Project Work: Extension of the story 'Karma'

                      A

          PROJECT 

           REPORT

               ON  

EXTENSION OF A STORY 

                         Entitled 

                     KARMA

                     by Khushuant Singh

BANSIHARI BALIKA VIDYALAYA (H.S.)            

 P.O. Buniadpur, Dist. Dakshin Dinajpur

                  

                      Project Work

                       Submitted by

 Name of the Student.................................................

 Roll No. …………………Section ...............................

 Registration No……………………(2019-2020)

CERTIFICATE

This is to certify that this Project Report entitled EXTENSION OF KHUSHWANT SING'S SHORT STORY ‘KARMA’ prepared by ___________________ Class XI Roll No._______ Registration No. ______________ Year 201…-1…. submitted in partial fulfilment to class XI English Course during the academic year 201…-1… is a bonafied record of project work carried out under my guidance and supervision.

                              Signature of the Project Guide

                                                                           

      Name: ………………………………………

                                                                            

    Designation: …Assistant teacher

                                                                               

     Department:    English

                                                                          

   School: ………………………………………………

                                                                                          

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

      The project, EXTENSION OF KHUSHWANT SINGH'S SHORT STORY, 'KARMA, has provided me with ample scope of learning through collaborative activity. I consider myself fortunate to have worked under Mr Amar Sengupta, whose support made my project-based learning quite joyful. I am grateful to him.

      Mr Shubhamay Mazumder has rendered important suggestions for the improvement of the project work. I cannot help acknowledging his contribution with gratitude. 

     I would like to thank Mr Chandan Basak for his precise suggestions which were very conducive to the accomplishment of the project work. 

      I owe my gratitude to Mr Ananta Ghose for his continuous support. And I am also grateful to my friends and my parents who have helped me to complete the project work.

                     Signature of the Student     

                        ...........…......                              

   

TABLE OF CONTENTS 

Introduction

Methods and Techniques

 Output of the Project 

Conclusion

 References

 INTRODUCTION

1.1 Project in our Syllabus 

The West Bengal Council for Higher Secondary Education has included the Project Work in the new syllabus of English as mandatory. The Project Work is to be written within 2000- 2500 words. In class XI, the three topics which have been selected for the Project Work are as follows: 

(i) Dramatization of a Story

(ii) Extension of a Story

 (iii) Writing an Autobiography 

     Out of the three topics, we chose the second- Extension of a story, as our project.

 1.2 Objectives 

(i) We will be able to dovelop our creative imagination. 

(ii) We learn how to extend a story following the end of particular story as the beginning.

 (iii) We learn how to portray different characters and to arrange events coherently.

 (iv) We learn how experience can be transformed to art. 

1.3 Resources 

The prescribed text book that contains stories is the resource. 

 1.4 Gulding Principles

 (i) Extension of the story depends on the realisation of the characters and events.

 (ii) Creative Imagination is of course very crucial in the extension of the story. 

(iii) Reading habit helps one to extend the story because rich experience is conducive to this kind of project work. 

(iv) Character portrayal is very important. A flat character may become a round one in keeping with the events of the story.

 (v) Rearrangement of the sequence of events may be needed to establish unity with the new end. 

(vi) The story which has been an extended one must end meaningfully.

 1.5 Limitations 

(i) Time for the whole project work is limited.

 (ii) We have not read many stories written in English. 

(II) At times we lack expressions because English is not our mother tongue.

 (iv) The structures of the short story are not known to us quite clearly. 

METHODS AND TECHNIQUES 

2.1 Introduction 

   There are some definite steps in the making of the project- Extension of a Story. We have chosen a suitable story for the project. Our teacher has provided us with the routine of day- wise activities. Only ten periods have been fixed for the whole task. We have worked in groups. An account of the collaborative activities along with methods and techniques are given in this chapter. 

2.2 First Day 

(i) We chose Khushwant Singh's short story, 'Karma', the project- Extension of a Story.

 (ii) We read out the story aloud in the class.

 (iii) We studied the characters, especially the characters Sir Mohan and his wife, very carefully. 

(iv) We came to know about the prejudice and snobbery Sir Mohan. In the extension of the story his disposition is essential. 

(v) We learned the background of the story. Historical perspective was no doubt crucial. India was then under British rule; and we realised that we could focus on it in the extension of the story.

 (vi) We were asked to review the main events of the story.

2.3 Second Day

 On the second day we began writing 'Paragraph One:-  'on the board and filling in the blank with what happened first the extension of the story. We thought about the setting and characters involved in that narrative. In this way, we divided the story into some events which would be narrated in specific paragraphs. 

