Healing Dialogue for the Young Warrior

Scene: Under the Bodhi Tree

Setting:

A simple stone courtyard beneath a giant Bodhi tree.

A clay teapot steams gently on a stove nearby.

Birds chirp.

The six friends sit on a bamboo mat, backpacks and phones in tow.

Madhukar, serene in a cotton dhoti and shawl, sips from a handmade terracotta cup.

His eyes twinkle behind deep laugh lines.

Characters:

• Madhukar – The Hermit, 55, ex-intellectual turned wise minimalist.

• Aarav – Boy, 23, engineer, overthinks everything.

• Neha – Girl, 22, MBA student, social media addict, secretly anxious.

• Raghav – Boy, 24, working in finance, obsessed with crypto and inflation.

• Isha – Girl, 23, prepping for UPSC, idealistic and patriotic.

• Kabir – Boy, 22, wants to start a startup but stuck in a job.

• Ananya – Girl, 21, curious, artistic soul but overwhelmed by modern life.

Dialogue Begins

Aarav:

Madhukar ji, sorry to disturb you… but we have one question — are we supposed to be worried about everything that’s happening in the world?

Or are we just overreacting?

Madhukar (smiles):

Ah.

You’ve brought your mind to me like a suitcase full of tangled clothes.

Let’s open it slowly.

Neha:

We’re just trying to stay informed — economy, pollution, politics, AI, health, PF, crypto... It’s all collapsing!

Madhukar:

Beta, if the news could make a man wise, every WhatsApp uncle would be a Buddha by now.

(Everyone giggles)

Raghav:

But things ARE serious.

Inflation is real.

Crypto is down.

Even onions are luxury now!

Madhukar (chuckles):

I grow my own onions.

Haven’t checked their market rate since 2004.

Kabir:

How do you even live like that?

Don’t you worry about jobs, data leaks, China, bank frauds, anything?

Madhukar:

I don’t have a job,

I don’t store data,

I don’t borrow from banks,

and China has never called me personally.

Isha:

But sir, what about the nation?

Shouldn’t we care?

Shouldn’t we DO something?

Madhukar (gently):

Isha, my dear, have you tried cleaning your room when your mind is messy?

The nation is an extension of our inner state.

Start with yourself.

Simplify.

Breathe.

Serve.

Ananya:

Are you saying we should just... do nothing?

Madhukar:

No, I’m saying do the right things, and less of the wrong ones.

You are not here to panic professionally.

You are here to live deeply.

Neha:

But your daughters... didn’t they suffer from not going to school or not being on Instagram?

Madhukar:

They suffered only from mosquitoes and sunlight.

The rest?

They read what they loved, made what they needed, and questioned everything — even me.

Raghav:

But surely, Madhukar ji, something must have gone wrong in 20 years?

Madhukar (pauses):

Yes.

Once the goat ate our compost pile.

But otherwise, no.

(Everyone laughs in disbelief)

Aarav:

Okay... so how do we even begin to live like that?

Madhukar:

You don’t have to become me.

Start with less scrolling, more soil.

Less complaining, more creating.

Less running, more rooting.

Ask your food: Where did you grow?

Ask your time: Who owns you?

Ask your fear: Who sold it to you?”

Ananya: (softly)

That... sounds like art.

Madhukar:

It is.

Life is not a career to optimize.

It is a garden to cultivate.

Isha:

So you’re saying we should simplify... and we’ll stop being afraid?

Madhukar: (sips tea)

No, I’m saying when you simplify, you’ll see clearly.

Then, even fear becomes just another bird passing by.

Neha (opening her diary):

Madhukar ji, we made a list of everything that’s bothering us.

Can we read it out?

Madhukar (smiling):

Of course.

Let’s perform this grand Bhayanak Mala — the garland of modern fears.

Neha (rapid fire):

Job insecurity, school fees, hospital bills, rent, caste issues, pollution, traffic, water shortage, food adulteration, women’s safety, petrol prices, corruption, Aadhaar data leaks, festivals losing meaning…

Raghav (adds dramatically):

Crypto crash, US visa delays, Middle East tensions, Ukraine war, China’s aggression, AI, climate change, COVID variants, online scams, global inflation, brain drain, Western culture, rising travel costs, fake news!

Madhukar (puts his teacup down, looks at them lovingly):

Congratulations.

You’ve collected more fears than a haunted house.

(Everyone laughs nervously)

Aarav:

But seriously, aren’t these real issues?

Everyone’s stressed about them!

Madhukar:

Yes.

Very real.

Just like how a tiger is real.

But if you read about 100 tigers a day, watch tiger videos at night, and discuss tiger attacks every morning... how long before you stop stepping outside?

Kabir:

So what do we do?

Ignore all this?

Madhukar:

No, no.

Don’t ignore.

But don’t inhale it either.

(He picks up a handful of soil.)

See this?

This is real.

It grows food.

Now tell me — when was the last time any of you touched this?

(The group looks sheepish.)

Isha:

But Madhukar ji… we can’t just run away to a village.

We have careers, bills, exams.

Madhukar:

Then simplify where you are.

One pot of spinach.

One evening without screens.

One meal without chemicals.

Start there.

Raghav:

And the economy?

