INTO PAST WITH PAIN .. V

INTO THE PAST WITH PAIN.. V

SCENE V


{Gandhi is seen walking on the streets of Dallas down town, Texas in the evening hours. It is falling light and lot of guys are roaming here and there. Gandhi tries to cross over the road at a junction. Suddenly a car comes to a halt with great sound. Gandhi is dragged aside by a police man)

Police man. Hey. Buddy, What is happening? Want to die. Gonna crazy. Looks a mad guy. Wanna a kick on your….a…

Gandhi. No sir. I am not mad. I am trying to go over to other side of road

Police man. You can not just go there like that. You have to press the button on the pole and wait for the signal to show. Or else you will be crushed. You were lucky that I was here. You guys can not follow any rules and regulations. Undisciplined bunch indeed.

Gandhi. Sorry sir. Do not get angry. I never knew all this. I tried to cross over as I do in India. You are correct. Indians are devoid of any discipline.

Police man. Are you from India? I never went there. I read stories about India. Don’t you have signals like this in your country?

Gandhi. At some places we have. But they will never work. We do not have buttons like this.We cross whenever feel like even if lights are there. Even cows, dogs and buffaloes, dogs and cats and pigs, lizards cross roads whenever and wherever they feel like. Crows and eagles make nests on the traffic lights. The red, amber and green lights all glow at once in some places. People do not know what to do. They go everywhere
( Police man looks astonished)

Police man, Very strange. Yet you survive to live? How about cars? Don’t they travel on roads?
Gandhi. They do. They also have tyres. They also can go in whatever way they like. Motorcyclists can overtake on both sides of car. Only thing they can not do is to overtake from beneath the car or over the car. Some times two wheeler drivers lift off front wheel and drive. Some times they also throw eggs at cars.

Police man.( Laughs ) Haa. Haa. Hi.hi….hi. Sir you must be joking

Gandhi. No sir. I am telling the truth.( Sings )


India is wild place
Where none will have solace
All the guys roam on the roads
Looking like dirty toads

None cares for the rule of law
They guys are rusty and raw
They travel as they feel
Dragging their feet and heel

Police man. Well sir.. You appear to be a poet too. Thank you sir for enlightening me about great India.. What a great nation? I wish I was born there. No rules and nothing . Enjoy to glory. Haa. Haa…. I wish I am appointed as a police man in India. It is my life’s ambition. I shall pray to Christ to give me life there.

Gandhi. But Christians do not believe in re birth. You go to heavens or eternally to hell.

Police man. Yeah . forgot about it. I shall change over to Hinduism. I shall join Hare Rama Hare Krishna…..

Gandhi That is ok.. ( Picks up his long stick and walks on the pavement)

( The street corner is dark and at the bend a youngster in jeans and T shirt encounters him)

Youth. Hoi old man . Stop. Who are you? Pay up what you have

( He draws a pistol from pocket and points at Gandhi )

Gandhi. What is this my son? Do you know who I am?

Youth. I could not care you silly guy. How do I know you? I see you first time

Gandhi. Look! I am Gandhi. Original Gandhi not a fake Gandhi that go about now in India. I am Mahatma Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, the Bapu to all Indians. The father of nation that is India. I am the darling of India. Did you not hear the great song sung by Rafi after my death? ( Sings)

Suno..Suno.. Oh.. Duniya walo bapoo kee jo amar kahaani
Wo bapu jo poojya kitnaa.. Jitnaa Gangaa maa ka Pani… eeee. eee.. eee

( Listen! Oh! the people of world, the story of Bapu.. He was most revered as the holy Ganga waters..)

Youth. Laughs, Hey.. Hey.. Hii.. Hi. You said father of India. Then who is mother?

Gandhi ( Getting embarrassed) Son !Such questions are not asked. There is one called Bharat Maata. Maata means mother. But I am not husband of Bharat maata. They just give titles out of respect. I brought freedom to India, you know! . I fought Englishmen peacefully.

