‘Among the blind, the one-eyed is king!’
LAWRENCE: (Sharply.) Is that how the One-eyed Lion was king?
SHER SINGH: (Appeasingly.) No, no.
LAWRENCE: All right, Sher Singh, come.
SHER SINGH: (Giving Lawrence a manly hug.) Let’s go to Lahore. Lawrence: Yes, let’s go.
Act One Scene 2
A month later. Lahore, a town on the banks of the Ravi—capital of the Punjab. The private apartments of H.H. Dalip Singh. It is late evening and the elderly Baba is reading to the twelve-year-old Maharaja.
BABA: (Reading.) … and the crane asked, ‘What is the road to heaven?’
DALIP: (Interrupting.) I know. Can I answer?
BABA: What?
DALIP: Truthfulness!
BABA: ‘And how does a man find happiness?’ next asked the crane …
DALIP: By mastering his ego!
BABA: ‘When is a man loved?’ was the crane’s third question.
DALIP: When he’s without vanity!
BABA: Finally the crane asked, ‘of all the world’s wonders, which is the most wonderful?’
DALIP: That no man, though he sees others dying, thinks he will ever die!
BABA: ‘Right,’ said the crane, and with that transformed himself into …
DALIP: (Bored.) Bas, Baba. Why do we have to read the same old thing every night? Why don’t you tell me about the war with the Angrez.
BABA: No, your Highness. There are dark corners …
DALIP: Yes, yes. I want to hear about Sobraon and Ferozshahr.
BABA: Shh, your Highness.
DALIP: (Loudly.) I command you.
BABA: No.
DALIP: (Shouting.) Yes.
BABA: (Reluctantly.) But don’t repeat these words. You know our Khalsa were winning at Sobraon. And we were about to inflict a terrible defeat on the British.
(Pause.)
DALIP: Go on, Baba.
BABA: No.
DALIP: You must tell me.
BABA: (Uncomfortably.) Just as the British were falling back to a second line of defence, they received a secret message from your Commander-in-Chief.
DALIP: (Savagely.) Tej Singh!
BABA: Shh!
DALIP: What did the message say?
BABA: (Almost whispering.) That your army’s left flank was unguarded. So the Angrez put all his forces there. Your Sardars then called a retreat, leaving the entire Sikh army in confusion. Your Commander-in-Chief fled back across the Sutlej, along with the Wazir, and also broke the bridge over the river. The Sardars, thus, not only betrayed their soldiers but also cut the retreat of the army!
DALIP: Traitors! The dirty traitors! Lal Singh! Tej Singh! I’ll kill them.
BABA: Shh! your Highness. They will be rewarded according to their karma.
DALIP: (Suddenly.) Go away, Baba. I’ll call you when I want to sleep.
(Baba leaves. Dalip goes towards the balcony. Sound of footsteps, and Rani Jindan enters quickly as a mother enters her child’s room. She is about thirty, and definitely attractive.)
RANI: Dalip! Dalip! (She goes over to the bed, expecting to find her son there.)
Why—where—? (Loudly.)
My lal!
(Dalip looks into the room; she runs towards him and clasps him.)
Out in the cold night air? Not in bed yet? Where’s Baba?
DALIP: (Quite lost, and still looking outside.) I threw him out. I wanted to be alone.
RANI: My lal, you must sleep now.
DALIP: Don’t lal me, Mai. Haven’t you already got a lal?
RANI: (Admonishing.) Shh … (She slaps him lightly, and he lets out a yell.)
You mustn’t talk this way. Who’s been teaching you these mischievous things?
DALIP: Nobody.
RANI: Why, if I tell this to Raja Sahib, he would be so offended.
DALIP: Let him be.
RANI: My child, why are you against him so? He’s a nice man. And so important now after the Treaty. He’s the Wazir of the Punjab! Until you are old enough, Raja Sahib will rule the kingdom.
DALIP: (Mimicking the way of obsequious courtiers.) It’s always Raja Sahib this … Raja Sahib that …
RANI: Shh … my child.
DALIP: But I’m the king, Mai. Why is it that no one looks up to me?
(Proudly.) During my father’s days there used to be such fear of the king. You said so yourself.
(Pause.)
RANI: Dalip, do you know what day it is?
DALIP: It’s my father’s birthday. But Mai, why aren’t there any lights? There’s no music and dancing as we have every year.
RANI: We’ve lost a war, child. The state treasury is empty. We owe the Angrez more than one crore rupees.
DALIP: How much money is that, Mai?
RANI: It’s a lot of money, my son. And the army still has to be paid.
DALIP: I thought we were the strongest and the richest country in the whole world.
RANI: We were—in the days of your father.
DALIP: Why aren’t we now?
RANI: (Determinedly.) We will be, my boy. Wait, we will be.
DALIP: When, Mai?
RANI: Soon.
DALIP: When I grow up?
RANI: Yes.
DALIP: What will I be like when I grow up?
RANI: You’ll be strong like a lion—just like your father.
DALIP: (Enthusiastically.) Yes, I’ll be the Lion of Victory. I’ll throw them out. (Takes out his toy sword from his belt.)
I’ll fight them all and defeat them. Just like my father. I’ll win victory after victory. When I have defeated them all, then I’ll fight the Angrez. And I’ll defeat him too.
(Wiping her eyes, Rani rushes to him and embraces him.)
RANI: Yes, yes. You’ll defeat them all. But not tonight. Now it’s time for milk and then bed. I’ll call Baba.
DALIP: Do we have to defeat the Angrez?
RANI: Why?
DALIP: Because then Larins Sahib will go away. I like him. He taught me to shoot a gun.
RANI: Has he been talking to you?
DALIP: Yes, he’s my friend. He plays with me.
RANI: (More to herself.) You mustn’t see him alone.
DALIP: Why, Mai?
RANI: Enough questions now. Off you go. If you want to be brave and strong like your father, go drink your milk and to bed.
DALIP: Is it true that father drank five seers of milk a day?
RANI: Oof! More questions.
DALIP: Then I’ll win victories?
RANI: Yes.
DALIP: (Suddenly.) Mai, I’m afraid.
RANI: Of what, my boy?
DALIP: I get bad dreams.
RANI: A brave boy like you who is going to conquer the whole of Hindustan, you shouldn’t be afraid.
DALIP: But I am.
RANI: You know what your father used to
