SCENE 5 — ARGUMENT AT TEA STALL
CHARACTERS
- HARIPADA — tea-stall owner, careful, avoids upsetting customers
- BABU-DA (older) — middle-aged man, newspaper in hand, likes big opinions
- PODDAR — middle-aged man, bench companion, agrees then escalates
- BAPPA (Gen-Z boy) — seated with tea, waiting for someone, listens and pokes
- ARUNDHUTI – A cameo present
SETTING
A neighborhood tea stall corner. One bench, one stool. Kettle on stove, cups, newspapers.
Streetlight wash + warm practical on kettle.
SFX: Street traffic, kettle hiss, cup clinks, cycle bell.
(LIGHTS UP. HARIPADA pours tea. BABU-DA and PODDAR sit with newspapers. BAPPA sits slightly aside, cup in hand, one leg bouncing—as if waiting for someone.)
HARIPADA
Babu-da, Podder-da—no sugar. Right?
PODDAR
Give me strong.
(HARIPADA pours. Cup clink. BABU-DA snaps the newspaper open like a flag.)
BABU-DA (reading)
America imposing tariff again.
Tell me, Podder—will they gain or lose?
PODDAR
Gain, obviously.
BAPPA (without looking up)
Or it backfires. Supply chain shifts.
(BABU-DA and PODDAR turn—annoyed.)
PODDAR
Who told you?
BAPPA
Newspaper headlines.
BABU-DA
Kids these days…
Everything is “global.”
BAPPA
Living in Kolkata you’re discussing American economy.
Isn’t that global?
HARIPADA
I don’t know tariff.
I know tea leaf went up.
And my rent went up faster.
(He slides cups like a referee sliding evidence.)
PODDAR (flips a page)
Babu-da, do you think the Prime Minister will succeed in cleaning the environment?
BABU-DA
Should be. If leader wants, things happen.
BAPPA
If you keep your area clean, half the problem is solved.
Then the Prime Minister doesn’t have to stand with a broom in your lane.
PODDAR
In Japan, keeping the city clean is everyone’s responsibility.
BABU-DA
Japan is a small country.
What is possible there is not possible in a large country.
BAPPA
Size doesn’t matter. Mentality does.
No one is asking you to clean the whole city—
just don’t throw in the drain.
BABU-DA
Don’t lecture.
BAPPA
I’m not lecturing. I’m waiting for my girlfriend.
(BABU-DA slaps the newspaper lightly—warning.)
BABU-DA
Drink your tea.
BAPPA
Other day I saw you—
waiting to throw garbage in the drain
until I passed.
(A sharp silence. Even the kettle hiss feels louder.)
BABU-DA
Were you watching me?
BAPPA
You did it in public.
Public watches.
HARIPADA (to BAPPA)
BAPPA-DA, People think we clutter the drain.
Every night I clean this area.
If the drain blocks, my stall floods.
Then everybody complains and points at us—even the big shop owners.
(BABU-DA clears his throat. PODDAR looks away. BABU-DA flips to a “society” page, recovering control.)
BABU-DA
See what society has become.
In our time, sleeveless blouse was only for film-stars and upper-class.
And now—
PODDAR
Now everything is open.
BAPPA
Who decides what to wear?
BABU-DA
Society decides.
Family decides.
BAPPA
Why?
If you don’t like it—don’t wear it.
PODDAR
Not so simple.
Women wear, men look, society talks.
BAPPA
So the problem is looking, not wearing.
BABU-DA
Ah! Philosophy.
BAPPA
What you think, HARIPADA-DA?
HARIPADA
For me—cloth is cloth.
But price of cloth…
that hurts everyone.
BABU-DA
HARIPADA, we are talking about moral value.
HARIPADA
Moral value doesn’t pay for my rice, BABU-DA.
My son was sent back from school because he doesn’t have uniform.
PODDAR
We are not talking about poverty.
BABU-DA
Women have too much liberty now.
BAPPA
They have more visibility, not more liberty.
Everyone is watching them.
BABU-DA
So I should close my eyes when they pass.
BAPPA
Not at all.
Look at them like you watch sea waves at the beach.
PODDAR
Bappa, you are crossing the limit of decency.
BAPPA
Am I?
BABU-DA
If they feel uncomfortable, don’t wear in public.
BAPPA
Some people make it uncomfortable.
You know how uncomfortable those stares are?
BABU-DA
Let us hear your generation’s view.
BAPPA
When you stare, it’s not looking.
It’s touching with your eyes.
Exactly how you felt when I watched you throw garbage in the drain.
(PODDAR opens his mouth—then closes it.)
HARIPADA
Dada…
In our society people don’t have enough clothes to cover themselves.
We struggle to cover necessities.
PODDAR
Young generation says—women do whatever?
BAPPA
Yes—within law, within respect, within responsibility.
Same rule for men.
PODDAR
Then society will break!
BAPPA
No—only hypocrisy breaks.
BAPPA (contd.)
Moral value isn’t blouse length.
It’s honesty. Respect. Consent.
BABU-DA
Consent again!
These English words spoil you.
BAPPA
It’s not English. It’s simple.
If a man has a harmless emotional relation, society calls it “normal.”
For a woman, it’s her “character.”
BABU-DA
You’re exaggerating.
BAPPA
Ask your own house.
HARIPADA
More tea?
Today talk is free. Tea is not.
BAPPA
I have to go.
My girlfriend is coming.
(He stands, finishes tea.)
BAPPA (contd.)
Freedom is simple—my body, my choice.
(BAPPA exits.)
(ARUNDHUTI passes, quick pace. BABU-DA and PODDAR glance at each other.)
PODDAR
Times changed.
HARIPADA
Price changes even faster.
Another round?
(HARIPADA pours tea. Street sound continues.)
(Lights fade to black.)