Flames 1

Flames 2
Flames 3
Flames 4
Flames 5
Puppet 1
Puppet 2:
Sudha:
Chanderkant:
Wedding crowd 1:
Wedding crowd 2:
Wedding crowd 3:
Wedding crowd 4:
Wedding crowd 5:
Wedding crowd 6:
Mohan:
Mohan’s wife:
Vegetable seller 1:
Vegetable seller 2:
People 1:
People 2:
People 3:
People 4:
Flower seller:
Fish seller:
Fruit seller:
Cloths Seller:
Tea stall:
People at the tea stall 2:
Vegetable seller 1:
Vegetable seller 2:
Coconut seller 1:
Coconut seller 2:
Coconut seller 3:
Man on the horse:
Horse:
Man on the elephant:
Elephant:
Neighbour 1:
Neighbour 2:
Neighbour 3:

Singers come and sing an opening song. Katputli dance

Scene 1( Introduction of our main characters Chanderkant and Sudha.)

Flames1:Tonight’s dance was beautiful.

Flames 2: I have never seen such program in our village before.
Flames 3: Oh you already here, did you see the dance program?
Flames 4: The puppets had come from Rajasthan, to perform here. It seems they
travel all around telling stories and dancing.
Flames 5: I could not see the program, as my old master did not sleep, kept
pouring oil in the lamp, so I had to stay lit.
Flames 3: Same here, my cunning master was fighting with his ill wife, so I
missed the program too.
Puppet 1: (enter) I had heard when the lamps are put out in the village the flames
gather in a remote place and spend the night gossiping. So, there they are.
Puppet 2: I have never seen flames in their body, how beautiful they look!
Flames1: Oh look at the Puppets from tonight’s program.
Flames 3: Where?
Flames 2: They are coming our way; do we need to hide?
Flames 5: I don’t think so, let’s see what they have to say.
Flames 4: (bows at them) Tonight’s program was very entertaining.
Puppet 1 and Puppet 2: Thank you,
Puppet 2: Hope you all enjoyed it.
Flames 1: Yes, but only some of us could see the program.
Puppet 1: But why?
Flames 3: As you have guessed by now we are flames and we have to stay lit till
our master’s want.
Flames 5: That’s the reason we couldn’t see.
Puppet 2: I have never seen flames alive in my life.
Flames 3&5: We haven’t seen puppets alive in our life too. ( they all giggle)
Puppet1 (whispers in Puppet 2 ear): How about we put a show especially for
you?
Flames (all of the together): That would be great.
Flames 1: But at this hour we can’t have so much noise.
Puppet 2: We will tell you a tale, which was told to us by “story”.
Flames 2: Story?
Puppet 1: let me explain, I know of an old woman who knew a story and a song
but all these years she kept them to herself, never told the story nor sung the song.
Puppet 2: So, the story and the song were chocked inside her, imprisoned by her.
But one day when the old lady took her afternoon nap and started snoring, the
moment her mouth opened, story and song jumped out and hid in the attic.
Puppet 1: At night the story took a form of a young girl and the song became her
saree.
Flames 4: If you try to gag a story another story happens.
Flames 3: What happened to them?
Flames 5: Yes I am very excited to know.
Puppet 1: The young girl met us and told the story, but on a condition.
Flames 2: Condition? What condition?
Puppet 2: That we spread the story around and keep it alive by telling people.
Flames 4: By telling us the story you will get new audience.
Flames 1: But please make sure that the story is not too long as we would have to
get back to our respective masters.
Puppet 2: Done. Ready (all the flames take the place to listen to the story)
Puppet 1: This story is from the southern part of India, there lived a very
interesting man…
Puppet 2: His name was Chanderkant, he lived with his wife Sudha in a small
village near the seashore.
Puppet 1: They had been married for a long time and did not have any children.
Actually, they were children themselves. They kept fighting all the time.
Puppet 2: There was a big reason for them to fight as Chanderkant was a miser.
He was miser to the core.
Puppet 1: Actually, he was a Scrooge. Because of that there would be fights every
day.
Puppet 2: The whole village was aware of Chanderkant’s habit and they used to
make fun of him.
Sudha: Chander, Chander…..
Chanderkant: Coming… Yes what do you want?
Sudha: You are saying as if you will give me everything that I want.
Chanderkant: When we got married, I had told you, this is what I have, and now
you can’t expect moon from me.
Sudha: yeah, yeah… I always ask for Sun or Moon, what am I going to do with
that?
Chanderkant: Who knows? What will you do?
Sudha: Yeah, ideal mind is devil’s workshop.
Chanderkant: Ok ok, now tell, why you called me?
Sudha: Yeah, after all your bickering I should tell you also.
Chanderkant: I am going, don’t tell then.
Sudha: Ok, wait, I will tell… see a wedding invite has come from the other
village.
Chanderkant: Wedding invite? From who?
Sudha: You remember your friend from school, Mohan? His daughter is getting
married.
Chanderkant: That’s terrible news…
Sudha: Are you mad? Why is it terrible? Somebody is getting married why is it
bad.
Chanderkant: no no not that way, all I am saying is that we would have to go for
their wedding and spend money in going and coming and then on top of that we
would have to give them a gift. So much expanse.
Sudha: See if you don’t want to go, I have no problems, you can stay home and
save money, but I am going.
Chanderkant: You don’t understand the value of money, we both can’t afford to
go for this wedding.
Sudha: So don’t go. Save all the money you have.You are a miser; I don’t
understand why I had to marry someone like you.
Chanderkant: If I had not married you, I could have saved a lot of money.
Sudha: And with the savings what would you do? Sit on it.
Chanderkant: Yes, sit on it, sleep on it, dance on it, I will do whatever I want.
Puppet 1: I am sure you would have realized what was so peculiar about our
Chanderkant.
Puppet 2: He was a very big miser, he would never spend any money, because of
this habit his friends avoided him.
Puppet 1: His relatives stopped visiting their house, or even inviting them for any
occasion. Poor Sudha had no choice, but to follow him.
Puppet 2: Sudha had a big fight with Chanderkant about the wedding, but he did
not agree.
Puppet 1: So ultimately, it was Chanderkant who went to attend the wedding and
not Sudha, as Mohan was Chanderkant’s friend.

