The Red Prophet: A Play by Atamjit Singh

A Preface by Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o

As a child growing up in the Kenya of the 1950’s, I remember adults in the village, whispering about an Indian Prophet who said that Independence or Uhuru would certainly come to the African people. This assertion, coming at the height of the repression of the Kenyan people by the white settler colonial state, was almost too bold to comprehend. It came across as myth, but it had the suggestive power of something coming from God, passed on the people of Kenya, through this Indian prophet. I have written about this mythic Makhan Singh in my memories of Childhood, titled, Dreams in a Time of War.

But it was not myth, it was real.  Makhan Singh was the first person  to call for Uhuru Sasa for Kenya and other East African territories, and fearlessly defended the call at his political trial. Though an adherent of non-violence, still his prophetic call must have given hope and encouragement to the young men who had begun to train for the armed struggle that would later become known as Mau Mau. Kenya Land and Freedom Army was actually the name of the armed resistance, but the British coined the more mystical sounding Mau Mau. By the time the actual armed struggle began in and around 1952, and a State of Emergency declared, Makhan Singh was already exiled in Lodwar, Northern Kenya, where Jomo Kenyatta and the entire leadership of the anti-colonial nationalist resistance would later join him. For many years, he remained this mythic figure in my mind. I never thought I would ever meet him in real life. But I did once, in Nairobi, at a conference of the Kenya Historical Association to which I had been invited to speak.  It was nine years after Independence, the Uhuru Sasa, he had prophesied and for which he had been imprisoned for more than ten years. I had already published my novels, Weep Not Child, The River Between, and A Grain of Wheat, and he had published his History of Kenya Trade Union Movement in Kenya.

The prophet of my childhood, the legend of Kenyan struggle, was this humble, this unassuming presence, but for me, no less impressive for looking ordinary.  He was after all the ordinary who did extraordinary things, ever since, he set foot in Kenya in 1927. He would later involve himself in the politics of the working class; he would become known as the father of trade unionism in Kenya.

His remarkable story is the subject of this play, The Red Prophet, by Atamjit. It is epic in scope and conception, and Brechtian in its unfolding. It covers Makhan Singh’s entire life in Kenya, but then his life is the life of the country, his story is the history of Kenya, his aspirations, those of the struggling peoples in Kenya, Africa and the world. His extraordinary life in the struggle is best summed by one of the characters: In his blood I saw nothing but humanity, only humanity.

The play is a fitting tribute to Makhan Singh. It is even more fitting that Mount Kenya, after which the country is named, is actually a character in this epic. The play is also an important addition to the literature of resistance, a tribute to the power of working people of the world, irrespective of their race and religion.

** 

Atamjit Singh 

The Red Prophet: A Play

(Translated from Punjabi by B.S.Parihar & Manmohan)

(Mount Kenya, Makhan Singh, Sudh Singh, Spectator (Hindpal Singh), Gopal Singh,  Khushki, Jugna, Kabini, Old Woman, Giant, Narrator (Voice), Mota Singh, Gujjar Singh,  Ghulam Mohammad, Satwant Kaur, Ghadri, Gahir, Beant Singh, Muthu, Justice Thacker,  Attorney General, Atieno) 

Scene 1: 2008  

(An old man with African looks appears on the stage. He looks  experienced, wise and farsighted. With his entry the map of East  Africa becomes visible on the screen by a projector. As he continues  speaking, a series of tableaux is seen) 

Mount Kenya : I am Mount Kenya, have lived a long life. Million years ago, I was a  volcano. So, most of my limbs are singed. Now, I am laden with snow,  as I am quite tall, some 17-18 thousand feet. Beautiful animals dwell in  my deep woods. Here lives dense population of Kikuyu clan. Jomo  Kenyatta, first President of free Kenya, sprang from my womb. At  close glance I can see afar. A little distance away, 400 miles towards  the east is the port of Mombasa, touching the Indian Ocean. Behind my  back, towards distant east, is seen the western coast of India, the area  of Gujarat and Goa. Straight in front down there is the city of  Nairobi… glittering… full of life. Over half of Kenya is embraced  towards both its east and west ends. The rail line connecting Mombasa  in east and Kisumu in the west was laid down by the Punjabis. I have  seen humans and animals…. roaming and roaring…. settling and  fleeing… doing and dying…all around. I stand witness to sailing  seasons and passing generations… have seen paupers coming here as  straws and roaring into the dens of fortune. I am also witness to the  sinking logs of woods as their moral fiber was really considerable. 

(Chorus sings) 

Chorus : Lions grappled with the lions 

On tedious terrains and not for whiles  

Toiled tireless Hindi workers  

To run trains miles and miles 

Set on thorny voyage Kenya 

Sudh Singh of the rivers five

Landed first port Mobassa 

Then Nairobi they arrive 

Year Nineteen Twenty Eight  

Printing cards and paper files  

 Toiled tireless Hindi workers  

 To run trains miles and miles 

Scene 2: 1931 

Makhan Singh : Father! I want to study more. 

Sudh Singh : Chunni Lal told me you are one of the brightest students of the Jamhuri  School. Still, 10th standard is not inadequate. 

Makhan Singh : I want to be in Britain to get a degree. 

Sudh Singh : Son, I could bring you only up to Kenya. I can‟t afford your studies in  England. Share my burden now. I can‟t handle the printing business at  my own. 

Makhan Singh : You own a shop now! Why don‟t you employ someone? 

Sudh Singh : Be logical. We get occasional printing jobs in Swahili. Only our  languages feed us. But I can‟t manage that compositor. Even if I get  one, what will I save and what would you eat? 

Makhan Singh : I‟m not shirking responsibility, but I aspire to prove my worth after  getting a degree. 

Sudh Singh : (Irritated) Then be off to England. Jomo Kenyatta is also there… with  Ishar Das… who collected the funds for him. Cringe before them…  and forget about your family. 

Makhan Singh : Excuse me! You renounced home after begetting a daughter and came  back when she was no more. I‟m still single, my father! 

Sudh Singh : That was my folly! But why should you repeat that? O my crazy son!  I‟m not your enemy; you‟re my blood. When you get into the mire of  Hindustan and England, and when you talk of East and South Africa I  really feel scared. 

Makhan Singh : Why weren‟t you scared when you left India for Kenya; that too for  Uganda Rail? They were also sons of their mothers who faced  ferocious lions to lay down the rail track, and that too, twenty years  before you came! 

Sudh Singh : One never fears for oneself, fear is always of the children! I don‟t  know anything but composing words. The black ink gets them printed.  This blackness is our life. 

Makhan Singh : But I see light in this blackness. The black words glow like fireflies.  The hymns of Gurus say the same.

Sudh Singh : But even then the matter is not so simple! 

Makhan Singh : Nothing is simple my Father! One can still do a lot. That short man  like me, coming from India, caused great upheaval in South Africa. He  is also in England for the round-table conference. 

Sudh Singh : Don‟t throw hints of England time and again. My mind is not stable.  You won‟t go anywhere. Start working in the Khalsa Press right from  tomorrow. 

Makhan Singh : (Contemplating; with firm mind) Okay. I will. What‟ll be my wages?

Sudh Singh : The owners have profits, not wages. 

Makhan Singh : But I‟ll be there as a worker only. 

Sudh Singh : Alright! Be there from tomorrow; you‟ll get twenty shillings a month! 

(Chorus begins to sing, but a spectator in the audience stands up in  his seat and speaks) 

Spectator : Excuse me, I have something to say. 

Chorus : Yes, please. 

Spectator : In fact, you‟ve missed something significant. 

Chorus : What‟s that? 

Spectator : Name of the classmate of Makhan Singh at Jamhuri School was  Chunni Lal Madan, and he was the first Chief Justice of the Supreme  Court of independent Kenya….and the Jamhuri was known as Duke of  Gloucester School then. 

Chorus : Thanks for this information. 

Spectator : Jomo Kenyatta is alright but please also talk of Odinga , who was the  country‟s first Vice President. 

Chorus : His mention is there. Please take your seat. 

(Spectator moves back. Chorus sings) 

Chorus : Sailing on the howling waves 

Oceans saw Punjabis plenty 

Unloading their trade Gujarati 

Dawn of the century twenty 

What a sinister colonial plan 

Full of venom and the bile 

Toiled tireless Hindi workers  

To run trains miles and miles

Scene 3: 1932 

Gopal Singh : Though iterating peace, Gandhi is still doing a good job… fasting  against untouchability and bringing out a magazine „Harijan‟. He has  turned Sabarmati into a big base against castes. 

Makhan Singh : He is a resolute man, Gopal Singh Ji! But why did he leave South  Africa? 

Khushki : I tell you. 

Gopal Singh : Stop, Khushki. (To Makhan Singh) Eventually, we too will go back.

Makhan Singh : Many a time. One has to come and go to survive, but we‟re to die here. 

Gopal Singh : Why? Why can‟t we go back? Hindustan is our country. Rather our  goal is its independence. 

Khushki : Definitely we‟ll go… by boarding the ships….riding on the  Bacchus…fumbling and tumbling…bustling and rustling… staggering  and spewing… straight to Bombay.  

Gopal Singh : Eh, shut your mouth! It‟s not for spewing, but time to talk straight. 

Makhan Singh : If we are to turn back, then why so many Gurdwaras (Sikh Temple), Gopal Singh! Leave aside Nairobi. Now Gurdwaras have come up in  places like Makindu, Mbarara and Tororo, and many more are coming  up elsewhere. 

Khushki : Why so naive Makhan Singh? What‟s bad about it? It‟s rather good  that Gurdwaras have come up…we shall bow down our heads…who  else‟s there to redeem our boozing? Moreover, there we get  sweetmeats and partake of langer (free meals in Gurdwara) to our fill.  Bhai Labh Singh will do spiritual singing. Who will be there to listen  to my jokes man? 

Gopal Singh : (To Makhan Singh) I mean everybody is bound by his own  circumstances. Work hard here, we will support you. Your poems are  heard with relish at Gurdwaras. People respect you. Your verse on  Guru Nanak has become a household rage today. You command  respect. 

Khushki : Why not? They have published it. Just publish my jokes and then see! I  bet they would be heart throbs. Else you may name me just anything. 

Makhan Singh : We‟ll definitely listen to your jokes, but this is not the time.. 

