Act 1 Scene 1:-

(The scene is brimming with activity. The seeti of the pressure cooker goes off in the background. It’s
8am morning and a typical Indian family gathers around a table for breakfast. A woman in her early
fifties can be seen writing notes on her diary, things to be taught that day. A man in his mid fifties also
seated at the table reads on a newspaper. A woman, in her twenties is seen hurrying around the room
still in her pajamas)

Jaya:- (concentrating on her diary) Neeti, hurry up! Your classes are supposed to begin at 9. What are
you doing not being on the breakfast table yet.

Neeti :- (running around the room in apparent hurry) Mum I cant find my project. Today is the
submission deadline.

Jaya:- Neeti it’s in the cupboard, second drawer to your left. You had kept it there yesterday, beta

Neeti:- (sighs with apparent relief) Thanks a lot. I don’t need to remember these things. You’re there for
me, I know you’d remember. Bye

(Neeti exits the scene)

(Jaya exit the scene)

Act 1 Scene 2

(We enter the college campus where in a large lecture theater Jaya can be seen drawing on the board.
The air of excitement amongst the students is visible, especially after a long drawn out lecture in the
previous class)

Jaya:- Students do remember this metabolic cycle. It is extremely important for your university exams…

Student 1:- Ma’am I have got a question? (She asks a questions about the chapter they’re studying)

Jaya :- (responding confidently) Yeah so to answer your question…This is… (seems visibly confused) ask
this question after class, let me complete the topic

(Student 1 sits down)

(Jaya continues with the class)

Jaya :- Students you can disperse… (Jaya leaves the classroom)

Student 2:- Maam seems to have forgotten her bag on the table. Let’s go and give it to ma’am
(Student 1 and Student 2 hurriedly rush across the corridor and search for Jaya. They find her exiting the
college)

Student 1 (Huffing from running half a mile across the college) Ma’am you’ve forgotten your bag in the
classroom. We’ve got it for you

Jaya:- Why! thank you students…. (Jaya pats the back of both students and smiles)

(Jaya and the students exit the scene)

Act 2 Scene 1

(Some years seem to have passed. Jaya has retired from her college and is now leading her post-
retirement life. Her son is married and has moved abroad while her daughter is busy in her work. Jaya is
feeling the pangs of loneliness as she doesn’t have much to do throughout the day. She is now talking to
a friendly neighbour outside the house)

Neighbour:- Aur maine suna hai bete ki shaadi ho gayi hai… Beti ki shaadi kab ho rahi hai.

Jaya :- Ha wo ab abroad rehta hai. Neeti toh aajkal bohot busy rehti hai kaam mein

Aur mera ab college bhi nahi hai toh ghar mein akeli rehti hoon..

Neighbour:- Oh wow! Konse company mein kaam karti hai Neeti?

Jaya:- Oh wo toh ab…(words fail to come out of her mouth)

(She stares at the sky in deep thought for a while before responding. Neighbour looks at her)

Jaya:- Oh ha, wo HDFC Bank mein kaam karti hai

(Neeti enters the scene)

Neeti:- (laughs) Ma mein pehle waha kaam karti thi. Ab maine naya company join kiya hai.

Neighbour:- Oh! Mujhe jana parega, 6 baj gaye hai (Neighbour exits the scene)

Neeti:- (surprised) Ma, aap bhul kaise gayi? maine aapko sabse pehle bataya tha, kuch din pehle

Jaya:- Arre ha.. mujhe sab yaad hai (smiles at Neeti)

(Neeti and Jaya exit the scene)

Act 2 Scene 2

(It’s a lovely spring morning. The radio is on and the hark of the hawkers can be heard in the
background. Jaya is seated with a newspaper in her hand busy in her daily crosswords. However this day
is different)
Jaya:- (she stares through her glasses into the newspaper visibly confused) Wow! I can’t find the right
word for this clue. Today’s crossword is very difficult. (This is unusual for Jaya as she has solved more
difficult crosswords in the past quite quickly)

Neeti :- Ap thora bahaar ghumke kyu nahi aati.. Apko accha lagega. Apko bazaar bhi toh jana hai

(The scene shifts to a busy bazaar where loud noises of the sellers, cars and buses seems to irritate Jaya.
Jaya stops at a particular place as if searching for someone.)

