INTO THE PAST WITH PAIN..XXX

INTO THE PAST WITH PAIN….. XXX

SCENE….XXX

Prof Dr Colonel K Prabhakar Rao ( retired)

( MKGandhi, Nehru and Patel are seen walking on the streets of Hyderabad city. It is Saturday and a working day for the government. But roads are not crowded. Vehicles are smoothly travelling on the road. Gandhi appears surprised..)

Gandhi. Jawaharlal, Look! Today, the roads are not congested. Do you remember? Last time we came here and we could not even cross the road for almost half an hour.

Nehru. Yeah, bapu. It is true

Patel. What could be the reason? ( He stops a passerby and enquires)

Patel. Oh Bhai! What is the matter? Why the roads are empty today. I find no city buses. We want to go to Gandhi Bhavan.

Stranger. Sir! My name is Bharat. Today there is a public meeting in Secunderabad Parade ground where Congress President Sonia Gandhi will address the people.

Gandhi. How it is concerned with running of city buses?

Bharat . Sir. That is the usual practice. Most of the RTC buses have been diverted to carry people to the meeting and some have been diverted for other works related. The Congress party power does every thing to bring people to the meeting. That is their duty. Most of them are brought on hire for that day. They are paid. If it is left to people no one will come for these meetings in this hot sun. Only leaders will remain there. I was told that the local university runs a diploma course on the techniques of crowd collection as extension to degree in political science.

Gandhi. Hee…heee.. I was told that there are agents in city who do this business of bringing people in trucks. They hire casual laborers for that day and brought.

Nehru. Haa. Haaa. Same guys also come for the meetings of other parties too.

Gandhi. True. Leader is different and people are same. It is a big business. In movies shootings also the agents bring people for shooting whenever scenes are there where some crowds are to be shown. Hee…heee

Patel. Then what happens to people like us? We have to go to some places.

Bharat . Your bad luck sir. You have to swallow the bitter pill. Hire a three wheeler and go.

Gandhi. You mean auto rickshaw? That we will never do. Oh No! Last time we confronted one guy and he was trying to stab us with a pen knife.

Bharat . Ok Sir. I have to go and I have urgent work to do. You guys appear to be free men without work

Nehru. Look. We are dead men on sight seeing trip

Bharat. How you are dead? You are talking and walking too

Patel. You will not understand. Touch me and see.

(Bharat tries to touch Patel , but feels only air)

Bharat. Eee….eee… these are bhoots. Oh God save me

( Bharat runs away)

Gandhi. OK Bhai. Bharat, Thanks for the information

Patel. Shall we walk from here? Gandhi Bhavan is about three miles from here.

Gandhi. OK. That is a good idea too.

(They start walking on the road. They are all dressed in their usual and familiar dress)

Patel. Bapu. Let us go fast

(Suddenly a Hillman Minx car stops near them and a gentle man named Prabhakar steps out)

Prabhakar. Namaste (Salutation in India ) Bapu, Namaste Nehruji and Namaste Patel Sahib. What luck? I am able to see all of you great men at one time

Gandhi. Namaste. Son ! I am happy you recognize me and others.

Nehru. Hello, Son! Can you drop us at Gandhi Bhavan? We are old people.

Prabhakar. With pleasure Sir. Please get into the car

( All get into the car and are seated comfortably and the car is driven to Gandhi Bhavan)

Gandhi. Thanks son! This appears a very old model car. Is it of my times?


Prabhakar. True sir. This is 1952 Hillman Minx coupe, a classic car with side valve engine. It is made in England by Roots Motor Company and was imported from UK and sold in India. They also made Humber and Singer cars. It was a very popular model of its times.

Patel. Good. You are taking care of it well.

Prabhakar. True sir. All these years it has taken care of me. In its old age I am taking care of it. It is a much devoted car.

Gandhi. Now a days people do not take care of their old parents and they are driven out. It is strange you are taking care of the old car in its old age.

Prabhakar. Haa…haa. I love it sir. I call it cheekoo.

( The car reaches Gandhi Bhavan and the visitors get down and thank Prabhakar for the lift)

Gandhi. Thank you son for the kind lift. We are obliged. May god bless you!

Prabhakar. That is OK Sir. It was a pleasure that I was useful to you

( Prabhakar drives away in Hillman Minx car after paying respects to the trio.)

Gandhi. Look! That is the Gandhi Bhavan named after me. Let us go there. It was indeed nice of Prabhakar who recognized and gave so much of respect to us. Appears to be a much disciplined and dignified man with regards to elders.

