The Secret Chocolate Giver

Characters

(in order of appearance)

Aadhya: A 3rd-year research scholar in the English department of a reputed college.

Shashank: Junior to Aadhya. A scholar in his first year in the same department.

Rahul: Shashank’s classmate

Sanvi: A 4th-year research scholar. Senior to Aadhya.

Naina: A 2nd-year research scholar

ACT I

Morning scene of the college reading room. A table of ideal size with a chair should be kept at the centre of middle stage. Two small tables with chairs should be kept on the either side of the centre table.

A bar of chocolate is found with a note on the desk where Aadhya usualy sits. The note was congratulatory in nature, addressed to her and applauding her on her recent accomplishment. No mention of the addresser. Aadhya is pondering about whereabouts of the chocolate giver. She asks her juniors about the same, who, later joins her in finding the chocolate giver. Aadhya should be sitting in the centre whereas the other students will stand, semicircling her in such a way that she should be clearly visible to the audience.

Fade in (to Aadhya)

AADHYA (to herself): Who can leave a chocolate here in my absence? Whosoever he be, (pause) why ‘he’ only…oh can be ‘she’ also…..Why didn’t s/he take a minute to inform me? A message would’ve done the job. Moreover, it would have been better if given in person. I could’ve thanked them. Now I’ll be wondering about it for the rest of the day. It’s like one of those anonymous review apps which had been in tradition once. People ask for anonymous reviews and then they keep enquiring here and there to know the identity of that person. Strange. Isn’t it? I never liked those websites and also the people promoting them. By the way, whom should I ask? Someone whom I know? Someone who knows me? In any case, why would they give it anonymously? Or someone who knows me but I don’t know them? A possibility! Oh! It’s so confusing. But first, let me ask those whom I know. I don’t wanna eat the chocolate without knowing the giver.

Calls Shashank who was sitting on the left of the centre stage. He stands and tiptoes to Aparna’s.

SHASHANK: Hey Aaadhaaa ma’am! You look mixed up today? Kya baat hai?

AADHYA: Yaar! Someone left this chocolate at my desk. Is that you? Sach-sach btana.

SHASHANK (inspecting the note on the chocolate): Woah! Mujhe to koi nhi deta. You’re lucky. (jokingly) Who is he? A secret admirer!!

AADHYA (irked): This is no time to crack jokes. Jab dekho tumhe majak sujhta hai.

SHASHANK (apologetic): Aree Sorry but I’ve already congratulated you ‘in person’ yaar. Aur waise bhi, who will dare to give a chocolate to a senior? Mjuhme itni himmat nhi hai!

AADHYA: What should I do? Who could it be?

SHASHANK: I don’t know about the second question but I can suggest the solution to the first.

AADHYA: And what’s that?

SHASHANK (giggling): Eat it. Na rhega bas, na bajega basuri.

AADHYA (imitating): Hihihi It’s not funny.

SHASHANK: You want to find this chocolate giver. Right?

AADHYA: Yes!

SHASHANK: Then you’ve got to answer some basic questions. It’ll be a part of the investigation.

AADHYA: I’ll try but pitoge agar faltu sawal pucha to!

SHASHANK (proudly): Areee! Trust me. I wanted to become an agent of RAW or IB before I joined PhD. But I was deemed unfit due to these power-imposed goggles. So I’ve a knack for finding the culprit. I take a keen interest in crime fiction novels and have read almost every book of Agatha Christie and Sherlock Holmes. I watched the complete movie- series of James Bond, that too, thrice. These days, I am into Byomkesh Bakshi. I watched every episode of CID before they decided to call it off. I am avid viewer of every crime-related web series as soon as they go live on any OTT platform. They don’t have the depth, I feel. A 4-episode series is extended into 8 for nothing. And guess what- Whomsoever I predict, turns out to be the culprit in the end.

AADHYA: Thik hai! Thik hai! Enough of your self-praising. Yaha koi crime scene nhi chal rha. What’s your question?

SHASHANK: Kya Yaar! Thoda to mauka do self-praise ka. Anyways, pehla sawal aapke screen ke upar ye raha – Did someone propose to you recently?

AADHYA (shocked): Whattttttt??? What rubbish!! Iska usse kya lena dena?

