ye din sab din

(feature film script sessional for final semester 2000)

Rajula Shah
film direction 97 batch


















A building under construction at night. There are a few
areas dimly lit. In one open space, a gathering sits
and sings, perhaps the bhils of jhabua who are the
workers on that site. A slow pull out as the voices are
heard.

: hows life ?
- elsewhere.
: where ever ?
- where, tomorrow is another day
: but isnt tomorrow an-other day ?
- No.
: what is it that is worth the wait?


A light blue curtain flapping against the horizontal
window bars. On the windowsill, some round smooth
stones from the riverbank.

- Nothing.
: Not even the wait?
- May be the wait....
: Do you wait for something?
- Sometimes...for a miracle.
: yet everyday is the same?
-Yes, or at the most a deja vu...


















SCENE 1
ROOM / INTERIOR / DAY

A girl head on the pillow, with her sleepy eyes,
looking at the sunrise. Her eyes are half-open, the
light on her face slowly increases, and so do the bird
sounds.

She moves out of the bed towards the window. looks at
the wristwatch kept on the table. A faint alarm rings
at the bedside. She turns to look at the clock and lets
it ring. A line of toy camels cast a shadow on the wall
above the bed. The camels stand in a decreasing order
one behind the other on the windowsill.

She looks out of the window, dips her hand inside a
glass full of water to pick out the soaked almonds in
her hand and starts peeling them one by one. It has
become brighter outside now. Her hand throws the water
of the glass in a small pot of plant at the windowsill.
The leaves of the plant glisten with the water.


SCENE 2
BATHROOM / INTERIOR / DAY

Girl comes out of the toilet door, goes to the wash
basin.
O/s sound of the flush and water gushing down the
drain.
She looks at herself in the mirror as she washes her
hands at the tap. Moves forward to look closely at the
face. The bun unfurls at her back. She wipes her hands
with the towel at the side. begins to play with the
hair, tries different hairstyles by turning the long
hair this way and that.

The page of a drawing book with different parts of the
face, nose, eyes, eyebrows, forehead, lips, chins,
cheeks, ears, drawn randomly all over the space. Pages
are turned over and over with the same continuing.

Her face under the shower with eyes closed. Water flows
all over her face.

A slight knock on the door, followed by a loud banging.
a girls voice from outside,

Bela, Bela ...... n| i r, i `

Bela shouts from inside as her hand turns the shower
off....

Bela

i `
Rashmi repeats her query as Bela shouts back from
inside the bath, ri .......... and opens the shower again.
Water flows down her face.

SCENE 3
COMMON ROOM / INTERIOR / DAY

A hand sticking a comb in the hair. A pair of feet in
sandals with untied straps, jingling down the stairs. A
hand trying to tie a watch on the left wrist. Bela
hurrying down the steps.

A woman with a big bindi on her forehead wipes steel
plates with a cloth and pours porridge into them, three
measured spoons in each. The girls take their plates
and move on. Bela combs her hair, puts the comb in her
mouth, ties a bun behind her head. The woman at the
stand gives her a smile and pours porridge in her plate
one spoon more than the usual three. Bela acknowledges,
takes her plate and goes towards the table in the
corner. As she walks, the sandal buckles jingle and a
voice from behind imitates the sound, khan khan khan
khan. Bela walks carefully balancing the porridge plate
across the room. A slight laughter follows the khan
khan.

There are other tables near the windows towards the
bright side of the room. Table tops shine in the
sunlight coming through the windows. There are a few
girls on those tables, making some noise pulling,
pushing the chairs.

Bela sitting at the corner table near the wall. Her
mouth close to the plate, she blows at the hot
porridge. Under the table, Belas hands tie the sandal
strap. Steam rises from the porridge plate. She picks
up the spoon, taking a little porridge on it, puts her
tongue to it and puts it back into the plate. She blows
at it, licks the spoon.

A distorted image of her face comes in the spoons
curve. She starts playing with it by bringing it near
and taking it far by turns. Repeats it. Is engrossed in
the spoon-game.
The image grows bigger and more distorted when it is
brought near and decreases in size as it is taken
farther.

Rashmi sits in front of Bela across the table, eating
the porridge. Bela continues with her game. Rashmi
stops eating to look at her.

Rashmi

i i r| i, n| r| r n `

Bela looks up, thinking as she hears rashmi and slowly
brings the spoon of porridge to her mouth. On the sound
track a voice speaks as she eats--

..........ni li i i r -l | -|i - li | i i -|i
| l - | i | i i i; i-ni r|| ii n -i r|
-i.... i; ii i; |li , | r| -l si-| | li|
| ii l i| i si- - - -| rn| | i i|









SCENE 4
HOME / INTERIOR/ DAY

The story in the voice continues.
Through the window bars, the bloomimg red gulmohar tree
outside.

The matka-kulfi wallah walking down the street with his
thela tinkling the bell.

Father narrates : ......... i , i - ri........... in i| i;
ii | ii ii i; i| li| - i| ;-n| s lini| i|
i| i in| i| l i ri i n| i|, i| lii; r| n| i||
| i-| - ii i i-| i i r-i| i| i r
i-| i | il-i n in nin r| i l lni n|| i ;n i i - i l
l i| ii ni | n n li - r| r l-- n i | l
i ii i i - ii ln i- n in ri n|
si ; ii i ;-n r i l n r| in - i| i | il-i ii
iii i -n| ni si-| | li| -|| ii| i -i | -|
lnni i - i| n| i | si; lrn|n| |in||
i -i-........ ii ii -i- ni li i - s ii r| r| .......;-n i-| l in
- r r r| ; nr i lsi i in||
si il ;n ; -|i - i i i s i ii r| i ii
l ; ii - r| n n |n ini i | ii il-i n i i r li|
- li | ir i nn|| l li | ii in|

SCENE 4 (B)
COMMON ROOM / INTERIOR / DAY

Bell eats her porridge with her head bent over the
plate. The voice of the father telling the story
continues and trails off with the last sentence...

i i
lii | i| i
i- |,

......ni i | il-i i ii- | i - i i - | i lni n|, i ............
..................

She looks up at Rashmi half opening her mouth as if to
say something. The chair in front is empty. She looks
up. Rashmi is standing at the far end of the room
reflected in the wash basin mirror, wiping her mouth
with a kerchief, and pointing at her watch. Bela eats
hurriedly and gets up. Belas image moves across the
steel spoon and plate.


