Whose Flag is it Anyway?

One-Act Play

It is Sunday morning in the household. Appa (73) is seen reading the newspaper at the dining table. There is a cup of coffee in front of him. His son Vik (45), an NRI on vacation, is back from his morning run with something in his hand, he stops for a moment but sees that his father is busy with the paper, so he walks on. We hear him throwing that ‘something’ into a dustbin. Vik then returns to the dining room with his water bottle and takes the seat opposite Appa – who now begins to fold his newspaper.

Appa: Good morning!

Vik: Good morning, Appa.

Appa sips from his coffee while Vik drinks from his water bottle

Vik: Err.. Appa, I don’t know why you had put up some random flag on our gate. I just removed it. Hope that’s okay.

Appa: What are you talking about?

Vik: There was a flag that was on our front gate. You must have put it up some time back. It was torn and not looking good.

Appa: Oh, did you remove it already?

Vik: Did you put it up?

Appa: No!

Vik: Okay, did Amma put it up?

Appa: Does the flag have RCB on it?

Vik: No no.

Just then a bell is heard from inside suggesting that Amma is praying in the puja room

Appa takes his hands off the table and makes a face. Vik shakes his head and laughs silently

Appa (in hushed tone): Ee sala, yaav sala? (this time, which time?)

Amma (voice from the puja room): Did you take bath yet?

Appa (turns back to Vik): In this country, things always appear out of nowhere as if God only put it. But if you have to remove it, you will need permission.

Vik: I don’t understand. You did not put it up, Amma did not put it up. Then who put it up?

Appa: It must be the Area Boys. We have to live in a society, Vikrama.

Vik: But Appa, this is trespassing. I am sure there are laws against it. You know what I’m saying?

Appa: I know, I know, but I don’t think you know about your own country.

Vik (shrugs his arms): I don’t know…maybe…

Appa: If tomorrow, our neighbour sells off his house to a builder, they will start building an apartment in its place – such things are common these days around here. And their labour will be working day and night, Sunday mornings too – you think I can go and complain to the Police about it? They will take 10,000 rupees from me. But the Builder can easily pay them 10 times more. Whose side do you think they will be on?

Vik: Really now? That’s terrible! I don’t believe that’s the state of Law and Order around here.

Appa: Oh well, as they say, ‘we are in our middle ages’.

Vik: That’s so odd! Because everything looks shiny and hi-tech now.

Appa: We are not living in a jungle or anything, but it in many ways, it is like our village only.

Vik: Wow! I need time to process all this.

Appa: At 78, if India is middle-aged, that makes me a young man, no? Hahaha!

Vik: That’s such a dad joke, Appa!

Appa: Haha, and that’s how you make it till 73, Vikrama. Learn to laugh! Don’t be stuck in your computers and phones all the time. Come on now, you also tell me a joke.

Vik: Really? Like, right now? Hmmm… let me think. Okay, so a pastor and a rabbi walk into a bar, oh let it be Appa. I don’t remember it well enough.

Appa: That’s the problem with your generation. You are all too serious. Trying to change the world on facebook.

Vik: Okay, so what do I do now? Should I put that flag back on the gate?

Appa (shakes his head): No no.

Vik: I mean, I don’t want you to get into trouble because of me. Although I can’t believe you allowed them to put up a flag without asking you first.

Appa: They are not gundas or anything. I think they put flags at every house to decorate the neighbourhood. Like they do for Ganpati every year. It’s just that it would have seemed odd if only we removed it while the neighbours kept their flags. Over time, I think we just forgot about it. I was thinking the flag will fall off on its own someday. It’s good that you removed it. I can say that my son came from America and does not know anything about our great culture.

Vik: Hey Appa, I can still put it back on if that’s a problem.

Appa: See, once again you are becoming serious. It is perfectly fine, Vikrama. If you had not removed it, the boys themselves would have removed it and put up newer flags – of some other colour. Two years back they were carrying different flags, now they are holding these flags, tomorrow they will be in some other colour. That is how it is. These boys will grow up and move on someday. And younger boys will come holding different flags.

Vik (nods his heads along): Hmmm

Appa: Every year, we make a small donation for Ganpati. I go for the flag hoisting and Rajkumar birthday celebration. Sometimes I am asked to give a speech at the school function. They garland me, hand me a shawl and I bring home a packet of sweets. It’s an ordinary life of a retired person in this city. Nothing to worry about, it’s fine.

Amma enters the dining room ringing the puja bell while staring at them both

Amma: Are you both done thinking about the country? Why don’t you now start thinking about your breakfast also? Go take bath right now and come help me in the kitchen.

Appa and Vik make a quick exit from either side of the dining room

Amma: Give a man one cup of coffee and he will talk anything for next half an hour!

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