INTO THE PAST WITH PAIN.....LXXXIII

INTO THE PAST WITH PAIN…LXXXIII

Dr K Prabhakar Rao

(Gandhi, Nehru and Patel are seen loitering at the main gate of Osmania University in Hyderabad. Police is present. But they are permitting vehicles ofcourse after a small enquiry at the gate. Atmosphere is much eased. Police men are seen relaxed. Many are seen standing lazily leaning on to their rifles or lathis. Some are seen chewing pan and spitting here and there.)

Patel. Bapu. Do you like to have some chai ( tea)?

Gandhi .Sure and why not? In the days of freedom struggle, I was very much addicted to goats milk. But there are no goats around now. I think they have been eaten away. Let us go. Jawaharlal. I am sure you are with us.

Nehru. Sure Bapu. Mere Bapu. Mere Mere Bapu. I can not say no to you ( sings and does jig)

Oh Mere Bapu. Mere Bapu
I am your eternal slave
Please do not leave me
And do not think I am naive

Patel. Jawaharlal! That means given a chance you will not come.

Nehru. I did not say that

Patel. Hee…hee.. Haa..haa..hooo.hoo

(They go to a tea stall near the gate where many student are also sipping tea. Looking at Bapu and Patel few students get up and offer the chairs to the trio)

Gandhi . Thank sons. We are obliged.

Students. Never mind sir. We are happy.

Gandhi. Look Patel. The students are so much concerned about us. Who can say that students are not disciplined in India?( looking at students) By the by what happened to your Telangana agitation dear friends? Last week this was a battle ground. Now all is quiet. Have you withdrawn the struggle.

Patel hee..hee.. Barood Kahatam ho gaya. ( Gun powder is over)

Nehru.. Gas Khataam ho gaya cylinder mein ( Gas cylinder has become empty) ( sings)

These guys have lost the tempo
Delhi guys have made a joke of them
These guys are taken for a ride
Like in an old model rickety Bajaj tempo

Gandhi. (Does a jig shouting) Hee..haa…haa..haa. ooh..oh....hoo.hoo.. Arre..ooo..oooo.. Kya gajab hogaya.. Bewakoof bana diya ( What magic has been done.. have been made clowns)…insab ko ( These all)

Student Laxman. Respected sir. Please do not say that. We are watching things. Do not underestimate us.

Gandhi. Look friend. You have to hammer iron when it is hot. Once it is cold, it again takes long time to make it red hot. Fire may get extinguished.

Patel. True. Now the agitation is loosing tempo. More it is dragged like this, more mirage it becomes

Nehru. But center has bought some time. Rather a good trick they played on these naïve guys.

Patel. Hee.. Haa…haaa.. They are afterall students.

Nehru. What is there to laugh?

Patel. All is there to laugh. Hee..hee ( Does fast jig)

Gandhi. What do you mean?

Patel. Look Bapu. You know the tricks very well from your freedom struggle. You know very well that whenever our agitation got violent , the Englishmen called us for talks and meetings.Some cock and bull was discussed.

Gandhi. Yeah. We went for round table meetings. Look Patel. Why these meetings are called round table conferences?

Patel. Because the tables on which we sat were circular. But there is another story. The issues would be discussed going round and round without any end and nothing will come out of them. All will go round and round the tables doing nothing and achieving nothing. ( Sings and does break dance)

These are for going round and round
You will get thoroughly tired and ground
Soon you shall loose interest and vigor
Look, the police is ready with their rifle triggers


Students.. Haa…haaa…haa. Show these rifles to some one else. Not to us.

Gandhi. Why are you laughing boys? Understand that the meeting at Delhi was like this one as explained by Patel.

Student Ramu. (gets in to frenzy and shouts) Jai Telangana.. Jai Telangana..Jai Jai Telangana..

Student Yadgiri. Telangana leke rahenge ( we shall take Telangana).. Jo hamse takraye ga who mitti me mil jayega ( the one who confronts shall get pound to dust).. hoo…haaa.. Lagadapathi. Down down.. Chidambaram.. hoi…hoi..

( Other students also shout loudly and the police men get active. They put on helmets and adjust their lathis. The pot bellied Inspectors adjust their belts and holsters of handguns)

Laxman .( approaches Gandhi). Sir Do you think Telangana will be accepted by Chidambaram. He is playing double game. That guy appears tricky.

Patel; Has to be. Otherwise he will not be in his chair. It is not like state home portfolio where one can afford to be silent like a dummy and keep watching speechless with lost look.

Gandhi. I think you meant some thing.

Patel. Nothing Bapu. I only told him that home portfolio at center is not that happy? Chidambaram is wearing my shoes

Laxman. Sir. We students feel that Congress at center is just wasting time by allowing for useless meetings and allowing the agitation to die.

Nehru. You know it better.

Ramu There was great tempo from students. Our political leaders accepted talks at Delhi.

Yadgiri. Laxman. Look . These political leaders always play safe. Their resignations appear to be threats. Why no resignation has been accepted till now. Delhi guys also know this drama. Every Telangana MLA from various parties is playing safe. They do not want to loose their positions. I am sure they will ditch you at last minute. By this time you must have realized.

Ramu. I am doubtful about them. These leaders do not want to loose their posts and power. Recently they won elections. They are scared because they must have spent lot of money.

