INTOPAST WITH PAIN

INTO THE PAST WITH PAIN
Scene I

Prof Dr Colonel K Prabhakar Rao ( retired)

Some where in heavens a fair, handsome elderly man is sitting on a majestic seat. He is putting on uniform of a General of American army of freedom struggle. He is also putting on a sword. He is gazing into distance. A knock is heard on the door

Elderly man. Hey who is there? Please come in.

(Visitor walks in . He is frail, ill clad with no upper garment. He is putting on a loin cloth with some drape. A watch hangs at his waist. He wears round type spectacles.He is bald shriveled and walks with a long stick. )

Visitor. Hello, MrWashington. How are you? You may not be knowing me. I am Mohandas Karam Chand Gandhi of India. I am also called Father of Indian nation

Washington.( Removes his hat and scratches his head) Welcome sir. But I do not think I have any idea about you. We are probably centuries apart. Probably Roosevelt and Harry

Truman would be knowing about you. They were your contemporaries.

Gandhi. Yeah. Truman ruled America after I died.

Washington. It is better I get some aide to guide me about you
( He claps and a sentry walks in. Washington requests him to go and fetch Roosvelt)
After some time Mr Roosevelt arrives limping

Roosevelt. Hoi Mr Washington. What is the matter? Who is this early visitor here

Washington. Welcome Mr Roosevelt. This is Mr. Gandhi. He says he was the father of nation i.e. India

Roosevelt. Yeah. Now I recollect. This person was an active freedom fighter during British rule in India. He believes in non violence a strange policy.

Washington. But why he has come with such scanty clothes to see me the father of great American nation.

Roosevelt. He believes that most of the Indians can not afford proper clothes and are very poor. He represents them. So he feels that it is appropriate to put this dress.

Washington. That is strange. But that was long time ago. Now where is the problem? Indians have improved greatly. Atleast now he can put on good clothes. Why impress others.

Roosevelt. Sir that is up to him. Britishers called him half naked fakir. What can we do?

Washington. What brings you here Mr Gandhi?

Gandhi. Nothing special. I want to promote non violence that I practice and with which I freed India

( In the mean time the door opens and a fat looking guy with cigar in mouth wearing dark full suit walks in. He has few strands of hair on his head.
Roosevelt. Hello Mr Winston Churchill.. Welcome. How nice to see you here?

Churchill. Hello Mr. Roosevelt. (He looks uncomfortably at Gandhi ) Hello Mr Gandhi. How are you?

Gandhi. Hello Mr. Churchill. Nice to see you.

Churchill. How is India? I have been following India and its progress ever since you were freed from us

Washington. What does that mean. Were Indians slaves earlier as we had black Americans with us.

Churchill. Not slaves in real sense. But to a great extent true. India was ruled by England

Washington. How bad! Such a large country was a slave ? Strange in deed! Can not believe!

Roosevelt. True. They fought a war in 1857 . It was more a rebellion by troops. Indians proudly call it a First battle for independence.

Churchill. No it was just a mutiny. Most of the princes favored Englishmen and helped East India Company. It can not be a war of independence. Only some unhappy guys took part in it.

Gandhi. No it was a struggle of independence

Churchill. Come on Gandhi. You are learned. How can it be? Then why so many princes did not join the struggle? Hyderabad Nawab Afzaluddaula the Nizam, Maharaja of Gwalior, Punjab Kings were all with us.

Gandhi.. They were selfish. Not patriots( Murmurs some thing and keeps quiet.)

Churchill. Look Gandhi . You may call it any thing. It was a mutiny and some type of rebellion that was crushed with iron hand.

Gandhi. But it inspired people of India for freedom.

Churchill. May be to some extent

Washington. I do not know how Englishmen left India. Gandhi says they were forced out by non violence. Just recall how hard we had to fight English armies to gain freedom.

Churchill. So you know the importance and value of independence and cherish it.

( In the mean time Atlee and Mountbatten walk in)

Washington. Hello friends please be seated. Nice to see you guys here

Gandhi. Hello Mr Mountbatten and Mr Atlee. How are you?

Mountbatten. Hello Mr Gandhi. How come you are here? Are you planning any fast here too? We were tired of you.

Gandhi ( Laughs) Nothing like that. I am on the task of promoting non violence here too

Atlee. That is fine Mr Gandhi

Mountbatten.Mr Gandhi. It will not work here. It worked in India because Englishmen were gentlemen. They gave you fair trials. Your tricks would not have worked in any other country.. You would have been put behind bars eternally long ago along with your close aides and followers.

Washington. I am sure you would have been packed off much earlier in such countries. If Saddam Hussein would have been the ruler you and your men like leaders would have been sent to gallows long ago. You were probably lucky that Englishmen ruled you and you got away from them.

Churchill. Look! What Godse has done to you after we left. We protected you. Your own country including Nehru could not protect you. What a tragedy? Godse just shot you like sitting duck amidst large crowd with a pistol.

Gandhi. Why worry about those things now? I feel pain in my stomach now. Godse’s bullets still cause pain to me. It is past now.