Khushki : One is drowned in grim talks, Sirs! Where does a rat stand? Nowhere!  Only the elephant doesn‟t get drowned. You‟re still youthful Makhan  Singh! Listen to a new joke. A fresh out of the boat, shall I proceed? 

Makhan Singh : Yes, go ahead with your joke… of the elephant and the rat.

Gopal Singh : Neither the elephant leaves him nor the rat gets out of him.

Khushki : Correct! (Starts narrating) The elephant was bathing in a pond. A puny  rat called from the brink, “Big Bro! Please lend me your ear for a  while.” 

Gopal Singh : Then. 

Khushki : The elephant retorted, “Come on.” “No, brother. You just come out,  otherwise it would be bland.” Though it was dry outside, the elephant  decided to listen to him from a closer range. The more it moved closer  to the brink, the more the rat would dither back. By the time half of the  elephant‟s frame became visible, the frail rat meekly mumbled, “Go  back, brother, have fun! I am done.” The elephant angrily asked, “Now  what ominous happened?” “No, brother. In fact, my underwear is not  there. I thought you wear it. But you seem to be naked!” 

(Both laugh) 

Gopal Singh : No nonsense now. Else you are exposed! 

Makhan Singh : Gopal Singh! I see no difference between India and Kenya. We are rats  here and rats there. The White elephant is plundering us at both the  places. English elephant is looting. We share the same fate. There is  nothing beyond for an artisan. 

Gopal Singh : But we‟re just helpless in this alien land. That is why I say we should  save some money and go back to India. East or West, home is the  best…for a commoner! 

Makhan Singh : I see only the commoner who doesn‟t own even a „home‟…‟home‟ is  grabbed by the rulers. 

Khushki : Makhan Singh! Why don‟t you go to India then for the commoner? 

Makhan Singh : Commoner is not only in India…he‟s also in Kenya, Uganda,  Tanzania, Tanganyika…and where not! He‟s being denuded in South  Africa too. Surprisingly, the more he grows, the lesser is his space. 

Gopal Singh : Tell us the solution. (Pause) If you can‟t, ask Teja Singh.

Makhan Singh : Teja Singh! 

Gopal Singh : One who belongs to Sansarpur, whom you call Davinder Singh Qtal.

Makhan Singh : The secretary of Singh Sabha? 

Khushki : Don‟t underestimate him as an immature youngster. He looks humble,  but he‟s fiery. 

Gopal Singh : (To Khushki) Go, brother. Bring some water.(Khushki exits) It‟s true,  he‟s fiery. Without fire neither iron melts nor does clay firm up.  Gandhi‟s deeds are good, but he‟s weak, can‟t get the country free. The  weapon of peace is very frail. This has to be done by the  revolutionaries. At present, Davinder Singh is Kenya‟s hero and  Vasdev is on his side. When they and revolutionary Teja Singh  Sutanter go back to India after getting training from Moscow, the  country will be rekindled. That‟s why, I wish a seasoned person like  you go to Moscow. Training in Moscow is certainly better than the  studies in England. If I didn‟t have family I too would have joined.

Makhan Singh : I‟ve said many times, my way is not through violence. 

Gopal Singh : Who asks you to be violent? I am just trying to bring home that Kenya  is at the time becoming a base for revolutionaries.  

(Khushki comes back with water) 

Makhan Singh : I feel the unity of rats is better than becoming lions. Only then the  elephant can be eaten. 

Khushki : Absolutely wrong. The rat can‟t eat. Its teeth are good for nothing. It  can only nibble. Look man! Wood can‟t sink, iron can‟t float;  elephants don‟t nibble and a rat never grazes. How‟s that by the way?  

Gopal Singh : Please stop this rhyming and fetch some tea. (Khushki exits) Look  Makhan Singh! Sutantar has bamboozled the whites. He too is in  Moscow at the moment after his armed training in Turkey. Now, he‟ll  move to India via Kenya. 

Makhan Singh : Why not direct? 

Gopal Singh : The Whites haven‟t yet got the wind of it. You can easily manage new  passport from Nairobi. This explains Davinder Singh‟s many aliases.  

Makhan Singh : I respect revolutionaries. But upsurges are heralded by masses, not the  leaders; and we‟ve not groomed the masses enough. 

Gopal Singh : Both the leaders and masses have to be groomed at par. 

Makhan Singh : This is what sets us apart from Gandhi. He shapes masses, we groom  leaders. Rats have to unite but we all have fallen apart. Somewhere  religion divides and somewhere ethnicity. One is denuded by his  colour, the other by his creed. Some are conceited by their caste, others  are estranged by their region. Let me share a stanza of my recent poem  that I‟ll recite on Guru‟s anniversary. 

Gopal Singh : Sure…why not? 

Makhan Singh: Ethnic virus is contagious 

Travels always where we go 

Breeds wedges and breaches 

Casts great gloomy shadow 

Riding itself dividing people  

Biggest hurdle in the growth 

Sprinkling selfishness and greed 

Bringing brothers to the blows 

Fanning fire with vicious air 

Sparks dormant infernal fire 

We the prey of a dismal ire 

We the prey of a dismal ire 

(Makhan Singh and Gopal Singh exit. Just as the Chorus starts  singing, the Spectator in the audience interrupts)

Spectator : I again wish to say something. 

Chorus : Yes, please. 

(Spectator comes on the stage) 

Spectator : Another stanza of this poem by Makhan Singh is like this:

O the mighty massive clergy 

Who‟s more biting than you 

Whenever there‟s a chance to fight 

Who is more inciting than you 

Flames of hatred and rancor 

Who is more igniting than you 

Lucifer of vice and evil 

Who is more inviting than you 

Still you remain a holy liar 

We the prey of a dismal ire 

We the prey of a dismal ire 

(Chorus inspires audience to extend applause and gestures the  Spectator to retire.) 

Scene 4:1933 

Makhan Singh : We compose letters to print pages in Khalsa Press, you bind books. Do  people benefit Ambu Bhai?  

 Ambu : Yes, only if someone reads, reflects and acts. 

 Makhan singh : But where‟s the outcome? 

 Ambu : Do you know Gandhi? 

Makhan Singh : I know him fairly well. He has done a lot for Indians in South Africa.  He‟s still on the job. I presume he‟s a Gujarati! 

Ambu : Yes, born in Gujarat, but he‟s an Indian; striving to put all Indians on  equal footing. This is what inspires him to fight against untouchability. It‟s in small measures he is succeeding, not in the twinkle of the eye. 

Makhan Singh : How he fights untouchability? I mean his tools? 

Ambu : He writes, he addresses and fasts…fasts for the marginalized and  against the elite. Days back he set on a country wide odyssey. Put him  in jail or set him free, he‟ll do the same. 

Makhan Singh : He is on the right path. As long as all are not considered equals, one‟ll  call the shots, the other will be at the receiving end. Equality is the pre condition of just life. This is the snag with Kenya. But why he quit  South Africa?

Ambu : To serve his country, of course. 

(Khushki enters) 

Makhan Singh : (Introducing Ambu). This is Ambu Patel. He arrived in Kenya a few  days back. 

Khushki : Welcome Sir, someday will share some juvenile jokes. 

Makhan Singh : He‟s Khushki… means soaked and dry…but he‟s quite juicy. His  philosophy is quite simple … work like donkey and earn like a lord. 

Khushki : It‟s not yet complete…I also believe in having a hearty laugh and  prevailing like a cloud. 

Makhan Singh : Is there anything left? 

Khushki : Yes, Sir…drink to the lees and live to the brim! 

Makhan Singh : I thought you had matured. 

Khushki : Forget about me (Indicating towards Ambu) please talk about him! Makhan Singh : He publishes books. 

Khushki : Great! Will you publish jokes? They‟ll sell like hot cakes. Nobody  ventured; the new generation will pound on them. The publisher will  swell, the reader will burst. 

Makhan Singh : But you will never be tired of telling jokes. 

Khushki : It‟s true. Shall I go ahead? A new joke has travelled from India-oven  fresh! 

Makhan Singh : About elephant and rat? As usual? 

Khushki : No! This time lion is also there. 

Makhan Singh : Then it‟s a Safari joke! As good as African! 

Ambu : Please proceed. 

Khushki : Have you come to Kenya all alone? 

Ambu : No, my wife Leela is with me. 

Khushki : Then you‟ll relish it more. It was a Lion‟s wedding. All sorts of  creatures were there. Liquor was in plenty and they all danced in gay  abandon! When the feast was over, the creatures started leaving. The  lion also moved away with his newly wed. The rat was still dancing in  the chilly night. The elephant tried to convince it, “All‟re gone, and  you too now go back. Don‟t be a kid, you‟ll just be mashed. There‟s  moist in the air, why‟re you running the risk of catching chill?” But the  rat was in no mood to retire.  

Ambu : Didn‟t the elephant chide the rat? 

Khuski : Initially, he thought of blowing it away; suddenly he sensed the rat was  tipsy. The elephant didn‟t want to spoil his day; rats don‟t get such  festive times so often! 

Makhan Singh : So!

Khushki : Finding the rat adamant, the elephant asked, „Why are you overjoyed?”  The rat retorted, “It‟s a friend‟s wedding after all! Can there be a better  day to drink and dance? The elephant asked mockingly, “Do you think  you‟re a He-man? You‟re no patch on elephant and will just vanish in  its dung.” 

(Ambu and Makhan Singh laugh) 

Ambu : Then, what was rat‟s reaction? 

Khushki : It replied, “Big Bro! Why you take it to heart? I was also a lion before  marriage.”  

(Ambu has a hearty laugh) 

Makhan Singh : It looks, we are waiting for the time when the lion known as the  White man becomes the rat. 

Ambu : What‟s the level of awakening among the people? 

Makhan Sigh : They‟re innocent. That‟s why the White man enslaved them by  snaching their holdings. 

Ambu : How do they claim to have abolished slavery? 

Makhan Singh : Trade is discontinued but not the mentality. (To Khushki) The other  day you were all praise for the British for laying the rail tracks,  constructing roads and raising the airports! 

Khushki : Then what wrong is it? This is how we made some money. 

Ambu : But you‟re unable to read the colonial mind. They are preparing  ground for huge profits. 

Makhan singh : You have just managed your living, but they are having slice of the  cake. 

