INTO THE PAST WITH PAIN...XXXIV

INTO THE PAST WITH PAIN…XXXIV

SCENE XXXIV

Prof Dr Colonel K Prabhakar Rao (retired)


(In India elections have been announced and the fever has already been built up. Efforts are being made to complete the issue of voter’s card in the last minute. In news papers the government notifications are given…. Gandhi and Patel and Nehru see the notification in heavens. It is the small room of Gandhi where Nehru and Patel are also seen sitting)

Gandhi. Look Patel. See this notification in this news paper. They are trying to build up last minute voters. Shall we try to get a voters card?

Nehru. That is a good idea. We will come to know what exactly happens there

Patel. That is good. Lets us go

Gandhi. Haa…haa.. That was good slogan. It was the slogan for Alto car of Maruthi Company for many days on the TV

Nehru. Bapu. Do you watch TV also?

Gandhi. Why not? I have a small black and white non remote control type in my room. Some time it works.

Patel. Haa…haa. OK. Let us go.

( The trio land up in Hyderabad at Happy heart nagar at a local theatre near bus stop close to bus depot. They find the area very dirty with all filth thrown out at every corner. Bapu gets upset)

Gandhi. Ohf! What type of place this is? I must clean this place. Jawahar. I think we must clean this area.

Patel. Come on Bapu. Is this the time for such acts? You can do after work is over.

Bapu. OK. Patel! How do we go about? I was told that to day the municipal people would come to a place called community hall compound where they would collect data and issue cards. ( He goes to a pan shop to enquire)

Vendor. Oh Bhai. What do you want? Do you need Banarsi pan or Palang thod Pan? Even masala zarda and Saada are there.

Gandhi. Ohf. Nothing of these. I want to know where the voter cards are issued to day

Vendor. You go by this lane, turn right at the end and go straight, turn left and again turn right and after 200 yards you find the place. You can easily make out.

Gandhi. Thanks.

( He goes back to his friends and all of them walk along the lane and reach the place. In the compound they find some people and few officials while one guy holds a digital camera. Others are found chewing pan masala while one or two guys are smoking)

Nehru. Oh Bhai. We have come to collect our voter’s cards

Official. That is good. Please find your names in this list. Locate them and let me know.

( The trio start searching the lists and they surprisingly find names such as Mohandas, Jawaharlal and Narang Patel with house addresses).

Patel. Look sir! Our names are here in Block I in Electric nagar of New hamlet constituency.

Official. That is very good sir. I shall instruct the camera man to take the snaps. Kindly wait.

( In the mean time a tea vendor comes with a flask and plastic tea cups)

Patel. Hey baba. Come here . Give us three cups .

(The vendor gives them three empty cups)

Patel. What is this? Where is tea in this?

Vendor. Sir. You asked for only cups and not tea

Patel. Come on! Are we looking so stupid to you? Pour tea in these cups.

( Vendor gives them tea and collects nine rupees and goes away giggling.)

Gandhi. The tea is very expensive. There is hardly any tea.

Nehru. It will not be strange in very near future if he puts tea with a dropper in our mouths for same money. The day is not far off when we have to smell tea for same money.

Patel. Hee..hee..hee

Nehru. Hoo…hoo..hoo

Gandhi. Ok. Enough of jokes and let us get to business.

( In the mean time the photographer calls Gandhi to stand near a wall for the snap and notes his serial number and Gandhi obliges)

Photographer. Baba. Please drop your stick. Look straight.

( He is about to snap when a crow flies across Gandhis face and snap is clicked)

Photographer. Thanks sir well done.

( The photographer takes snaps of Nehru and Patel also and thanks them)

Gandhi. Hello sir. When do we get the photos?

Official. You will get them by post.

Gandhi. We may not be in Hyderabad for long. We may loose them.

Official. In that case please come to municipal office after three days. You will get there. Please bring the receipts with you.

( Gandhi and his friends thank the team and walks back to the main road.)

Gandhi. To days work is over. Let us go around a bit and see what is there.

(The trio starts walking on the road. In one of the lanes they find some statues left on the road side near a shop which appears to be a sculptors shop. Many are found urinating right near the statues. There is lot of shit and filth in that area. Some kids are also found pissing on the statues of past leaders left uncared for)

Gandhi. Ohf. What a sorry state?

Nehru. Please say fate Bapu.

Patel. True

Gandhi. Let us go from here. I can not stand this insult


(They get into another lane and suddenly come across a Gandhi statue on a pedestal at a crossing)

Gandhi. Eee…eee.. Jawahar see this statue. How it is?

