Counting and Cracking
Page 8
VINSANDA: Banda calls it the Sinhala Only Policy.
APAH: A policy is just a policy! Come up on the porch, don’t stand over there.
VINSANDA: He will change the official language from English to Sinhala. Sinhala only.
APAH: அவர் நாட்ட மாத்தாம, மொழிய மாத்த ஏலாது. (He cannot change the language without changing Sri Lanka.)
VINSANDA: You know I cannot argue with you in Tamil.
APAH: உமக்குக் குடுத்து வைச்சது அவ்வளவு தான். பாலா? (Bad luck for you. Bala?)
BALA: [to VINSANDA] He says bad luck you.
Nihinsa enters with a collared shirt, which apah puts on.
VINSANDA: Bad luck our party. Have you seen Banda’s rallies? The crowds are massive.
APAH: His crowds are substantial but Banda still has to win the election. Until then, we are the government, English is the official language and all Sri Lankans will speak their own language.
VINSANDA: I don’t think you are taking this seriously.
APAH: It is ridiculous, I cannot take it seriously.
VINSANDA: It is clever politics.
APAH: What do you think Bala?
Beat.
BALA: [English] Mister Vinsanda.
VINSANDA: Yes?
Apah simultaneously translates for bala.
Bala: இலங்கைக்கு இரண்டு மொழிகள் இருக்குது, அதோட, ஆங்கிலமும் இருக்குது. ஒருத்தர் தன்ர சொந்த மொழியை மட்டும் படிக்கப் போறாரா இல்ல மூண்டு மொழிகளையும் படிக்கப் போறாரா எண்டது அவரவற்ற விருப்பம். ஆனா எல்லாரும் இலங்கையர்கள் தான். என்ர மகன் ஆங்கிலப் பள்ளிக்கூடத்தில படிச்சு, நிஹின்ஸாவின்ர மகனும் ஆங்கிலப் பள்ளிக்கூடத்துக்குப் போனால், இரண்டு பேரும் ஒரு நல்ல கவர்மேந்து வேலையில சேரலாம். ஒருவன் தமிழ், ஒருவன் சிங்களம் ஆனா இரண்டு பேரும் இலங்கையர் தான். அது தான் இலங்கை. (Sri Lanka has two mother tongues, and English. Whether one stays with their own language or learns all three, they are still Sri Lankan. If my son, God willing, can go to school in English or Nihinsa’s son chooses to go to school in English, both can find a very good job, both can become a public servant. One is Tamil, one is Sinhala, but both Sri Lankan. That is Sri Lanka.)
APAH: You see. Two languages equals one country.
VINSANDA: Fine words won’t win the election.
APAH: The louder the radical voices of the opposition, the louder we must proclaim our place in the centre. We are the United National Party.
VINSANDA: The problem is not that the opposition are loud. The problem is that they are popular. Bandaranaike is building a nationalistic fervour—
APAH: A radical fervour.
VINSANDA: A popular, nationalistic fervour. නිහින්සා මොකද හිතන්නේ බණ්ඩාරනායක ගැන? ලබන පාර ඡන්දෙ දාන්නේ එයාටද? අපිටද? (Nihinsa. What do you think of Bandaranaike? Will you vote for him in the upcoming elections? Or will you vote for us?)
Nihinsa hesitates.
APAH: ඇත්ත කියපන්. (Speak honestly.)
NIHINSA: ලොකු මහත්තයා, මං … මං කැමතියි බණ්ඩාරනායක මහත්තයට. (I … I like Bandaranaike, Sir.)
APAH: ඒ කියන්නෙ අපිට නිහින්සගේ ඡන්දෙ නැතිවුනා? (So we have lost your vote?)
NIHINSA: ඔව්. මම ඡන්දෙ දෙන්නේ බන්ඩාරනායක මහත්තයට. (Yes. I will vote for Bandaranaike, Sir.)
APAH: ඇයි? (Why?)