2.4 Third Day

 (i) We formed groups. Each group was assigned to write a particular paragraph in the development of the story. 

(ii) We read out the narrative and discussed enough to change the structures and words in order to present the story more convincingly.

 (iii) We wrote the dialogues on the board for modifications. 

(iv) We repeated the same activity of modification and rectification for improvement. 

2.5 Fourth Day

 (i) We developed a manuscript following the instructions of our teacher. 

(ii) Our teacher asked us to read the manuscript once again.

2.6 Fifth Day 

(i) Copies of the manuscripts were distributed to each group; and they were asked to read the narrative once again. They were also asked to give their suggestions to make the story more coherent. 

(ii) We reviewed every situation, dialogue, and the character portrayal in keeping with the new suggestions. 

(iii) We decided to make the extension more concise. 

2.7 Sixth Day 

(i) Each group made necessary changes and submitted the manuscript.

2.8 Seventh Day 

 (i) We read out every manuscript.

 2.9 Eighth Day

 (i) We worked together to write the final manuscript.

2.10 Ninth Day 

 (i) We read aloud the final extension of the story. 

2.11 Tenth Day: Evaluation be

 (i) Finally, we submitted the Project Report for Evaluation.

 

 OUTPUT OF THE PROJECT

The collaborative project work has resulted in the extension of a story. we have developed the script by working in groups.

  EXTENSION OF A STORY

                            KARMA

     Sir Mohan Lal was at his wit's end. He wanted to give a strong punch to the soldier's face. He wanted to take revenge. But he thought for a moment. He decided he should not do such kind of thing. He thought perhaps none would help and support him. He wanted to remenmber his past days of struggle, success and failure. He thought about his special action and fancied English, his books, politics and people, his bottle of whisky, his English cigarettes and his English newspaper. He bragged of his association with Oxford colleges, rugby matches and Piccadilly prostitudes. But all these went in vain.

      He glanced at his thrown away bedding and suitease. He extended his arms to get them. Then he saw a group of soldiers coming towards him. They criticised him and addressed him as Nigro. Then Mohan Lal's cheeks turned red in anger. He rushed to the room of the station-master off the station to lodge a complaint against the soldiers in his coupe and on the platform and against the guard of the train. Entering the room of the station master, he saw another English in a busy mood. He gave the details of the incidents and the busy station-master in an indifferent way note down the complaint. He also told him that his wife had been in the train that he missed.

      Suddenly he remembered that he left his bedding and suitcase outside the room. He went towards them in a frantic way. However he got his bedding and suitcase. He then heaved a sigh of relief. Then a coolie came to him. He said, "Sir, what happened ?" It was the same coolie who helped Lady Lal to board on the train. So Mohan Lal did not answer and pretended as if he did not hear him. The coolie said, "The last train to town had passed." The coolie also asked him to stay with him in his cottage which was very near to the station. Sir Mohan at first was puzzled to hear the coolie's offer. But when he understood the fact, he dccided to go with him and to stay in his cottage. In the cottage the coolie gave a heartrendering details of his past and present life. Sir Mohan also gave the details of his life. Then Sir Mohan asked, "What do you think  about Mahatma Gandhi and his freedom struggle?" The coolie described Gandhi's Satyagraha movement, Quit India movement etc. and requested the babu to love India.

  

      Sir Mohan understood and he could not sleep. He spent the rest of the night in a sleepless condition. He thought how India was being tortured by the British. He thought of his Indian wife, the coolie, the British soldiers, guards and the station-master. He heard the sound of the cock. He opened the window. He saw that the coolie with his wife prepared food for him. He got up and ate the food. He then went to the station with the coolie to get some news about his wife from the enquiry counter. He heard the announcement of a coming train and the name of his wife. He ran towards the Zenana compartment. He saw his wife, Lachmi. She was escorted by two lady GRPs. She was crying and washing her eyes with the end of her red borderd saree out of fear and anxiety. One of the lady GRPs asked Lachmi, "Is this your husban?" Lachmi answered,  "Yes, he is my master." Sir Mohan realised his fault. He became a changed man. . He asked his wife to stay beside him. His wife asked, "What's the matter?" He took a small seat among the common passangers without giving answer. Being drunk the passangers around him moved aside. He took a betel leaf from his wife and began to chew. His wife could not understand the situation. Sir Mohan gave the details of his experience in past few hours. Then they went toward their house. He confessed his guilt and utter meaninglessness of his lurking ambition and decided to spend the rest of his life in a simple way. Lachmi said nothing. Tears rolled down from her cheeks. Sir Mohan requested his wife to stay with him in the ground floor. There after they cut a peaceful life.