Jaya:- Arre wo dukan yahi toh tha? (she stops to ask a shopkeeper) Yahape ek kirana store tha? Aaapka
naya dukan shuru kiya hai kya yahape

(Another shopkeeper interrupts her mid conversation)

Shopkeeper:- Arre maaji. Aap udhar kaha ja rahi hai. Aap toh hamesha mere dukan mein aati thi?

Jaya:- (an awkward silence as Jaya smiles at the shopkeeper) Oh.. ha bilkul… (she exits the scene
oblivious to the fact that she’s forgot the place she visits quite often)

(JJaya walks further as if to go back home. Unknown to her is that she’s taking the wrong route. She
looks around like a kid lost in a mela. She is unable to find her way home when suddenly a neighbour
appears)

Neighbour:- Arre ap yahaan. Shaam ho gayi hai ghar nahi jaana. Chaliye eksath ghar chalte hai.

(Jaya doesn’t respond instead walks alongwith her back home in hopes that the neighbour doesn’t
realise that she almost forgot her way back home. Neighbour realizes this yet keeps mum)

(Jaya and neighbour exit the scene)

Act 2 Scene 3

(It’s a Sunday morning. Jaya and Neeti can be seen seated around a table. Neeti is on a phone call with
her brother while Jaya listens on. They’re in the middle of an exciting conversation about a trip they’d
been on almost a decade ago)

Neeti:-(on the phone) Tumko yaad hai wo Andaman ka trip. Kitna maza aaya tha uss trip mein.

Jaya:- Tumlog kab Andaman gaye the….

Neeti:- Ma.. ap Andamans ka trip kaise bhul sakti hai. Wo ek hi toh jaga hai jahape hum eksath gaye the.

Jaya:-(smiles) Arre ha..bilkul tum dono tab chote the.

(Neeti realizes the gravity of the situation her neighbour talked about the previous day. Her neighbour
told her that Jaya had almost lost her way back home going through an unfamiliar route when she found
her.)

(Neeti keeps silent)

(Some time has passed by. Its nighttime and the lights of Neeti’s computer can be seen from afar while
the entire household is sleeping. She is voraciously searching for something that could explain the cause
of this memory loss on the Internet and notes down the search results on a notepad when suddenly
some noises are heard from the kitchen. Neeti turns around and moves to the kitchen and sees Jaya
cooking)

Neeti:- Raat ke 2 baje aap kitchen mein kya kar rahi hai?

Jaya:- Tum ready nahi huyi abtak, phir late ho jaogi office ke liye? Nashta karlo abhi

Neeti:- Ma aap so jaiye please (she drags her mother to the bedroom but Jaya refuses to leave)

Jaya:- (in an aggressive tone) Phir late ho jaogi toh mujhe mat bolna. Koi mera baat hi nahi sunta iss ghar
mein ab. (marches off to her bedroom)

Neeti:- Its getting worse. Kuch karna parega iske bare mein (Neeti exits distressed)

Act 2 Scene 4

(Neeti is busy in a phone call with a doctor)

Neeti:- So these are the things I’ve been noticing for the past few days. I’ve read up about it but would
like to get your medical opinion on it …. Do I need a referral, a second opinion?

(Doctor responds in an affirmative tone)

Neeti :- So you’d be able to come home for a checkup? Thanks a lot!

(Jaya enters the conversation with Neeti)

Jaya:- Kiska phone tha?

Neeti:- Ma abhi doctor se meri baat huyi, wo kal ghar aa rahe hai ek general checkup ke liye.

Jaya:- (clearly irritated) Par doctor ki kya zarurat hai.. Ghar pe sab thik toh hai.

Neeti:- Ma, general health checkups toh sabhi ko karna chahiye.

(Jaya realizing the futility of arguing with her daughter, agrees to the proposition)

Act 2 Scene 5

(Neeti is seated in the living room. A psychiatrist is seated opposite to her. He can be seen scribbling
notes on diary while Neeti looks on intently, desperate for an answer)

Neeti:- Thank you for responding so urgently to my call Doctor

Doctor :-Since when have you been noticing these changes in her behaviour?

Neeti:- I’ve noticed this since the time my neighbour told me that she got lost in the market while on her
way home. 2-3 mahine se notice kar rahi hoon…

Doctor:- Unki age kya hai?

Neeti:- 65

Doctor:- What are the changes you’ve noticed?

Neeti:- Mummy beech raat ko uthke khana banana lag jati hai.