NIHINSA: අපේ පවුලේ හුඟක් අයට රස්සාවක් හොයාගන්න බෑ … ඉංග්‍රීසි දන්නෙ නැත්තං ගොඩක් අමාරුයි රස්සා හොයාගන්න. අපි සුද්දෝ එළවගත්තට පස්සේ අපිට පොරොන්දු වුණේ රට හොඳ අතට හැරේවි කියලනේ … මොකුත් වෙනස් වෙලා නෑ ලොකු මහත්තයා අපිට නං. බණ්ඩාරනායක මහත්තය පොරොන්දු වෙනවා සිංහල රස්සා දෙන්න. මහත්තය අපේ ගමට ආවා. අපේ පුංචි ගමට. කව්රුත් මීට කලින් එහෙම ඇවිත් නෑ. ඇවිත් සිංහලෙන් කතාකරා. අපේ භාෂාවෙන්. බහුතර භාෂාවෙන්. කව්රුවත් මීට කලින් එහෙම කරලා නෑ. බණ්ඩාරනායක මහත්තයා ආවොත් දැන්වත් මේක … අපේ ආණ්ඩුවක් වෙයි. (Many in my family cannot find work, it is very hard if you do not know English. After we got rid of the British we were promised the country would finally change. Nothing has changed, Sir. Not for us. Bandranaike Sir promises Sinhala jobs. Bandaranaike Sir visited our village. Our little village. No-one has ever done that before. He spoke in Sinhala. Our language. The majority language. No-one has ever done that before. Finally with Bandaranaike this is … this is our government.)
VINSANDA: You see? Banda is on the march.
APAH: We have failed the poor Vinsanda, Sinhala and Tamil. That will be our new policy—to lift up all the poor. We must pronounce both sides equal—
VINSANDA: Apah. Listen to me. The Cabinet has met.
APAH: No it has not. I am the Trade Minister. I didn’t meet.
VINSANDA: You were meeting your granddaughter—
APAH: Who is not in the Cabinet. The Cabinet did not meet.
VINSANDA: Apah. Listen. [Beat.] The United National Party has decided to adopt the key positions of the Sinhala Only Policy.
APAH: What kind of a United National Party is Sinhala only? I am Tamil.
VINSANDA: Yes. The only Tamil in Cabinet. And you must vote with Cabinet to adopt the key positions—
APAH: I will never do that.
VINSANDA: I know, I told this to the Cabinet.
APAH: The Prime Minister / will support me—
VINSANDA: I told this to the Prime Minister.
Beat.
APAH: The stupid man wants me to resign from Cabinet?
Pause. Vinsanda looks at apah.
From the party?
VINSANDA: The Prime Minister will welcome you back to the party and the Cabinet after the election.
Pause.
APAH: Do you agree with him?
VINSANDA: We must win the election.
APAH: Two languages, one country. One language, two countries.
VINSANDA: This is politics, not mathematics.
APAH: I will not leave Parliament.
VINSANDA: Then you be a party of one.
APAH: If I leave the United National Party I will have no choice but to attack the United National Party.
VINSANDA: Then we will attack you.
APAH: You will not find your way back to the centre.
VINSANDA: The Cabinet has decided.
APAH: This is stupidity! We must pronounce both sides / equal—
VINSANDA: Enough Apah! You don’t listen. We cannot lose this election!
APAH: [shouting] We cannot lose our minds to win it either!
Offstage, a baby starts crying.
Bugger it to bloody hell.
> AACHA: [offstage, a scream] Apah!
Beat.
APAH: [to BALA] அரசாங்கம் உன்ர மகனுக்கு ஆங்கிலத்தில படிப்பிக்காது எண்டால், நான் அதைச் செய்யிறன். (If the government won’t give your son an education in English, I will.)
BALA: அப்பா (Apah?)
APAH: [to NIHINSA] නිහින්සා මේක බාලාට දෙන්න. (Nihinsa, please give this to Bala.) [To BALA] இந்தா அதுக்கான முதல்பணம். நான் மனச மாத்திறதா இல்ல. (Consider this a downpayment. Take it, I will not change my mind.)
Nihinsa hands the envelope of cash to Bala.
BALA: நன்றி அப்பா. (Thank you Apah.)
VINSANDA: What are you two talking about?
APAH: None of your business.
Aacha enters with dhamayanthi and baby radha.
At the same time, radha enters and sits in Aacha’s chair.
Aacha slaps apah on the head.
Overlapping:
AACHA: Honestly.
VINSANDA: Dhamayanthi! Congratulations!
DHAMAYANTHI: Hello Vinsanda Mama.
VINSANDA: Hello little one!
DHAMAYANTHI: This is Radha.
VINSANDA: / Aren’t you gorgeous?
AACHA: / [handing money to BALA] பப்பாப் பழத்துக்கும் தேங்காய்க்கும். (For the papaya and coconuts.)
VINSANDA: / Welcome to Sri Lanka!
