Presents
B-7 A Play by
Manjul Bhardwaj
The Experimental Theatre Foundation

The Experimental Theatre Foundation is the brainchild of theatre person Manjul Bharadwaj and a team of social and theatre activist. Manjul firmly believes in the practice of "Theatre of Relevance" using drama to bring about social change. Experimental Theatre Foundation undertakes performances on stage, streets, and conduct workshops. The documentation of various theatre processes is an integral part of Experimental Theatre Foundation.

Experimental Theatre Foundation has proved that theatre is a medium of change by rehabilitating 600 child labourers directly and influencing (facilitating) educational process of 7000 children through theatre in India.

Current activities are: -
Performances on stage (theatre).
Performances on street.
Conduct workshop on theatre (a career in theatre).
Conduct workshop on theatre and its relevance to society.
Conduct workshop on street theatre.
Conduct workshop on child labour.
Conduct workshop on theatre as a medium of change.
Documentation of scripts, threatical processes and "theatre of relevance".
Theatre as strategy to eliminate child labour.

CONTACT ADD.
MANJUL BHARADWAJ
Experimental Theatre Foundation
8/17, Shriram Nivas, Adarsh Lane, Khar (east) Mumbai: - 400 051, India.
Tel: - 91-22-8687552 E- Mail :- etf@bom3.vsnl.net.in.
Visit us on www.cozucare.org/ngos/etf

SCENE – I

Birds are flying: No of categories

• Sparrow
• Peacock
• Crow
• Cuckoo
• Duck
• Pigeon

SPARROW : What is happening to my wings? Oh my God! These are all dirty.
Cuckoo : My throat is paining I can’t Breathe. How I will speak?

DUCK : All water is dirty. I don’t know how I will survive.

PEACOCK : There is no rain no clouds, how will I dance and play.

CROW : Where is my nest? My nest? Who has destroyed my nest? Where I will go?
(They call each other and arrange a meeting.)

SCENE – II

PEACOCK : I called everybody here to discuss our problems.

CROW : Everybody today is facing the problems. My nest is destroyed.

CUCKOO : Earlier, There was clean air to breathe but today. I can’t breathe. My sweet voice is not that sweet. I can’t sing, my throat pains.

DUCK : Today there is dirty water. Fishes in the water are dying. I can’t swim in that dirty water.
I can’t eat the dead / smelly fishes.

SPARROW : I can’t fly, but friends what is happening today? Why is it happening?

PEACOCK : Who is doing it?

CROW : Let’s go and find out.

CUCKOO : Yes! Let’s go.
(Every body goes around)
(Peacock / Cuckoo go together. A man is cutting the tree.)

PEACOCK : Look there! What is he doing?

CUCKOO : Oh my God! he is cutting the trees.

PEACOCK : So he is cutting the trees, that means, he is destroying forest.

CUCKOO : He is destroying our natural habitat.

PEACOCK : There will be No Forest, No Place to live, no rains to sing and Dance. (They move And see – Factories) Look there! that cloud.

CUCKOO : Is that clouds?

PEACOCK : Then what is it?

CUCKOO : It is smoke. So much smoke -- ----- coming out. Smell is very Bad -------- such a Big cloud of smoke.

PEACOCK : This is creating a problem.

CUCKOO : It is polluting the fresh Air. Lets go and tell our friends that we have found the reasons of polluted air and a threat to the forest.

(They move -------------EXIT)

SCENE – III

DUCK : Look at this dirty place. This Big drainage dirties the gutter.

SPARROW : Yes, this dirty water mixes (is mixing) with the fresh river water. It pollutes the river.

DUCK : And causes a bad dirty, filthy and polluted water.

SPARROW : That’s why I am not able to drink that water.

DUCK :That is the reason that fish dies. And I am not eating fresh healthy food. My survival is in danger let’s go and share this with our friends.
(They all come and meet.)

SCENE – IV

(All Birds are sharing their findings)

PEACOCK : Forests are being cut?

CUCKOO : Factories are polluting the Air.

DUCK : Water is polluted.

