Long Live Friendship! A Humorous Play for Children

Author: Meera Dixit is a writer who created this play so that children could perform it easily on their own. It was first staged in 2011 and has remained popular among students because it is simple, engaging, and fun to perform.

Source: https://storyweaver.org.in/en/stories/3787-long-live-friendship-a-humorous-play-for-children?mode=read

Illustrator: Shailja Jain Chougule’s interest in drawing and films led her to study animation film design at the National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad. She enjoys dogs, trees, cycling, and wandering around in search of stories. She now lives in a small city, where she works as an illustrator and creates animation films.

Source: https://storyweaver.org.in/en/users/297-shailja-jain-chougule

Publisher: Pratham Books

Year: 2015

Reading Level: Level 4

Genre: Drama/play; humorous fiction

Synopsis

The play follows a group of close friends when their friend Vikram falls ill with malaria. A messenger from Yamraj arrives to take Vikram away, believing his time has come. The children refuse to accept this and stand together to protect their friend. They even follow the messenger to Yamraj’s court and argue their case. Through their unity and determination, they convince Yamraj to let Vikram live. The play mixes humour with a serious idea and shows how strong friendship and standing up for what is right can change outcomes.

Theme / Skill

1. Friendship; 
2. Standing up against injustice; 
3. Dialogue and performance skills

Pre-reading

• Ask students, “What makes a good friend?” Let them share personal examples.
• What if your friend was in trouble and no adult was helping? What would you do?
• Ask a few students to act out a quick scene where friends disagree but then solve the problem together.

During reading

• Pause while reading dialogues and let students react, question, or argue with what characters are saying.
• Discuss Yamdoot and Yamraj. Are they scary or funny? Why?
• Ask what Vikram’s friends would say to Yamraj before they meet him.

Post-reading

• Students perform one scene from the play in groups.
• Write from Vikram’s point of view about what it felt like when his friends stood up for him.
• What would happen if these characters came into today’s classroom? How would they behave?

Reflection

The way this story uses humour to talk about something serious like illness and death is commendable. The characters of Yamraj and Yamdoot are shown in a funny and almost childish way, which makes the story amusing. What stood out to me was the way the friends stay together and do not give up. They question authority and speak with confidence. It feels very real because children often form strong groups like this. I think the play format makes children more involved because they can act, speak and feel the story instead of just listening to it.

References

Dixit, M. (2015). Long Live Friendship! A Humorous Play for Children. Pratham Books.