-- *Mar*Absolutely! Here’s an *original one-act drama* inspired by the ideas in *“Suffocating Nature.”*
It blends realism and symbolism — a philosophical stage piece that can be performed or read as an ecological allegory. ------------------------------ 🎭 *Title:* *The Breath of the Forest* *Characters:* - *Elder Kavi* – a tribal elder, wise and calm, speaks like the forest itself. - *Mira* – a young university student, curious, intelligent, but trapped in modern logic. - *Professor Steel* – a scientist from the city; logical, practical, and skeptical. - *The Forest Voice* – unseen; its sound comes through wind, leaves, or recorded whispers. - *Chorus of Spirits* – may be actors, sounds, or movements representing nature’s pulse. ------------------------------ *Scene 1: The Meeting* *(A clearing in a forest. The sound of wind, birds, and flowing water. Elder Kavi sits on a rock weaving a basket. Mira enters, recording on her phone.)* *Mira:* Hello, sir! I’m from the university. I’m researching indigenous knowledge for my ecology project. May I ask you some questions? *Elder Kavi:* (Without looking up) You have already asked the first one, child. The forest is listening. Be careful what you ask; it might answer. *Mira:* (Smiling nervously) I just want to understand how you people live so close to nature. You seem so… happy. *Elder Kavi:* We do not live *close* to nature. We live *as* nature. That is the difference. *Mira:* But surely you use tools, make fire, build huts—those are human things. *Elder Kavi:* And the birds build nests, the bees make hives. The difference is not in doing, child. It is in forgetting who does it. *(A pause. The wind grows louder, almost like breathing.)* ------------------------------ *Scene 2: The Arrival of the Scientist* *(Enter Professor Steel, in a clean white shirt and boots, holding a tablet.)* *Professor Steel:* Ah, there you are! Mira, we’ve been tracking the deforestation rate for this region. We need samples of the soil and water. Elder, your people may need to relocate when development begins. *Elder Kavi:* Relocate? The river cannot walk. The tree cannot pack its roots. Where will we go? *Professor Steel:* (Sternly) Progress demands space. We’re setting up a sustainable factory—clean energy, eco-certified. Nature must adapt to the economy, not the other way around. *Mira:* (Quietly) Professor, do you ever feel the forest is… alive? *Professor Steel:* Alive? In a poetic sense, perhaps. But life is measurable. Cells, respiration, data. Not feelings. *(The wind suddenly stops. Silence. The forest darkens slightly.)* ------------------------------ *Scene 3: The Forest Speaks* *(A deep rustling sound. The “Forest Voice” speaks, soft and echoing.)* *Forest Voice:* Who measures the breath that measures you? Who counts the heartbeat that lets you count? You cut my limbs, and call it progress. You silence my voice, and call it peace. *(Professor Steel drops his tablet. Mira looks terrified yet moved.)* *Mira:* Did you hear that? *Elder Kavi:* (Softly) It was not *heard,* child. It was *felt.* *Professor Steel:* This is absurd! Some echo, some trick of the wind— *Forest Voice:* (Sadder now) Once, you trusted the wind to carry your breath. Now you build walls to keep it out. Once, you walked with me. Now you choke me, and wonder why you cannot breathe. *(A pause. The chorus hums, a sound like slow breathing. Professor Steel gasps slightly, clutching his chest.)* *Mira:* Professor—are you all right? *Professor Steel:* (Weakly) I… I can’t breathe. *Elder Kavi:* (Standing, calm) The forest lends breath to all who trust it. Trust, and you will breathe again. *(He places a hand on Steel’s chest. The wind resumes; birds chirp. Steel exhales deeply.)* *Professor Steel:* It feels… alive. Everything… alive. *Elder Kavi:* Now you know. The first lesson of the forest: To live is to let others live. To breathe is to let others breathe. ------------------------------ *Scene 4: The Return* *(The morning light brightens. The sound of distant singing.)* *Mira:* (Recording softly) “The forest is not a place we visit. It is the breath we share.” *Professor Steel:* Maybe… we should move the factory elsewhere. Or not build it at all. *Elder Kavi:* You cannot build peace by suffocating what gives you life. When the last leaf forgets to breathe, the last man will remember he was once a child of the forest. *(They stand together in silence as the forest breathes deeply. Lights dim.)* ------------------------------ *Curtain.* *Theme:* When humanity loses trust in nature, it suffocates its own soul. Only by remembering that every breath is shared with the world can life be free again. ------------------------------ Would you like me to adapt this drama into a *short film script* (with camera directions and visual cues) or a *school stage play version* (simpler language, shorter scenes)? -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Thatha_Patty" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/thatha_patty/CACDCHC%2B1ZzfWGEt%2BF-Y%3DWRo2oqafSobaDmvvnBOH6_mYMu6%2BbA%40mail.gmail.com.
