the thugs of tomorrow.

(before you start reading  the verse written below, do give a quick look at the basic definition of grandfather paradox.

it'll help you to understand the context and storyline. my apologies if you are already acquainted with it.)

(The grandfather paradox is a proposed paradox of time travel in which the time traveller went back in time to the time when his or her grandfather had not married yet. At that time, the time traveller kills his or her grandfather, and therefore, the time traveller is never born when he or she was meant to be. Despite the name, the grandfather paradox does not exclusively regard the impossibility of one's own birth. Rather, it regards any action that makes impossible the ability to travel back in time in the first place.)

"the thugs of tomorrow"

(scene : the village of thugs.
the thugs have gathered for a meeting)

"let us build a machine", suggested the  boy.
"enough of trauma and shame have we accomplished.
 let us end it all".

"end it all, end it all", they cried.

( boy orders the thugs to assemble and build a structure) 

"here put in some treachery.
you! add some of your guilt,
and mix it with extreme loath.
do not fumble when the fires of injustice is lit,
for the machine has to be made.
what is left now? dishonour, deceit and envy?
put them in. put them all ! "

"put them all, put them all", they cried.

(a huge fire is lit. the thugs surround it, waiting anxiously.)

"why do you now stay for?
the machine requires age and patience.
just as your sins took three generations to develop, it shall also take its course."

(they start to dissemble)

"till then, go back to your  daily life.
go rape a woman or two,
nail another christ, behead another monk.
let not the wise and the virtuous stay friends.
divide them, incite them, exploit them.
but remember,
remember not to waste every bit of our devilry on them.
save your deadliest machetes for the tomorrows,
as we sail back into the past. 
for we are the sons of turmoil
for we are the sons of discord.
and we kill them all."

"we kill them all. we kill them all", they cried.

 (a month later, the structure they refer to as a machine is prepared and kept in the middle of the    village. the thugs continue their killings.)

" behold !
 behold the carnage now, for the machine is ready.
 hop onto it with your sacks of swords, knives and machetes.
 do not get intimidated, for even the lords cannot question this creation of ours."

 (they enter into the machine.)

" let us fly back in time,
  let us fly back to our forefathers, to our yesterdays.
  let us fly back to those who taught us all,
  let us fly back to square it all."

"to square it all, to square it all," they cried.

(some three generations before and later)

"LO ! here we've come,
look out, search for your blood.
they might appear like us, but they're not us.
identify the veins, mark the traits.
and slay them all !! let not a soul survive"

(the thugs begin the massacre.
 killings and rapes)

"pluck out his eye brows, chew off his tongue.
cut off the limbs and hack their groin.
molest that women, punt her cunt and cut off the breasts.
dishonour her daughter, cherish her screams.
slit that throat and shave their skins."

"give them back what they trapped us in,
 give them the future they gave us"

(the genocide continues, every one in the village is either hacked to death or is bleeding profusely.)

"commence the rites, call on the priests.
arrange some wood and lit on the fire.
burn them all".

"burn them all, burn them all," they cried.

(the bodies are assembled in a heap and a fire is lit. every villager is charred to death. the thugs start dancing)

" we succeed now ! we triumph !
they gave us a future knitted from their deeds.
and told us to follow it without dissent.
we gave them what they were to give us.
for we are the sons of turmoil
for we are the sons of discord."

(the thugs continue their merry making)

"no more shall the dreary past haunt us,
no more shall our obscure present worry,
no more shall we repent our misfortune,
as the root itself is plucked out"

(the thugs assemble before the machine)

"hop back to the machine, ye sons of tomorrow.
we're no longer the aftermaths of deceit and dishonesty.
look ! our past has gone and the future is alight.
let us travel back to our tomorrow,
and live it the way we've always cherished for.
let us live like men."

"like men, like men" , they cried.

(thus the thugs climb back to the structure. totally oblivious of the obvious, they sang songs of love and home, dreaming about their present which'll turn overnight. though they never realized the fact that the women they just hacked did not belonged to their past)

wasseypuri

Act 3 Scene 2

Antony-

“Friends, associates and sympathizers.

lend me your ears.

I have to bury the hatchet, not to use it. (For we shall not resort to violence)

the very hatchet which hacked and butchered our brothers,

the very hatchet which tore open the vaginas of our wives and mothers,

the very hatchet which beheaded our kids and god have mercy, the most innocent and beautiful of all; my own son, Caesar !

The evil that our blood can do is paramount and profound, but their drop of red is of course pure and precious.