SCENE 5
PAINTING DEPT/ INTERIOR/ DAY

Bela's hand turns the sheets over one by one. There are
light and shade pencil drawings of a still life
arrangement. A composition of a flowerpot on a low
wooden stool, flanked by a glass bottle lying on the
ground and a broken clay pitcher (surahi) toppled over
with a thick dull white drape as background. She goes
on turning the sheets over, all of the same composition
from different angles. She pauses at the drawing last
made and turns over to the blank sheet next.
The students are sitting in a circle drawing on the
sheet pinned to their easels in front.

The same still life arrangement lies in the middle on
the floor.

Bela pins the blank sheet on to the easel in front.
The others are already drawing.

Each student is at a different stage of drawing the
composition, as in view from their varying angles
around it.
Belas sheet is blank. She looks at the arrangement on
the floor.

The arrangement lies there on the floor against a dull
white drape as background from over the chair behind.

SCENE 6
ROOM / INTERIOR / NIGHT

Belas hand stick a pencil drawing on the wall,
smoothes the corners and edges. Sound of the compere on
the radio talking about a song about to be played next.

Voice on the radio : i-ni, nin| n-| i i | r| ri in|
n| r ni - i - i -ni r, i | r| isi r i i|n n lini in|
r i nni r i| i i l- n ri, i in| n r| ri i - in ri
iii - n s| ii r| ii irni ri , - ----------------

She looks up at the wall as she moves back a few steps
and falls back on her bed behind. Half the wall is
covered with the pencil drawings of the same still-life
as in the morning class. The voice on the radio winds
up and says namaskar. Bela stretches ahead and turns
the radio knob off. The hand on its return path from
the radio passes a black and yellow torch, a timepiece,
a pile of books, comes to the lamp switch and shuts it
off. Sound of the iron bed creaking in the dark.

A torch is lit in the darkness with fingers covering
it. The fingers look red and translucent as the light
is blocked, and belas face is dimly underlit.

She removes her hand from the torch so that the spot of
light falls on the ceiling fan. The spot begins to move
slowly across the ceiling to the wall. It travels over
the drawings one by one right down to the corner
unfinished one on the right. The torchlight is shut
off.
A patch of light from under the door falls on the dark
floor in a sharp pattern.

SCENE 7
COMMON ROOM / INTERIOR / DAY

Image of Belas face in the curve of the spoon.
o/s sound of moving the chairs, the clanging of
utensils, the clatter of spoons resounding in the room.
Bela looks up from the spoon. Rashmi looks up from her
plate at Bela.

Both resume eating.
Bela suddenly looks up at Rashmi

Bela

s ri `

Rashmi shakes her head in a no and shrugs. Bela goes
back to her porridge.
A fast montage of daily images of the gulmohar tree
against the brick wall, sunrise behind the hill through
the barred glass window, birds flying over the lake
water, the potted plant watered by the water from the
glass, Bela in front of the wash-basin mirror, watch
being tied on the wrist, comb in the hair and feet with
the untied sandal straps on the stairs, spoon image of
Belas face.

The sound of a jingle.
Bela looks up with a start. The image of Rashmi
standing at the door jingling her key bunch in the
mirror. She waves as Bela looks up and disappears
through the door. Bela bends forward over the plate.
Her image creeps in it. She keeps the spoon in it.
O/s sound of her feet shuffling away.


SCENE 8
ROAD / EXTERIOR / DAY

Rashmi is walking ahead with another girl.
At a slower pace Bela is walking behind at a distance.
A woman with disheveled hair and torn, dirty clothes
sits with a rubbish bag on the pavement. Bela passes
her with the sandal buckles jingling.

The woman points at her sandals and mutters something.
Bela increases her pace and almost runs ahead. After a
couple of hurried steps she stops and bends down to tie
the strap.
Her hand touches the buckle first, then leaving it
stretches ahead to pick a flower lying on the ground.
It is a white flower with a long green stem. She picks
up another one. Forgetting her sandals her hands start
gathering flowers one after another. In the area within
her reach, as she picks one, another falls from above.
She keeps on dropping the staler ones and picking the
fresher just dropped flowers by turns.
O/s voice of Rashmi shouting for Bela
Rashmi : Bela.....Bela...

Belas hands pick a few flowers hurriedly after which
she runs off towards Rashmi.
o/s noise of feet running away, sandals jingling.
Two more flowers drop on the ground behind her. Bela
runs and joins the two figures standing waiting at a
distance, The three figures recede farther into the
distance.

SCENE 9
CLASSROOM / INTERIOR / DAY

It is dark in the room. There is a mechanical sound.
The room is brightened by a slide projected on the
wall. The professors voice says, next. One after
another some painting slides follow. Dali s
sculptures. The projecter sound follows and a light
patch falls on the wall. The professor is seen in the
O.H.P. lamplight as he bends over it and writes in
tables and diagrams on a transparent sheet. On the
wall, writing fills the screen. Professor adds some
words here and there in his voice. Students write.
Bela whispers in the Professors ears. Professor taps
on her shoulder and shakes his head.


SCENE 10
ROAD / EXTERIOR / DAY

Flowers dropping on the ground under the same tree.
Bela's eyes search for something on the ground. A
little girl sits on the low boundary wall, weaving a
band out of those flowers. Bela exchanges glances with
her.

Water gushes in the drain between the pavement and the
road. A flower drops from above and swiftly flows down
the drain.
Bela looks up at the tree. There stands the tall
aakaash neem tree laden with flowers. Sun dazzles her
eyes. She shuts her eyes. The hair-bun behind her head,
unfurls.





SCENE 11
PAINTING DEPT / EXTERIOR / DAY

A group of students sit in the nature drawing class in
the big open verandah of the painting department. All
the students with extended arms try to measure some
tree at a distance. In one hand a steel watch unlatches
and hangs loose. Rashmi looking at the pencil and the
tree with one eye shut, opens the other eye. Rashmis
thumb moves on the length of the pencil trying to
measure the tree. Between the pencil and the tree a
pedulum moves across. Rashmi withdraws her extended arm
and opens the other eye. All her pastels fall down and
get scattered.


SCENE 12
ROAD / EXTERIOR / DAY

Belas hands mechanically go up from behind to tie the
open hair as she walks on. Her eyes focus at the wrist
level of the world passing. She cannot see anything
beyond and above the left or right hands of people with
or without watches.
The jingle of the sandal distracts her. She looks
around. There, near the bus stop in front sits a
cobbler. Bela purposefully walks in that direction.