CROW : But who is doing it?

STROKE : Who is doing it? What did you see?

CUCKOO : We saw an animal.

PEACOCK : It was strange!

STROKE : What was strange!

CUCKOO : The animal was with out wings!

SPARROW : with out wings!

PEACOCK : Yes! The animal was standing on two limbs.

CROW : On two limbs without wings.

DUCK : How does it appear.
(Peacock and Cuckoo Explain through mime and create the Human body)

PIGEON : Oh! It was like that.

DUCK : one head!

SPARROW : Two eyes

CUCKOO : Two ears
One nose
One mouth
One throat
One stomach one ----------

SPARROW : OK. OK. We understood the somebody who is destroying the forest, polluting Air and water.

CUCKOO : A danger to our exist is---

ALL : Human being!
Means
Man!

(Silence ---------------)

PIGEON : But why is he doing?

CUCKOO : He is our enemy.

PIGEON : But what harm we are doing to him. That is he becomes our enemy?

PEACOCK : We need to explore to clearly understand it.

DUCK but how we will explore it.

SPARROW : We will enter in the human world / Man world to find out what is
Happening;

Cuckoo : I am Sacred?

Crow : We have to take this Risk.

Peacock : we will make a
No Harm committee
No enemy zone.
United birds front to confront. Human beings.

Duck : Not to confront but to understand.

Sparrow : So the United Birds front will submit the Report as soon as possible.

Peacock : The B-7 is committed to resolve the crises.

Crow : Then Let’ s go.

(Every body moves – Exit)

SCENE – V

(Peacock & Cuckoo – Talks with Wood Cutter)

Peacock : Hello! Hello! Why are you cutting this tree?

Word Cutter : who are you?

Peacock : I am peacock a member of fact-finding committee. Formed by
Birds united front.

Woodcutter : But why have you come here?

Cuckoo : We have come here to know why are you cutting these trees?

Wood Cutter : Why do you want to know?

Cuckoo : We want to know because you are cutting our shelter?

Woodcutter : But I am cutting it for my shelter. After cutting this tree. I will
Build my shelter here itself with this tree.

Peacock : But why do you want to build your shelter here? You build it in
You’re own world.

Wood Cutter : This is my world. xxx

Cuckoo : But you are destroying our world.

Wood Cutter : I am building my world.

Peacock. : You already have your world --- big world--, which is releasing big
Clouds of smoke…

Wood Cutter : Oh, my dear you are in illusion. That is not my world.

Cuckoo : Then, whose world is that.

Wood Cutter : That is the world of SH- 8

Peacock : What is that SH-8

Wood Cutter : Super Human -8

Cuckoo : So you are not human!

Wood Cutter : I am human. But a human on periphery. Being pushed to
The periphery by super human.

Peacock : How it has happened?

Woodcutter : why do you want to know?

Cuckoo : Because we are also being push on periphery.

Peacock : And we sincerely are concerned with Animals Living on periphery.

Cuckoo : And we are trying to find out the facts of the danger to our
Existence, Habitat and survival.

Wood Cutter : It happened because of the super need of super human beings
They have a desire to make the world super world of super human
Beings. At any cost.

Peacock : At any cost means –

Wood Cutter : At any cost

Cuckoo : How?

Wood Cutter : Come I will show you.

(All performers are on stage. They are equally holding equal space on the stage. One person takes over slowly the stage and pushed the rest in a corner)

SCENE – VI

Wood Cutter : Look at this huge space. This belongs to one person.

Cuckoo : He lives alone here!

Wood Cutter : Yes! He is the sole owner of this place.

Peacock : We are so many Buts, we don’t have this much space.

Cuckoo : How he acquired it

Peacock : By Birth.

Wood Cutter : No

Cuckoo : Then how he became the owner of this heaven.
How he acquired it.

Wood Cutter : From others.

Peacock : why did others give it to him?

Wood Cutter : They did not give him. he captured . He has thrown his own
Species.

Cuckoo : why?

Woodcutter : Very simple. He wants to rule .He wants to enjoy
Every thing in this world.