Scene 2

(The wedding)
Singers come and sing a wedding song.

Wedding crowd 1: Hello, Chanderkant, How are you?

Wedding crowd 2: Chanderkant, Sudha didn’t come with you ?
Wedding crowd 3: How can they both come for a function, you know they would
have to spend money for both their fairs.
Mohan: Hello, my dear friend Chanderkant, so good to see you come for my
daughter’s wedding.
Mohan’s wife: Chanderkant gaaru, why you came alone? Where is Sudha?
Chanderkant: oh Sudha! She is very unwell.
Mohan’s wife: Ayyo what happened to her?
Chanderkant: ( Thinks about some disease) hmmmmm…..Oh she has turned
vegan.
Mohan’s wife: Is vegan a new virus?
Wedding crowd 4: No no….She is allergic to wedding food.
(Giggles)
Wedding crowd 1: When you know then why you ask stupid questions.
Mohan: can you all leave Chanderkant alone.
Chanderkant: Thank you Mohan, Congratulations to both of you. (Mohan and
Chanderkant exit)( everyone laughs aloud)
Wedding crowd 6: For so many years I thought his wife was dead.
Wedding crowd 5: I know, even I thought it too, but last time when she came for
my mother’s funeral then I realized she was alive.
Mohan’s wife : Can all of you please stop teasing the poor man, now come this
way, please have food.