Bela

ii, ;i li i, i i i ini r |

The cobbler pushes a left foot bathroom slipper in her
direction. Bela takes out her foot and keeps it on the
slipper. The wristwatch on his hand is very big
covering the wrist. Bela turns her head away from the
cobbler, towards the bus stop at the noise of a bus
brake. All she sees are wrists on the bus handle, one
hand waving out of the window, another waving back from
below, many wrists trying to squeeze in at the handle
as the bus makes to move.

An old man walks past with a stick, his wrist covered
by the shirt sleeve, a girl wearing a bright blue
plastic watch, holding a portfolio, comes and looks up
at the board saying the bus numbers, the hand closest
to Bela holding the bus stop pole gives out a beep
beep, boy takes off his hand to look at the watch,
waves at an auto-rickshaw passing and climbs in. A
school bus arrives. A couple of children get off.

The line for the bus gets longer and comes nearer Bela.
A graceful looking aged woman wearing a silk sari in a
bright combination, and carrying a blue cloth bag with
a floral pattern comes towards the line and asks Bela,

Old woman

Excuse me, - i |s n i ......`

Clouds gathering in the sky make the light fall
considerably. Old woman looks up at the sky as there is
a breeze shaking the tree above making some leaves
fall.
Bela stammers as she looks around to find herself
included in the long stretched line.

Bela

ri ...... - ni...

The old woman thanks her and joins in the line standing
behind Bela. The cobbler looks up from his stitching
and taps the sandal on the ground. Bela hurriedly digs
into her bag to pay him and sits down on her toes to
wear the sandal. The cobbler hands the change back.
Bela drops it in her bag with one hand.
Clouds become denser in the sky. The old woman now
standing behind looks at Belas bag that has slid down
her shoulders as she sits on the ground tying the
strap.

Old woman

Excuse me .......?

And not waiting for Belas response she points at her
bag as Bela adjusts it over her right shoulder making
as if to get up.

Old woman

These cowries on your bag ..they
bring bad luck.. - ii ii nii ilr

A faint smile comes on the old womans face as she
looks at Bela. Bela tries to smile, as she runs a hand
on the cowries stitched all over her bag.

Bela

si......`

First drops of rain start falling from above. Bela
looks up at the darkened sky. O/s noise of a bus
pulling a brake and halting. The woman taps on Belas
shoulder asking her to move ahead in the line. There is
a sudden pandemonium amongst the people standing in the
bus queue, as they pull and push and squeeze through at
the bus gate. Bela gets carried into the bus. A heavy
shower comes as the bus leaves the stop and moves
ahead.

SCENE 13
BUS / EXTERIOR / DAY

The bus passes the junk market.
Through the window Bela looks at the small time shops
of the junk market. It is a long line of roadside shops
selling a random assortment of things. The sudden rain
has created chaos amongst the small-time shopkeepers
who have laid out their shops on the ground on pieces
of plastic. Some leave their shops to stand under the
nearest shed. The ones with an umbrella sit in their
shops.

Bela turns her head to look at the other side of the
road through the windows. The same line of junk market
is reflected across the road too. Bela looks back
through her own window as the bus pulls to a stop. An
old woman and a little kid sit crouched under an
umbrella looking at the iron things spread out in front
getting wet. Some others are spreading a plastic sheet
over the shops as a cover to protect the things.
Belas hand lies on the bag in her lap.

Outside the cloud is over with the burst. Already the
rain is reduced to a drizzle as the bus moves. Down
there on the pavement the old woman is opening her
folding umbrella.
Belas hand lifts off the bag and those cowries as if
in a shock. Bela looks around her in awkwardness, her
hands go up to adjust the hair bun. The bus crosses the
last rows of the junk market and the drizzle has almost
stopped.
The conductor comes towards Bela in the now emptier bus
clanking his stapler.

Bela looks out to see the big shop rows that have
replaced the junk market now. A big Board on one shop
says, Watch your Watch. Bela addresses the conductor
who is standing in front clanking the stapler.

Bela

i i --i r

Conductor

ni r `

Bela nods and gets up. Conductors hand pulls the
stringed bus bell. Bela gives a five coin in his hand
and rushes out as the bus is pulled to a halt.

SCENE 14
ROAD / EXTERIOR / DAY

A stream of traffic on the road after the rain has
stopped. People with wet hair and clothes amidst a lot
of noise of horns and driving motors.

Across the road Bela takes a cone of peanuts and walks
towards a bus stop ahead of her on the road.

Rain has stopped. A man selling bright coloured
umbrellas made out of bamboo sticks and cloth as he
carries the shop on his shoulders. He has stopped to
demonstrate the opening and folding of the umbrellas to
a woman and a child, and now comes towards Bela. Bela
looks at the umbrella, rotating it in her hand. Among
the different patterns and colours in the bunch she
chooses and buys a yellow one, the brightest.
She goes and sits in the bus stop, keeps the umbrella
by the side and eats the peanuts.

At a distance, two naughty beggar girls run after each
other around a street light pole laughing. Bela looks
at the big building in front with a entire mirror
facade reflecting the passing traffic on the road.
o/s A voice of a little girl imploring in a mumble.

Bela turns to find one of those two girls playing at a
distance. She has now put on the act of begging. Bela
looks at the pole. The other one is still swinging around
the pole.

The girl goes on imploring in a drone repeating her
sentence over and over in her mumble. Bela looks at her,
then offers her the peanut cone. The girl shakes her head
in a no. Bela continues eating. Little girl points at the
umbrella lying by Belas side. Bela looks at the umbrella
and looks back at her. There is a suspended moment when
both look at each other not knowing what may happen. Bela
keeps looking at the girls face. As she continues to
look at the girl looking at her, her hand goes towards
the umbrella from the side and extends it towards her.
The girls eyes follows the movement of the hand, her
hand snatches the umbrella midway from Belas hand. The
girl speeds off in the opposite direction like an arrow.
Bela turns and looks at her speed as she disappears round
the first bend of the road. The other girl however is
busy still at the same pole going round and round it.

Amidst the traffic noise, and over the immediate noise
of a scooter engine, Belas name is called. Bela turns
to see a boy on a scooter with a helmet on his head.

Boy

Bela ?

She nods her head with a puzzled look on her face, not
recognizing.
Boy takes off his helmet and adjusts his hair as he
adds,

Boy

rii `
Bela looks on with the same nonplussed expression on
her face.

Boy

4th standard, shishu niketan....

Bela looks hard at him. Boy waits with a smile on his
face, as Bela suddenly says,

Bela

Vipul......Nath...?

Vipul

;n| ` ;ni ni i - `

Bela

ri i............