Ambu : East Africa for them is a store where they are amassing wealth just as  in India. 

Khushki : I was under the impression, it was a favour to have invited us here.. 

Makhan Singh : Of course, we could win our bread here; but the truth is we are here the  same way as the rat was in the lion‟s party. 

Ambu : The British were incapable of confronting wild lions of Tsavo to lay  large rail tracks. 

Makhan Singh : They needed artisans who were brave and innocent. Ambu : We Gujratis are here for trading and shop-keeping. 

Makhan Singh : Do you know the Europeans are given four times of what Whiteman  gives you as wages? 

Khushki : But I also get four times compared with the Blackman. 

Makhan Singh : That‟s why the workers‟re not united. (To Ambu) This is the real  challenge! 

Ambu : Don‟t you have trade unions here?

Makhan Singh : We do have, but of a humble nature. My father had formed one at  Uganda rail, ten years back. 

Khushki : What was that union, Sir? It was just an urchin‟s game. Ambu : What‟s the state of print media here? 

Makhan Singh : Not bad. Though „Democrat‟ of Sita Ram Acharya is shelved but  „Kenya Daily Mail‟ is continuing.Vidyarthi‟s „Colonial Times‟ is also  there. 

Ambu : Do the Africans also publish papers? 

Makhan Singh : Yes, we print them in Indian press. 

Ambu : Can you read Swahili? 

Makhan Singh : I can even write now. 

Ambu` : What kind of matter is published? 

Makhan Singh : Not very vocal. Their writings are suggestive; good enough to reach out to people and to keep the establishment in dark. 

(African character Juguna enters) 

Juguna : Hodi? (Do I come in?) 

Makhan Singh : Karibuni! (Welcome!) 

Juguna : Jambo! (Greetings!)  

Makhan Singh : Jambo! 

Khushki & Ambu Jambo! 

Makhan Singh : Karibukiti (Welcome to the chair) 

Juguna : These cards are to be printed but the time is short. 

(Gives the matter to Makhan singh, he reads it) 

Makhan Singh : Looks like a play performance in Desai Memorial Hall. You‟ll get it in  three days. 

Juguna : No, day after tomorrow….Kesho Kutwa. 

Makhan Singh : Alright! I will work overnight. 

Juguna : Pesa! I mean charges. 

Makhan Singh : Let it be later on. 

 Juggna : Asante Sana. Thank you very much. 

(Makhan Singh asks Ambu with a gesture whether he would like to  go. He answers in the affirmative) 

Makhan Singh : Can we watch the play? I know it‟s in Swahili. 

Juguna : Moja? Mbili? (One or two?) 

Makhan Singh : (Beckoning to all) Tatu. (Three) 

Juguna : You‟re welcome!

Scene 5: 1932 

(Music from East Africa. The Voice echoes from the background.  “Presenting a play based on Swahili folk-tale “The Tale of Kabini.”  A frightening music is heard, Smoke is seen, from which a black  Giant comes out. He laughs. Suppressing his voice, the Narrator  speaks from the back of the stage: “Here’s a Giant coming from the forests. But he often masks his form.” With this voice the form of the  Giant changes. When the Old Woman appears, the voices of the  Giant and the Narrator get suppressed.) 

Old Woman : Kabini, Kabini, Kabini. Where have you gone? Don‟t know where she  went! The unlucky girl… lost her mother… my loving  daughter!..would her father look after her? No way. That‟s why I  brought her along… but now how to protect her from the Giant? 

(Giant’s voice is heard. The woman looks around confused. The  giant is seen) 

Giant : I haven‟t seen anyone here. Who‟re you calling?

Old Woman : (Scared) There‟s no one here. What‟ll you see? 

Giant : I‟m to see Kabini. 

Old Woman : Kabini? She is my dead daughter. I am calling just out of delirium.

Giant : Why then do you fear me? 

Old Woman : You‟ll also get frightened if you look into the mirror. 

(Giant disappears, laughing. The Old Woman bursts into tears.  Kabini comes singing. The Old Woman embraces her) 

Kabini : What happened, Granny? Why are you crying? 

Old Woman : I was frightened. I couldn‟t know where you had gone. 

Kabini : I had gone in the woods, to play with flowers. The butterflies joined. I  began chasing them. Mother said butterflies and flowers are our best  friends. 

Old Woman : But my dear girl, there‟s a Giant also. He‟s a foe, not a friend. If I  don‟t go to gather fruits in the orchard, how would we manage our  meals? Go, bolt from inside and don‟t open the door. The Giant is too  huge; he can‟t enter our hut. 

Kabini : It is okay Granny. Just see! I go inside. 

(Kabini goes inside the hut and Old Woman leaves for the forest.  Giant’s voice is heard, he approaches the hut) 

Giant : Kabini, Kabini! 

Kabini : (From inside) I won‟t open the door. My Granny has told me not to  open it. 

Giant : But I‟m not a Giant, I‟m a handsome man; will kiss your finger, and go  back.

Kabini : My Granny has forbidden me. 

Giant : I‟ll not harm you my dear Kabini! Just meet me once. 

(Kabini steps out. The Giant kisses her hand. Kabini rushes inside.  The Giant laughs. He goes away as he sees the old woman coming.  The old woman comes, and calls Kabini. Kabini opens the door. She  takes her in her arms) 

Kabini : Look, Granny! I‟m perfectly alright. 

(Grandma is terribly frightened when she looks at Kabini’s hand) 

Old Woman : Kabini! Where‟s your thumb? I‟m sure, you had opened the door! Oh,  my God! 

Kabini : It was not Giant. He was a man. 

Old Woman : You little fool! He appears in many guises…a mimic, a demon. He  must have kissed you! 

(Both cry) 

Kabini : Granny, I‟ll not do it again; will never open the door. Forgive me  once… once… please. 

Old Woman : If I stop going to work, what‟ll we eat? Tomorrow, I will put you into  the box; I see no other way. He‟ll come again. But you‟ll not come out. 

(Old woman goes. The giant, standing outside the hut calls) 

Giant : Kabini, Kabini. I know you‟re inside, and Granny has stopped you…

Kabini : I‟ll not come out. Yesterday, you chucked away my thumb. 

Giant : How can I do that? You‟re mistaken! Do I look like a Giant? Someone  else would have taken your thumb. I‟m all love. Did you feel any pain?  Come close if you feel like coming – choice‟s yours! 

(Kabini comes. He caresses her, expresses his love. Kabini hurriedly  goes in. The Giant chuckles. The narrator speaks. The scene changes  with the narration) 

Narrator : The Giant would come daily. Kabini couldn‟t resist the touch of the  Giant. She kept on losing her limbs. At the end, she was reduced to a  skeleton. Granny consigned the skeleton to flames. She took the pouch  of her ashes to bury it in the jungle. 

Old Woman : O God! Reduce the Giant also to ashes. I‟ll axe him to pieces if I see  him now. 

(The Giant’s voice is heard) 

Giant : Kabini…Kabini! 

Old Woman : Hell with Kabini; you come out… you‟ll be seen be no more.

Giant : No… Kabini is not dead. Listen… listen to her voice.

Old Woman : Voice!…where is her voice? 

Giant : You‟ll hear only if you keep mum. ( The old woman is now mum; The Giant calls Kabini lovingly) Kabini… Kabini!

Kabini‟s Voice : I am inside the pouch Granny clings to her bosom. (Giant laughs. Old woman is scared) 

Giant : Don‟t you hear Kabini‟s voice? Now she‟s mine. 

(In panic, the Old Woman throws the pouch away. The Giant picks it  up and goes away laughing. Chorus sings…) 

Chorus : Sans tenable reason or rhyme 

Why the Monster sends us hurt  

Why we writhe in perpetual pain  

Why we wrestle with moral dirt  

Question Almighty if you will 

Why he smothers angelic smiles 

Toiled tireless Hindi workers  

To run trains miles and miles 

Scene 6: 1934 

Makhan Singh : I always honoured your wishes. You asked me to come to Kenya, I  came. You said I wouldn‟t not study further… I didn‟t. You  said…work in the press, I surrendered. You gave word of honour to  Satwant‟s father…I married her. 

Sudh Singh : It‟s my considered opinion, even now. We dispose of the press and go  to India. Your wife is alone there. 

Makhan Singh : I don‟t agree. 

Sudh Singh : You hate India? 

Makhan Singh : I love it. But I love Kenya more than I love India. Now, I grow to its  pains and sorrows. Destiny brought me here. Now, Kenya is my land  of action. 

Sudh Singh : After all, what‟ll you do here? Gopal Singh left for India. Davinder  Singh, Ujagar Singh, Suba Singh- all sailed to Moscow. 

Makhan Singh : People for whom I have to live are still here. The locomotive that  engaged you…the spot where you formed the union…all those regular  workers are made interim. 

Sudh Singh : This is what I dread. You‟re picking up quarrel with all. I fail to  understand why you take part in poetical symposia organized by other  religious forums! 

Makhan Singh : I‟ll always go to the platforms where humanity has a place.

Sudh Singh : Then, why you oppose the Gurdwaras? 

Makhan Singh : I oppose only politics. There’s no point raising Gurdwaras in the name  of castes. This is absolutely against the spirit of Sikhism.

Sudh Singh : But tell me why you‟re so averse to Pandit Tara Singh? 

Makhan Singh : I‟m only against his ideas. He‟s a contractor. The sufferings of the  workers have not touched him. A contractor and a worker are equal in  Gurdwara. There, he can‟t stand against the workers. Malik Bhago (A  rich exploiter landlord whose invitation for a lunch was refused by  Guru Nanak, the first Sikh master) has no right to treat Lalo ( A poor  honest worker where Guru Nanak joined him over a simple lunch) with  contempt in a Gurudwara. 

Sudh Singh : But your writings and lectures have offended our Ramgarhia (A  Punjabi caste) community. 

Makhan Singh : If such a large community is so parochial, I‟m helpless. They didn‟t  permit the staging of the play simply because the Ramgarhias were  shown in poor light. How can I keep mum? 

Sudh Singh : But others are no less. Look at the Jats. (Caste, considered to be higher  than Ramgarhia) 

Makhan Singh : I don‟t have any interest in these castes. My concern is the common  folk. 

Sudh Singh : But we‟re talking about the printing press! What it gives us? 

