Previous
Sukhatme
A failed academic who works as a clerk and is a member of the Living Courtroom. Gopal N.Ponkshe is insecure about his professional status but tries to elevate himself by insulting and degrading those around him. Ponkshe is unmarried, and a few days before the events of the play, Benare asked him if he would marry her and raise her unborn child. Ponkshe saw Benare’s request as an insult, a sign that she doesn’t respect him and believes he doesn’t respect himself. Of course, Benare likely asked out of desperation and because she hoped he would have empathy for her situation. Ponkshe is the only member of the cast, aside from Benare, who knows Damle is the father of her child. He reveals this as a witness during the mock trial.
Ponkshe Quotes in Silence! The Court is in Session
The Silence! The Court is in Session quotes below are all either spoken by Ponkshe or refer to Ponkshe . For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Act One Quotes
SAMANT. […] I mean to say, I’m not in the habit of walking so fast. You do set a very lively pace, very lively.
BENARE. Not always. But today, how I walked! Let’s leave everyone behind, I thought, and go somewhere far, far away— with you!
SAMANT [in confusion]. With me?
BENARE. Yes, I like you very much.
SAMANT [terribly shy and embarrassed]. Tut-tut. Ha ha! I’m hardly…
BENARE. You're very nice indeed. And shall I tell you something? You are a very pure and good person. I like you.
SAMANT [incredulously]. Me?
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
In the play’s first scene, Samant and Benare arrive at the meeting hall ahead of the rest of the theatre troop. Unbeknownst to the audience and Samant, Benare is pregnant. As an unmarried and recently unemployed woman, she fears for her future and the future of her baby. In an attempt to protect herself and her child, she is on the lookout for a husband who could support them both, and she eyes Samant as a potential candidate. Throughout the play other characters (Ponkshe, Rokde) will reveal that Benare had proposed to them, hoping they cared enough for her (or Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos. Qui et ut. Voluptate labore corporis
BENARE. In school, when the first bell rings, my foot’s already on the threshold. I haven't heard single reproach for not being on time these past eight years. Nor about my teaching. I’m never behindhand with my lessons! Exercises corrected on time, too! Not a bit of room for disapproval—I don’t give an inch of it to any one!
SAMANT. You're a schoolmarm, it seems?
BENARE. No, a teacher! Do I seem the complete schoolmarm to you? SAMANT. No, no… I didn’t mean it like that…
BENARE. Say it if you like...
SAMANT. But I didn’t say it at all! A schoolmarm just means … someone who—teaches—instructs!—children—that’s what I meant to say...
BENARE. They’re so much better than adults. At least they don’t have that blind pride of thinking they know everything. There’s no nonsense stuffed in their heads. They don’t scratch you till you bleed, then run away like cowards.
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Benare, who has recently been fired (which neither Samant nor the audience knows), has spent much of her adult life invested in her work. She identitifies as a teacher and is unable to exist outside of this identity. She also feels the need to emphasize how good she was at her work, both as a rebuke to her superiors who fired her and as a way to signal her value in her middleclass circles. Benare dislikes the term schoolmarm because it paints an unflattering picture of who she is and what she does. Schoolmarm implies an older woman—a spinster who Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium es
BENARE. But Samant, ‘spreading enlightenment is also one of the Prime Objectives behind our programme’. So our chairman Kashikar will tell you. Kashikar can’t take a step without a Prime Objective! Besides him, there’s Mrs Hand-that- Rocks-the-Cradle. I mean Mrs Kashikar. What an excellent housewife the poor woman is! A real Hand-that-Rocks-the- Cradle type! But what’s the use? Mr Prime Objective is tied up with uplifting the masses. And poor Hand-that-Rocks-the- Cradle has no cradle to rock!
SAMANT. You mean they have no—[He rocks an imaginary baby in his arms.]
BENARE. Right. You seem to be very bright, too! Mr Kashikar and the Hand-that-Rocks-the-Cradle, in order that nothing should happen to either of them in their bare, bare house—and that they shouldn’t die of boredom!—gave shelter to a young boy. They educated him. Made him toil away. Made a slave out of him. His name’s Balu—Balu Rokde. Who else? . . . Well, we have an Expert on the Law. He’s such an authority on the subject, even a desperate client won't go anywhere near him! He just sits alone in the barristers’ room at court, swatting flies with legal precedents! And in his tenement, he sits alone killing houseflies! But for today’s mock trial, he’s a very great barrister. You'll see the wonders he performs! And there’s a‘Hmm! with us! [Puts an imaginary pipe in her mouth.] Hmm! Sci-en-tist! Inter-failed!
