The Awful 8: A Play

-Prateek Arsh
Characters
1. Rohit (Reporter at the scene)
2. Adit (Interviewer at the studio)
3. Gaurav (Interviewer at the studio)
4. Deepak (Giving the Dharna)
5. Dinesh(Giving the Dharna)
6. Hari(Giving the Dharna)
7. Dust
8. Soot
9. Grime
10. Carbon Monoxide
11. Benzene
12. Hydrogen Chloride
13. Sulphur dioxide
14. Nitrogen Oxides
15. Bad Ozone
16. Good Ozone
17. CFCs
18. Carbon Dioxide

ACT 1

Scene: (Hari, Dinesh and Deepak; members from ​Paryavaran Raksha Manch ​are outside the Chief
Minister’s office (Delhi) demanding changes to the polluted environment. They had been there for half an
hour. They held the boards and exclaimed their demands.)

Dinesh: ​HUMARI MAANGE POORI KARON!

Hari: DECLARE CLIMATE EMERGENCY!

Deepak: HOW LONG WILL THE GOVERNMENT KEEP QUIET?

Rohit(appears in the scene): We are present in front of the CM’s office. Here, these young enthusiasts are raising
the issue of air pollution to the CM. Let’s hear them out on this!

(Deepak, the tallest of three walks over to the reporter)

Rohit: So, young man; what’s your name? Also, why are you taking this initiative?

Deepak: Hey, name’s Deepak. Here(points to Adit and Gaurav) I got the support of these two. Our form of protest
is non-violent.
Rohit: So, why have you taken this initiative and what are your expectations from the government?

Deepak: As you know, Delhi has an air quality index of 300+. What does that mean? Simply, it is affecting the
endurance of the people. Ill people and senior citizens are advised to stay indoors. What is the point of ‘Right to
Freedom’ when you can’t even move out of your own house?

Hari(Walks over): To add onto that, globally one in eight deaths is caused by air pollution! 9% of which are kids.
India tops the list of ‘Child mortality due to air pollution.’

Dinesh(walks over): In 2015, Delhi’s air quality index reached a whopping 999! Can you believe that? Unless and
until we don’t raise our voice, government will keep slacking around. WE NEED PROPER STEPS BY THE
GOVERNMENT, GIVE US PROPER SCHEMES AND WE WILL GIVE OUR COOPERATION. THE
SCHEMES HAVE TO BE FOOLPROOF, so NO LOOPHOLES COULD BE FOUND!!

Rohit: Very well said! Hopefully, the government will pay heed to your demands.

(The trio goes back to protesting)

Rohit: As you see, desperate times call for important measures. Now, let’s see what’s government’s next plan of
action. Alright, redirecting to Adit and Gaurav for our special broadcast.

(The two reporters, Adit and Gaurav come into the scene.)

ACT 2

Adit: Good afternoon, welcome to our special broadcast! ‘Congregate With The Awful Eight’.

Gaurav: Very well said, Adit. Our first guest or rather guests are the ‘particulates’.

(The two reporters clap. The Trio of Dust,Soot and Grime join the reporters.)

Adit: So, you are the tiny rascals who mess up our lives?

Grime: Shut it, would you? It’s not our fault. Some of us are stirred up during construction, mining and farming.

Soot: And I am just a little impure carbon particle formed due to the incomplete combustion of your hydrocarbons.

Dust: I am probably the innocent of these two but without them the gang isn’t complete. Anyways, I just make you
sneeze, wheeze and give you those pretty red eyes! (laughs and high fives Soot and Grime)

Adit(coughs): Very well, now you can leave.

Gaurav(rubs his eyes): ​Niklo ab, ​NEXT!

(The trio leaves while Carbon monoxide arrives.)

Adit(smile): Hey, you aren’t smelly! Pretty clean, eh?

Gaurav: We don’t see you as well?

Carbon monoxide: Well, I am a silent worker. I am ​found in fumes produced any time you burn fuel in cars or
trucks, small engines etc.

Adit: So you do bad things too? How can we tell when you're around?

Carbon Monoxide: Headache, dizziness, weakness are some of my powers! If you take more of me in you can pass
out or even die. No one is safe! From little infants to large animals! (evil laugh)

Gaurav(holds his head): You do make my head hurt.

Adit: You should leave before we all pass out and die! NEXT!

Gaurav: We got the ‘Deadly Duo’. The TOXINS!