CONCLUSION

      In conclusion, we offer a few cautions. First, stories and storytelling shouldn't be approached merely or only for "public relations" and marketing purposes. Stories are a way of knowing. If we rush to clean or airbrush troubling things out of our stories, we'll lose a great deal of their value. And what we end up with will be untrustworthy and misleading. Of course, we do and can use stories for public relations. But we must be cautious of the reasons and ways we do so and strive to be honest, truthful, and trustworthy.

      We shouldn't miss the fact that honest storytelling is risky when it is done or presented in public settings. Writing the extension of a story will help us to assess our work also. 

  REFERENCES

 Hornby, A.S. Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary :  A Current Course. Delhi : OUP, 2000. Print

 WBCHSE, Mindscapes: 

Higher Secondary English Selections. Kolkata :

 Orient BlackSwan, 2014. Print

 WBCHSE, A Text Book of English (B):

 Rapid Reader and A Book on ESP and Project. Kolkata : 

Deep Prakashan, 2013. Print

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Project Work Class XII (WBCHSE)

                          Project Work

                                  On

         Indianization of Oscar Wilde’s Story

                    “The Happy Prince”

             GANGARAMPUR HIGH  SCHOOL

           P.O. Gangarampur, Dist. Dakshin Dinajpur

                         Project Work

                                       

                                        Submitted by

Name of the Student _____________________________

Roll No.  ______________ Section _______________

Registration No.  _________________ (2015-2016)

   In partial fulfillment to class XII English Course.

                    

                   

             

                      Acknowledgement

             This project has given me golden opportunity for learning and self-development through collaborative activities. I want to thank respected Mr. /Mrs.__________________________  to whom I owe specially for preparing this project based on the beautiful story, entitled “The Happy Prince” written by Oscar Wilde.

I do want to extend my heartfelt thanks to my friends, parents and others who helped me in various ways to make a final draft of this work and submit the same to our school.

Signature of the student

                                                                 ………………………………………………………………..

                             CERTIFICATE

    This is to certify that this Project Report entitled Indianization of Oscar Wilde’s short story “The Happy Prince” submitted by ___________________ Class XII Roll No._______ Registration No. ______________ Year_________ submitted in partial fulfillment to class XII English Course during the academic year 2015-2016 is a bonafied record of project work carried out under my guidance and supervision.

Signature of the Project Guide

     Name: …………………………………………………………………….....

Designation: Assistant teacher

                                      Department: English

    School: ……………………………………………………………………….

                              Contents

(1)                            Introduction                                                             Page

(2)                      Procedures and Input                                         Page

(3)                     Out of the project                                                  Page

(4)                      Conclusion                                                                 Page

(5)                      References/Bibliography                               Page

                                           1.   Introduction

1.1 Project in our syllabus:

As per the new syllabus, Project work has been included as a part of the curriculum. We have made the choice according to the availability of works.

1.2 Objectives: 

(i) finding out the structural divisions of a story.

ii) visualising the story in Indian context.

(iii) adding Indian flavour to the strong.

(iv) taking more of the characters in Indian context.

1.3 Guiding Principle:

(i) We should try to locate its difference from Indian cultures.

(ii) Then we must try to fit in the writing in to Indian context.

(iii) We should use our daily life experience of Indian culture and society by adding enough Indian words.

1.4 Limitations

(i) The duration for the entire project was only ten periods.

(ii) It took a long time to select the exact piece of writing which could be transformed.

(iii) For this particular project, group work doesn't help much as it demands individual imagination and not a number of opinions.

                                 2.  Procedures and Input

           For the Indianization of Oscar Wilde’s story ‘Happy Prince’ we worked in groups and sometimes in pairs through a systematic process. Our teacher fixed 10 interventions for carrying out the project.  The details of our activities are enumerated below:

First intervention: On the first day, we chose the prose piece Happy Prince’ written by Oscar Wilde. We planned that a rich theatrical script can be made to develop from this prose piece. Then we went through the main events of the story and studied the characters and setting.

Second intervention: On the second day, we explored the behavioral types of each of the characters.

Third intervention: On the fourth day, we were divided into groups and the story was divided into different parts. Then we started writing dialogues. Our teacher sketched the necessary improvisations and modifications.

Fourth intervention: On the fifth day developed a draft script as per the instructions that were given by our teacher.

Fifth intervention: On the sixth day, we distributed copies of the draft script to each group and the instruction was to go through the script. We incorporated a number of dialogues and erased some of them according to the suggestions made by the teacher for a better impact.

