INTO THE PAST WITH PAIN

INTO THE PAST WITH PAIN

SCENE XIV

( The scene is Exhibition Ground in Hyderabad in India. The all India industrial exhibition has been inaugurated recently. There is great rush at the entrance gate and people are waiting at the gate to enter. The crowd is like a large group of ants where every one is pushing around to get inside. Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi is seen waiting at the gate to enter. He has a ticket too in his hand. Gandhi has recently arrived in India after a trip to USA. )

Gandhi. ( Looking at the security police man) Oh Bhai. Please allow me inside. This is my ticket

( Policeman gives a strange look at the ill clad man in white Dhoti and a stick)

Police man. Hey What you will do inside? Will you beg there? I know you have a ticket and you are planning to go inside and starts begging. Is this is the plan?

Gandhi. Come on Sir! I am Gandhi. Bapu. Your Bapu, Great Bapu, Lovely Bapu. Mighty Bapu. I have a valid ticket. Please see sir

Police man. Half an hour ago one person exactly like you went in with a ticket. Look behind. There are another three guys looking exactly like you waiving their tickets

Gandhi. They are imposters and fake Gandhis. They have come to beg in the exhibition. They also do it daily at Abids and at tank Bund

Police man, Come on. Don’t fool me. How I can trust you are Gandhi? You were killed by Nathuram VinayakGodse at Delhi long before I was born

Gandhi. You remember Godses name much better. You gave the full name. But you can not recognize me. How sad?

( In the mean time a sub Inspector of Police intervenes

Sub Inspector. What is the problem? Constable allow him inside. He has a ticket. It is not correct to deny entry.( He looks at Gandhi.. queerly). Look old man. You can not take this stick with you. Deposit here. This comes under arms act as per the latest rules.

Gandhi. Then how do I walk?. I am an old man

( Sub inspector tells constable to check the stick and examine whether it has some thing inside . Constable takes the stick to a gadget close by and examines it well. Suddenly it gives a beep sound.. Constable is shit scared and shouts.. )

Constable.. Sir . there is something inside. May be a bomb. Come on squad guys.(He hysterically shouts. Constables near by lie on the ground and aim their rifles at Gandhi)

( Every one around is scared and start running away including the sub inspector who has large stomach and gasping unable to run)

Bomb disposal Constable. (He is putting on a large steel helmet and bullet proof jacket) Let me check this.( He slowly crawls to the stick like a south American sloth and examines it. He finds a rusty nail that is driven to join a crack in the stick). Oh God. What a nail. It is hardly half inch in length and one mm thick.. Oh… ( He wipes off sweat from his face)


( In the mean time the sub inspector returns and everything settles down. The photographers want the bomb disposal squad constable to repeat his act as they could not take photographs earlier because they ran away scared. The constable obliges with a smile. Photos are taken quickly. They take photograph of the sub inspector holding a pistol and taking position The sub inspector shuffles his hair to appear more involved in action. . In the mean time Gandhi goes inside the gate with his stick)

(Gandhi walks few steps near the stalls and stands at a corner watching the crowd. Scores of people passing that way stop. Look at him and drop few coins at his feet and go away.)

Visitor( Hareesh) . Look. Sateesh. This guy looks exactly like Gandhi, The Bapu.

Sateesh. Yeah. True. He looks like a professional. See, he really looks so old like Gandhi

Gandhi. Come on guys. I am real Gandhi. Don’t joke at me. Neither I am begging here

Sateesh, ( Laughs) Haa..haaa. What a joke indeed

Hareesh. Come on sateesh. Why waste time with this nut? We see such guys scores everyday

Gandhi ( Looking perplexed) Oh. What a change in this country? Let me go and move around and see what is there. The local guys call this a Nyumaish ( Urdu word for exhibition).

(He walks to a near by government stall where a Government department of irrigation displays its growth and work. Outside the stall, there is a water tank and a pump is seen drawing water and again it is falling into the tank with great pressure. All are looking at it amazed, Gandhi looks impressed)

Gandhi. Good there is some growth after I left India;( He looks at a man close by and asks his name)

Gandhi. Sir What is your name?

Person. I am Rahul

Rahul. Hey Gandhi or pseudo Gandhi. You did not go out of India. You were rather forcibly sent out. Nathuram Godse killed you

Gandhi. True ( With in himself.. These Guys know more about Nathuram than me) Why every one reminds me of Nathuram?. That is already more than 60 years old.

Rahul. But that is the fact

Gandhi. Oh. What a place to live? Bye Rahul

Rahul. Baba. Please take this five rupee coin. You have dressed well. You deserve it.

Gandhi. No . No. I am real Gandhi…

Rahul.. ( Laughs) looks like a nut( He walks away)

( Gandhi finds an American pavilion enroute in the exhibition He goes there At the entrance there is again great security Gandhi is stopped at the entry point by a sergeant accompanied by Indian police man)

Sergent. Hello sir, Can I see your Identity card or some proof of yours?

Gandhi. Why this?. I am Bapu, father of Indian nation. Do I also need some proof.? Any how I am dead. I am a living spirit.

