Gandhi Jayanti Script

Speaker: Good Morning Respected Principal Ma’am Mrs. Wilhelmina Athaide, Teachers, and my
fellow students. On occasion of the 153rd Birth Anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, I welcome you all on
behalf of the students and teachers of Grade 4. Today, we have all gathered here to pay homage to a
charismatic personality and learn more about him through some lesser-known stories that paved his
journey towards becoming the Father of the Nation.

Scene 1:
(Classroom Setting: Students are running, shouting. Teacher enters...)
(M1) Teacher (Dhiyaan): Good Morning children. (Children are still making mischief, do not listen.
Teacher a little louder) GOOD MORNING children. (Children run back to their seats.)
(M2, M3, M4, M5, M6, M7, M8) Students: Good Morning Sir.
(M2) Jeevika: Sorry Sir we didn’t realise you have already entered class.
(M1) Teacher (Dhiyaan): I noticed that, you all were too busy making merry early in the morning. Let's
calm you all down with some music. Come, sit down comfortably in a circle. (Children sit down or on
the chairs.) Now relax, shut your eyes and try to connect your mind and soul with the beats of the
music that I shall play now.

(Musical) - Instrumental Piece – Hey Ram Hey Ram

(Music piece ends. Students will remain seated till the instruments are cleared off the stage.)
(M1) Teacher (Dhiyaan): Have you heard this piece before?
(M3) Amartya: Sir, this is the tune of the bhajan, (sing a little) ‘Hey Ram! Hey Ram!’ I had heard this
bhajan last year in our music class.
(M1) Teacher (Dhiyaan): Great! Who is the person who heard this bhajan every evening?
(M4) Aarit: Ms. Nejal. She told us this is her favourite bhajan. (Everyone laughs.)
(M1) Teacher (Dhiyaan): (Giggling) Sorry, but I meant to ask, which famous personality from the
yesteryears heard this bhajan every evening?
(Children pretend to think.)
(M5) Puneet: (hesitantly) Sir I think it was Gandhiji.
(M1) Teacher (Dhiyaan): Absolutely correct Puneet, well done. Let’s take this a little further, we will
play a simple ‘one word game’. Each one of you will give me a word that connects or has some meaning
in the life of Gandhiji. Ready to begin.
(Children nod and will pretend to think for a few moments. Students will start saying one after the
other.)
(M2) Jeevika: Satyagraha
(M4) Aarit: Ahimsa
(M3) Amartya: Charkha
(M5) Puneet: Sabarmati
(M6) Mikhail: Dandi
(M7) Jian: Bapu
(M8) Aaliyah: Swadeshi
(M1) Teacher (Dhiyaan): Super! What is the context of this game? Why did we play it now?
(M2) Jeevika: Sir because tomorrow is the 2nd of October, Gandhi Jayanti.

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(M1) Teacher (Dhiyaan): That’s correct. So now let us start the second round of the game. The student
sitting on your right will elaborate on the significance of the word you mentioned in Gandhiji’s life.
Aarit, please repeat what I said.
(M4) Aarit: So sir means that suppose I said Ahimsa, but Amartya will explain the context of this word
in Gandhiji’s life.
(M1) Teacher (Dhiyaan): Correct. Amartya let’s start with you.
(M3) Amartya: Gandhiji believed in non-violence i.e. ahimsa and never used weapons against the
British.
(M5) Puneet: (Asking Amartya) What was your word? (Amartya repeats charkha) Oh yes! So...
hmmmm... yes... Gandhiji used to spin his own cloth using a charkha.
(M6) Mikhail: The word is Sabarmati. Gandhiji lived a simple life at the Sabarmati Ashram where he
practiced and preached self-service.
(M7) Jian: Dandi, Dandi, Dandi… (whispering in Mikhail’s ear) Does Dandi mean a dandi... like a stick?
(M1) Teacher (Dhiyaan): Oh no no! Dandi the place.
(M7) Jian: Oh okay! (Pretends to think then gets the answer.) Gandhiji went from Sabarmati to Dandi
to protest the Salt Act. He picked a pinch of salt and broke the act.
(M8) Aaliyah: What was the Salt Act?
(M4) Aarit: The Salt Act was a tax imposed by the British on salt.
(M8) Aaliyah: Oh okay. Now I remember from the play on Dandi March. Okay, now my turn. What
was the word? (Jian repeats Bapu) Gandhiji is considered as the Father of the Nation and was fondly
known as Bapu.
(M2) Jeevika: Aaliyah said swadeshi, so Gandhiji asked all Indians to give up foreign goods and use
only swadeshi goods.
(M4) Aarit: (confidently) Satyagraha means to fight against the British rule without weapons and war
but by means of silent protests and fasts.
(M1) Teacher (Dhiyaan): I am extremely impressed with the amount of knowledge you all have about
Gandhiji. This goes to show that you have taken keen interest in your learning. Now let us take our
learning a little further. Time for Round 3. We will now take on independent research and try to gather
some more information on Gandhiji, which is lesser known. How do you think this will help us?
(M3) Amartya: Sir we will get a chance to learn more about Gandhiji and his philosophy.
(M1) Teacher (Dhiyaan): Good. What are the diverse ways in which we can look up for information?
(M5) Puneet: We can go to the L.R.C. and read some books about his life.
(M6) Mikhail: We can also use digital media and search about him on the internet.
(M1) Teacher (Dhiyaan): Lovely! So now, each one of you will research in your own way about the life
of Gandhiji and try to gather some lesser-known facts about him. You will identify any one anecdote
from his life that interests you the most. When we meet next, you can narrate the story to the class.
(Students agree, nod heads. Class disperses.)