Sixth intervention: Roles were distributed through tests.  Then short listed students were asked to read out their script roles

Seventh intervention: On the seventh day, the copy of the final script was distributed to each student. Rehearsal of the drama started. Some students were given off-stage duties like playing music, preparing the stage, arranging props etc. our teacher was unanimously selected the director to conduct the rehearsal.

Eighth intervention: On the eighth day, a rehearsal was performed without taking help of the script and further improvements were made in our acting skills.

Ninth intervention: On the ninth day, the drama was performed in our school auditorium. We were asked to evaluate the performance. This was given as our Homework.

Tenth intervention: We read out the evaluation report of the performance and then a general discussion started. Finally the Project Report was submitted for evaluation

                                         3.   Output of the Project       

                 Final implementation of the project Indianization

                                                      of an

                                                    English Short Story

                                                                  &

                            The Happy Rajah (Abridged and Altered)

           

            Once in our country there lived a Rajah who was fond of hunting birds with his bow and arrow in the forest. Oneday he went to the forest all alone and happened to come across a flight of parrot on top of a tree. No sooner had he aimed his arrow at the birds tha they sensed a danger and flew away in panic. Only one of their playmates, Hiramon stoo still. The Rajah was so much moved by the colour and beauty of the bird that he did no kill it. Hiramon came down and said to the Rajah, "Will you give me shelter in you house?"

          

            At first the Rajah did not agree and told him to stay beside the marble statu outside the gate of his house. He said, "You can stay inside the house during the day but at nigh you stay beside the statue”. "Whose statue is it?" asked Hiramon. The Rajah said, "I buil it myself over the years. It was made of costly marble, although I had not drained all the resources from the treasury of my state."

       

            Hinamon stayed inside the house throughout the day, yet at of the Rajah in th the feet of the huge statue. At night he sensed the pangs of loneliness of the Rajah in the groaning noise of the breeze and the hooting of the owl presaging disaster of the country for want of proper heir to the throne. Oneday Hiramon came to sing a song at the Rajah’s palace and mesmerised him with his melodious voice. The Rajah was so pleased that he told him, “Don't fly away and leave me alone. Inspite of my riches I am really alone. If you desert me, I’ll die. Will you be my messenger?''

       

            Hiramon, the little bird was moved to tears, seeing the misery of the Rajah. Although his other friends had left him, he could not forget the Rajah and became his messenger. One day the Rajah told him to go to Natibpur and visit Rahim chach's house. Rahim's chacha was a marginal farmer and he had been starving for many days. So the Rajah said, I can neither sleep at night nor I find peace at home until I get to know how Rahim chacha is." Then Hiramon flew away over the meadow and passed by the temple. He passed over the market and school building. He saw a vast paddy field where many farmers could not produce crops for want of rain. At last Hiramon came to Rahim chacha's  home and discovered him lying sick on the bed. He was about to die from hunger. Hiramon began his magical song with his mellifluous voice to make Rahini chacha feel little better than before. But his eyes were so heavy with distress that he sank into sleep. As soon as the Rajah knew about the object misery of Rahim chacha, he went to his ante-chamber and brought out a handful of gold coins in a small bag. Then he requested Hiraman to give it to Rahim chacha. "I don't want any of the farmers of my country to die from hunger and poverty", the Rajah said. Hiraman immediately flew up to Rohim's chacha's home and let the small bag beside his pillow and came back to the Rajah to narrate what he had done. The Rajah remarked, " Oh, you've really done a wonderful job."

           

            Alter a couple of days the Rajah came to know from one of his neighbours that a patient had been suffering from an incurable disease in the village, Ratikantapur. Her daughter had been begging from door to door only to raise fund for the treatment of her ailing mother for the treatment of Soon the Rajah summoned Hiramon, brought in a bagful of jewels from the vault of his house and told the bird to give it to the poor girl. Hiramon flew away and came to the room of the little girl through a little hole of the ventilator. He saw the little girl keeping her head between her knees. Hiramon put the bag down and flew away. When the girl found it, she could not hold back her tears and said, "I cannot but feel happy for the grace of God”.

      

              Hiramon returned to the Rajah and described what he had heard and seen on his way to the little girl's home. Hiramon and the Rajah became so intimate that one could not live without the other. One day the Rajah looked sad and depressed. He was wandering in the verandah of his house. Hiramon came to him and said, "Why do you look so upset?" The Rajah said, "One of my courtiers have informed me that an old man is shelterless as his wicked son has driven him out. I can give no more this day than these silver coins from my savings. Will you give it to the old man?”  

