Thirst Daaham SCENE 1 (A thatched hut in a Dalit v pasu: Amma...O Amma Sits weavi She went No, my gone to fetch water ie come back yet? ‘What work does she have at Reddy’s house, leaving the child here? tata: To feed Pedda Reddy’s grandson. Why only today... she's been as adi is weeping here, why should she fee at? wa: Pedda Reddy's daughter-in-law doesn't have milk. Small baby ‘They asked her to come to feed him as he jing for mother’s lo s fellow. (Grumbles) We've nothing to cour own home but the tiger in the neighbourhood be fed!...Has Amma cooked before going for nara: Yes... she has. It isin that leit from the dogs. ums as he weaves the rope. Das that it’s empty Thirst 493 Those bitches beat me up. ead immediately) Beat you up...Wwho beat you up? That bloody woman lage is her fa mmx: Pedda Reddy's site sourawa: Because I went up to the wel ) What? You went up to What else could I do? Iw tcher and stood near the well. Not even a single bitch gave me water. It was getting late. My legs ached. How long could I wait? I asked every woman eto the well one pitcher of water into my vessel... I pl ingle my pleas. The sun was scorching. I ci to the well and tied the rope, that’s of them came running, broke my pitcher, pul nd beat me up. (Weeps and blo Motherfuckers! They are so proud. Day by day their atrocities are see what they are up to today ra Where n you imagine the con. @ to have a tussle with are? A quarrel with Pedda Reddy sequences? What do you know wh them? You are a child. asc: Whoever they may be, I don’t care... you want me to keep quiet ¢ is beaten up so badly ig...you don’t understand. You are an inexpe- ‘tknow yet what itis like to deal with these when Son, you are y rienced fellow and494 Staging Resistance big people. We know, because we have suffered... The whole village ‘must have come to know by now that your amima put the rope into Who knows what'll happen now. tands from Tata's grip.) What are you saying? You ‘ep quiet even when my amma gets beaten up? hly aside. Sou olds Tata when your naayana comes back. hing ten, Dasu tan ant male! What will you do, going there will you do, tell me? Who will you beat and who will you attack? What do yo hem? Listen, they are Reddys.. Jnderstand?.... How many years have we borne theit es were we beaten up by them...we why we h sourawaa: Yes, my son. That's true. Listen to your Tata. We'll alk about when your naayana comes back. Dor (She hugs him to stop him from rushing ow asv: Shit... Fuck your mother... (Throws away the staff grudgingly) SCENE 2 (Open space outside the hut. Pedda Mala, an elderly man of the L community, enters.) Narsaiah... Narsaiah (Comes from the hut) Hasn't come yet, Kakkay. Dasu has gone to see. Held be coming now. Come and sit. (Puts out the cot) EDDA MALA: | What shall I sit for, my dear. (Sits om the cot.) You have brought this disaster. souRaMMA: What have I dor ( the floor by the side of the cot arsaiah and Dasu Naisalat Why do you say so mi that yoursl Souranoea: What have I done? 1 waited by the well all morning, when nobody gave me water, I put the 1 that such a big mi Nassauatt: It is a terrible mistake and more than that, what you've done? Don't you know Thirst a quarrel with Pedda Reddy, there won't be any life left in your dy... what do you know? eats wi do you know that you tak ike tha? Standing for so long, my legs were almost collapsing... I pleaded with everybody. ‘was dying, waiting there in the hot sun. It was so late but not orason of abitch woul ; fly ..dust in your mouth If there's no water, we'd ‘inking urine. But now rasu: So, even when we talk among ourselves in our home, we have to speak softly? Is that also a mistake? What are you saying? And what ving by drinking urine? You are talking nonsense. ng in the river... We are low-caste people. We must remain where we should be. pasu: Why are you so scared? Why st with them. If’ like quarreling wi gon the carcass... the bitches ling abuses, saying whatever she wanted ...then the others surrounded me like barking dogs. You low-caste w hould not should not touch, actually the well is th beings in the theists ed my chet and threw me down, They beat me, ki led me by my hair broke my pitcher and said go and cry wherever you want. loudly.) to the wel... pt the rope ...called them pigs.496 Staging Resistance with. He wants me to bring along with your husband. (Gets up.) Don’t know he will find and how much he will ine us. Let’s go, ® Pedda Mala) Will you stop! Why should my ayya go? I won't im to go there, They are at fault, they started the quarrel... why wwe go? tara: My dear, what do you know, you are still a child. Our life is like the idiom of the thorn and the plantain leaf—our lives will be destroyed. ig to Pedda Mala) Take some more of our people along with you. rEDDA MaLA: 1 will do that asv: I will also come. FEDDA MALA: (Aneiously) Where? No, no; no need. We elders are here, aren't we, to take care. We'll go and talk. souramma: You stay back, son. Let the elders go. She goes to him and puts her hand on his shoulder.) (Narsaiah gets up and tries to wear sandals.) waa: (Shows exasperation) In which hole have you kept your head? You are going to meet Pedda Reddy, do you understand? What more trouble do you want to bring by going there wearing (Narsaiah throws off the sandals as if electrocuted.) SCENE 3 (Pedda Reddy sits in the chair. Three men stand around him.) eps ReDDY: What Yenkanna, have you sent word to Pedda Mala asking him to bring Narsigadu here? vevkanna: I went myself and told Pedda Mala in the afternoon, dora! He said he'll « you fellows, the more arrogant you become! You raise your eyes and talk to us these days and your ook shows pride! Have you gone blind? Don’t you know to whom are talking and what you are talking? You know whose status is what... who should stay where. You are forgetting the limits. As we leave you. you're crossing your limits day by day. (Turns to Narsaiah) What is it, you son of a bitch... you don’t have food to eat but you have grown horns. st 497 anianeDpy: Not onlyin their words and deeds have they grown... they are doing new things every day. Can't say with whose support PEDDA MatA: Please don't say that, Reddy. mitted a mistake, Think that it is the n caste. PEDDA REDDY: What Narsiga...raise your head. Why d Tt was a mistake, dora. She doesn't know. I wi make her understand properly. Please forgive us this that this mistake is never repeated. Fipps nepD': Which woman doesn’t know, fellow, t things? Your wife has given birth to four child doesn't know? Do you talk without knowing whom you are talking to and what you are talking? It seems you have forgotten the old stories.... You bitches and sons of bitches have eyes i This matter has gone too far. PeDDA matA: (Agitated) Nothing like that, Reddy EDDA REDDY: What is not like that? We may appeat knowingly she has com- jeness of the people of lesser 't you speak? tell her and Iwill see ‘meaning of these ‘That's why that bloody bitch blabbered that our women are pigs. If its not like that, how could s Tell me what should we do with that woman? Pen04 mata: (With folded hands) I will see that hereafter problem or any kind of trouble does not come from our Please leave her this time, at leastlooking at me... (Turns to Na ‘cross the limit and go up to the well? motherfucker! Will you die ifyou have no water one day? I've noticed, it’s only your wife who cannot wait at the well for water even for a day. to you for having married that kind of a wife. Now fall at Redd feet... fall and. ask for forgiveness... ansalan: (Immediately slaps himself goes and falls at dora’ fe forgive us and leave us this time, dora. We live at your mercy. ll see such things won't ever happen. I'll see that she doesnt go to the at all Props REDDY: I would have forgiven, if this were related to me alone. Pd have definitely forgiven. But this is connected with the village and the women of the village. This is connected to the traditions and fons followed in this village. If I forgive her and leave her today, tomorrow someone else will make a bigger mistake take more liberty... (Laughs spitefully.)