Youth. Come on! Silly man! Do not joke and pull fast one on me. You don’t even have proper clothes and a gun. Look like a skeleton. How could you fight the Britishers?

Gandhi. I did. You believe

Youth. You know old man. In America, Washington and his Generals fought with big armies for some years to drive out Englishmen and gained independence. I cannot believe you. You are trying to be smart. Trying to trick me ( Cocks up his pistol ). Come on! No more stories. Cough up your money or you are dead..

Gandhi. Do not shoot. I have nothing. Takes out 25 cents coin and gives to him

Youth. Shit. It is foolish to shoot you. A bullet would be wasted. Better I keep it. Kicks Gandhi hard and takes out his shawl and watch and stick too. (Runs away from the scene). ( Gandhi falls on the ground and cries Hai Ram.. Hai Ram….eee…eee.eee)


( A man is seen approaching.. Foot steps are heard.. The man slowly approaches Gandhi)

Gandhi ( Looks at the man )( weeps) Look Washington sir. See What is happening in your country? I am robbed by a guy. He had pistol.

Washington. (Slowly raises Gandhi by Hand). I am sorry Mr Gandhi for whatever has happened to you. You know! every one in US carries a pistol with him. This street is particularly dangerous. You know! Some bad guys are there everywhere. Any how , you do not have any thing with you except these scanty clothes and rotten Chappals.

Gandhi. I had nothing. So he did not shoot. He said shooting me was a waste for him. It is a disgrace to his pistol. His bullet was more costly than my life. (Cries again.. beating his chest… Mera Bharat.. Mera Bharat.. Am I so useless? Eee….eeeee….eeee)

Washington. Mr Gandhi. Be bold! Do not cry like a woman. You were so brave and fought the Englishmen without a gun. Crying like this does not suit you. Take pride in yourself. Did you not face bullets of Godse bravely?

Gandhi ( Wipes his tears) It is OK . Yes sir . Godse did not give me any chance to speak and bravely face. He just stepped in bowed to me and whipped out the pistol from his palm and shot me like a ugly duck. People say I cried Hey ram.. Hey Ram…I do not know whether I said any thing at that time.. Thanks Mr Washington sir. You were just in time.

Washington. Mr Gandhi. I read that you just said… uugh…oooh…aaah… uugh and there was no word of Ram. People say it is all fabrication to glorify you. Mr Gandhi Look! Just do not roam wherever you likeas if in India. This is America. People are different here. Values are different. Here Human life has little value . Every joker has a gun here and is trigger happy. Some shoot to test their gun.

Gandhi. Looks so. But why don’t you ban unlicensed guns?

Washington. Mr Gandhi. There is no licensing system here. Any one can purchase a gun from free market like vegetables. It is the birth right of people guaranteed by Constitution. Now tell me Gandhi! Where do you want to go? Should I send back to your India?

Gandhi. Sir Please drop me some where near a place where many Indians live. I can not be a swan among crows

Washington.. No.. No.. It is other way…. Sure by all means. I shall drop you sir

( Washington drives him down to a nearby township in his Horse carraige . At Arlington he vanishes )

(Gandhi walks on a roadside lawn and sits on a bench. In the mean time a couple obviously Indian stroll there with a baby in a pram)

Man. Hey! You old guy! What are you doing here? Can’t you put some better clothes? Why are you half naked? Don’t you have some shame?

Gandhi. Sir I am Gandhi. Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi from India (sings)

I am the Gandhi bald and bold
At present on India I have no hold
My name is used by all
To grow in name very tall.

The real Gandhi died long ago
Pseudo Gandhis have lot of ego
Most of them are Gandhis but fake
They are like wasted out ground nut cake

These guys imitate my name
That helps them to get some fame
These guys are not worth single rupee
Of course they gulp barrels of coffee

( Gandhi does some jig singing the song)


Lady. That is a good poem. The name I heard some where.

Man. Now a days every one wants to be a Gandhi in India.

Gandhi.. No.. No.. I am real Gandhi.. known as Bapu.. You must have seen the movie of Sunil Dutt’s son. See me. I am bald and have a watch also.

