INTO THE PAST WITH PAIN...XXV

INTO THE PAST WITH PAIN..XXV

Prof Dr Colonel K Prabhakar Rao (Retired


(It is the market of jama Maszid in Delhi. Gandhi and Patel are seen walking on the route. Nehru is just behind them. The area is crowded and filthy with all rubbish thrown around)

Gandhi. Oh Shit. How dirty this area is? Where is the broom? I shall start cleaning. Jawahar please get me the bucket and broom. Patel You get some water from some where

Patel. Bapu there is no water here. All public taps are dry. There is some dirty water in the small pond close by.

Jawahar. Bapu. I got hold of a broom. But it is not thick.

Bapu. That is fine. That will do

( Jawahar hands over the broom to Bapu and Patel goes to fetch water from the nearby pond)

( Bapu starts cleaning the roadside with broom while the on lookers gather around. Bapu does cleaning and also sings..)

I am the Bapu the father of nation
Where people starve without ration
Running after west is now a fashion
While scores of whores sleep in railway station

(Gandhi does jig singing holding a broom in the hand while onlookers clap and sing in chorus. Patel at the pond tries to fill bucket and slips and falls into the pond. There is less of water and more of slush. He sinks into the pond and with great effort rises up and some how drags himself to the shore with bucket full of dirty water. He runs to Gandhi with the bucket)

Gandhi. Patel where are you. Who brought this bucket full of water?

Patel. That is me

Gandhi. Sir Thanks. But who are you?

Patel. Bapu. I am Patel. Your Patel. Iron man of India.

Jawahar.( Laughs ) Haa…haa.. What happened Patel, We cannot recognize you

Patel. I slipped and fell in the pond

Gandhi. Great Gods. You are safe. Now how do we clean you. This water is too dirty. Any how you please sit down under this tree for some time. Take this cloth and wipe your face, hand and feet

(Gandhi completes cleaning part of the roadside while onlookers appreciate. They clap. One of them Ramesh finds a small injury on Gandhi’s hand)

Ramesh. Sir you have a injured finger

Gandhi. Yes. One of my finger struck a small nail in broom and slight blood came out

Jawaharlal. Oh , Bapu, Are you heart? I did not notice. Bapu. Please stop doing these things. We already got independence. Such things are no more required.

Patel. Bapu. All this shit and dirt are enemies to India. These are bigger threat to India than Pakistan. You have been thus fighting enemy during the last half an hour by cleaning all this muck around. In the process you were injured also risking your well being. You could have got tetanus fever from which there is no escape. You surely deserve Ashok Chakra the highest peace time award in India.

Jawaharlal. Sure. I agree. Bapu must be given. In fact you also must get Patel While bringing water from pond to assist Bapu you fell into waters. You could have been drowned. You fought and came out. Look Patel see a small red scratch on your cheek

Patel. Yea. A small thorn pricked me in the pond

Jawaharlal. Then surely you must get Ashok Chakra for bravery in peace time along with Bapu

(Suddenly Jawaharlal limps and he removes his shoe and finds a small sharp stone in it. He suffers a small cut at the toe and blood slightly oozes out. Gandhi runs to him)

Gandhi. What happened Jawaharlal? You are limping. I have seen

Patel. Yeah. He suffered a small injury

Gandhi. He suffered it while motivating me and helping. He must get Ashok Chakra.

( Gandhi, Patel and Jawaharlal shout in chorus )

Gandhi, Patel and Jawaharlal. We want Ashok Chakra for peace time gallantry ( they hold hands and do jig and dance in circle shouting we want Chakra… Ashok Chakra…. Hoo…hooo. Haa…haa. On lookers clap and shout in Chorus. Suddenly a police van arrives there and a dozen constables and two inspectors of Delhi police get down. They are armed with weapons)

Inspector. What is happening here? Why this Tamasha and halla gulla?

Gandhi. We are just enjoying lighter moments

Inspector. I heard some guys shouting.. We want Shok chakras

Patel. Yes sir. You heard incorrectly. We shouted Ashok Chakras… not Shok chakras

Inspector. What is this Shok Chakra

Patel. It is given to those who can not get Ashok Chakras. They keep crying. So they are given Shok Chakras

Inspector. That is fine. But who are you? You are dressed like Gandhi. He looks like Nehru.

Gandhi. We are not looking like them. We are they

Inspector. What is this? How can be thus? Who are they? They died long ago.

Gandhi. Great men do not die . Physically they may die. But they still live like us

Inspector. Oh! Nuts. I am getting nuts ( He shrieks and pulls his hair in disgust) Come on guys. Enough of it. Do not fool around. You can not be Gandhi and Nehru. Do not play tricks. Come to police station. I shall sort out there

Gandhi. You can not arrest us. We have not done any thing. More over we cleaned all this shit here.

Inspector. Constables. Catch these three guys and put them in jeep

(The constables rush at Gandhi. Suddenly Gandhi gestures like Mandrake the magician with his hand and Police men fall one over the other and inspectors are buried underneath the falling police men. They shout…Bachao… bacho..)

Gandhi. Come on guys run. Let us go from here

( They runaway from there and reach Presidential palace on Rashtrapathi road shouting .. Ashok Chakra for us…Down with police guys.. Down with every one). At the entrance they are stopped by security guys)

Security inspector. Hey . Who are you guys. Why are you shouting? This is a non shouting zone. Go away from here

Patel. We shall not go. We want Chakras.. Ashok Chakras

Inspector. What for? What bravery you have shown? Show me your injuries. Republic day parade is already over recently. Wait for next year

Gandhi. We want Ashok Chakras. We are no less than Bombay police men. If they get we should also get

Inspector. Why not us? Look! I cut my chin in the morning while shaving. I was in hurry to get dressed

Constable. Me too sir. Last night one rat scratched my arm with its nails when I was sleeping in guard room.

Gandhi.. Haa…haa. Then it is fine. Let all of us go to the President and demand Chakras

( In the mean time The President is seen strolling on top balcony of palace and he sees all these guys and some commotion. He calls his personal secretary and tells him to get all the guys to him. Secretary gets all assembled in the waiting hall)

President. Come on guys. What is troubling all of you?

Gandhi. Sir we want Ashok Chakras. We have shown bravery of exceptional order in face of enemy in peace time

Secretary. What bravery you have shown?

Gandhi. Me, Patel and Jawahar suffered injuries while cleaning shit in old Delhi. The shit is a greater enemy than Pakistan. So we must get the award. These police men from Delhi claim that one of them cut his chin with razor while shaving and a rat scratched the other one in the night in guard room. They also must get Ashok Chakras

Secretary. That is fine. I spoke to the President. He has awarded Ashok Chakras to all of you. Three cheers

Patel. Long live the President, Cheers

Gandhi. Jai Ho.. Siya Ram ki

Jawahar. What a nice chance. I should have added names of members of all my dynasty for the award. A great chance has been lost. Never mind. Better luck next time.

( Gandhi, Nehru and Patel shout President Zindabad and dance in circle while police men clap)


CURTAIN DROPS

Dr K Prabhakar Rao