ACTRESS 1: She threw my flowers away.
ACTRESS 2: You know I can’t stand wild flowers. It was tiresome enough going through all your clothes this morning and throwing out the yellow colours.
ACTRESS 1: You didn’t! She threw my clothes away.
ACTRESS 2: When are you going to give us a son?
ACTRESS 1: He has to love me, for me to give him a son. A single lamp, no matter how bright, always casts a shadow. Put another one beside it and the darkness of both disappears.
ACTRESS 2: You have been married over a year and people are asking questions. A princess marries to give a son; only a widow marries to please herself.
ACTRESS 1: She has a face like a moon and a heart of poison.
ACTRESS 3: Always suspect the sister-in-law who is too fond of the bride.
ACTRESS 1: When sitting she is a cat; when springing she is a tiger.
ACTRESS 3: Women are instructed by nature; men have to learn from books.
ACTRESS 1: It takes two to make a son. The chariot can’t go anywhere on a single wheel.
4. You’ll Sleep Better Upstairs
ACTRESS 2: Sound of footsteps in the distance.
ACTRESS 1: Mira suddenly nervous.
Jhali, it’s he. Quick, go away. No, come here. My hair isn’t even combed. And my forehead is naked. Oh …
ACTRESS 3: If you spent your time sensibly, we wouldn’t have these panics. Instead you go skipping around the lake, playing with your birds, and god knows what in the burning sun and making a scandal of …
ACTRESS 1: Are there any flowers for my hair? Oh, she threw them away. Quick, how do I look?
ACTRESS 3: Oh, you look pretty.
ACTRESS 1: Now go away. Wait. Am I pretty?
ACTRESS 3: Yes.
ACTRESS 2: Rana enters from the other side.
ACTRESS 3: Softer colours to feel gentler mood.
ALL: Mira blushing.
ACTRESS 1: Rana!
ALL: The Rana is inebriated.
ACTOR 1: Mira!
ALL: Mira shyly.
ACTRESS 1: The Rana has no time for Mira anymore?
ALL: Rana defensively.
ACTOR 1: The Rana has been in the council of war.
ALL: Affectionately.
ACTOR 1: Where has Mira been today?
ALL: Confused pause.
ACTRESS 1: After the Rana said those things this morning … I went to the lake.
ALL: Rana smiling.
ACTOR 1: To drown yourself.
ALL: Tenderly, clasping her.
ACTOR 1: Oh my Mira, my Mira.
ALL: Snuggling upto him.
ACTRESS 1: How is the Rana?
ACTOR 1: Drunk!
(The Dance of Kali.)
ACTOR 1: Did Mira go to Kali’s temple today?
ACTRESS 1: No.
ACTOR 1: Then Mother hasn’t been fed again today.
ACTRESS 1: No.
ACTOR 1: What if somebody didn’t feed Mira?
ACTRESS 1: I can’t feed blood to her.
ACTOR 1: It’s only a goat’s blood. It isn’t human blood.
ACTRESS 1: Can’t someone else feed her?
ACTOR 1: Only the Rana’s wife feeds Kali. She will give us a son if she is fed and happy.
ACTRESS 1: Can’t we give her milk?
ACTOR 1: Don’t you want to give us a son?
ACTRESS 3: The chariot can’t go anywhere on a single wheel.
ACTOR 2: Are young fish taught to swim?
ACTRESS 3: Thirst isn’t quenched by shouting water.
ACTOR 2: The mouth isn’t burnt by pronouncing fire.
ACTRESS 1: Love that destroys the distinction between the lover, the beloved and love is to be practised.
ACTOR 2: The nature of love can’t be expressed.
ACTRESS 1: A body without love is dead.
ACTRESS 2: The little fish splashes in even a mouthful of water.
(Dance of the chained captive.)
ACTOR 1: The Rana is sleepy now.
ACTRESS 1: Shall I help you up?
ACTOR 1: No.
ACTRESS 1: I was wondering—that is, I was wondering if I could get anything.
ACTOR 1: Nothing.
ACTRESS 1: Rana …?
ACTOR 1: I want to sleep.
ACTRESS 1: I could help you upstairs. You will sleep better there.
ACTOR 1: No.
ACTRESS 1: I’ll put you to sleep, Rana. Come.
ACTOR 1: Oh, Mira, why won’t you let me sleep?
ACTRESS 1: You’ll sleep better upstairs.
ACTOR 1: We are all right here.