Makhan Singh : Bread to you and voice to me. I need voice. A voice to tell the  people… my creed is against caste and community. I need voice to tell  the people…all blacks and whites are the men of God. All have to  unite. Otherwise the Giant will devour us. We‟ll be reduced to  ashes…even without our knowing it. This voice must echo from  Kampala to Calcutta, from Bombay to Mombasa, from Delhi to  Nairobi. I‟ll wipe away the tears of the workers and will not let the  innocence of Kabini die away. 

Sudh Singh : Son! My fear is you‟ll be left alone in the end. 

Makhan Singh : My dear father, I‟ll never be alone. My truth is with me. I‟ll never  desert it. I‟m not Kabini; it‟s the word of your son. 

(Chorus sings) 

Chorus : Candid, fiery and uniting  

Apostle of a rising dawn 

Fighting for the dues of wretched 

Perfect blend of brain and brawn  

Nature will stand up to say 

The man was honest and agile 

Toiled tireless Hindi workers  

To run trains miles and miles 

Scene 7 : 1935

Ghulam Mohd. : Great to see the young leader Makhan Singh elected secretary of the  Indian Trade Union. 

Mota Singh : Makhan Singh is a true Sikh and a patriot beyond doubt Gujjar Singh : A true human…a solid spirit. Such leaders can fuse a new spirit in the Union. 

Ghulam Mohd. : I beseech Ambu Patel to tell us more about Makhan Singh. 

Ambu : Friends! We are well aware of Kenyan conditions. Our forefathers took  up cudgels against the wild animals in jungles of Africa. Now when  our wealth is drained out by the trains we toiled to run, they‟ve become  Giants engulfing us. What to talk of making the temporary regular,  even the regular workers are made temporary. They put us to torture  when we set up unions… our leaders had to suffer. We have Sudh  Singh…victim of their torture. Our misfortune is that woes and our  strikes failed. May be, we failed to make the native Kenyan workers  join our movement. Our problems are the same… less wages, forced  labour, more work hours and pathetic working conditions. The greatest  pity is… government has sundered us apart…in so many ways. The  Europeans, the Africans, the Asians have their separate unions.  Teachers and railway workers plough their own furrows. We must get  out of this maze. It‟s my firm conviction…things will change. Now the  spirit of Makhan Singh will flow in the veins of our ITU…(All applaud  and clap) I talked with Makhan Singh… I found him a selfless, pure hearted, and fervently motivated and fully aware of workers‟ problems.  He‟s bold and balanced. I request Makhan Singh himself shares his  views with you. 

Makhan Singh : Ambu said so much about me. Yes…you can trust me…I‟ll perform  my role heart and soul. My gospel is my Guru‟s saying: „Translate  enlightenment into service‟. I want to clearly demarcate right and  wrong… my job is to uphold the right and oppose the wrong.  Comrades! The truth is that so far East African National Congress and  other Indian organisations and religious bodies have done precious  little for the working class. They furthered the interests of the rich  only. This led to the failure of strikes in 1931, 33 and 35. 

Ghulam Mohd : No other reason? 

Makhan Singh : Ambu has said all. We‟re a divided lot…in all ways…  country…religion…region…colour…caste…race! So many blades are  cutting us and we are rejoicing at the columns of soaring saw-dust. 

Gujjar Singh : Then…what to do! 

Makhan Singh : The „Indian Trade Union‟ should be converted into „Labour Trade  Union of East Africa‟ to open its doors to each and every worker.  Bring out newspapers in the language of the masses. And…we should  reach out to people with necessary information. As I see, we should  also buy a type-writer and a cyclostyle machine. We should put  pressure on the establishment by writing in English newspapers to  reach out to the working classes. Our voice should also reach the leading non-working class.

Ghulam Mohd : But who‟ll write in English? 

Makhan Singh : Ambu can; I too will write. Yes, but keep in mind…we‟ll not oppose  the right policies of the government. The rulers want that the zones of  Kenya, Tanganyika and Uganda are put under a joint administration.  This‟ll strengthen the economy of the whole region; will create  possibilities for the workers to unite at a larger level. But Comrades!  These are my personal views; let the Union take the final call. And the  last point: Let‟s look within too… clear our minds of all  prejudices…caste, untouchability, superstitions, injustice against  women, hatred against Indian culture, open indulgence in drugs…the  worst of all ills is religious bigotry. We have to hold the banner and  curb these ills. 

Gujjar Singh : We all express our solidarity with Makhan Singh .

(Others also join him.) 

Makhan Singh : But our immediate mission is to limit work-hours, to fix monthly  wages, regularise them in Rail and PWD, reduction in school fee and  government aid for the injured or maimed at work.  

(There is clapping. Khushki brings tea) 

Makhan Singh : Lo, Khushki is there at the right time. He‟ll serve tea, and amuse you  with „mousy‟ jokes. 

Khushki : Here‟s the latest – oven fresh, an adult one! 

Ambu : What‟s that? Come on! 

Khushki : This time it‟s not the elephant with the rat. It‟s the she elephant. (To  the audience). Are you ready to listen? 

 Scene 8: 1938 

(Makhan Singh is in sleep. He feels disturbed by cacophonic noises  around. The characters appear at different spots – say something and  leave). 

Mota Singh : The sale of „East Africa Kirti‟ has gone up to 1000. But now it‟s  beyond me to muster matter. The next issue will be out only after the  cyclostyle machine is repaired. 

Gopal Singh : The union is left with 798 shillings in balance. Only 143 will be there after the wages of the clerk are paid off. What to do with these  peanuts? 

Gujjar Singh : Even though the membership has touched 2500, how to meet the strike  allowances and expenses? Only religious organizations can save us.  There‟s no other way. 

(Makhan Singh changes side. Satwant also turns around. Ambu is  seen.)

Ambu : Photographs speak the success story of the conference. Makhan Singh!  You deserve laurels as all organizations took part in the conference. 

Juguna : But no African Association was involved. Kikuyu Central Association  just offered regrets that too after the Conference was over. If you really  want to save Kabini, you must take the Africans along. 

Satwant Kaur Darling! You traverse the whole universe in your dreams; I‟m not even  a fraction! I only wish to wake you up and pile you with my  whisperings. If I tickle you, it‟ll just be a bliss. Then, it occurs…if my  dreams have not flowered, why to pluck yours! 

(She caresses his head. Gujjar Singh is seen in a spotlight.) 

Gujjar Singh : Your duties have multiplied. You‟re member of the executive of the  „East African Indian National Congress‟, and also its standing  committee. You‟re member of the Nairobi Indian Association, and  secretary of the Indian Youth League. 

Gopal Singh : The colonial journalists openly oppose us in dailies. They call us  propagandists of colonial loot, poverty and racial bias. They say the  working conditions in Kenya are better than those in India. 

Satwant Kaur Darling! You have given me Hindpal, our beloved son! You think your  role is over? People look upon you as the leader of the entire working  class. But you‟ve easily forgotten the worker at home! When‟ll you be  my leader? 

(There is an anguished laugh) 

Juguna : The British have passed the bill. Now, only the Highlanders and the  Europeans will stay. The natives can stay only as their field workers or  as squatters of colonizers. Only Samuel Bingu is opposing this move. 

Ambu : The protest march he took out with Ishar Das‟s help, you know its  results? He was arrested and deported to Kisumu. 

Gopal Singh : We‟ll have to do something. 

Satwant Kaur : What would you do for me? A woman doesn‟t need mere children; she  requires much more; did you ever ponder over it? 

Mota Singh : Makhan Singh! For you, the fight against imperialism is a fight of life  and death. But, are we really prepared for such a fight? 

(She moves towards Makhan Singh’s portrait) 

Satwant Kaur : You always grumble that your father had left the house even before the  birth of your sister, to only come back when she was no more! I‟ve a  small question for you. Why are you a distant father even in your  physical presence? You know how I‟m coping with your mother? Actually, we both can‟t do without you. At the same time, we can‟t  carry on together. You had said, we would fight the colonial rule  together in Kenya. But, darling! When will we be together? Why‟re  you mum? Have you any answer? (Laughs) I know, you don‟t have,  for sure! 

(Makhan Singh appears)

Makhan Singh : Yes Satwant! I am answerless! 

Satwant Kaur : Where‟re you? 

Makhan Singh : Right in front of you. I‟m guilty; your humble hubby! 

Satwant Kaur : Darling! In fact, you‟re silencing me. You have no time for me. Just  tell me why I‟m so cursed! Perhaps you love me only in your poems and fancies. 

Makhan Singh : I‟m a culprit. I don‟t have any logic. My mother is part of my destiny.  If you choose…I can set you free. 

Satwant Kaur : But I‟ll not liberate you so easily. You can take away my all, but not  my right to suffer… never…my wounds will ever be fresh. I‟ll endure my pain in silence. This is the price you‟ll have to pay! 

(She breaks down. Khushki comes) 

Khushki : There‟s unrest all around. Makhan Singh and his family are restless.  His friends too have no peace. But no one listens to me! I tell you… a  joke is a big thing. Just think of the rat and the elephant! Imagine their  attachments, their companionship and their loyalties! The elephant  might get desperate in his search for the rat. To take turn, and move the  neck is not that easy. The rat might not even be visible sitting at the  elephant‟s feet. By the time the elephant smells the rat, it would have  elephant might not hear the rat speak from the ground. When sitting at  the back of the elephant, the rat might be feeling a heavenly climb. For  the elephant, it might be an imperceptible movement of a lice. After  long travel, the rat would hardly voyage the ears of this huge mound. It might be herculean task to trace the mouth. If, after long, the rat makes  its way to the ear of the elephant, it might mistake it for the tail. So, my  dear friends, let the rat and the elephant stay restless…why we lose our  peace? This open air…this uncanny aroma…this is the real bliss of  Nairobi. For all this, the Whites rush to Kenya. Once you‟re in Kenya,  you will not go back. Be it a European, an Asian, a rat or an elephant,  or your fun-loving Khushki…the merry-maker! Yes! How‟s it? 

Scene 9 :1939 

Juguna : For the first time, the Africans and the Asians unitedly went on strike,  and shook the colony. 

Gopal Singh : In fact, the May Day had made our agenda clear. When the Africans  and Asians held a joint meeting in the Desai Memorial Hall, it was  workers‟ train on the tracks. Since my return from India, I see the  workers filled with fresh blood in their veins. 