Scene 3
Puppet 1: When Chanderkant returned from the wedding Sudha was still angry
with him.
Puppet 2: She was upset, as he had gone alone for the wedding.
Chanderkant: Sudha….Sudha.. the wedding was very nice, and everybody asked
about you.
Sudha: I am not talking to you, keep all your stories with you.
Chanderkant: Listen na Sudha, the food was so delicious, that I ate and ate and
ate.
Sudha: Yeah I am sure, where do you get food and so many dishes to eat, I wish I
was there.
Chanderkant: But there was something which was the most delicious of them all
Sudha: most delicious???? Really? What was it?
Chanderkant: The coconut burfi…..ummmmmm…..
Sudha: Really? How was it so yummy?
Chanderkant: The burfi was made of pure ghee, hmmmmm ( trying to recall the
flavour) with perfect amount of sugar and that freshness of the coconut
hmmmmmm
Sudha: I can feel the taste in my mouth……yes coconut…..sugar…..and ghee
Chanderkant: and on top of it had some nuts…..it’s the most delicious coconut
burfi I have ever eaten in my life…..hmmmmmm

Singers dance around them “coconut burfi…..burfi….burfi…”

Neighbour 1: What are you dreaming Chanderkant?

Neighbour 2: nowadays he remains lost all the time.
Chanderkant: Yeah …yeah what is your problem.
Neighbour 3: Nothing… must be counting money in his dreams.
Neighbour 1: He didn’t take Sudha for the wedding…
Neighbour 2: But why did he not take her?
Neighbour 3: Because he had to pay extra train fair.( giggles)
(Neighbours exit, Chanderkant still dreaming about the burfi.)

Scene 4

Puppet 1: Day and night Chanderkant thought about the burfi.

Puppet 2: Even his dreams were full of coconut burfi.
Puppet 1: Fed up with the constant thinking about the coconut burfi Chanderkant
decided.
Chanderkant: Sudha… Sudha… I have decided something.
Sudha: What have you decided now?
Chanderkant: We will make Coconut burfi at home.
Sudha: coconut burfi! What a nice idea! (sarcastically) You hardly give me money
to buy vegetables, I have been cooking beans for a month now, that is also because
it grows at home. Now you want me to make Coconut burfi hummm.
Chanderkant: Beans are good for kidneys.
Sudha: And Coconut burfi ? is good for?
Chanderkant: Now listen!Tomorrow I will go to the market and buy coconut and
then you can make the burfi. Please buy rest of the things; I will give you money.
Sudha: I can’t believe my ears, is it true?
Chanderkant: Yes of course! We are having coconut burfi tomorrow.
Puppet 1: So, they decided that Chanderkant will go to the market and buy a big
Coconut.
Puppet 2: And Sudha will buy rest of the ingredients needed for the burfi.
Singer sings song
Vegetable Market

Fruit seller: Chanderkant good morning, how come you are here at the market?
Chanderkant: (makes a face) Just going for a walk.
Person 1: how much are the apples for.
Fruit Seller: ₹80 per kg, try the custard apple sir it’s really sweet.
Chanderkant: (to the person 1) Why you need so much sweetness at this age? You
will get diabetes.
Person 2: You mind your own business, actually you will get heart attack by
sitting on so much money.
Fruit Seller: Leave it sir, don’t bother, can I pack 2kg custard apples and 1 kg
bananas?
Chanderkant: Calm down old man, otherwise with sugar you will have blood
pressure as well.
Person 2: Who do you called old?
Person 1: Leave it Anna, let’s buy apples. Chanderkant is only miser with money
not with words.
Chanderkant: (walks) Mad fellow who eats fruits? I neither have money nor have
time to waste.
Fruit seller: why I had to see his face in the morning.

Vegetable seller 1: Fresh vegetables, green vegetables,

Vegetable seller 2: ten rupees, ten rupees, cheap and fresh tomatoes.
Vegetable seller 1: Chanderkant, are you here to buy vegetables? When was the
last time you came to the vegetable market?
Vegetable seller 2: 10 years back. Hahahahahahahahha
Chanderkant: Nobody needs your rotten vegetables; I have enough vegetables in
my farm.
Vegetable seller 3: Yes that 10 cents farm is so big that the whole village can get
their vegetables from there. ( giggles)

Tea Stall owner: Chanderkant, care for a cup of tea?