BALA: ஆச்சா … தேவைக்கு அதிகமா தாறீங்கள். (Aacha, that is too much!)
AACHA: விசர்க் கதை … சந்தையில இந்த விலைக்குத்தான் விக்கிறாங்கள். (Nonsense. It is the market rate.) Vinsanda are you going to your silly bloody cricket game today?
VINSANDA: If you mean Sri Lanka’s first ever test match against India, yes of course.
AACHA: What time does it bloody start?
VINSANDA: [laughs, taking the hint] Very bloody soon. I must go. [Handing dhamayanthi a small gift] My wife prepared some kithul for you. Hide it from Apah.
DHAMAYANTHI: Thank you Vinsanda.
AACHA: Next time bring your Hasa to meet Radha.
VINSANDA: Absolutely. [To APAH] See you at the cricket, Apah.
Beat.
APAH: See you at the cricket.
Vinsanda wobbles his head goodbye and exits.
AACHA: [to DHAMAYANTHI] Go eat, child. Nihinsa, please.
Nihinsa and dhamayanthi exit.
Vinsanda is right. You don’t listen.
APAH: Did you know about Banda’s speech?
AACHA: All you had to do was not wake the baby. Instead you have launched a political war against your own party at the beginning of an election campaign. [Beat.] Yes of course I knew. Stop sulking and come and eat.
APAH: In a moment.
She exits.
Apah and bala are alone. They speak in Tamil.
உன்ர மகன நல்லதொரு பள்ளிக்கூடத்துக்கு நான் அனுப்புறன். அந்தப் பள்ளிக் கூடத்தை நான் தான் கட்ட வேணுமெண்டால், அதையும் நான் செய்வன். (I will send your son to a schoolhouse, even if I have to build it myself.)
BALA: ஓம் அப்பா . (Yes, Apah.)
APAH: ஒரு பக்கம் எப்பயும் இன்னொரு பக்கத்துக்குச் சமன். (One side is always equal to the other.)
BALA: ஓம் அப்பா . (Yes, Apah.)
APAH: மனனின்ர பேரென்ன? (What is your son’s name?)
BALA: திரு . (Thirru.)
Thirru enters.
APAH: திரு … நல்லது. (Thirru. Very good.)
SCENE TWO
Sydney, 2004. The same as the end of Act One:
Radha by the phone in her Pendle Hill apartment.
Thirru, hasa and sunil by the phone in Colombo. Nihinsa sweeping.
Siddhartha rushes into Radha’s house.
SIDDHARTHA: Amma?
RADHA: Siddhartha. Sit down.
SIDDHARTHA: Amma, what’s wrong?
Pause.
RADHA: Siddhartha. Your father is alive.
Pause.
He called earlier tonight, from Sri Lanka.
Pause.
I asked him to call again. When you were here.
Pause.
SIDDHARTHA: What?
RADHA: I’m not talking to him.
Long pause.
The last time I spoke to your father … he died.
SIDDHARTHA: Amma …
Beat.
RADHA: We must wait for his call.
They wait.
Hasa dials a long number on the phone.
Radha’s phone rings. She doesn’t move.
Siddhartha answers, putting it on speakerphone.
Beat.
HASA: Radha?
SIDDHARTHA: A … Ap …
HASA: Siddhartha? This is Hasa. I’m a friend of your mother’s. We talked once when you were about … eleven years old.
SIDDHARTHA: Um—
HASA: I’m putting your father on. Hold on. [To THIRRU] It is Siddhartha on the phone.
Hasa hands thirru the phone.
SIDDHARTHA: Ah …
THIRRU: சித்தார்த்தா … சித்தார்த்தாவா கதைக்கிறது? (Siddhartha? Is that you?)
SIDDHARTHA: Sorry, I— I can’t speak Tamil.
THIRRU: Oh. Well, I can speak English.
SIDDHARTHA: Um. Amma just told me. A minute ago.
THIRRU: Right.
Beat.
SIDDHARTHA: Amma’s not talking to you.
Beat.
THIRRU: I see.
They wait.
SIDDHARTHA: Thirru?
THIRRU: Yes, Siddhartha?
SIDDHARTHA: Can I be honest with you?
THIRRU: I suppose so.
SIDDHARTHA: As far as I’m concerned … you don’t exist.
THIRRU: Yes. [Beat.] Can I be honest with you then, Siddhartha?
SIDDHARTHA: Go on.