They say that we be evil, that we be the sons of Satan.

And they be right, as they are honourable men.

They say we are parasites, germs which should be eliminated the moment they are noticed. And they be right, as they are honourable men.

Come I to speak at my son’s funeral. He was eight years old, faithful to the Gods, wise and beautiful.

But they say he was also ambitious, cracked up in the head. They say he could think, think very different and more than what’s allotted to us. They say he had dangerous motives.

And dangerously has an eight year old paid for his ambition.

They say he threw stones at them, and got bullets in return!

He paid for his ambitions they said, and they of course are honourable men.

They are honourable men, my brothers! Men who do their duty every morning with the same honesty, vigour and ferocity; against us.

We came here much before them and will be here much after they are gone. Our forefathers fought and won this land for us. Whose taxes did we pay for hundred years? Whose rules and regulations did we follow without a word of dissent?

Did that seem ambitious? rebellious? treacherous? Or for god sake, evil?

Whenever those honourable men have asked for help, we’ve given it all. Who could forget the battle of sultanpur when everyone of us gave our blood for them. And yet they say we be devil. Devilry must be made of sterner stuff.

You all did see how Fatima, our priest’s daughter was raped by twenty seven honourable men, then hacked into pieces and thrown in the ganges. And yet again you saw how two of your heartthrobs Iqlakh and Kapil were shot at point blank range.

Why?

Because they are honourable men and we be germs.

I am grateful to these men and their government for allowing me to weep and speak at my only son’s funeral.

So, I speak today.

I speak neither to offend the honourable men nor to offend their sacred status.

I speak to wake you all up, I speak to pluck your eyebrows out so you can open up your eyes from the deep slumber of opium.

You call me brother, so what cause withholds you then to mourn for my son, for Caesar?

O judgement! Thou art fled to brutish beasts and monkeys have lost their reason.

Bear with me for my heart is in the coffin with Caesar and I must pause before it comes back to me. (pauses)

(weeps)

(Murmurs in the crowd)

1^st monkey- me thinks there is much reason in his saying

2^nd monkey- if thou consider rightly of the matter, humans have committed a sin too big

                      to escape, probably the worst this time.

3^rd monkey- had they brother? I fear they’ll be worse coming.

1^st monkey- Poor Caesar just threw stones at them and he was shot. BAAM!

2^nd monkey- poor soul! his eyes are red with weeping. To lose your only son is indeed a

                    terrible loss.

3^rd monkey- there is not a nobler soul than Antony in the entire sundarban.

1^st monkey- peace ho! Now mark him as he begins to speak.

Antony-

             

But yesterday, we were held as Gods, super beings who stood for courage and bravery. Even mythology proves our faithfulness and loyalty. But try explaining this to the humans, to these honourable men.

No, I shall not do them wrong. I rather choose to wrong the dead; to wrong myself and you than to wrong such honourable men. But here’s a parchment they gave men an hour ago as compensation to my son’s loss. Let but the commons hear the price they have put for the life of a monkey, which pardon me, I do not mean to read.

1^st monkey- we will hear the price. Read it Antony.

2^nd monkey- the parchment, the parchment, read it aloud.

Antony-

Have patience gentle brothers. I must not read it. You are not wood, you are not stones, but monkeys; and being monkeys hearing the price of a fellow being, it will inflame you; it will make you go mad. Its good that you remain unaware of the insults written here. For if you should, O, what would come of it.

3^rd monkey- read the parchment, we shall hear it. Read.

Antony-

will you be patient? will you stay awhile? I have o’ershot my self to tell you of it. I feel I have wronged the honourable men whose bullets splashed my son’s blood all over……

2^nd monkey- they are evil. Treacherous bastards. Evil evil human beings.

3^rd monkey- they are villains. Read the parchment

Antony-

You will compel me, then, to read the parchment. Then make a ring about the coffin of Caesar and let me read it. Shall I descend?

1^st monkey- descend.

2^nd monkey- a ring. Everybody stand around.

3^rd monkey-  stand from the hearse. Room for antony, most noble antony.

(Antony opens the coffin)

Antony-

If you have tears, prepare to shed them now. Do you know this saffron garment my son wears? I bought it as a present for his birthday; and look how charming he appears.

There! there’s the place, the small hole where they shot him, right through his rib cage. There, touch and feel the shattered bones of my blue blood. Mark the shoulders, mark how disproportionate they appear, feel the agony he felt when they shot him twice there and kicked him. And yes, the most unkind blow of all, notice the obvious.