         

          Hirannon said, Where does he live? "- “It is in the village, Gadhadharpur.” Hiramon obeyed as he was commanded. But he could not trace out the old man anywhere. He was sad. While returning to the Rajah, he suddenly discovered an aged man leaning his back against the statue of the Rajah. Hiramon fluttered his wings over his head and said in an almost inaudible voice, "May you be saved with the bagful of silver coin I'm keeping here.” The old man was extremely happy to get his bag and thanked God for his munificence.

          

           Meanwhile Hiraman fell severely ill and had no hope to survive in adverse situation. He was unable to hear the hardship anymore and passed away. The Rajah also could not endure the pain of seperation and courted a premature death. Later the zamindars of the village subiects and courtiers came to see the statue. It stood in solitude, expressing the meaninglessness of human pride. It remained broken and disjoined and there was none to look after it.

                                     

                                             4. Conclusion

         

          Indianization of an English story offered us a great scope to learn in detail about the process of writing a story in view of the Indian context and made us learn diverse aspects of literature. We discovered the art of classroom management and rudimentary principles of Indianizing a story.

   

                                  

                                          5.  Bibliography:

Name of the book	Name of the author	Name of the publisher
1. The Happy Prince	Oscar Wilde	Sreejith Publications
2. Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary	A.S. Hornby	Oxford University Press
3. Indian Fairy Tales	K. J. Bose	Inter University Press
4. The Angel	Hans Christian Andersen	C, A. Reitzel
5. The Blue Bird  6. Brother and Sister	Madame d'Aulnoy Brothers' Grimm (Jacob & Wilhelm Grimm)	London Lawrence an Bullen, 1892 Grimm's Fairy Tale  Classics

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Project Class XI (WBCHSE)

Project Work

                                          On

                           Dramatization of a Story

                             Entitled

                      Leela’s Friend

                                         --R.K. Narayan             

     

                    Banshihari High School (H.S.)

               Banshihari, Dakshin Dinajpur

                                               Project Work

                                                            Submitted by

    Name of the Student………………………………………

Roll................ No.…………………Section………………………………………

Registration No………………………………………. (2017-2018)

                    Acknowledgement

                   This project has given me golden opportunity for learning and self-development through collaborative activities. I want to thank respected Mr. /Mrs.__________________________  to whom I owe specially for preparing this project based on the beautiful story, entitled ‘Leela’s Friend’ written by R.K. Narayan.

                    I do want to extend my heartfelt thanks to my friends, parents and others who helped me in various ways to make a final draft of this work and submit the same to our school.

                                                                               Signature of the student

                                                                 ………………………………………………………………..

CERTIFICATE

This is to certify that this Project Report entitled dramatization of R.K. Narayan’s short story ‘Leela’s Friend’ prepared by ___________________ Class XI Roll No._______ Registration No. ______________ Year 201…-1…. submitted in partial fulfilment to class XI English Course during the academic year 201…-1… is a bonafied record of project work carried out under my guidance and supervision.

                                                                                  Signature of the Project Guide

                                                                                 Name: …………………………………………………………

                                                                                Designation: …Assistant teacher

                                                                                    Department:    English

                                                                             School: ……………………………………………………….

                                                                                           …………………………..…………………………………………….

Contents

(1)                            Introduction                                                             Page

(2)                      Procedures and Input                                         Page

(3)                     Out of the project                                                  Page

(4)                      Conclusion                                                                 Page

(5)                      References/Bibliography                               Page

1. Introduction

1.1 Project in our syllabus:

As per the new syllabus, Project work has been included as a part of the curriculum. We have made the choice according to the availability of works.

1.2 Objectives: The main objectives of our project work are -

  (i) Finding out the structural divisions of a story.

  (ii) Visualizing the story in Indian context.

  (iii) Adding Indian flavor to the strong.

  (iv)Taking more of the characters in Indian context.

1.3 Guiding Principle

(i) We should try to locate its difference from Indian cultures.

(ii) Then we must try to fit in the writing into Indian context.

(iii) We should use our daily life experience of Indian culture and society by adding enough Indian words.

1.4 Limitations

(i) The duration for the entire project was only ten periods.

(ii) It took a long time to select the exact piece of writing which could be transformed.

(iii) For this particular project, group work doesn’t help much as it demands individual imagination and not a number of opinions.

2.  Procedures and Input

For the dramatization of R.K. Narayan’s story ‘Leela’s Friend’ we worked in groups and sometimes in pairs through a systematic process. Our teacher fixed 10 interventions for carrying out the project.  The details of our activities are enumerated below:

First intervention: On the first day, we discussed some of the stories. Then we minutely listened to all the stories and selected R.K. Narayan’s ‘Leela’s Friend’.

Second intervention: On the second day, our teacher taught us different aspects of Indian society and culture. We asked the teacher a number of questions related to what he taught.

