Ram: hajur ba, you've been staring at the board for so long. He’s already made his move. Are you going to play?
hajur ba: (Sighing) Yes, chhora . He has made his move. And now he waits for mine. He's eager, I can almost feel it.
Ram: Are you going to win?
hajur ba: Win? Lose? That is what I am thinking about. I've been staring at these white and black pieces on their squares for hours.
Ram: But it's just a game, right?
hajur ba: (Pauses, looking thoughtfully at the pieces) Is it just a game, Ram? What are these pieces, really? If I think of them as just wooden toys… then what does winning even mean? What is the importance? What does it mean to win if there is no joy in victory and no sadness in losing?
Ram: I don't know, hajur ba.
hajur ba: No, chhora, think about it. If I want to play this game properly, perhaps I must believe, in my heart, that these are not simply wooden pieces. That they are true kings, true ministers, true soldiers. That out there, beyond the board, there is a foe planning my destruction, a threat that must be dealt with.
Ram: So, you're pretending it's a real battle?
hajur ba: Perhaps. But then... is it truly a game? Some would say it's war, and in war, everything is justified. Some call these games of war where the ultimate fate lies in the hands of the players
Ram: War? But it’s just a game!
hajur ba: Yes, it is a game, but modeled after war. I am thinking about it, in this game, why must the king always be protected above all else? Is it right that he never gets hurt? And the Minister has ultimate freedom to move wherever he wants. Does that seem fair?
Ram: (Considers, tilting his head) I guess it's just the rules, right?
hajur ba: Yes, rules. I think to myself, in this game, if the foot soldiers, once they leave their home, once they move to the otherside, are not allowed to return home, what is the logic of such a rule? What are these rules? If this is the game, then what even is this game?
Ram: (Confused) I don't understand, hajur ba.
hajur ba: Neither do I, Ram. Not fully. I have been wrestling with these questions for what feels like forever. And all this time, my opponent has made his move… and waits.
Ram: For your move.
hajur ba: Yes. My move. (hajur ba picks up a chess piece, his eyes filled with a mixture of weariness and a spark of determination.)