Vipul

But you havent changed at all.
-i - | | | same face
same hair same look....
passing - r| ri ni ii `

Bela looks at him, as his voice slowly trails off. And
the same story in her fathers voice begins.

i i
lii | i| i
i- |


On the huge mirror facade of the building behind, Bela
sees her own face blown up. Bela looks back at him. He
goes on speaking, laughing, waving his hands around,
but Bela cant hear him. The story goes on in the
fathers voice

i i r| - - i ;n| i ri in| i ii- rin rin i - |
ii i i - in|....li r| r|, l ; ni i - n r| i
li| ni n|.....

i li| i- | --in| i il-i ri | | i nn| in| ....i i|
ii ii in| in|...... -l, i -l n| -l i -l i -l....s in i-
i ir -l, lnn lnn in in i-| il-i i n| lnn| in|.....ir nr
ir r ir i r ...rn r| li | i ii i- i |li n in| ....

As the story continues on the sound track, Vipul takes
out his card and gives it to Bela, she looks at it and
nods her head. He wears his helmet, gets off his
scooter to start it. As he kicks the scooter, the
sounds of the present moment with the traffic sounds
return.

Vipul

By the way can i drop you
anywhere now?

Bela

r| ni -n ni i r| ii r,
that pink building there] ogha tkuk gS thanks yaar..


Vipul

, see you then.

Bela

ya ya sure.

Bela makes to cross the road as Vipuls scooter moves
ahead. Across the road she walks towards the pink
building. On the way she crosses the mirror facade
building and stops short to look at her reflection in
the mirror. The hair bun unfurls, her hands go up to
tie them as she walks off. Traffic passes in the
mirror.

As Bela passes the pink building, she stops to look at
a side board that says O-SHIN and an arrow points
towards a flight of stairs.

A smart looking woman wearing short hair comes down the
stairs. Bela looks at the little girl with a fountain
on her head holding the womans hand as they both sit
on a scooter and ride off. A violet silk scarf flutters
at the womans neck as they recede in the distance.


SCENE 14
SALON / INTERIOR / DAY

Belas face in the mirror. She moves her head this way
and that, and looks at herself. Then as she gives it a
shake the hair-bun comes off.
o/s strains of some soft music playing.

A pink apron comes over her face. Two hands handle the
hair from behind, give them a bounce and spread it over
the shoulders. The same hand then holds itself as a
measure mark at different levels beginning from the ear
downwards. Belas face wears an expression of
indecision.

The hand goes up and down stopping at regular
intervals. Then stops at mid ear level. Her head, by a
gentle push is made to bend forward. Belas eyes screw
up as water is sprayed on her hair. The sound of the
spray bottle fills her ears. With her head bent she
gives a side-long glance to her left side.

A woman sits getting her long hair dyed with henna.
o/s sound of scissors cutting through the hair.
Cut hair falling down on the smooth white marble floor.
Bela shuts her eyes.

SCENE 15
TERRACE / EXTERIOR / DAY

Bela shouts from behind the still camera in her hand

Bela

- please] i only once i
n| i| smile, real i|......
please.

Samar trying to smile,
Samar

okay okay ~| i,

Bela

ri r| r| ....hold it.


Samar

i n ...fast yaar,
i ri~ r| i ni!

Not able to hold it any longer, Samar gives the
expression up just at the sound of the camera clicking
in Belas hands.
Bela
shit...

Both burst out laughing. Samar slumps down laughing on
the floor along the railing of the terrace, takes off
his specs to wipe. As Bela doubles laughing, the lens
cap of the camera falls down. She bends down to pick it
up. She looks at it, and wiping it on her sleeve looks
at Samar laughing. Samar looks at her through his
laughter. Bela slowly slides along the railing to sit
down where she is standing.

Belas voice

l| l n- r| ii n n
ni si-| | ni li
| ri in|
-
| ri n;
l i ........
ln| | |

Samar wears his specs and looks at her.

Samar

r- ii ii n
l
n-
i | ri n;
-n si
i lii
i
i| r| ni ri
; |
i li i - |

Bela hides her face behind the camera. As Samar walks
towards her, she walks a few steps backwards moving the
focus ring on the camera and clicks. Her hair bun
unfurls behind her head.

Samar

...............i - | l
ii r| i-i| i-| i i
i l i li n.......i li - ii
si ni

Bela starts rewinding the film in the camera
suppressing a laugh. Samar twists her long hair around
trying to make a bun. After some effort he succeeds.




Samar

i n ii | ri| | r,
l| i i -i| ii - rin| i| `

Bela takes the film-roll out and shakes her head in a
no. The bun comes off and the hair fall down once again
as they open.


SCENE 15 (B)
SALON / INTERIOR / DAY

Belas head is gently pulled back by the hair-dressers
hands. The pink cloth (apron) is taken off sliding
across her face. Bela is face to face with the other
Bela in the mirror. Behind her stands the girl with a
hand mirror in which the nape of Belas neck is
visible. Belas hand goes up mechanically to touch the
cut hair ends at the neck behind. She waves at the girl
behind to relax. The girl comes up near her, to keep
the hand mirror in the table drawer.

Girl

very smart mam.

The henna woman at the side looks at Bela with her
slanted eyes and twisted head. Bela gets up brushing
her clothes and climbs down the salon chair.

Belas reflection on the glass wall of the
receptionists counter. Behind it the woman sitting in
a moving chair searches for the money change to give
back. A soft board behind the counter says in an
advertisement of the salon Never ask the barber if
you need a haircut. Bela turns her head back to the
lady as she hears a voice say,

voice

sorry mam, youll have to wait
a bit for the change.

The lady leaves her chair and goes out.

Bela

Its okay. Ill wait.

Bela turns to see her hair dresser girl putting the
apron around another woman at the same chair. Bela
moves towards the window and looks down. Down below the
street is not crowded. Its very bright with the sun
scorching overhead, and the market seems deserted as on
a summer afternoon. The scene slowly comes nearer and
things start becoming clearer.

An autorickshaw walla sleeps on in his back seat, as
Bela comes out onto the pavement down the staircase of
the building behind. She looks here and there.

A gulmohar tree with its blazing red flowers has made a
carpet of red on the road space just beneath it. She
comes out on the road and starts walking.

