Sirmed-e-Gethi: A Play Based On Poem Of Haleem Baghi

Characters:

Sirmed (A thirty year old young revolutionary, who's fighting for self-determination of his motherland has been abducted by forces, his entire body is wounded and is bleeding and sweating, he has beard on face, he's weak and pale, his eye balls have turned red in the torture cell)

Major Aftan (A thrity five year old major of Deep State Army, he has board chest, muscular, 6'2in in height, he is in his uniform, anger in his eyes, having red mustache on face)

Few soldiers (accompanied with Major Aftan)

The Executioner (A fat and ugly man)

Crowd (including men, women and children, they seem to be helpless, endless pain and regret could be seen from their faces)

Angel of Death (In black costume and huge black wings)

Angel of Life (In white costume and huge white wings)

Other characters like a girl, an army burning city, a dead body, dancers would appear at different intervals.

Act One, Scene One

The door of small and dark torture cell opens with an unpleasant sound, Major Aftan holding his brown stick in hand walks into it, the soldiers follow him.

Major Aftan (hitting the brown stick on his trouser speaks in strong voice): Make him stand.

One soldier walks to Sirmed who is sitting on the floor with his head tucked in his knees, and picks him from his arms. 

Sirmed is face-to-face with Major Aftan, their eyes meet, a pale smile comes on Sirmed's face which offends Major Aftan.

Major Aftan (touching Sirmed's neck with his stick): You still have time, if you want to get rid-off of this hell, bow before us.

Sirmed (panting hard, same pale smile on face, speaks in broken words): Officer! risen heads never bow, they fall off from shoulders.

Major Aftan (anger and hatred in his eyes): What would you gain from all this, those for whom you are fighting won't even remember you after your death..... Join hands with me and I'd give you life.
Sirmed (same pale smile on his face): Officer! death is my beloved, let me meet my beloved.

Aftan (orders his soldiers in anger): Take him to the ground.
               
  (Curtain comes down)

Scene Two:

An open ground in wilderness, there are dark clouds on the sky, a crowd has gathered at the ground, everyone's head is down in shame and regret. At the center of the ground is a wooden pole which has the hanging rope, beside it a fat and ugly executioner is standing. 

Major Aftan and soldiers could be seen coming to the ground, wounded Sirmed is walking with chains, he's being led to the hanging rope..... chattering starts among the crowd, distant voices. 
From back stage a low voice starts singing couplet from Haleem Baghi's poem:
                                        He's equivalent to Sirmed-e-Gethi and                                                Mansoor,
                                       Even Manaat and Uzza fear from his name.

As Sirmed comes closer to the crowd, the voice of singing becomes louder and clearer. 

Sirmed is bleeding and sweating.

Sirmed (in low but firm voice): 
                                                  He's equilent to Sirmed-e-Gethi and                                                    Mansoor,
                                                  Even Manaat and Uzza fear from                                                       his name.
                                                 Many Monsters of the age came                                                        face-to-face
                                                with him in battles,
                                               He said my God is enough for me.

One of the soldiers punches him hard in the belly, trying to bear the pain Sirmed closes his eyes.

Crowd gasps: Ahhh....

Sirmed (breathing heavily):

                                       He broke the false traditions during his
                                       time
                                      And said human is a human, not a deity
                                     This head prostrates before one truth
                                    As no human is worthy to be worshiped

This time the same soldier kicks him, Sirmed falls on the ground as boot hits his chest, his nose starts bleeding, during all this helpless crowd is watching with shameful faces and tearful eyes. A soldier grabs Sirmed from hair and orders him to walk.

Sirmed (breathing heavily shouts): 
                                         In his days there were men of great honor 
                                         and dignity,
                                        They were men of power and of piety
                                        They had no courage to fight evil,
                                        They were men of power and fighters of                                            desert.

Sirmed (continues in heartbroken voice):
                                           One courageous man stood up
                                           His turban was torn
                                           While his dress had                                                                             many stitches
                                          His body was wounded by the                                                            enemy's arrows
                                         The places of evil shook with                                                             his roar
                                        Even few places of piety also                                                             shattered
                                       Few men of honor found their turbans torn
                                       While the fallen heart of saints started to                                           beat
                                      Oh caretakers! enough is enough
                                      Empty these shrines
                                      Don't fill mind of man who was even
                                    honored by angels,                                                                               with hashish.