SHASHANK: Bilkul Lena dena hai! Suppose someone wanted to give that chocolate in person but you turned down his proposal and even declined to meet him. What choice is he left with, if he still wants to make his presence felt? Yaar pyar me log kya kya krte hai. This is just a chocolate.

AADHYA: Chup raho! Mujhe tumhara logic to samajh me nhi aa rha. By the way, how can you say that it’s ‘he’ and not ‘she’?

SHASHANK: It’s as simple as that- Koi ladka hi propose krega na!

AADHYA: Even if I consider your assumption true for some time, why would ‘he’ want to be anonymous?

SHASHANK: Yaar aap ladke log ko nhi janti. He might be afraid to lose your friendship. That’s why!

AADHYA (warily): CID dekh-dekh ke tumhara dimag kharab ho gya hai. Let me ask someone else.

SHASHANK: Whom?

AADHYA: Your friend Rahul.

SHASHANK (sarcastically): Good joke.

AADHYA (seriously): No. It’s not. I have a gut feeling that it’s him.

SHASHANK (laughing): Yaar! His friend broke up this Valentine’s because he didn’t give her chocolate on Chocolate Day.

AADHYA: So what?

Calls Rahul who was sitting on the centre stage right.

SHASHANK: To wo aapko kyon dega?

RAHUL (after coming): Backbiting! hmmm?

SHASHANK: Are bhai mai tumhara break-up wala story suna rha tha.

RAHUL: Haan..Namak mirch laga ke. Sudhrega nhi tu.

AADHYA: Guys…guys…guys! Tumlog apne odds baad me even kar lena. (showing him the chocolate). You kept this chocolate here. Didn’t you?

RAHUL (mixing pun and sadness): Kash mai aisa 2 hafte pehle krta. She would have been with me today!

SHASHANK: Dekha. Didn’t I tell you?

AADHYA: Kya yaar. Rona khatm nhi hota tumlog ka. As if a girlfriend is the solution to all your problems.

SHASHANK: Mai nhi. Wo!

RAHUL: Tum bhi kam nhi ho.

AADHYA: Don’t start it again…you two! Help me find this person.

RAHUL: W….h….o….m? Kisi ne kuch kiya?

AADHYA (showing him): Haan! Ye chocolate de diya.

RAHUL: Khaa lo.

SHASHANK: That’s exactly what I am saying.

AADHYA: How can I eat without knowing the giver.

SHASHANK: By unwrapping it.

RAHUL (observing the note): Looks like someone from a non-English discipline.

AADHYA & SHASHANK (together): How?????

RAHUL: See the handwriting. Random capital letters amidst the words written in small. In the second line subject and verb do not agree.

AADHYA: Waah! Linguists Sahib. Kya baat hai.

SHASHANK: It’s not helping. How many people do you know from other disciplines?

AADHYA: Many!

SHASHANK: Wahi. Let me think of something.

Enters Sanvi and Naina from upstage right. Seeing the commotion, they also encircles her.

SANVI: Hey Aadhya! How did your conference go? And how was the experience of your first foreign trip?

NAINA: Helloo Dii! Mere liye kya laaye ho aap?

AADHYA (humorously): Mai kisi ko kuch dun usse pehle mujhe kisi ne de diya hai! See this.

Shows her the chocolate bar.

SANVI (chuckling): Perks of the foreign trip. Hehe!

AADHYA (shrugs): Perks of the foreign trip after landing in India.

NAINA (inquisitively): Who gave you this chocolate?

AADHYA: That’s what we’ve got to find out.

NAINA: Anonymous feedback from students earlier now anonymous chocolates. Cool Cool!

SHASHANK (interrupting): And that opens up another possibility. Your students!!

SANVI: No No! They can’t dare to give a chocolate to their teacher.

NAINA: Why not Diii! The other day, a few students approached me on Insta. I don’t know where they got the ID.

AADHYA: Naina is right, Sanvi. The first and second years are good. But the third- year? Offo, they know all sorts of evil tricks. Some of them sitting in the front keep smiling. A few keep eyeing the girls as if gesturing something. Sometimes, they are also seen reciprocating. The back-benchers are mostly engaged in cell phones, lost in their own world. And a few who seem attentive clap for no reason and ask stupid questions.

RAHUL: But my students didn’t approach me on Insta?

SHASHANK (jokingly): You’re not a girl bro.

