Science-fiction usually delivers its themes best via the medium of short stories, novellas and novels. Good SF tends to be difficult to adapt to either stage or screen since it often requires contemplation in the readers inner space.
Here, Padmanabhan was writing for a specific dramatic competition which, of course, she won. Its almost incidental that she used an old SF theme. As SF goes, Harvest retains interest because of the unusual delivery system. As dra-ma, it works because the theme is new to the stage and is better constructed than the average pulp scr-ipt. It will be treated kindly by critics of both genres simply because there is little cross-fertilisation.
To a reader with more than a passing acquaintance with both SF and drama, its obvious that Harvest suffers some of the limitations of both. The dramatic form imposes a constricting strait-jacket of pure dialogue. Constructing a new map of hell logically from a basic SF theme forces background explanations. A dramatist dabbling in SF is almost forced into cardboard characterisation as her characters must provide the background.
Given her assured handling of the short story, the author may well have been able to overcome both limitations over a novella of similar length. Her previous script-writing experience does stand her in good stead since this is technically an easy and minimalist play to perform. It would also score high on shock value for most audiences. Whether it would actually stand the test of performance over time is an open question. Of the five characters, only two arent cutouts and the inevitable explanations introduce a drag factor. Familiarity with the theme would also less-en the impact.
The play rev-olves around the Prakash family, Mumbai chawl-dwellers in 2010. Ma Indumati is a Mumbaikar widow/ mother-in-law. Elder son, Om, is an organ donor deemed sound of wind and limb and pretending to be unmarried to attain donor status with its dollar-denominated rewards.
Oms wife, Jaya, is a semi-hysterical, crypto-feminist with a certain libidinous interest in her husbands younger brother and a deep and abiding need to make babies. Jeetu, the teenaged younger brother of Om, peddles his butt on the streets while guiltily reciprocating Jayas incestuous lust. He also has the most qualms about the transaction. The fifth character, Virginia, is the mysterious receiver of organs who never actually appears on-stage.
The family is cocooned in a rich and sterile environment where they do everything under constant surveillance. The relationship between Jaya and Jeetu becomes both more legitimised and more strained. Jeetu breaks away, comes back, and triggers the climax while Om and Ma gradually move off-centre. In a long climax, Virgina drops a bombshell by revealing he/she is actually Virgil and explaining that it isnt mere kidneys or other minor bits of offal that turn receivers on. Harvest ends with a standoff when Jaya forces Virgil to concede some of her needs and, at the least, treat her like a human being.
This is an oversimplification but one cant go further without revealing the plot entirely. Lets just say both theme and denouement would be obvious to anyone whos read Larry Nivens Known Space stories, Norman Spinrads Bug Jack Barron and Roger Zelaznys Lord of Light. Three decades of organ-legging stories have covered most of the angles.
Niven features continuous tension between one society that replaces worn-out organs with prosthetics and another lot who prefer forced-organ-donations from convicted criminals. Jack Barron is a popular talk-show host who has been the unwilling and unknowing recipient of Third World organs. Lord of Light features humans who have mastered mind-transfer techniques and set themselves up as gods of the Hindu Pantheon.
The play will probably hit a western audience harder partly because chawl-chic is both shocking and popular after Mira Nair. It also reverses racism which may affect whites more viscerally. Virgil/Virginia is definitely Wasp, not a rich Indian immigrant searching for a closer genetic fit. The authors technical skills are huge even during the climax when Chawl faces down Wasp the dialogue stays within the realms of the possible. She also does make the point that the racial orientations could change as required. The cover design is a knockout and another tribute to her multi-faceted talent. If she ever spins this off into a novel or novella she might just break new ground.
