The Dog on the Beach

The following drama is the brainchild of Mr. Tejas Perumanna (a.k.a Mr. Mohandas), a brilliant teacher, artist, director, dramatist, magician and a wonderful human being. The original script was in Malayalam which has been adapted into English with permission. Even though it won’t have the magic of the original, we try to present the message – the message we all need to learn.

The idea to the following skit came forward during the beginning of 2005 when news clippings showed mass graves in which people were buried all together due to the catastrophic tsunami of December 26, 2004. The following scene has such a mass grave, covered yet so very shallow. The rest is for all of you to make out…

(Scene1)

Bodies strewn around. A stench so unbearable that you need to walk through it with your nose covered. A dog eating flesh of humans. An old man walks in and looks around.

Man: (startled) You filthy dog! What do you think you are doing? How dare you eat the flesh of humans?

Dog: (laughing) You call them humans? Why do you call them human? Why oh why?

Man: What do you mean u dirty scavenger?

Dog: Why do you ask me? Ask yourself. Are you not human?

Man: What have we not done for the welfare of others? What have we humans not achieved?

Dog: Oh you’ve achieved a lot! A Lot! Welfare - schelfare! Think back. Look at how you are now and how u were then –

(Scene-2)

4 people lined on the left hand side of the stage. The dog changes its mask and puts on a black one. And then goes towards the people on the left hand side of the stage.

Dog: (holds one hand up and shouts) Tell me my brothers. Why have we gathered here?

L group: (in chorus) To protect our relegion.

Dog: What is our aim?

L group: Create unrest till the land is ours

Dog: And how shall we do that?

L group: We shall kill them others for the sake of our people.

Dog: Then go! Leave no one! Kill them all! Go!

The stage clears as everyone except the dog runs out

(Scene3)

4 people lined on the right hand side of the stage. The dog changes its mask and puts on a red one. And then goes towards the people on the right hand side of the stage.

Dog: My people, them others threaten us! We need to react!

R group: Indeed we will

Dog: We’ve had enough of the atrocities!

R group: More than enough!

Dog: How shall we suppress them?

R group: We shall kill them for the sake of our people!

Dog: Then go! Let them be punished!! Kill them all! Go!

The stage clears as everyone except the dog runs out

(Scene 4)

Dog comes forward and changes the mask again. The two groups clash behind the dog. The dog laughs while the people behind him start killing each other until no one is left alive

(Scene 5)

Back to present. The old man walks up to the dog and the dog is still laughing.

Dog: So, do you remember now?

Man: Yes I remember. I remember everything

Dog: And you call them humans?

Man: No! No! They’re worse than…

Dog: Ah yes! Then, they were waiting to get at each others necks. Now look, how peaceful they are, all warm and cuddled up. No caste, no creed, no religion, no life.

Man: (holding the collar of one of the dead bodies lying on the ground) Why did you do this? Why? Why?

Dog: No use crying now and shouting to lifeless souls. Nature has itself taken them away. Do your change now, lest you don’t want to cry later. Now let me get back to where I was.

(Dog starts eating on the human flesh again. The old man walks forward. Looks up at the sky)

Man: (puts both his hands on in the air) Yes, we’ve done wrong! Yes, we’ve sinned! Forgive us, oh Lord!!

The Date: 26th December 2004

Little Raju was asleep in his little cot in the sleepy little town of Velankanni in Tamil Nadu. The time: 5.30am. Mother Thresia was up and awake to go for the morning prayers. She slept beside the 30-40 other children in the orphanage of mother Velankanni. She loved all of God's children. But she likes Raju the best. It was not because he was the most innocent of them all; it was only because he was the youngest of them all. He was 7 years old. And he had been living in this orphanage for the past 7 years. This meant that he was left to his own; from the time he arrived on mother earth.

The town was coming to life. It was the day after Christmas, and there was no lack of bustle. The fishermen were gathering their nets and getting ready to leave their loved ones behind and go and live with their second mother at sea. The time: 6.30am. Raju had risen, brushed his teeth, combed his hair and even finished prayers with his other friends at the orphanage. Little Raju liked living in the orphanage. He never felt isolated. He had all the love he ever needed. He also liked Mother Thresia very much. Raju decided to go and play. Since there was no one as young as him in the orphanage, he went all alone to the beach and started playing with the sand.

The time: 7.29am. Mother was calling from the distance asking Raju to come and have his breakfast. Raju never disobeys. So he listens to mother Thresia's orders and goes as fast as possible and has his breakfast. It was the meager one, but it was all they could have. Raju never complained about the food or about the amount of anything he received. He received very little, since the orphanage could offer only little. After the breakfast, Raju runs back to his favorite spot on the beach- A secluded area covered with shells. So again Raju begins to play Alone.

The time 8.23. Raju feels bored. He has had enough of playing with the shells, sand and water. That was when raju noticed something strange with the beach. All the fishermen had left for the sea. This was a usual site. But there was something that caught Raju's eyes. He looked around. There were seagulls and other sea birds, of which he didn’t even know the name coming away from the sea, calling each other in their own specific reverberation. This was strange and it had not occurred ever before in his short time of two years he had spent in the beach playing. Also he noticed that the crabs were hurrying away from their homes beneath the sand and were heading inland. A small crab even scurried over his legs. But Raju did not budge. He decided to go back to the orphanage. He was getting scared. He wanted to see mother. He wanted to be in her hands and may be even go to sleep in her lap.

The time: 9.00am. Raju cannot find mother. He goes on roaming all around the orphanage. That was when sister Daisy told him that mother Thresia had gone along with father Marcos to see an ailing patient. Raju was frightened but he did not want to show it out to anyone else other than mother Thresia. Gathering up all the courage that was left in him, he decides to head back to the beach. Little Raju reaches his secluded little place and decides to build something with the sand. But then his eyes wander of to the distance of the sea. Something was eating up the sea. All the waves were disappearing. The bed of sea was coming into site. Raju moved a step or back. He looked at the astonishing site and spoke out none. He wanted to know who had eaten up the sea. So he stepped forward and brought out his hand and held it above the eye, so that he could see as far as possible. He moved forward slowly. That was when he saw something huge making its way back on to the beach at very high speed: A WAVE. A wave so tall that he had never seen anything like it ever before. He decides to run and hide in the church, for mother had always told him that, if you are ever in doubt or if ever you are in need in help, ask to the Lord and he shall provide. But the tiny feet took its last few steps, and then…………………………..

The time: 10.00am. The town that was, didn’t seem to exist. The water had swept away all and spared none. Lord had helped none and punished all. The beach was gone, its people ruined. And as for little raju, the lord had him in his hands.