatedly waving her hands and calls somebodys nameloudly. A faint sound of clapping follows. The hushingvoice utters a sh sh shhhhhhhh...

The tortoise moves slowly on the narrow garden pathlighting up the row of planters lining it along.

A melancholic strain of singing in the heavy voice of a

girl begins. Its a priori rabindra sangeet style ofsinging......she deen du jone dole chhilo bone...thereis silence and the singing voice is heard clearly.

Suddenly the dim lit scene disappears from view. Itbecomes total darkness. The song in the melancholicvoice continues uninterrupted.

Bela

Samar...?

Samar removes his hand from Belas eyes and so thescene becomes visible again. As she turns he jumps onto the parapet and sits facing Bela.

Samar

D;k dj jgh gks ;gkWa vWa/ksjs esa \

Bela pulls a deep breath and says :

Bela

dqN ugha-------lkWal ys jgh gWawa

Samar catching his breath pops the next question :


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Samar

mlds igys D;k dj jgha Fkh \

Bela

mlds igys---vWa/ksjs dks ns[k jgh FkhA

Samar, almost her snapping her short :

Samar

mlds igys \

Bela leans against the half pillar post behind her

Bela

mlds igys pqIih dks lqu jgh Fkh A

Samar

vkSj blds mlds mlds mlds mlds mlds-----lc dqN ds igys \

Bela

gkWa ckck mlds igys rqEgkjs gh ckjs esa lksp jgh Fkh A

Samar

Hmmmmm.

Samar jumps down smiling and sits on the floor with hisback against the railing.

Samar

D;k csyk rqe Hkh------bRrh NksVh lh ckr dks dgus eas bRrhnsj yxkrh gks ;kj----vkSj ,d eSa gWawtks bRrh tjk tjk lh ckrksa ls [kqk gkstkrk gWawA esjk uke irk gS] vkkqrksi gksuk pkfg, Fkk--------FkksMsesa izlUu] larqIV----vkkqrksi--- A vkSj dgkWa esjs ckck ;q) laxzkeeas my> x,-------l----e----j A


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He shouts the name out rather higher and more stressedat than the other words. Bela looks at him. Samar goeson as he takes out his specs and begins wiping with hist-shirt...

Samar

i mean just see, dksbZ ek=k Hkh ugha gS ;kj]plain l e j....language madeplain....and the absurd part isthat it means something inEnglish too by the samesound.......summer see?

The song has ended downstairs and there is a faint

sound of clapping.

Following the end of his sentence, the street lightsfar and near come back. The light on the corner edge ofthe terrace also lights up.Samar still continuing with the strain of his thoughtlooks at Bela through the spectacles in his hand.

Samar

rsjk vPNk gS ;kj-------csyk-------

He stops short as he looks at her in the light now,hurriedly wears his specs and springs up to his feet.Walks a few paces towards her. Samars eyes move leftand right of Belas face, as there hangs a considerableamount of pause.

Samar

;s D;k fd;k \ ikxy gks xbZ gks D;k \fdrus csgwnk yx jgsa gSa irk gS \ fdl mYywus--------

-Bela shuts her eyes, and folds her hands across cutshim short in a low firm voice.

Bela

fpYykvks er-----lej


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Samar stares at her. Bela opens her eyes. Her foldedhands move as if to open up. Samar turns swiftly on hisheel and walks off.

Bela throws her head back on the post behind. Samarstamps his feet as he walks out.

Bela looks ahead as the receding footsteps of Samar areheard on the stairs till, its silence again. She looksat the lake in front. The city around with its lightsis reflected in the lake water. The headlights of a fewvehicles moving across the road near the lake.

Bela moves ahead and bends down over the terrace

railing. Down below the tube light has lit the gardenhouse and streetlights the road to the hostel. In thebright space now, the tortoise with the candle is

walking off the garden path behind the bushes. There isnobody else to be seen around. Bela starts humming therabindra sangeet tune that the girl with a heavy voice

was singing a while before.

Bela starts walking along the parapet and her left handmoves on the railings rough surface. Its a longrailing till a nail obstructs the hands movement. A

wire tied to the nail goes across the terrace to theparapet on the other side as a clothesline.

