INTO THE PAST WITH PAIN....XXII

INTO THE PAST WITH PAIN..XXII

SCENE XXII

Prof Dr Colonel K Prabhakar Rao (Retired)

(Gandhi is seen lying in a cot. He is weak and coughing violently. A cough syrup bottle is seen next to him. The room is looking poor with no proper plaster on walls. Plaster from roof has fallen and there are no door curtains. Window has broken glass and the door mats are torn, while bulb holder brackets are seen hanging to wires.The room is pathetic looking)

Gandhi (Coughing). What a fate indeed! I have done so much for India. I feel pity on my state today. I do not have even a small proper cot for me.( Sobs . Wipes tears. ..sings))

I have done so much for India
And was very popular with media
I wrote profusely in newspapers
And reached fame touching skyscrapers

I got India much coveted freedom
My disciples made it their fiefdom
Congress feels it is a Nehruvian real estate
While country is let to its miserable fate

I can now only suck my thumb
While the present leaders get fat and plump
The country has been derailed by them
And future of India looks very dim

( Gandhi sits dejected on the old wooden chair with torn seats. In the mean time door opens and Sardar ( Leader)Vallabhai Patel walks in)

Patel.. Good evening Bapu. How are you? Why are you so dull. Are you well?

Bapu. Patel. I am Ok. Slightly dull and feeling weak too.

Patel. Shall I go and get a doctor. Dr B C Roy lives close by

Gandhi. No..No.. Not required. I shall be alright soon. I have some native drugs with me.

Patel. Bapu. You know. Obama has taken over as President of America. A great achievement in a country where African Negroes struggled as African Americans so long and got suppressed

Gandhi. True. A good change. Americans are great guys too.Thety have some code and follow. Not like India

Patel. Bapu. In India electoral rolls are mismanaged every year. Booth capturing is a past time. I do not think Indians can ever conduct elections fairly.

Gandhi. True. It is a regular headache. Let them suffer. Look Patel what happened to nobel peace prizes this year

Patel. I am not sure. For economics an American professor was given. I think Indians are not there this year. Once recently Tibetan Dalai Lama got it.

Gandhi. Patel. Some how peace prize has eluded Indians. I never got and even my name was not mentioned

Patel. That is true. Bapu, but if we speak truth, where was peace in 1947? You got freedom for India by the struggle as every one believes. There is no doubt although many dispute it. But there was so much violence during and after partition and it was a great holocaust. Nothing could be done. You however underwent some fasts. But lakhs of people lost lives. It is a blot on our history.

Gandhi ( gets upset ) Patel. Is it my fault?

Patel. Bapu, I did not say that. But violence was there as a result of partition of greater India. I think it was the reason you never got Nobel prize. I may be wrong too. People feel so

Gandhi. Uh. Look. Mandela also got Nobel peace prize. Was I inferior to him?

Patel. Who can judge it? I have no answer

Gandhi. Even Nehru did not get.

( In the mean time Nehru walks in . He is spotlessly dressed with a pater flower at his button)

Nehru. Good evening Bapu. Hoi Patel. Hope all is fine. Why bapu looks upset

Patel. He is upset because he did not get Nobel peace prize.

Gandhi. No.. No.. I did not say that. I am only discussing past history

Nehru. Bapu.Nobel peace prize has eluded me too. I ruled for 16 years. I Started Non alignment movement (NAM) with President Nasser of Egypt, Sukarno of Indonesia, marshal Tito of Yugoslavia.

Patel. It is OK. But India was almost aligned with USSR. Is it not a fact?

Nehru. No.. No. It was not like that

Patel. You know it better. . Where was peace during your rule ? There was a war with China and we disgracefully lost. India attacked Goa too and threw out Portugal colonial rule. Hyderabad was also occupied after Police action. All these are probably are taken into account to judge.

Nehru. I do not agree with you.

Patel. This is not a new thing now. You did not agree for Hyderabad action too in 1948. But for me Nizam would have created Central Pakistan in the heart of India.

Nehru. You may draw your own conclusions.

Gandhi. Come on guys . Please do not fight here. These are past things; you can not undo these things

Patel. Of course Bapu. I am arguing because discussion came up for peace prize.

Gandhi. Look - Dag Hammarskjöld got peace prize although every one expected Nehru would be the person.

Nehru. Bapu, I never worked for the prize. I did my job

Patel. That is the spirit. Jawaharlal. One should not crave for awards. If it comes the way, it is well and good. Otherwise just relax.

Gandhi. True. It is a very wise statement. Some strange things happen in India. Some guys were given Bharat Ratna, the highest award in India including to Patel and Subhas Chandra. What a silly thing? Are they judging them after so many years and they need to be recognized? How silly! They need no awards. These awards are also given to singers, dancers and some of the politicians who manipulated life long. In fact their stature has been reduced by such awards. I am happy they did not give Bharat Ratna to me.

Patel. Very soon they may introduce Bharat Mahaa Rathna, Bharat Ati Ratna, Bharat Super Ratna, Bharat Super diamond Ratna, that are superior to present Bharat Ratna.

Nehru. Haa….haaa

Gandhi.. Heee….heee…heee. Any thing can happen in India. Every thing is possible in India. This is because what goes on is pure sycophancy in the name loyalty. Subhas was happy. The award was not pressed. Some statae that he was awarded posthumously and his death is challenged even today. The award aws not put through. His daughter too refused.

Patel. A wise girl. But my family members too it. If I was alive I would not have taken it.

Nehru. Good Patel.( Sings)

These awards are cock and bull
The guys giving I am sure are dull
Nobel peace has also gone to Arafat
Less said is better and be happy like sea gull

Gandhi. Haaa…haa. Well said

( Gandhi, Nehru and Patel sing the song holding hands and do some jog too)

Dr K Prabhakar Rao

Note . Sardar Patel.. He was the first Deputy PM of India, A great freedom fighter and is known as the iron man of India