Happy Man

(First Scene) (Morol means Moneylender,Kabiraj means Monk)

[Morol is sick. He is tossing and turning in bed. Kabiraj is checking his pulse. Morol’s relative Hasu Mia and his loyal servant Rahmat Ali are discussing his illness.]

Hasu: Rahmat, oh Rahmat Ali!

Hasu: Rahmat, oh Rahmat Ali!

Hasu: Listen carefully, no matter how much that Kabiraj checks the pulse, your Morol will not survive.

Rahmat: Please don’t scare me like that. If you do, I’ll start crying loudly.

Hasu: Cry then, cry your heart out. Your Morol is a tough man. He has tormented the people of Subarnapur a lot. He became rich by seizing cows and looting paddy. He would laugh when he saw others crying.

Rahmat: Please don’t talk nonsense. Go back home!

Kabiraj: Stop making so much noise. I am examining the patient's pulse.

Rahmat: Oh Kabiraj, what does the pulse say? Will Morol survive?

Kabiraj: Don't speak foolishly. Humans and animals are not immortal. Listen carefully to what I say.

Hasu: Tell me. Morol is my cousin.

Rahmat: Morol is my master.

Kabiraj: If you truly want to save this cruel Morol, a difficult task must be done.

Hasu: Do we have to bring a tiger’s eye?

Kabiraj: Something even harder.

Rahmat: Shall we bring the Himalayas?

Kabiraj: No mountains, seas, moons, or stars need to be brought.

Morol: I can’t bear it anymore. I’m burning up. My bones are breaking. Save me!

Kabiraj: Calm down. Rahmat, pour some sherbet into Morol’s mouth.

(Rahmat gives sherbet to Morol.)

Hasu: That Morol once forcibly slaughtered my chicken and ate it. Today, I will settle the score.

Morol: Brother Hasu, come here. I’ll give you everything. Just bring me peace.

Kabiraj: Morol, will you ever tell lies again?

Morol: Never again. I swear on your head, I will never again oppress anyone. Just cure me.

Kabiraj: Greed leads to sin, and sin leads to death. Will you ever be greedy again?

Morol: No. I will not be greedy or cruel anymore. Give me peace. Give me happiness.

Kabiraj: Then lie peacefully. I will think about the medicine.

Morol: Where can I find happiness? Bring me happiness!

Hasu: If you hurt others’ hearts, you will never find happiness.

Morol: I have so much money, such a big house! Yet why am I unhappy?

Kabiraj: Be quiet. The more noise you make, the more your sorrow will increase. Hasu, come closer and listen. Morol’s illness can be cured if...

Rahmat: If what?

Kabiraj: If, by tonight—

Hasu: What needs to be done?

Kabiraj: If you can collect a fatua.

Rahmat: Fatua?

Kabiraj: Yes, a shirt. It must belong to a truly happy man. If that shirt is put on Morol’s body, his bones will stop aching immediately.

Rahmat: That sounds like an easy cure!

Kabiraj: It’s not easy. It’s very hard. Go and find a truly happy man. Without the shirt of a happy man, the unhappy Morol will not survive.

Morol: I want to live! Bring me the shirt, and I will reward you with a thousand taka!

(Second Scene)

[At the edge of the forest, in the dark night. Faint moonlight. In front of a small hut, Hasu Mia and Rahmat are sitting with their heads in their hands.]

Rahmat: What a strange thing! We searched five villages, yet didn’t find a single happy man. Everyone says, "No, brother, I am not happy."

Hasu: There’s no more time. It’s almost midnight. No happy man, no happy man's shirt. Morol is doomed.

Rahmat: Alas! What will we do now? Where will we find a man who is truly—

Hasu: No, we won’t find one. Happiness is very rare. The rich ask for more wealth; the beggars ask for more alms; the gluttons ask for more food. Everyone keeps asking for more. No one is happy.

Rahmat: Even we are asking: "Give us the shirt, give us the reward." We are also unhappy.

Hasu: Quiet, quiet! Someone is talking inside that hut.

Rahmat: A ghost, maybe? Let's run! If it catches us, it will fry us like fish.

Hasu: Hey, who’s inside? Come out!

Rahmat: Don’t call the ghost!

(A man comes out of the hut.)

Man: Who are you, brothers? What do you want?

Hasu: We are very unfortunate people. Who are you?

Man: I am a happy man.

Hasu: Huh? You have no sorrow?

Man: None. All day I cut wood in the forest. I sell it in the market. Whatever I earn, I buy rice and lentils. I eat and sleep peacefully, singing songs until I drift off. A single sleep wipes away the night.

Hasu: Don’t you feel scared living alone in the forest? What if thieves come?

Man: What will a thief steal from me?

Hasu: Your gold, your clothes?

(The man laughs openly.)

Rahmat: Why are you laughing like a madman?

Man: I’m laughing at your words. I would simply tell the thief, "Take whatever you want."

Hasu: Then you are truly a happy man!

Man: Who is happier than me in this world? I am the king of happiness! I am a great emperor!

Rahmat: Oh King, where is your shirt? Did you leave it inside? We will give you a hundred taka. Bring it to us.

Man: Shirt?

Rahmat: Yes, a shirt! Like the ones people wear! We will give you five hundred taka. Bring it, please. Morol is suffering badly.

Man: I have no shirt, brother!

Hasu: Don’t lie.

Man: Why would I lie? I own nothing — that’s why I am happy.

Character Introduction

Name Age

Morol 50

Kabiraj 60

Hasu 45

Rahmat 20

Man 40