Invention to Bridge Generation Gap

Scene One

Shyam:            Mummy, my breakfast!

Father:            Shyam, you are still here. You should have gone to college by now.

Shyam:            But, daddy, I got up late and ….

Grandfather:   Your alarm clock kept ringing and I had to switch it off. In our days we used to get up at 4 O’clock.  We never depended on a machine to wake us up.

Shyam:           Oh, grandpa, there you go again with your pet line…’In our days…’ mummy, I don’t want any breakfast, I am off to college.

Father:            Shyam wait a minute. Wait I say!  Come and have your breakfast. I’ll drop you on my way.

Mother:           Here Shyam, sit down properly and eat your breakfast.  Don’t stuff food into your mouth like that.

Shyam:           That’s your fault mum.  You could have got it ready earlier. You could have woken me up.

Mother:           Oh yes, everything is my fault. Your darling sister Kavita is still in bed. She should have got up earlier and helped me in the kitchen.  But it is not her fault. It is my fault, isn’t it? If I had twenty hands I could have got the breakfast ready, shaken you out of bed, woken up Kavita, got things ready for your father and….

Father:            Now, now, Smita. All this can wait, can’t it?  We could have some peaceful mornings, couldn’t we?

Grandfather:   In our days children and mothers would never open their mouth in front of the father.

Kavita:            (Just got up) Grandpa, in our days fathers are not supposed to open their mouths at all.

Father:            Yes, How can they when they have children like you two?

Shyam:           Daddy you could have spared me…

Father:            Well, let’s be off, otherwise this will never come to an end.

Scene Two

Shyam:           Hai Priti  !

Priti:                Shyam you’re late again!

Shyam:           So what? No more advice , OK? I have had enough at home.

Priti:                Don’t tell me you created a scene at home today also.

Shyam:           I never create any scenes… It’s the adults….all of them gang up on me.

James:           (walking towards them) Yeah, I know what you mean. It’s the same in my case too.

Amin and Rose join them.

Amin:              Hi, everybody, what’s on?

Priti:                Fancy fireworks at home.

Rose:              I might have guessed that. But I thought only we girls get the fireworks. Boys are the lucky lot.

James:           Don’t give us that. You should have seen the scene at my place…today morning.

Shyam:           Same with me yar…and.. I’m sick and tired of these elders. They can never understand us.

Amin:              And all that they can do is criticise. You should have done this..…you should not have done this….

Priti:                You know nothing. We, girls, have a harder time. I wish I were a boy, I could have had more freedom.

Rose:              Hey, read what this notice says !

Amin:              Oh this… this is for the competition…the funniest and the most useful competition of the year.

Shyam:           oh, I forgot about it completely. There is a big shield for the group which invents something funny and useful.

James:           That gives me an idea. Why don’t we invent a solution which can turn these adults into lively youngsters. Then they will be able to understand us.

Rose:              That’s right. And it should also make the young grow old so that we can understand them.

Scene Three

Tips for Direction: All are busy working in the lab. Appropriate music in the background.  Without uttering a word, only through miming show the hard work put in, the disappointment and frustration midway and the final success.

Scene Four

Tips for Direction: The college is decorated and all arrangements are made for the audience. People are seen going here and there busy arranging things.  In one corner of the stage some snacks are laid out on a table for the guests and audience.  A huge drum of cold drink is kept nearby.  Shyam and others come  in with a flask of solution and when nobody is looking at them, pour the contents into the container.  They go away. The competition begins.  You can think of some funny inventions to include in the beginning for the other participants.  Shaym’s group comes up on the stage as the last entry.  The audience is seen as drinking the juice that has the solution added to it.  They all behave like youngsters who have just joined college.  You can think of somebody dancing, somebody singing, balancing their hat on a stick, climbing up on chairs and so on.  All the young people who drink the solution behave like middle aged or old people. Use your imagination and make your viewers roar with laughter.

Scene Five

Chief Guest:   It gives me great pleasure to be here today.  I am glad to announce the prize winning entry for the most useful invention of the year. The shield goes to Shyam and his group.  (Audience clap) They have really opened my eyes.  The effect of their solution lasted only a few minutes. But it has taught me an unforgettable lesson.  Now I feel I can understand how the youngsters feel and react.  I am sure all the parents, grandparents and teachers present here today agree with me when I say that these young boys and girls have made us feel young and relaxed that we can look at life with a new perception.  I would like to invite Shyam and his friends to say a few words.

Shyam:           Thank you sir for the shield and for giving me this opportunity.  I would like to say this on behalf of all my young friends that the solution has opened our eyes too and now we can understand how the adults feel.  We share their concern in our welfare and in future we would surely  listen to their advice with more patience.