Third invention: On the third day, we tried to locate the differences of the story from an Indian story.  Then we were divided into groups.

Fourth intervention: On the fourth day, we started to change the story so that it looks Indian. Then we encountered some difficulties with the language that were needed to be changed.

Fifth intervention: On the fifth day, we prepared the draft of our Indian version of the story. Then we read out our manuscripts. The teacher asked each group to make changes to the script where it was found necessary.

Sixth intervention: On the sixth day, we selected the best manuscript. Then we worked together for its further betterment. Another draft was prepared.

Seventh intervention: On the seventh day, we prepared the final manuscript .Then we read out the manuscript in the presence of our teacher.

Eighth intervention: On the eighth day, the photocopies of the final manuscript were distributed among the students for review.

Ninth intervention: On the ninth day, each group read out their reviews before of the class.

Tenth intervention: Students shared their experience with the teacher. The project report was submitted for evaluation and assessment.

3. OUTPUT OF THE PROJECT

                                                LEELA’S FRIEND

      Characters: Leela (Sivasanker’s five-year-old daughter)

                           Mr. Sivasanker (Leela’s father),

                           Mrs. Sivasanker (Leela’s mother)

                           Sidda (servant)

                           Police inspector

                           Constable

      Place: House of Mr. Sivasanker

      Scrip

 [Narrator: Mr. Sivasanker is a middle-aged man. His family comprises his wife and his five year old daughter, Leela. He works in an office. The only problem he now faces is the problem of appointing a good servant for household work and looking after his daughter.] 

(Mr. Sivasanker stands in the front veranda of his house.  He is brooding over the servant problem. A young man named Sidda enters.)

Scene –(I)

Sidda                          : Sir, do you want a servant?

Mr. Sivasanker          : Come in.

                                      (Sidda opened the gate and came in.)

Mr. Sivasanker         : (subjected him to a scrutiny and said to himself)                                         

                                    Doesn’t seem to be a bad sort ... At any rate, the

                                    fellow looks tidy.

Mr. Sivasanker           : Where were you before? What’s your name.

Sidda                           : In a bungalow there.(indicating a vague somewhere) in the doctor’s house.

Mr. Sivasanker         : What is his name:

Sidda                           : I don’t know master. He lives near the market

Mr. Sivasanker         : Why did they send you away?

Sidda                           : (Giving the stock reply) They left the town, master.

(Mr Sivasanker was unable to make up his mind. He called his wife. She looked at Sidda.)

His wife                      :He doesn’t seem to me worse than the others we have had.

(Leela, their five-year-old daughter, cane out, looked at Sidd)

Leela                          : (Giving a cry of joy) Oh Father!

Leela                          : I like him. Don’t send him away. Let us keep him in our house." And that

                       (Then they decided to keep Sidda as their servant. Sidda was given two meals a day and four rupees a month, in return for which he washed clothes, tended the garden, ran errands, chopped wood and looked after Leela.)

Leela                          : (Crying) Sidda, come and play!"

( Sidda had to drop any work he might be doing and run to her, as she stood in the front garden with a red ball in her hand. His company made her supremely happy. She flung the ball at him and he flung it back.)

Leela                          : Now throw the ball into the sky.

(Sidda clutched the ball, closed his eyes for a second and threw the ball up. When the ball came down again)

Sidda                           : Now this has touched the moon and come. You see here a little bit of the moon sticking.

(Leela keenly examined the ball for traces of the moon.)

Leela                          : I don’t see it."

Sidda                           : You must be very quick about it because it will all evaporate and go back to the moon. Now hurry up....

(He covered the ball tightly with his fingers and allowed her to peep through a little gap.)

Leela                          : Ah yes, I see the moon, but is the moon very wet?"

Sidda                          : Certainly it is.

Leela                          : What is in the sky, Sidda?"

Sidda                          : God.

Leela                          : If we stand on the roof and stretch our arms, can we touch the sky?

Sidda                          : Not if we stand on the roof here," he said. "But if you stand on a coconut

                                   tree you can touch the sky.

Leela                          : Have you done it?

Sidda              : Yes, many times. Whenever there is a big moon, climb a coconut tree and touch it.

Leela                          : Does the moon know you?

Sidda                          : Yes, very well. Now come with me. I will show you something nice.

(They were standing near the rose plant)

Sidda                          : (Pointing) You see the moon there, don’t you?

Leela                          : Yes.

Sidda                          : Now come with me.

(He took her to the backyard. He stopped near the well and pointed up. The moon was there, too. Leela clapped her hands and screamed in wonder.)

Leela                          : The moon here! It was there! How is it?