Bela gets away from the parapet towards the clotheslineand starts collecting the clothes one by one. Half theline is cleared when she lifts the wire and withoutbending much goes over the other side moving towardsthe door.

SCENE 23STAIRS-CORRIDOR / INTERIOR / NIGHT

Bela is about to climb down the last step to come intothe corridor, very cautiously, looking here and there.Sound of footsteps on the stairs coming up. Bela waits.


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Sushila di is coming up with a covered plate in herhand. Bela comes out of the darkness of the stairs intothe corridor.

Sushila di

vki mij------\

She stops short to look at Bela closely and lookinghard at her hair forgets her sentence midway for a

while.

Sushila di

igys tkLrh vPNs yxrs Fks nhnh----;s

Bela

rks \ D;k djuk gS vPNs fn[k ds--------gkWa \

Bela almost snatches the plate from her hands, andturns away to start walking towards her room, draggingher slippers on the corridor floor. On the way, pushesa switch on the wall as she passes the bathroom door.Sushila di stands at the same place looking at Belafrom behind. As Bela stops near her door, she turns and

sneaks down the stairs, descending with a light step.Bela shuts the door and bolts it from inside. The soundsettles in the empty corridor.

SCENE 24ROOM / INTERIOR / DAY

The game of labyrinth being tilted this way and that inthe hands. The pinball runs through the maze to thecentre and out. It rolls down the maze in top speeds

though hardly making much progress. It rolls one wayand comes back the same way. The hands holding the gamereduce the pace of tilting the game-piece. The ballfinds its pace to move through the maze and movesconsistently in a direction for a while.


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Bela flings the game down on the bed. Her hands go upto her neck and touching the cut hair come down heavilyon the bed.

Hand lies on the green yellow floral bed sheet. Belaslides down by the side of her own hand and lays herleft cheek on the bedsheet flowers. As Bela looks atthe hand very near her eyes her forefinger startsrunning on the pattern, fingering the edges of theflowers, the rims of the leaves, it travels from oneleaf to another leaf to the next one linking themtogether in a chain of creepers intertwined. This goeson till the arm is streched to its full length, till

where the bed ends and wall begins.then the hand stopsand is thumped on the wall.

With a jerk she takes off the rings out of all thefingers and puts them on the maze game. The pinballinside rolls down in the maze under the movement of thefinger-rings.

Belas hands take off the earring, holds the jhumka inher hand and looks at it closely. She gives it a slightshake and brings it closer as it moves. Her fingertwirls it around and she looks at it as it turns this

way and that till it stops still.

SCENE 25BATH / INTERIOR / NIGHT

Belas face under the shower. Eyes shut.o/s sound of water falling from the shower, flowingdown the drain.the cut hair stick to her head closely.She opens her eyes. Water flows over her face.

Night sky through the little window. A corner of thesari flutters at the side of the little bathroom window

with vertical bars. Down below the lake with the citylights reflections.

The white of the sari covers the window view with aflapping sound, then gets out of the way with the next

wind.


38/44

o/s sound of clothes ruffling. The city lightsreflected in the lake below.

Voice of Samar

fnu


39/44

in the empty corridor. She walks faster. The door isthrown open and instantly shut from inside. Thecorridor is quiet and empty except for the sound of

water from the bathroom.

SCENE 27ROOM / INTERIOR / NIGHT

The moon has gone far into the sky. The chimes movevery softly hardly making any jingle. The empty roadnear the lake with its street lights. In thesurrounding city a couple of lights go off one by one.Bela at the window leaning her head on the window bars.Her eyes wet, tears flow continuously as she wipes them

off. The chime gives a tinkling sound. Bela bursts outsobbing. Slowly the sobbing grows louder, louder andlouder still. Bela covers her mouth with her palms.The sound of a door opening in the corridor. Bela turnsand goes away from the window.

o/s sound of her falling on the bed and the bedcreaking.

Some one walking in the corridor with slow, undecidedsteps, stopping, walking back, followed by the sound ofa door shutting.

Bela turns her face to the wall as the sobbing isaccompanied by hiccups.

The balcony door opens. After a while there is thesound of an iron grill window opening.Bela buries herhead into the pillow and the sobbing sound reduces.

The light in the balcony is put on and a slice of itcreeps into the room from under the door lighting up apastel colour box lying on the floor.