Juguna : The Azad Maidan Conference cleared all misgivings. That‟s why 6000  workers joined the strike. 

Ambu : But why the government has called Makhan Singh? 

Mota Singh : I tell you. The intelligence reports hold Makhan Singh and Kikuyu  Workers‟ Association responsible for the strike. The Whites think if  they strike a deal with Makhan Singh, an easy solution can be found. 

Ambu : These Whites will never allow Africans and Asians get united. They‟ll  first invite Makhan Singh for talks, and then Kariyuki, separately.  

Juguna : If Makhan Singh can convince that the Africans and the Asians are  inseparable, our problems stand solved. 

Gopal Singh : Makhan Singh! How do you view it? 

Makhan Singh : I don‟t agree. We are actually in deep trouble; victims of a bigger  problem. Our closeness with the African workers has alienated many. 

Juguna : Why so? 

Makhan Singh : If all are equal, then Asians will have no edge over Africans…. But  don‟t worry. A worker is first and last a worker – neither white nor  black. The colours of blood and sweat are the same. His robes, his  tears, his pains…how can you tell them apart? 

(Chorus enters) 

Chorus : Binding labour into bonds 

He had love‟s charming rope 

With a strife in his mind 

Held in hands a torch of hope 

In the bunch of stubborn greed 

Passionate to pave luminous aisles  

Toiled tireless Hindi workers  

To run trains miles and miles 

Scene 10: 1939 

Gopal Singh : I can see through Ishar Singh‟s designs. He has turned out the tout of  the British. That‟s why he‟s so stiff-necked! 

Ambu : In fact, his very gait is repulsive. 

Gopal Singh : His very ways too are not pleasing. Vasdev was right – I can vouch say he received the office for personal gains. 

Ambu : You are grossly mistaken. 

Gopal Singh : People pelted stones on him. Didn‟t you notice how he took to his  heels? 

Ambu : But no one listened to him. He was not allowed to speak. Ishar Das is  not a small fry. Our people themselves had sent him with Jomo to London. Now, he represent us in Legislative Council as our elected  member…people have sent him to UK. 

Gopal Singh : But, what has he done for us? 

Ambu : We can‟t deny him the credit of uniting the African workers with us.  This is the result of what he said in the council about the white  Highland. And Ishar Dass was one of the leaders of the procession. 

Gopal Singh : Where was the need to be the Director of the Indian Manpower  Committee? Why he slipped into the White lap? To recruit for the  world war? On one hand, he gets money from Moscow for the  revolutionaries, on the other, he is hand and glove with the rulers! This  explains his marriage with a white woman! I don‟t trust such turncoats.  A poor man‟s wife is half-wife to all, but why he disposes like a rolling  stone? 

Ambu : Gopal Singh Ji! Let‟s think with a cool mind, please. He is not an  exception. Even the Congress and Gandhi have declared support to the  war. 

Gopal Singh : A blind man sees none else but his own ilk. It‟s but natural for  Gujaratis to worship Gandhi. Why don‟t you take the case of Subhash  Chander Bose, that Bengali, who directly supported the Japanese? 

(Makhan Singh appears) 

Ambu : Leave both! The Punjab Assembly has also passed the resolution to  support the British. 

Gopal Singh : You talk of the unionist party? What else can you expect from Sir  Chotu Ram and Sikandar Hyat? They too are toddies. That‟s why  people say… Sir Sikandar, a perfect kanjar. (a shameless person, a  word of abuse). 

Ambu : Then what would you call Lenin who said that fascism is an enemy bigger than enemy colonialism? 

Gopal Singh : I don‟t care what Lenin said. But I certainly know the Earl, the chief of  the same European Manpower Board who was… chopped off! 

Ambu : Let‟s ask Makhan Singh. Should we support the Whites in the war, or  not? 

Makhan Singh : If the workers gain from the support, we must support. If workers lose,  oppose tooth and nail. I have repeatedly said – we‟re neither white, nor  black, we‟re workers. 

Voice of Satwant : I‟m not a even a worker. No colour…no form…I‟m no one for you!
(Satwant Kaur’s laughter is heard. Only Makhan Singh hears.)  

Makhan Singh : Where‟re you? 

Satwant Kaur : Darling! Your quest is for the whole mankind. Look at me…I don‟t  have even the family with me… severed from my siblings…desperate  to connect with you. Against who can I revolt! 

(Chorus enters)

Chorus : On a furlough came to India 

For mirth and merry of his clan 

To kindle and purge his self 

But destined not for such a plan 

From Mombasa sailed Mumbai 

Well aware of systems‟ guiles  

Toiled tireless Hindi workers  

To run trains miles and miles 

Scene 11: 1942 

Mount Kenya : Makhan Singh knew well the Whites would make his life a hell in  India. Words of Ghulam Mohammad kept echoing in his ears. This is  why he disguised as Muslim to reach Mumbai…and took part in the  gathering on 26th January. Then, he worked in Ahmedabad for the  union of the Cloth Workers. It was his mission to press for better working conditions and better wages for the workers in India; he also  started echoing a fervent demand for Indian independence. He cast a  spell on the thirty thousand striking workers with his lecture. Police  arrested him after the May Day. Without trial, the British government  imposed unlawful bans on him for full five years. First, he was put in  Sabarmati and Lahore jails, then in Gujranwala, in his own village,  under house arrest. He became member of the Communist Party of  India and translated Marx‟s Das Capital into Punjabi. Apparently, he  was on vacation to look after domestic work, but he always had work  in his hands, workers in mind and Kenya in his heart. In his blood, I  saw nothing less than humanity, only humanity. This would sometimes  make him sad! 

Scene 12 :1945 

Makhan Singh : Ishar Das is murdered in Nairobi by his own people.

Gadri : Was Ishar Das a revolutionary? 

Makhan Singh : No! 

Gadri : Must be a traitor. 

Makhan Singh : No! Not a dacoit, not a murderer, nothing of the sort. Gadri : Then why this killing? 

Makhan Singh : Ideological split! His whole life, he fought for the cause of his own  people. But now, he had started recruiting Indians in war.

Gadri : But in war, we too are with the British in India! 

Makhan Singh : In Kenya we were not! 

Gadri : Then he was a traitor. Punjab never spared any traitor… ever! We  crown a gadri, the rebellious, but behead a gadaar, the traitor. 

Makhan Singh : One who‟s not a traitor here, how can he become one there? 

Gadri : The question is not that of „here or there‟. It‟s the party that matters. If  the party dubs him a traitor, he‟s none else but a traitor. For us, this is  the truth! 

Makhan Singh : What if the party changes its posture? 

Gadri : Truth also changes. What was false in 1929 became true in 1936. It‟s  the party that decides what‟s true and what‟s not true. It‟s not our task. 

Makhan Singh : Do you know Davinder Singh from Kenya?… also known as Teja  Singh… Lal Singh alias Santa Singh. 

Gadri : You mean Sansarpuria (His viallage)? One who received training from  Moscow? 

Makhan Singh : Yes! He too was a gadri (a rebellious). 

Gadri : No… simply a traitor! The money from Russia went to his head. Wine  and women degraded him… became British informer. It was he who  got arrested the killers of Bela Singh and Anoop Singh Mankoo in the  Kamagata Maru case. 

Makhan Singh : But where is he? 

Gadri : He‟s no more! They say he took his life. But, I know for certain…it  was the comrades who did him with opium. 

Makhan Singh : What‟ll be the gain of killing each other? 

Gadri : World will know the end of traitors. 

Makhan Singh : Can you wipe them out like this? 

Gadri : This‟ll contain them! 

Makhan Singh : But the colony will gain strength. Violence frightens a commoner. It  has a role… but not to the extent of attaining freedom. If killings  become the order of the day…we‟ll be split into fractions, without an  anchor… 

Gadri : Are you a comrade or a Gandhi? Communists are always  revolutionaries. 

Makhan Singh : But revolution is not always violent! This comes from a true  communist. 

(Chorus enters) 

Chorus : Lived by sweat of his brow 

Never hankered for a prop  

Begetter‟s aid passed to comraderies 

Nobody there to make him stop

(The same Spectator in the hall comes on the stage) 

Spectator : Excuse me. This time I stand here without permission. The moot point  is missing. Makhan Singh never had any possessions… movable or  immoveable. He didn‟t have even a bicycle. Yes! In India, he bought a  cow. But instead of giving, the cow would drink milk because its  income was more than its yield. 

(Chorus enters) 

Chorus : Lived by sweat of his brow 

Never hankered for a prop  

Begetter‟s aid passed to comraderie 

Nobody there to make him stop 

Small in height but head so tall,  

His ample heart and mind fertile 

Toiled tireless Hindi workers  

To run trains miles and miles 

Scene 13: August 27, 1947 Nairobi 

Ambu : This is their moral defeat. When Makhan Singh‟s base is in Kenya; he  spent his childhood and youth in Kenya…how can they stop his coming here? 

Makhan Singh : Both India and Kenya are British colonies; why this objection?

Juguna : In fact it‟s the fear; you‟ll again stir up the union.

Makhan Singh : This fire can‟t be snuffed out now.  

Juguna : 15000 people were on strike in Mombasa. The Kibachia demand is  absolutely justified …that the wages of African labour should be at par  with the wages to others. 

Juguna : That‟s why he is in prison. 

Ambu : You arrived in Kenya on August 22. The same day Kibachia was  arrested, along with 18 senior leaders. The British must be sore that  Kibachia is made president of the union even when in jail! 

Gopal Singh : This is total chaos – absolute tyranny. Confusion of the worst order!  It‟s floated that it‟s due to oversight Makhan Singh has sneaked into  India. The government has given it in clear writing that there‟s no ban  or objection on Makhan Singh entering India. 

Ambu : What cheeks they have now to say he is an „undesirable immigrant‟! 

Gopal Singh : What a snake bite! Now they want him to go back within 30 days. Had  you listened to me…you would roast a few of them. 

Makhan Singh : What difference it would have made?

Gopal Singh : Our minds would have been at peace at least. 

Makhan Singh : About mind I don‟t know…but our bodies might have been chilled. Gopal Singh : Buzz off to India then…enjoy freedom there. 

Makhan Singh : I have come here not to go back. 