The wars?

AI taking over jobs?

Madhukar (chuckles):

You are not the RBI governor, nor the UN peacekeeper.

Your primary duty is to not let your mind become a war zone.

AI can’t steal your job if your heart still does human things.

Neha:

But… isn’t it selfish to just focus on our own peace?

Madhukar:

Tell me, Neha — when you’re drowning, is it selfish to first learn how to float?

Kabir:

So what about politics?

Elections?

Caste?

Corruption?

Madhukar:

Cast a vote.

But don’t let it cast a shadow over your joy.

Be alert.

Not alarmed.

Speak up.

But also sow something.

(He hands Kabir a seed packet.)

This is my ballot box.

Aarav:

What about pollution, food toxins, water shortages?

Madhukar:

Eat closer to the soil.

Drink with respect.

Buy less.

Walk more.

Filter what goes in your body, not just your newsfeed.

Isha:

And women’s safety?

Madhukar:

Every home must raise sons with empathy and daughters with fire.

And you must be the kind of woman no system can silence.

Ananya: (quietly)

I just feel overwhelmed.

Like the world’s too fast, too loud.

Madhukar:

Then slow down.

Whisper.

Paint.

Hug trees.

Time is not your enemy.

Speed is.

Raghav:

So we stop tracking markets and wars and crashes?

Madhukar:

No.

You stop being ruled by them.

Read the headlines, then read a plant.

Watch the world, but don’t forget to watch your breath.”

Neha:

But people will say we’re escaping reality.

Madhukar: (smiling)

If simplicity is an escape, then why are so many running into noise and debt and disease?

🪔 Madhukar’s Final Words That Day

You want to change the world?

First, stop copying its sickness.

Grow food.

Heal your home.

Help one soul.

Then — and only then — worry about global warming, bank frauds, and onion prices.

(

He leans back. A sparrow lands beside his cup. No one touches their phone.)

The six friends sit still.

No more questions.

Just silence.

And a strange new feeling —Not panic.

Not guilt.

Just… peace.

🌳 Scene: “Under the Same Tree – One Year Later”

Setting:

Late afternoon.

The Bodhi tree is in full bloom.

Birds flutter.

The goat is now a mother of two.

The teapot still simmers.

Madhukar sits with the same calm, weaving a basket.

The six friends walk in slowly, each one looking a little sun-kissed, more grounded, carrying homemade gifts.

Madhukar (looking up with a grin):

Ah, the warriors of worry return.

Tell me — have you defeated the dragons, or fed them spinach?

(Laughter all around. They sit.)

🧘‍♂️ Aarav speaks first

Aarav:

I still have the same job.

But I stopped doomscrolling.

I wake up, sit in silence, then water my balcony plants.

I even taught my dad how to breathe.”

Madhukar:

Very good.

The economy outside is still shaky.

But the inner stock market seems stable.

🍅 Neha grins and holds up a jar of pickles

Neha:

I spent less time on social media.

Learned to ferment food, slow cook, and write letters.

Real ones — with pens!

Madhukar:

And how’s your anxiety?

Neha:

Much quieter.

Like it fell asleep in a hammock.

🌱 Raghav opens a jute bag and pulls out homegrown tomatoes

Raghav:

I took your ‘grow something’ challenge.

Started with two pots.

Now I have a terrace garden.

I spend 30 minutes in soil before I open any app.

Even unsubscribed from all market panic newsletters.

Madhukar:

From crypto to compost.

You’ve become a rich man.

📚 Isha bows softly

Isha:

I still study for UPSC.

But now I teach slum kids on weekends.

Stopped shouting on Twitter.

I just do my bit — quietly.

That’s all.

Madhukar:

And your patriotism?

Isha:

Now it tastes like warm roti, not a burning throat.

☕ Kabir looks leaner, calmer

Kabir:

I left my high-paying job.

Started a tiny local café with millet dishes and chai.

We hire school dropouts.

We laugh more.

I sleep better.

Madhukar:

Startup with soul.

Now that’s real innovation.

🎨 Ananya takes out a sketchbook

Ananya:

I painted.

A lot.

Nature.

People.

Moments.

I stopped trying to go viral. J

ust made art.

One of my pieces is now in a children’s hospital.

Madhukar (flipping through the sketchbook):

Ah, the world is less sick because you decided to heal it with beauty.

Goat bleats. Madhukar’s daughter brings sweet herbal tea for everyone.

🌅 Final Words – Under the Setting Sun

Madhukar:

So now you know — the world didn’t change.

Wars still rage.

Prices still rise.

AI still threatens.

But you changed.

You stopped reacting, and started living.

You didn’t run away — you walked inward.

(He pauses. Looks at each of them.)

Madhukar:

Keep at it.

The real revolution is not on the news.

It’s in your kitchen.

Your breath.

Your silence.

Your kindness when no one’s watching.

Neha: (teary-eyed)

Can we come back next year?

Madhukar: (smiling, pointing to the goat)

If you bring spinach for her.

🐦 Final Frame:

The six friends laugh.

They sip tea.

A gentle breeze flows.

The sun sets, not on fear or chaos, but on peace, growth, and quiet rebellion.

🌼 “In a world screaming for attention, they chose to listen.”