Speaker Meira Kumar
Watching Indian lawmakers yesterday debate the pros and cons of a bill to create a Lokpal or a public ombudsman against corruption, the one predominant thought on my mind was Broadway.
I could picture three starring roles to play the speaker of the house, Meira Kumar, the leader of the opposition, Sushma Swaraj and the most assertive proponent of parliamentary supremacy, Lalu Prasad Yadav.
All three characters have immense histrionic as well as musical possibilities. Meira Kumar’s singsong manner of speaking gives her character a natural flair that is so suitable for a Broadway production. A command/instruction/plea that she most frequently uses bilingually is “Baith jaiye, baith jaiye” “Please sit down, please sit down.” Coming from her ‘Baith jaiye, baith jaiye” sounds so melodious that even those wanting to sit down to maintain the dignity of the house stand and sway.
Swaraj, with her chaste Hindi delivered in impeccably rehearsed tones, brings a touch of the magisterial. Yadav, in sharp contrast, brings uninhibited rusticity and easy humor that can reduce or elevate any debate depending on your perspective. Apart from these three main characters there are at least a dozen others who together make for a powerful Broadway play. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh with his sullen monotone has his own unique character.
The play opens with the speaker standing and Members of Parliament thumping the benches in unison—“thak, thak, thak.” The speaker then starts singing the theme song of the play that goes something like this:
“Baith jaiye…” thak thak thak
“Baith jaiye..” thak thak thak
“Kripya karke” thak thak thak
“Baith jaiye.” thak thak thak
The more I think about this the more I am convinced I should write this as a Broadway play.