One sleepy man comes out of a shabby restaurant, throws
a bucketful of water on the pavement just in front of
Bela, and goes back. The water evaporates instantly.
Bela walks over that patch of the pavement dry again
now. The sound of something hitting something else in a
regular beat rhythm. Bela looks around and walks. A few
paces ahead in the balcony of a house above the shops,
a kid plays alone. A ball is hanging from a string in a
sock, and he is hitting it with his bat repeatedly. The
sound continues as Bela walks ahead on the empty road.
The panwallah is snoring sitting in his shop. Near by,
between two small trees a cradle made of a sari piece
moves. Bela peeps inside. A child inside has woken up,
he moves, the cradle now begins to rock slowly after
his movement Bela looks here and there for someone
related to the child in the cradle.

The road is completely deserted as far as the eyes see.
She looks back hurriedly, to find him cradled by a slow
movement of his hammock, with eyes half closed, falling
back in his slumber again.

Sound of a bus approaching. Bela turns back to look at
the bus coming and turns back to start running towards
the bus stop a few paces ahead. As she runs she passes
somebody sitting in the bus stop bench. It is the
earlier Bela with her long hair, her bun unfurling
behind her and her hands going up to tie them. Sound of
the bus screeching to a stop. Bela pulls on to rush
into the bus as it halts, and plunks herself in the
window seat. She looks out of the window to see the
other Bela sitting on the bus stop bench eating peanuts
now. The beggar girl is coming towards the bus stop as
the bus moves ahead leaving them behind.



SCENE 16
BUS / INTERIOR / DAY

The roadside images pass one by one as the bus moves
on. The roadside shacks on the pavement selling woolens
of all kinds. The figures of Tibetan lama women moving
around in their long dresses among the sweaters and
jackets.

A continuous endlessly long row of shops selling
woolens of all colours.

The bus halts at a bus stop along the rows. Bela looks
at the woman and kid in the shop across. She is the
same woman with a child that was sitting under the
umbrella in the junk-market when it rained. With a jerk
Bela turns to the right to look through the windows at
the other side of the road. Across the road also a
similar line of pavement shops selling woolens. Bela
now pulls her gaze to the people sitting inside the
bus. Each one of them wears a pullover, jacket,
windcheater, shawl, or a sweater. Bela s face wears an
expression of confusion and incomprehension. The
conductor comes towards her.

Bela

lni i r `

conductor glares down at her before he looks at his
watch.

Conductor

n| r----

Bela turns her face away from the conductor towards the
window to look at the passing shops once again.


SCENE 17
CANTEEN / EXTERIOR / DAY

Rashmi sitting at a table in the canteen eating. Her
spoon slips out of her hand and falls down on the
floor.


SCENE 17 (B)
BUS/ DAY


Bela

i i stop r `

Conductor

ni r i `

Conductor pulls the string-bell as the bus pulls to a
halt.


SCENE 18
MARKET/ EXTERIOR/ DAY

Belas hands holds a leaf bowl in which a gol gappa is
placed. Bela single-mindedly eats them one after the
other. Her nose and eyes are streaming. The gol gappas
are hot. The man puts one more in the bowl. Bela gets a
fit of coughing, the bowl falls down. She asks him to
stop by raising her hand as she continues coughing. The
man wipes his hand. Bela pays him and looks up
coughing. Two three women sit in the opposite verandah
staring. She looks down. A woman wearing shiny red
stands in a doorway next to a hardware store. An old
man buys a garden hose at the store.

Bela walks ahead.

A woman here a woman there sitting around on the low
roofs of the shops, on the stairs, on the pavement
wearing bright colours stare at the passers by.

A housewife with her head covered with the sari pallu
goes across to the ladies tailors shop holding a
little kids hand. The kid has a plastic toy-pistol in
his other hand.

A young girl in a lizzy bizzy pink top and short skirt
chews paan and spits in the open gutter running along
the pavement.

A little school-girl returning from school drags her
water bottle rattling it along on the ground passes her
by.

A lean tall woman in bright blue jokes with the
panwallah in his shop.

Bela walks faster and turns a lane. From near to far
various women dot the pavement on both sides at
irregular intervals. Bela walks faster, turns another
lane.

The same view continues on either side of the road. A
local train comes and stops in front of Bela. She
climbs it, and finds it all empty. Through the jali the
compartments on either side are seen---empty as this
one. The handles move on the rod above. Outside the
landscape whizzes past. It seems to be flying over a
sea-bridge. She shuts her eyes and sits on the edge.
The train slows down and stops. Bela opens her eyes.

Gets down in a town square. In the middle of the road,
in place of the traffic police man, a boy sleeps. Bela
goes near him. A hooter is heard, a tram stops by. She
turns and climbs it. There are people sitting like
statues. Nobody talking to anybody else. They look at
her as if looking through. Bela looks at the
expressionless faces.

Outside the landscape is moving very slowly.

She walks fast. The bright colours on both sides pass
by as blobs.

O/s sound of stations being shifted rapidly on a
transistor. Many pieces of various film songsin bits
are snapped as they follow one after the other.
She walks down the cobbled alley there are paan, gol
gappa and toy shops, but empty.

She looks at the shops and walks on. A long walk. The
alley almost seems unending. Then an opening is seen.
the sky. Bela jumps up in the air to see whats beneath
the sky. Then paces up. She reaches the opening to find
the broad shining face of the river. a little girl on
the ghat, fans her little sigri to which is tied her
tea kettle. She fans it vigorously opens the lid to
peep inside. Bela shuts her eyes.


SCENE 19
ROAD / EXTERIOR / DAY

Bela opens her eyes again. A red bus crosses in front
of his eyes. The Hostel gate stands in front across the
road. Bela stands breathless and exhausted looking at
the gate and around. The traffic on the road is not
much.

Rashmi is walking towards the gate looking at her
watch, with two other girls. Bela slides behind a tree
to hide. Rashmi comes out of the gate and looks here
and there, then looks at the watch again. One of them
waves at the auto standing on the side, all climb in it
and move away.


Belas feet as they shift, make a lot of noise, on the
dry leaves lying on the ground. A yellow leaf falls on
her from above. Bela looks up. The tree is leafless but
for a few yellow leaves hanging here and there. She
peeps out to steal a look at the gate across. All the
trees on the other side appear bare and brown.

She comes out from behind the tree and crosses the road
to move towards the gate; looks up at the trees on
either side and in front inside the campus as she walks
in. The area looks barren and empty. The ground
adjoining the campus wall is half filled with dry,
yellow grass and the other half is black from the
burning down of the dry grass.

Bela.......... a distant voice is heard as she goes
towards the hostel building.

On the railing far away a group of boys and girls sit
dangling their legs. One fat boy is waving at her. She
waves back. The boy touches his hair and throws his
palm up in a question mark. Bela gives a shrug and
turns into a lane.