A soft knock on the door.


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Rashmis voice

Bela.....

Bela stuffs the pillow end in her mouth and shuts hereyes tight.

Rashmis voice again

Bela....

Bela jumps up in the bed taking the pillow off andwipes her eyes. She wipes her nose with her sleeve andmakes up a sleepy voice to answer Rashmi,

Bela

gkWa sssss

Rashmi

csyk rwus------fdlh ds jksus dh vkokt lquh \

Bela continues in her sleepy voice : ugha-------rks

Rashmi

;kj irk ugha D;k gks jgk gS] esjs dejs esa fdlh dsjksus dh vkokt vk jgh gS---

Bela

gWwa ----\

Rashmi

rwlks xbZ Fkh D;k \

Bela

gEeeee


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Rashmi

le> esa ugha vk jgk---dksbZ fn[k Hkh ughajgk gS dgha] fQj ls Nr is ns[k dsvkmWa---D;k irk dkSu-----

Rashmis voice recedes in the distance along with herfootsteps. In the corridor, the door opens again. Feet

walk away and go climbing up the stairs.

Bela lies down on her back. She puts on the side lamp.Red eyes. wet hair. wet pillow.

The timepiece next to the lamp ticks. She lies still,clutching the pillow and stares at the ceiling. There

is the sound of heavy footsteps on the terrace. Belaturns on her side towards the wall. Her hand on thebedsheet fingers a leaf in the sanganeri print of thecloth. In the design, one leaf is connected to anotherone and so moves Belas finger slowly from one leaf toanother. Footsteps in the corridor come nearer as theyreturn. Rashmi mumbles something in the corridor.

Footsteps come close to Belas door and stop. Bela liesstill holding her breath. Silence. The footsteps walkaway. The door in the corridor is shut. Silence.

The pastel colour-box lies in the light coming fromunder the door. It is blotted out as the light is putout in the balcony. The sound of hiccups at regularintervals continues. The chime sounds a faint tinkle.

SCENE 28TERRACE / EXTERIOR / NIGHT

Belas hand on the terrace railing moves as she walks

along the parapet.

In front lies a cluster of houses and apartmentbuildings. All around is dark and quiet.


42/44


43/44

it from wich a darker dried layer is peeling off. Belalooks at her palm, and slowly sits up on the bed.

She shuts her eyes, and gives her head a shake. Herhair open and fall on her back. She opens her eyes andlooks in front. The sun is rising behind the hill aseveryday it does.

Belas hands go up to tie the bun mechanically. Shegets out of the bed, stands near the window lookingout. Hands mechanically reach out to the right and takeout the soaked almonds and start peeling them one byone. She continues to look at the landscape in front.O/s of the alarm sounding.

She looks back towards the bed, but continues with herwork. The alarm goes on ringing faintly. She takes thebowl and throws the water in the plant on the windowsill. Water drops fall on the newly come pansy flower

majenta bright. She looks at it closely. It looks biglike a masked face as it is swayed by the slightbreeze.

Belas face brightens. She looks up at the lake again,turns and walks away, turns back midway to the table,bends down to look at the watch lying on it.

SCENE 30BATHROOM / INTERIOR / DAY

Bela comes out of the bathroom door, passes thewashbasin mirror, stops to take a look at herself, thenwalks off out of the bathroom.

Comb stuck in the hair.

Right hand trying to tie the watch on the left hand.Feet with untied sandal straps jingle down the stairs.Belas hands putting the comb in the mouth and foldingthe hair up behind the head.


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Sushila dis hands ladling out porridge in the platesone by one, three spoons, three spoons, three spoonsand four spoons in Belas plate.Bela blowing at the porridge. Her hands tying thesandal buckles under the table.

Belas face reflected in the curve of the spoon.Rashmis image in the far corner mirror calling Bela,then moving out of the mirror.


Belas feet walking on the flower strewn pavement. The

feet stop short.

Bela looks up the tree. Her hair bun unfurls behindher.

A flower comes down falling off the tree.Bela stretches out her hand to catch it, misses it,catches it again just before it falls into the drain.The water in the drain gushes forth.

o/s voice

Bela........Bela.....

Belas feet run off towards the figures standing in thedistance; a flower drops on the ground, another dropsand yet another drops.

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