[Reader-list] No Exit (in Nandigram) by Jean Paul Sartre

[inder salim]

A quick adaptation of 'NO Exit' by Jean Paul Sartre

Characters:
B.B – He is a Bengali, who always yearned to live in Moscow.He
deserted the army during Indian freedom struggle, and he blatantly
cheated on his wife - he even brings his affairs home and gets her to
make them breakfast, without any sympathy. Initially, he hates Inès
because she understands his weakness, and lusts after Estelle because
he feels that if she treats him as a man he will become manly.
However, by the end of the play he understands that because Inès
understands the meaning of cowardice and wickedness, only absolution
at her hands can redeem him (if indeed redemption is possible). He is
constantly waiting for his physical torture to come, but this itself
is torturous. He is condemned to wish for pain, which he feels will
redeem his cowardly actions. B.B. in the beginning  was known as
Garcin, in American adaptation of the play, he name is Vincent
Cradeau.  Garcin alias B.B's sin is his cowardice, and in hell he
tries to use the two women, who are locked up forever with him in the
same room, under the same strong light, as mirrors in which he will
see a complacent and reassuring picture of himself.

Inès – Inès is the second character to enter the space. A social
activist, quite popular in Bengal, Her sin is turning a wife against
her husband, twisting her perception of her spouse. Indeed, Inès seems
to be the only character who understands the power of opinion,
throughout the play manipulating Estelle's and B.B's (Garçin's)
opinions of themselves and of each other. She is the only character
who is honest about the evil deeds she, B.B. and Estelle have done.

Estelle – Estelle is a high-society woman, an Italian, who married her
husband for his money and family history. To her, the affair is merely
an insignificant fling whereas her lover becomes emotionally attached
to her. She drowns the illegitimate child that results, which drives
her lover to commit  suicide. Throughout the play she makes advances
towards B.B. ( Garçin) , seeking to define herself as a woman in
relation to a man. Her sins are deceit and murder (which also
motivated a suicide).
Valet – A local poor farmer who guides each character to make an entry
to Nandigram. Valet does not introduce each character, but his only
real dialog is with  B.B. ( Garçin) . It is never made clear in the
play whether the Valet's job is his by choice, by birth, or as
punishment. We do learn that his uncle is the head valet.

 Few Notes and dialogues :
The audience in Nandigram  simply don't know how to see a play, and
there fore, don't know all the inner details of the characters unlike
in a citywalla.  Nandigram is like an huge open air auditorium. The
characters are sitting behind a huge bullet proof glass on a little
rivulet against the audience who are running here or there in a
strange confusion. But some of them who are positioned on trees and
behind bushes with indigenous guns are able to see some of the
movement of the characters.

Valet is the only local inhabitant who is playing a real active role
in the play. And now when the play was about to begin, they suddenly
realize that they are too far from the audience, and  so they decide
to go back to Delhi. They instinctively know that is always better to
play in Delhi where there are lights and systems to deliver dialogues
in an auditorium.

B.B. at  that point whispers to Estella ( the  rich Italian born lady)
" HELL IS THE OTHER PEOPLE" . Estella smiled, and slowly lifted her
saree  from behind to urinate.  She knew that audience would hardly
notice what is actually going on at this point in Nandigram.

After confessing her sins to B.B ( Garcin) , Inès acknowledges her
evil and concludes with a statement as significant as B.B's definition
of hell. Ines said in her own shrieking voice,  " I need the suffering
of others in order to exist" .

B.B. hurriedly added while adjusting his Dothi under his logn Kurta.
The viscosity (viscosité) of a social character is the strong metaphor
by which this capital sin,  and which will end by making it impossible
for man to choose himself, to invent himself freely.

Estella after finishing her long pee, replied back with her soft
Italian accent,  I know, you Mr. B.B. you are least guilty of the
three of us, but you suffer the most under the relentless
intellectualizing and even philosophizing, You are thinking too much
about Ines. But be so, this is your  invented problem.  Let us hurry
back to Delhi, at least there we have that bald headed old man who
loves to slit throats of pregnant women in Gujarat. He is such a
wonderful character, you know.

B.B was full of wrinkles on his face and said wryly, Oh, I really hate
that man, but i know he is a good actor. I know I am dying too early,
and I don't have time to act every time with you in Delhi, but I know
you will not mind if he plays my role. So I am trying my best, you
know.

Ines:  "Well, well, let's get on with it.. It was too loud, and at
this point every body in Nandigram heard and looked at what is
happening on the other side of the hell. Characters were making an
exit. Valet has no choice but to accompany them, if he wants to exist
as a role. Because they can always arrange someone else in his place,
who will resemble him, and the audience will never know the change.

B.B. wait a sec, why don't we think to change this open air space into
a huge Auditorium. We can ask some one rich man to help us, so that we
can play our roles properly.

Ines " Well, well, let's get on with it
.
There was strange of mix of dialogues, for example, this line "You are
nothing else but your life." is usually delivered at the end of play
by Garcin, here B.B. but since the characters decided to make an early
exit so this line was uttered by Valet, because of sheer habit, who
has otherwise no role but to accompany the characters to the room.

B.B.  instinctively realized what was going on  and so whispered to
Valet  "Well, well, let's get on with it"

Estella immediately repeated   " Well, well, let's get on with it"
after having a last  look at the audience who were running here and
there in strange confusion.

( it was not dark as yet )

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