Roosevelt. Mr Washington. Kindly excuse me. I have some work, ( He greets all and walks away)

SCENE II
Washington. What type of non violence you propose Mr Gandhi

Gandhi. Sir. This will be completely no violence. If some one slaps you on cheek
show other cheek


Washington. How dare some one slap me , the father of USA

Gandhi. Sir, I do not mean you sir personally.

Mountabatten. Sir He is repeating what Lord Jesus said years ago as stated in Holy Bible

Washington. Yeah.. It is the statement of Jesus. How can you adopt it? Credit must go to Jesus for preaching non violence. I am sure not for you. Although Jesus preached it no one is able to follow. Even Jesus was killed by Romans

Gandhi. I am not taking credit any way. People in India have attributed to me. What can I do? They attribute all good things to me. I know I do not deserve them.

Washington. I hope you are not posing as modest. How it is possible in todays world?

Mountabatten. The guys will think you are impotent, spineless not and incapable. So you accept everything

Gandhi . Not exactly like that

Mountbatten. You preached non violence in India. But could you stop riots at the time of partition of your country?

Gandhi.. (Murmurs some thing)

Mountbatten. I was witness for everything in India. Although your fasts and processions were non violent in few cases, soon the reactions were violent, You could not stop them.

Atlee. Mr Gandhi. In your own country Bhagat Singh took up to violence. Subhas Chandra Bose adopted armed resistance and waged war against the British empire. Where was your non violence?

Washington. If we had to adopt fasts and strikes, non co operation and the methods of non violence against British crown, we could not have got freedom. We would have been butchered summarily. Not even a fair trail would have been there.

Churchill. Very true Mr Washington sir. A bit harsh. We kill but after a fair trail. Things should appear legitimate in history. Why the King would give freedom? If we had won the war at that time surely the American Generals captured would have been sent to Gallows for waging war ( Including Washington .. says within himself).This is a standard practice in Englnd. East India Company did this to so may in Indian revolutionaries in 1857 and even earlier to Veera pandya Kattabomman, theTamil Palegar..

Gandhi. I feel sad for them. Their sacrifices paved way for freedom. It kindled spirit of freedom. (Sings )

Do not boast Mr Churchill, of your deeds of ill
Which your country committed at free will
Those perished souls still hover in the sky
In agony and dispair they still loudly cry

Washington. What a nice lecture from you and show of sentiments!. But we can not be impressed

Gandhi. But sir you shall realize non violence as a great tool

Washington.. Sorry Mr Gandhi. Few years ago the damned AlQaeda terrorists crashed aero planes along with passengers into WTC in New York. Thousands were killed. You expect that we pray to the fools and sadists and thugs to pardon us and be liberal with us and yet pardon them? Show our other cheek to them. Hen invite them to bomb America again. What a nonsense talk! Are we so incompetent and incompoos…. Come on Mr Gandhi. We are Americans. We believe in Gun. You know bearing arms is our birth right. One can purchase a gun in free market. Nothing like licence and other non sense like in India and England

Gandhi. So are crimes too. Youngsters shoot in schools and colleges and kill professors in America

Washington. You are no way better. Any one can get an unlicensed weapon in India. Country made guns are plenty there. These are enough for crimes. I read daily in news papers. You boast of Non violence. There are ample crimes in India .Girls get molested in Hostels. Police can not catch them. Sadist lovers have killed girls in cold blood. Could you hang them? Some crazy guys killed innocent passengers in Kakateeya express some years ago by setting fire to the bogie. Could you hang the culprit. You developed cold feet and set aside death sentence because he was a down trodden and belonged to Scheduled caste that is only practiced in India. Do you how many are killed in faction feuds in Andhra Pradesh. How many are killed in Naxal violence? Police men are freely killed by communists. Do you know? Where is the end to terrorist killings in Jammu and Kashmir. Recently 70 guys were killed in Assam blasts and many in Hyderabad and Delhi and Godhra. Do you read news papers? I have infinite lists to read. You waged wars against Pakistan four times. Why you did not practice non violence? Saying is very easy Mr Gandhi. Whom you are trying to impress Mr Gandhi?

Gandhi. Sir How do you know all these things?

Wahsington. That is why I am the father of USA the only super power in world.

Gandhi. I am not saying that all these things are not happening in India. I know these. In silence I cry. I beat my chest when no one sees. See my chest it is full of bones only. This happened by continuous crying and chest beating.

I also cry in despair
And India no one can repair
The leaders are happy sitting in chair
And they feel in politics all is fair

Atlee. Well said Mr Gandhi. Am impressed. You have turned into a poet too.

Churchill. Do you know Mr Gandhi . I was very much against granting freedom to you guys. I then told, “ We would handing over poor India to a bunch of Opportunists ( Rascals in low tone) where even a loaf of bread and glass of water would be taxed. Do you remember it?

Gandhi. Very much sir. It is still ringing in my ears. There was an uproar in Congress

Churchill.But my prophecy came true. In your own heart you know what is happening in India. Still I say many rascals rule at every nook in India.

Gandhi. It is slightly unfair

Churchill. I do not mince words Mr Gandhi. You know that since long

Atlee. Ok Gentlemen. I have some urgent work. Bye ( He goes out)
CURTAIN DROPS
To be Continued


Dr K Prabhakar Rao









To be continued