Sergent (Getting confused) What is this living spirit and dead walking and speaking?. Oh Christ! save me.( Prays looking at sky)

Gandhi. Do not worry sergeant. Please allow me in. I want to see what you have there for display

Police man. Bapu. Please show some proof. Either driving license, ration card or voters card, PAN card

( the sergeant looks queerly at Gandhi)

Sergent. How can I allow you inside?. You have nothing with you as proof

Police man.. That is OK. Please allow him in. I shall stand guarantee for him. He is so old and famished. It is OK.He says he is father of Indian nation. We must respect atleast for that word

Sergent. OKhe..Okhe..

(Gandhi Thanks them and moves inside. In the hall he finds the statues of American President Washington and George W Bush side by side.. On a large Table the model of World Trade center is displayed. Next to it on the wall a large photograph of WTC burning is displayed with cut outs of Bin Laden Hanging at a scaffold…)

Gandhi. These are nice statues

( Suddenly Statue of Washington comes to life and he walks down from the pedestal)

Washington. Hoi. Mr Gandhi. Welcome to American pavilion. When did you come to India? Last time I saw you in west coast

Gandhi. Good evening Sir, I am fine. I am happy to see you in India. How did you find this country? I think this is the first visit

Washington. Probably last too. I am damne scared with the pollution and mosquitoes around in the city.

Gandhi. Sir That is the national trait. You must adjust

Washington. When I go back I will be sent to some hospital for observation. I am sure

Gandhi Laughs… Heee…heee.hii

( In the mean time thundering sound is heard from sky and few fighter air crafts fly past at very high speed. There is an air raid siren. Lights are removed except some dim lights in the stalls)

Washington.. What is this Gandhi all of a sudden?

Gandhi. Sir Pak air force has attacked Hyderabad city. We were expecting. But this is sudden

Washington. Again you guys are caught napping. What use they will have if the bomb Hyderabad? What is there here?. Except people. There is neither a great industry nor some big Defence unit. Of course, I know there is cantonment

Gandhi. But Hyderabad is a pet place for Pakistanis. They always dream of this place. The terrorists want to liberate Hyderabad the former kingdom of Nizam the Muslim ruler

Washington ( Laughs) Crazy guys and nuts too

Gandhi. Heee… heeee

( In the mean time air raid alarm is heard giving all clear. Lights again glow ._

Washington. This is nice experience indeed. By the by, the Pakistanis have not handed over any guy to you. Then what you will do?.

Gandhi. Lump it down our throat. What we can do? Our guys are shit scared to strike Pakistan, They are very good at giving statements written by Defence babus. They think that Pakistan will surely drop nuclear weapon first without any hesitation. Delhi and Bombay are the easiest targets. We have oil drills on high seas at Bombay.

Washington. You guys have no knowledge of tactics of war. Who asked you to develop so much which is at striking distance?

Gandhi. That is not in my hand. I was shot dead within one year of getting independence. Nehru has to answer this question. He is the guy managed the country for 16 years. He managed the country in his own way. No comments.

Washington. I learnt it. He was singing song of non alignment while Nasser of Egypt, Sukarno of Indonesia and Tito of Yugoslavia were clapping.. It was non alignment with West and America in particular, But alignment with socialists… hee..hee..huuu..huu
..
Gandhi, Sir say slowly.. some guy may listen

Washington What is there to be afraid of.? You guys were with USSR and now where is it? It has disappeared. Pakistan aligned with us. It is as strong as you. It is not even one fifth of your size. But you are shit scared of it. They are making you to dance around. Isn’t it a reality Mr Gandhi?

Gandhi. What can I say? It is our fate..( weeps)… eee. eee. eee..oooo…ooooo

Washington. Come on Gandhi. Don’t weep like a female. You are a man. Do some thing at least now. You are the father of nation

Gandhi. But without any powers. ( Sings).

Though I am father of nation
To eat I have no ration
I am made to stand on road side piers
And some guy cut my tuft with a hand shear

Washington ..heee..heee

Gandhi. Sir I like to see something more in the stall

Washington. There is nothing here except me and WTC tower model.. Now America is fully stuck in fighting terrorism around the world. Our economy is hit badly. What is there to show for us? Except to remind every one about 9/11

Gandhi. But you are a mighty power

Washington. True. We will keep it up and rise again to top level. He draws his sword and raises it and looks into sky ( sings)

I am the American General mighty Washington
And I would strike terrorists like a ball in badminton
I shall shoe all these Militants out of earth very soon
To the world my valor would be a great boon


Gandhi. Well sung sir. Keep it up sir. How about us? Will we be blackmailed by these Pakistanis for all the future?

Washington. What can I say? That is in your hands and not mine. In all previous wars we did not interfere directly. It is up to you to solve. You just watched while Pkaistan was making the bomb. See what Israel has done to Iraq when it was engaged in making a bomb. It went and destroyed facilities. You guys had no guts. So have to suffer. On the first count why did you allow them to get a bomb? There plants were so close to you. You guys have no security plans. No fore thought. You created Pakistan by yourselves. Then you did not bother for security of the country even after fighting three wars. Look Gandhi God only helps those who help themselves. Do some Ramdhun your favorite past time. It may help you. Your Ram might help you because you can not help yourselves.

Gandhi. Sir It did not help me in 1947. How it can help me now?

Washington. That is called fate. Please accept and say cheers.

(Washington again becomes a statue. Gandhi picks up his stick and goes out of the stall)

Dr K Prabhakar Rao

CURTAIN FALLS