ACTRESS 1: Let’s go upstairs. Then I can also be with you.
ACTOR 1: I don’t want anyone with me—I just want to sleep. Mira, the Rana is tired. He has to prepare for war.
ACTRESS 1: Mira will massage the Rana. Does the Rana care for Mira?
ACTOR 1: Yes.
ACTRESS 1: Mira’s heart is like a horse on an open plain—easily let loose but hard to restrain.
ACTOR 1: The Rana has to fight a war.
ACTRESS 1: The best soldiers are not warlike.
5. There is Blood on My Hands
ACTRESS 1: A few weeks later. Mira sings to herself as she bathes Krishna.
(Song of the River.)
ACTRESS 2: Enter Uda.
Scrub it well. It’s dirty all over.
ACTRESS 1: I bathe him every day.
ACTRESS 2: Though he washes three times a day will a crow become a crane? (Snatching it.)
Aren’t you too old to be playing with dolls?
ACTRESS 1: Give him back to me!
ACTRESS 2: (Returning it.) It’s so ordinary looking.
ACTRESS 1: He is not ordinary.
(Dance of the golden calf.)
ACTRESS 2: Mira, since you won’t visit her temple, we have brought Mother to you. Kali is strong on the blood of ten thousand generations of goats. She leads our armies in war. She gives life; she takes life. She is time.
ACTRESS 1: Oh no! She is death!
ACTRESS 2: She is birth, and rebirth. Kneel before Kali, pray to her for a son, and make this humble offering of holy blood.
ACTOR 1: O holy goddess of million wars, give us victory!
ACTRESS 1: I don’t want war.
ACTRESS 2: O holy goddess of million children, may the line of Ranas forever live!
ACTRESS 1: It is painful when the son comes out.
ACTRESS 2: O holy goddess, bless our house with happiness.
ACTRESS 1: I don’t want to be happy.
(Chant to Kali.)
ACTOR 2: My heart is a burning ground,
For you Dark One.
ACTOR 1: Dance your eternal dance, Mother,
My heart wishes nothing more.
ACTRESS 3: Burn forever the funeral,
Scatter the ashes of the dead.
ACTRESS 2: Death conquering Time is your anklet,
Come dance your rhythms, Mother.
ALL: That I may see you inside my closed eye.
ACTRESS 1: Death says come; life says go. I want to go; I don’t want to come.
ACTOR 2: Uda forcibly places the vessel in her hands. Mira looks at the blood and faints. The blood spills on the floor as the vessel comes down with a crash.
(The dance of the slaughter-house.)
ACTRESS 3: Every tree has bark.
ACTOR 1: Mira, Mira!
ACTRESS 3: When you spit at the moon it falls back on you.
ACTRESS 2: What is more illusory than the fire of a glow worm?
ACTOR 2: She is recovering.
ACTRESS 1: There is blood on my hands. Blood on my clothes. Blood on the ground!
ACTOR 1: (Echo) Mira, Mira.
ACTRESS 1: It’s hot all over.
(Echo)
Mira, Mira.
ACTRESS 1: The sun shines on the desert.
(Echo)
Who is that woman in white with tiger’s teeth and blood in her hands?
(Echo)
Who is tha
t woman with her smug high forehead and her hungry butcher’s eyes.
(Echo)
I don’t like women with strangler’s hands.
(Echo)
He didn’t want to die.
(Echo)
He was afraid when she killed him.
ACTRESS 3: Mira, try to understand others.
ACTRESS 1: When I’m old and understanding like you, I shall also look the other way when I see evil. Now I am young …
ACTRESS 2: There is evil in the house. Kali is in pain.
(Hide and seek dance.)
ACTOR 1: Rana begins to withdraw.
ACTRESS 1: Mira attempts to hold him.
ACTOR 1: Only Mira can save us.
ACTRESS 1: I can’t do it.
ACTOR 1: There will be no heir to the throne.
ACTRESS 1: Rana, don’t ask me to do it.
ACTOR 1: Mira, when a dog barks at a mountain, who gets hurt, the dog or the mountain?
ACTRESS 1: I will do anything for you. I live for you. But not this. If I did, I’d stop being Mira. I am being asked to play the actor who is elevated from peasant to king for two hours.
6. Enter Jai
(Dance of the Warrior Prince.)
ALL: (Chant.) Sound of drum and voice of trumpet
and the horse’s joyful cry
Stately as a golden palm
Now the warlike Prince has come.
