Education as a Menace

Outline:Chintu is a seventeen year old boy who harbours an ambition to play football for the country.His parents are opposed to this.Ramanuj is a peon at Mr.Raman's office.He gets insulted by Raman's behaviour.Chintu represents the part of India's youth that wants a more challenging life.Ramanuj represents the uneducated class and feels the pain and hurt for being uneducated, mostly at the hands of educated people. His wife wishes that their son,after getting his education, becomes just like Mr.Raman.

Characters:
Chintu-a teenage boy with a passion for football
Chintu's ma-emotional, stressed mother
Chintu's dad/Mr.Raman -angry,gruff, Hitler-ish,EDUCATED.
Ramanuj-peon at Raman's office
Sita-Ramanuj's wife
Ricky-Chintu's classmate,also has a passion for football
SCENE 1
Chintu watchin t.v.
Mom comes in.

Ma:Chintu?did ur teacher give out the marks for ur physics short test ?
Chintu (not taking his eyes off the television) :hmm hmm
Ma :u didn’t tell me … how much did u get ?did u pass ?
Chintu:I sorry ma …. What are we talking about?
Ma:Why..?The test...the Physics test!
Chintu:What about it?
Ma:Thats it!Turn off the tv, right now!
Chintu(doesn't turn it off):Well?What about the test?
Ma:I want to know how much you got in that test.
Chintu:Oh that?I..unnh...didn't give that test.
Ma(livid): what … u bunked a test ??Chintu r u mad … where did u go ?? .. what ….
Chintu:I’m sorry Ma… I had to go to the club trials ….. if I hadn’t gone I wudnt have been playin this whole season.
Ma:okay dis is it , I’m telling ur dad.
Chintu :no Ma no !!!Not him!Of all people, not Hitler himself?! please .. please!
Ma:(numb expression)(in disbelief):how could you not attend the test …. ???
Chintu – trying in vain to expalin
Ma:you just don’t seem to learn !!! , and all u’ve been doing is watching these stupid football matches and wasting ur time on the stupid game !!! this time you need a lesson , I’m telling dad.
Chintu :okay here:(switching off the tv:I’ll start studying right away , I’ll even skip this evenings match .. and I promise I’ll not miss another test no matter what, but please … give me your word that you won't tell dad...
Ma:Not one word from you, young man,before you study for the next test!

SCENE-2
Mr.Raman is in his office

Mr. Dad(on his inter-com):ramanuj , bring me the LNT file , and I want it now.
Old man enters

Ramanuj:sir , give me a minutes time , I just cant find it in the …….
Dad(cuts him short):what do u mean ??? we pay u do do this !!!! u old fool ! get lost and bring me the file or I’ll have u fired !!!

Ramanuj scampers out of the door with a rhetorical regret on his face.

SCENE-3
Ricky and Chintu are at Chintu's house

Ricky:hey relax , never mind we’ll have someone to take ur position today.
Chintu:good , I promise I’ll be playing the nxt match …. ma wants me to study today …. U know these studies … they’ll help me become a doctor .. may be an engineer or perhaps a teacher … but I want to play football for the national team … it’ll never let me achieve dat … and mom n dad they just wont understand how I feel … tell me is it dat difficult for them to understand this ?
Ricky:hey you are not alone …. Remember i had to miss the club trials last year to prepare for the boards ….Felt like running away from home, honestly.
Chintu:yes … hey tell me … wot ARE we doin … getting EDUCATED ?? THIS CANNOT BE EDUCATION !!!….. this way we’ll only end up getting a job someday and perhaps lead a luxurious life …but acheive all that without fun and you start doubting if this life is what you really wanted.
Ricky:hey I don’t know about that but if THEY don’t let me play club football this season I’ll run away … dats for sure …..

Calling bell rings … servant opens the door … dads home !!
Ricky:Shit! you're old man's home, think he'll give me one of those acid looks of his when he sees me coming out of your room?
Chintu:just don't make eye-contact.


SCENE-4

Evening tea is served dad and ma converse over tea

Dad:you know we have these incompetent-
Ricky comes out.Slinking.Trying not to make eye-contact with DAD.
Dad(at Ricku)(demanding):What were you doing there?
Ricky(looking reluctantly at DAD):I was..er...
Dad:Aren't you from Chintu's school?
Ricky:Y-Yes sir.
Dad(angry):Don't you boys have an exam next week?
Ricky:Y-Yes sir.
Dad:Don't go yessir-ing me!Go home and start studying!
Ricky runs

Dad:you know we have these incompetent staff all over our office … there is this old fool ….. cant even get me one file !!!
Ma(distracted, speaking after a moments pause ):why wot happened ?
Mr.Dad:you look disturbed . you tell me what happened ?(Last part in demanding tone)
Ma(holding back tears in her eyes:well …. Its chintu again … he had a physics test yesterday … and he bunked school for a football match.
Dad:what ?! why …. I mean why did’nt you tell me …. CHINTU !!! CHINTU !!!
Chintu comes in, head hung low
Dad:is this true ?
Ma:don’t get excited please ….
Dad:tell me IS THIS TRUE …?!!

Chintu not moving. silent.
Mr.Dad gets up and slaps him on the right cheek and then on the left

A seventeen year boy loses control ….. breaks into tears
Chintu:Why the hell do you keep pushing YOUR ambitions on me ….
Mr.Dad – your ambitions ….. ??? you fool pass this class for a change then talk about it !!!
Chintu:whyy do I need to be the one going to school and giving exams and exams instead of going to practice at the feild?
Dad:Chintu, we've been over this...Don't make me and your mother go over all that again...your football is not something I object against..as long as it remains within limits!You think the world is that easy?Just because you know how to kick the ball, they're going to give you a job for it, just like that?Young man!You have to work and earn!Don't think that I have reached this position in life by playing-
Chintu(interupts,revolting):Its an ambition,dad!To play for the country....and if education means not understanding your son but knowing how to make computers smaller, then I don't need it!

Chintu rushes back into room.

SCENE-5

Ramanuj enters a small room ,Sita,his wife gives him a towel

Ramanuj:is govind asleep yet ?
Sita:yes , he has been running a constant temperature since afternoon.
Ramanuj(pondering over a decision):we will go to the municipal hospital tomorrow morning.
Sita :you look sad ,is anything wrong ?
Ramanuj(vaguely staring into a corner):Tell me my being a simple non-graduate peon … is it a crime ?? does that qualify one for endless insults … does a less educated person in the office or the uneducated poor beggar on Park Street footpath not qualify for basic human courtseys ?
Sita:its mr. raman again , isn’t it ? … I am so sorry …
Ramanuj:please don’t be …perhaps it IS A CRIME … to not being EDUCATED.
Sita:we are atleast doing one thing right …giving our son Govind an EDUCATION !! may be he will someday take become more successful than Mr. Raman … who knows he might take up his place in your office after Mr.Raman retires.Maybe he will have just as many peons working under him...just like Mr.Raman. That will be the happiest day of my life.

The End
Firstly, to you, Rickuda, buddy.God knows where I'd be if you weren't there for me. Owe you one.Secondly, oh well, there's nobody else on the list...just that one guy.