Yadgiri. Earlier Chenna Reddy ditched the Telangana agitation and he joined congress. He became Governor and chief minister of AP. He enjoyed life at the cost of dead students. What happened to 400 guys who died in 1969 Telangana agitation?

Gandhi. I met most of them in heavens.

Yadgiri. What do you mean?.. Heavens

Patel. Yes . we came from heavens

Ramu.. Hee..hee,, Good joke sir. Please do not think we are mere kids. Please know I am a LLB student.

Laxman. I am a final year MA student.

Ramu. Iam doing MSc II year

Patel. How come there is no MBBS and B Tech student?

Nehru. That has no meaning.

Gandhi. Look guys. You people have been just taken for a ride. Nothing will come out of these talks and Chidambaram said he would speak to PM and would make a statement.

Nehru. PM will then go to high command. PM can not act without high commands permission. He is just there guarding the chair for some one.

Patel. After all he is from Rajya Sabha…hee…hee

Gandhi. Please do not laugh.. He is from our congress

Patel. . No Bapu. Our congress died long ago. What is there today is Indira Congress. Our congress was buried beside your grave atleast 2Km deep along with time capsule never to surface. ( sings)

Bapu. You died long ago
And Congress was also buried there
What is going on is crooks galore
Every thing in India is nice and fair

Gandhi. ( cries and beats his chest) Mera Bharat.. Mera Bharat.. aa.aa.. Margaya. Mardiya Mujhe.. ee…eee.. ( Died.. I have been killed)

Nehru (goes to Gandhi) Bapu. Take this hanky and wipe tears

Gandhi. Thanks. Where is our friend Ramu?

Ramu. Sir I am here.

Gandhi. You know all the examinations were postponed two times and now students are attending classes.

Ramu. Yes. They lost some days. Bur sir Unless sacrifices are made nothing can be achieved. Either you can eat cake or have it . Only one can happen. If these guys are after examinations, that is the end. Telangana will go to cold storage.It is already put in the box.

Patel. The lid has to be closed soon.Surely for another century. It has be now or never.

Ramu. Many leaders from political parties have spent lot of money to win elections. They have not made anything I am sure till date. So they are hesitating to be bold and decisive

Laxman. Ultimately students will be suckers of first order and first degree. We take police blows, tear gas, water cannons, rubber bullets and real bullets in days to come. Cases will be booked against us. The leaders will come after everything is over.

Patel . Very well said. I think wisdom is dawning on you. I am sure you are staying under a wisdom tree. Remember. Time and tide wait for no man. Strike Iron when it is hot. Remember Kabir Das.. and his poems

Ramu. Sir . who is this Kabir das?

Patel. Don’t yopu know this great poet saint/?Shame and sad too.

Ramu. It was never taught to us. I only studied Jack and Jill went up the hill… when I was young.

Patel. Never mind. You can even learn now. ( sings)

Kal kareso aaj kar
Aur aaj kareso aab
Pal me parlaya hoyi gi
Bahuri karega kab

If you post pone your agitation for some other day you have cooked your goose. It will die soon. People will forget. Other party becomes strong. So you can not rest till you achieve goal.

Laxman. But we need some guidance from political partiers too.

Patel. These guys will use you and finally bag all posts and berths for themselves and you will be left in lurch. That is history’s lesson No. I.

Gandhi.. Hee..He Very well said Patel.

Patel. It happened to me too after partition. I equally struggled and Nehru became PM. I was left to suck thumbs.See my thumb! How thin it has become after years of sucking.

Gnadhi. Look Patel. Is it now necessary to say all those things?

Patel. What is wrong in telling truth? I gave a real example to the youngsters.

Nehru. Look Bapu. Patel is habituated to dig graves

Gandhi. You guys for a change please keep quiet.

Rau. Sir what shall we do?

Patel. You know it better. You are all educated and matured. The leaders will not give up the posts so easily. Back of the mind they are sure and have fear that Telangana may not materialize. If their resignations are accepted, they will loose the game. Next time they may not party ticket too. So they are dilly dallying the issue of resignations. They also waste time discussing and again discussing.

Gandhi. This is very tricky situation. You must have aims clear. You can not ride two horses.Please also know that for some this is the opportunity to emerge as leaders in politics. Selfish guys always will be there. All can not be Potti Sriramulu.

Patel. I have to say that you have to follow intense peaceful agitation. Burning buses and offices may not help. The agitation becomes violent. Crooks take advantage of situation.

Laxman. Thanks sir

( In the mean time some police men go to the tea stall)

Inspector. You guys, Please disperse. Section 144 is applicable here. Please go away

Patel. What will you do if we stay

Inspector. You shall know it soon.

Gandhi. Hee..hee..ouu…ouu

Inspector. What is there to laugh? You silly old man

Patel. Look Inspector. He is Bapu. Mahatma Gandhi. Father of nation. Please give respect.

Inspector. Who are you to interfere. I shall see you

Patel. What shall you see?

( Inspector charges at Patel with his lathi and Gandhi stares and twists his hand like Mandrake the magician and the police Inspector is thrown in to the campus gate and he lands behind Arts college with limbs broken.. Gandhi, Nehru and Patel slowly walk away from the scene wishing the students a great success.)

CURATIN FALLS