THIRRU: I feel much the same way about you.
SUNIL: For God’s sake, hurry up Thirru!
THIRRU: Son. I need to ask you something. Would that be okay?
SIDDHARTHA: Yes?
THIRRU: I would like to come to Australia. [Beat.] I don’t know how yet, but—
SIDDHARTHA: What do you mean?
THIRRU: The government can’t know that I’m leaving—
SIDDHARTHA: I don’t understand—
THIRRU: And there isn’t much time. I’m in danger, you see—
SIDDHARTHA: Right—
THIRRU: There’s a man here, he’s going to help me, his name is Sunil.
Radha suddenly stands and walks to the far side of the room.
Overlapping:
SIDDHARTHA: [looking at RADHA] Who is Sunil—
THIRRU: Probably I will go to India first—
SIDDHARTHA: [to RADHA] Amma? Who is Sunil?
THIRRU: There are camps there—
SIDDHARTHA: [to THIRRU] Sorry, where? Fuck. Sorry—
THIRRU: In India.
SIDDHARTHA: What?
THIRRU: In India.
SIDDHARTHA: Right. Sorry. What camps?
THIRRU: Refugee camps.
SIDDHARTHA: Oh. [Beat] Okay. Then?
THIRRU: We haven’t figured that out yet.
SIDDHARTHA: Right. So you’ll call us? From India?
THIRRU: Yes, I—
SIDDHARTHA: What’s your mobile number?
THIRRU: [looking to hasa] Mobile?
HASA: Tell h
im you’ll use a calling card.
THIRRU: I’ll call you using a— a calling card once we’ve decided our plan. I’ll try and call in the evenings, Australian time. When you’ll be at home, after work. Okay?
SIDDHARTHA: Ah. I don’t … I don’t live at home.
THIRRU: You don’t live at home?! Why?
Beat.
Is Radha alone there?
Beat.
Sorry, it’s none of my business.
Pause.
Is there another number I should ring?
Beat. Siddhartha looks at radha. She refuses to look at him.
SIDDHARTHA: No. You should call here. I can be here.
THIRRU: You can?
SIDDHARTHA: I’ll be here. I’ll try to be here most nights.
THIRRU: Okay. Thank you.
SUNIL: For God’s sake, finish the call!
THIRRU: [to SIDDHARTHA] Siddhartha. I have to go. Look. I’m going to leave Sri Lanka. Your mother … She didn’t say not to come. I would listen to her advice, Siddhartha.
Siddhartha looks at radha. She refuses to look at him.
SIDDHARTHA: Okay.
THIRRU: Siddhartha?
SIDDHARTHA: Yes.
THIRRU: You can also tell me not to come.
Pause.
Okay then.
Thirru hands the phone to Hasa who hangs it up.
SUNIL: Let’s go. Now. Now!
Sunil quickly ushers them out.
Siddhartha hangs up.
SIDDHARTHA: Then: nothing. A week. No calls. Nothing. Amma too. Not a word. Every night at six o’clock I catch a bus to Bondi Junction then a train to Pendle Hill and I let myself in. The room smells like mustard seeds and curry leaves. We put the TV on and wait for the phone to ring. Amma cooks but she doesn’t speak. At midnight I catch the last train back to Bondi. I sit on the beach and watch the waves crash. Two weeks. I scour Google Maps for refugee camps. Menik Farm, Kalimoddai, Vembakottai. I show news articles to Amma. Is that him? The man who says he is my father? She shakes her head. She doesn’t speak. I start running. Laps up and down the hills at Clovelly. Lily calls. We spend too much at Icebergs. We kiss on the beach. Rajapalayam, Mannar, Pulal. Four weeks. Nothing. Six o’clock. Pendle Hill station. Mutton curry with eggplant. Australian Idol. Manufacturing celebrities. The phone rings. It’s telemarketers. Not the man who says he is my father. Midnight. Home. Lily can’t stand the cold in Sydney, she curls up on my chest. At four a.m. I fall asleep. Five weeks. Every day I run. Casey Donovan wins the final with ‘Come Fly With Me’ and Amma cries. I take her hand, she gets up to wash the dishes. Not a word. Lily talks on the phone to her mum back home for hours in a language I don’t understand. I run till it hurts. The phone rings. More telemarketers. Professional simulations. I scream at them. When I leave at night I see Amma through the window. She sits in Ammamma’s chair. Silent. The lights are always on. My ears burn in the cold. Six weeks.