Unhe kabhi kabhi ye pata nahi hota ki wo kya kar rahi hai…Achanak se wo apni bachpan ki
kahaniya batane lag jati hai.

Jo baat maine unnhe 10 min pehle kahi hogi wo kabhi kabhi bhul jati hai.

Main kabhi bhi unhe samjhane ki koshish karti hoon to mummy merepe chir jaati hai, mujhpe gussa karti
hai as if main unhe galat saabit kar rahi hoon…

Doctor:- Hmm…. Ok, I’ve heard all there is to hear. I’ll have to ask some questions to Jaya ji to assess her
cognitive abilities. Also there are a few blood test I’d like to do. Could you please call Jaya ji?

(Doctor scribbles something on notepad and gives the paper to Neeti)

(Jaya enters the scene)

Doctor:- Aap kaisi hai, madam

Jaya:- (in a confident tone) Main bilkul theek hu lekin Neeti ne kaha kuch checkups karana hai, toh
bass….. (Pauses a bit)

Doctor:- Main aapse kuch sawal puchunga , aap unka jawab dijiye.

Doctor:- Aajka date kya hai?

Jaya:- Aaj… shayad 20TH April hai (Doctor listens and pauses but returns to taking notes)

Doctor:- Aaj apne khaane mein kya khaya tha?

Jaya:- Aaj toh khana bahar se khaya tha humne (Neeti raises eyebrows in the background)

Doctor:- Could you please remember these words and recall after a while - Teapot, Piano, Tiger, Camera,
Orange

(After a few minutes Jaya responds however she misses two words and is unable to say the words in the
right order)

Doctor:-Take this paper, fold it in half and put it here

(Jaya dutifully obeys the doctor and does what she is told, albeit at a slower pace)

Doctor:- Thank you for your time, madam

(Jaya leaves and Neeti enters) Neeti, I’ll give you my diagnosis after a few days. Come to the clinic on
Friday

(The doctor and Neeti are seated opposite to each other in a clinic. The doctor is holding some reports.
Neeti is worried and is shaking her legs out of anxiety while the doctor begins in a sombre tone)

Doctor:- I’ve done some tests to rule out other problems that could explain some of the memory lapses
she’s had but the tests were completely normal. We next did some imaging to get pictures of her brain.
(Pauses a few seconds) The scans were also normal, slight shrinkage was there which is normal for her
age.

Doctor:- However I did a memory test, in which she struggled a bit. She’s experiencing memory
problems more than normal for her age. After looking into her medical history, these lapses can be
explained by Alzheimer’s Disease.

(Neeti appears shocked then she begins to weep. The doctor gives her a tissue to wipe her tears. The
doctor begins in an empathetic voice)

Neeti:- Doctor, mummy theek toh ho jayegi na (Her eyes are still wet and voice is slightly shaking).

Doctor:- I know this is not what you wanted to hear coming in, this conversation is always hard

(Doctor pauses and coughs a bit, and resumes in a more empathetic and informal tone) lekin hume ab
pata hai ki kya karna hai. AD ko cure nahi kiya jata lekin medicines aur family ka constant support se aap
symptoms ko kuch hadd tak delay kar sakte hai. Unko kuch mahino mein ek nurse ki zarurat paregi jo
unko help kare aur active rakh paye. Mujhe Jaya ji ko aur frequently visit karna parega unka progression
dekhne ke liye. Aap chinta mat kijiye.

(Neeti and Doctor exit the scene)

Act 3 Scene 1

(A few years later after the doctor’s consultation Jaya’s cognitive decline is steep. She is now requiring
the support of a nurse in her daily chores. Her daughter also helps her in her free time)

(Neeti proceeding to leave for work one morning:)

Neeti: Radha, (nurse) Mummy ka khyal rakhna, 4 baje tak mai wapas aajaungi.

Nurse: Ji didi, aap chinta mat karo. Apne jaise bola hai mai kar ke rakhungi.

