Pah-La

Abhishek Majumdar

• Publisher: Oberon Books
• Year: 2019
• Print ISBN: 9781786827104
• eBook ISBN: 9781786827111
• Edition: 1
• Topic: History
• Subtopic: Asian History
• Index: History

"I just lit up. I did not burn" In a remote Tibetan village, Deshar, a young runaway has disowned her father Tsering and become a Buddhist nun. In Lhasa, Chinese Commander Deng is working for the future of the country, unable to meet the needs of his wife and daughter. When Deshar carries out an act of defiance it reverberates across the whole country and a new freedom struggle is born with life changing consequences for Deshar, Deng and their families. "Tell that girl, she has changed Tibet forever." Pah-la, based on real stories during the 2008 Lhasa riots, is an examination of the future of non-violence.

Act 1

SCENE 1

A room in a nunnery in eastern Tibet. Two beds, a place to pray and some books. Late evening. It’s snowing outside.

DESHAR is wearing a soldier’s shirt on top of her robes. DORJEE is wiping blood off DESHAR’s face. It is slightly swollen.

DORJEE: You stole it!

DESHAR: I asked for it.

DORJEE: He said no.

DESHAR: He was in the shower.

DORJEE: You asked him while he was in the shower?

DESHAR: Yes. It is our shower.

DORJEE: But he was inside it.

DESHAR: So I asked him from outside!

DORJEE: May I take your clothes please?

DESHAR: Aaah…(In pain as DORJEE presses too hard.)

DORJEE: You have a cut.

DESHAR: He hit me.

DORJEE: Deshar. You broke his jaw.

DESHAR: I didn’t mean to.

DORJEE: You broke his jaw without meaning to break it?

DESHAR: He said once they expel us all, he will make me sing ‘for the motherland’, in a soldier’s uniform.

DORJEE: Deshar, he is a Chinese soldier. You are a buddhist nun.

DESHAR: So I wasn’t violent or anything.

DORJEE: DESHAR… YOU STOLE HIS CLOTHES, YOU LEFT HIM STRANDED IN THE COLD IN A COLD TOWEL AND YOU BROKE HIS JAW!!.

DESHAR: Look.

DORJEE: What? (DESHAR opens her fist which was closed so far.)

DORJEE: What is it?

DESHAR: inner molar (Laughs.)

DORJEE: Inner…what.

DESHAR: Here. touch it (DORJEE touches it.)

DORJEE: It’s a …TOOTH!

DESHAR: Inner molar. Third from left. (Pause.) Third from inside. (Laughs.)

DORJEE: You broke his tooth?

DESHAR: It broke. I merely counted.

DORJEE: Their commander is coming in 2 days to examine the nunnery and here you are breaking their teeth.

DESHAR: They cannot expel me. I did the best in class.

DORJEE: They are not expelling nuns for bad results Deshar! It’s not the education board.

DESHAR: Aaah…gentle Dorjee gentle. May the Buddha help you…you are so aggressive for a nun.

DORJEE: (Unable to contain her laughter but trying to.) you…you broke his…inner…inner (Looking at DESHAR.)

DESHAR: Molar. 3^rd from inside.

DORJEE (In disbelief.) How did you /

DESHAR: His mouth was open.

DORJEE: You hit him with his mouth open? (Bursts out laughing.)

DESHAR: I hit his jaw. It dropped, the tooth was dangling, I plucked it.

DORJEE: You plucked his (Laughs and falls on the floor laughing.)

DESHAR: I helped him. A hanging tooth is very painful.

DORJEE: There is blood downstairs. In front of Rinpoche’s room.

DESHAR: I am the one bleeding (Shows her small wound.)

DORJEE: You have a scratch. He has a broken jaw and a missing tooth.

DESHAR: It’s my blood.

DORJEE: When Rinpoche finds out.

DESHAR: He isn’t going to go to Rinpoche and say that a nun broke his jaw.

DORJEE: He has seen your face. He will have you expelled.

DESHAR: He didn’t see my face.

DORJEE: How?

DESHAR: It was covered.

DORJEE (Bursts out laughing.) So you knew you were going to hit him!

(Pause.)

Why did you want his clothes?

DESHAR: What did they say at lunch time?

DORJEE: Who?

DESHAR: The soldiers who came in.

DORJEE: They said, their commander will be here in 2 days, in the new train and that they will give us reeducation.

DESHAR: And?

DORJEE: And those nuns who are not needed in the nunnery will be sent away.

DESHAR: And??

DORJEE: What?

DESHAR: This does not make you angry?

DORJEE: I sometimes don’t believe you are the top of your class Deshar.

DESHAR: I asked him from outside the shower.

DORJEE: What?

DESHAR: Sir…what are you going to do with me If you take me away (DORJEE and DESHAR laugh.)

DORJEE: Why did you do that.

DESHAR: The Buddha is for sarcasm.

DORJEE: Yes… Sarcasm is non violent (Laughing.)

DESHAR: But he took it seriously.

DORJEE: Not surprised.

DESHAR: he said (Pretending to be him.) “ We will parade you in soldier’s fatigues and make you sing for the motherland” and then he laughed like a hyena.

DORJEE: Like a what?

DESHAR (Still pretending to be the soldier in the washroom, emulates a horrific laugh which she calls laughing like a hyena.)

DORJEE: Then?

DESHAR: Then I said (...

Table of contents

• Front Cover
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Dedication
• Contents
• Acknowledgements
• Characters
• Act 1
• Act 2
• Epilogue