As she turns she almost bumps into a girl in a long
flowing skirt and open hair.


Girl

Oh....my god....what is this ?
who is this guy? Oh..Bela? why?

Bela gives a faint smile, shrugs again and rushes
towards the hostel door. She runs up in big strides,
skipping stairs in great speed.


SCENE 20
CORRIDOR ROOM / INTERIOR / DAY

After she reaches the third landing she stands against
the wall, out of breath and shuts her eyes. In the
mirror across Bela with short hair and shut eyes is
reflected, getting her breath back. Bela opens her eyes
and walks on in the corridor, goes past a room door
giving the lock a shake and opens the next locked door.
Belas hand opens the lock, unlatches it and pushes the
door open. Bela looks down. On the floor a paper lies.
She picks it up and opens one fold.

A note scribbled as ri ni r i l i ` nil |
exhibition party r, i n; ` i- n i| i i ni r| i ii| i| l-| `
_________l-

Belas hand switches on the lamp and puts the note on
the table. Beneath the table top glass a collage of
various notes on different pieces of paper.

Bela your mother called at 8.20, she will call again
tomorrow morning. next to it another, i li| i oil
work i ii r n ili i n; ni please i| i| - -i-i ri
i r| r |

Another said, somebody called rahim came to meet you.

another, i have come back. where are you ?

another, Bela please collect your courier from me.

another, GOOD EVENING MAAM !

Another, Govind sir was asking about your submission,
the pastels work in particular. ie, he wants to see it
day after, r- ii i i- ii take care __________rashmi

A pastel drawing on a coloured sheet, a play with the
elements of moon and boat.

Belas hand places a cut mount of a lighter shade over
the drawing. Bela moves back on the floor trying to get
a better view of the same. Adjusts the frame a bit and
then lifts it to put it over the next drawing. One by
one she places the mount on all the pastel works lying
scattered on the floor all around her. In the end she
puts it on the furthest sheet, lifts the sheet along
looking at it all the while and stands it against the
wall. Not taking her eyes off it, she walks backwards
till, she falls back on the pillow on the mattress a
little higher than the floor level. The floor is
covered with the pastel works lying scattered along
with the pencil, cutter, tubes, pastel sticks etc,
while the one with the mount stands against the wall.
It has a moon above and a moon below in reflection.
Bela turns her head to the sounds of footsteps
shuffling in the corridor.



A voice

i| n ii i; r| i| - r ni r i`
i..lni...

Another voice

---sorry sorry sorry........

The voices and footsteps recede in the distance.
Bela turns her face towards the window. There is a
slice of moon hanging in the window-frame against the
darkened horizon.

Voice of Samar

- ii
ni r iin| iii
ri i|
ii
ni r i ni i -
|s
rn |s n-ri

In the slight breeze outside, the leaves move in the
breeze making a rustling sound. The chime hanging from
the windowpane makes a thin tinkle. Bela stretches out
her hand and shuts the lamp. In the dark room, the
light of the corridor through the door ventilator at
the lower side of the door falls on the floor. The
light makes a pattern of alternating bands of light and
shade on the paintings spread out on the floor. The
painting standing against the wall falls into darkness,
some others are highlighted.

Suddenly the light vanishes and there is total
darkness. A loud falling crescendo of girls voices
sounds in a chorus. There is a flash of lightening at
the window, in which the whole room lights up for a
fraction of a second and falls into darkness again. The
chime tinkles louder now and continue in a long trail
of vibrations.

Bela gets up and stands near the window silhouetted
against the skylight. Some figure walks down the road
flashing a torch-light in front.

There is a noise of a knock on the door. A torchlight
is seen from under the door. A shuffle of Belas feet,
opening the latch is followed by the creaky door
opening.

A voice

Excuse me didi, -il rin| i `

Belas voice

l-- i, show me the torch.

In the torchlight Belas hand rummages in the drawer
and fishes out two matchboxes.

Bela

i r| i i, i have
another one.

Voice

Thanks didi.

The sound of footsteps receding, door latching. A
cricket begins to tick.

Belas hand strikes a match. She watches the flame and
looks around at the room in its glow. The flame touches
her finger as she drops it with a slight sound of
alarm.


SCENE 21
ART GALLERY / INTERIOR / NIGHT

Rashmi in the art gallery standing in front of a
painting in the flickering dim light of candles holding
a glass. A kid runs into her and her glass spills out.
The candles are many but they are all below the
painting level making them underlit. Rashmi brushes the
water off her dress.

SCENE 22
TERRACE / EXTERIOR / NIGHT

In the dark, sound of a creaking door being pushed
open. Bela comes out on the terrace. She walks on and
comes out in the moonlight and starts humming. As she
hums, simultaneously her hands are raised and go up
behind the head in the manner of tying the bun. They go
up touch the cut hair and come down limply on her
sides. The clothes on the clothesline in front move in
the breeze. She bends down, to duck from under the line
and through the clothes comes out on the other side of
the terrace. Bela walks towards the parapet and rests
her hands on it. A sari hangs from the parapet down the
other side. On the railing two stones sit as weights on
the corners of the sari.

Bela looks down. Sari is moving in the breeze creating
a long white wave.

In the darkness surrounding it down below some stray
and distant sounds of laughter, some talk is audible. A
match is struck and is put out. Followed by an echo of
voices it is struck again and a candle is lit. There is
a sound of whistling and cheering. A strong voice calls
for attention trying to hush the chorus down. There is
silence following the voice. Now the rustle of leaves
and flapping of clothes is heard, and a slight tinkling
sound far off.

In the candlelight the garden house has become visible
with its hanging plants and creepers all around. Around
the steps and the benches a number of girls and a few
boys stand and sit around looking at the candle. The
candle starts moving. A chorus of voices interspersed
by a couple of cheers and shrieks are heard. The
hushing voice again calls for attention. A girl talks
animatedly waving her hands and calls somebodys name
loudly. A faint sound of clapping follows. The hushing
voice utters a sh sh shhhhhhhh...

The tortoise moves slowly on the narrow garden path
lighting up the row of planters lining it along.

A melancholic strain of singing in the heavy voice of a
girl begins. Its a priori rabindra sangeet style of
singing......she deen du jone dole chhilo bone...there
is silence and the singing voice is heard clearly.

Suddenly the dim lit scene disappears from view. It
becomes total darkness. The song in the melancholic
voice continues uninterrupted.

Bela

Samar...?

Samar removes his hand from Belas eyes and so the
scene becomes visible again. As she turns he jumps on
to the parapet and sits facing Bela.