Juguna : But what to do now?… Within remaining two weeks.

(Chanan Singh the lawyer comes) 

Makhan Singh : Chanan Singh Ji is here. I believe he‟ll get the orders cancelled. 

Chanan Singh : Look gentlemen…I have studied the case. My effort would be to prove  that Makhan Singh is a Kenyan, not an immigrant. Therefore, there‟s  no question of deportation…But I know the court would construe the  official order as an administrative action. 

Ambu : The write-ups and the articles in support of Makhan Singh‟s case…and  the resolutions passed in various countries…will they be of any use? 

Chanan Singh : From legal point of view, they‟re of little use. Yes, politically they may  be mobilized.  

Makhan Singh : In case we lose the case in the lower court, then what‟re our options? 

Chanan Singh : The situation in that case will be rather grim. Given the right to appeal  we‟ll approach the Supreme Court in Tanzania. But then …if we reach  there…our return to Kenya will be a remote possibility. 

Makhan Singh : So what! We‟ll give a fight. The whole land belongs to us. We‟ll fight  wherever we are…fight…fight we‟ll…with full might. No one can  stop us from fighting. 

(The spectator comes on the stage) 

Spectator : Perhaps, you‟re not aware that as Chuni Lal Madan was elevated to the  apex court of free Kenya as Chief Justice, same way Chanan Singh  was also appointed as Judge. Right from Jomo Kenyatta up to Makhan  Singh, he has fought in court the cases of all patriots …without  charging even a penny. 

(There is music) 

Scene 14: 1947-48 

Gahir : The government‟s decision is right. Five seats must be reserved for  religious minorities. 

Beant Singh : But there‟s no seat reserved for the Sikhs; they are tagged up with the  Hindus. 

Gahir : At this juncture, if we can devise a strategy, we may also be there. 

Beant Singh : Makhan Singh observed a 7-day strike against religion based seats.  The crazy fellow says that there should be no reservation on religious  lines! Good that the government gave him a deaf ear. 

Gahir : Now, no one would listen to him. The rulers will ultimately throw him  out of Kenya! 

Beant Singh : But why Makhan Singh has no concern for the Sikhs? 

Gahir : His indifferent attitude invited the wrath of the Eldorate Sikhs:  „Makhan Singh! We are waiting for your death. Here comes your  coffin.‟ 

(Makhan Singh and Gopal Singh enter) 

Makhan Singh : I am always ready for death. But let people live. Thinking on divisive  lines means our doom! 

Beant Singh : But they have cornered the Sikhs. Where lies the sense beating the  trumpet…labour!… workers!!… working class!!! 

Makhan Singh : Is Sikhism separate from worker and his work? 

Gahir : Can you assure a Sikh member in the Legislative Council? 

Gopal Singh : Gahir Ji! Makhan Singh had declared before the hunger strike that he  would not contest. 

Beant Singh : What does it mean? 

Gopal Singh : Simple…Makhan Singh is above board. We should demand seats for  Indians to have an effective voice in Legislative Council. 

Gahir : How can union be above religion? 

Makhan Singh : Religion for the mind, union for the body will always be supreme. 

Gahir : What would you do if they demand separate seats for Hindustan and  Pakistan?  

Makhan Singh : We‟ll oppose that too. 

Gahir : The real issue is the communists. By aligning with the British, the  leftists have betrayed the people of India. First „East African Indian  National Congress‟ should take a clear position on this. 

Makhan Singh : I know it‟s a veiled question directed at me. Though a member of  Indian Communist Party, I am not in their submission. I am a Kenyan.  My decisions are my own. We as Africans have an independent entity.  We are friends of leftists, not order-bearers. 

Beant Singh : This is glib talk. 

Makhan Singh : We have proved it to the world. 

Gopal Singh : That‟s why Makhan Singh never made appeals for fund raising from  any foreign body. He didn‟t receive even a penny from these  organizations. 

Gahir : Tell me, Makhan Singh ever gave any statement against the British on  war? 

Gopal Singh : Gahir Ji! Makhan Singh never either gave any statement in support of  the alliance. 

(Khushki appears on stage and straight away addresses the audience.  There is gradual fade out of the dialogue between the above four)

Khushki : These days they don‟t listen to my jokes. Can‟t see why they‟re too  serious! Actually, they need jokes all the more now. I‟m sure you‟re  inclined! My good-self brought the latest joke from India. An lily fresh  joke! Thanks for your interest. One day, rat caught fancy of the she elephant, fell flat. Who can fathom the inscrutable depths of hearts?  That day, that hefty creature too was in a mood. The rat insisted it  would pour its heart into its ears. It mounted. It felt it had approached  the flap of its ear. But, interestingly, it was tail rather. The she-elephant  sensed it was a fly. If flashed its tail in the air. And the poor rat fell  twenty feet away. The lady-love felt deeply sorry and offered profuse  apologies. The rat made another attempt and proposed…let‟s enter into  wedlock. The she-elephant was stunned. Enraged she asked, “Have  you ever seen your face in the mirror? The rat replied, “Forget the face,  look at my confidence!” 

(Chorus sings) 

Chorus : To make him run pillar to post 

It was apparent rulers design 

Net was thrown to pin him down 

He who not disposed to resign  

It was 4th day of October 

And the year was Forty Eight 

Came command to quit the land 

To seal forever his Kenyan fate 

Solicitor Chaanan pleaded his case 

And the Whites humble pie ate 

News broke with thunderous applause 

Kenyan comradery all in smiles  

Toiled tireless Hindi workers  

To run trains miles and miles 

(Spectator appears on the stage) 

Spectator : You have missed another point. 

Chorus : Kindly take your seat now. We‟re moving toward the closing scenes.  Please don‟t disturb. 

Spectator : No intention to disturb. I‟m here to tell you Makhan Singh had asked  for permanent Residency. The government didn‟t grant it. Not only  this, the East African National Congress too was shying away as  Makhan Singh wanted to form a Front of the non-European powers.  This made him a rage among the Africans. Thank you! 

(Chorus enters) 

Chorus : Raised an edifice with Kubai 

Posed a threat to arrogant rulers

April Twenty Third year fifty 

Was the day to ask for rights 

Thronged to listen to the Icon 

The Icon marching for a fight 

Uhuru Sasa, Freedom just now 

He declared with all his might 

Enough excuse to settle scores 

The Icon sent behind the bar 

He who might appear puerile 

Was all out now for a war 

He was prisoned with Fred Kubai 

No court, no trials, no files.  

Toiled tireless Hindi workers  

To run trains miles and miles 

Scene 15: May 1950 

(Makhan Singh is seated in a court- like room. He is handcuffed. A  Kenyan worker Muthu offers him water) 

Muthu : Nyamaza… Nyamaza… 

Makhan Singh : All are mum. Who‟re you trying to calm down? 

Muthu : Nyamaza… I am on duty.. When someone blabs in the court, it‟s my  job to calm him down. When no one blabs, I am frightened. 

Makhan Singh : Why so? 

Muthu : The fear, I may lose my job! It is true also. If no one speaks, who  would I silence? Then din starts inside me. Then in fear I exclaim,  „Calm down, „Calm down…Nyamaza‟! 

Makhan Singh : Don‟t be scared now. I won‟t blab. 

Muthu : Your silence is more eloquent. People are dying to listen to you. This  is what scares me. You know, all Kenya is agog for your release! That  speaks of all the hullabaloos in and out the jail. I‟m telling you  repeatedly, you may or may not blab, let me speak out  loud…Nyamaza! 

(Another official enters with a copy and a pen and takes a position.  Justice Thacker, Attorney General and Chanan Singh enter.) 

Muthu : Simama! (Stand up) 

(Justice takes his seat. Makhan Singh stands up)

Attorney Gen. : (Reading the text) The Director, Intelligence and Security, has declared  in an affidavit that Makhan Singh is involved in left activism. In India, he was in jail for two years and under house arrest for another three  years for the same reason. In jail, he wrote a book on leftist ideology.  He admits having worked with Communists for two years. In Kenya  too, he led a number of strikes. He receives a lot of Communist  literature and as a result instigates the people of Kenya. When His  Highness, the crown declared Nairobi as a city and the residents were  in jubilation, Makhan Singh chose to incite public for a boycott. He is  in collusion with World Federation of Trade Union that is anti-British.  On 23rd April, he gave Kenya the slogan of Uhuru Sasa for the first  time, meaning independence now and now. He has also published an  article in Daily Chronicle with entitle: „May Day: Freedom of East  Africa Day‟. 

Justice Thacker : Anything in defence Makhan Singh?  

Makhan Singh : In jail in India, the ban was on printing a book, not on writing. And I  didn‟t get any book published. It‟s my conviction, and I repeat  it…Soviet Union is free from racism, and there‟s no exploitation of  human by human. In my lecture in the Desai Hall, I made no reference  to any kind of slavery in Kenya. The strikes in which I took part, none  was illegal. In my article published in the „Daily Chronicle‟, I had said  with evidence that repression in Kenya is on the rise. It‟s not wrong to  say that the government at that time imposed ban on all those  publications which voiced the cause of the workers. That I boycotted  the Kenyan celebrations is also true. But evidently Nairobi is not one  city now…it is divided into two: Nairobi of the „haves‟ and Nairobi of  the „have not‟s‟. Therefore, the celebrations are meant for the rich, not  for the poor marginalized working class. 

Justice Thacker : You are harping on the „workers‟, again and again. Who in your view  is a worker? Do you think I don‟t work? Am I not a worker? 

Makhan Singh : One who favours others with work isn‟t a worker. He‟s a profit seeker  who takes money from the capital generated by the workers. 

Attorney General : What was the policy of the „East African Trade Union Congress‟? Was  it to create breach between the workers and the employers? 

Makhan Singh : The breach was already there. The policy of the union is to bridge it. Justice Thacker : Do you admit you are a communist? 

Makhan Singh : There‟s no doubt about it. I‟m a staunch communist. 

Justice Thacker : The communist parties want to capture organized labour the world  over. 

Makhan Singh : This‟s absolute lie! 

Justice Thacker : Can you say it on oath? 

Makhan Singh : Is another oath needed? (All look at Justice Thacker, after a long  silence he proceeds) There‟re unions in England also. Their leaders  are communists. They‟re never dubbed as illegal, nor are they  victimized.