Peacock : But you enjoy when you share.

Wood Cutter : He doesn’t believe in sharing and sharing with whom.
The other half, which he thinks, is not human beings. They are
Just born to serve his majesty. His master. No Body is above him.

Cuckoo : Then how he alone survives.

Wood Cutter : He uses those servants / Humble creatures and through them
Survives.
Look there, so many humble creatures are working for him.

Peacock : So he is giving them work. So they are surviving.

Wood Cutter : No he is not giving them life but taking their everything in return
for two times meal.

Cuckoo : But he has enough why he is now destroying us.

Woodcutter : His desire is big. He is never satisfied. He works to eat the flesh,
To drink blood, take away every opportunity from others for his
Own comfort.

Man : No! N o! He is telling lies. It is not like that. I am doing every
Thing for their benefit.

Peacock : Whose voice it is!

Wood Cutter : His Master’s voice!

Man : I am doing all I can do (doing charity) for the sufferer.

Wood Cutter : By taking every thing from them.

Man : Look, How have I given science & Technology for their comfort

Wood Cutter : By destroying every Human Science

Man : EVERY Time I am creating new opportunities for them to survive.
Look today, How the world is connected.

Wood Cutter : Connected only by machine.

Man : How they are getting every thing at their street corners. They can Purchase/ buy what ever they want. They are now getting every Thing.

Wood Cutter : Except bread.

Man : They can purchase----

Wood Cutter : Everything they can purchase, without their purchasing Capacity. They have every right –

Man : Yes, every right…. As consumer.

Wood Cutter : Yes, as consumer not as a citizen neither as creature of this
world nor a s Human beings.

Man : Enough! Enough! You the sick ideological idiot. You can’t see
What I want to show you.

Woodcutter : Yes, you also can’t see what I want to show you. Come I will
Show you that how you have stored others happiness in your go
downs. (At whose cost) Look the hungry child -- Look at your
services--- Come on discuss any question – Look at this blood----
Come on and answer my queries. You the almighty of human beings---
(SILENCE)

Peacock : Hey! No response.

Wood Cutter : He can’t respond. He only can exploit. He can’t understand.

Cuckoo : But it seems that you are not understanding him.

Peacock : He is doing so much for humanity.

Cuckoo : He has floated new ideas to serve the humanity better.

Peacock : Like Globalization / free trade/ Privatization.

Woodcutter : Come on! I will show you How he is eating the fresh Born
Babies. How he is depriving thousands of children from their
Childhood. Look there that child.

Cuckoo : Let’s go and see.
(On stage people are begging)

SCENE – VII

Woodcutter : Hey, why are you begging?

B. : I have no work

Wood Cutter : you beggar

B : No I am not beggar. I am worker.

Wood Cutter : Then go to work.

B : There is no work, My Master has replaced me by Machine. ---
(On stage people are working -- machine enters and remove all working people)

B : Earlier I was used to work with my hands and living with Pride
Now No work…so…

Wood Cutter : What happened to your family?
(Children are working. Eating the left over. Girls are selling themselves.)

B : There are eating the left over of super Human beings. Look.My
Child. He was in school Now he…

Peacock : His master is very nice? He said he is doing so many things.
(People are begging, children working, eating the left over, children dying
of malnutrition, girls are selling their bodies)

B : Yes, He is taking the bread of my family and me.
He has taken the child hood of my children.
He has changed the humanity –into commodity.
Look there thousands of thousands children are dying because,
Adults have no work. Girls are selling their bodies to him for
His need. He made them commodity.
Yes, there is school for those who can buy education. Yes, there is
Food for those who can purchase it.
Yes there is everything for them who can purchase it.
But there is nothing for them who can’t purchase. They are
Surviving on the left over. They are dying -. Is this the Noble
cause? He is serving.
The other half is dying to save the other.

SCENE – VIII

(Birds make noise of different Moods to reflect on Their Experience of human world.)

Sparrow : It’s sad.

Duck : What a Pity! this human world.