Samar

i r| ri ri i - `

Bela pulls a deep breath and says :

Bela

s r| .......i r| r

Samar catching his breath pops the next question :


Samar

r i r| i| `

Bela

r... i i i r| i||

Samar, almost her snapping her short :

Samar

r `

Bela leans against the half pillar post behind her

Bela

r | i r| i| |


Samar

i ; ..... s r `

Bela

ri ii r n-ri r| i - i r| i| |

Samar

Hmmmmm.

Samar jumps down smiling and sits on the floor with his
back against the railing.

Samar

i i n- i|......;-n| si-| | in i r - ;-n|
nin| ri i
....i - r i ;-n| i i | ini ii ri
ini r| -i i- ni r, iini rii ilr ii........ii
- , n-....iini... | i ri - ii , ni-
- n n...........-.... |

He shouts the name out rather higher and more stressed
at than the other words. Bela looks at him. Samar goes
on as he takes out his specs and begins wiping with his
t-shirt...

Samar

i mean just see, i; -ii i| r| r i,
plain - ....language made
plain....and the absurd part is
that it means something in
English too by the same
sound.......summer see?

The song has ended downstairs and there is a faint
sound of clapping.

Following the end of his sentence, the street lights
far and near come back. The light on the corner edge of
the terrace also lights up.
Samar still continuing with the strain of his thought
looks at Bela through the spectacles in his hand.

Samar

ni si r i.......i.......

He stops short as he looks at her in the light now,
hurriedly wears his specs and springs up to his feet.
Walks a few paces towards her. Samars eyes move left
and right of Belas face, as there hangs a considerable
amount of pause.

Samar

i li ` in ri n; ri i `
ln ri n r r ni r ` l ~ ........
.
Bela shuts her eyes, and folds her hands across cuts
him short in a low firm voice.

Bela

l~ii -n.....-

Samar stares at her. Bela opens her eyes. Her folded
hands move as if to open up. Samar turns swiftly on his
heel and walks off.

Bela throws her head back on the post behind. Samar
stamps his feet as he walks out.

Bela looks ahead as the receding footsteps of Samar are
heard on the stairs till, its silence again. She looks
at the lake in front. The city around with its lights
is reflected in the lake water. The headlights of a few
vehicles moving across the road near the lake.

Bela moves ahead and bends down over the terrace
railing. Down below the tube light has lit the garden
house and streetlights the road to the hostel. In the
bright space now, the tortoise with the candle is
walking off the garden path behind the bushes. There is
nobody else to be seen around. Bela starts humming the
rabindra sangeet tune that the girl with a heavy voice
was singing a while before.

Bela starts walking along the parapet and her left hand
moves on the railings rough surface. Its a long
railing till a nail obstructs the hands movement. A
wire tied to the nail goes across the terrace to the
parapet on the other side as a clothesline.

Bela gets away from the parapet towards the clothesline
and starts collecting the clothes one by one. Half the
line is cleared when she lifts the wire and without
bending much goes over the other side moving towards
the door.


SCENE 23
STAIRS-CORRIDOR / INTERIOR / NIGHT

Bela is about to climb down the last step to come into
the corridor, very cautiously, looking here and there.
Sound of footsteps on the stairs coming up. Bela waits.
Sushila di is coming up with a covered plate in her
hand. Bela comes out of the darkness of the stairs into
the corridor.

Sushila di

i ......`

She stops short to look at Bela closely and looking
hard at her hair forgets her sentence midway for a
while.

Sushila di

r i-n| s nn i ||....

Bela

ni ` i i r s li ........ri `

Bela almost snatches the plate from her hands, and
turns away to start walking towards her room, dragging
her slippers on the corridor floor. On the way, pushes
a switch on the wall as she passes the bathroom door.
Sushila di stands at the same place looking at Bela
from behind. As Bela stops near her door, she turns and
sneaks down the stairs, descending with a light step.
Bela shuts the door and bolts it from inside. The sound
settles in the empty corridor.


SCENE 24
ROOM / INTERIOR / DAY

The game of labyrinth being tilted this way and that in
the hands. The pinball runs through the maze to the
centre and out. It rolls down the maze in top speeds
though hardly making much progress. It rolls one way
and comes back the same way. The hands holding the game
reduce the pace of tilting the game-piece. The ball
finds its pace to move through the maze and moves
consistently in a direction for a while.

Bela flings the game down on the bed. Her hands go up
to her neck and touching the cut hair come down heavily
on the bed.

Hand lies on the green yellow floral bed sheet. Bela
slides down by the side of her own hand and lays her
left cheek on the bedsheet flowers. As Bela looks at
the hand very near her eyes her forefinger starts
running on the pattern, fingering the edges of the
flowers, the rims of the leaves, it travels from one
leaf to another leaf to the next one linking them
together in a chain of creepers intertwined. This goes
on till the arm is streched to its full length, till
where the bed ends and wall begins.then the hand stops
and is thumped on the wall.

With a jerk she takes off the rings out of all the
fingers and puts them on the maze game. The pinball
inside rolls down in the maze under the movement of the
finger-rings.

Belas hands take off the earring, holds the jhumka in
her hand and looks at it closely. She gives it a slight
shake and brings it closer as it moves. Her finger
twirls it around and she looks at it as it turns this
way and that till it stops still.


SCENE 25
BATH / INTERIOR / NIGHT

Belas face under the shower. Eyes shut.
o/s sound of water falling from the shower, flowing
down the drain.the cut hair stick to her head closely.
She opens her eyes. Water flows over her face.

Night sky through the little window. A corner of the
sari flutters at the side of the little bathroom window
with vertical bars. Down below the lake with the city
lights reflections.

The white of the sari covers the window view with a
flapping sound, then gets out of the way with the next
wind.

o/s sound of clothes ruffling. The city lights
reflected in the lake below.

Voice of Samar

l | i|
l
| i|
in

Belas voice

in n
n| i
| i
iii








SCENE 26
BATHROOM-CORRIDOR/ INTERIOR / NIGHT

In front of the mirror Rashmi brushing her teeth. Looks
at Bela giving her head a shake as she opens the bath
door and steps out and her hands stop brushing. Belas
eyes meet Rashmis. Bela pauses at the door wiping her
wet hair, and the hand with the towel descends.

Rashmis eyes have more of the white showing. She stops
brushing. Her face contorts into a grimace and her left
hand fingers folded into a fist with a thumb out, point
towards the ground. The foam of her mouth is coming
down in a line, and will drop down any moment.
Rashmi bends over into the wash-basin.