Patel. True Bapu. The country is still surviving because there are some people like him in India. Please wait Bapu. I see some commotion there. There is a huge crowd at the gate. The people are trying to push open the gates while some from inside are closing the gates. I see some trouble. I also hear people shouting abuses against the rulers and the Chief Minister.

Gandhi. What could be the problem here? Gandhi Bhavan means it should be calm and quiet. But it looks all violent here ( Holds his head)

Nehru. Bapu. Take it easy. It is no more your Gujarat Sadakat or Wardha Ashram of your times. Do not become sentimental. Those days are over. Only old names are remaining now while mischief goes on everywhere.

( In the mean time the crowd at the gate becomes violent and they break open the gates and rush in. Some are carrying cans of petrol, kerosene and all are shouting)

Agitator. Down with CM. Down with Congress. MRPS Zindabad.. All others Murdabad… Hooo…hoooo…haaa…haaaa

Bapu. ( Goes to the people) Bhai. What is the problem? Why this agitation?

Agitator. We are fighting for our rights. Ours is called Madiga reservation Porata Samithi (MRPS). We are fighting for classification and reservation for our Scheduled castes sub castes and sub- sub castes.

Gandhi. I was told that the reservations were to be removed after ten years as stipulated by Mr Ambedkar

Nehru. Look bapu! I ruled for 16 years. I amended constitution several times and reservations are continuing eternally. My successors got the clue from me.

Gandhi. Ohf! So you are the cause for all this trouble. Can the caste problem be solved in India? As long as reservations are there all these troubles would be there. If you solve this, there will be another hundred.

Nehru. What can I do? I have to take care of people’s sentiments.

Patel. And win elections also and become PM again and again for life time and then make way for the dynasty.

Nehru. Come on Patel! I never wanted to remain PM all the time. People wanted me. I never made my daughter my successor. Lal Bahadur was made PM after me.

Patel. But poor guy died in short span. What people can do? They are like sheep ( sings).

Indians vote like a pack of sheep
And then finally they have to only weep
The leaders enjoy and in luxuries they sleep
Damage to nation they do very deep

Gandhi. Haa..haaa… Well said Patel. You hit the bull.

( Nehru gets embarrassed and Gandhi realizes that Nehru is annoyed)

Gandhi. Jawaharlal. Please be relaxed. Patel wants to pull your leg often.

Nehru. That is OK Bapu.

(Suddenly there are flames in Gandhi Bhavan at the entrance lobby as the agitators pour kerosene setting premises aflame. There is a scuffle between MRPS activists and congress men. People run in all directions. Suddenly the police personnel resort to Lathi charge and beat the agitators mercilessly. Some people are severely injured while some get serious burn injuries. The flames are brought under control by the fire tender that arrives in time. However huge cutouts and flexi banners are burnt by the agitators. Some of the MRPS activists and others get serious burn injuries.)

Gandhi. Ohf.. What types of people are here? I see so much of violence at Gandhi Bhavan which should be a place of non violence..(Shouts) Mera Bharat…Mera Bharat… Hoi…. Hoi.. What happened to my India? What types of people are ruling here? (Beats his chest)

Patel. Bapu.. Please cool down. This is the real result of giving freedom to a undisciplined nation. Now nothing can be done. We can not even Englishmen to take over again. They will run away to moon if we give the suggestion. They are very happy that they got rid off a country like India finally.

Gandhi. It looks like this nation will disintegrate by inter caste struggles, reservation problems and politicking by the leaders who have no national outlook and want to play vote bank politics

Patel. Correctly said Bapu. You said what I wanted to say.

Gandhi. I am happy that we came in time here and saw actually what happens at Gandhi Bhavan. I am hundred percent sure that this building should no more be called Gandhi Bhavan as there is no Gandhism going on here.

Nehru. Shall we suggest some name to it?

Patel. Politics Bhavan is a good name

Gandhi. But politics are played at all Bhavans in the country.

Nehru. Let people decide the new name.

Gandhi. OK. I think it should be called new Gandhi Bhavan

Patel. hee…hee…hee

Nehru. Hoo….hooo..hoo.. ou…ou…ou,

(Gandhi, Nehru and Patel hold hands and dance singing…)

Gandhi Bhavan is unlike MKGandhi
Where violence is the way of life
The nation is in hands of many crooks
Where all after one another with a knife

Dr K Prabhakar Rao