(Hydrogen chloride and Benzene walk over while Carbon monoxide leaves.)

Adit: You guys look similar!

Hydrogen Chloride: Well Duh! I am colorless at room temperature.I am irritating to the mucous membranes of the
nose, throat, and respiratory tract.

Benzene: I am no less, I affect your bone marrow and make it not produce your beloved RBCs. I damage your
immune system and pose threat to your saviour WBCs.

Adit: Scientists say you cause cancer and other kinds of diseases. What do you think of that?

Benzene: They say a lot of hogwash. Who listens to them? If you would’ve we all wouldn’t be here. Aight, bro;
let’s leave these pathetic people.

Gaurav(waving at the toxins): Nice having you! Um.. next!

(Sulphur walks over to the reporters)

Adit: Oof, you have such nasty smell.

Sulphur: Shut up! I like myself okay?

Gaurav: Jeez, tell us about yourself

Sulphur: What is there to tell, eh? You millenials (points at the audience) are smart, aren’t you? ‘Technology and
stuff right’? Don’t you know; I am a ‘TOP NEWS MATERIAL’?

Adit: Sure, you’re a nasty too!

Sulphur: Of course, I give you lung problems. Coughing, wheezing and you might even feel short of breath.
Gaurav(coughs): True that.

Sulphur: Also, I can make trees and other plants grow more slowly. But, here’s the best part: (points upwards) I
mix with water and voila! I form acid rain.

Adit: Acid rain is sure cruel. It kills the aquatic organisms and corrode our beautiful monuments!

Gaurav: Don’t forget ​Dead or dying trees are a common sight in areas effected by acid rain!

Sulphur(laughs): Bloody true.One of my manifestos! I am literally unstoppable.

Gaurav: I hope you are the first to vanish.

Sulphur: So long suckers!

(Sulphur leaves, while two similar looking entities walk over to the reporters.)

ACT 3

Adit(confused): And you guys are?

Bad Ozone: I am the “Bad Ozone” while she is the “Good Ozone”

Adit: Okay bad guy, tell us about yourself.

Bad Ozone: My homies, some nitros along with other pollutants gets heated up. And Bam, I am created!

Adit: Smog is made up of mostly ozone!

Gaurav: Smog is surely annoying, especially for the urban life.It can make it hard to travel, and make your eyes
burn, your head ache and even damage your lungs.

Adit: So Ozone is completely bad?

Good Ozone: NO! Bad Ozone is just me turned bad.I'm the good ozone that forms a layer high above the Earth. I
help absorb the harmful rays of the sun. If certain chemicals keep getting pumped into the atmosphere, I'll
disappear. And without me, all life will cease to exist.

Adit: And what’s the main chemical that’s doing that?

Good Ozone: It is..

(CFCs arrive on stage.)

CFCs: Hold it. I am here!

Gaurav: Oh you must be the CFCs.

CFCs: Yup, that’s me. And Ey, I am not pure evil aight? You guys, use me in coolants for refrigerators and
airconditioners for your home and car. Remember the summer heat of this June? Temperature peaked 49℃!

Good Ozone: But, something has to be done otherwise the humanity is doomed!

Oxygen: Allow us to introduce ourselves!

(Oxygen and the tree walk up to reporters, while Good and bad ozone along with CFCs leave.)

Adit: What the..

Oxygen: The solution is right in front of our eyes!

Tree: Exactly! Plant me. Same thing has been said many times in textbooks, newspapers to even on television’s
debates and discussions. Things have to be perfectly balanced.

Oxygen: Otherwise you know the danger word, “Global Warming”.

Carbon Dioxide(walks over): I didn't use to be thought of as a bad gas. About a hundred years ago, there was just
the right amount of us in the air. Now, the golden age of industrialisation has bought upon you guys the era of
darkness. When more of us came up in the air, we heated up the earth.

Adit: So, who’s fault is it?

Oxygen: Isn’t it obvious? The humans are doing all this, what do you expect? You guys started it and you all shall
solve this. Rest assured, bland talk will not solve anything.

Gaurav: That is true but things change. We can take the initiatives and take steps on our level cause Rome wasn’t
built in one day.

Tree: Yes, you might not stop the awful 8 from existing but you can surely reduce the amount. Remember, The
Earth It is our planet and it is our home.

Adit: That’s a lesson to be learnt. Thank you all for watching our special broadcast. See ya everybody!

THE END