Dear Readers…..

This is an extract from our PEGO PLAY….

EFFIGIES SPEAK

Cast:            Effigies of ……. Ravana     ……  Meghnad ……..and   Kumbhkaran

 Scene :         Dussehra Grounds……. where last few scenes of Ramlila are being enacted    ….and three demon effigies are standing tall…..tied with ropes to the ground…..

People have gathered on the ground to witness the enactment…fight of Gods vs. the demons…… they are generally oblivious to the three effigies at the moment and are engrossed with the Ramlila enactments…

Twelve heads  (of the effigies) sway once in a while…… but this is not noticed by those on the ground ……..    Suddenly …….

Kumbhkaran stretches himself and lets out a thunderous laughter…..this unexpected outburst causes a nasty anger to rise in each of the ten heads of Ravana….

R(angrily) : Watch Out ! You Fool!  Watch out ! My stupid dear brother ! Watch Out!

KK : “ HO HO …… HA HA HA HA….Oh Brother !  ……… Ha Ha Ha !!!

R : “ Shut up you drunken fool …. Shut Up ! Don’t Laugh ! I warn you ! You shall give away our little secret !….I don’t want these mortals to know….I would like them to go on thinking that we are mere cracker filled effigies !

KK : “ Ho Ho Ho Ho … Don’t worry O king-brother…Hee hee Ho Ho Ha Ha …

R (losing his balance with anger) ; KK ! I warn you ! Stop it !

KK : (enjoying himself ) : O brother of mine ! I said don’t worry ! These dust kissers wont know ! These mortals are far too engrossed in listening to their own tormented voices ….They seldom listen to anything worthwhile ! Ho Ho ho ! Hee Hee Hee !

( KK said this and became mighty pleased with his wise crack….he let out guffaws of laughter and had it not been for the rope , he would have surely tripped and fallen down….)

M ( in his modulated baritone) : o father Sire ! KK uncle is right for a change !  And Why should we be afraid of these ignorant pygmies ! Let them find out ! Why do we worry !

R ( slightly pacified) : Ok Ok …. But what caused your uncle to laugh ? What was so funny ? ( Having said this R was tempted to twist his ten moustaches …. and he would have done so….had his hands not been holding a wide variety of weapons…)

KK : Ha Ha Ha Ha Ho Ho ….. I was thinking …dear king brother……that each year they burn us…finish us…..but we come back….again and again….don’t we ? Hee hee Ho Ho Ha Ha !!! ( KK managed to complete his sentence with a great degree of difficulty….tears were rolling down his cheeks )

R ( getting angry again ) : YOU FOOL ! Who on this earth can kill us ! Don’t you know that Ravanas spirit can never die ! HA HA HA HA !  ( This time R threw caution to the winds and let out a hell shattering laughter…… many birds perched on a near-by electricity wire flew away in a panicked flutter…)

M (booming ) : But o FATHER SIRE ! Why do these mortals burn us  each year !And why do we let them do it ! ….

Read more….

ON

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