Attorney General : Did you propose any resolution for amendment in the Kalolani Hall  meeting on April 23? 

Makhan Singh : That wasn‟t an amendment. It was an addition. The contention is that  the East Africa should immediately be independent and given the right  to self-rule. No foreign power has the right to rule us…and scathe our  sovereignty. 

Attorney General : Does it include His Majesty too? 

Makhan Singh : Yes, of course! He‟s also an alien. 

Chanan Singh : (To the attorney) His admission to be a Communist doesn‟t make him  a criminal at all!  

Justice Thacker : (To Chanan Singh) But what do full freedom and sovereignty mean?  How will this country run its business? For instance, where‟ll you  bring judges from? There‟s hardly one competently educated here! 

Makhan Singh : Excuse me! There was a set-up here even before the British came.  There was a judicial system. My point is not to make unlettered  persons judges. My contention is that we can meet our needs. 

(The court proceedings go on. But voices now subside – characters  gradually fade out!) 

Khushki : Now he has added to his woes. Makhan Singh himself names the  British as elephants. What‟s he? Just a rat! And a rat can live in jungle  only as friend of an elephant…not in confrontation. Why this tossing  around if it has to ultimately sneak into its hole! There must be limit to  over-confidence! (Spectator rises) No…No! You have said all, it‟s our  time now! (Spectator sits down). Makhan Singh has three children – Hindpal Singh, Swarajpal Singh and Inderjit Kaur – a wife and old  parents! Who will look after them? He just raised slogans his whole  life, made no money. The Government will ask for apology. If he  refuses, they‟ll let him languish there. These Whites… they have  confined him to what a place…Lokitaung! What a Hell it is! None can  meet him at such a cursed place. Well! For us, this is no less than fun;  the real stuff for a meaty joke! 

Spectator : (Jumping on his seat) You‟ve no right to jeer at Makhan Singh. 

Khushki : But Sir, this is theatre; just a performance my dear. None is spared  here. Don‟t be so emotional!  

Spectator : For you it‟s a phoney play. For us, it‟s a painful reality! 

Khushki : You speak as though you know Makhan Singh better than the author of  the play! 

Spectator : (Arrives on the stage) Far better than any author! What do these  authors know? I‟m witness to Makhan Singh‟s agony…each travails  …each bit of his woes… every inch of his hurt! 

Khushki : You speak as if he‟s your son. 

Spectator : Of course, he‟s not my son. But man! I may tell you he‟s my father. I  am Hindpal, Makhan Singh‟s son. 

(Breaks down) 

Khushki : O‟ My God! Kindly forgive me. (The Spectator is overwhelmed…a  long silence) My life will be hell if you don‟t forgive me! Kindly  excuse me!… Forgive me please! How the performance will move on otherwise? 

(Mount Kenya appears) 

Mount Kenya : You remember, Hindpal! You had cried at the Delhi railway station  also, when you saw Makhan Singh in police custody. A sepoy had said  this to you …“you‟re the son of a great warrior. A brave son is never in  tears”. Then you were just four. 

Spectator : (Holding himself together) I am sorry Mount! 

Mount Kenya : You yourself tell people what happened in Lokitaung! Bravo! Say it  …speak it out. I‟m here with yo. 

Spectator : My father pleaded with the government that he be sent to Nairobi  where he could find a living to raise his family. 

Mount Kenya : In case they failed to do so, then… 

Spectator : In that case, he be given living allowance and permission to live with  the family. But the government refused it. It rather ordered to deposit  thousands of shillings. 

Mount Kenya : The governor dismissed his release petition and dubbed him as an  undesirable element. For his release they proposed that he leaves  Kenya forever…but he turned it down! 

(Mount Kenya looks at Hindpal Singh) 

Hindpal : Household was in a shambles. My mother was in no position to see dad  …moreover, it was impossible to keep the wolf away! To add to the  woes, the contentions between my mother and grandmother had  touched dead end.. 

Mount Kenya : De Souza too was a freedom fighter who later became a minister. He  maneuvered a letter through a lawyer wherein he termed Makhan  Singh a misguided youth. Makhan Singh wired the Secretariat that no  one had the right to call him a misguided person. 

Hindpal : But I fail to understand why I and my grandmother weren‟t allowed to  see my father. Even when allowed, they put riders. A cash fine was  imposed that my father didn‟t accept. 

Mount Kenya : Who wouldn‟t be proud of such a brave man? When the government  decreed to elect candidates on religious grounds, Makhan Singh went  on 10-day long hunger strike in Lokitaung. (To Khushki) Hindpal very  rightly observed …Makhan Singh isn‟t a joke. Think twice before you  pooh-pooh someone… make joke of someone…otherwise you‟ll make  a fool of yourself. 

Khushki : Now, no more jokes! I‟ll abide to truth. 

Scene 16: 1955

Atieno : Jaswant Singh! 

Makhan Singh : I‟m Makhan Singh! 

Atieno : Pole Sana! Please excuse me! Jaswant Singh became my friend in the  Mau Mau movement. He‟s under detention, now in Mombasa. I see  him he‟s just here right before me. You might be knowing him? 

Makhan Singh : No! 

Atieno : Shujaa! He‟s a hero! No match. He used to send us ammunition  …bombs…even taught us how to make bombs. His death sentence was  converted into life imprisonment! Are you too like Jaswant Singh… a  mawasi …a terrorist!? (Makhan Singh shakes his head in No!) Then  why‟re you here? 

Makhan Singh : I demand equality, justice and freedom…equality among Africans,  Asians and the Europeans… Justice for the workers and freedom for  Kenya! 

Atieno : Mau Mau also demanded the same. 

Makhan Singh : With a difference…they have guns in their hands! 

Atieno : I fail to see where you‟re wrong. You‟re only asking for it, not  snatching! 

Makhan Singh : They want to deport me. 

Atieno : Since how long are you here in Maralal? 

Makhan Singh : They sent me to Lokitaung in 1950 – Here too, I have spent four years! 

Atieno : If this be so, then you don‟t know how we were compelled to work as  bonded labour in our own fields! Lost everything…our fields…our  fortune…dignity…our land! Still… wouldn‟t keep the wolf away. 

Makhan Singh : I know it, newspapers are teeming with woes of millions 

Atieno : We had no option but to take up guns. They butchered my husband  because we too lived by the creed of Mau Mau. I bore all this once. In  war…after all…you have to do or die. Our comrades too did that. So  what if my husband died! But what they did to me was horrendous …  I‟ll take revenge… First they stripped me naked… then they punched  my nipples with pliers. The beasts were still not satisfied. Four  bastards… Walinajisi. (Cries)… They boast to the world, that they‟re  here to civilize us? 

(Makhan Singh draws close. She holds him tight in a state of sorrow  and anguish. Makhan Singh tries to console and calm her). 

Makhan Singh : You‟re a brave lady…Jasiri. No tears please. 

Atieno : You are right! I‟ll raise money by selling vegetables…buy a pistol …  will pray for an occasion with those bastards once again…. this time  I‟ll myself strip them naked… and invite them. Then I‟ll not fail to  pierce my shot through their testicles…this might give some solace to  my bruised being!

(She breaks down again) 

Khushki : I deluded myself to be a great jester… had thought I was great as a  jester. Today, I realise I could not rise above jokes… a plebian…a  straw! Gopal Singh left for India … Makhan Singh sent to jail.  Juguna‟s whereabouts not known… Ambu seen nowhere! Who I go to  repent? Now I see life‟s not a joke! The excelsior travelled miles and  miles. I have always been receding like sands sinking in the labyrinth  of nothingness. I was always growing stale and beaten just like a joke.  I will offer my remorse to Makhan Singh…whenever I meet him…  

Scene 17: 1957 

(Muthu is seen sitting – Attino comes) 

Atieno : Who‟re you? 

Muthu : Nyamaza! I am on duty; here to deliver the mail of Makhan Singh. But  who‟re you? 

Atieno : I am Atieno (sarcastically)… not a government servant. I come here to  deliver vegetables to him. 

Muthu : I never saw you earlier. Where were you? 

Atieno : I was in a well! But I‟m also seeing you for the first time. Where were  you by the way? 

Muthu : Standing outside the same well…holding a towel in my hands! (She  laughs boisterously) Nyamaza! He‟s in great pain; his mother is no  more. 

Atieno : Oh! He was terribly restless to see his mother; but always denied  permission. 

Muthu : Mother has gone far away. (Makhan Singh enters… a long silence). Here‟s your censored mail. I must leave now. 

(Mutho goes) 

Makhan Singh : She was destined to die! My only regret is that my mother and wife  didn‟t have any bonds. 

Atieno : May be it‟s because of you? 

Makhan Singh : How so? I was never home my whole life! 

Atieno : That‟s why! (Silence) Without you both languished in  fractions…without you could neither be a complete mother nor a  complete wife. (Long silence) Will you go to Nairobi for the last rites? 

Makhan Singh : Have applied. They may accept my plea. Each time I‟m told I can be  set free if I quit Kenya. 

Atieno : For seven years, you‟re in prison. Who knows they‟ll ever let you free! Why don‟t you go to India?

Makhan Singh : Why? I‟ll not go to India. I‟m not a burden on Kenya. My Mother  Kenya will never die! 

Atieno : Even then, it‟s not your country. 

Makhan Singh : Why not? I‟m not my sole self! I carry along my forefathers… those  too who cut through the jungles, carpeted sands, were torn apart by the  tigers. They raised schools, hospitals and mansions; laid bricks and  seared woods. My body, my heart, my brain… all‟re here. This is my  land of action. How can I leave my land? 

Atieno : Samahani! No intention to hurt you. Only a glimpse of your heart!  You‟re Uru, a diamond! May I be your rafiki, a companion? 

Makhan Singh : Why not! (He shakes hands and then embraces and then suddenly  looks at the bunch of letters). Perhaps, my leave is granted! We pray to  Almighty after the recital of our Holy book. My mother was yearning  to see me…but couldn‟t. (He reads the letter. Leave is not granted. He  holds his head in sorrow. Atieno puts his head in her lap and caresses  it). Atieno! 

Atieno : Yes! 

Makhan Singh : My mother is really no more!! 