Scene 2:
(Students trying to research in diverse ways, some reading books and making notes, some searching
on the tab/laptop/mobile and some speaking to their elders. They pretend to work for some time,
then walk out while they work.)

Scene 3:
(Next day at school. Students are seated in a semi-circle again.)

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(M1) Teacher (Dhiyaan): How was the experience of the research? (All students speak at once in
excitement.) Whoo-hoo! Are we forgetting the essential agreements? Can someone please remind
the class about it?
(M2) Jeevika: Raise your hand before speaking and listen to others when they speak.
(M1) Teacher (Dhiyaan): Thank you so much Jeevika for the reiteration. Yes, Aarit, you begin by
sharing your experience.
(M4) Aarit: Sir you won’t believe, I just couldn’t stop reading. There are so many stories and anecdotes
about Gandhiji, we have never heard of them.
(M3) Amartya: I always saw him as a freedom fighter, but these new findings have enlightened me a
lot about the self.
(M5) Puneet: It was so difficult to pick one. All of them were different and inspiring.
(M1) Teacher (Dhiyaan): That’s half a mission accomplished then. Let us now listen to each other and
gain more knowledge. Mikhail, you can begin by sharing your work.
Puneet: (Pretends to read.) (The scene will be enacted while the other students will remain seated on
stage. See Hindi script attached.)
(After the enacting ends, all students exchange looks in awe.)
(M7) Jian: This is really shocking! I mean the father of the nation, washing someone else’s clothes. I
don’t even put my clothes in the laundry bag, let alone washing them.
(M1) Teacher (Dhiyaan): It’s so brave of you to admit that. We all depend on our house help for the
littlest of things. And Gandhiji, at whose disposal was the entire nation, did not shy away from doing
another person’s laundry. What action can we take to adopt this practice in our lives too?
(M2) Jeevika: Sir we can take a pledge to do any one personal chore ourselves and not rely on our
house help for it.
(M4) Aarit: We can also fix days in the week when it would be the responsibility of one family member
to do a certain job, like say laying the dinner table.
(M3) Amartya: I will wash mine and my entire family’s clothes, too.
(M1) Teacher (Dhiyaan): (chuckles) That will be too much of help, but maybe you can learn to operate
the washing machine for now. Gandhiji always preached self-service. We can use his teachings to bring
a new dawn to our lives, let us all try to make a new beginning, (say dramatically) ek nai shuruwaat.....
(Song – Nayee Shuruwaat)
Now let us move on to the next story. Jeevika, you can..... (Interrupted by Aaliyah).
(M8) Aaliyah: Sir I am very sorry, but I can’t stop myself from saying this, in this story, I felt Gandhiji
humiliated Lalaji. (Everyone exchanges looks and hushes and whispers. Student stammers and carries
on.) Sir I mean to say, Lalaji was also a great freedom fighter like him, he could have surely told him
to wash his own clothes. I am certain Lalaji wouldn’t have declined, I mean, ya, why not just tell him
directly.
(M1) Teacher (Dhiyaan): Okay, this is your perspective, and I don’t want to put you off for choosing
to speak your mind. For now, may I ask you to reflect on your thoughts and maybe we could speak
again later? (Aaliyah nods.) Jeevika, start with your story.
(M2) Jeevika: Sir I don’t have a story but instead an incident which shows us another side of Gandhiji.
(Pretends to read.) (The scene will be enacted while the other students will remain seated on stage.
See Hindi script.) (The second act ends, and everyone laughs.)
(M4) Aarit: That was so witty of him. But that really makes me wonder, why did kings and queens
wear so many clothes? I mean didn’t they feel hot? (Everyone laughs.)

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(M1) Teacher (Dhiyaan): Alright, should we move on to the next one. (Aaliyah shyly raises hand again.)
(Everyone looks at her grimly.)
(M8) Aaliyah: Sir I feel the same way about this story, too. He could have spoken to the reporters
politely. Like you wouldn’t like if I came to school in my pyjamas. I know of his pledge to not put clothes
on his body until he attained freedom for the nation, but still, I mean, I don’t know....
(M5) Puneet: (Rudely) Even I am sorry to say but you are not being kind either. You are talking about
the Father of the Nation. At least show some respect.
(M1) Teacher (Dhiyaan): Okay, okay, timeout guys. We will discuss about this once we get done with
the third story.
(M6) Mikhail: (Timidly) Sir should I start. (Clears throat while everyone else is looking at Aaliyah with
mean eyes. Pretends to read. The scene will be enacted while the other students will remain seated
on stage. See Hindi script.)