SANVI (commanding): Guys! We’re digressing from the topic. Any idea how to nab this person? (to Aadhya) I know a couple of people who can give you the chocolates but again, I ain’t sure.

SHASHANK: Elimination method……!

EVERYONE (in unison): What??

SHASHANK (explaining): I mean we can eliminate one by one from the probable suspects.

SANVI (confused): But how do we narrow down the suspects?

SHASHANK: Through literature review.

AADHYA: This isn’t a research methodology class.

NAINA: There are many people around.

SHASHANK (explaining): Compare this situation with the Research steps. Identification of a problem- the first one, we already have one. Then literature review to narrow the research area. Here, we’ve to narrow down the suspects. Then hypothesis. Here hypothesis is to predict what might have happened. Through which door he came and at what time etc. Then the research design, including questions, objectives and methodology. The former two we already know, have to decide on the latter. Then…

SANVI (interrupting): Enough of your research gyan. Practical application btao.

SHASHANK: Yaar wahi to bta rha tha.

RAHUL: CCTV?

AADHYA: There is no CCTV inside the reading room.

RAHUL: We can ask for the footage of the corridor and check who all visited the reading room this morning.

SANVI: But for that, we need the permission of the HOD. Kya likhenge application me? Ek chocolate dene wale ko pakadna hai?!

AADHYA: Point. And I don’t want ki itne logon ko pta chale. I’ll be a subject of fun then.

NAINA: Yeah! Aadhya is right. We’ve to solve it among ourselves.

SHASHANK: Wait….wait….what did you say, Naina? Which social network?

NAINA: Insta!

SHASHANK: Great! So Aadhya…did you post the update about this conference there?

AADHYA: No! No….I use it to post fancy stuff only.

SHASHANK: It’s been a week since you returned from your US trip. If someone had known about this trip of yours before, they wouldn’t have waited to this day. A possibility.

SANVI: Logical.

NAINA: Waah! Kya dimag lagaya hai.

AADHYA: Makes Sense.

RAHUL: Kehna kya chahte ho bhai?

SHASHANK: Socho Socho! Did you post anywhere yesterday?

AADHYA (recalling): N…..o…..Yesterday……Y…e….s! Yes! Yes!

EVERYONE (at once): Where?

AADHYA: Linkedin.

SHASHANK: Ye mere dimag me pehle kyo nhi aaya? I did like that update of yours.

AADHYA: I don’t know. I didn’t open it after sending that update.

SHASHANK (hastily): You need to check it. Abhi jyada waqt nhi hua hai. There may be fewer likes and comments abhi tak. We’ve to scrutinize those. DMs too.

SANVI: I think Shashank is right. We may find some clues.

NAINA: Let’s do this.

RAHUL: Is there any option but this?

NAINA: I am afraid but no!

AADHYA (excited): Chocolate giver, I am coming.

Aadhya hands over her cell phone to Shashank. Others surround him. Directors can choose to project the phone’s screen if they have the facility. Otherwise, let it proceed naturally.

SHASHANK: There are 10 likes so far, 3 comments and 2 DMs. Let’s start with the smaller entity first.

AADHYA (disappointed): Oh! Only 10 likes and 4 comments so far!

RAHUL: Wow! For me, that’s too much. That’s the maximum my Insta pictures get.

NAINA (mocking): You should delete your Insta account, Rahul.

Shashank and Sanvi eyes the other three. A pause.

SANVI (reprimanding tone): We’re here to find that guy and you all are worried about your likes, comments and DMs. Don’t you see, it has made our job easier?

AADHYA: Sorry Dii!

SHASHANK: Concentrate guys! I need the support of each one of you.

EVERYONE: Yes Sir.

SHASHANK: The first DM says Sponsored by some educational agency, asking to hire you. Seems not of our use.

NAINA: I may need that Dii. Please forward me.

AADHYA: Sure..sure…

SHASHANK: The second is from Saurav Suman.

SANVI: What does he want? Read the message.

SHASHANK: Should I, Aadhya?

AADHYA: What are you waiting for? Ab ise kya chahiye mai bhi to sunu.

SHASHANK: “Hi Aadhya! Heartiest congratulations (emojis). You’ve got an interesting profile. I can help you in learning a coding language.

SANVI (grinning): He’s bluffing.