Blessed with all manly virtues
Lion-like in build and muscle
Warrior Jaimal pious-hearted
Forth he brings the wheat and treasure.
Warlike leader of his forces
Like the all-consuming fire
Jai by his graceful mein
Joyful makes the proud Rana.
ACTOR 2: Enter Jai.
ACTRESS 2: To sounds of shouts, cheers, bells.
ACTOR 1: Rana comes forward,
ACTOR 2: Jai bows.
ACTOR 1: Rana returns the bow.
ACTRESS 2: And the two embrace.
ACTOR 1: Mewar has waited many moons to welcome the noble Prince.
ACTOR 2: To be in the sacred presence of unvanquished Mewar is high honour.
And he bows again.
ACTOR 1: The Rana again returns Jai’s bow and takes his arm and leads him before Kali.
ACTOR 2: Jai bows to Kali’s image.
ACTOR 1: Rana then leads Jai to his sister and introduces them with elaborate ritual as demanded by the occasion.
ACTOR 1: Our sister, Suryavanshi, pearl of the sun race, the Sisodia princess, Udabai.
ACTOR 2: Jai bows even more elaborately.
ACTRESS 2: She covers her head with her ordny, which hides her face as well—a mark of modesty and acknowledgement.
ACTOR 2: May the sun forever give strength to Sisodia!
ACTOR 1: The Rana next leads Jai to Mira.
ACTOR 2: Jai again bows ceremoniously.
ACTRESS 2: The great amount of ritual and style that has so far attached to this scene abruptly comes to an end.
ACTRESS 1: As Mira, instead of courtesying ritually, leaps up with a spontaneous and joyful cry.
(Carousel dance.)
ACTRESS 1: Jai!
For a moment she stares at him; then springs up and runs up to him. Jai, oh Jai! Jai for victory.
She begins to speak with feverish vivacity as if she feared that she would stop and think. She holds him in a spontaneous embrace.
Let me look at you cousin. How handsome you’ve become! No, no, don’t look at me. Are these new clothes? You’re so good-looking in them.
ACTOR 2: Jai laughs.
ACTRESS 1: She embraces him again.
Oh Jai, Jai for victory! I’ve been expecting you for so long. Rana said you were to come a month ago. I thought you’d never come. Let me look at you again.
She laughs and pulls his cheek playfully.
ACTOR 2: He blushes self-consciously and tries to extricate himself from Mira’s unorthodox welcome.
(Dance of the Marionettes.)
ACTRESS 1: Jai, what’s happened to your tongue? Say something.
ACTOR 2: Those who speak don’t know, those who know don’t speak.
ACTOR 1: The noble Jai has come to lead the alliance against the Mughal.
ACTOR 2: Not lead, but fight together under the leadership of the great House of Mewar.
ACTOR 1: He has brought twenty-thousand of the finest horses of Marwar.
ACTRESS 1: The best riders fall the hardest.
ACTRESS 2: A noble commander must have a noble army.
ACTOR 2: The fruit seller’s mangoes are always sweet.
ACTRESS 2: Surely they must be the sweetest if this fruit seller is any guide.
ACTOR 1: The Mughal is rushing down like a river, and nothing will stop him.
ACTOR 2: The Rajput princes will damn the river.
ACTOR 1: The real soldier only speaks of success.
ACTRESS 1: I’d rather be a peasant in peace than a prince in war.
ACTOR 2: This will be a good war.
ACTRESS 1: There is never a good war.
ACTOR 1: There must be a war against the Mughal.
ACTOR 2: Ride a horse to catch a horse.
ACTRESS 2: To catch the Mughal is to catch a fox.
ACTRESS 1: Only cats know cats.
ACTOR 1: We have to fight to defend our honour.
ACTRESS 1: The bird chooses its tree, not the tree the bird.
ACTRESS 2: Our men aren’t afraid to fight.
ACTOR 2: True gold isn’t afraid of fire.
ACTRESS 1: The best soldiers are not warlike.
ACTOR 2: He who leads an ox to drink has to get wet.
ACTRESS 1: War is the festival of death.
7. The Sister-in-law is Jealous
ACTRESS 2: If the Rani pleases, a Rana’s wife doesn’t carry on in this manner.
ACTRESS 1: Mira puzzled.
ACTRESS 2: She doesn’t observe the looks of young men.
She sees her lord’s image in every man.
ACTRESS 1: How can I see the Rana in every man? The Rana is too good.
ACTRESS 2: There are ways which must be observed in court.