They shot him in the head! Exactly five minutes later when their bullets broke his rib cage. For five minutes, five long minutes, Caesar withered in pain. And then he fell. O, what a fall was it my brothers. O, now you weep and I perceive you feel the dint of pity.

1^st monkey- O pitiful spectacle

2^nd monkey- O noble Caesar!

3^rd monkey- O woeful day!

4^th monkey- O traitors, villains.

3^rd monkey- we shall be revenged.

All

Yes. revenge. revenge. seek, burn , fire, kill, slay. Let not a human in sundarban stay.

Antony- stay brothers.

1^st monkey- peace ho! Hear the noble Antony.

Antony-

Good brothers, sweet brothers. Let me not arouse you to such a sudden flood of mutiny.

Those who have done this deed are honourable and we must not offend them. I have come here only to remember my beloved, our beloved Caesar and to read out aloud the dirt cheap price these men have put for our blood.

here is that parchment.

It says, because I am a loyal state resident and is dutiful and pay taxes, therefore to compensate my grief, the mighty government has decided to grant me 5000 rupees. That is all, not once, not anywhere have they mentioned an apology for their horrific crimes. So now my brothers, you all know your worth in this world. You all know now that any human can spill out 5000 rupees and shoot you in the head. Well, they are honourable men and we must sustain the blows for their honour. For mutiny is no longer possible

1^st monkey-  no. we’ll mutiny.

2^nd monkey- kill kill

3^rd monkey-  revenge.

4^th monkey-  burn down their houses.

All

Yes. revenge. revenge. seek, burn , fire, kill, slay. Let not a human in sundarban stay.

Yes. revenge. revenge. seek, burn , fire, kill, slay. Let not a human in sundarban stay.

कोटा

एक शहर को दूर से देखा था हमने ,

भयानक सा. 

जहा भट्टी में पिस्ता था बचपन,

और निकलते थे खौफनाक अरमान.

जहा दलाल बन बैठे थे भगवान, 

और खो गए थे दोस्ती के उसूल.

जहा जेल में बंद बैठे थे शरारत और हंसी,

और जेलर थे खुद के ही माँ बाप.

जहा सपने भी थे काले,

और दोस्त बदल से गए.

खुशनसीब थे हम,

की दूर से ही देखा था हमने वो शहर,

जहा ज़िन्दगी किताबों में बीत गयी,

और  उम्मीदों ने  दम तोड़ दिया.

एक शहर के बारे में बड़ा सुना था हमने,

जहा हर शख्स नाखुश था, पता नहीं किससे पर था ज़रूर.

बस यही सुना था हमने उस शहर के बारे में.

जहा कोटा में दोस्ती का कोटा ही ना रहा,

और दोस्त बदल से गए .

जेब .

आज अरसो बाद जेब टटोली,

कुछ पल मिले दो चार.

सबसे छिपाकर , सबसे प्यारे!

पेन और कागज़ मिले,

शायद लिखने की इच्छा दिल में ही रह गयी थी.

और बच गए कुछ आधे अधूरे लेख, अरमानो के.

एक खुद का पासपोर्ट साइज़ फोटो मिला,

भौंडी सी शक्ल लिए एकटक घूरता हुआ.

शायद मुझसे कुछ पूछ रहा था.

एक सपना भी मिला,

माँ का था या पिताजी का, मालूम नहीं. 

क्या पता खुद का ही हो.

कुछ कहानियां मिली,

खट्टी मीठी, दिल को गुदगुदा देने वाली,

कुछ तो सच्ची थी और कुछ खुद ही बनायीं थी.

मोहल्ले की उस लड़की को हँसाने के लिए.

कुछ यार भी मिले,

गालियाँ मिली और हंसी भी.

कुछ यार भी मिले,

सबसे बेकार, सबसे निठ्ठले. 

सबसे छिपाकर ,सबसे प्यारे.

जश्न !

दिल्ली की इस चकाचौंध में,

 भूल गए हैं की कभी घरो में बिजली का आना भी एक जश्न था.

एक हंसी थी बिखरी पड़ी..जो रूठ कर कहीं छिप गयी हैं इस ठण्ड में.

की कभी सर्दियों का आना भी एक जश्न था. 

 "मैं और तू" के concrete मकानों के बीच, भूल गए हैं की हम भी कभी "हम" थे.

की कभी गप्पे लड़ाना भी एक जश्न था.

थोडा वक़्त मिलता दोस्त तो हम भी बताते,

की कभी शाम को घर आना भी एक जश्न था.