Scene 1

A setup on the extreme left front corner of the stage. Two chairs, a table with glasses of
water. An interviewer sits with sheets of paper. A social worker sits on the other end.
Both have hand mics.

Interviewer- It’s such an honour to meet you today. Your work has touched and inspired
so many people, and we truly appreciate you taking the time to speak with us.

Social Worker- Thank you. It’s my pleasure.

Interviewer- Before we get into your work, could you tell our audience a little about
yourself and what led you into social work?

Social Worker- Of course. My name is Anita Desai, and I’ve been working as a social
worker for over 20 years now. My focus has always been on child welfare and
rehabilitation, especially for children living and working on the streets. There have been
a few experiences with children that changed the course of my life, and since then, I’ve
dedicated myself to protecting and empowering them.

Scene 2

Characters:

Social Worker (old)

Interviewer

Social Worker (young)

Bindiya

Kamla

Man

Old woman

2 people who have come with SW

Interviewer- Ms. Anita, you’ve rescued so many children… is there one story you can
never forget?

Anita (pauses)- Yes, of course. How could I ever forget her? Her name was Bindiya.

They both turn to look towards the stage.

A man throws Bindiya on stage, he pulls her by the hair and screams at her.

Man- Move. MOVE!

Bindiya (crying)- No, please. Let me go! Where have you brought me?!

Man- Shut up! I got good money for you.

An old woman enters, chewing a betel lead. She looks up and down at Bindiya. She
takes some money out and gives it to the man. He hands Bindiya over.

Woman- Good job this time. (To Bindiya) From today, you work for me.

Bindiya is thrown into the corner of a room. The woman mistreats her. She cries.

(On the other side of the stage)

Kamla,a disheveled old woman, enters from stage left, leaning on a stick, hair untidy,
her hands trembling. She meets the social worker (young) who is walking on the road,
reporting.

Kamla (desperate, almost breathless): Madam… I have walked since sunrise to find
you. My little girl… my Bindiya… she’s been taken… She’s in a place where no child
should ever be. (Her voice cracks) She still sleeps holding the end of my sari…

Anita (taking her hands firmly)- Where is she? Tell me everything. I will bring her back.
Anita and two rescuers move down a narrow alley. The male who brought Bindiya here
stands in their way, glaring. Anita locks eyes with him.

Anita (firm): Move.

They push past with the help of the two men she brought with her. Anita looks around
cautiously for anyone who might trouble them. She spots Bindiya.

Anita (gently)- It’s Anita. Your Ma is here in the building. She hasn’t stopped looking for
you not for a single day.

A pale face appears from the darkness. Hair tangled, eyes red, clutching a strip of faded
cloth.

Anita (soft smile, eyes on the cloth)- That’s beautiful… who made it?
Bindiya (whispers) Ma… from her sari… so I don’t forget her smell.

From behind, the man coughs — low, menacing. Bindiya flinches, starts to step back.
Anita’s tone sharpens instantly.

Anita (protective)- He can’t touch you now. Look at me — no one here decides your life
except you.

She removes her shawl, laying it on the ground like a bridge between them.

Anita (softly)- If you step onto this, we leave… together… to your Ma. (Bindiya’s fingers
tighten on the cloth.

Seconds pass. Then she steps forward, trembling. Anita wraps the shawl around her
shoulders.

They turn to the corner. Kamla is there. She drops her stick, running forward, falling to
her knees.

Kamla- Beti… meri jaan… look at me.

Bindiya (voice breaking): I waited, Ma… every night… I thought you weren’t coming.

Kamla (clutching her tightly)- Even if the earth swallowed me, I would still find you.
Always.

Bindiya buries her face in Kamla’s chest. Anita turns away, wiping her eyes.

Anita (old)- That day, we reunited them… but Kamla’s health was failing. She asked me
to promise I’d never let Bindiya be alone again. I promised.

(Anita holds up a photo of Bindiya in a school uniform, smiling with a medal.)

Anita (old)- Today she laughs… she has friends… she’s safe.

Scene 3

Characters:

Interviewer

Social Worker (old)

Terrorist

Young Boy

Social Worker (young)

Interviewer- Over the years, have you seen how children, especially those in dangerous
or extreme situations, come to believe what they're told—even if it's not true? How does
that sense of survival affect them?

Social Worker- People think gullibility is a weakness, but for children in terror, believing
is survival. Sometimes, survival means clinging to any hope, even if you have to build it
from someone else’s lies.

Gunshots are heard. A young boy scrambles to the stage in fear.

Boy- Ammi!

Sound of more gunshots. Boy falls to the ground, crying.

