Madanna: What about your man who has harmed you no less?

Renuka: Well it’s I who married him though against my will. Sure he bedded me with that Papi Reddy, and I failed to resist him on my own. Now I don’t want to punish him with borrowed strength.

Madanna: I appreciate your sense of justice and invite you to be the conscience keeper of the dalam.

Renuka: Peddanna, I’m honoured indeed.

Madanna: Now, besides confirming the sentencing of Anasuya, I pronounce death to Saailu as well for his anti-dalit activities. But for our dalam it’s an irony to punish the errant dalits ahead of the erring dora.

Narsimma: Coinciding with their execution, why not we have a dalit adalat at Rampur to try its doraand his cohorts.

Madanna: Well, it’s tactically sound. All may assist Mallanna in planning things.

Srisailam to Mallanna: Didn’t I tell you Narsimma makes a difference to the revolutionary opposition.

Mallanna: Don’t I know that Madanna is spot on when it comes to judging people. Now that he has his alter ego in tow, won’t it be a time of nightmares for them?

[Curtains down.]

Advertisement..

Scene – 14

[Curtains up: Madanna, Srisailam, Narsimma, Sarakka and Renuka (all in the dalam’suniform) sit on the dais around the mango tree of the scenes – 4, 6 & 9 as armed naxals(also in the same uniform) stand besides them. A stream of villagers gathers there.]

[Enter: Anna (1)of thedalam.]

Anna (1): Peddanna, we’ve got them.

Madanna: Usher them in.

[Exit: Anna (1)]

[Enter: Anna (1) and Anna (2)with bleary eyed Muthyal Rao, Papa Rao, Shaukar Suryam, Papi Reddy, and Rami Reddy with his son Narsi Reddy. Srisailam motions to them to sit.]

Narsimma: With the dalit adalattrying thegram panchayat, well, what a day it is going to be for the revolutionary opposition. But why is Narsi Reddy brought here?

Anna (1): You may know Madiga Yellanna’s daughter Nirmala. She has complained against Rami Reddy’s son Narsi Reddy.

Narsimma: Well, but where is she?

Anna (2): Anna, she would be here any time now.

Narsimma: Okay, we’ll take up the issue after she turns up. Meanwhile, let’s deal with the dora and his cohorts.

[Anna (2) calls up Muthyal Rao, Papa Rao, Rami Reddy, Papi Reddy and Shaukar Suryam, and they all stand up]

Sarakka: Chief, these are the sinful five.

Madanna: What are they accused of?

Sarakka: To start with, they’re all inimical towards the dalits.

Madanna: Are you guilty on that count or not?

[All five nod in agreement.]

Narsimma: Any submission to this dalit adalat?




Most Popular