(The Gandhi statue is in bad shape. Its legs are broken from the knees and cement has peeled off and it is standing by virtue of iron rods in the legs. There are no fingers to the hands and the stick is forced into the arm pit by some one. There is no cement near neck and head is standing on mere iron rod. The statue is surrounded by filth and pigs are seen playing there. A police constable is seen close by and he is chewing pan while standing on one leg and leaning on to his lathi. Gandhi goes to him)

Gandhi. Oh ! Police bhai. What is this? Is this way you maintain the statue of father of nation?

Constable. What can we do Bhai? This statue was not erected by Government. It is the work of locals. Now this area has no congress influence. Who will care for this one? You see. After some time, the statue will be broken and the rogues and urchins would collect steel rods and sell them away. That will be the final fate of this Gandhi. But why are you getting upset? Sir! You have dressed up like Gandhi and you really look like him.

Nehru. Look Constableji. He is real Gandhi. I am real Nehru and he is real Patel.

Constable. ( Smiles) OK sir Thanks. See you (Within him…… Poor guys! They think they are real ones. Old age has affected them. May god bless them.)


Gandhi. Ok Friends. Let us go. We have to come again here to collect our voters cards

( The trio disappear and after three days and again reappear at Municipal office at Red brave man nagar at 10 30 hours. They go to the section where the voters cards are to be given)

Gandhi. Bhai. These are our receipts. Kindly give us our voter/s cards

Clerk. Please wait. I am busy. Come after one hour

Nehru. What do you mean come after one hour? You are not doing any thing as I see. You are chit chatting with some person. Do you think we do not have any work?

Clerk. I told you once. Is it not enough

Patel. Look friend. Why do you want to pick up quarrel? You have to just give out cards

( In the mean time some on lookers gather there who are also waiting for some thing else. They become restive and some of them shout slogans)

On lookers. Hoi..hoi.. Down with municipal office and staff… hoi…hoii..


(The clerk suddenly becomes nervous and in the mean time an officer on hearing the slogans rush out of the cabin and come to the trio.

Officer. What is the matter? Why are you shouting slogans? Please do not do it. This is a government office. Please be seated and be patient. We shall take care of all of you. Please. (Looking at the clerk) Why do not understand? We are here for taking care of public. Not for chit chatting. Please look after them.

( Gandhi and his friends hand over the receipts and the clerk verifies them and hands over the voters cards to them. They look at the cards)

Gandhi. Eee…eeee… Is this my card. Am I a crow? What is this my friend?

( Nehru and Patel look at the card and they find Gandhi with a crows face. They loudly laugh…hee..hee..hee )

Gandhi. (Getting worked up) Look Mr Clerk I do not know your name. Please look into this card. A crow’s photo is there with my body. Is this the voter’s card?

Clerk. Sir. Whatever the photographer gives we take and prepare. This is not my fault.

(Nehru and Patel now look in to their cards. In Nehru’s card the photograph is of a woman and in Patel’s card the photograph is of a boy. They get worked up and shout loudly at the clerk. Hearing the shouts the officer again comes out and enquires)

Officer. Now what is the matter again?

Gandhi. Sir .Please look at these cards. Are we crows and women and boys. Not even one photograph is correct.

( the officer looks at the cards and gets upset)

Officer,. Eee..eee… nuts. Jokers indeed! Who made these cards? I understand a mistake of woman and a boy. But what about this crow? How come a voter be a person with crows head? I Suspend the photographer immediately.

Onlooker. Haa…haa..haaa. This is the greatness of Municipal office and staff. They are being paid for this only.

Officer (Getting embarrassed) Sir. Please excuse us for these slip ups. The work pressure is so high. The poor staff has gone crazy. Give us some time. I shall arrange proper cards here itself. That will save our face. I request you to be here at 1000 hours tomorrow and I promise to prepare new cards in front of me. The photographer will be there.

Patel. That is good. Thank you very much for the concern you show. May god bless you.


Nehru True. Atleast some sane person is there here.

Gandhi. True. We shall come tomorrow.

Officer. Sir bye the bye, why are you dressed like our past leaders?

Gandhi. We are not dressed. We are in fact they.

Officer. How can it be? They died long ago

Gandhi . You shall not understand that. Plesae touch us.

( The officer tries to touch Gandhi and he only moves his hand in air)

Officer. Eee…eeee… This is some bhoot. Oh God save me

( The officer and clerk run away)

( Gandhi and his friends laugh and walk away from the municipal office and disappear )


Dr K Prabhakar Rao