Sirmed stops singing the poem and closes his eyes, the shrines of saints with people dancing in clockwise and anti-clockwise appear on the stage, there is smoke of hashish in the air (this  should continue for at least 30 seconds).  After 30 seconds Sirmed opens eyes, the shrines and dancing men are gone from the stage.

Sirmed (sings loudly): 
                                              One dervesh touching the soil of                                                         Yathrub
                                              was able to destroy the throne of                                                        falsehood
                                              Everything shattered as he shouted                                                      'kum bi ezni hi'
                                               Nothing was same like before.

Sirmed once again closes his eyes. Now there is a scene of election day in some banana republic, there is chaos, a group hijacks a polling station, they are casting fake votes, other group torches tires on the streets, fight erupts among the groups and voters. This should continue for at least 30 seconds.

Tears fall from Sirmed's eyes, he sobs and opens his eyes.

Sirmed (sobbing):
                                              Then returned the black sheep
                                              Our stables were robbed
                                              O Scinde! You always remained in                                                      hands of looters
                                       Yesterday Thatta was burnt, today Kalachi                                          is gone

Sirmed again closes his eyes (an invading army enters the scene burning the city, torturing, the people, looting the valuables, there are cries, shouts, and a river of blood, this must continue for at least 30 seconds). After that few men appear on the stage they have glasses of whisky in their hands, they are laughing like  devil and  are planning to divide Scinde. They also must be on stage for at least 30 seconds.

Sirmed (eyes opened, sobbing):
                                                   The Mohanas are forsaken from                                                        the  lands of Tamachi

Once again Sirmed closes his eyes. On stage natives of land are running here and there in chaos due to mega flood. This should also continue for at least 30 seconds.

Sirmed (eyes opened, sobbing):
                                                  And then Ami and Phaphi's dead                                                        bodies were picked up

Sirmed closes his eyes again, tears fall on his checks (a medical student committing suicide in her hostel room should be shown on the stage, after that a dead body of non-Muslim is taken out from grave and is abused, this should go on for at least 30 seconds).
They are reaching nearer to the hanging pole.

Sirmed (sobbing):
                                        Then volcano erupted from the lakes of                                               Lucky
                                         A cheetah's roar is heard
                                         An old loin opens eyes in Sann-abad
                                        Then a new fight starts in cities and                                                    countryside.

Hearing this Major Aftan kicks Sirmed hard, Sirmed falls on the ground, a soldier picks him and makes him to walk.

Sirmed (loudly):

                                     Go and read  on walls of deceased 
                                    There is no other story of martyrs' blood
                                    Once there was Bilawal who was grinned in                                      the grinder
                                   Here is Syed, who has no end.

As Major Aftan hears the last sentence, he is outraged and punches Sirmed in his belly has hard as he could. The Crowd gasps, then bows head in shame and regret.

They are inching towards the hanging pole.

Sirmed (loudly): 

                         Our only demand is our own rule on our motherland

Hearing this the crowd looks up at Sirmed for a while and then again bows down head in shame and regret.

Sirmed is brought before the hanging rope, the fat and ugly excutioner blind folds Sirmed, his hands are tied with rope at back  and feet are also tied, he stands under the rope, the fat and ugly executioner ties knot on his neck. 

Major Aftan glances at his golden wrist watch, and then points with his stick, the executioner pulls the lever and Sirmed starts to hang in the air.

The crowd moans and gasps.

The sky is turned black, suddenly it opens and the angel of death comes down and takes Sirmed with him. (In the background first couplet He's equilent to Sirmed-e-Gethi and Mansoor,  Even Manaat and Uzza fear from his name, should be played). 

The darkness should remain for 30 seconds. After which there should be a huge light, everyone should look upwards.

The sky opens again and this time angel of life comes down to the ground, he is carrying something in his hands, every eye is on the angel of life. He reaches the spot where Sirmed is hanged, and puts a baby with smiling face there, and the angel of life immediately ascends back to the heaven. But the light remains on the ground everyone comes nearer to the baby.

 Major Aftan and his soldiers look at the baby and are agitated. As Major Aftan reaches nearer to  the baby, a loud voice of singing from the background comes:

                            Whom you want to kill....
                            You won't be able to kill me
                            I'd would return to my motherland again and                                      again.
                              
                        (Curtains come down)

(Note: This play is translated from Sindhi written by Kaleem Butt)