499

PROJECT

The Sundarbans &

Fishing Community, Honey Collectors

the
mangrove forest in India This deltoid plain is
he Sundarbans is the largest
of the Roval Bengal tigers. estuarine crOCOiles and a variety of wiidife
abode
depends on the forest for their survival. Like
along with a human population which
fishing community depends on the sea for their survival, the peopie
in Aran Island the the
Moulis and other communities of the Sundabans survive by fshing in
ike Baulis,
wood and honey from the forest Like the family of Maurya
estuarine river. collecting the
confiict witn harsinature. specially the tigers and crocodiles. In
they are in constant nearby
many of the people who ventre into the deep forest or
Sundarbans, every year
man-iger confict isthe pattern of life here. It is
This
river are killed by tigers or manled. or localities which are inhabited only
many Bidhoba Pallis'
said that in thisarea there are killed by tiger.
husbands and sons bave been
by the widows whose to
to change the background of the drama The Riders
In this project, we are going change of the setting. the
characters of
Sundarbans and with the
the Sea' into that of the Sundarbans
forest people of the
that of the impoveisbed
the drama are also changed into constant s°e With nanure. Though the matermal
family ive in
who. like Maurya and her We wil observe some changes
in the
remains the sames
feeling of the cenral character
scenario.
characters in this changed
 500

Kamala Namita KamalaNamita NamitaKamala KamalaNamita Setting

(The HS.
door NamitaKamala Bantlu
Monorama SCANNER
(Namita : : Project
today
which I But We which The(baking She (in
through
oven, A
nxiously) tel don't forest. wheat-flour village
was mother how have guard comes is low a ULTIMATE
for know. they roti) lying sitting
can to voice) the near drama on
sellinghaif-closed that nd got in down down, kitchen
Did But it fi(Kamala the What for stool
the you his be out froma softly Where Sudhanyakhali
baking (
Personae
Dramatis
son
her
the ENGUSH
the Manik forest is God Women Menand daughter
daughter
younger her elderher an
by body if door 'piri'),
o. goats? ask forest itstops it old 'Riders
is body office you and help is 'ruti' changed
ll him Namita has dada's? Manik she? utensils woman, DIGEST
to been guard baking found have? takes ber, (pancake).
gave in
en I sto p is He a and the to
blowncremated said dada's. and in bundle etc. widow KI)
had it may Sundarbans. Jungthe
background Rovers
it Bantlu that listens.)
the to Kamala the
w? open gone jungle me. Namita, belonging
from properly. ifit from be
by was to It sleeping, a Sea'
th e near is under her girlofKitchen of
torn COmmuntyBaulito
going sudden a
Manik Kumirmari Chamata. younger
to her if twenty
pieces she's in
of
the gust dadas, sari. )
cattle of side of able. sister. is the the
cloties zeadi n g hut
markmr
e wi we of pezs w
c t
 KamalaMOnorama: BantluMonorama: BantluMonorama Namita Bantlu Namita
Monorama Namita Kamala Kamala NamitaKamala
Monorama: Monorama

: : : : : : : : :No.
him.(MonoramaHe Mother, now, He jungle.
from
the No
have It's
brought
home.
back You Jharkhali?
(giving (searching (looking Where No,
gathering (sitting him.for Give be
(goes
must I Nothing. What coming
has is man nine mother,
Go, to leave are
it to May
I'Il gone go him is on to
not you have ever get days out)Bantlu? the
give now that in the Bantlu you me. in be
now, money the inside he the inner she'
taken raking should
since He a
it no quickly. listens rope, rope) will west. piri) doing I'Il
is will minute.
hide d
to the son Ma the coming (Monorama
enters.) door wake
him the fo
Manikdadar Bantlu. not He there?
left Kali to enters.)
Is room)(Bantlu I go it and
and
rutis fire bless Out.)
goes
(He I angoing that be have won' t to in up PROJECT
him mesave am able the
I old now the listens) on
bless aimlessly
prepared taking to Anyday it, Where told go
Bantlu? to today. cattle thatch us
on the in us woman the has and stop the and
him. his and She
world. both jungle not
Manik's is he forest market of come
journey.
forwithou we'l and returned. that is him. The the is
him. the searching in moving in
she rope a Babuweather today. t kitchen.
not goats hurry. before
looking body
Mother, see cannot Manikdada to
with How prevent is I
am about
him for may we
not
round.) me. keep him. long be making on are
you again. good.
discovered him. the done.
can anyone can bought
He Clouds some bed.
still I
is wait?I She'Il 501
catch gone away from rutis
and are
 502