(Cries) 

Chorus : There‟s nothing but the wounds 

That can never ever be healed 

Life becomes a Book of sorrows 

But never let its mystery yield 

Soul buried in mortal frame 

Destiny so barren so futile 

Toiled tireless Hindi workers  

To run trains miles and miles 

Scene 18: 1960 

Atieno : O, official slut! I hate you; nakuchukya! 

Matthu : How did I harm you? 

Atieno : This government is a bitch and you‟re its lackey…Kahaba Dola! 

Muthu : Still not a beast; I‟m human. Do you need a proof? Nakupenda!…One  who loves you can‟t be a beast. 

Atieno : Don‟t flaunt funny fancies. You should be content with my contempt. Muthu : Hatred is the first step to love! 

Atieno : There‟s no second step for you! 

Muthu : Be quiet. There comes Makhan Singh.

Atieno : Why‟re you nonplussed? 

Muthu : People call him Mungu, the God! Even I see reflection of a sage in  him…Takati Fu Bavana. 

(Makhan Singh enters) 

Makhan Singh : What‟s the news? (to Muthu) Is there any mail? 

Muthu : It‟s there; but yet to be censored. 

Atieno : Rather good! All‟s not well! 

Muthu : The detainees are being tortured in the camps. 

Atieno : The brutes are accusing us as Mau Mau…as we have killed thirty  whites. And what about them who have slaughtered thousands of  Africans? Eleven hundred have already been hanged. 

Makhan Singh : Violence is a relentless fire that spares none. 

Atieno : But now the rulers are the perpetrators, not Mau Mau. 

Muthu : Those who have pledged in favour of Mau Mau, they‟re torturing them  to confess it. But they‟re adamant. 

Atieno : In Hola ten people were beaten to death. 

Muthu : Their skulls were razed to pieces. Those who saw the fleshy pulp of the  humans kept mumbling like lunatics for months and months. 

Makhan Singh : Though our people triggered Mau Mau but they far exceeded us.  Violence can‟t counter violence. This tyranny is sure to pack them off. 

Muthu : I should leave. John may be suspicious. Pole Sana. (He exits) 

Atieno : Where did you get the lesson of forbearance in times of repression? Makhan Singh : From the teachings of Guru Nanak. 

Atieno : Jaswant used to refer to some name….Gobind!….The one who fought  against tyranny. 

Makhan Singh : He‟s right. But Gobinds don‟t emerge out of thin air. They‟ve their  roots in soil. In his foundation too you can see Guru Nanak, Guru  Arjan and Teg Bahadur. 

Atieno : Will you sometime narrate their history? 

Makhan Singh : Sure! But their history isn‟t of years, it spans over centuries. Atieno : Isn‟t it justified to nip the nick of enemy straightway? 

Makhan Singh : I don‟t refute it. But you can‟t sanctify such feelings as universal  gospel. Nanak too was a fighter. He was not unmindful of his  surroundings. But he preached and practiced non-violence, equality,  humility, diligence and self-respect. That is why I firmly hold that  British violence in Hola guarantees our freedom. 

Atieno : People call you Mungu. But for me you‟re Tulivu Chifu…sentinel of  non-violence.

Makhan Singh : I‟m an humble person. 

Atieno : Do you love me? 

Makhan Singh : Any doubt? I‟m your friend. 

Atieno : Then come…give me your love…I‟ll return with dividends…I‟m  drenched in love. 

(She invites him with her arms wide open. Makhan Singh holds his  hand and caresses it.) 

Makhan Singh : I honour your sentiments but how can I obliterate the memory of  Satwant waiting for all those forty years? You are very nice, but reality  is too harsh. My darling! Our goals are too lofty; how can we fall  short? (He kisses her hand) Do you get me? 

Atieno : Pole Sana! I had forgotten that you‟re a Nabii, the Prohet; and such a  bond with Prophet is not possible. 

Makhan singh : No, I am a comrade, just a comrade. 

Atieno : Mnabii! 

Makhan singh : Comrade! 

Atieno : Mnabii Comrade! My Red Prophet, you‟ll get a high position in free  Kenya. 

Makhan Singh : I don‟t need a throne; I ask for a platform, Zukwa, that can seat the  workers. My dream is the peasants get back their lands and don‟t till it with borrowed ploughs…I dream of workers getting better facilities  and equal wages…they‟re not exploited…my dream is that rulers in  independent Kenya serve people without greed… I dream we join together and sing the song of freedom. 

Atieno : Will you recognize me? 

Makhan Singh : How can I ever forget you? Look at the skies! There‟s the new dawn of  Uhuru! Kenya is readying for a virgin song!! You too be a part of it!!! 

(Chorus sings along with the images of Independence celebrations.  Gradually, all actors fan out on the stage holding placards with  images of various political leaders: Jomo Kenyatta, Tom Mboya,  Odinga, Pinto Gama, Pran Lal Sheth, J M Kariyuki, Bildad Kaggia  etc.) 

Chorus : Land of Beauty! Land of promise! 

Our Kenya Equator‟s crown  

Blooming Fedora, Kiwi, Gabriela,  

Roses, Inka and buds brown  

Waves of delights soar in skies 

Metros helmets and the towns 

Freedom the spell of magic cast 

The day to dismiss white frown

Leaders all are free but One 

That was last to conquer exile 

Toiled tireless Hindi workers  

To run trains miles and miles 

(Mount Kenya appears on the stage. There is complete silence. He  calls Hindpal Singh who is in the audience) 

Mount Kenya : Hindpal Singh. Come on the stage. Kenya is free now. (Hindpal Singh  comes on the stage as if looking for Makhan Singh) What‟re you  looking for? 

Spectator : Where‟s my father in free Kenya? 

Mount Kenya : Makhan Singh‟s job is over. Now they don‟t need him.

Spectator : But why not? He gave his heart and soul to the country. 

Mount Kenya : That‟s true! He created history. But some people hold him in great  fear. 

Spectator : Simply because he was a communist? 

Mount Kenya : People may think so. But this is not true. 

Spectator : Then what‟s true? 

Mount Kenya : The truth is, new rulers were terribly afraid of virtuous men. (He takes  him close to the picture of Pinto). If to be a communist were a crime,  then Pinto too was one. He was made a minister. 

Spectator : But… 

Mount Kenya : I know what you‟ll say! But the truth is that Pinto too was an idealist,  like Makhan Singh. The bogus people thought him a danger. This was  the reason why he was killed. (There is fire. Pinto’s picture tumbles  down.) Bildad Kaggia was humiliated simply because he didn‟t loot  people to fill his coffers. (Picture drops). Pran Lal Sheth fell victim to  inner politics and was deported. (Picture drops). Tom Mboya could lay  his claim to Presidential position, and for this… (Shot is fired, picture  drops). The new Kenya had a fierce fight with Odinga. He withdrew  from the government on his own. (Picture drops). Oneko was arrested  in free Kenya. (His picture too drops). Kariyuki too was severely  tortured and was killed. (Picture drops). This happened to all those  who were true and strong. 

Spectator : Will they all drop from history? 

Mount Kenya : No! Never!! They‟ll rather shape history. Each day will give them new  life. As time passes, their footprints will radiate. Your father too is like  ebony that sinks in waters. But the straws float over forever. If Makhan  Singh were a native of Kenya, he would have his roots in these verdant  pastures. Now, he‟s an implanted sprout with no roots in Kenya. He‟s  here to flower and yield fruit. 

Spectator : Will he now be just penning books on the trade unions for the rest of  his life?

Mount Kenya : Yes! Earlier, he created history. Now, he‟ll document it. 

Spectator : Excuse me Mount, you too are biased. He left his community and  family… languished here in jails for eleven years… even he had the  way out…he could‟ve left Kenya. The man from outside who came  here and sacrificed all he had, and asked for nothing in return…why‟re  you running away from justice? 

Mount Kenya : I am a frozen lava! I can‟t do justice to anyone. I can only speak the  truth when occasion arises. Those with selfish motives have rumbled  many here. But no one from outside ever got justice that easily! 

Spectator : What‟re you saying? 

Mount Kenya : But Makhan Singh isn‟t an ordinary mortal…like fragrance, he  breathes with the winds…he‟s everywhere…he‟ll appear in clouds  floating over the land of Kenya…he‟ll guide our destiny like a  polestar… like the breeze, he‟ll blow gently… like a shower of rain,  he‟ll bestow his bounties…he‟ll pulsate in the bread of each worker of  this land….The coming generations of Kenya will neither be volcano  nor snow. They‟ll search for their lost ebony. The small lane in front of  the Republican School, that Makhan Singh Street, will embrace the  entire Kenya. The memory of that great son will always remain fresh,  the son…who stood fearlessly against the colonial giant. Hindpal! You  saw Makhan Singh shaping Kenya. Now, it is Kenya‟s turn. (Mount  Kenya says this with a tone of great affirmation) Makhan Singh is  Kenya‟s one of the most illustrious gentle sons. No land will afford to  forget such greats…forever. Kenya will dig out the ebony from the  bottom of political waters! 

(Mount Kenya retires. Chorus appears on the stage. All the  characters join the chorus.)  

Chorus : This is the saga of valiant hero  

Odyssey of his unsung feats 

Held aloft the torch of Nanak 

With the rhythm of Lenin beats 

In vast ocean of Asia and Africa  

A gospel of unity and peace 

Look at Indian Ocean my dear  

There floats an eternal wreath  

That is destined to bloom for ever 

Antiquity shall be showering smiles 

Toiled tireless Hindi workers  

To run trains miles and miles 

 

******* 

Born in 1950 at Amritsar, Atamjit is author of three dozen short and full-length plays that seek to create dialogue at multiple levels of discourse, ranging from dialogue with the self, the society, and beyond that with the cultural forces that define both self and society. He juxtaposes the past and the present, the historical and the contemporary, the collective folk idiom and the contesting individual voice. In Atamjit’s plays, even in the absence of overt political commitment, display social consciousness d in a meaningful manner. His sensibility is transdisciplinary in his experiments with new themes and techniques but his works are anchored in human values that seek equality, justice, emancipation of women, communal amity and peaceful coexistence. 
Known for dramatic solo recitals of his texts, he also performed the plays throughout India and abroad. Honoured with the National Awards by the Sahitya Akademi  and the Sangeet Natak Akademi, he was also declared as the Living Legend by the National School of Drama during the Theatre Olympiad, 2018 at Delhi.