(Exit: Neeti)

Nurse:- Aapne chai nahi peeye ab tak. Aapki favourite cookies layi hoon. (Proceeds to put the biscuits in
her mouth)

Jaya:- (Visibly irritated) Tum mujhe abhi kyun khila rahi ho

Nurse:- Aapne bohot der se khaana nahi khaya hai. Please kha lijiye
Jaya:- (Refuses to eat) Nahi. Maine abhi toh khaya, phir kyu khila rahi ho (She removes the tea and
biscuits)

(Nurse looks tired and worried but she doesn’t say anything. The long hours of putting up with Jaya must
be getting to her as she sits on the ground hands on her head. Then she gets up remembering that Jaya
has to go to the washroom)

Nurse:- Chaliye, apke washroom jane ka time hogaya hai. Phir humlog garden mein walk pe jayenge.

(Neeti enters the scene)

Nurse :- Dekhiye ... Inhone aj subha se kuch nahi khaya hai aur khilane jati hoon toh gussa kar rahi hai

Neeti:- Ruko.. main koshish karti hoon (Plays her mom’s favourite music in the background) Maa aap
kha lijiye (Neeti proceeds to feed her. Jaya refuses at first but then happily obliges)

(Jaya, Neeti and the nurse move out for a walk)

Act 3 Scene 2

(2 relatives:- Sister in law and her husband come to visit Jaya one evening, upon learning about her
diagnosis)

*doorbell rings*

(Neeti answers the door)

(Sister in law and husband enter the scene)

Neeti: Arre bua aur phoopha ji, andar aiyee.

(They sit on the sofa)

Phoopha: Kaisi ho Neeti? Humne Jaya ke bareme sunah.

(Nurse brings Jaya to the living room)

(Jaya enters scene, looks at her relatives and frowns. Soon she looks away and gets busy fiddling with
her clothing; implies she doesn't recognize them)

Bua: Neeti, yeh Jaya ke saath kyaa hogya.

Bohot dukh hoti hai sunke.

Neeti:- (in defence) Mummy medication ke under hai. Abhi ek nurse bhi rehti hai humare saath. Unhe
bas humare support ki zaroorat hai.

Bua:- Kabhi kabhi toh darr lagta hai aise humare saath na hojaye. Aur humne toh suna hai isme bohot
paise kharch ho jateh hai. Abh kya faydaa iss tarah zindagi jeene ka.

(Neeti prompts Radha to take Jaya inside)

Phoopha: Tu akele itna sab kuch kaise sambhal legi?

Neeti: Jab mai choti thi, mummy nei mujhe sambhala, paal pos kar bara kiya. Abh jab woh bachhi ban
gyi hai , yeh meri farz banti hai ki mai unki khyal rakh sakoon.

(Bua making a face in contempt of that preachiness)

Neeti: Mummy isse akele suffer nahi kar rahi hai, bohot log duniya mein isse suffer karte hai .

Aur Alzheimer's ke wajeh se unhe hum akele toh nahi chor sakte hai. Lekin hum unko apna samay, apna
pyar de sakte hai.

Phoopha : Haan yeh sahi hai, hum sabko hi Neeti ke tarah samajhdari se kaam karna chahiye. Jaya ji ka
acche se khayal rakhna Neeti (smiles)

(Neeti gets up, folds her hands in a namaste, Phoopha and Bua get up, wish her well and leave)

Act 3 Scene 3

(Some more years pass by. Jaya has forgotten a major part of her life involving people close to her. She
doesn’t talk much nowadays. She only remembers a few details from her distant past. The nurse now
helps her with her daily activities)

(Nurse is sitting beside Jaya on the couch. Jaya's trembling fingers are flipping through the pages of an
old album with her own childhood pictures)

Nurse: Jaya ji, aapke sath ye photo mai kaun hai?

Jaya: (stares blankly at the photo for a while and smiles) : Meri bari behen Sushma.

School se aane par…(Fumbling words, slowly)

Nurse: Bohot pyaari lag rhi hai aap dono.

(Doorbell rings: Neeti enters scene)

Neeti: Mummy kaisi hai?

Nurse: Jaya ji bilkul theek hai. Apni purani photos pehchan paa rhi hai :)

(Neeti walks towards jaya with a smiling face:) (Nurse stands behind her)

Neeti: Mummy, how are you today? Mujhe bhi apke photos dikhao.

Jaya: (visibly blank, points at Neeti with a finger) Sushma didi, tum aagyi ho wapas?

Aaj school mai kya hua?

Neeti: (surprised at Jaya, takes a few moments to realise what’s happening, smiles at Jaya) Bata rhi hoon
aapko. (Proceeds to hug her tightly with a smile on her face)

(Nurse smiles from behind. End of scene)