Crow : It’s pathetic . (to see the human world. )

Cuckoo : It’s disturbing –

Sparrow : to see how children are dying.

Duck : They don’t have homes.

Crow : Food to eat.

Peacock : How the adults are exploiting children for their benefit.

Sparrow : The children are eating left overs.

Duck : Girls are selling their bodies to survive.

Peacock : Adults have no jobs.

Crow : One human is killing the other human.

Sparrow : They are destroying themselves.

Duck : That’s why they are destroying our forests polluting the air & Water.

Peacock : What we should do to SAVE Humanity and ourselves.

Crow : We have to reflect on the facts.

Sparrow : Facts are very disturbing.

Cuckoo : Yes! but we have to face the reality and find out the solution.

Peacock : Hey! you sound optimistic.

Cuckoo : Yes! you have to hope for the best.

Sparrow : But how?

Crow : Let’s reflect on our experience & facts.

Sparrow : Ok but we have to see every thing critically.

Duck : Yes! Let’s do it.

( Birds reflected on their Experience. They recall by different Moods, by sound, & Rhythm)

SCENE – IX

(Birds sit again.)

Peacock : There is hard competition in human beings!

Sparrow : Every body wants to win.

Crow : To become Successful - human beings are ready to even kill other human beings.

Cuckoo : The struggle is between those who have and those who don’t have.

Peacock : Between Resourceful And resource less.

Duck : Humans are preserving wealth, storing food and weapons for superiority.

Cuckoo : What is the alternative.

Peacock : Why do human beings compete?.

All : They should collaborate.

Sparrow : Why do they want to win Material?.

All : They should win hearts of People & humanity.

Cuckoo : In spite of struggle.

All : They should lead the world by collective lead ship instead of
Majority & Minority.

Peacock : They should share their Resources.

Duck : Why they make & preserve bomb.

All : They must preserve humanity.

Peacock : Instead of destroying Birds, Forest,

All : They must learn to Live According to the needs of this Earth.
Eco ---- Balance

Sparrow : Ok. Ok. But how will we make human beings to understand all this?

Crow : We will go & Tell them.

Duck : Hey! How will you ask a businessman to stop his factory ?
because that factory is polluting Air. He will kill us.

Cuckoo : How you will tell them that don’t produce bombs.
They will throw the same on us . As they did fifty years ago.

Crow : Hey! First we will go and make friendship with them. And slowly
put facts & alternatives in front of them.

Sparrow : Will they be ready to accept this reality ?. No they will retaliate.

Crow : We will make them Understand !

Duck : But How!.

Peacock : We will prepare a play & perform it in

Expo – 2000.

Sparrow : Yes! idea is very good. Theatre is very powerful Medium of
Communication .

Duck : I like acting .

Peacock : And we will start a campaign to educate the educated & non
educated illiterates human beings.

Cuckoo : But will we be able to create an impact ?.

Crow : Hey! these humans are very selfish . They will listen to things
which concern for their benefit.

Sparrow : And this way we will save ourselves .

Duck : Yes! I will get fresh water And fresh fishes.

Sparrow : I will fly high.

Peacock : There will be lot of rain , cloud And I will dance.

Cuckoo : We will save the childhood of children . They will get food ,
Education & fun .

Crow : No body will destroy my nest & children will get shelter.

Peacock : What will be the name of the play ( He thinks)

B- 7

Duck : Yes!. B-7

Sparrow : It means . Birds United Front 7 .

Peacock : Right , we are now understanding each other in a better way

Crow : Yes!.

Crow : So !. Let’s rehearse

( Birds rehearse / Every body come on stage in different Moods. )

All : B-7 is committed to Save ourselves.

CHILDHOOD AND HUMANITY

A Play by Manjul Bhardwaj
THE EXPERIMENTAL THEATRE FOUNDATION
8/17 Shri Ram Niwas,
Adarsh Lane, Khar (East),
Mumbai :- 400 051,
India.
Tel. No :- 91(022) 8687552
Email Add :- etf@bom3.vsnl.net.in

Note: B-7 has successfully performed 15 times in Germany.

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