-- *Mar*Certainly! Here's a *short dramatic play (one-act)* inspired by the themes in the original essay — *anxiety, fear, negativity*, and the *conflict between economics and ecology*.
This drama is designed for a *stage performance*, and it can also be adapted for a short film. It's philosophical, emotional, and thought-provoking — ideal for high school, college, or community theater. ------------------------------ 🎭 *"The Classroom of Silence"* *One-Act Play | 3 Main Characters | Approx. 15–20 minutes* ------------------------------ *Characters:* - *PROFESSOR RANA* – A seasoned economics professor, sharp, logical, and emotionally distant. A believer in the traditional model of "unlimited wants." - *AYA* – A sensitive and intelligent student, struggling with anxiety. Curious, introspective, and deeply connected to nature. - *KAVYA* – Another student, practical and skeptical. Caught between ambition and confusion. ------------------------------ *Setting:* A university economics classroom — modern, clinical, and lifeless. On one side of the stage, a *chalkboard reads*: *"Principle #1: Human Wants Are Unlimited."* On the other side of the stage, barely visible, is a large window with a view of trees rustling in the wind — symbolizing nature. ------------------------------ *SCENE 1: The Lecture* (*Lights up. Professor Rana stands at the board, lecturing. Students sit at desks — some taking notes, some zoning out. Aya stares out the window, lost in thought.*) *PROFESSOR RANA:* And thus, we arrive at the central truth of all economic behavior: *scarcity*. Because wants are *infinite*, and resources are *limited*, human beings must compete, prioritize, and optimize. This is the bedrock of rational choice theory. (*Turns to class*) Questions? (*Aya raises her hand slowly.*) *AYA:* Professor, what if... what if our wants aren’t actually infinite? What if we’ve just forgotten how to be content? (*A silence in the room. A few students smirk. Kavya looks up, intrigued.*) *PROFESSOR RANA:* Miss Aya, that’s a *philosophical* question, not an economic one. We’re dealing with human behavior as it is — not as it should be. Humans want. More and more. That’s what moves markets. *AYA:* But is it what moves *life*? Isn’t it strange that we’re taught more about stock markets than soil? That we track inflation more than *inhalation*? (*Kavya leans forward slightly.*) *KAVYA:* But Aya, people don’t live in forests. We live in cities. Jobs, growth, innovation — we can’t ignore that. *AYA:* I’m not ignoring it. I’m saying we’ve made anxiety a curriculum. We’ve taken our disconnection from nature and called it *progress*. (*Professor Rana sighs and steps forward.*) *PROFESSOR RANA:* Miss Aya, if you're suggesting we abandon economic science for some utopian return to the jungle, I must remind you—this is a university. Not a poetry circle. (*Silence. Aya looks at the window again.*) *AYA (quietly):* Maybe we need a little poetry to remind us we're still human. ------------------------------ *SCENE 2: The Corridor (After Class)* (*Kavya catches up with Aya outside the classroom.*) *KAVYA:* You really shook things up in there. *AYA:* I didn’t mean to. I just... I wake up every day with this tightness in my chest. Like I’m being chased by something I can’t see. *KAVYA:* Yeah. Me too. *AYA:* And the more I study economics, the worse it gets. All I hear is: “Produce more. Buy more. Be more.” But never: “Be still. Be enough. Just… be.” *KAVYA (pauses):* You think nature can fix that? *AYA:* Not fix. *Remind.* That we're not machines. That we’re part of something whole. That life doesn’t compete with itself. ------------------------------ *SCENE 3: The Classroom – One Week Later* (*The classroom is dimly lit. Professor Rana sits alone at his desk, papers scattered. He seems tired. Aya enters softly, holding a plant in a small clay pot.*) *AYA:* Professor? (*He looks up, surprised.*) *PROFESSOR RANA:* Miss Aya. *AYA:* I brought you something. (*She places the plant on his desk.*) It’s called *Brahmi*. An ancient herb. Said to calm the mind. (*He stares at it. Doesn’t speak for a moment.*) *PROFESSOR RANA:* You believe this... changes anything? *AYA:* No. But maybe it’s a start. Of seeing again. Feeling again. (*Pause. He looks out the window — the trees sway gently.*) *PROFESSOR RANA (softly):* When I was a child... I used to sit under a neem tree and do my homework. The wind would carry the scent of the leaves. I’d forget everything else. I haven't thought of that in years. (*Silence. The plant sits between them — alive, breathing.*) *AYA:* That memory... That's what we’re missing. Not more data. Just more *being*. (*Lights fade slowly, as the rustling of trees grows louder.*) ------------------------------ *CURTAIN* ------------------------------ 🎭 *Themes & Takeaways:* - The drama reflects the *clash between modern economic education* and the *forgotten emotional/ecological intelligence* rooted in nature. - Anxiety is portrayed not as a flaw, but as a *symptom* of systemic disconnection. - The plant at the end is symbolic — a living reminder of what education and economics have pushed away. - It ends not with a solution, but an *invitation* to remember. ------------------------------ Would you like a *script PDF*, a *longer version*, or staging suggestions for performance (lighting, set design, etc.)? -- 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%2By7iscF7WTCvnfyRWyjZfFtzS2LwRyAdVoVDnF%3D6BuGw%40mail.gmail.com.
