STORYTIME TAPESTRY

Deepak Morris??™s Weekly Column

 East Meets West

July 21, 2005

To continue with my vision of a world tapestry of love and understanding of cultural values throughout the world, every Thursday we will be graced by the artistic vision of Mr. Deepak Morris, a wonderful playwright and friend from Prune, India. 

His plays have been preformed in front of audiences in Toronto, Canada

Single Life in Pune

By Deepak Morris

Copyright ?© Deepak Morris, 2005

(DINESH??™s flat in Pune. It is late evening and the only light is from a street lamp that casts an angular bar of light through an open window. DINESH is heard off, over the yapping of a couple of small dogs)

DINESH         (Off) Okay??¦ okay??¦ OKAY! Quiet! (The yapping subsides and DINESH comes on) Damn lights??¦ never there when you need them??¦ (Goes over to the desk, on which there is a telephone ??“ regular, not cordless ??“ and a diary. He checks the diary, tilting it so the light from the window falls on the page, then dials a number. After a pause) Hello! Hello, this is Dinesh Madan calling from flat number one, Varsha, 689, Nana Peth??¦ yes??¦ Madan??¦ We don??™t have electricity??¦ No??¦ just my flat. All my neighbours have electricity (pause) Of course I paid the bill! (Pause) Yes, BEFORE the due date! (Pause) Look, I need electricity right now??¦ the scheduled shutdown was from 9 to 12 this morning??¦ (There is a weird tune. The dogs start yapping again. DINESH jumps, then pats his pockets and hauls out a mobile phone. He looks at the phone, makes a face, then puts the mobile to his ear) I??™ll call you back??¦ (disconnects mobile phone. The yapping subsides and DINESH puts the regular phone to his ear again) Hello! (Pause) Yes, sorry??¦ Got a call on my mobile??¦ (Hurriedly) Hello! Please. You have to reconnect the electricity (Pause) No linesmen on duty? But??¦ But listen! (Mobile phone rings again, dogs yap, DINESH ignores all) Hello! WHY has my electricity been cut off???¦ Madan??¦ 689, Nana Peth??¦ (Pause, then in a dangerously calm voice) Yes, I wasn??™t home all day (Pause, mobile phone stops ringing) Now look here. I paid my bill. It??™s your responsibility to check your records to see if I??™ve paid or not (Pause) What? OF COURSE I wasn??™t here to show the receipt??¦ If I??™ve paid my bill, why should I bother to prove that I??™ve paid it? (Pause, then his tone becomes conciliatory) Look??¦ all I??™m saying is, I didn??™t do anything wrong??¦. The electricity has been cut off by mistake??¦ just reconnect it (Pause) Life support? What? (Pause) No, I??™m not on any life support machine (Pause) I see??¦ emergency reconnection only in case life is at stake??¦ (There is a sound of knocking. DINESH looks up, then attempts to ignore the sound. The dogs yap at the sound of the knock.)  QUIET!! (Dogs stop, but knocking continues) No! Not you??¦ sorry??¦ Look (Knock) It??™s not my fault I wasn??™t here (Knock) Your linesman should have checked (Knock) the record. (Mobile phone rings. Dogs yap again. DINESH puts the mobile to his ear and almost barks) I??™ll call you back! (Disconnects mobile phone, then speaks into regular phone) Okay??¦ okay??¦. (Pause, then a smile on DINESH??™s face) I??™ll give you three reasons why you should reconnect the electricity ??“ Maharashtra Herald, Indian Express and Pune Times??¦ I??™m a freelance journalist and I write for all three??¦ Yes, journalist??¦. How do you spell your name, please? (Pause) Oh, come on, Sir, just the spelling (pause) yes??¦ yes I thought so??¦ thank you  (Puts the phone down) Whew! (Knock) Coming, dammit! (Mobile rings. DINESH picks it up, looks at it, makes a face, then puts it to his ear) Neeta??¦. Listen, honey... I was??¦ okay??¦ listen??¦ the electricity board (Knock) Coming, damn you! No! Not you! Neeta! Listen, baby??¦ okay, okay, sorry! Okay, you??™re not a baby??¦ (Lights come on) Ahhhhhhh! (Pause) No! Baby, listen! Listen, dammit! (Bell)

(DINESH collapses on the sofa)

BLACKOUT

Deepak Morris

rhapword@yahoo.com

* * *

Founder of Rhapsody Theatre, author, playwright,
actor and director Deepak Morris has been
associated with Theatre and Communication all
his life. A Master of Commerce from Pune
University, Master's Diploma holder in
Management from The Institute of Management
Development and Research (IMDR), Pune, and
Diploma holder in Computer Studies from the
National Computing Centre, UK, Deepak
combines a passion for theatre with professional management techniques
to deliver consistently well staged theatrical
performances. An accomplished actor himself,
Deepak has won numerous awards for acting and
debating, including the "Best Actor" award at
the International Year of the Youth Drama
Festival in Pune and the "Best Male Newcomer
Award" in 1997 in Dubai, U.A.E. Having acted
in numerous productions in India and Dubai,
Deepak began writing and directing his own
plays on a regular basis in March 2001. To
date, he has written several one-act plays
and skits and his group, Rhapsody Theatre,
has staged no less than 13 plays in three
years, a record of sorts.