THE SQUARE CIRCLE

The play had its World Premiere at the Leicester Haymarket Theatre on November 11, 1999.
Written & Directed by: Timeri N. Murari.
Cast:
Sita Parminder Nagra
Lakshman/Lakshmi Rahul Bose
Mother/Parvati Vinny Dhillon
Ganesh/Man/Vikrant Nitin Ganatra
Devaka/Mala Harvey Virdi.

SYNOPSIS.
Procurers kidnap a village girl, SITA, from her village on the eve of her wedding. She manages to escape them, then finds herself lost. She meets a cross-dressing entertainer, LAKSHMAN/LAKSHMI, who won't help her to return home but instead gives her money. But on the lonely road, she's beaten up and raped, and he finds her after over hearing the man boasting. He nurses her to health, and in order to now make the journey safely, dresses her in man's clothes. They make the journey to her village, her as the man, him as the woman.

SCENE TWO

(Dawn. Mist. Lakshman enters, leaves bag, drops saree and enters 'water'. We see his back. She comes awake. She doesn't notice the cloth bag slightly behind her. Time has passed. She looks across the river. Then sees Lakshman) (Sita screams. He wades ashore. He's slim, good looking, wearing only a loin cloth and has long hair. He 'wipes' water from his face, squeezes out his hair. She tries to scramble away from him. Mist clears)
    SITA (weeps)God save me.

   (He stops and looks up and around.)

   LAKSHMI/LAKSHMAN (shrugs)See! God's never around when you need him.(He reaches
down towards her and she shuts her eyes tight)

   LAKSHMI/LAKSHMAN(continuing)Now look what you've done.
(She opens her eyes. She has crushed his cloth bag. He removes it, dries himself
with a small cloth and then ties a bodice round his waist. He picks up two cones of
foam rubber, cleans them, fits them into a bra and puts on the bra. He's humming
to himself. His actions, dressing like a woman, are matter-of-fact, her reaction is
amazement, momentarily driving out fear. He now slips on a choli, buttons it and adjusts his 'tits'.)

  LAKSHMI/LAKSHMAN(continuing)What's wrong? Haven't you seen anyone getting dressed before

  SITA(giggles, half cries)But not like the way you're dressing.

  LAKSHMI/LAKSHMAN: I know. I am very special.

  (SITA laughs. It's choked off, she starts to cry.)

  LAKSHMI/LAKSHMAN (continuing) Are you alright?

  SITA (angry) Of course not. Everything's wrong. (anguish) My heart hurts. It's squeezed
with fear. I've escaped the people who stole me away from my village. I've fallen into a
world I don't know.

  LAKSHMI/LAKSHMAN: The world is full of holes and we all fall through them.
(Pause) Look at me. I'm a man but inside is a very sexy woman. Now that's a very
deep hole to have fallen into.
(He gives her the end of an old sari to hold and takes the other. She does this reflexively,
a common task. They stretch the saree)

 SITA: My village is Chotapur. Do you know it?

 LAKSHMI/LAKSHMAN: One village is like another.

 SITA: It's near an old Vishnu temple.

 LAKSHMI/LAKSHMAN: Everywhere is near a temple but none of them are near god. (He puts on the old saree, tying it expertly.)

 SITA (desperate) How will I get home? I'm to be married today.

 LAKSHMI/LAKSHMAN: Poor girl. Marriage isn't a good reason to return home.

 SITA (angry)You don't understand. I'm stolen and lost and you're no help at all.

 LAKSHMI/LAKSHMAN:(adjusting saree) I never said I'd help.
(He sits, takes out a small mirror from his bag and hands it to her to hold. He peers
at himself critically.) (SITA turns the mirror to examine herself. He jerks it around and now starts applying kajal to his eyes.)

 SITA: How will I get home?

 LAKSHMI/LAKSHMAN: Walk.

 SITA: But in which direction?

 LAKSHMI/LAKSHMAN: I'm told the world is round as an orange. If you walk in a straight line, you'll end up where you began.

 SITA: Of what use is that to me when I don't know in which direction I should go.
(hopeful) You'll take me home?

 LAKSHMI/LAKSHMAN: Do I look like an aged uncle caring for lost children?
(checks mirror) I must be ageing fast.

 SITA: Then take me to your home. I'll be safe there.

 LAKSHMI/LAKSHMAN: I have none. This is all my home.

 SITA: (brightly) I know, the police will help.

 LAKSHMI/LAKSHMAN: (cynical laugh)You're a real innocent, if you believe that. They'll rape you backwards and forwards and sideways and then dump you in the rubbish like a sucked dry mango seed. (She starts to cry. The mirror shakes. He steadies her hand as he applies lipstick.)

 LAKSHMI/LAKSHMAN (continuing): Don't cry. Tears bore me.

 SITA: I'm afraid.

 LAKSHMI/LAKSHMAN: Afraid...I too used to be. Of hunger, of life, of death.
But then you realise fear is the only constant companion in your life and you might as well be friends.

 SITA: But how can I do that? (Weeps)

 LAKSHMI/LAKSHMAN: By believing life is illusion, fear too then becomes an illusion.

 SITA (after considering, angry) That's too high flown for me. You're useless. LAKSHMI/LAKSHMAN: (coy) That depends on how you see me. (He examines himself critically in the mirror then puts on anklets and bangles.

 SITA watches, he's going to leave.)

 LAKSHMI/LAKSHMAN (continuing; combs hair, knots it) Do you have any scent?

 SITA (angry):You must be mad too. Do you expect me to have scent on me while
running for my life? (sarcastic) Maybe you'd like some powder too?

 LAKSHMI/LAKSHMAN: No, I have that. (Takes out compact, powders his face. Puts it away, rummages around and then suddenly pulls out a knife and grabs at her throat. She's terrified. She screams.)

 LAKSHMI/LAKSHMAN (continuing): What about money? (a long menacing pause, then he laughs and hands her the knife) Here...use this to protect yourself from demons and cut their balls off. SITA (dramatically): Or I can kill myself. (she points the knife at her stomach) (He waits, watches.)

 LAKSHMI/LAKSHMAN: (after a pause) Hurry up and do it then so I can get my knife back.

 SITA: You're heartless.

 LAKSHMI/LAKSHMAN: I have one, but have better uses for it. (She throws down the knife, he picks it up and tucks the knife into her skirt top and caresses the skin around her belly.)

 LAKSHMI/LAKSHMAN (continuing): What beautiful skin! A pity to waste it on a woman. (He picks up his bag and gives her some money) Here, this is all I have. The road is there. Ask them for your village and catch the bus home. (He walks away, not looking back. The chink-chink of his anklets fade, and she's alone. The silence descends. She starts walking.)