haw tk
Namita Kamala
Monorama: NamitaMonorama: Kamala &
Monorama: NamitaKamalaMonorama: Kamala
Monorama: Namita
I
haveMonorama: Kamala Namita Kamala Namita Kamala Namita
Monorama:
H.S.
:
SCANNER
: : : : : : :
They How They How so.us
Mother. What ItWhat Have
punjabi, have I besidereached IWhat My What fire.(Enter Hush! Manik 'gamchha' Didi.. The
ItLook She river.
nearthe stick
Take
this
is is
have is
the heart Monorama the sleeve is
can found can
seen have seen?
haveyou seen you hasMonorama. I gone. ULTIMATE
they It
smiling. it, most Bantlu... the heardada' s . same (Monorama
sent you the is mother? you is
seen happened (They
not Manik, fearful
the broken. (They
close
th e
footsteps of Let
identify
the know? river. Bantlu?
seen? Oh! most does (Both one the
body. Manikdada. Oh! take us madeby ENGLISH
clothes Kamala which we take
standing thing. MaBut fearful (crying)mother? not shirt. out goes
a Ma outside. of
body Kali.Bantlu them
of Kali look Do the out out Manikdadawith
the after He thing. Why and bundle bundle the DIGEST
.crying) on (crying) was at crying)
Let bought you to
body, has the Namita
t he bundle give
nine Manik are and us
been boat already girls hide
think and
roti XIIJ
and days? you in and
very the
the cremated. beside is crying? and wipe itopens to mother.
no it see
Bantlu.) you,You
chha. on slowly now. Gajan is
more. begins their Manikdada's? it.) if
him. the
She it
The boat eyes hid e tair. is
to Manikdada's.
It -Manik cry is
is forest in and it.) coming (crying
the softly.) can
ada's. sit A
Babu in river. back. out) catch
near piece
a
told new But the It him
is of
 PROJECT

Monorama: (Stops, silent, then speaks softly) Ihave had a husband, a husband's four
SOns in this house. All of
them are gone .. my father-in-law, his son,
Tarak, Mahitosh, Manik, all
gone to that jungle, to that striped beast...(she
pauses for a moment)
(The girls start as if they have heard
Namita something.)
(in awhisper) Did you hear that,
Kamala : There's someone
Didi?
crying out from the riverside.
Monorama: Tarak's father. They brought him. I was sitting here with
and then the women came, one, two, Namita on my lap
three...they were silent. Then men
came and that body covered in blood stained clothes ... the
tiger had eaten
most of his body. (She pauses again. One by one
women come into the
room silently.)
Kamala : What is it? Who? Bantlu?
One of the
Women Yes (Men carry the body of Bantlu, laid on a plank,
Kamala
covered in clothes.)
: What happened to him?
One of the
Women The big cat got into the boat and tried to take away the goat.
Bantlu tried
to save the goat. The tiger mauled him and he died
there... His neck was
broken.
Monorama: (Raising her head and speaking as if she did not see the people around
her.)
They're all gone now, and there is not anything more the jungle, the beast,
the dreaded tiger can do me now. I'll not now spend the night thinking about
sons, roving into that heartless jungle with brute 'boro Shial' roaming there
to devour them up. Kamala give me the 'gangajal."
(She sprinkles holy water on Bantlu's body.)
Let them rest in peace. No man at all can be living for ever and we must be
satisfied. Horibol, Horibol, Horibol.

curtain falls slowly