SAMANT. Oh, it does sound good fun!
BENARE. And we have an Intellectual too. That means someone who prides himself on his booklearning. But when there’s a real- life problem, away he runs! Hides his head. He’s not here today. Won't be coming, either. He wouldn’t dare!
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Before her colleagues arrive, Benare takes a minute to mock them. This game, of insulting others and degrading their relationships and professions, is one all the members of the Living Courtroom play. By belittling one another, each player elevates him or herself. This is linked to insecurity about their middle-class status—well off enough to not have to worry about food or money, the cast of the courtroom is left to fight instead for social capital. This scene also acts as a brief introduction to the characters the audience will meet in just a few minutes, providing important, if biased, context. Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque place
Our feet tread on upon unknown
And dangerous pathways evermore.
Wave after blinded wave is shattered
Stormily upon the shore.
Light glows alive again. Again
It mingles with the dark of night.
Our earthen hands burn out, and then
Again in flames they are alight.
Everything is fully known,
And everything is clear to see.
And the wound that’s born to bleed
Bleeds on for ever, faithfully,
There is a battle sometimes, where
Defeat is destined as the end.
Some experiences are meant
To taste, then just to waste and spend . . .
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Benare recites a poem as she gives a mock lesson to Samant, Sukhatme, and Rokde. Ponkshe is present but leaves the room as Benare begins to speak. The poem, Tendulkar notes, is by Shirish Pai, and reading the poem for the first time gave the playwright the idea for the character of Benare. This poem, and its recitation, is yet another example of Benare using song and poetry to reveal her inner thoughts. Although she is not comfortable sharing her anxiety and distress regarding her unplanned, unwed pregnancy, she feels able to communicate by borrowing another’s words. Like the speaker Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint a
Act Two Quotes
SUKHATME. Why are you so grave all of a sudden? After all, it’s a game. Just a game, that’s all. Why are you so serious?
BENARE [trying to laugh]. Who’s serious? I’m absolutely—light- hearted. I just got a bit serious to create the right atmosphere. For the court, that’s all. Why should I be afraid of a trial like this?
[…]
SUKHATME. Kashikar, you've really picked some charge! A first-class charge! There’s no fun in a case. unless there’s a really thundering charge!
KASHIKAR. Did you notice, also, Sukhatme, that this charge is important from the social point of view? The question of infanticide is one of great social significance. That’s why I deliberately picked it. We consider society's best interests in all we do. Come on, Miss Benare. Rokde, my gavel.
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Mr. Kashikar is obsessed with the idea of socially significant trials. To him, conducting a trail which deals with moral issues is more important than conducting a trail in which all of his colleagues feel safe and comfortable. Benare, from the start, is obviously uncomfortable being tried with infanticide (even in this playacted scenario), but her feelings, to Kashikar, are secondary to his moral mission. In Act Three, Kashikar will once again reveal his total disregard for Benare’s feelings. He tells Ponkshe to speak up as he delivers evidence, as “this is a matter of social importance.” Ponkshe responds that Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos. Qui et ut. Voluptate labore corporis. Hic tempore laborum. Nisi quia ea. Quia soluta itaque. Deleniti n
I think he’s gone there, inside. I'll do it myself. [At a bound, goes and fetches the dictionary. Placing his hand on it] I, Raghunath Bhikaji Samant, do hereby swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. True enough for the trial, I mean. Of course, what’s true for the trial is quite false really. But I'm just taking the oath for practice. [His hand is stall on the dictionary.) You see, I don’t want the sin of falsehood. [In apologetic tones] I'm quite religious . . . The oath’s over. Now. [Enters the witness-box again.] Go on. [This is to Sukhatme; then, to Mrs Kashikar] You see? I'm not frightened. I just get confused because I’m new to all this. [To Sukhatme] Well, you may go on.