A man comes on stage from behind the boy. His face is hidden. He takes the cloth off his
face and smiles. He puts his hand on the boy’s shoulder. The boy turns around.

Terrorist- Easy now… you’re safe. No one’s going to hurt you.

Boy- Mama’s… gone…

Terrorist- The bad men did this. I tried to stop them… but I got here too late to save her.

Boy- You… you fought them?

Terrorist - I did. I drove them away. If I hadn’t, they’d have taken you too.

Terrorist- Do you know the people out there? The ones in the villages… the soldiers?
They don’t care about you. To them, you’re nothing. If they find you, they’ll hurt you…
just like they hurt your mother.

Boy- But… not everyone’s bad… are they?

Terrorist (crouching to come face to face with the boy)- Out there, everyone will lie to
you. They’ll promise safety, then use you—or kill you. But me? I’ve already saved you
once. And I’ll do it again, as long as you’re with me.

Boy- So… you’re the only one who’ll help me?

Terrorist- The only one. And one day, you won’t just be safe—you’ll be strong. No one will
be able to hurt you.
Terrorist- This world works in one way: either you protect, or you get destroyed. I’m
teaching you to protect—yourself, and our brothers.

Boy - Your brothers… they’re my brothers too?

Terrorist- Yes. This is your family now. We fight for each other. We survive together.

Boy - You saved me.

Terrorist- And now, you’ll save others. That’s what we do. That’s why you were spared.

The man takes him to a tent, labelled ‘CAMP’. Inside, sounds of gunshots, men laughing.
Shouts.

The boy falls out of the camp, horrified. He crawls back. Breathing loudly. He gets up,
and runs back, bumping into the social worker (young).

Boy- Help. Help me.

Social Worker (smiles symapathetically)- What’s your name, kid?

Scene 4

Characters:

Social Worker (SW)

Girl

Boy

Priya

2 other kids (in background)

Interviewer- Can you share an incident where you came across children in a vulnerable
situation that deeply impacted you and made you realize the extent of exploitation they
face on the streets?
Social Worker- Yes… There was one particular day that I will never forget. I was walking
along a busy road in the city when I came across two children begging. At first, it
seemed like a sight I’d seen many times before – but something about them felt
different, almost rehearsed.

The social worker is walking on the road, purse in hand. She sees two children begging
on the road. Suddenly, they come up to her, the small boy is limping, his leg is crooked
and the girl has a wound in her eye.

They start asking her for money, in a very systematic, memorised way.

SW finds it peculiar, as they were saying the exact same thing to anyone they came
across.

SW- Children, why are you begging? Don’t you want to go to school?

Girl- School? Why would we go there?

SW- Why not? You don’t want to study and earn lots of money?

Girl- But we can’t go to school.

SW- What? Why?

Boy- Because Sheru Bhai told us that we aren’t supposed to.

SW (nodding, finally understanding the situation)- Oh. What else did he tell you?

Girl and Boy exchange glances, unsure of whether they should reveal this.

Boy (hesitating)- Well, after he took us from the orphanage, he told us that our jobs are
to go and ask the rich people on the roads for their money. He-

The girl stops him from saying anything further.

SW reaches out to touch the girl’s wounds. The girl flinches and moves away.

SW- How did this happen?

The girl does not reply, but the boy instinctively starts speaking.

Boy- Oh, well that day Sheru Bhai- (the girl stops him mid-sentence)

Girl- Listen madam. Don’t question us. This is what we do for a living, it’s what all of us
do. You can’t judge us!
SW- All of us?

Boy (casually)- Yeah, Atif, Priya, Sumit- all of us back at the hostel.

SW- Hostel? Will you take me there?

Girl- Well, if you insist. But believe me, your type of people will not like it there.

SW- Don’t worry. Try me.

At the ‘hostel’, which is a small room in a very bad condition, three children are lying on
the floor playing cards. All of them have a battered look- torn clothes, unruly and dirty
hair. One of the girls has a fractured hand. Both the legs of the boy are broken-he crawls
on the floor to get water. The other girl has bruises on her body.

SW (shocked)- Wha-? What happened to all of you?

The girl with bruises gets up, looks at SW up and down.

Priya- Who are you?

SW- I’m a social worker. I can help you, but only if you tell me what’s going on.

Priya- We aren’t supposed to tell anyone this, but (starts hyperventilating, breaks down)

Sheru Bhai did this to us. All of us lived happily at the orphanage. He came and took us,
he hit us. He burned a cigarette on GIRL’s face, he broke these boys’ legs. He forced us
to beg on the road but we don’t want to! (falls on the floor ccrying) We don’t want to!
Please, we just want to go back to school, back to our friends, we don’t want this!
Please help us!

End of scene.