AADHYA: Profile to dekh leta. English walon ko coding see kya kaam?

NAINA: Saare foreign jane wale science ke nhi hote. Huh!

SHASHANK: So no luck at DMs. Let’s move to comments.

SANVI: At least we’ve eliminated that.

SHASHANK: Yes yes! The first comment is from… A…nto..n….io….. Anil.

AADHYA: No chance. He is an NRI. I met him at the conference.

SHASHANK: OK! So moving further…..the second is Aaditya from this college.

RAHUL (quickly): He can be the one, right.

NAINA: Hold your horses, Rahul.

SANVI: No..no…I know him. Though he belongs to this department, he is attending his sister’s wedding.

AADHYA: Aap kaise jante ho?

SANVI: Simple. He invited me to the wedding but I didn’t go.

NAINA: And the third one, Shashank?

SHASHANK: Wo nhi ho sakti. She is from another college.

RAHUL: Aren’t we looking for a boy?

NAINA (giggling): If it’s ‘she’ then she can’t be ‘he’.

SANVI: Chup raho dono. I think we should move to the ‘likes’. That’s the last resort.

AADHYA: Yes, please! It’s so interesting- Social Network turning social.

SHASHANK: 6 are left. Let’s find out.

AADHYA: Wasn’t that 10?

SHASHANK: Yeah but we’ve already eliminated four. 3 in comments and 1 in DM. They’ve also liked the post.

SANVI: Interesting. Six people- including Naina, You and Me.

SHASHANK: And that’s even out to only three.

NAINA: Rahul, you didn’t like the post? 2 hi bachte fir.

AADHYA (eyeing): R…a…a….h….u……l……

SANVI: Ise Insta se fursat milega tab an!

NAINA (sarcastically): Tab bhi 10 hi likes aate hai.

All laughs.

AADHYA (curious): Aur ye 3 mahanubhava kaun hain?

SANVI: The first is Samriddhi.

NAINA: Samriddhi from our department, right?

SANVI: Yes, yes. your batchmate.

NAINA: Use khud khane se fursat mile tab to kisi ko degi.

All laughs.

RAHUL: Are you sure? Or was that a joke?

NAINA: It’s up to you how you take it.

SHASHANK: What about Satwik and Pranay?

SANVI (blushing): Can’t be Satwik! He passed out this year. Uski shaadi hone wali hai.

NAINA (chuckling): Aur aapko jarur bulaya hoga.

SANVI: Senior se majak….!

RAHUL: Yaar! Aapsab itne log ko kaise jante ho?

SANVI: Logon ko samjhna hi PhD hai. Jokes apart, I am in 4th year.

NAINA: Ise kehte hai Anubhav babu bhaiya!

The conversation is interrupted by a comment from Aadhya.

AADHYA (excitedly): Eureka! Eureka! Mere dimag me pehle kyo nhi aaya?

NAINA: Kyaaaa?

SANVI: Is it Pranay?

RAHUL: But he is your junior. Isn’t he in our batch, Shashank?

SHASHANK: Right. He is in Pol. Science department. Aap kaise jante ho?

AADHYA: Haan! Debating Society ke audition me tha. I interviewed him. He was my junior in School too.

RAHUL: You both were in the same school?

AADHYA: Yes! Yes!

NAINA: Are you sure Dii? It’s definitely Pranay na?

Before Aadhya could answer, a beep on her phone. A message from Pranay! She reads it;

“Hi ma’am. I got to know about your conference through LinkedIn. Heartiest Congratulations. A small present from my side. I was in haste as I had to catch up on morning class. Couldn’t find you at your designated place. Hence, left it there”

SANVI (elated): Congo Shashank. The case is solved then. Mujhe bhi yahi laga tha.

SHASHANK (to himself): How a junior can give chocolate to a senior!

RAHUL: Waah Waah! Let’s eat the chocolate now.

NAINA: Haan bhai. Bohot der se chocolate pe charcha ho rha.

AADHYA: Areee UK se laaye bhi bohot kuch rakhe hai.

(Indistinct chatter for some time as they help each other with the eatables)

Blackout

©Shashank

Disclaimer: This play should be adapted on stage after obtaining permission from the playwright. Due credit should be given. Also, if the play is staged in a ticketed event, a part of the profit should be used for the welfare of the underprivileged.