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
The Living Courtroom in Silence! The Court is in Session blurs together fantasy, reality, truth, and lies. Although many of the other members of the court—Karnik, Rokde, Ponkshe, and Mr. Kashikar—do have some insight into Benare’s life and realize the ways in which their mock trial is converging with her real life, Samant is a total stranger and as such has no sense of what is true about Benare and what is fictitious. In this oath, which Samant takes seriously, he demonstrates the strangeness of the trial. The evidence he shares, though “true enough for the trial,” is meant to Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque err
It’s all become quite unexpectedly enjoyable—the whole fabric of society is being soiled these days, Sukhatme. Nothing is undefiled anymore.
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Samant delivered a (completely invented) testimony, in which he recounted an imagined encounter between Benare and Professor Damle. In this scenario, which he pulled from a novel, Benare and Damle had been sexually involved, but when Benare found out she was pregnant Damle cut off their relationship, leaving her to raise her child alone. Although Samant had no knowledge of Benare’s real life, he accidentally stumbled upon the truth: Benare had been having an affair with Damle, and she is pregnant with his child. Benare, upset, tries to leave the room, but is locked inside. Her emotional response reveals to Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minim
Act Three Quotes
MRS KASHIKAR. What better proof? Just look at the way she behaves. I don’t like to say anything since she’s one of us. Should there be no limit to how freely a woman can behave with a man? An unmarried woman? No matter how well she knows him? Look how loudly she laughs! How she sings, dances, cracks Jokes! And wandering alone with how many men, day in and day out!
SUKHATME [Disappointed at the ‘proof’]. Mrs Kashikar, at the most one can say all this shows how free she is.
MRS KASHIKAR. Free! Free! She’s free allright—in everything! I shouldn't say it. But since it’s come up in court, I will. Just hold this a minute.
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Mrs. Kashikar is called to the stand to deliver evidence against Benare. Sukhatme has asked Mrs. Kashikar to clarify her statements that women these days “get everything without marrying,” and to provide examples of how Benare has been behaving promiscuously. When Sukhatme asks Mrs. Kashikar to clarify what “everything” means in this context, Mrs. Kashikar is suggesting that if women can have sex without marrying, they will never get married. Although Mrs. Kashikar has no real proof, she tries to argue that Benare’s free behavior in other realms—laughing loudly, drawing attention to herself—means she is also sexually free. Clearly, Mrs. Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatib
It’s true, I did commit a sin. I was in love with my mother’s brother. But in our strict house, in the prime of my unfolding youth, he was the one who came close to me. He praised my bloom every day. He gave me love…. How was I to know that if you felt like breaking yourself into bits and melting into one with someone—if you felt that just being with him gave a whole meaning to life—and if he was your uncle, it was a sin! Why, I was hardly fourteen! I didn’t even know what sin was—I swear by my mother, I didn’t! […] Again, I fell in love. As a grown woman. I threw all my heart into it; I thought, this will be different. This love is intelligent. It is love for an unusual intellect. It isn’t love at all—it’s worship! But it was the same mistake. I offered up my body on the altar of my worship. And my intellectual god took the offering—and went his way. He didn’t want my mind, or my devotion—he didn’t care about them! [Feebly.] He wasn’t a god. He was a man. For whom everything was of the body, for the body! That’s all! Again, the body! [Screaming.] This body is a traitor! [She is writhing with pain.] I despise this body—and I love it! I hate it—but—it’s all you have, in the end, isn’t it? It will be there. It will be yours. […] And now it carries within it the witness of that time—a tender little bud—of what will be a lisping, laughing, dancing little life—my son—my whole existence! I want my body now for him—for him alone.
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
With the play’s actions frozen in tie, Benare continues to express her inner thoughts to the audience. Benare is able to speak openly about herself for the first time confirming and nuancing facts about her life that have already been reported. She confirms she did have a relationship with her uncle, but what she describes is a predatory relationship. Clearly her older relative had groomed her and manipulated her. This crime, notably, is one Kashikar and Sukhatme are uninterested in prosecuting, as they instead like using this moment when Benare was made a victim as proof of her own active Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos. Qui et ut. Voluptate labore corporis. Hic tempore laborum. Nisi quia ea. Quia
Get the entire Silence! The Court is in Session LitChart as a printable PDF.
"My students can't get enough of your charts and their results have gone through the roof." -Graham S.
Ponkshe Character Timeline in Silence! The Court is in Session
The timeline below shows where the character Ponkshe appears in Silence! The Court is in Session. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Act One
...says the Kashikars have turned into a slave, and mocking Sukhatme’s unpopular law practice and Ponkshe’s academic failings. Finally, Benare notes there’s an “intellectual,” who refuses to face real problems, but...
