Only One Peg
My translation attempt of Marathi Drama एकच प्याला (Only one glass) written Ram Ganesh Gadkari)
Please suggest better option for words and phrases.
Act 1
Episode IV
(Venue: Aryamadiramandal.
Characters: Shastri, Khudabaksh, Manyabapu Maval, Janubhau Jahal, Sonyabapu Sudharak, Yallappa, Magan, Raosaheb, Dadasaheb, Bhausaheb etc.
Taliram enters.)
Shastri: Well done Taliram, You have come late. In fact, you should have come first. Today is the day to form our group. How come you have such a delay?
Taliram: Shastribuwa, there was a reason for delay today; Don’t ask me A very bad thing happened today,!
Khudabaksh: Then tell without asking!
Taliram: Khudabaksh, this is not really a joke! Today, our Dadasaheb’s ( Sudhakar) charter was cancelled by judge for six months.
Shastri: Dadasaheb means our Sudhakar?
Taliram: Yes!
Manyabapu: Sudhakar is so clever, well behaved, how he could give any pretext for this?
Taliram: Manyabapu, Dadasaheb is better than you say. But his temperament is very passionate.
Shastri: Its natural for young to out of temper.
Taliram: Yes. It is true.; But lately, Dadasaheb has been getting more and more enemies.
Janubhau: Reason?
Taliram: Hey, if someone gets a good name, whole town becomes against him. Nobody here likes any achievement of our Dadasaheb. He was disturbed and angry due to constant criticism by all around him.
Janubhau: So you say the judge did this on purpose?
Taliram: No No, there is nothing wrong done by judge! Who would tolerate such a talk? What happened- Judge did not agree with his statement on some Act; Dadasaheb should have explained it to him calmly; But how the young can manage this properly? He started arguing angrily. The other people started instigative laughing. Dadasaheb became angry and started blasting the judge squarely.. So judge had to do that. Still, it’s good that the judge was very old and matured, so he cancelled the charter for a period of only six months; Someone else- Hey, even if I was there, I would have uprooted him out of this world! What happened due to this? He started scolding Dadasaheb in the face. That poor person felt the failure more worst than death! Eventually somehow I brought him home; and came here in a hurry. So it took time.
Shastri: Oh, really a very bad thing happened. Well, it's already too late; No more spare time. Get started. What should be the name?
Khudabaksh: Look, let the work( drinking) and meeting both start together.
Taliram: I have brought some notes. I read them it means it's over. The name of this organization should be 'Arya Madira Mandal'.
Bhagirath: 'Arya Madira Mandal'? Isn't this a misuse of the word 'Arya'? Adding such adult words to something as scandalous as alcohol.
Taliram: This organization is to be set up only to remove this misunderstanding. Our goal is to make alcohol addiction more respectable. This can be achieved by using e same word that is used in other cases for the case of alcohol also.
Bhagirath: How can alcohol become respectable just by associating with respectable words? The words used for adornment for big sacred things, even if used to sanctity of such bad things will not loose their sacred value ! The mere crying bad words in Shimga does not reduce the value of the respectables and does not increase the value of the thieves. Does the virtue of widowhood ever diminish as the bad women have taken advantage of it?
Taliram: Bhagirath, you are completely ignorant! Why is alcohol so bad? We, the alcoholics, have begun to accept our inferiority. There is nothing wrong with smoking. No one punishes the person eating tobaco in the assembly; but as soon as someone smells alcohol in mouth, people immediately start disproving him. Why is that? No one tried to oppose strongly for that. What's going on today in case of English bosses? Suppose respectable people like our Bhausaheb, Bapusaheb start moving around bravely and with open-heartedness all day long, in lectures or meetings and government court after drinking alcohol tomorrow, then same tradition will be established. Alcohol, like teawill become a day by day common affair! That is why the name 'Aryamadiramandal' is the best.
Khudabaksh: Well done Taliram, you are really a great human being.
Shastri: Yes, go ahead.
Taliram: Now the purpose of the board is, in short, that every member of the board should drink alcohol every day. Everyone should tell others publicly that they drink alcohol. Eating and drinking arrangements shall be made in the group day and night. This meeting is encouraging non-vegetarianism.
Magan: But you don't mind drinking native liquor(Swadeshi Daru), do you?
Khudabaksh: This Gujarati poor man is very stingy.
Manyabapu: Khansaheb, why do you say that? Everyone should be accommodated.
Janubhau: That's right, what should the poor do? Poverty naturally prefers native option.
Taliram: Done, there are some extra things. At half past eight, the needy have to run to the station at night.
Sonyabapu: And that also is not always convenient from all the stations. Some of the stations are convenient for sowing turi(pulses) in Shalu(grains) field. Liquor mail does not stop at every station.
Magan: And besides, the rates are as high as a train! It has to be taken by paying more price when needed urgently.
Taliram: Therefore, this board will continue to make similar requests to the government to break the law of eight and a half hours and keep all the shops open day and night.
Shastri: Also, I say, why should the shop have a license barrier?
Bhausaheb: Friends, what to say! We had gone there to Goa, there in shops of grocery, the shop of cloth merchants there was this item available.
Bapusaheb: The overall policy of the Portuguese government is liberal!
Taliram: Gradually, the board will make things happen. Hey, I still have a lot of ideas in my head. Beginners like our Bhagirath feel a great fear of smell. Just as there is ammunition without smoke, liquor also should not have smell. I would like to ask the board to provide scholarships and also send students abroad to find the drinking liquor without smell. Also, every member should get new members and start spreading alcohol drinking habit.
Shastri: Yes, yes, it is a very important article. Because lately, in the whole society, the craze for quitting addiction has started. Someone says that I left tea from today onwards, the other decided not to eat pan; We must curb this craze.
Taliram: It's too late now. So let's choose the secretary, treasurer etc. at the next meeting. Food is ready inside. Yes, Khansaheb, you were to bring Hussain cook weren't you?
Shastri: It is true, man! Such a sectarian man is needed in culliniery. 'तुका म्हणे येथे पाहिजे जातीचे!'
Khudabaksh: Well, if everyone likes this scheme, they should raise their hands. (All hands up.)
Shastri: All are ready with one hand.
Taliram: All?
Everyone: All!
(The curtain falls.)
No comments:
Post a Comment