Leela                          : I have asked it to follow us about.

                                              ( Leela ran in and told her mother)

Leela                          : Sidda knows the moon.

(At dusk he carried her in and she held a class for him. She had a box filled with catalogues, illustrated books and stumps of pencils. It gave her great joy to play the teacher to Sidda. She made him squat on the floor with a pencil between his fingers and a catalogue in front of him. She had another pencil and a catalogue.)

Leela                          : (Commanding) Now write.

(Sidda had to try and copy whatever she wrote in the pages of her catalogue. She knew two or three letters of the alphabet and could draw a kind of cat and crow. But none of these could Sidda even remotely copy.)

Leela                          : (Examining his effort.) Is this how I have drawn the crow? Is this how I have drawn the B?"

(She pitied him, and redoubled her efforts to teach him. But that good fellow, though an adept at controlling the moon, was utterly incapable of playing the pencil. Consequently, it looked as though Leela would keep him thee, pinned to his seat till his stiff, inflexible wrist cracked. He sought relief.

Sidda                          : I think your mother is calling you in to dinner.

(Leela would drop the pencil and run out of the room, and the school hour would end. After dinner Leela ran to her bed. Sidda had to be ready with a story. He sat down on the floor near the bed and told incomparable stories: of animals in the jungle, of gods in heaven, of magicians who could conjure up golden castles and fill them with little princesses and their pets.... Day by day she clung closer to him. She insisted upon having his company all her waking hours. She was at his side when he was working in the garden or chopping wood, and accompanied him when he was sent on errands.)

Scene –(II)

(One evening he went out to buy sugar and Leela went with him. When they came home, Leela’s mother noticed that a gold chain Leela had been wearing was missing.

Leela’s mother            : Where is your chain?

(Leela looked into her shirt, searched but did not find her chain)

Leela                          : I don’t know.

(Her mother gave her a slap.)

Leela’s mother            : (Giving her a slap) How many times have I told                               you to take it off and put it in the box?

(Shouts) Sidda, Sidda!

(Sidda comes in) Where is the chain? Where have you kept it?

Sidda: I don’t know (With a dry throat)

Mrs.Sivasanker:  Bring the chain or I'll call the police,

  (She turns to go back to the kitchen for a moment because she has left something the oven)

Leela : Give me some sugar, Mother, I am hungry (Sidda exits)

 Mrs. Sidda, Sidda Sivasnker (Sidda has already vanished into thin air)

SCENE 3

[Narrator: Mr. Sivasanker comes home an hour later. He learns everything from his wife, He grows very excited over all this .So he goes to the police station and lodges a complaint. Once again it is bed time. After meal Leela refuses to go to bed.]

Leela:  I won't sleep unless Sidda comes and tells me stories...Idon't like you, Leela Mother.You are always abusing and worrying Sidda.Why are you so rough?

Mother: But he has taken away your chain...

 Leela:  Let him. It doesn't matter. Tell me a story.

Mother:  Sleep, sleep.

Leela: Tell me a story, Mother.

Mother: It is God's mercy that the villain has not killed the child for the chain.....

                (Turning to Leela). Sleep, Leela, Sleep,

Leela : Can't you tell the story of the elephant?

Mother: No

                    (Leela makes a noise of deprecation)

 Leela : Why should not Sidda sit in our chair, Mother?

               (Mother does not answer the question. Silence for a moment)

 Leela:  Sidda is gone because he wasn't allowed to sleep inside the house like us. Why should he always be made to sleep outside the house, Mother? I think he is angry with us, Mother

               (She turns on her side, falling asleep)

 Mr. Sivasanker:  (Mr. Sivasanker enters)  What a risk we took in engaging that fellow. It seems he is an old criminal. He has been in jail half a dozen times for stealing jewellery from children. From the description I gave, the inspector was able to identify him in a moment.

Mrs. Sivasanker: Where is he now?

 Mr. Sivasanker :. The police know his haunts. They will pick him up very soon, don't worry. The inspector was furious that I didn’t consult him before employing him...

 SCENE 4

[Narrator: Four days later. Sidda is now in the grip of the police. Sivasanker is at home from office hours. A police inspector and a constable bring in Sidda. Sidda stands with bowed head. Seeing Sidda, Leela is overjoyed

Leela:  (running towards Sidda) Sidda! Sidda!

Inspector:  (stooping her) Don't go near him.

Leela:  Why not?

Inspector:  He is a thief. He has taken away your gold chain.

Leela: Let him. I will have a new chain.

             ( All of them laugh)

Mr.Sivasanker: Why have you taken the chain? Where is the chain? Tell me what you have done with the chain.