(full context)
Benare hears Sukhatme, Ponkshe, and Rokde arrive outside, and suggests to Samant that the two of them hide and...
(full context)
Ponkshe returns and Sukhatme jokes that although Ponkshe has failed his science exam twice, and works...
(full context)
...Benare offers to tell the men a story and has them sit like children. Annoyed, Ponkshe leaves the room. Benare begins a poem, about “a battle … where / Defeat is...
(full context)
...to start setting up chairs. Samant, who has set up some of the chairs, addresses Ponkshe as sahib and tells him to sit. Ponkshe is flattered but declines. Ponkshe asks Samant...
(full context)
...and informs her Professor Damle hasn’t arrived. Benare becomes silent, then goes to talk to Ponkshe who refuses to engage with her. As Rokde worries that Damle will miss the performance,...
(full context)
Ponkshe and Mrs. Kashikar send Samant to get cigarettes and pan. Benare leaves to room to...
(full context)
...Kashikar immediately chastises her for speaking up. Sukhatme suggests Rokde, but although Rokde is enthusiastic Ponkshe shoots him down. Kashikar wants to be the accused but cannot also be the judge....
(full context)
Kashikar wants Benare to be charged with something of “social significance.” The men huddle, and Ponkshe gives suggestion the audience is unable to hear. The group breaks up and arranges the...
(full context)
Ponkshe ambushes Benare and announces that she has been “arrested on suspicion of a crime of...
(full context)
Act Two
...most “devilish thing on earth,” and he aims to prove Benare is guilty. He calls Ponkshe has his first witness, announcing him as a “world-famous scientist.” Ponkshe swears upon the Oxford...
(full context)
Sukhatme grills Ponkshe on his relationship to Benare. Ponkshe describes her as a “schoolmarm” which Benare protests as...
(full context)
Sukhatme asks Ponkshe if Benare’s conduct is “like that of a normal unmarried woman?” Benare objects that Ponkshe...
(full context)
...leaving herself, and Karnik seems fed up, Kashikar insists they continue. Sukhatme resumes his questioning. Ponkshe says sometimes Benare’s actions make no sense, beginning a story about when she tried to...
(full context)
...manner.” Kashikar wonders how Benare’s conduct with other men this is relevant, but Karnik and Ponkshe insist Sukhatme continue on arguing it is “just a rehearsal,” and only a game.
(full context)
...and had never met Damle. Karnik points out that “the crime itself is imaginary,” and Ponkshe adds, “only the accused is real.” Samant finally understands the game is he is meant...
(full context)
...responsible for two deaths. In the courtroom, Benare cuts Samant off, accusing him of lying. Ponkshe responds, “of course [he] is. So?”
(full context)
Act Three
Ponkshe asks to be called as witness and swears upon the dictionary. Benare stiffens as he...
(full context)
Sukhatme prompts Ponkshe to discuss the meeting. Benare shakes her head, asking him not to share, but he...
(full context)
Ponkshe offers to give a full account of the conversation. Benare stands and shouts “No!” but...
(full context)
Benare comes towards Ponkshe but Mrs. Kashikar, at Kashikar’s urging, takes her back to the dock. At Mr. Kashikar...
(full context)
Ponkshe resumes his story. He recounts how Benare mocked the members of their theatre troop calling...
(full context)
Ponkshe continues. He explains Benare asked him if he was interested in getting married, hypothetically. He...
(full context)
...“friend” worshiped the baby’s father’s mind, but he only wanted her body. In the courtroom, Ponkshe slips and reveals the child’s father was Professor Damle. He says he swore not to...
(full context)
Ponkshe continues his story, recounting that Benare begged him to marry her “friend,” but he told...
(full context)
Sukhatme dismisses Ponkshe. He suspects that after failing to convince Ponkshe to marry her, Benare turned to Rokde....
(full context)
...Benare, in the dock, brings a bottle to her lips but Karnik bats it away. Ponkshe picks it up, and sees it is TIK-20. Sukhatme rests the prosecution. Kashikar calls the...
(full context)
...on the ground. Mrs. Kashikar comments on how sensitive Benare is, and Kashikar, Sukhatme, and Ponkshe reassert that the whole thing was just a game. Mrs. Kashikar shakes Benare to try...
(full context)