Tea stall person 1: Why your Happy Hour have started?
Tea stall person 2: (reading the newspaper) The nation wants to know will
Chanderkant spend money for the tea? ( giggles)
Tea stall owner: Keep quite you two.
Chanderkant: No Rama, I don’t want tea, I am in hurry.
Tea stall person 1: Yeah, he is in hurry to save money.
Tea stall person 2: Which he will never spend. (laughs)
Tea Stall Owner: Enough!
Flower seller: Flowers…fresh flowers jasmine, marigolds, (local flower name)
….flowers…. beautiful …. Fragrant…
(Chanderkant bends down and smells)
Person 3: Can I have 4 garlands, fresh ones, yes these marigold ones.
Flower seller: 25 rupees each.
Chanderkant: (speaking to himself) 25 rupees! I can plant a tree and enjoy the
flowers. Waste of money.
Person 4: pack 2 of these (local name for flowers worn on hair) as well.
Fish seller: fresh fish…. Pomfret…Salmon …Basa (different fish) come come
fresh catch…..fresh water fish…machali jal ki Rani hai, Shaam ko tal Ke khani
hai, machali jal ki rani hai”. Can I pack some fish?
(Chandrakant shakes his head and exits )
Puppet 1: The taunts of the people had tired Chandrakant for years.
Puppet 2: He had decided to ignore them for a long time.
Puppet 1: He brought back his focus to the task in hand and walked towards the
Coconut seller.
Chanderkant: (Picks up a coconut and checks it) How much for this coconut?
Coconut seller 1: This one is for 25 rupees?
Chanderkant: Oh my God! 25 rupees? I am going to faint now.
Coconut seller 1: See Chanderkant I know you very well, you will never spend so
much money on the coconut, so what is best for you is, you walk for 10 kms and
there you will find a coconut grove, there you will find the coconut for 10 rupees.
Chanderkant: Hmmm, that’s a good idea, I will walk.

Singer sing

Cloth merchant: where are you going in such a hurry? What happened?
Chanderkant: I am going to the coconut groove.
Cloth merchant: Oh, that’s another 3 kms ahead. Are you going to buy lots of
coconut?
Chanderkant: No, just one coconut.
Cloth merchant: So far for just a coconut? Why what happened to the coconut
sellers in the village?
Chanderkant: They all are cheats, they always overcharge.
Cloth merchant: I am sure at the coconut grove; the seller will give you good
price.
Puppet 1: So, our Chanderkant walked for 10 kms.
Puppet 2: For that one coconut which could cost less.
Puppet 1: And finally, Chanderkant reached the second coconut seller.
Chandrakant: How is one coconut for?
Coconut seller 2: One for 15 rupees.
Chandrakant: One for 15 rupees? Have you lost your mind? You are sitting at the
coconut grove and selling coconut at such a loot rate?
Coconut seller 2: You want to buy, buy…otherwise don’t give me any lecture pl
ease. I know how to do my business.
Chandrakant: I am sure you know, but can you give me the coconut for 5 rupees?
Coconut seller 2: That is not possible, but what you can do is to go 10 kms and
there is another coconut grove, where you will get the coconuts for 5 rupees.

Puppet 1: By this time Chanderkant was tired.

Puppet 2: but he did not want to miss the opportunity of buying coconut for rupees
5.
Puppet 1: So, he walked and walked.

Coconut seller 3: Coconuts, cheap coconuts.

Chandrakant: How much for one coconut?
Coconut seller 3: 5 rupees.
Chandrakant: 5 rupees? I have walked 20 kms to buy such small coconut for 5
rupees.
Coconut seller 3: Sir I can only sell it for that much, I don’t care how long you
have traveled.
Chandrakant: ok, give it to me for 2 rupees.
Coconut seller 3: No that is not possible, don’t expect me to sell it for free, if you
want it for free then go 10 km near the beach there are a lot of coconut trees you
can pluck as many as possible.
Chandrakant: Really? I can get it for free?
Coconut seller 3: yes you can get it for free.
Chandrakant: done, thank you friend.