ACTRESS 1: Mira questioningly.
ACTRESS 2: It was evident to the smallest child.
ACTRESS 1: Mira still puzzled.
ACTRESS 2: There is a way of welcoming guests.
ACTRESS 1: Mira courtesying in an exaggerated way.
Oh, you mean like this?
And she smiles.
ACTRESS 2: Yes.
ACTRESS 1: But he’s my cousin.
ACTRESS 2: You don’t go up and embrace a man like that. I almost died of shame. Think of your sacred husband. What must he have felt … and in front of everyone … if I had been the Rani …
ACTRESS 1: Oh, I didn’t mean … I didn’t mean … I didn’t think the Rana would … What shall I do? What will the Rana think?
ACTRESS 2: The damage is done.
ACTRESS 1: Appealing.
What am I going to do?
ACTRESS 2: You will stay away from your cousin. At least the court will not get any more ideas.
ACTRESS 1: What about the Rana?
ACTOR 1: Enter Rana.
ACTRESS 1: Mira blushes and leaves.
ACTOR 1: Why did Mira leave in such a hurry? Her cousin was asking for her.
ACTRESS 2: Already?
ACTOR 1: The Rana looking surprised.
ACTRESS 2: A wise man drapes a curtain between a stranger and his mistress.
ACTOR 1: Jai is a fine young man.
ACTRESS 2: Even an elephant may slip.
ACTOR 1: Oil your own wheel first.
ACTRESS 2: The heron is a saint as long as there’s no fish in sight.
ACTOR 1: It is for the Rana to judge the Rani.
ACTRESS 2: A king is supposed to see by his ears.
ACTOR 1: Why doesn’t Princess Uda make friends with Mira?
ACTRESS 2: Mira has everything and she doesn’t want to be a
Rani.
ACTOR 1: Uda would like to be Rani, wouldn’t she?
ACTRESS 2: Uda is quiet.
ACTOR 1: Uda would like to be a Rani, wouldn’t she?
ACTRESS 2: Uda nods.
ACTOR 1: The Rana leaves.
ACTRESS 2: Uda sees Jai and Mira coming. Hides.
8. Surely the Rana Knows
ACTOR 2: Mira is the Rani of a magnificent palace!
ACTRESS 1: Where palaces are magnificent, fields are poor and granaries are empty.
ACTOR 2: Something is wrong, and I’m afraid.
ACTRESS 1: Nothing is wrong.
ACTOR 2: Something is wrong.
ACTRESS 1: Jai, I’m going to have a son.
ACTOR 2: Jai claps in approval.
ACTRESS 1: Shh … not so loud. No one is supposed to know.
ACTOR 2: Surely the Rana knows.
ACTRESS 1: No. Especially not he.
ACTOR 2: I am so proud. We should announce it to the whole world.
ACTRESS 1: Oh no!
ACTOR 2: How do you know it’s a boy?
ACTRESS 1: I feel it inside me.
And she places his hand on her stomach.
ACTOR 2: I can’t feel anything.
ACTRESS 1: I can.
ACTOR 2 and ACTRESS 1: They stare at each other.
ACTOR 2: Then Jai smiles.
ACTRESS 1: She smiles back.
ACTOR 2: And Jai embraces her.
I am so happy.
ACTRESS 1: Happy, happy.
ACTOR 2: What are you going to call the child?
ACTRESS 1: Son.
ACTOR 2: What if it’s a girl?
ACTRESS 1: I’m going to have a son.
ACTOR 2: What will be his name?
ACTRESS 1: The son.
ACTOR 2: Jai takes her hand affectionately.
ACTRESS 1 AND ACTOR 2: And both excitedly dance to beautiful music.
ACTOR 2: Enter Rana.
ACTRESS 2: And Uda.
ACTRESS 3: And Jhali.
ACTOR 1: Let us drink to the alliance.
ACTOR 2: To victory!
(Dance of the warriors.)
ACTOR 1: To victory! The Mughal fox has crossed the river and tripled his strength.
ACTOR 2: Why didn’t the governors resist?
ACTOR 1: They are stooges of an infidel dynasty. The blood of Ghengiz Khan and Tamerlane rushes through Babur’s veins.
ACTOR 2: The blood of Babur will pale before the Rajput alliance.
ACTRESS 2: A shrewd commander doesn’t underrate an enemy.
ACTOR 2: Neither is he awed by him.
ACTRESS 1: A wise soldier is humble.
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