ROLE PLAY

DRAFT-1

SUBJECT - Fulfilling the endless expectations of our parents

Group members - Aarushi, Apala, Jigisha,Sufi, Tanushree and
Anoushka

Scene 1
Parents seated, talking to one another
Enter Khushi
Khushi (excited and content): Mom! Dad! We got our answer scripts today
and half the class failed in chemistry.
Parents show no change in expression or body language
The highest marks were 70 out of 100 and I scored 65!
Father gets out of chair angrily, mother snatches answer script out of Khushi’s
hands
Father (angrily): 65?! That’s it?! We spend thousands on your tuition and 65 is
all you got ?!
Khushi: The paper was really tough, some of the brightest kids didn’t-
Gets cut off mid-sentence by mother
Mother: We don’t care about any other child, why didn’t our child score
better?!
Father: You children always want the easy way out, never want to work hard!
Exeunt parents
Khushi sits down, looks frustrated, calls a friend
Khushi (vents endlessly): You won’t believe what I’ve just had to hear, my
hard work is not at all appreciated, they know my chemistry is weak, boards are
in a month, I feel so demotivated, who demotivates their child like this?!
Friend (in a low voice): So you failed too, huh?
Khushi: No, that’s the thing, I got 65.
Friend: 65 and you’re ranting, I failed and I haven’t told my parents yet, I’m
pretty sure they’re gonna take my phone away so don’t call, bye.
Friend hangs up, Khushi sits down and stares at the floor
Narration
Khushi excels in social studies, her parents forcefully admitted her into tedious
tuition classes, she showed constant improvement in science subjects even
though she has little interest in them. The time she spends with her friends has
decreased significantly which has left her alone and unhappy. Her parents’
disregard for her improving performance made her feel unrewarded and
unmotivated.

Scene 2
Khushi is sitting on a sofa and writing her speech. Her parents enter the room
Khushi: Mom I would like to stand for the post of the schoolhouse captain,
please sign here
Hands paper and pen
Mom( still looking at the paper and reading): You think it's a good idea?
With boards this year... Don't you think you should be focusing on your studies?
Father: Yes, how can you study and handle such a big responsibility at the
same time. You also have to manage your tutions.
Khushi: But, I really want to. I won't get this chance again. We only get this
chance in 10th grade.
Mother: You can just study this year and enjoy life later. This year is the most
crucial one. You cannot take risks, it will affect your whole life.
Father: We do so much for you, can't you just get the best grades and make us
proud?
Khushi: This is not fair. I always wanted to be the captain of my house. You
guys never understand what makes me happy and just want me to fulfil all your
expectations.
Mother(angrily): Now we can't even have expectations from our own daughter.
You have started arguing a lot. Growing up does not mean you will stop
respecting your elders. Go back to your room and finish your homework, you
have already wasted so much time.
Khushi tears her speech and goes to her room crying
Narration
The class 10 board examination results are out and Khushi scores 92.5%.
Although the parents are happy, they now desire Khushi to score above 95% in
Class 12. It's time for Khushi to choose the stream for class 11.

Scene 3
Khushi’s mother is working from home on her laptop and her father is watching
a football match on television for a change
Khushi enters the living room with a bright smile and a good mood.

Khushi: Mom!!! Dad!!

proceeds to sit down on the bed for a conversation with her parents

Mom: Yes child, what happened?

(parents look confused as Khushi proceeds with the following sentence)

Khushi: I have made my decision. I will opt for Humanities. I pondered on it a

lot and I have decided to go for it.

Dad: Really? Humanities? Even though you got 92.5%?

Khushi ( still with a smile stands up and expresses her opinion): So what
dad? Don't you think I should study what I’m interested in? I won't need any
tuition and I can participate more in co-curricular activities too!

Dad(in a bold voice with furrowed brows): Arts is not for my child. It's for
those students who can't even study. Do you want to be one of those people with
no vision for their future? Would you prefer to sit with people who fail in
subjects and in life, too?! Stop throwing tantrums here.

Khushi ( in sheer anger and astonishment ): First of all Dad, it's not Arts, it's
Humanities. Please stop being old fashioned. Times have changed. Secondly, no
one is a failure in the Humanities stream. Everyone works hard and has some
sort of passion. Plus, it's not about people, it's about my interest. Don't-
Khushi’s mother interrupts in between and does not let Khushi give her opinion.
Mom: Khushi, you won't learn from your mistakes, will you? I think that's
enough for today. We don't need any other discussion. It's final that you will be
opting for the PCM stream. We won't entertain any of your whims and fancies.

Scene 4
Narration
In class 11, Khushi opted for science with mathematics because of the pressure
from her parents. Slowly, her marks started deteriorating. Her teacher was
shocked hence, she called her parents.
Teacher: What has happened to Khushi? She was good at academics but now
she is not able to score well. Did you ask her why she took this stream?
Parents look at each other in a sort of awkward smile and confused expression

Mother: No actually we only told her that this stream is best for her. She was
going to take humanities which does not have much, respectable scope.
Teacher(smiling):That’s not true at all! Just because most people aren't aware
of the options doesn't mean they don’t exist. A child should choose a career path
that makes them happy, not to fulfill their parents’ expectations.You can see the
result now. She was such a good student but now she is not able to cope up with
the subject because her interests are not the same.
Father: We understand that now, we just thought it would make her life better.
We want the best for our child.

Teacher(convincingly): Just because our intentions are good, doesn’t mean that
they are impacting the person in a positive way, if they feel it’s not for them
then our intentions and actions can cause a negative impact. She is getting
another chance to change her stream, I hope you will support her this time.

Mother: Yes, whatever makes her happy.

Father(still isn’t able to cope with idea but agrees): If it’s best for her.

The play ends here …..

MORE SOLUTIONS -
1. Compatibility and transparency with parents is very important,this will
help the bond to be even stronger.
2. Life is all about balancing responsibilities and duties. The students must
have the ability to balance their studies with their responsibilities.
3. The activities are an important part in a child’s life and how limiting them
also leads to deteriorating academic performance.
4. Honesty and trust are the key solutions to have a good relationship with
the parents and the teenagers should keep maintaining these key elements
for a robust relationship.
5. If the parents are giving some sort of liberty to their children, the
teenagers should also understand the value of it. They should not take
advantage of certain efforts taken by the parents.