Puppet 1: So, Chanderkant started walking with new energy.

Puppet 2: After all he was getting it for free and for free Chanderkant can go
anywhere.
Puppet 1: So even though he had to walk for another 10 kms, he was ready.
Puppet 2: When Chanderkant reached finally, he saw so many trees loaded with
Coconuts.
Puppet 1: Chanderkant was very happy to see the coconuts on the tree.
Puppet 2: And decided to climb up and up to get the fattest coconut.
Puppet 1: The wind was blowing really hard, with one blow Chanderkant lost his
balance.
Puppet 2: Now Chanderkant was hanging by the coconut he was holding firmly.
Chandrakant: Help….. help …someone, sir please help me
(Man on the elephant was passing by)
Mahout: I have no time to help you, I have to go.
Chandrakant: Sir please help, catch my leg, please stand on your elephant and
help me get down.
Mahout: Ok…. I will help you, but you have to give me 100 rupees.
Chandrakant: 100 rupees? For helping? Are you mad? It’s good to help people.
Mahout: You decide fast, you want me to help you or not?
Puppet 2: Chanderkant was thinking, but suddenly another blow of wind came.
Chandrakant: Ok…ok… I will pay you 100 rupees, please help me to get down.
Stage direction: Elephant leaves from underneath them.
Mahout: Oh….my raja…where are you going… don’t leave your master
alone…..look what have you done now?
Chandrakant: What did I do now? Your elephant left you and put us in this
position.
Mahout: Don’t you dare blame my elephant, he is like my son
Chandrakant:Then why did he leave you?
Mahout: We are surely going to fall and break our bones, fight later and look for
help. Help….help
(Man on the horse is passing by.)
Mahout: Brother, please help, we are going to fall.
Chandrakant: Help…. Please
Horseman: I am very sorry I cant help, I am in a big hurry.
Chandrakant: Helping others is a very good thing.
Horseman: No….no sorry no time.
Mahout: Please don’t go, he will give you 500 rupees to get us down.
Chanderkant: You are out of your mind, why should I pay him so much to help.
Man on the elephant: Then you can stay up, but I want to get down and I am here
stuck because of you. Mind you, you have to pay the money for me.
Chanderkant: I am not going to pay him any penny.
Man on the horse: I am going, you guys and fight as much as you want.
Man on the elephant: Please… please don’t go, please get us down.
Chanderkant: I cant hold any longer, please help us, stand on your horse and pull
us down.
Missing bit: man on the horse agreeing and getting on the horse.
Man on the horse: Oh.. my dear horse… where are you going? Come
back….comeback.
Man on the elephant: Now look what have you done.
Chanderkant: What did I do, his horse left him, I was ready to pay him 500
rupees also.
Man on the elephant: Could you not ask your horse to wait, why did you let him
run.
Man on the horse: I don’t know, he must have gotten scared.
Puppets instead of narrators
Narrator 1: All three of them hanging on a coconut tree.
Narrator 2: Fight and arguing about whose fault It was.
Narrator 1: A strong gush of wind came and Chanderkant’s hand slipped.
Chanderkant: ahhhhhhh…..
Man on the elephant: ayyoooooooo
Man on the horse: Ammmaaaaa

Narrator 1: All of them fell down, along with the coconuts.

Narrator 2: Chanderkant could not even get up to collect the fallen coconuts.
Narrator 1: All he thought about was the broken bones.
Narrator 2: And how much would be the hospital bill be of all of them.
Narrator 1: It took two thousand rupees of hospital bill and two months for
Chanderkant to get back to his feet.
Narrator 2: What an expensive the coconut turned out to be.

Singers sing.

The End