MAN IS HRER WHERE IS THE WOMAN?
(The sound of drums can be heard. Sphinx comes dancing to the beat of “tha kinangkida thathinga thaththumi”. * )
(The dancer representing Oedipus comes dancing to the beat of drums from the opposite direction holding the mask against the face when needed.
Both confront each other unexpected.)
Sphinx: Hi, you human husk! I’m going to eat you up!!
Oedipus: Hey, you animal! Who do you think I’m? I’m Oedipus the King of Greece
Sphinx: King or fool, commoner or donkey it doesn’t matter to me!
Oedipus: In that case what is it that you want?
Sphinx: If you can solve the riddle that I tell you can go free, If not I will gulp you down my throat and burp.
Oedipus: All right then. Tell me the riddle I will solve it.
Sphinx: what walks on four legs in the morning, two legs in the afternoon and three legs in the evening?
Oedipus: Ha! That’s easy!! It’s Man!!!
Sphinx: Not only man, you have forgotten the woman.
Oedipus: When you say man the woman is also included in the word itself.
Sphinx: That is how you think
Oedipus: So,
Vioce1: Man discovered the fire
Voice 2: Then woman?
Voice 1: Man discovered the wheel
Voice 2: Then woman?
Voice1: Man discovered the steam engine
Voice 2: Then woman?
Voice 1: Man went to the moon
Voice 2: Then woman?
Sphinx: Do you realize now that you have forgotten the woman? When you say man it does not include the woman.
Poetry: (By Muriel Rukkeizer, an American poetess.)
Long afterwards,
Old and blind Oedipus walked the roads
He smelled a familiar smell
It was Sphinx.
“I want to ask you a question” said Oedipus
“Why didn’t I recognize my mother?”
“You gave the wrong answer” said Sphinx
“But that’s what made everything possible” said Oedipus
‘’No’’ said Sphinx
“When I asked you what walks on four legs in the morning, two at noon and three in the evening? You answered man”
You did not say anything about woman”
“When you say man” said Oedipus “you include women too. Everyone knows that”
“That’s how you think,” said Sphinx
Voice 1: Behind the success of every man stands a woman
Voice 2: No. Before the success of every woman man stands as a barrier.
Oedipus: now I understand that woman is not included in man, woman has been suppressed by man
Sphinx: Now, then what walks on four legs in the morning, two legs in the afternoon and three legs in the evening?
Oedipus: Human! Human!! Human!!!
Sphinx: All right you can go free. Go and tell this to everyone.
Haa….. (Yawning) I’m terribly hungry.
*Beat System of a particular warrior dance movement of the Traditional Thamil Theatre, Kooththu.
Written in Thamil by S.Jeyasankar
2006
Translated by Lallini Tisseverasinghe
Third Eye Local Knowledge and Skill Activists Group