Mrs Sivasanker: Sidda, so ungrateful you are! You are a devil.

                                (Tears roll down Sidda's cheek)

Sidda: I have not taken it.

                          (Very feebly, looking at the ground)

Mrs. sivasanker:  Why did you run away without telling us?

                               (There is no answer. Laela's face becomes red.)

Leela:  Oh, policeman, leave him alone. I want to play with him.

 Inspector:  My dear child, he is a thief.

Leela: (Haughtily) Let him be...

Inspector (to Sidda):  What a devil you must be steal a thing from such an innocent child! Even                                                now it is not too late. Return it. I will let you off, provided you promise not to do such a thing again.

 Mr. & Mrs Sivasanker:  (agreeably) Return it now. No harm will be done to you.

Leela: (feeling disgusted with the whole business)

             Leave him alone, he hasn't taken the chain.

Inspector: (Humorously) You are not at all a reliable prosecution witness, my child!

Leela:  (screams) He hasn't taken it!

Mr. Sivasanker:  Baby, if you don't behave, I will be very angry with you.

Inspector:  (to the constable) Take him to the station. I think I will have to sit with him tonight.

                  (The constable takes Sidda by the hand and returns to go. Leela runs behind them.)

Leela:  (crying) Don't take him. Leave him here.

           (She clings to Sidda's hand. He looks at her mutely, like an animal. Mr. Sivasanker carries                      Leela back into the house. Leela is in tears.)

SCENE 5

Narrator: Everyday when Mr. Sivasanker comes home he is asked by his wife about the jewel. Leela enquires of Sidda.]  

Sivasanker: Any news of the chain?

Leela: Where is Sidda?

Mr. Sivasanker: They still have him in the lockup, though he is very stubborn and won't say anything about it.

Mother: (with a shiver) What a rough fellow he must be!

 Mr. Sivasanker: Oh, these fellows who have been in jail once or twice lose all fear. Nothing can make them confess.

(Narrator : A few days later, putting her hand into the tamarind pot in the kitchen, Leela's Mother picks up the chain. She takes it to the tap and washes off the coating of tamarind on it. It is unmistakably Leela's chain. She goes to Leela to show the chain to her.)

Mother:  Look at the chain.  

Leela: It's mine, Give it here, I want to wear the chain.

Mother: How did it get into the tamarind pot?

Leela:  Somehow,

Mother: Did you put it in?

Leela:  Yes, mother,

 Mother:  When?

Leela:  Long ago, the other day.

Mother:  Why didn't you say so before?

Leela:   I don't know.Leela

 SCENE 6

[Narrator: At night when Mr. Sivasanker comes back, his wife tells him how the chain was discovered.

Mr. Sivasanker:  The child must not have any chain hereafter. Didn’t tell you that I saw her carrying it in her hand once or twice? She must have dropped it into the pot sometime And all this bother on account of her.

Mrs.Sivasanker:  What about Sidda?

Mr. Sivasanker: I will tell the inspector tomorrow… in any case, we couldn't have kept a criminal like him in the house.

4. Conclusion

4.1 Present Value

 The project we undertook was completed within scheduled time limit.

After completing the project we have learnt the following

(i) How to transform a story rich in dramatic elements into a successful play.

(ii) How to make the play lively by adding suitable dialogues.

(iii) The utility of stage performance in learning the target language.

(iv) How to enjoy group work.

(v) How to develop essential skills such as collaboration, communication, and critical thinking.

(vi) How to use language in context

(vii) The importance of tone and modulation in speech.

(viii) The importance of body language or gesture in communication.

(ix) Importance of the setting, dialogue, music, and props in a drama

(x) How to develop fourskills inahappy,non-threateningenvironment.

 4.2 Future

The product of this particular project will help others in the following Way

 (i) They will get a ready script to be enacted.

(ii) They will be able to modify the script to make it more lively.

(iii) They can form an idea about dramatization of a story

 (iv) They will be encouraged to take up other stories for dramatization

(v) They will be ableto use the script in learning language effectively.

5 References

 Boulton, Marjorie: The Anatomy of Drama.Indian Reprint, Kalyani Publishers, 1985.

 Hornby, As oword Advanced Learner's Dictionary.Eighth Edition, OUP, 2010.

National Curriculum Framework.NCERT, 2005.

O'Shea, Catherine and Egan, Margaret: A Primer of Drama Techniques for Teaching Literature.National Council of Teachers of English, 1978.

Naganathan, Ramanujam: Project Work to promote English Language Learning.British Council, 2011.

Mindscapes WBCHSE.

A Text Book of English (B), WBCHSE.

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