Lady. Then why there are other Gandhis in India? What they do? Keep shamming! Fooling people around?

Gandhi. They use my name to gain power and sympathy

Man. (Laughs).. Haa..haaa.. hii….hii

Lady. Clever guys indeed. But you died long ago. Why are you here? Did they drive you out?

Gandhi. Not really, To some extent. I was already driven out by Godse. Whatever was left the present political leaders have done. No one bothers for me there. They remember me on my death day and some times on birth day. My birth day coincides with that of Lal Bahadur Shastri. So it is diluted.

Lady. Do not bother. You had enough of run. What else do you want old man ? You can not be at Top always. How can you take credit eternally? How long you want people to worship you. Enough of it. Got sick of it.Others also deserve some thing. As it is we feel you are an over glorified than really deserved. There are so many other guys deserving credit and they are neglected. Why you only are glorified? Guys in India have no other job. A bunch of funny lot creating false history.

Gandhi. You appear to be Indian. Were you not brought up in India. You appear to hate Gandhi and country too.

Lady.. No… no. Not like that. I love India. My father came to America when I was just three years. I was saved from India and from memory of Gandhi.

Gandhi. That is the reason you do not know much about me. Look girl ! I am not that bad as you imagine. All history books in India glorify me and my deeds to mountain heights. Other guys are just mentioned and some are not even mentioned. Their deeds are white washed. You know! Subhas Chandra Bose was a big contender for my position. Where he has gone with his jack boots and INA uniform? No one knows. All have been white washed. He got cross with me and became Congress President. I bowled a googly much better than Murlidharan of Lanka at him. He just vanished. The history books hardly mention about him. Some times, there is no photograph of Subhas. Only congress leaders are highlighted. That is the policy. Children will learn what we state and teach them. Congress government ruled India till Rajiv Gandhi lost elections except for a brief period of two years after emergency. By that time India was covered by congress grass. Do you know that grass. That causes itching and allergy and asthma. That is the plenty of time for managing the history in India. There is no questioning. Children’s brains are fully loaded with Gandhi and his deeds. You escaped that. You got a pretty kid. What have you put the name? Is it Jawaharlal, Mohandas Karamchand? Or Indira or Rajiv or rahul or Priyanka, the Indian national heroes?

Lady. No… No.. I have named him “Out of focus” But all call him Hocus phocus.

Gandhi. Strange name really

Lady Has to be. (She pushes the pram as the kid starts crying)

Gandhi. Why he is suddenly crying?

Lady. In fact last night we went a Halloween party in our colony. There he saw some hideous faces and Dracula etc. He got scared. The moment he saw you in this dress he got scared and is crying

Gandhi.. Oh! Do not cry baby. I am not a Dracula. I even do not have normal teeth. How can be a Dracula? I am a simple dark bania ( Trader) from Gujarat in India. I can not leave this dress that I wear. I am identified with this. If I leave this, no one remembers me and look at me. Even police guys would catch me and put me in lock up for scantly being dressed. Even street dogs would chase me

I put on this loose drape
Although it looks like a rain cape
I put on some strange foot wear
Sure it is not out of the skin of a bear

I carry with me this long stick
With this I give the street dogs some kick
I also put on the Watch at my waist
That is found to be a big national waste
,
Lady. Mr. Gandhi.. You also appear to be a poet

Gandhi. (Laughs) Some time I write and recite poetry. What else I can do?

Lady.. Ok Mr. Gandhi. See you. I have better things to do than waste time in chit chatting with you. Bye… See you..Okhe.Okhe.. Feel great… Wow (She walks away pushing the pram)

Gandhi. (Wipes tears) (Sings)

Kyo Yaad aa rahe hain gujre huye zamane
Yeh dukh bhare fasane.. ye….ye…ye,, Rothe huye taraane

( Why am I remembering the bye gone days
Thetragic stories and sad crying songs..) ( From Anmol Ghadi )

Dr K Prabhakar Rao