INTO THEE PAST WITH PAIN..LXIII

INTO THE PAST WITH PAIN .. LXIII


SCENE..LXIII

Prof Dr Colonel K Prabhakar Rao ( Retired)

(Gandhi, Patel and Nehru are in Tirupathi town and they have come to see lord Balaji)

Gandhi. Ohfo. What a journey indeed to this town by train My back is broken?

Patel. True Bapu. I am also tired. How are you Jawaharlal?

Nehru. I am fine. I have some knee pain of course. Any how the ordeal of train journey is over for time being.

Patel . I was told the real problem would start now onwards.

Gandhi. I see. What can be there?

Patel. You shall learn soon Bapu.. (Sings and does jig on the road)

Bapu. Oh Bapu..Oh Bapu oh… Ba…...pu
We are now in this temple town
Having come to see the lord here
I was told we would become finally a clown

Gandhi. Hee..heee

Nehru. Patel. No jokes please. This is a pious place.

Patel Bapu. Let us go to bus stand to catch a bus to Tirumala.

Gandhi. Let us go.

Patel Bapu. That phrase was the advertisement for Alto car of Maruthi company

Nehru. Hee…hee

(They walk to the bus stand and sit in a bus proceeding to Tirumala. The bus slowly gets on to the ghat road and traverses bends. The curves are severe and sharp. There is some tension around in the bus among passengers)

Gandhi. Eee…eee.. aa.. aa What a turn?. I am getting scared

Patel. Relax Bapu. Nothing will happen. The drivers are experts on these roads.

Gandhi. But the bends are awful. Better I close my eyes.

Nehru. Bapu. I was told no major accidents have taken place on the ghat roads. Some times at best the driver would loose control and go off the railings and slide down

Gandhi.. eee..eeee… aaa…aaa. Please hold me. Do not tell me such things.

( Other passengers laugh at Gandhi)

Patel. Bapu. Take it easy. What will happen? At best bus will fall down. But we can not die again as we are already dead. ( sings)

We are already dead and stinking like a dead horse
No one I am sure is suffering from remorse
I am sure the guys are happy that long ago we were dead
While the rulers have taxed glass of water and pieces of bread

Nehru. Patel. You copied the statement of Winston Churchill before they left India.

Patel. So what.? Every one copies some thing here and there

Nehru. Are you hinting at me?

Patel. You know it better because you wrote some books.

Gandhi. You guys better do not fight. I am vexed up with you guys.

( A co passenger hears the conversation. He is amused. His name is Ram Bharose)

Ram. Hello gentle men. You guys said you are already dead. There is no dying again. What does that mean? Then who are you? Are you bhoots?

Patel. Bhai. We are Gandhi, Nehru and Patel

Ram. That is good. But you guys died many years ago. What are you doing here?

Patel. Came to see Lord

Ram. If you were dead long ago you must have gone to the Lord and staying there. What is this seeing Lord again?

Patel. That you will not understand.

(The driver who is in front of them listens to the talk and he is interested in them)

Driver. Bhai. What is going on? I am getting disturbed. Some one said he is already dead and there is no dying again.

Patel. Yeah. I said.

Driver . Let me see you ( He looks back)

( Suddenly the steering wheel spins at a bend and the bus dashes against a parapet and goes down the road immediately. There are shrieks and shouts everywhere as the bus rolls down the slope and lies flat after rolling down some distance. Gandhi Patel and Nehru are buried under heaps of men. Many are injured and are yelling.)

Patel. You guys. Relax. I am sure no one is dead. We are safe.

Gandhi eee..eee…aaaa…aaaa.. ( He crawls out along with Nehru from the crowd)

Gandhi. Oh fo. We have come out. Is there any one dead?

Patel. Bapu. No one is dead although the bus fell down from a height. That is strange indeed

Gandhi. This is the grace of Balaji.

Patel. No Bapu. It is not the grace. They have to still suffer still in this land for many years. Death will not come to them so soon.

Gandhi. What nonsense you are talking Patel?

Patel. Bapu. I am telling the truth. Generally people believe you brought freedom to India.

Nehru. Where is the doubt?

Patel . Did I say I have doubt? I said people have doubt.

Gandhi. So What happens?

Patel. They also feel that you were responsible for partition and allowing Muslims to stay back after voting for Muslim league in block.

Gandhi. Why that old talk now?

Patel. All this caused great suffering to Hindus in India. It is the curse brought on them by us. They have to suffer eternally. Their suffering period is not over. Therefore no one has died in this accident. They have to live and suffer further.

Nehru. Come on Patel. This is height of loose talk.

Patel What is loose talk in this? ( Sings)

We have ruined India into shreds
Where poor go without bread
Hindus get screwed in Hindustan to day
While the secularists loudly bray

Gandhi. Better keep quiet. I am getting upset ( weeps)

Eee…eeee.. aaa.. aaa. ( sings)

I have done so much for this nation
But the guys hate me to hilt
I can not even die as I am already dead
And a Tomb on my grave in Delhi has already been built

( He sobs uncontrollably. He faints)

Patel. Jawaharlal. Let us wait for some time till the police guys come and rescue all of us
Nehru. OK. What else we can do?

(They quietly wait next to Gandhi looking grim)

CURTAIN FALLS