The characters in the play may be seen as placed in three concentric circles. At the centre are just three characters: Choma, Belli, his daughter and the Drum. The drum is Choma’s trusty companion, and may therefore well be seen as a character in the play. It is left to the ingenuity of the performers to treat the drum as either an inanimate object with a voice or to be played by an actor imaginatively. Choma’s tale may be viewed as an intense father-daughter relationship, their human yearnings and natural aspirations kept suppressed within a societal system not of their making.
In the second circle we have the main characters linked to the lives of Choma and Belli. These are Sankappaiah, the landlord, Biruma, the owner of the toddy shop, Manuel, the supervisor of the coffee estate and, finally, Michael, the owner-manager of the estate, although appearing briefly. Also in this circle are other members of Choma’s household. His older sons, Chaniya and Guruva, are seen on stage. Kala and Neela, younger brothers to Belli, are not seen. Biruma is seen onstage only in the prologue. The household includes the dog, Badu, and two bullocks. The imagery around the unseen boys and animals is a crucial challenge for actors. In the outermost circle are characters who criss-cross through the tale and add substance to it in their own way. One actor can play all these parts.
The Echo unfolds through nine scenes in one continuous flow. It is constructed to have only two to four characters on stage at any given time. If the performing group wishes to have an intermission it can be between Scenes 6 and 7.
The play has been published by Vitasta Publishing as part of an anthology titled 'Four Classics', available on Flipkart and Amazon.