(M7) Jian: (sarcastically) So Aaliyah, surely there must be something wrong in this one too? (All
children laugh, Aaliyah shies out.)
(M1) Teacher (Dhiyaan): This session is getting heated. I think we must wind up. And for you Jian, I
am the teacher here. Please can you allow me to handle such situations. Each one has their own
perspective and have a right to voice it. Whether it is right or wrong, we shall debate over it in some
other class. Quickly head for the music class. (Aaliyah gets up too) Aaliyah, please wait back. We need
to talk. (Other students move out. Dhiyaan and Aaliyah stay back.) Yes dear, come sit down. Tell me
what didn’t work for you.
(M8) Aaliyah: (starts crying) I know sir I have said something inappropriate. I know I am talking about
Gandhiji, and he is the greatest personality of all times. But I could not help myself from making these
observations. While I was researching, I came across many articles which highlighted another side of
him, stories that prove otherwise of his greatness. Now, in the last story of Manu, he sent a 16-year-
old girl all the way back to simply fetch a stone! Why couldn’t he just use another stone instead. I
understand he wanted to teach her responsibility, but wasn’t this too harsh?
(M1) Teacher (Dhiyaan): I understand your confusions. What I feel is your thinking has been blocked
due to the negative stories you read. It could be possible that you didn’t use authentic and reliable
sources for the research. What we can do is, take this book and start your research again with an open
mind. As stated by Macaulay, “Half knowledge is worse than ignorance.”
(Aaliyah accepts the book. Disperse.)

Scene 4:
(Aaliyah is at home sitting on the sofa and staring at the book. Opens and shuts it again. Throws it on
the sofa, walks around, comes back, sits, and picks up the book. Begins reading.)
(On the screen, play the sand-art clipping on mute Gandhi Sand Art - YouTube)
(While the video plays, the Aaliyah will keep changing positions, reading engrossedly. Lies down on
the sofa, book on chest, falls asleep.)

Dream sequence:
((Gandhi walks across the stage... reciting the first 2 lines of the song. (English Song speechless the
song will pick up from here.))
(Gandhi walks in reciting last 2 lines of the song. Aaliyah sits up rubbing her eyes, Gandhi sits next to
her. She tries to run but Gandhi smiles and holds her back.)

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(M8) Aaliyah: (scared) You are not real! You are not real! I am dreaming... yes, I am dreaming! You
can’t be real.
(M12) Gandhi (Ishaan): (smiling) Yes, you are dreaming, but does that also mean that I am not real?
(M8) Aaliyah: Are you here to tell me off for thinking wrongly about you? You must be upset as I was
not idolising you like everyone else does.
(M12) Gandhi (Ishaan): No, no, not at all! (laughing) Infact, I appreciate the opinions of others. It helps
me to better myself. I feel happy when someone sees my human side as well. We all make mistakes,
but what is important that we must reflect and learn from them and apply the new learning to our
life. I did that well, I can say that, hence I became the idol of the masses.
(M8) Aaliyah: So, you came back to India to become an idol, to become famous?
(M12) Gandhi (Ishaan): Frankly speaking, that was not my intention. I am no God, no Mahatma. It is
the people who made me one. I am also like a commoner, went to London for further studies, settled
and lived in South Africa for 21 years. I wanted to earn money and live a luxurious life.
(M8) Aaliyah: I am sure you would have been well off in a foreign country.
(M12) Gandhi (Ishaan): Well off for sure, well off to afford first-class travel, well-off to have better
clothes to meet the king (both chuckle), well-off to live a life full of luxuries. But that one day on the
train in South Africa changed my entire life. That day I thought, what is the point of all these
qualifications if eventually I must be judged because of my colour and not my ability? That day, I
realised that one cannot simply live for themselves. We must be the change we want to see in the
world. Hence, I decided to stand up for the oppressed, for the ones who cannot fight for themselves
or need a guiding light. People started seeing strength and hope in my ways, hence they made me
their father. I lead the way to freedom, like a father would lead his children. My ways might have been
unusual, but my intentions were always well guided.
(M8) Aaliyah: (sobs softly) I am extremely sorry Bapu. Indeed, you have righteously earned this title
of the “Father of the Nation.’ Thank you for this conversation, it made me realise my mistake, too. I
blindly relied on information I read on some random site. I don’t even know who authored the piece
and how authentic it was! I forgot my lessons on digital literacy; we should not go to unauthorised
sites. Instead, we must critically evaluate information for its value and authenticity.
(M12) Gandhi (Ishaan): I am glad I could be a guiding light once again even in my afterlife! (Both smile,
Aaliyah touches Gandhi's feet. Move out.)

(Dance on Gandhi Telegu song)