Bela walks hurriedly towards her door in the corridor
with towel in one hand and a bucket in the other. Her
feet move fast in the wet slippers making a sticky
noise. Locked doors pass by. The slipper noise resounds
in the empty corridor. She walks faster. The door is
thrown open and instantly shut from inside. The
corridor is quiet and empty except for the sound of
water from the bathroom.


SCENE 27
ROOM / INTERIOR / NIGHT

The moon has gone far into the sky. The chimes move
very softly hardly making any jingle. The empty road
near the lake with its street lights. In the
surrounding city a couple of lights go off one by one.
Bela at the window leaning her head on the window bars.
Her eyes wet, tears flow continuously as she wipes them
off. The chime gives a tinkling sound. Bela bursts out
sobbing. Slowly the sobbing grows louder, louder and
louder still. Bela covers her mouth with her palms.
The sound of a door opening in the corridor. Bela turns
and goes away from the window.



o/s sound of her falling on the bed and the bed
creaking.

Some one walking in the corridor with slow, undecided
steps, stopping, walking back, followed by the sound of
a door shutting.

Bela turns her face to the wall as the sobbing is
accompanied by hiccups.

The balcony door opens. After a while there is the
sound of an iron grill window opening.Bela buries her
head into the pillow and the sobbing sound reduces.

The light in the balcony is put on and a slice of it
creeps into the room from under the door lighting up a
pastel colour box lying on the floor.
A soft knock on the door.



Rashmis voice

Bela.....

Bela stuffs the pillow end in her mouth and shuts her
eyes tight.

Rashmis voice again

Bela....

Bela jumps up in the bed taking the pillow off and
wipes her eyes. She wipes her nose with her sleeve and
makes up a sleepy voice to answer Rashmi,

Bela

ri

Rashmi

i n......l| i | ii | `

Bela continues in her sleepy voice : r|.......ni


Rashmi

i ni r| i ri ri r, - - - l|
i | ii i r| r...

Bela

r ....`

Rashmi

n i n; i| i `

Bela

r-----


Rashmi

-n - r| i ri...i; li i| r|
ri r r|, l sn i
i ...i ni i.....

Rashmis voice recedes in the distance along with her
footsteps. In the corridor, the door opens again. Feet
walk away and go climbing up the stairs.

Bela lies down on her back. She puts on the side lamp.
Red eyes. wet hair. wet pillow.

The timepiece next to the lamp ticks. She lies still,
clutching the pillow and stares at the ceiling. There
is the sound of heavy footsteps on the terrace. Bela
turns on her side towards the wall. Her hand on the
bedsheet fingers a leaf in the sanganeri print of the
cloth. In the design, one leaf is connected to another
one and so moves Belas finger slowly from one leaf to
another. Footsteps in the corridor come nearer as they
return. Rashmi mumbles something in the corridor.

Footsteps come close to Belas door and stop. Bela lies
still holding her breath. Silence. The footsteps walk
away. The door in the corridor is shut. Silence.

The pastel colour-box lies in the light coming from
under the door. It is blotted out as the light is put
out in the balcony. The sound of hiccups at regular
intervals continues. The chime sounds a faint tinkle.


SCENE 28
TERRACE / EXTERIOR / NIGHT

Belas hand on the terrace railing moves as she walks
along the parapet.

In front lies a cluster of houses and apartment
buildings. All around is dark and quiet.

Moving to the left, a big playground with a road (lined
with thin tall trees) running across it dividing the
ground into two unequal halves.

Further left, dense foliage of trees makes a dense
cover of darkness.

Coming back to the familiar front space of the hostel
compound facing the road with the street lights running
along the lake reflected in the dark waters. The hills
stand in the background, with the moon hanging lower
down.

Bela rests her elbows on the railing and stands looking
at the lake.

Her dried hair move a little in the slight breeze and
come over her forehead.

Sound of a bird twittering as it flies past.
There is a slight dulling of the night far on the
horizon. More birds begin to chirp.
Light increases on Belas face as she looks on in front
with unblinking eyes.
The street lights go off row by row.




SCENE 29

ROOM / INTERIOR / DAY

The view of the dawn breaking across the lake seen
through the barred glass window.

Water in the lake below shimmers. Birds fly and gather
at the lake side.

Bela lies with open eyes on the bed. Her hand moves on
the bed. There are some little blackish particles thats
she brushes off the bed with her palm. Then she stops
and turns her hand over her palm has dark red henna on
it from wich a darker dried layer is peeling off. Bela
looks at her palm, and slowly sits up on the bed.

She shuts her eyes, and gives her head a shake. Her
hair open and fall on her back. She opens her eyes and
looks in front. The sun is rising behind the hill as
everyday it does.

Belas hands go up to tie the bun mechanically. She
gets out of the bed, stands near the window looking
out. Hands mechanically reach out to the right and take
out the soaked almonds and start peeling them one by
one. She continues to look at the landscape in front.
O/s of the alarm sounding.

She looks back towards the bed, but continues with her
work. The alarm goes on ringing faintly. She takes the
bowl and throws the water in the plant on the window
sill. Water drops fall on the newly come pansy flower
majenta bright. She looks at it closely. It looks big
like a masked face as it is swayed by the slight
breeze.

Belas face brightens. She looks up at the lake again,
turns and walks away, turns back midway to the table,
bends down to look at the watch lying on it.




SCENE 30
BATHROOM / INTERIOR / DAY

Bela comes out of the bathroom door, passes the
washbasin mirror, stops to take a look at herself, then
walks off out of the bathroom.

Comb stuck in the hair.

Right hand trying to tie the watch on the left hand.
Feet with untied sandal straps jingle down the stairs.
Belas hands putting the comb in the mouth and folding
the hair up behind the head.

Sushila dis hands ladling out porridge in the plates
one by one, three spoons, three spoons, three spoons
and four spoons in Belas plate.
Bela blowing at the porridge. Her hands tying the
sandal buckles under the table.

Belas face reflected in the curve of the spoon.
Rashmis image in the far corner mirror calling Bela,
then moving out of the mirror.


SCENE 31
ROAD / EXTERIOR / DAY

Belas feet walking on the flower strewn pavement. The
feet stop short.

Bela looks up the tree. Her hair bun unfurls behind
her.

A flower comes down falling off the tree.
Bela stretches out her hand to catch it, misses it,
catches it again just before it falls into the drain.
The water in the drain gushes forth.

o/s voice

Bela........Bela.....


Belas feet run off towards the figures standing in the
distance; a flower drops on the ground, another drops
and yet another drops.


________________________________